Review: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Cloud Atlas is a novel divided into six stories, each told in a different narrative style, that take place in historically progressive settings.

The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing: Follows an American notary who has been shipwrecked in the Chatham Islands. While waiting for the ships repairs he befriends a British doctor who may have a rather shocking dark side. Told in the form of a dairy.

Letters from Zedelghem: Follows a young, disowned aristocratic composer who concocts a plan to be the hands of an ailing composer living in Belgium. Told in the form of a one-sided telegram correspondence

Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery: Luisa Rey a journalist for a minor magazine is tipped off that a nuclear power plant may be unsafe. The cooperation in charge will do anything to prevent that knowledge being made public. Told in a traditional novel format.

The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish: A modern-day publisher suddenly finds unexpected success when one of his authors murders a critic. The author's brothers want a cut of the profits leading the protagonist to high tale it out of London. Things take a turn for the worse when he is confined against his will in a nursing home. Told as a first-person narrative

An Orison of Sonmi~451: Sent in a dystopian future where genetically manufactured clones leave a life of servitude. One of the clones develops a state of awareness and is pulled into a plot to overhaul society. Told in the form of an interview

Sloosha's Crossin' an' Ev'rythin' After: In a post-apocalyptic Hawaii Zachary, who lives a life as a simple herdsman, life is turned upside down when a member of the last remnant of a technologically advanced civilization comes to visit. Told as fire-side narrative.

Each story, baring the final one, is interrupted midway through and is viewed in some form by their 'successor'. The majority of the protagonists, again baring the final one, are the reincarnation of the same soul. I did enjoy the different narratives styles and the author does demonstrate some real skill in this department. The differing quirks of language in each narrative introduced a genuine authenticity, for example anyone who has ever read an early explorers dairy will recognize the common spelling mistakes that occur and are mirrored in the Ewing narrative. The world building in the two sci-fi pieces was impressive. In the Orison story common objects are simply described as brand names, for example fords are cars and electronic equipment are Sony’s, an interesting twist on consumerism indeed.

The central theme throughout the stories seems to be man's inhumanity to fellow man but contrasted with both societies and the individual’s ability to rise above this. This is ably carried through in most of the stories baring Letters and The Ghastly Ordeal where perhaps the author is trying too hard for humour.

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Overall Cloud Atlas is an immersive read and a clever way of structuring a collection of stories. 8.5/10.

Review: Legion by Brandon Sanderson

Stephen Leeds is a man who suffers from a unique medical condition; he is able to generate hallucinatory entities that grant him access to specialized knowledge and skills. Each aspect has a unique personality and Leeds is well aware that only he can see them. Leeds has used his condition to become something of a problem-solver/detective which has generated him a small fortune. One day Leeds is approached by a woman named Monica who represents a powerful cooperation and they want Leeds help in securing a prototype camera that can take pictures of the past.

Despite being best known for his sprawling door-stop sized novels Sanderson has produced a decent amount of shorter works and Legion could be the best to date. Sanderson's humour can be a bit hit and miss at times (specifically in his Infinity Blade novella) but it works very well here and did not distract from the plot. The novel is well-paced resolving the central plotline about the camera and building an interest in the wider storylines introduced. The story is told first person from Leed's perspective who is an intriguing character in his own right, Sanderson also does an excellent job in creating interesting and believable personalities for the various aspects in a very limited space. There is a surprising depth to this piece with questions of the nature of faith and how people with mental illness are classified considered.

Overall Legion has an intriguing concept, an interesting lead and is well-placed. It is Sanderson’s best novella to date. 8.25/10.

Review:Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn

Kitty Norville is a midnight-shift DJ for a small Denver radio station who has adjusted to life as a werewolf. However her life changes drastically when she inadvertently changes her show into a late-night advice show for the paranormal. This causes all sorts of problems when members of her own pack and the local vampire family believe she has overstepped her bounds and decide to do something about it. A local police officer also decides to enlist Kitty's help after a string of murders. Has Kitty bitten off more than she can chew?

At the crux this is a book about juxtapositions. As a character Kitty is at a point in her life when she is willing to risk striking out on her own but isn't sure if she wants to lose her position in her pack. She is also trying to balance her human nature with the beast within. This makes an interesting dynamic for Kitty as a character and is mirrored in a lot of the support characters, for example Kitty's friend TJ is often torn between his loyalty to the pack and his loyalty to Kitty and within wider concerns that are introduced such as whether  pack or family disputes should be dealt with by local law enforcement.

The world Norville introduces is interesting and she certainly includes a number of issues that will be resolved in later books while ensuring that there is enough closure for a few plotlines in this volume. The pacing is quick but well controlled throughout. Though the speed of some things like the acceptance that the wider community has for the paranormal and Kitty's relationship with were-wolf hunter Cormac felt too rushed to be believable.

Overall Kitty is an interesting and complex character backed up strong backup cast. The pacing is strong though the speed introduces a few minor issues. 8/10.

Review: The Scarab Path by Adrian Tchaikovsky

With the war with the Wasp empire behind them Collegium begins to take an interest in the wider world. Stenwold however believes it is inevitable that the war will begin again. In order to ensure that one of the masters sympathetic to his cause gains the speakers podium he agrees to throw his backing behind an expedition to the fabled city of Khanaphes, sending his niece Cheerwell as an ambassador. Che is crippled in ways no doctor can mend, having become inapt as a result of being connected to Achaeos when the moths enacted their ritual. As a result she can no longer understand the technology of her Kinden. She also finds herself haunted by Achaeos' ghost. Meanwhile Empress Seda has consolidated her power within the empire. Tharlric finds himself trapped, horrified by the empress' strange practices; he jumps at the chance to lead a wasp exhibition to Khanaphes. However someone very high up in the empire wants him dead.

Thalric and Totho have always been the most complex characters in the series and with both taking a centre stage in this book the character development is exceptionally good. Tharlric is a man divided against himself. His beliefs and very self-perceptions have been shattered and he struggles to find out who he really is. Totho still longs for Che's approval but struggles with self-loathing for his actions during the war. Che also grows considerably in this volume and it was interesting seeing her being truly caught between the worlds of apt and inapt.

The world building takes several steps forwards as well with some tantalizing hints given about the history of the world.

Tchaikovsky has a gift for writing large-scale battles and outdoes himself here again.

Overall very strong character-development and first-class world building combine to take this series to the next level. 9/10.

Review: Datafall: Collected Speculative Fiction by Rich Larson

The Garden: A technician confronts a rogue AI who has taken the directive to create a paradise a touch too literally. It's a concept that has been done countless times and this story doesn't really take it in any new directions. The mini twist was well done but there is not a great deal of character development allowed in this short piece and it felt unfinished. 6/10.

Every so often: A man is sent back in time to protect a child Adolf Hitler from other time travellers. Very interesting concepts raised in this story. Larson is able to successfully demonstrate the weariness of the protagonist and the doubts of one man who will never know if doing his job successfully will make a difference. 8/10.

Memory Cathedrals: A star soccer player whose career was cut short by injury sells his memories to up and coming players. An original and engaging concept but I would have liked to see it given more time to develop. 7.5/10.

Loopholes: A wealthy murderer finds a loophole to dodge the justice system but the homicide detective assigned to the case finds a loophole of his own. By far strongest story in the collection. The protagonist is interesting and well-drawn, the concept is great and it has a strong conclusion. 8.5/10.

Back so Soon: A bored business woman gets more than she bargained for when a fling with a shell-shocked colonist. Very clever twist. 8/10.

Factory Man: In a world where corpses are reprogramed and put to work a young man confronts the corpse of his abusive father. Interesting concept but a wasted opportunity. This piece feels unfinished and there was so much potential for character development that was missed. 6/10.

Datafall: A young boy and his father are excited when the cloud appears and they have temporary internet access. A clever concept but doesn't go too far. 6.5/10.

Overall there some very good pieces in this collection but also a few that could have been developed further. 7.25/10.

Short Story Review: Even Hand by Jim Butcher in Dark and Stormy Knights

John Marcone, mob boss of Chicago, should know better. Justine, the assistant for Laura Raith and sometimes ally of Harry Dresden, turns up at his door asking for his protection with Mag a cantrev lord with considerable magical abilities hot on her trail. But a child's safety is at risk and Marcone can't say no. Besides the situation also gives him the opportunity to test a trap he has been developing to kill a certain wizard....

The opening is very clever beginning with a narration very similar to that of usual protagonist Harry Dresden but involving actions we would not expect from Dresden before revealing that it is in fact Marcone. Marcone's character is interesting and we get to see all sides of him including the humanitarian. I did enjoy the fact that by the end of the story though Butcher has firmly re-established that he is a threat to Dresden and dances to the beat of his own drum. Having henchman Hendricks shown in a very different light to the simple thug Dresden considers him was refreshing and a good comment on perceptions. I especially liked the comment that he is working on his thesis.

Overall Even Hand is an interesting character study and will appeal to all Dresnden readers. 8/10.

Review: Last Regress by Rachael J. Thorne

Alyssa Matthews is a somewhat sceptical paranormal investigator, whose work is the centre of her life. When investigating a cold file case of spontaneous human combustion things take a turn for the stranger. She begins to realize that the subject of investigation may have been dabbling with forces beyond his ken and may tie in with some disturbing dreams she has been plagued by. Or she could simply be losing her grip on her reality as her concerned best friend Greg seems to believe.

I was intrigued and drawn to the concept and still believe there is a good story here trying to break out but is let down badly by some mediocre writing. The sentences are overlong, drawn out far too much by unnecessary comas that break up any sort of flow. This is less prevalent in the novel’s second half which is encouraging but by then the damage had been done. Extra time editing would have helped.

There are some major problems of 'telling not showing' throughout, even going so far as to switch character point of views for a few sentences to do this. Pacing is very uneven with most of the first half of the novel involving Greg trying to convince Alyssa that she is simply overworked and letting her imagination run away with her. The second half then takes a different turn and feels rushed, though there was some promising world-building going on that had me intrigued.

Overall I like the concept, I really do, but the pacing and writing in general are a let-down. 5/10.