Update 2018: The Martian by Andy Weir

UPDATE: May 2018

‘Oh boy did I get this one wrong’ by saying I would recommend it for hard core sci-fi readers.

At the time of it’s publication back in 2014, I was surprised at how well it was selling...(as a bookseller I should really have known better and believe me I did learn from this oversight).

Then, then... after the successful film adaptation, sales of the book were phenomenal and I started to realise how badly wrong I’d gotten this one.  Due to the rave reviews, and partly because ‘ I LOVE MATT DAMON’ (purely on his acting skills I’ll have you know),  I went along with my husband to watch ‘The Martian’ and was pleasantly surprised...I loved it, so did he.  This, I think was due to just the right amount of focus being placed on the mathematical calculations the incredibly intelligent, resourceful Mat..sorry Mark makes desperately to remain alive for as long as possible. The humour and unrelenting optimism of our hero who finds himself in such a perilous predicament made for a far greater tense, thrilling and entertaining experience.

In conclusion, The Martian by Andy Weir is one I would now, without reservation, recommend to anyone wanting an exciting, intelligent and informative read, but to maybe skip the intensive ‘science bits’ if , like me, you're not a mathematician.

Artemis, Weir’s second novel is on my to be read list.

The Martian by Andy Weir

Publisher: Crown Publishing

Genre: Science Fiction

Source: (digital) Publisher via NetGalley

Pub Date:  (H/B) Feb 11 2014

Synopsis:

"Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. 

Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?"

My Thoughts: (original posting Nov 2013)

What do I say about this one apart from I could not finish it !

Loved the idea of Robinson Crusoe on Mars but just couldn't get into it.

Obviously in the minority with my opinion because of many other reviewers giving a rating of 4 or 5 stars.

Too techie/nerdie, geeky for me. Full on successive problems and solutions with math calculations about how the guy could survive 430 something days before possible rescue.  I felt that I should have a degree in chemistry or physics to get it.  In the end I just didn't care enough to find out if he survived or not.

Would recommend to hard core sci fi fans.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title.

TLC Book Tours Review: The Monster's Daughter by Michelle Pretorius

The Monster's Daughter by Michelle Pretorius

Publisher: Melville House (19th July 2016)

Source: Publisher/TLC Book Tours

Pages: 465

Rating:

Disclaimer: Thank you to the Publisher and TLC Book Tours for a complementary D-ARC in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

Synopsis:
THE MONSTER‘S DAUGHTER is a tale of race and murder that takes readers through South Africa’s remarkable history. It’s a mix of the personal and the political, the past and the present.

After a fling with one of her superiors, young policewoman Alet Berg is reassigned from her big city beat to a small village in the country, where she makes a horrific discovery: the body of a young woman, burned beyond recognition. None of the villagers are willing to speak, especially to a transplant from the city whose stubbornness rubs even her colleagues the wrong way. But it’s also a dangerous case for reasons that Alet can’t know — reasons that go back one hundred years to the height of the Boer War, and a British doctor who conducted a series of grim experiments on Boer concentration camp prisoners. His work ended in chaos, but two children survived.

Pretorious was born and raised in South Africa, and she wrote the novel partly as a way to understand her country’s history, a history that her family (like many others) didn’t discuss. THE MONSTER‘S DAUGHTER is a gripping thriller, and a fascinating look at 100 years of buried history.

“Michelle Pretorius is a funny, surprising and fearless writer. The Monster’s Daughter is at once a historical thriller that reckons seriously with South African politics, an imaginative piece of speculative fiction, and a stereotype-busting roller-coaster ride of a novel. I loved it.”
—Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler’s Wife—Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler’s Wife

My Thoughts:
Well it's day two of the TLC Book Tour for Michelle Pretorius' 'The Monster's Daughter and here's what I thought of it.  2010 - Modern Day (Post Apartheid South Africa) Constable Alet Berg has been demoted and relocated to serve her probation on traffic duty in Unie a small quiet, 'out of the way' town. At the discovery of a badly burned body, and desperate to get into something more exciting, Alet deviously manoeuvres herself into position to assist Mathebe the local chief investigating officer in solving the crime.  During the course of the investigation she will unwittingly uncover involvement of prominent townsfolk in crime and corruption on a vast scale, spanning several decades.

1901 - At the height of the 2nd Boer War the British are destroying all property, land and livestock belonging to any Boer they encounter under 'the scorched earth' policy.  Jooste is one of the marauding party and he relishes in the destruction and pillaging opportunities.  Although a Boer himself, Jooste has no loyalty to anyone but himself and will change allegiance to whomever he will best profit from. At one such farm raided is a young girl, Anna, and her little brother who are rounded up and imprisoned at one of the British run concentration camps. It was heartbreaking to hear about the horrendous camp conditions and the inhumane treatment that the women and children, who were the majority of the prisoners, received from their captors and from each other in their struggle to survive. Sanitary conditions were appalling and disease rife and of which many would succumb and with many more dying the lingering agonising slow death of starvation.

We meet up again with Jooste in his search for young healthy looking girls, to abduct and hand over to a doctor for his secret genetic medical research. Anna is one of his victims but in exchange for submitting to the experiments she receives food and a safe place to sleep. Anna and the other girls at the doctor's mercy may just survive the horror of the concentration camp.

Two surviving children are the result of these latest experiments, Tess and Benjamin, both with strange characteristics and suffering from what is thought to be stunted growth. We follow them as they mature to adulthood and find their way in a country full of prejudice and violence.

The first part of the book resonated with me so powerfully and was the most compelling and unsettling to read.  Dialogue runs smoothly and believably and with the full bodied development of key characters I found it highly plausible and indicative of the times portrayed. With all too vivid imagery the characters felt real and I absolutely believed in them, so much so I was devastated when the story moved on without them.

The Monster's Daughter is narrated in dual timelines with the majority unfolding progressively from the 1900's through to 2010 where Alet's investigation will lead her to research back in time in order to solve the present day murder.

An hugely ambitious multi genre, part speculative, part historical political fiction, all encompassed into a murder mystery thriller, this debut is a credit to the author and one I highly recommend.  Book groups would find 'The Monsters Daughter' of particular interest as there would be a fantastic amount of content to discuss.

About Michelle Pretorius

MICHELLE PRETORIUS was born and raised in South Africa. She received an MFA in Fiction Writing from Columbia College Chicago and is currently a PhD candidate at Ohio University. She has written for numerous publications, including Bookslut, Word Riot, and the Copperfield Review. She is a recipient of the John Schultz and Betty Shiflett prize and lives in Athens, Ohio.

TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS for The Monster’s Daughter:

Tuesday, July 19th: Kahakai Kitchen

Thursday, July 21st: SJ2B House of Books

Tuesday, July 26th: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Thursday, July 28th: Crime Segments

Monday, August 1st: Helen’s Book Blog

Tuesday, August 2nd: 5 Minutes for Books

Monday, August 8th: Bewitched Bookworms

Tuesday, August 9th: Travelling Birdy

Wednesday, August 10th: Booksie’s Blog

Monday, August 15th: Dreaming Big – author Q&A

Thursday, August 18th: The Book Whisperer

THE THIRD TESTAMENT by Craig Russell

WATERSTONES Link

The Third Testament by Craig Russell

(Previously published in the UK as Biblical by Christopher Galt/Craig Russell)

Published: 23/04/2015 (Quercus)

ISBN: 9781780874838

Pages: 448 Paperback

Rating:

Previously published as 'Biblical' by Christopher Galt in hardback in 2014, I am delighted to see this brilliant thriller back with a great looking cover and a new, more suitable title. I felt at the time that 'Biblical' didn't give a true indication of its genre and felt it would not appeal to its rightful audience. With this issue resolved I'm confident that, The Third Testament by Craig Russell will receive the full recognition and praise it deserves.

My Thoughts:

The opening scene had me hooked immediately with the depiction of a French teenager finding herself in amongst a crowd of people witnessing the execution of Joan d'Arc.  She manages to take a picture of the horrific scene on her phone.

Around the world people are experiencing hallucinations, having feelings of déjà vu, and accidents and mass suicides are occurring on an alarming scale.

It is a time where science is destroying religion as it answers the mysteries and miracles of old.

Macbeth, a psychiatrist involved in a neuroscience project, finds himself hurled into a race against time to uncover the mystery of the phenomena. Is it caused by a virus, or are these visions sent from God as believed by religious leaders and fanatics worldwide? Is the world readying itself for 'The Rapture'?

Craig Russell's 'The Third Testament' (previously released as 'Biblical')  is a fantastic piece of fiction blending elements of scientific fact and human genetic anomalies. Russell's characters come to life with his empathetic writing style, and the numerous memorable characters are totally plausible and mesmerising. I felt as though I were watching a film, they were so well drawn out. I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen to each of them as their fate unfolded. Mary Vermont's heart felt tale of her frustration and anguish of suffering from Alzheimer's and the happiness albeit brief of the visions she has was particularly poignant.  It was easy to imagine what it must be like to have this awful disease looking through Mary's eyes. Each and every one of Russell's characters has an equally compelling tale to tell and I loved finding out about them all.

The Third Testament kept me guessing all the way to its mind blowing climax.  It is an intelligent, imaginative, addictive, apocalyptic thriller that kept me reading well into the early hours.

* Definitely my favourite thriller this year.

Christopher Galt is the pseudonym for the award-winning thriller writer, Craig Russell, author of the acclaimed Fabel and Lennox series. He lives in Perthshire, Scotland.

My review posted for Biblical last year Click here

Station Eleven by Emily Mandel

Station Eleven by Emily Mandel

Publication Date: September 9, 2014

Genres: Fiction, Dystopic, Apocalyptic

Publisher: Pan Macmillan / Picador

Hardcover: 352 pages

ISBN-13: 9780385353304

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Synopsis:
DAY ONE : The Georgia Flu explodes over the surface of the earth like a neutron bomb. News reports put the mortality rate at over 99%.
WEEK TWO : Civilization has crumbled.
YEAR TWENTY : A band of actors and musicians called the Travelling Symphony move through their territories performing concerts and Shakespeare to the settlements that have grown up there. Twenty years after the pandemic, life feels relatively safe. But now a new danger looms, and he threatens the hopeful world every survivor has tried to rebuild.

STATION ELEVEN Moving backwards and forwards in time, from the glittering years just before the collapse to the strange and altered world that exists twenty years after, Station Eleven charts the unexpected twists of fate that connect six people: famous actor Arthur Leander; Jeevan - warned about the flu just in time; Arthur's first wife Miranda; Arthur's oldest friend Clark; Kirsten, a young actress with the Travelling Symphony; and the mysterious and self-proclaimed 'prophet'.
Thrilling, unique and deeply moving, this is a beautiful novel that asks questions about art and fame and about the relationships that sustain us through anything - even the end of the world.

My Thoughts:
At the centre of Station Eleven is the famous actor Arthur Leander who dies on stage during a production of King Lear. Within hours of his unexplained death Georgia Flu hits with devastating effect, mercilessly killing 99% of the world's population.

Leap forward 20 years and life has come to resemble something like the tales of Chaucer, with a traveling troupe of musicians and actors performing Shakespearian plays to the townspeople they meet along the way. In this new age life is in stark contrast to the pre apocalyptic world. Distrust, and the threat of violence from those they encounter is an every day occurrence. If they are to survive, keeping their wits about them is imperative.

Station Eleven leaps back and forth in time and gives an in-depth recounting of the characters lives, and how they or historical artefacts are all interconnected from each timeframe.

Each character was fully fleshed out and believable. I don't think I had a favourite but I was drawn to Miranda, and in particular her relationship with Arthur.

I absolutely loved the way the story unfolded. It is a beautifully written novel and I was pretty disappointed when it came to its end.

Station Eleven is a first rate apocalyptic, dystopic, sci-fi tale. A delightful read which I highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title. I am looking forward to recommending Station Eleven to our Waterstones customers.

BIBLICAL By Christopher Galt

Waterstones.com

Title: Biblical

Author: Christopher Galt

ISBN: 9781780874807

Pages: 400 (Hardback)

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Quercus Publishing Plc

Publish Date: 1/5/2014

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:
An apocalyptic thriller that pits cutting-edge science against God and asks the question – who will win?

Something is happening around the world. People are having visions, seeing ghosts, witnessing events that could not have taken place.
At first, the incidents are scattered and infrequent, the visions unremarkable. But as time goes on, the visions become more sustained, more vivid. More frightening. Psychiatrist Dr John Macbeth is in a desperate race to find what is causing the phenomenon. And when someone close to him is murdered in a bomb blast, his quest for the truth becomes much more personal.

An apocalyptic thriller on an epic scale that will make you question your own reality.

All around the world, people start to see things that aren't there, that cannot be. Visions, ghosts, events from the past playing out in the present.
To start with, the visions are unremarkable: things misplaced in time and caught out of the corner of the eye; glimpses of long-dead family or friends. But, as time goes on, the visions become more sustained, more vivid, more widespread. More terrifying.

As the visions become truly apocalyptic, some turn to religion, others to science.
Only one man, driven by personal as well as professional reasons, is capable of finding the real truth. But the truth that psychiatrist John Macbeth uncovers is much, much bigger than either religion or science.
A truth so big it could cost him his sanity. And his life.

My Thoughts:
The opening scene had me hooked immediately with the depiction of a French teenager finding herself in amongst a crowd of people witnessing the execution of Joan d'Arc.  She manages to take a picture of the horrific scene on her phone.

Around the world people are experiencing hallucinations, having feelings of déjà vu, and accidents and mass suicides are occurring on an alarming scale.

It is a time where science is destroying religion as it answers the mysteries and miracles of old.

Macbeth, a psychiatrist involved in a neuroscience project, finds himself hurled into a race against time to uncover the mystery of the phenomena. Is it caused by a virus, or are these visions sent from God as believed by religious leaders and fanatics worldwide? Is the world readying itself for 'The Rapture'?

Christopher Galt's 'Biblical' is a fantastic piece of fiction blending elements of scientific fact and human genetic anomalies. Galt's characters come to life with his empathetic writing style, and the numerous memorable characters are totally plausible and mesmerising. I felt as though I were watching a film, they were so well drawn out. I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen to each of them as their fate unfolded. Mary Vermont's heart felt tale of her frustration and anguish of suffering from Alzheimer's and the happiness albeit brief of the visions she has was particularly poignant.  It was easy to imagine what it must be like to have this awful disease looking through Mary's eyes. Each and every one of Galt's characters has an equally compelling tale to tell and I loved finding out about them all.

Biblical kept me guessing all the way to its mind blowing climax.  It is an intelligent, imaginative, addictive, apocalyptic thriller that kept me reading well into the early hours.

Definitely my favourite this year.


I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title.

DUST by Hugh Howey

Spoiler warning: I have made an effort not to reveal plots although I may have unknowingly done so.  If you haven’t read 'Wool' or 'Shift' yet you may want to read them before my review and especially before reading 'Dust'.

You can read my review on 'Wool' & 'Shift' here.

Initial rating 3.5 but once it got going rose to a steady 4.0

I loved 'Wool', it was hauntingly atmospheric and beautifully written. 'Shift', as a prequel of sorts had an interesting backstory, and 'Dust' picks up from where 'Wool' left off.  We rejoin some familiar and much missed characters and follow them to the climactic finale.

'Dust' is released in one volume unlike its predecessors 'Wool & Shift' which were in episode format initially.  Not sure if it was because of this that I found the pace slower. I wondered if Howey had lost his 'magic touch', but then it picked up pace and pretty much kept going.

We still find the majority of people in the silo living in ignorance of a terrible truth which is being discovered by the inquisitive few. They are comfortable remaining in the dark, living routine lives.  What will happen when they are confronted by the truth after their world is sabotaged?

Howey creates some unforgettable, believable characters and uses several strong assertive women, as well as male protagonists, with a sense of vulnerability without feeling patronising or going 'over the top'.  There are some intense moments throughout and in one scene I felt absolute angst and sorrow after finding out that maybe one of the villains wasn't so bad after all... Who could they have trusted without being betrayed or misunderstood.   It was an highly emotive discovery.

Dust is an exciting, thought-provoking, action-packed read which kept me guessing right through to the very end.  An absolute 'must read' for those who have already invested in Wool & Shift wanting to find closure, and those of you wanting an extremely well written, easy to read Dystopic, sci-fi tale.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title.

'Wool' & 'Shift' - The Silo Series by Hugh Howey

My Thoughts:

'Wool' and 'Shift', (#1-#8) kept me reading into the early hours even with flu. The opening chapter of  'Wool' was a real clincher.

Will not say too much about plot or characters as, in my opinion, the Silo series needs to be read in ignorance to get the full surprise impact, and have the mystery slowly revealed throughout the series. In brief it's about life and survival in a silo sometime in the future after a world wide catastrophic event.

Hugh has written an intelligent, engaging story with totally credible characters in an environment full of tension and intrigue. I felt many emotions ranging from dread, disbelief to excitement, fascination and relief. Hugh's descriptive style is perfect in bringing to life the world that his characters live in. The scenes played out vividly and effortlessly in my mind to such a degree that I hope I'm not disappointed with the film version whenever it comes out.

It may not be a 'hard core', 'hi-tech geeky' Sci-fi book and may not be suited to everyone but for fans of Dystopian fiction or for anyone who enjoys a really good story, I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

Gripping stuff.  Totally addictive.  Loved it !

I hope the energy and thrill of the ride will continue into the final phase in the series...Dust

Steal of the Day by Mark Tullius

This is my current fiction read and I'm only 40% done and its great!

I notice that the kindle version on :

Amazon is only £0.77p (UK) & $0.99 (US)

Amazon UK Link

Amazon Com Link

Review to follow very soon.

Angel City by Jon Steele

Amazon UK Link

Title: Angel City (Book 2 of The Angelus Trilogy)

Author: Jon Steele

Pages: 496

Price: £18.99

Release Date: 12th September 2013

Publisher: Bantam Press

Random House UK, Transworld Publishers

Genre: Sci Fi, Fantasy

Source: The Publishers/NetGalley

ISBN: 9780593068663

Rating: 4 out of 5

Prologue: The 13th Century, a Holy War between the Cathars and Crusaders in Montsegur, French Pyrenees is being fought. Or ... the followers of another religious faith including women, children and infants are being slaughtered in most horrific and torturous ways. 

We are then launched  into current times, 3 years on from the cataclysmic events in Lausanne, with a terrorist attack in Paris. Harper becomes involved and an extremely profound and evocative scene is played out with a child clinging to her mortally wounded father,  and Harper's internal struggle to comply with orders or to help comfort a dying soul.  Does he do the right thing?...  What is the right thing ?

Katherine, is unknowingly being medicated with tea potions to control her memories as an overload of remembering would render her insane.  She is living in Oregon, a 'safe town' with her 2 year old son Max, and Officer Anne Jannsen her designated personal Swiss guard. Oh and nearly forgot, Monsieur Booty !

Harper has had various assignments in many human bodies over the millennia and has been mind wiped, once again, for his current assignment.  His actions result in endangering him in his mortal and immortal forms. How much time does he have left to save 'Paradise' from apocalyptic prophesy? How will he deal with the haunted memories surfacing from his body's former soul ?

Is Angel City as good as The Watchers? Definitely ! It has a different style to The Watchers which had a slower pace, haunting, ethereal with a blast of action.  Angel City's plot has more complexity and darkness, and is pretty much more action based with strong horrific scenes of modern day terrorism being played out between the forces of good and evil.  It also brings into play a lot more mythology which maybe a teaser for more of what's to come in the final instalment.

We are introduced to some new characters.  I found the horribly scarred Astruc  addictively mysterious.  Who is he, and what does he want ? The same goes for his companion, an odd looking boy called Goose.

Although The Watchers could be read as a stand alone, Angel City cannot without the reader becoming confused and have no idea what s going on.  Angel City does not end neatly but on a cliff hanger making it essential to read the trilogy in order of sequence.

I eagerly await 'The Way of Sorrows', and am pretty sure Jon Steele will deliver another magical masterpiece.  The only drawback will be in this being the end to this trilogy. 

Jon Steele writes with such causality and depth with the exceptionally compassionate vibe of one who has seen far more than one should and remain mentally intact.  I also believe he has something to say within his novels but I don't want to dwell on that here. You either feel it or you don't.  Either way Angel City is an exciting, suspenseful, fast paced read incorporating mythology,  history and faith.

Whilst 'googling' Jon Steele I found several you tube videos with him introducing both novels and an interview conducted by blogger, 'For winter nights - A bookish blog'.

Link here: http://forwinternights.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/my-interview-with-jon-steele-–-author-of-the-watchers/

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, with special thanks to September for giving me the opportunity to review this book.