Book Review: The Chosen by C A Milson

ISBN: 978-1934475812
Publisher: Amira Press
Copyright © July 2008, C. A. Milson
Cover art by Mariya Krusheva © July 2008
Author Website: C A Milson
204 Pages, Paperback, Ebook
Genre: Horror, Supernatural


Visions, illusions, supernatural visitations, demons, angels… if that is what you want to read about, then this debut novel by C. A. Milson is packed to the page edges with them.

Alex Manning is seeing things, particularly malevolent things; the human race is under threat from demons who will enslave us all. There is something special about Alex and unfortunately the evil entities know it and decide to take steps. “The Chosen” is the story of his search for a way to fight for mankind’s deliverance from evil, and to keep from getting killed in the process.

The book is classed as supernatural/horror and it lives up to its genre. Initially I thought "I’ve been here before", it was familiar and gave me that feeling of "I know what’s going to happen next".

In my opinion the plot has elements of "The Second Coming" and "The Book of Revelations". That and the author’s style put me in mind of some early Graham Masterton and Guy N. Smith novels. There is blood, possession, demons, sex, and of course there is also the one who must put his life and soul on the line.

A couple of chapters in though and the familiarity receded. The story took on a life of its own, and carried me right along with it. I was as unsure as Alex whether the visions were visitations or illusions or precognition. I was kept on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next and if anyone was going to come out of this unscathed.

I really did enjoy this story. The only downside I have is that it was too short. Please, next one, make it a bit longer!

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Visit C. A. Milson’s blog where there is a chance to win an autographed copy of "The Chosen" click here

Book Review: Confessor by Terry Goodkind

ISBN: 978 0 00 725082 0
Publisher: HarperVoyager an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
Copyright © Terry Goodkind 2007
603 Pages, Hardcover
Genre: Fantasy

Series: The Sword of Truth

Prequel - Debt of Bones
Book 1 - Wizard's First Rule
Book 2 - Stone of Tears
Book 3 - Blood of the Fold
Book 4 - Temple of the Winds
Book 5 - Soul of the Fire
Book 6 - Faith of the Fallen
Book 7 - The Pillars of Creation
Book 8 - Naked Empire
Book 9 - Chainfire
Book 10 - Phantom
Book 11 - Confessor

This is the last book of three, "Chainfire", "Phantom" and "Confessor" which marks the end of an 11 book series. The trilogy tells of Richard Rahl's search for his missing wife Kahlan, the continuing war with the Imperial Order, of magic being destroyed and contaminated, and a spell that has wiped certain memories from the populace.

Though I was disappointed with the preceding book "Phantom" I read this with the hope that the author would return to his earlier skill as a storyteller. Unfortunately it wasn't to be. Again the lectures on politics, history and magical lore were repeated too often and the descriptions of the violence and hatred seemed to become more and more elaborate and increasingly nauseating.

Though the ending should have given a sense of satisfaction, by that time the characters that I had so admired at the beginning of this series I had ended up disliking, and so I really didn’t care what happened to them. The philosophical monologue bored me as it was the same few phrases paraphrased and repeated, which on reflection, sums up the rest of the book.

I was glad when it was finally finished and the dreariness could disperse.

Book Review: Phantom by Terry Goodkind

ISBN: 978 0 00 714563 2
Publisher: HarperVoyager an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
Copyright © Terry Goodkind 2006
587 Pages, Hardcover
Genre: Fantasy

Series: The Sword of Truth

Prequel - Debt of Bones
Book 1 - Wizard's First Rule
Book 2 - Stone of Tears
Book 3 - Blood of the Fold
Book 4 - Temple of the Winds
Book 5 - Soul of the Fire
Book 6 - Faith of the Fallen
Book 7 - The Pillars of Creation
Book 8 - Naked Empire
Book 9 - Chainfire
Book 10 - Phantom
Book 11 - Confessor

In the preceding book "Chainfire", Richard Rahl is the only person who remembers Kahlan existed. He spent the whole book trying to find proof to convince everyone that he wasn't insane and that something was dreadfully wrong.

Phantom carries on this story. Richard, after having proved that Kahlan is not a figment of his imagination, that she is his wife and also the Mother Confessor, to certain of his friends and family, now has to figure out a way of getting her back. At the same time he has to find a way of dealing with the evil Sisters of the Dark, stopping The Imperial Order from sweeping through the Midlands and destroying civilization, learning how to finally use his magical powers as the only War Wizard to have been born in living memory, and finding a way to replace everyone's lost memories.

I had been waiting for this book after having read all of the previous 9 plus the prequel novella and enjoying them, some more than others. When I began to read I was so disappointed, where was the humour, the fast paced adventure, the wonderful characters that I remembered. The book rambled on with long passages of political invective, magical formulas and spell forms, even algebra was mentioned at one point.

Characters came and went and I found myself wondering why on earth the author had bothered to bring them back if they were not going to be allowed, at the very least, to show their personalities. I can only imagine that the memories lost to the people of the Midlands and D'Hara had also been lost to Mr Goodkind himself.

Then at the end of the book the story still isn't finished. Now we have to look forward to another whole book to finish off the things that quite possibly could have been brought to a satisfactory conclusion in this one.

I was not impressed at all. Though I don't usually rate books this one I will. I give it 1 star. Very Poor.

Book Review: Wit’ch Fire by James Clemens

ISBN: 1841491500
Publisher: Orbit an imprint of Time Warner Books UK
Website: orbitbooks
Copyright © Jim Czajkowski 1998
Author Website: www.jamesclemens.com
496 Pages, Paperback
Genre: Fantasy

This is the first in a five book fantasy series set in Alasea. It tells of a world that is bereft of magic powerful enough to combat the evil of the Dark Lord of Gul'gotha and his minions. For 500 years Alasea and its people have been under the rule of the Gul'gothan hoards, unable to break free, until finally they did not even remember that life had been different to how it was now. That is except for the whispered stories told as fables and legends of the last Mages and their final sacrifice.

Elena, a thirteen year old girl just becoming a woman, is the hope of Alasea though no one but the Dark Lord is aware of it. The story tells of her flight from evil, her loss, her fear and her courage. It tells of the people she meets, sent to help or to hinder. And it tells of the difficult choices that will be hers alone.

I started this book thinking, "Another quest, another battle between good and evil, let's see how it pans out". Well I was impressed. It was James Clemens' first novel and although the plot could have been a well worn rehash of many others, I thought it was well thought out and fresh. Many of the magical aspects of the plot were original and inventive, and strangely enough for a fantasy novel, believable.

I especially liked the characterisation. There are many figures in this story and what I particularly liked was that the evil ones were not always knowingly wicked, and the good not always to be trusted. The relationships were also very well written, so much so that I felt as if I was there with the people, sympathising with or reviling their motives as I came to know them better.

I enjoyed this story so I'm looking forward to continuing the adventure in the next book, and hopefully learning more about the history of Alasea and the different races.

The Banned and the Banished

Book 1 – Wit'ch Fire
Book 2 – Wit'ch Storm
Book 3 – Wit'ch War
Book 4 – Wit'ch Gate
Book 5 – Wit'ch Star

Book Review: The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

ISBN: 9780141030142
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Website: www.penguin.co.uk
Copyright © Kim Edwards 2005
Book Website: The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
401 Pages, Paperback

The year is 1964 and a Doctor, David Henry and his wife, Norah are expecting their first baby. A series of events culminate in David Henry having to deliver his own child. A perfect baby boy, Paul, but then his twin sister is born, a complete surprise and also a problem. Phoebe has Down Syndrome. This is the story of a family that holds a secret at its centre. A family built on deceit, love, grief and anger, and what becomes of them.

When I began to read this story I was struck by the flowery and longwinded nature of the prose. I persevered however, and found that the story was interesting enough to attract my attention, but unfortunately the writing style made my attention wander.

The characters were stereotypical, and the story had too much sentimentality and not enough reality for my taste. I found that I didn’t really care about any of the people with the exception of Phoebe, and that characterisation wasn’t built upon enough.

Not my cup of tea at all.

Book Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

ISBN: 9780552773898
Publisher: A Black Swan Book by Transworld Publishers
Website: http://www.booksattransworld.co.uk/
Copyright © Markus Zusak 2005
Illustrations Copyright © Trudy White 2005
Author Website: Markus Zusak
554 Pages, Paperback

Narrated by Death, this is the story of Liesel Meminger, a young German girl trying to survive the hardships and deprivations of Germany during WWII. It is the story of a street “Himmel Street” and its inhabitants, and the town of Molching close neighbour to Dachau Concentration Camp. Perhaps it’s the story of the ordinary German people too, not the ones that went to fight, but the ones that were left behind, the children, the women and the men.

The characters, the places, the emotions were so exquisitely drawn that I found myself standing on Himmel Street, watching the football games, or the marching Hitler Youth, or walking alongside Liesel as she delivered the ironing to her foster mother’s customers.

With Death as a constant companion, telling the story, complaining a little about all the work he had to do at that particular time, and how sometimes he was bound to get involved in individual stories if he wasn’t careful. He was amusing and forthright. A surprisingly good story teller in fact.

This story deeply moved me. I cannot begin to explain the laughter and the tears that came in equal measure when reading. I’m not prone to tears, so I must leave it to you to draw your own conclusions in that regard.

An excellent book and one that I would recommend to anyone.

Book Review: The Magic Cottage by James Herbert

ISBN: 0 330 37625 X
Publisher: Pan Books an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Ltd
Website: www.panmacmillan.com
Copyright © James Herbert 1986
393 Pages, Paperback

I was expecting a horror story, as James Herbert is pretty famous for those, but I didn’t really get one with this book. I wasn’t disappointed though I just had to switch my expectations to another track.

Mike Stringer, the narrator of this tale, and his partner Midge (Margaret) Gudgeon relocate from busy London to the countryside, close to the New Forest. Their new home is Gramarye, a run down cottage set in woodland and close to the village of Cantrip. Odd though it may seem when they eventually move in, but the cottage wasn’t in such disrepair as they first thought, and the woodland animals are all so very friendly, almost tame.

Life is good, but there are bad times coming. The people from the Synergist Temple begin to call. The vicar from Cantrip comes with dire warnings. And just who exactly is that dark figure who keeps watching the house?

This was an enjoyable and easy read for me. Having read most of James Herbert’s books old and new I wasn’t surprised that the story greeted me like an old friend. Characters were funny and real, even the ones that weren’t human.

The story runs along and takes you with it, there are twists and turns but you can usually see them coming so they don’t come as any great surprise. An easy read but not one to stay in the mind after it’s finished and put back on the book shelf.

Book Review: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

ISBN: 978-0-7528-8167-6
Publisher: Orion Books Ltd
Website: www.orionbooks.co.uk
Copyright © Diane Setterfield 2006
456 Pages, Paperback

I started reading and immediately liked Margaret Lea the narrator. There was something in her quiet manner that reached out through the pages of the book, took my hand and gently lead me through the history of Angelfield House and the story of Vida Winter.

Vida is an author coming to the end of her life and wishes to have her biography written. She wants to “tell the truth” as she puts it. Margaret is her biographer. As the tale unfolds you are drawn into the dark places and secrets of Vida’s childhood and consequent to those revelations, you are entrusted with Margaret’s own secrets and fears.

The prose was magical to me, quite beautiful, and put me in mind of a modern day Jane Austen. Descriptions and characters were so well written that I can still see them now.

My opinion - A ghost story. A mystery. A love story. Whatever you choose to call it, this was a book that was recommended to me by quite a few people, well they were all dead right. A great story and a wonderful experience.

Book Review: Veil of Darkness by Gillian White

ISBN: 0-7531-6617-8
Publisher: Isis Publishing Ltd
Website: www.isis-publishing.co.uk
Copyright © Gillian White 1999
408 Pages, Paperback

Three “damaged” women meet at a Cornish Hotel where they have all gone for one reason or another to work, or more honestly, to escape. Whilst there, they find an old book, long forgotten, and are captivated and fixated by it. The story is how that book changes their lives. Changes for the better or are they really for worse?

Now when I was reading I had real difficulty in liking any of the three main characters. They didn’t really have my support though under the circumstances sympathy and support should have been there. I can only presume that it was the way the characters were written, compassion seemed to have been left out, and unfortunately I began to dislike and be irritated by them.

The story was a surprise, and it was based on a very good idea, but I can’t say that I enjoyed it. I especially didn’t enjoy the last two pages which seemed to me as if they’d been hurriedly written to finish off a story that didn’t need finishing. I believe the book would have benefited without it.

So my opinion - a surprising storyline that did keep you guessing, but not a good read.

Book Review for Atlantis by David Gibbins

ISBN: 978 0 7553 2422 6
Publisher: Headline Book Publishing
Website: www.headline.co.uk
Copyright © 2005 David Gibbins
Author Website: www.davidgibbins.com
464 Pages, Paperback

Jack Howard is a marine archaeologist and along with a number of his friends and colleagues is lucky enough to discover the key to the location of what most people would consider a myth. Unfortunately they’re not the only ones. So the adventure begins with a race to the prize before piracy, terrorism and even nuclear warfare rob the world of a wonderful discovery.

Unfortunately the book was very hit and miss for me. For example excitement would build, the team diving in unfamiliar waters, not knowing what they were going to find and then suddenly the author would give long descriptions consisting of an awful lot of technical jargon and diving know-how, and to a non-diver like myself the whole thing became a little tedious and annoying. I just wanted to know what happened next.

Also a lot of the story line was based on happenstance, the right people being in the right place at the right time with access to the right equipment. The dénouement was predictable too, based again on a twist of fate, so was pretty much of an anti-climax.

As the author is himself a marine archaeologist of some note it seems likely that he may have been hampered by his own expertise. In my opinion an average book, the material was there but unfortunately it wasn’t used to the best advantage.

Book Review for Where Eagles Dare by Alistair MacLean

ISBN: 0 00 615804 8
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Website: www.harpercollins.co.uk
Copyright © Devoran Trustees Ltd 1967
343 Pages, Paperback

A group of allied soldiers are dropped by parachute into Germany in order to find a way inside Schloss Adler (the castle of the eagle), the combined headquarters of the German Secret Service and the Gestapo. They have to rescue Lieutenant General Carnaby, an American general who is the overall co-ordinator for Operation Overlord, the Second Front, before he talks.

Someone though is sabotaging their efforts; can a member of the six British and one American Special Forces team be a traitor? The commanding officer, Smith, has brought a woman with him too, a fact unknown to the other team members. Added to that are the problems of the elite Alpenkorps being stationed at the foot of the mountain and the Castle, built on the side of the mountain, being only accessible by cable car.

This book was an extremely enjoyable read, with the twists and turns and plot loops, focussing on one then another as the guilty party. With the finale as exciting and explosive as one could wish for.

Although I already knew the story from watching the movie countless times (staring Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood), it was definitely well worth reading the original, especially for the ironic wit of Schaffer and Smith’s exchanges.

All in all, a World War II thriller, action packed and full of suspense, which I have come to expect from MacLean’s writing. I wasn’t disappointed at all.

Book Review for Pandora in the Congo by Albert Sánchez Piñol

ISBN: 978 1 84195 815 6
Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
Website: www.canongate.net
Copyright © Albert Sánchez Piñol 2005
Translation Copyright © Mara Faye Lethem 2008
Pages 441, Hardcover

(An Early Reviewer Book sent to me by Canongate Books through LibraryThing for my review).

A story in two parts. In fact a story about writing a story, and the actual story. Firstly, the narrative of Tommy Thomson, his life in London as a fledgling ghost writer, the people in his life and his dreams of writing "a great book", and secondly the adventure written from Thomson’s prison visits with Marcus Garvey, a man awaiting trial for double murder.

The plot twists and turns, WWI happens (almost as a slight annoyance), and then the story continues to its not entirely unforeseen climax. Piñol moves the reader seamlessly between Thomson and Garvey’s stories, from London to the Congo, then back again and also through time, without the pause for thought that can sometimes happen with this strategy.

There is a flavour of Jules Verne or Edgar Rice Burroughs to the writing especially those sections relating to the journey through the Congo, which in my opinion is intentional by the author, possibly with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek. It worked for me.

I enjoyed this book enormously. It was humorous, puzzling and downright sinister in places, I shall most certainly be buying Piñol’s previous book and probably his next one too.

Book Review for The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope

ISBN: 978-0141031286
Publisher: Penguin Red Classics
Website: www.penguinclassics.co.uk
Anthony Hope 1894
208 Pages, Paperback

When reading I found myself surprised at how quickly and well the story unfolded, told as a narrative by Rudolf Rassendyll, the principal character, it skipped along quickly and drew me in without much effort, so much so that I read it at one sitting.

I greatly enjoyed his adventures in Ruritania, the humour, the deviousness and towards the latter part of the book the pathos. The characters were well drawn and although it was first published in 1894 it appeared to me that the style seemed timeless.

The plot is well known, an Englishman meets the crown prince of Ruritania and due to a romantic encounter, many years before, by a member of the Rassendylls and a member of the Elphbergs, it means that the two men are distant cousins, but more fortuitously it turns out, they also look so alike as to be mistaken one for the other, and so the story unfolds.

If you want adventure this is a good book to read, swashbuckling, chivalry, bravery and honour with romance and a choice of villainous enemies. Most enjoyable.

Book Review for The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

ISBN: 0 14 00 1440 3
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Website: www.penguin.co.uk
Copyright © The Estate of John Wyndham 1957
220 Pages, Paperback

This science fiction story takes place in a quiet, sleepy, very English village. For 24 hours the village is isolated, no one can enter if they try they immediately become unconscious. After 24 hours everything returns to normal… for a while at least. That period is referred to as the “Dayout”. Life continues as normal until the women, all the women, discover they have a condition that for most of them is incomprehensible.

The story moves along quite gently, much at the pace of Midwich itself I would imagine, with much debate and philosophising on evolution, invasion, survival and general differences between male and female opinion and emotion. But inexorably the pace increases as the situation becomes intolerable. Leading finally to a shocking but inevitable conclusion.

This is one of my favourite Wyndham novels.

Book Review for Malarkey by Keith Gray

ISBN: 0 09 9439441
Publisher: A Red Fox Book by Random House Children's Books
Website: www.kidsatrandomhouse.co.uk
Copyright © Keith Gray 2003
Author Website: keith-gray.com
197 Pages, Paperback

"The wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time"… John Malarkey, 16 years old, two weeks at a new school, mid-term, and his life seems to fall apart. With the threat of exclusion and worse hanging over him, he moves through the periphery of school life trying to work out the who, the why and most importantly for him the "why me?".

Set in the English school system and describing budding teenage gangsters, bullying, money making schemes and a teaching staff that has little time to listen and even less idea as to what is going on under their noses.

The characters, plot and descriptions are so well written and believable and most especially the narrative of John Malarkey as he spends 24 hours trying to clear himself of the crimes he has been falsely accused.

This story is enthralling. I could not stop reading and was disappointed when it finally came to an end, because it came to an end! I just wanted it to go on and on. A very good read in the Adolescent/Young Adult genre.

Book Review for The Shakespeare Secret by J L Carrell

ISBN: 978 0 7515 4035 2
Publisher: Sphere An Imprint of Little Brown Book Group
Website: www.littlebrown.co.uk
Copyright © Jennifer Lee Carrell 2007
Author Website: www.jenniferleecarrell.com
480 Pages, Paperback

Sometimes the wealth of Shakespeare law is a little overpowering. Though the trick Carrell uses of Kate Stanley knowing virtually all there is to know about the Bard and explaining it in layman’s terms to Ben Pearl, the British security expert, is a good plot continuation. It also explains it all to us as we’re running to keep up with the characters when they jump from country to country and back again, trying to keep one step ahead of a serial killer, the FBI and the British Police.

Unfortunately for me though, the characters are not fleshed out enough, their histories, feelings etc., I wish there had been more background on them to compensate for the in-depth information on Shakespeare. Because of this the book felt a little uneven, though it is still a good read. I would describe it as an exciting whodunit with a Shakespeare lecture thrown in.

I learned a lot about Shakespeare that I wasn’t aware of and a little about the old west and how popular Shakespeare was in the mining camps and western towns; definitely something that I’d like to find out more about.

Book Review for San Andreas by Alistair MacLean

ISBN: 0 00 222830 0
Publisher: William Collins Sons & Co Ltd
Website: www.harpercollins.co.uk
Copyright © Alistair MacLean 1984
286 Pages, Hardcover

Set on a hospital ship in Norwegian waters, with a British Merchant Navy crew and a collection of doctors, nurses and orderlies, hunted by German planes and U-boats and not knowing the reason for the pursuit, a saboteur loose, wreaking havoc with the electrical systems, fuel lines, heating and medical supplies.

As soon as I began to read I was hooked. This is a World War II adventure thriller that had me jumping from one crew member to another looking for the bad hat, and being proved wrong, usually when another act of sabotage took place. I wasn’t alone, even the main characters were baffled.

The feeling of suspense was masterly, and the description of a badly damaged ship in hostile weather conditions was enough to have me shivering for real. But to my mind the dialogue between the characters coupled with the understated humour in the face of the towering odds against them is what turned the whole story into a masterpiece.