House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds

This story is set millions of years into the future and mankind has expanded around the galaxy in many expanding and collapsing empires. The only constants are the "lines", clone families who persist through the millennia travelling around the galaxy and possessing almost god like powers (the ability to dam a star for example). An attempt to wipe out one of the lines sparks off an enjoyable romp through big concept sci fi. Generally very good but the ending is weak in my opinion.

The Druids by Morgan Llywelyn

I come from Celtic stock (pronounced keltic by the way whatever the footballers think) and growing up I learned about the rich social and cultural history of my tribal ancestors. Though the Celtic society was enlightened in many ways ( in relation to the status of women for example and a deep respect for learning) their fragmented tribal society was unable to resist the onslaught of Julius Caesar's Roman legions who's successful campaigns  purged Celtic culture from all but the most Westerly regions of Europe.

History of course is written by the victors so most of what we know of the Roman campaigns in Gaul comes from Roman accounts most notably those written by Casear himself.  It was therefore refreshing to come across this novel  purporting to tell the tale of Gaul's downfall from the Celtic side.

The novel started out promisingly. Llywelwyn's depictions of Celtic society match what I had previously heard and his choice of Druid for a main character allows him to draw upon a wealth of lore and mythology. Unfortunately the story itself quickly descends into soap opera. A fairly thin story is patched onto the known historical facts and the authors attempts to flesh the tale out with sex and magic are quite unconvincing.

When you already know that a story is going to end tragically it is very important that the author sucks you in and and gets you so engrossed in the story and its characters that you just have to keep reading to the bitter end. Llywelwyn's book falls far short of this and I nearly abandoned it many times for lack of interest. Only the fact that I have nothing else to read at the moment ensured that I finished this one.

Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra

Not the sort of book I usually pick up but this mammoth tome is a terrific read. This book is part detective story, part gangster story, part historical saga,  part social commentary, part love story and part reflection on human existence all set against the background of Chandra's outstanding multi-layered portrayal of the teeming cauldron of humanity that is Mumbai.

Chandra portrays a city with extremes of poverty and wealth, with festering religious tensions, class tensions and significant gender inequality, where corruption and patronage are endemic where the police and politicians are often indistinguishable from the gangsters,  and yet where there are still heroes and villains, and where human existence is still glorious in all of its multifaceted complexity. I was so fascinated by this book that I went to google to learn more about Mumbai and about Indian history, society and culture. The references I checked support Chandra's portrayal and some of the tensions Chandra refers to are starkly evident in the differing interpretations of historical events that can be found on the internet. 

As an example of the loving craftsmanship that Chandra has obviously poured into this book consider the fact that immediately after the main plot is resolved there is a chapter devoted to several minor characters who only appear briefly in the rest of the book but who's stories nevertheless deserve to be told.

Stephen Donaldson: Mordant's Need, "The Mirror of Her Dreams" and "A Man Rides Through"

A standard medieval fantasy setting where mirrors are imbued with magical powers. A Realm slipping into chaos under threat from foreign powers and the machinations of traitorous mirror using imagers. A once heroic King who seems oblivious to his countries present peril and contents himself with playing checkers all day long. A young woman from our world who is transported to this fantasy relam through the action of a magical mirror and who despite her emotional frailty appears to have an important role to play in resolving the plot.

Despite the canonical status of his "Thomas Covenant" series I have a very limited tolerance for Stephen Donaldson. These two books, together telling the saga of "Mordant's Need", stretch that tolerance beyond breaking point. Yes they tell a complex and intriguing story set in a richly detailed world but two hallmark Donaldson flaws ruin any pleasure there is to be had.

Firstly Donaldson's heroes are weak to the point of utter incompetence. The plot is resolved more in spite of their efforts than because of them. Their main function seems to be to fill the reader with such frustration as to want to tear the book up.

Donaldson's second hallmark flaw is to pepper his stories with massively illogical twists and devices. Fundamental plot premises just don't make any sense. How does he get away with this? Fantasy is a nerd genre. We nerds like our stories to make sense.

These flaws are certainly also present in the better known  "Thomas Covenant" and "Gap" novels but to my mind those books struck a much better balance between enjoyment and annoyance.

I am Legend, Serpents Reach, Vast, Spider World, Off Armageddon Reef

One of the main functions of this blog is to keep a record of the books I read so that I need not keep the books themselves. I am giving some books to a local charity sale in order to clear some shelf space but several of the titles pre-date the start of this blog so for posterity I am making a quick list here:

Richard Matheson, I am Legend: Famous tale about the last man left alive in a world of zombies.

C.J. Cherryh, Serpent's Reach: Don't remember too much about this first book of a sci fi saga. Something to do with an insectoid empire. I am pretty sure I enjoyed it.

Linda Nagata, Vast: Ultra High Tech Space fi.

Colin Wilson, Spider World The Tower: First volume of a fantasy series from one of the original "Angry Young Men" who also happened to be a very prolific writer.

David Weber, Off Armageddon Reef:  Great concept space opera, mankind retreat to an isolated planet where all technology is banned in order to try and hide from a savage alien race who annihilate any potential rivals. Within a few generations our history is forgotten and strict rules reinforce a pre-industrial regime.The story kicks off when an android awakens with memories of mankind's high tech past.

The Dwarves by Markus Heitz

The original German version of this book spawned a best selling series on the continent and we can now enjoy it in a flawless English translation by Sally-Ann Spencer.

The tale itself is not particularly original. Think of a cliche about dwarves and Heitz has probably managed to cram it in: Small, stocky, stubborn, feisty bearded artisans living in underground cities who hate dwarves and elves. The list goes on. Indeed the novel borrows as much from the world of mmorpgs as it does from Tolkien and the main quest line to forge a legendary axe could have been lifted straight from World of Warcraft. For all that this is still a very entertaining read set in a well drawn world with lots of detail and sympathetic heroes. If the sequels ever get translated I will probably try to pick them up.

Gradisil by Adam Roberts

At one level this is a piece of hard science fiction about mankind's first tentative expansion off this planet and into space. In Robert's vision of the future these steps are not taken by Governments or large corporations but by individual pioneers flying up to low earth orbit in their own makeshift way. Robert's contempt for all things government and military is a dominating, almost suffocating theme of the book but his vision is credible and well drawn none the less.

The other side of this tale is a sweeping saga tracking three generations of one of these pioneering families, the titular Gradisil being the middle generation. A common theme of revenge runs through every generation and drives most of the plot (plots) of the book.

Good but not particularly easy reading. If you are looking for space adventures then the complex emotional drama may be off putting. If you reading for emotional drama then the space stuff may not suit.