‘Total Oblivion, More or Less’ – Alan DeNiro (Spectra)

Hands up everyone who has ever sat at their desk (on a particularly dull school or work day) and thought, “what if...?” If you read a lot of speculative fiction then this is a common side affect and one that is somewhat of a mixed blessing. On the one hand, I feel adequately prepared for a zombie infestation or for a sea monster to rise from the Thames and start laying waste to the city. On the other hand though, I never seem to get anything else done...
If we’re really lucky, our ‘what ifs’ can transcend mere idle speculation and make the leap onto the printed page. Alan DeNiro has done just that with his debut novel and the result makes for some interesting reading. Not all of it though...

What if our world was suddenly invaded by warriors from Ancient Europe? Here’s a question that sixteen year old Macy must answer when the invasion comes to Minnesota. One day everything is normal; the following day (and those to come) is full of warring tribesmen, wasp borne plagues and talking dogs. As the world is unravelling so is Macy’s family and she must struggle to keep both intact as best she can. The alternatives aren’t good...

In the spirit of all the best ‘What Ifs’, DeNiro’s ‘Total Oblivion’ never even attempts to get to the bottom of just why North America has been invaded by warriors from the past. That’s not the point at all. What’s important is that it’s happened and that people must somehow find a way to deal with the consequences, Macy’s family in this case. This is where the story truly lies and the fact that it’s being driven by something totally unexplained (but at the same time very apparent and dangerous) gives it the concept a little extra kick which should speed the plot along nicely.

I say ‘should’ because although the plot does flow well it did feel more than a little bogged down by the fact that much of the plot is advanced through talk rather than physical action. In one sense this is very much a good thing as we get to see Macy’s character develop over time along with others. It also gives us an insider’s view on how the world is changing and continues to change. On the other hand though, when the balance of the plot shifts towards talk (over action) then you can be left feeling that not a lot is actually happening. This is certainly how I felt at times when reading ‘Total Oblivion’, not a good thing when the book itself is only three hundred and six pages long.

It’s not all bad though. As I’ve said already, the mystery surrounding the invasion not only provides an intriguing entry into the story but also serves to paint a vivid backdrop for the story to be set against. While the story may slow down in places, it is rescued by a plot that demands things be done otherwise certain characters won’t make it all the way through... These two things are what kept me reading in the main, an interesting central character was the clincher.

If the world goes belly up then the first thing you’re going to want to do is try and get some level of control over what is left. This is the approach that DeNiro takes with Macy and it works well as far as I’m concerned, almost rendering the state of the world in microcosm through the workings of Macy’s very dysfunctional family. Macy must learn a lot about herself in order to more effectively fulfil her aims and this is where the character development comes in. By doing this, Macy is also able to learn a lot more about her brother Ciaran and so we see his character in a new light as well. He’s still the same guy by the end of the book but at least we have a better idea of why he behaves the way that he does. Things aren’t quite the same by the end but was anyone expecting them to be? When your world falls apart things are never going to fit back together in exactly the same way. What matters is that things are good enough to get by. DeNiro recognises this and ends the book appropriately.

‘Total Oblivion, More or Less’ is a book where the concept hooked me from the start. Unfortunately the book’s structure made it more difficult to get into than it needed to be, it didn’t do itself any favours there. However, a little perseverance uncovered a tale that was worth taking the time to find. Worth a quick look if you come across this one in the bookstore.

Eight and a Quarter out of Ten

Genre Fiction vs. The Tie-In: Two Discussions.

This seems to be a debate that crops up every now and then. They've been chatting about it over at Westeros and now Mark Charan Newton and Dan Abnett have got together to chew the fat on this topic over at Ecstatic Days. Both discussions are well worth a look and browse.

Do I stand anywhere on this? I'm probably preaching to the converted but running this blog has taught me not to turn my nose up at tie-in fiction; you may have to wade through some absolute crap (actually, there's no 'may' about it!) but you will find some gems on the way. Paul S. Kemp is one (gutted to hear that he's moving on from Wizards of the Coast but apparently he'll be writing Star Wars books in the future) and Karen Traviss is another (and there's also Dan Abnett of course). As far as the rubbish goes, I've been quite lucky so far but Keith Baker's 'The Queen of Stone' was one that really didn't work for me...

A book that I'll be reading very soon is Tobias Buckell's 'The Cole Protocol' (from the 'Halo' universe) so I'll guess I'll see how this balances things out in the ratio of 'Good Tie-In' to 'Bad Tie-in' fiction... How about you guys though? What are your experiences of tie-in fiction? Anything that you think I should look out for?

‘Finch’ – Jeff Vandermeer (Underland Press)

How do you choose which book to pick up next? I generally go by a mix of genre choice and book cover but I’ve also been known to choose slim books over doorstop novels as well as closing my eyes and grabbing a random book from the pile. Sometimes though I really cannot decide what book to read and, in those times, I know that I should take my choices to a higher power and let them decide what I should be reading. Yes, sometimes I get my wife to choose a book for me... :o)
Last week I showed the wife two books to see which one she would go for. After careful consideration it was ‘the book with the pretty cover’. I won’t tell you what was said about the other choice, it wasn’t pretty...
The ‘book with the pretty cover’ was Jeff Vandermeer’s ‘Finch’ and I’ve just spent the last few days utterly enthralled by this tale. I don’t know quite where it will end up in my list of reads for the year but you can bet that it will be somewhere near the top.

Ambergris is not the city you knew before. The fungal Gray Caps have taken advantage of a drawn out civil war to rise above ground and make their presence felt. The city is now theirs.
In this bombed out landscape, haunted by the Gray Caps and their hybrid human allies (‘Partials’), detective John Finch is tasked with solving an impossible double murder. When you’re working for the enemy though, how much do you let them know? How much can you let anyone know in a city where personal survival is paramount and knowledge is power? When it comes down to it, what does Finch really know at all...?
The answers will become apparent but whether Finch will live to reach them is another matter entirely...

I love a good cityscape in a fantasy novel; if it’s done well then it almost becomes a character in its own right and you put the book down feeling as if you’ve actually been there rather than just read about it. Vandermeer already achieved this with Ambergris in ‘City of Saints and Madmen’ (I’ve still yet to read ‘Shriek: An Afterword’) and does it again in ‘Finch’.
The Ambergris of ‘Finch’ is a striking mix of bombed out wasteland and nightmarish fungal growth; Vandermeer doesn’t lay the description on thick but there’s no question of you not knowing what you’re walking through on the way to the conclusion. Landmarks play an important role in defining the current landscape of Ambergris as well as the constant sight of rubble. If you’ve walked down either Manzikert Avenue or Albumuth Boulevard before then these familiar streets will ease you back into Ambergris while at the same time showing you just how much time has passed. If you haven’t then... maybe you need to read the two preceding books first. In fact, you definitely need to. There’s a lot going on here that will make a lot more sense if you read ‘City of Saints & Madmen’ and ‘Shriek’ first and the conclusion (although fine on it’s own) really needs that prior reading to kick ass in the way that it was designed to.

Ambergris also feels like a character in its own right as the city itself comes across as practically empty during the course of Finch’s mission. There are other characters but they are all hidden away, behind their doors, for Finch to find. What you get as a result is a sense of silence that is almost palpable and is perhaps a hearkening back to the original ‘Silence’ that blighted the early history of Ambergris. There is a story to be told but a lot of the time the emphasis comes across as being on the city itself and those are the best times to get a feel for Ambergris. I’m glad I don’t live there but the atmosphere was so rich and compelling that I didn’t want to leave.

Detective stories are inevitably tales of impossible cases, double crossing and a detective who has no idea of what he’s got himself into until it’s far too late. Vandermeer doesn’t stray too far away from this outline and you can find yourself getting a feel for the ebb and flow of this part of the plot; so much so in fact that you may be able to predict just when the case will either hit a dead end or move in a new direction. There is such a delicious sense of the ‘alien’ about things though and this balances out the feeling that you may know where the plot is going. Where else would you find a detective novel where the chief was a ruthless talking piece of fungus? And having a partner being eaten alive by a fungal disease certainly adds an interesting new slant to the idea ‘the cop and his partner’ solving a case while sorting out their own issues. Like ‘Lethal Weapon’ with talking mushrooms...

Finch himself also drives the plot forward in the best possible way. Here’s a character who can’t even remember who he really is and has enough ties with the shadowy organisations of Ambergris to make knowing who to support a tricky question every single time. Finch is a tenacious character though, even if his overall motives are questionable, and it’s this tenacity that makes you want to stick with him and for him to make it through to the end. Does he end up doing the right thing though? I’m still not sure about that one...

‘Finch’ is not only a gripping detective story but a triumphant conclusion to events set in motion a long time ago. Things are left open for more tales in Ambergris and I hope things are explored further as I would certainly be there for more.

Nine and a Half out of Ten

The World of 'The Adamantine Palace' - Free Gazetteer available for download.

If you enjoyed Stephen Deas' 'The Adamantine Palace' (I did!) and you're having trouble waiting for 'King of the Crags' (I am...) then this might just help you through...

Stephen Deas has been working on a big ol' gazetteer detailing the world of 'The Adamantine Palace' and has made it available as a free download. If you fancy a read then click Here for the download...

‘Essential Tales of the Zombie, Volume One’ (Marvel Comics)

When I picked up Mike Raicht’s ‘Zombie’, and later on Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell’s ‘The Zombie Simon Garth’, (a couple of years ago) I had no idea that Simon Garth was a reworking of a much older character of the same name. Google and Wikipedia set me straight on that score but I was left thinking that I would never be able to read the original comics. Marvel set me straight on that score! Little did I know that there was an ‘Essential Tales of the Zombie’ collection that would fill in the gaps. It took me a while to get hold of a copy but eventually I did, only to have the front cover/spine/back cover come off in my hands as I was reading it this weekend. It’s a thick book and I guess that the glue wasn’t up to the job (something you guys might want to watch out for if you’re planning on picking up your own copy or any other of the Marvel ‘Essential’ collections). It was a good job then that the story inside was worth the read, even if Simon Garth isn’t the kind of zombie that I would normally read about...

‘Essential Tales of the Zombie Volume One’ collects ‘Tales of the Zombie #1-10’ along with ‘Dracula Lives #1-2’ and tells the tale of Simon Garth; a work obsessed executive who is set to learn some hard lessons about the true meaning of happiness and love. Garth is set to become a human sacrifice in a voodoo ritual but manages to escape when help arrives from an unexpected source. This reprieve is short lived however and Garth is killed by his former gardener, only to be brought back from the grave as an undead zombie. Now, Garth is under the control of the fabled amulet of Damballah and must obey the will of whoever holds it. Despite this though, Garth’s real aim is to achieve the peace of true death...

You would have thought that I’d know better by now. I thought that Marvel were solely about superheroes and mutants but way, way, back in the day they were also all about Dracula, the Wolfman and... the Zombie. This isn’t the George Romero style zombie (what I would normally go for); what we have instead is the zombie of Voodoo lore and this Caribbean tone adds a more vibrant feel to the proceedings (and the artwork). What we get as a result is a refreshing contrast to the grimy and bleak post-apocalyptic fare that I’ve been used to in the past.

What I also enjoyed was the change in approach to what I’ve seen in Romero’s films and ongoing serials like ‘The Walking Dead’. Whereas the zombie media I’ve been into concentrates more on mankind’s attempts to survive in the face of a zombie infestation, ‘Essential Tales of the Zombie’ turns this round and comes back at it from the opposite direction. Simon Garth is one zombie on his own in a world full of humans only too ready to take advantage of his situation; he has limited control over his actions (although he does display some evidence of free will) and must somehow get by in the face of overwhelming opposition. As with all zombie fiction, it’s the humans who are worst of all. It helps then that Garth is a hard character to put down...!

There’s also a lesson in morality to be learned it that comes across very well. By stripping away everything that Garth originally found important he is able to put things in perspective and eventually act to put things right in his life; both as a zombie... and later on.
I very much enjoyed reading the tale of the original Simon Garth. If ‘Volume Two’ is ever released then I’ll be sure to pick it up.

That’s not all there is to ‘Essential Tales of the Zombie’ though as the book also collects the ‘one off’ short stories that accompanied the main feature. This is the bit where I would normally have a list of examples but my copy of the book is in pieces (awaiting repair) so I don’t have it to hand right now! As you would expect in shorter stories, the emphasis isn’t so much on character development as it is on quickly setting things up and then smacking the reader in the face with a gore ridden conclusion. The simple message is that evil never wins and it’s a message that’s played out almost too far across a volume of this size (the same thing over and over again)... To be fair, the affect would have been far more pronounced in a shorter punchier monthly issue.

‘Essential Tales of the Zombie’ was perhaps a strange choice of reading for a weekend in Paris but was nevertheless an entertaining read that I had a lot of fun with. Like I said, if volume two ever makes an appearance then I’ll be there to pick it up.

Eight and Three Quarters out of Ten

The 'Early Morning Competition Winners Post' - French Edition!

Just got back from a weekend in Paris (very nice it was too) and I'm really after just going to bed, stupid noisy neighbours in the hotel... Before I do that though, here are the winners from last week's competitions!

'7th Son: Descent' - J.C. Hutchins

Bryce Lee, Wyoming, USA
Rob Charron, Ontario, Canada
Sheldon Florence, British Columbia, Canada

'The Big Fat Horror Giveaway!'

Lee Barker, Thurnscoe, UK
Stuart Pickering, Birkenhead, UK
Caroline Allard, Floing, France
Mark Devery, New Zealand
Yuriy Volyanskyy, Ontario, Canada (Canada did really well this time round!)

Well done everyone, your books should be on their way really soon! Better luck next time everyone else, why don't you scroll down a little bit and see if any of the current competitions take your fancy...?

Normal service will resume soon but not until I've got some sleep. See you all in the morning! :o)

Giveaway! 'Elric in the Dream Realms' (Michael Moorcock)

If you scroll down the page a little bit you'll see that I had a lot of time for this latest collection of Elric's adventures. I wanted to share the love a little bit and the good people at Del Rey were of a similar mind. As a result I have one copy of 'Elric in the Dream Realms' to give away to one lucky reader (only if they're living in the US or Canada though, sorry everyone else...)

All you need to do to enter is drop me an email (address at the top right hand side of the screen) telling me who you are and what your mailing address is. As there are other competitions taking place right now, you also need to make it really clear that this is the competition that you're entering. I'll do everything else... ;o)

I'll let this one run until the 15th of November and will announce the winners on the 16th.

Good Luck!

Giveaway! 'Gardens of the Moon' - Steven Erikson (10th Anniversary Edition)

Has it really been ten years since 'Gardens of the Moon' was released? Apparently so, I feel old now...

No matter though, for those yet to start the series (or those who are looking to replace a well loved paperback) I've got the perfect competition! Thanks to Transworld Books, I have five copies of the 10th Anniversary Hardback Edition of 'Gardens of the Moon' (complete with a special foreword from Steven Erikson although this may be the same as the recent paperback edition, I'm not sure...) to give away to five lucky winners. And the great thing, anyone can enter this competition (it doesn't matter where you live!)

To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is drop me an email (address at the top right hand side of the screen) telling me who you are and what your mailing address is. There are a few competitions going on right now so remember to make it clear that this is the competition you are entering.

I'll let this one run until the 15th of Novemeber and will announce the winners on the 16th.

Good Luck!

Giveaway! 'The Gathering Storm' (Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson)

Here's a book that a lot of people have been eagerly waiting for. If you haven't got yourself a copy already then here's a chance to pick one up for the princely sum of... nothing! :o) That's right, thanks to Orbit I have three copies of 'The Gathering Storm' to give away to three readers of the blog. Here's the thing though, this competition is only open to UK readers, I've been reliably informed that 'The Gathering Storm' is a huge book capable of grounding flights etc due to it's excessive weight... Let's leave it to a postman to carry then :o)

Enough rambling though! If you're still with me then you'll know that entering this competition is as easy as, well... entering all the other competitions here. Simply drop me an email telling me who you are and what your mailing address is. I'll do everything else.

I'll let this one run until the 15th of November and will announce the winners on the 16th.

Good Luck!

‘Iron Man: Femmes Fatales’ – Robert Greenberger (Del Rey)

Well, the plan was to finish reading ‘Finch’ last night and post a review this morning; that didn’t happen! Not only didn’t I have much time for reading last night but ‘Finch’ is fast becoming one of those books that I really want to take my time over and not rush. It’s good, look out for a review hopefully sometime next week.
In the meantime, I finished reading Robert Greenberger’s ‘Iron Man’ novel a couple of days ago so figured that now was a good time for it to step up to the plate and get its review...

Before I really started collecting comics in earnest, while I was at college, my two favourite books were Roger Stern’s ‘The Death and Life of Superman’ and Dennis O’Neil’s ‘Batman: Knightfall’. These novelizations of two major DC events were a great way for me to get straight into the thick of things without my having to spend loads of money on either the trades or individual comics (and they were great stories as well!) These days are more about collecting comics for me but I’ve still got a soft spot for the tie-in novels so when ‘Femmes Fatales’ came through the door I know I’d be giving it a go. I’ve been meaning to give ‘Iron Man’ a go since watching the film but had no real idea where to start; not only did this book give me a starting point but it wasn’t a bad read either...

Millionaire industrialist Tony Stark is taking his company in a new direction, away from the lucrative arms trade that made its name. Stark is also trying to keep the secrets of his ‘Iron Man’ suit out of the hands of anti-terror organisation S.H.I.E.L.D but still feels that he must help S.H.I.E.L.D in their fight against the terrorist group known as HYDRA. New York is in imminent danger of an attack from HYDRA cells, intent on using Stark Enterprises munitions to further their aims, and only Tony Stark (as Iron Man) and S.H.I.E.L.D have any chance of stopping them. A critical weakness in Stark’s personality has been found though and two beautiful women are out to exploit it for all it’s worth. Can Stark or the city survive the results?

Having never read any ‘Iron Man’ before, I was interested to see how easy it would be to just jump straight in without any previous knowledge of the character. It turned out that I had more background information floating around in my head than I thought; I’ve read a few Marvel comics in my time (and browsed Wikipedia) and it all seemed to complement what I was reading. As far as the story itself goes, things are fairly well self-contained (with the book giving you just as much background information as is needed to appreciate the plot) and I’d say that if you’ve only seen the ‘Iron Man’ movie then that’s all you need to enjoy this book.

The plot itself isn’t massively demanding but it’s fast moving and a great way to while away a few hours with plenty of explosions, double crosses, chases and high powered confrontations. I say ‘high powered’ because none of the characters are super powered and it was nice to see a side of the Marvel Universe that wasn’t focused on well nigh invulnerable super heroes or mutants. What you get instead is the murkier world of espionage and counter espionage where nothing is quite as it seems... Having said that, things are signposted a little too clearly for the reader to be caught out by any twists and turns. Where the fun lies is in watching Tony Stark (and others) try and work their way round, or through, these problems as they arise.

Stark may be Iron Man but, at the same time, he’s all too human whether he’s in or out of the suit and this lends us a fresh perspective into his character. Whether he’s on a mission or just battling it out in the boardroom, Stark is a man who’s having to get used to major changes in his life and the resulting moments of indecision add interesting new directions to the storyline as well as his character. It’s also good to be right there at the start of the development of S.H.I.E.L.D as an organisation and see the circumstances that lead to its creation. Things like this tend to get lost in the immense backlog of Marvel continuity as far as I go (I know it’s there but not why...) so it was good to get a feel for this aspect of the background history.

‘Femmes Fatales’ isn’t high literature but not only did it entertain the hell out of me but it’s also got me thinking about searching out more ‘Iron Man’ stuff to get into. If that was its job then it’s a job well done! Fans of ‘Iron Man’ should love ‘Femmes Fatales’ and it’s also a good entry point for newcomers to check things out.

Eight and a Half out of Ten