Reviews and Comments

I picked this up from a charity book stall in a supermarket. I had no expectations.

What I got was a thoroughly detailed history and commentary of the working class, it's political power, how it's been treated by those with power, and when things and have gone well and poorly.

It's staggeringly good. I've spent a few months on it, because it's needed real attention to digest. If you have an interest in class and politics, and you're especially curious about how politicians and those with power treat the working class, and the effect it has had, this book delivers.

In 2008 Luciano Garbati created "Medusa with the Head of Perseus", and a modern version of the Medusa myth was lodged in minds, of a defiant strong woman taking revenge on her agressors.

That's not the Medusa myth Natalie Haynes tells.

Natalie tells the story of Medusa the victim, who did nothing wrong except exist and was tormented, tortured and then killed. Even after death, she's still a weapon, used by a cowardly mortal who solves all his problems with death. The Gods have done nothing but do what Gods do, which is use her as a pawn for her entire existence.

This is not a triumpant story, it's a story about the roles women play in society, and their relationships with Gods and men.

Walkaway embaces the idea of non compliance and co-operation, building a better future by leaving the trappings of capitalism behind. It's distinctly post-capitalist novel, which makes a strong effort to embrace anarchist ideals. Some of those ideals extend beyond the now, and a lot of the ideas are really quite big. It also presents some really uncomfortable questions and ideas, that don't necessarily sit easily. Walkaway starts on the idea of walking away from objects and things, but gradually starts exploring the idea of walking away from your own identity. I'm not entirely sure if some of those questions were intentional, but they left me pondering for days at the end of the book.

Well done.

This novel has a reputation for being on the list of "worst Agathas". Unfortunately, this is my only exposure to Agatha Christie's written work. I've been familiar with the more popular stories through TV, film and radio, it was nice to be read a story I've not seen or heard before. However where I expect to be able to follow clues, and deduce the crime along with the protagonist, I don't feel like I can, and the revelation at the end of the book feels like it's been plucked almost from thin air. The relationships of the cast are interesting, more interesting than the crime, but since there's a crime to solve, solved it must be.

This is a very pedestrian YA story. Teenage male protagonist wins a competition to work for a year on the 1992 World's Fair - held on a space station above earth. There's scratchings at the morals of exploration and exploitation, and while I recognise the novel was written in 1970, I'm still not convinced by the arguments from a 1970's viewpoint, especially in a YA novel.

Silverberg can very much write better. This was intended to be a YA novel, and is voiced like a Tom Swift novel. It talks down to the reader, makes the protagonist over-clever and puts him on a rollercoaster. He suffers a small heartbreak, but very quickly moves on, because he's going somewhere.

Possibly over-harsh, but they don't write them like this anymore, for good reason.

An excellent commentary wrapped up in a well crafted story. Naomi Kritzer provides a realistic near future vision of an independant country established by those who feel they are outside of the responsibilities of society. Naomi manages to craft a story in this environment that feels balanced. Beck has only really known the world of this country, so the rules and social norms of this society are presented as normal. When something is wrong through Beck's eyes, we know it's wrong by her standards.

"Coo, this one is difficult to review. This my my first Alan Garner novel, and may not have been the best jumping off point. It's been universally praised by critics - usually familiar with his work. It's very short and very dense. Chapters are only a few pages each, and are heavy in a combination of local dialect and allegory. The over-arching approach is mythological, and I found it helpful to let go thinking of this as a traditional narrative novel, and start leaning in to the ideas and the mysteries. Don't rush, take a chapter - look up names, terms, words. I had no idea what a donkey stone was, despite living in a mill-town in Lancashire. I'll be revisiting this one, but not for a while - it needs time to sink in more."

The first few chapters had me darting to and from Wikipedia to help add some context to a story that is deeply set in the Chinese Cultural Revolution. It',s a triviality to call the story complex, a mystery than unfolds through the book. Be warned this is the first in a trilogy and a very much sets itself up this way, which was a little frustrating in the last few chapters.

Andy Weir writes pretty good one note hero stories that are heavy on the science and engineering and feel screen ready. This was enjoyable, but not particularly deep. Like The Martian, the protagonist suffers from a series of obstacles and overcomes them one at at time, with the application of dark humour and science and significantly less potatoes.