Review: Wolf Hall

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let me start by saying... I know this is not a history book. It is historical fiction... but it did what (I think) historical fiction should do: it made me want to find out more about that period of history. It may not be entirely historically accurate but that doesn't mean it can't teach a truth about the protagonists and the historical situation.

There are some interesting parallels that can be drawn with the world today:

"How can he explain that to him? The world is not run from where he thinks. Not from border fortresses, not even from Whitehall. The world is run from Antwerp, from Florence, from places he has never imagined; from Lisbon, from where the ships with sails of silk drift west and are burned up in the sun. Not from the castle walls, but from counting houses, not be the call of the bugle, but by the click of the abacus, not by the grate and click of the mechanism of the gun but by the scrape of the pen on the page of the promissory note that pays for the gun and the gunsmith and the powder and shot."

This made me think of the big corporations that happily avoid paying taxes and ride roughshod over governments that try to hold them to account.

The characters were brought to life too. For example, Anne Boleyn coming across as a scheming mynx and Thomas Cromwell as highly intelligent but crackling with barely contained menace.

"When have I ever forced anyone to do anything, [Thomas] starts to say: but Richard cuts in, 'No, you don't, I agree, it's just that you are practiced at persuading, and sometimes it's quite difficult, sir, to distinguish being persuaded by you from being knocked down in the street and stamped on.'"

It is not always an easy read... but snippets like the one above make it well worth the effort!

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Review: Elric of Melniboné

Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The last Moorcock I read was six years ago... but it was (allegedly) a Doctor Who book and I didn't enjoy it (see my review for details). It has taken me a while to get back to Moorcock, which is a pity because I really enjoyed his books as a teenager.

When I came across this book, I decided to go for it even though I thought I'd probably already read it... turns out I hadn't. In the Elric books I'd read, he already had Stormbringer but here, I learned how he came to possess it (or how it came to possess him?) and I thoroughly enjoyed this origin story. A real romp that had my hooked from more or less the first page.

This is the Moorcock I remember from my youth. I don't intend to wait another six years before I read more. I'm pretty sure I have The Sailor on the Seas of Fate somewhere... if only I can dig it out.

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Review: Girl with a Pearl Earring

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Slightly disappointing. Started off well but towards the end became a bit teenage soap opera. (He loves her but she loves him but he’s married and she is desired by nasty wicked man who wants his nasty wicked way with her... and let’s throw in a scheming child out to cause mischief out of petty vindictiveness...)

Having said that, I did enjoy it, mostly, and it made me want to find out more about Vermeer and see his paintings... and that’s a good thing!

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(Still reading... but haven't posted a review for a while.)

Review: Clockwork Lives: The Graphic Novel

Clockwork Lives: The Graphic Novel by Kevin J. Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a sequel (prequel... midquel?) to Clockwork Angels: The Graphic Novel and it shares, more or less, the same highs and lows as its companion (see my review).

First the negatives: as before, the graphic novel feels a bit condensed and so, some of the narrative is slightly tricky to follow. For example, there are two pages that I think may be printed in the wrong order. The fact that I only think they are in the wrong order and don't know for sure shows my confusion with the narrative. Also, one of the protagonists has a hand that seems to appear and disappear - it seems the artist sometimes forgot the character was only supposed to have one hand.

The positives: generally outweigh the negatives. I really liked the way the different stories had different artists; different lives, different artists really worked. And the artwork was less fussy than Clockwork Angels: The Graphic Novel and all the more enjoyable for it. As before, the frequent quoting of Rush lyrics did not feel as intrusive as it did in the novel. The numerous visual references were easy to spot and felt fun rather than forced.

Perhaps still not a full blown four stars but a good 3.75!

"Some lives can be summed up in a sentence or two. Other lives are epics."

I can't finish this review, however, without acknowledging the passing of Neil Peart. His life truly was "epic".

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Read in 2020

A list of the books I read in 2020. This list will update automatically every time I mark a book as "read".

Mr Muir's bookshelf: read-in-2020

Daredevil by Mark Waid, Vol. 2

by Mark Waid

tagged: read-in-2020

The Horse and His Boy

by C.S. Lewis

tagged: read-in-2020

Stardust

by Neil Gaiman

tagged: read-in-2020

Slow Horses

by Mick Herron

tagged: read-in-2020

Y: The Last Man, Vol. 2: Cycles

by Brian K. Vaughan

tagged: read-in-2020

Review: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first Agatha Christie I have read. I chose this book because a Google search suggested it was one of her best. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be seeking out more.

From my limited knowledge of classic crime novels, this story was exactly what I expected, right down to the initial prime suspect: could it really be that the butler did it? Pretty much anybody could have done it and it was fun trying to guess. Needless to say, I guessed wrong!

I enjoyed working out the puzzle along with Poirot (or rather, failing to work out the puzzle) and I enjoyed the writing:

“Poirot sprang from his chair. I had a moment’s terror that he was going to embrace me French fashion, but mercifully he refrained.”

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Reading challenge 2019 - that's so last year!

Didn't quite make it to 40 in 2019.

2019 Reading Challenge

Mr Muir has read 2 books toward their goal of 30 books.

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2 of 30 (6%)

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Got close but slowed down a bit towards the end. I also failed to keep up with posting reviews and other things in this blog. Will try and keep more on top of things in 2020.

So, here it is, reading challenge 2020. Will I make it to 40 this year?

2020 Reading Challenge

Mr Muir has read 1 book toward their goal of 40 books.

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1 of 40 (2%)

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