Jun 02 2007

The Call of Cthulhu

Category: Books — ChrisM @ 1:56 pm

The Call of Cthulhu – H.P. Lovecraft

Here we have a book split into three sections, with the links between them presented via someone who is searching for the truth behind the mystery of the death of his great uncle (or it may have been great great uncle – I intend to go back and skim all my books again when I have finally caught up to real time reviewing 🙂 ) when returning from the docks.
The narrator pieces together informaiton from the three sets of notes he discovers, and figures out that there were once beings on this planet, pre-human, whose power is almost un-imaginable, and whats more, these god like characters have followings in isolated areas around the planet, starting from when inter-continental travel was almost an impossibility.

If you find Stephen King’s books over the top or too direct when it comes to horror & suspense, I think you will find this author, and this book in particular, more your cup of tea.

Many people cite Lovecraft as a major early influence in the genres of horror, fantasy and science fiction. If you read this book, you’ll see why that is so. It will also help if you want to read other H.P. Lovecraft books – Great Cthulhu appears, at least as a plot device in quite a few other stories.

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May 31 2007

A Farewell to Arms

Category: Books — ChrisM @ 12:05 pm

A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway

This book is at least semi-auto biographic for Hemingway. He did go and volunteer for service in Italy during WWI, and is assumed to have had a romance that inspired the other half of this book’s content. Personally, I did like the description of the futility if many types of war, but didn’t really warm to the love story/romance side of it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I read it, probably more than For Whom The Bell Tolls, for example (review coming in a few days), I was just expecting something a little different I suppose. I did quite enjoy reading the portrayal of the priest as a real human being rather than simply a plot device conveniently present whenever morality needed to be raised as a subject.
The main character starts out content enough in his ambulance duties, but after being badly wounded in a battle, he starts to lose his taste for war (despite meeting his GF at the hospital), and becomes more self-centred. He eventually deserts and well, you’ll need to read the book to find out more 🙂

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May 08 2007

2001: A Space Odyssey

Category: Books — ChrisM @ 6:37 pm

2001: A Space Odyssey – Arthur C. Clarke

OK, if you’ve not heard of this book, I’m assuming you’re either very young, or have been living in a small hamlet isolated from society for the past 40 years…

Just in case you fall into either of those two categories, I’ll continue 😉 Doing a bit of research for this novel, I came across the fact that the book was written at the same time as the film, and actually published after the film. I’d just assumed the film was made due to the success of the book, so I might go and watch the film again soon, to re-appraise it.
The basic plot line is that life on earth was helped along by aliens, who leave a large slab of mysterious material, which can communicate with the monkey/humans around it. The idea of using tools or weapons is then planted in the tribe of early humans, and they can therefore achieve supremacy over the less well equipped tribes in their vicinity.
Fast forward to 1999 (which was of course in the future when this book was written), and we meet Dr Floyd. The link between the two time periods become clear, as another slab has been discovered on the moon. It defies all attempts to measure or quantify it, which obviously peaks the scientists’ interest in it. Once they have removed all the moon dirt from it, a hugely powerful radio signal is produced, possibly signifying that other life forms are waiting for humankind to get to the position of being able to travel in space.
Of course, HAL soon makes an appearance (of ‘I’m afraid I can’t let you do that Dave‘ fame) as the on board computer for a spaceship with a hidden mission.
In the same way that Isaac Asimov often makes use of this plot device, Arthur C Clarke has HAL become confused (read homicidal) due to conflicting basic operating paramaters, which has been used by Hollywood a lot since – think of RoboCop’s prime directives etc.
I won’t say much more, as I don’t want to ruin the experience for people who’ve not yet read the book, but suffice to say that I don’t view this book as over-hyped, and you should probably read it when you get a chance.

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May 08 2007

Rising Sun

Category: Books — ChrisM @ 12:15 am

Rising Sun – Michael Crichton

Having not read one of Chrichton’s books in a long time, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this novel. The basic plot outline is that a woman (most definitely not a lady) has been killed in an office tower, and on the night of the opening party for a Japanese firm. The standard ‘cop-investigating-a-murder’ section starts here, though the Japanese involvement helps to keep the story fresh, without too many clichés. The policeman is assisted by another (ex? its been a while since I read it, sorry) cop who is very experienced with Japanese culture, and is helpful as a plot device, to explain to readers some of the intricacies of the Japanese way of doing business.
If you find unabashed xenophobic writing, even in fiction, distasteful, I’d recommend giving this book a miss. If you are happy to read this novel for the suspense, and not dwell on the Japan bashing, I’d definitely say you should buy it. The writing style is compact, without too much superfluous descriptive paragraphs. Although slightly predictable in places, the plot chugs along nicely.

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Apr 26 2007

A Civil Campaign

Category: Books — ChrisM @ 8:14 pm

A Civil Campaign – Lois McMaster Bujold

Here we find Lois dipping heavily into clan politics, and the issues surrounding gender-based hereditary titles. It is actually a lot more interesting than I’ve made it sound, I promise :>
Once more, the Ceragandans re-appear, and serve as a plot device to finally lay Miles’ alter-ego – Admiral Naismith – to rest. Though nothing ever seems to be certain in the universe Lois’ has spun over all these years.

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