Review: A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was Christmas time, so it was time to re-read "A Christmas Carol". Why is it worth re-reading? Here are three reasons...

One of the greatest opening sentences ever: "Marley was dead: to begin with."

So many memorable (and funny) passages:

“Why do you doubt your senses?” “Because,” said Scrooge, “a little thing affects them. A slight disorder of the stomach makes them cheats. You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There’s more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!”

And, sadly, still relevant in places:

“They are Man’s,” said the Spirit, looking down upon them. “And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy...

Worth reading every Christmas. God bless us, every one!

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Review: Marvel Ironman: The Gauntlet

Marvel Ironman: The Gauntlet by Eoin Colfer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book had a lyric from a Rush song as a preface. He had me at hello.

Trouble is, it went a bit downhill from there. Too many easy fixes for what should have been stupidly difficult problems. There was no sense of jeopardy. The thing that annoyed me most though was it read like an advert from the Irish Tourist Board. So, here is a review of the book sponsored by Visit Scotland...

I was thinking about "Marvel Ironman: The Gauntlet" as I walked past the traditional Christmas market in Glasgow's George Square. I decide to read a bit more as I stop for a gastronomic treat, a warming glass of festive cheer and a unique festive gift. As I sat enjoying the warm welcome and the festive atmosphere I contemplated the destruction described in the book. I was reminded of the many examples of world class architecture in Scotland. I hope Ironman and the Mandarin don't destroy the Forth Bridge, Rosslyn Chapel or, worst of all, Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Hill House in Helensburgh, I thought. What a loss it would be to the world if Mackintosh's visually arresting mix of Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Scottish Baronial and Japonisme architecture and design as well as the beautifully restored garden, was demolished in a dust up between Tony and the Mandarin's minions. However, I was reassured by the thought that Tony Stark, that great inventor, would feel at home in the birthplace of inventors like John Logie Baird, James Watt and John Boyd Dunlop. I enjoy reading about Ironman's trip to Ireland but couldn't help think of Bonnie Scotland - there's no place like home!

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Review: Siege

Siege by Brian Michael Bendis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I buy most of my books from charity shops. In general, this is not a problem but it is trickier with graphic novels where I usually struggle to get the whole story. With Siege, I am coming in at the end of a story and knew nothing about the build up and crossover elements. It took me a while to work out what was going on. For example, what was with the Avengers? Who were these people that were not the people they said they were? I didn't realise at first that Osborne's Avengers were not the Avengers I knew and loved.

Anyway, I got there eventually and mostly enjoyed the story. Some of the artwork was a bit scrappy but there was enough that was good to keep me on board I especially like the sequence of panels that work down the page where you see, from above, the Iron Patriot looking up. As the panels progress, you notice that a spot in the first panel is a reflection of something getting closer and closer until in the final panel, it is clearly about to smack hm on the head. (I won't spoil it completely by saying what was getting closer, but it made me smile when I recognised it.) No dialogue, just a great idea well rendered.

My main concern with it was the "too many heroes" problem. The thinking seems to be: if less is more, just think how much more "more" will be! You like one hero? You'll like two heroes twice as much. And if you like two heroes, get a load of this story with two-hundred and two! My problem is that it is impossible to do justice to everyone involved so, inevitably, some of my favourite characters just get lost in the background.

That said, I enjoyed the story: Osborne was suitably unhinged; Loki was deliciously malicious and some of Earth's (and Asgard's) mightiest heroes were well and truly slapped!

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Review: Neverwhere

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'd heard the radio adaptation of this book a year or two ago and really enjoyed it. I was surprised to discover though that the book was based on a BBC TV series that Gaiman wrote... what was I doing in the mid nineties that I missed that completely!?

Despite having heard it on the radio, I had forgotten the end and thoroughly enjoyed finding out what happened again. (Crumbs. I just looked it up. I must have heard the radio shows five years ago! No wonder I'd forgotten most of it.) I enjoyed the way Gaiman reused and repurposed London place names: the way some things were taken literally (e.g. Earls Court) and how places became people (Old Bailey being my favourite - I couldn't help but hear Bernard Cribbins voice in my head when I read his lines).

As with the radio programme, the bit that worked least well for me was the character of Richard Mayhew, which is unfortunate since he is arguably the main character. He was so (unbelievably) slow on the uptake, he was clearly supposed to be a messiah type character but it was never clear why and the resolution to his story arc was easily guessable.

Despite that, I still enjoyed this book. Gaiman delivers some nice lines, for example, when describing London he says: "It was a city in which the very old and the awkwardly new jostled each other, not uncomfortably, but without respect..." and I, although I didn't laugh out loud while reading it, I often sniggered quietly. And if that's not a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is!

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Review: Graphic Science - Seven Journeys of Discovery

Graphic Science - Seven Journeys of Discovery by Darryl Cunningham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There is a quote on the front of the book that says: "It can take other authors whole books to say what Darryl can say in a single illustration". This is not entirely fair. The illustrations are simple and the chapters give brief snippets from the lives of seven scientists. I say that not to condemn the book but to praise it. I think it does an outstanding job of giving just enough information to pique interest and it certainly made me interested enough to hit the internet after each chapter and do a bit more research on the people in Graphic Science. Darryl Cunningham gave just enough, in an engaging and interesting manner, to make me want to find out more. Job done!

My only criticism would be the author's confusion over science and religious belief. In the chapter on Mary Anning he states, "...this was to be the last era in which religious belief and science would be compatible.". Clearly this is nonsense or "scientist" and "atheist" would be synonyms. Interestingly, I read this book shortly after reading Galileo's Daughter which argued that, contrary to modern expectations, Galileo was a good Catholic and quotes one of his letters where he says, "...I think in the first place that it is very pious to say and prudent to affirm that the holy Bible can never speak untruth - whenever its true meaning is understood.". He ends the same letter with this summary: "That the intention of the Holy Ghost is to teach us how one goes to heaven, not how heaven goes.". Despite the popular understanding of what happened to Galileo, it can be argued that he was more than able to reconcile his religious belief and his scientific discoveries.

That aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it as an introduction to some lesser known but important characters in science.

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Review: Galileo's Daughter

Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It took me a while to finish this book but not because I wasn't enjoying it and not because it was a heavy read... It just seemed to take a long time and I'm not sure why.

It was really enjoyable. All the time I was reading it, I would talk to people and find my self starting sentences with, "I'm reading this book about Galileo...". I suspect most people only know the headline: religion versus science. This book makes it clear it that is a horrendous over-simplification. For instance, Galileo's Daughter suggests that Galileo was a good Catholic who worked hard to make sure his book did not fall foul of church doctrine. It also made me aware that science, as we know it now didn't exist: Galileo was inventing it in the face of opposition from his peers (e.g. most people know about the famous experiment where he dropped two balls off the Leaning Tower of Pisa but I didn't realise that many of his contemporaries refused to accept the evidence, preferring instead to cling to the wisdom of the ancients). But is also hinted that for all his brilliance he was not always wise: for example, he seemed to enjoy humiliating his rivals and perhaps it was not wise to put the words of the pope in the mouth of a character called "Simplicio" (which, in Italian suggests "simpleton").

The reason for the book's title is that it prominently features letters sent to him from his daughter. While the insight into covent life was interesting, I must admit I would have been quiet happy to have missed that aspect of the book.

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Review: iZombie, Vol. 1: Dead to the World

iZombie, Vol. 1: Dead to the World by Chris Roberson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The story was OK but I felt it was just beginning when this collection came to an end. There were some good ideas (e.g. cute zombie, ghost that's stuck in the past, a not werewolf, ...) but at times it felt a bit derivative (was anybody else reminded of the TV show "Being Human"?).

The artwork is similarly uneven. Mike Allred is clearly talented (some great covers, artwork overlapping interestingly placed panels, the sketches at the end of the book, ...) but often his work looks strangely flat. For example, there is a section where two characters walk across the bottom of the screen while stuff happens in the panels above: an opportunity to inject something dynamic which is squandered by the cookie cutter nature of the walking people.

In summary, interesting but not interesting enough.

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Review: Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned

Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned by Brian K. Vaughan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A friend raved about this book and, given the number of five star ratings it has here, it is clearly loved by many others. I thought it was good but not great.

I was tempted to give it three stars because of a major problem I have with a major plot point but in the end gave it four stars because it was a fun read. I liked the art, it made me laugh a couple of times and the pop culture references worked for me ("If you'll be my bodyguard, you can call me Al?")

My problem is with the basic premise of the book. I just cannot buy into the idea that the last two male mammals would be allowed to wander off on a quest for answers and fiancées. Seriously? Not a chance. Even if the post-event world was full of peace and love instead of a chaos and destruction, the last male would be held somewhere secure. He would be prodded and pressed in a search for answers... and descendants. His mum had the right idea: keep him secret, keep him safe.

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Review: A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book that has made me cry. The other book made me cry because of real world events as much as because of the book itself.

This book made me cry because it was beautiful and painful... and truthful.


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Review: Hacker

Hacker by Malorie Blackman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Worth saying at the start that I am not the target audience... but I enjoyed this book anyway.

The Computing is extremely dated but right for the time it was written; Malorie had clearly done her homework. So, a big thumbs up from Computing Scientist me.

The grown up me can’t help but think the story would have been much shorter if, at any number of points, one of the children had just spoken to an adult. The young teen me though would have understood why they didn’t, would have felt things as intensely as the characters (...my parents will get divorced if I fail my Maths exam!) and would have told my grown up self to shut up.

Teacher me got really annoyed at the dad’s defence to the headteacher (“Are you calling my daughter a liar?”). Young teen me would have said, “You tell her, dad!”

What can I say? I enjoyed this book. Young teen me would have enjoyed it even more.

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Review: Ultimate Comics Avengers Vol. 1: The Next Generation

Ultimate Comics Avengers Vol. 1: The Next Generation by Mark Millar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book confused me at first. When I picked it up in the charity shop, I just saw Mark Millar’s name and Avengers. I failed to spot the “Ultimate” bit and, having not encountered any previous work from the Ultimate universe, it didn’t really mean anything to me anyway. Hence my confusion. Tony Stark is a useless, untrustworthy drunk... with an obnoxious big brother? Nerd Hulk? Hawkeye with guns? Hmm!? Once I relaxed, I kind of enjoyed it. (Apart from Tony Stark big brother. He remained annoying throughout.)

Worst thing? Some ill judged attempts at humour at the expense of the French. I suspect Millar was aiming for irony but, in my opinion, he missed. (The Hawkeye of humour he is not.)

Best thing? Seeing Captain America in action; taking on The Avengers (and the bad guys) and winning! (Not really a spoiler - good guy wins in the end. Surprise!) We see him really living up to the name “Super Soldier”. Super not just in terms of his fighting ability but as super planner and super tactician. Excellent.

For letting me see Captain America in this new light, I’m willing to forgive everything that rankled.

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Review: Daredevil by Mark Waid, Vol. 1

Daredevil by Mark Waid, Vol. 1 by Mark Waid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think I first encountered Daredevil through Marvel UK reprints in the late 70s (or early 80s). At the time, it was not easy to source American comics in the UK and Marvel UK was my main source. As far as I remember, I liked Daredevil but somehow, never picked up on him even once American titles became easier to find. But I saw this book in a charity shop, and even though I didn’t know anything about Waid, Rivera and Martin (the creative team), I decided to give it a go.

I’m glad I did.

First, the artwork. Interesting page layouts (like all the little frames introducing his origin story on the first page) and fascinating drawings of what Daredevil would “see” (from the cover with pigeons drawn using the word “flap” to a double page spread of a walk through the city with sounds, smells and dangers highlighted. Brilliant.

And the writing was equally creative. From the opening pages with Daredevil crashing a wedding, stopping a hit and stealing a kiss from the bride, to the way he defeated Bruiser. Outstanding. I also loved the way he dealt with the reveal of Daredevil’s secret identity - flat out denial.

By far and away my favourite section though was his fight with another superhero (no spoiler/reveal of who he was fighting). The way the two opponents not only used each other’s weapons, but used them with great skill, showed just how good these two hero’s are at what they do.

Loved this. I will be on the lookout for more Daredevil and more from Waid, Rivera and Martin.

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Review: The Secret Service: Kingsman

The Secret Service: Kingsman by Mark Millar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought the film was good... I think the graphic novel is better.

The people in the film seemed almost super-human in their abilities which was good fun in the movie. In the graphic novel though, although there are some unbelievably high-tech gadgets being produced by a supposedly cash-strapped British Secret Service, the people seem more... human. For example, the book makes the iconic "Manners maketh the man" fight in the pub seem real; you could believe that the numpties were taken out by a well trained street-fighter.

There were a couple of things that jarred, that makes it 4 rather than 5 stars; mostly connected to the depiction of women. In its defence, the book is spoofing James Bond and it could be argued that it is sending up the sexist attitudes of the source material.

I've not read much of Millar's work but I'm more than happy to seek out more. He has a good balance between grittiness and humour. As for Dave Gibbons (artist), I first became aware of him through 2000AD. I like his clean, simple artwork. Not that he is without subtlety. For example, when Eggsy goes with his uncle to get kitted out and is pictured with the suit, tie and Oxfords, he is hard to tell apart from his uncle. I do not believe this is because Dave Gibbons has drawn them badly (there is certainly no problem telling them apart elsewhere). Rather, I think he is making the point that Eggsy has now finally committed to his new lifestyle; he has become his uncle and moved from super chav to super spy.

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Review: The Trellis and the Vine

The Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First: a confession... I haven't read the appendices. I might go back eventually but I've had enough for now.

It took me a long time to finish this book, not, I hasten to add, because it was a bad book. It was an interesting read but I found it a bit repetitive and slow. The central idea is simple and powerful: the primary goal of the church is to make disciples, i.e. allow the vine to grow and flourish. All to often though, the church gets caught up in organising meetings and committees, i.e. tending to the trellis. The trellis is a means to an end but, in the church, looking after the metaphorical trellis can end up taking all our time and effort. That simple idea is at the heart of the book's message. It is easy to grasp but the implications are challenging. My problem was that the book plodded very slowly through all the angles when I just wanted to cut the chase: I get the idea but what does it look like in practice?

The authors work hard to relate their ideas to Biblical principles, especially in the early chapters, but towards the end of the book it begins to feel a bit like a sales pitch for the Matthias Media training materials. This also highlights the tension inherent in their idea as, towards the end of the book, there is a greater concentration on training programmes and structures. The focus should be on the vine but the trellis is important too and finding the balance is more than a little tricky!

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Review: The Midnight Line

The Midnight Line by Lee Child
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've read a couple of Jack Reacher books. But don't actively seek them out. Generally I enjoy them. Short sentences. Short chapters. But not a short protagonist! (That's the movie version - try not to think of Tom Cruise!) Entertaining.

I started reading Midnight Line in a hotel lobby. I was sufficiently intrigued to want to know where the story went but not engrossed enough to actually spend money to buy the book. Thankfully, my local library came to the rescue and I was able borrow it to find out what happened. I'm glad I finished it because it turned out to be about something slightly different than I expected. I like trying to out-guess authors, but I enjoy it when they do something different in an interesting way.

From the other Jack Reacher books I've read, there were a number of set pieces that were kind of expected. (Such as, Jack takes on multiple opponents simultaneously and beats them all with apparent ease. Sorry if that's a spoiler.) But there were a couple of twists that were satisfyingly surprising.

Glad I finished it. Apart from anything else, it provided me with a new favourite joke which I'll wrap in a spoiler alert because I know some people get twitchy about revealing anything from a book...

***Spoiler Alert***
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I want to die peacefully in my sleep like Grandpa. Not screaming in terror like his passengers.

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Review: New X-Men By Grant Morrison Book 2

New X-Men By Grant Morrison Book 2 by Grant Morrison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The four stars are for Grant Morrison's writing. The artwork is worth two stars at best. The second installment is particulary poor with an almost unrecognisable Wolverine rendered inconsitently. In contrast to the messy artwork, the dialog and interplay between Wolverine and Angel Salvadore is crisp and clean. Thank you Mr Morrison

I like the U-Men as villans. They present an interesting third way (Third Species?). They are an alternative to welcoming mutants as the next stage in evolution, or hating and reviling them for their difference. The U-Men take a much more pragmatic approach! (Was I alone in singing "I Want To Be Like You" King Louie style as the Third Species approach was expounded?)

The final, largely wordless, section was interesting. My only criticism is the strange neon icon things that appeared to represent telepathic communication between Jean and Emma. I found them unhelpful and confusing. It was, however, a bold concept to rely almost entirely on the pictures to tell the story and it pretty much worked.

Final comment: given Emma Frost's, for want of a better word, "costume", where did the hip flask come from?

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Review: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kind of a three and a half stars as the ending let it down. (I think I could have done without the Sunday section at the end.) Went for four in the end because generally I found it interesting and funny in roughly equal measure.

Pratchett's stamp was all over the book but, if the appendix that details of the writing process is to be believed, it was a truly collaborative process. (I'm probably just not familiar enough with Gaiman to spot his fingerprints.) The writers claim they worked hard to make each other laugh and I laughed along with them, for example where they describe a hellhound's first appearance:

"It was already growling, and the growl was a low rumbling snarl of spring-coiled menace, the sort of growl that starts in the back of one throat and ends up in someone else's."

I also liked the "explanation" of the M25!

Now, clearly it is not a work of theology but it does raise interesting theological (and indeed philosophical) issues albeit wrapped in a comic fantasy. Not a great work but definitely great fun.

I'm labelling my final observation as a spoiler because I know some people get a bit twitchy about revealing plot details - not much of a spoiler in my opinion but better safe than spoiler!

***SPOILER ALERT!***
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I read in an appendix that the book started off as a parody of Richmal Crompton's Just William books called William the Antichrist. Adam and the Them, along with Tadfield, suddenly made a lot more sense.

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Review: A Room with a View

A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Read this while on holiday in Florence. Went looking for the Pension Bertolini (it is now a hotel) and many of the other sights described in the book. Loved the city. Loved the book.

It is laugh out loud funny in places. It is the kind of book that on almost every page there's a line you want to share with the people around you. For example, from chapter 1:

"You must have it," said Miss Bartlett, part of whose travelling expenses were paid by Lucy's mother—a piece of generosity to which she made many a tactful allusion.

or

He preferred to talk to Lucy, whose playing he remembered, rather than to Miss Bartlett, who probably remembered his sermons.

and

He is nice," exclaimed Lucy. "Just what I remember. He seems to see good in every one. No one would take him for a clergyman."

I could go on!

It was interesting reading it straight after The Masters of Sitcom: From Hancock to Steptoe. Galton and Simpson may have invented the TV sitcom but so much of the humour in this book comes from the situations that it is clear Galton and Simpson were standing on the shoulders of giants.

Serious issues are addressed: class, sexuality, education, passion, repression... but it is seriously good fun and a seriously good read

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Review: The Masters of Sitcom: From Hancock to Steptoe

The Masters of Sitcom: From Hancock to Steptoe by Christopher Stevens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author argues that Galton and Simpson were not just “Masters of Sitcom” but that they invented (or at least re-invented) sitcom. When they first started writing, British comedy required a straight man to provide a set-up and a funny man to deliver the punchline. Galton and Simpson, along with Hancock, set out to change that.

In Hancock’s Half Hour, though, there would be no joke-telling, punchlines or music-hall patter. The writers were intent on getting rid of catchphrases, songs, running gags, musical interludes and sketches. This was a type of comedy as radical as the realist theatre that would sweep the English stage in the late fifties: natural, honest and unflinching.

As they did so, the author argues they changed the face of comedy and traces a direct line from Steptoe And Son to The Royale Family. Whether you buy into that thesis or not (and I'm inclined to give some of the credit to people like Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes) the real strength of this book is in the quotes from Galton and Simpson scripts. More than half the book is straight Galton and Simpson and that alone makes it worth a four star review.

I liked the insights given into their writing process. For example, on what is probably Hancock’s most famous line:

“A pint... that’s very nearly an armful!” It started off as, “A pint... that’s an armful!” and then one of us said, “Nearly an armful,” and the other one said, “Very nearly an armful.” It’s funnier, because it’s more precise.

It is imprecisely precise… and that’s why it’s funny. What’s missing though is much of an insight into the relationship with their actors… for example, with Hancock. Clearly a man with mental health issues and yet rather than help him, they seemed to pick at the wound. Given his insecurities, it seems a bit of an omission to reproduce the following without comment:

HANCOCK: I’ve been living a lie. (Dramatic) Geraldine, I have never said a funny thing in my life.
GERALDINE: When do we get to the lie?
TONY: All those funny things you hear me say aren’t me at all. I employ a ventriloquist. He stands off stage thinking up funny jokes while I stand here opening me mouth. (Emotional) Yes, Hancock the funny man is nothing but a great big dummy.
GERALDINE: When do we get to the lie?

Hmm! Insensitive? Ignorant? Evil? I can’t help but feel it was just plain nasty yet the author offers no comment.

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Review: Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross

Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross by Colin S. Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this over the Easter weekend - it seemed appropriate. The story describes Jesus’ crucifixion from the point of view of the “penitent thief”, that is the man to whom Jesus said, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

I thought this was an intriguing premise but, I got pulled out of the world of the story a few times by some clumsiness in the writing. For example, in the opening page of the book, a first century Jew, writing from heaven, exclaims, “Looking back, the entire day and how it ended still blows my mind.” Really? His mind was blown? Or, the way the author broke the fourth wall (can a book have a wall, never mind a breakable fourth one?) for example, “…I asked Him to save me. That is something you can do too.” Addressing the reader directly can work (“Reader, I married him.”) but too often in this book it feels tacked on, as if the author doesn’t trust us to work things out for ourselves. A related third point is I felt preached at, and none too subtly preached at - especially at the end of the book.

The final section is a question and answer session with the author. He is asked why he didn’t turn it into a full sized novel. I must admit, I was wondering why he didn’t cut it down to a pamphlet as it felt stretched to me.

Worth reading – just be prepared to be beaten over the head with the message.


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