THE MASTER OF BALLENTRAE. by Robert Louis Stevenson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a very unusual book - both to read as well as to understand!
I cannot say that I enjoyed reading The Master of Ballantrae as much, say, as either Kidnapped or Treasure Island, because most of the time I felt as if I was waiting for something to happen. And when it did the narrative used was so archaic that it was difficult to understand the whys and wherefores of the situation. The plot is melodramatic and there is some romance, but you have to work hard to get to the point of it. The setting of the novel switches from Scotland to America as well as to piratical seas of Europe, but at times you feel that this happened and you failed to notice. The prose is narrated by the Laird’s steward, Mackellar, who manages to keep the reader informed about the brotherly rivalry, that is, Henry and James. But I had to reread much of his prose to gain some perspective of events.
And what a strange ending! The Master, James, has suddenly found himself a loyal Indian servant who teaches him to… I think you should read that bit to avoid a spoiler… and feign? Death! Hard to recommend this classic novel by one of my favourite authors.


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The Surgeon's Mate by Patrick O'Brian
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Having read more than one novel in this series I found the title of, ‘The Surgeon’s Mate’ a little bit confusing since from the very first book Stephen Maturin has been the ship’s surgeon for Captain Jack Aubrey all along. And it does not become clearer after several chapters who this ‘mate’ might be. There is romance once more and that is when Diana Villiers appears of course, much to the delight and consternation of poor Stephen. We are treated to hear that Jack’s wife, Sophie, and family still matter so much to him, despite the fact that he appears to be most happy when he is aboard a ship and battling either with the sea or with an enemy nation.
I was glad to read that finally, Stephen and Diana get married, and on board a ship. It looks as though Diana loves Stephen despite the spell in a French prison cell! With hardly time to catch their breath, the pair of friends are then off to the Baltic for another exciting adventure. I found this book a little bit slower than the others with too many long confusing incidents.


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The Wielder Conflict: Book 3 of the Wielder Series by Franca Ogbonnaya
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found this book so confusing and difficult to get into because the prologue was far too short and did not contain enough detail to explain what was to follow. As the third book in the Wielder series it was definitely not a stand-alone novel of course, and the action was far too fast for this older reader for about four chapters. I kept thinking: What is a ‘wielder’ and who are all these strangely named characters? Part way through chapter 5 I began to follow the usual plot of ‘good versus evil.’ It is definitely a story that is aimed at very young adults, even early teens.

It is fast-paced, full of action and exciting, with suitably balanced scenes between concerned friends and comrades during calmer moments. The ‘bad’ characters were suitably ruthless and cruel, while the ‘good’ were understanding and kindly. A section in the story that I particularly found amusing was the twist when the wielding (magical?) powers return to Danai. This seems to be a kind of legacy from her recent ancestors and she becomes Not-Danai for a while. She causes the horrible mad-queen, Kallesa. to retreat in fear, followed by Lieutenant Gray and his men.

I enjoyed the fantasy idea that the author has created about sorcery and wizardry being things that can be taken from their owner, and used as weapons in open battle or surreptitiously against ones enemies. It reminded me of the books by Frank H Herbert, Mervyn Peake and J R R Tolkien; fantasy writing favourites of mine. Overall the narrative is well written and much of the dialogue seems, hopefully, believable to contemporary youth like my grandchildren. However, there were several annoying editing errors in both the narrative and the dialogue, with too much unnecessary repetition that spoiled it for me.



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Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet by Kate Marvel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I heard Kate Marvel talking on BBC radio recently, about her book and what she felt about climate change, and how globally, the general ‘powers-that-be’ seem to be ignoring the urgency required to do something about it. She did not sound gushy and overly high-minded but extremely well qualified as a climate scientist to speak with authority and feeling on the subject. Having now bought the book I am so pleased to say it was well worth it and anyone with a brain and similar concerns should also ‘get it’ - in both meanings of the phrase!
Her approach, from an emotional aspect, is somewhat unique in a way, notwithstanding other writers like Rachel Carson, David Attenborough et al., in that she was a cosmologist by profession, later turning to modelling the Earth’s climate under many different conditions. ‘Human Nature’ brings to its readers clearly and scientifically the problems behind the climate crisis. However, Marvel uses each of its nine chapters to illustrate the personal feelings, such as wonder, anger or guilt etc., that one may be subject to due to these problems. Certainly she bravely attests to all nine in her own case, understandingly and perhaps particularly as a mother of children herself. The narrative is wonderful, often personal, amusing and more often bitingly sharp. Here are a couple of quotes from the book to illustrate it:

Early on in it: "Climate is the long-term average of weather: the background conditions in which it happens...Weather is what humans experience over our short lives. Climate is a matter for the gods."

A little later: "The most frightening thing about climate change is what it will make us do to each other."

And towards the end of the book: "There is no such thing as 'human nature'. Anyone who says so knows very little about humans, and nothing at all about nature. We all contain, if not multitudes, at least a few squabbling contradictions."

Marvel argues convincingly that studies reveal that over millions of millennia the temperature of our planet has often risen and fallen; risen and fallen... But since humans arrived and changed things it has continued to rise and rise… and rise… The Earth was never meant to warm and warm, as it has now been shown to do for so many years.

This book is her chart for action that must be taken if we are to leave it a more suitable planet for its future residents, and is highly recommended by this reader.



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The Holey Land by Laura Koerber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found this story to be both very interesting but at the same time quite perplexing. It weaves supernatural animal characters, like Nate and Al, with the very human Molly and Horst. Perhaps because I am British and unaware of the culture and superstitions of the various Native American tribes, it took me quite a while to accept what was actually going on. Incidents and personalities, past and present, seem to mix and interact. Once I got used to that I began to allow my curiosity to wonder what was happening with the main protagonist’s life. This was Molly, of course, and so I started to attempt to understand her mid-life crisis.

She was seemingly ready for changes and new experiences and realises how tired of her suburban life she has become. The setting for this new experience is a small old mining town in the southwest of Mexico. The three magical animal characters are full of resentment about what happened there due to prospecting and mining in the distant past. The author’s skill at description of both landscape and people’s emotions and inner doubts is to be admired once more. There is subtle humour and incisive introspection almost on every page – so clever! That is what really kept my attention throughout the book, even though I was still totally bemused at the end. But a remaining question: why add a letter 'E' in the title but not anywhere else in the text? Even so - This was a recommended read from Laura Koerber once more.



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The Fortune of War by Patrick O'Brian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Jack Aubrey is in charge of a fast frigate and on his way to the Dutch East Indies he becomes becalmed in the doldrums and has to defend his ship from the American fleet. The USA has declared war on Great Britain and he is suddenly involved. As well as this vital part of the story Maturin’s spying skills come to the fore once again, while trying to manage an injured Jack Aubrey. The characters are well drawn again, in particular the comparisons with American and British officers attitudes, while conversations amongst the crew are quite realistic. It was almost to be expected from this author of course. The whole book is set in 1812 when everyone has to contend with the chaos that came with the war with Napoleon Bonaparte; exciting and dangerously perplexing. Highly recommended once more.

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His Name is Junsaku by Tenkara Smart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an intriguing book about feudal Japan in the time of the samurai and the power of the Shogun rulers. It was very reminiscent for me of James Clavell’s book and the subsequent excellent TV series starring Richard Chamberlain. I also enjoyed seeing so many references to the terms used in martial arts having pursued and played Judo for many years in my youth. Junsaku is the main character and he comes across from his youth as a very determined but arrogant man, who will fulfil his destiny to become a leader in the Shogunate system.
The many uses of Japanese words and mannerisms add much to the authenticity of the story and captivate the interest of a reader throughout the book. However, I found much of the narrative too slow and often annoyingly repetitive. There was something, which looked like an editing error, within the first few chapters where a whole paragraph was repeated. If it was deliberate then it was not needed and that, together with the verbosity I mentioned above, meant that the book could probably be fifty to a hundred pages shorter.
Many of the other characters are well drawn, particularly including Cecelia and their daughter, Fukano, and the emotional side of things is well contrasted with Junsaku’s obsession with honour, duty and the bushido tradition. This gave a lot to cause this reader’s curiosity to deepen about how the story would end. And what a great but surprising ending there is to this almost epic novel; it more than made up for the earlier rather ponderous chapters. Overall, I would recommend ‘His Name is Junsaku’ to those young adult readers who like engaging historical fiction that includes plenty of action.


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Elias by Chelsea O'Hara
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I found this book to be a most compelling but upsetting read. The author has produced a story that allows the reader to be inside another person’s head with every turn of the page. But it isn’t just about what they are thinking; oh no! It’s also about their every emotion. Fear, confusion, and a profound loss of self are all central to Ada’s experience, while she is imprisoned in a cage beneath a house that seems to breathe and know through silence exactly what is happening all around her.

Much as I felt a compulsion to keep reading, I hated the book! Not because it was a poorly written narrative etc. but because I could hardly bear to think about what the victims had to daily endure through the wiles of such a pitiful monster. It was so unsettling to read on, and it leaves one with the thoughts about the novel’s plotline for days afterwards. One of the best and worse stories I have come across in fifty years of being an avid fan of all kinds of fiction. Chelsea O’Hara, the author, has a background of criminal psychology. Is that an explanation? I hate to think so somehow.

I felt grateful but fearful for the final chapter – and even a little tearful while reading it. Quote: “The quiet still hurts, but the good kind of noise hurts less. Real noises, real footsteps, real life. I breathe it in…”
Elias is not so much a good read but more, as I found it, a chilling experience!



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The Memory of Lost Dreams by Joseph Minart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While I can congratulate the author for tackling such an imaginative, dystopian science fiction novel, I cannot say I really enjoyed it. There were obvious links to Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World, but the narrative style and pace of this story left a lot to be desired, when compared to those classics. In addition, I discovered later that there are two authors who are credited with writing the book: Davon Custis as well as Joseph Minart, which was confusing. Raylan Hawkes, the main character, was ineffectual but convincing throughout the story and at times seemed to be an unlikely hero. However, he was suitably curious and confused enough to drag the plot forward when it was becoming dragging and ponderous.

The world-building aspect of the tale was good if a little disjointed occasionally. Once I became aware of the evil potential and the concept of Jean-Pierre’s quantum-powered REQUIEM device I wanted to know much more. I rapidly turned pages and that was the main problem with the narrative. It was too full of verbosity, clichés and loquaciousness; contemporary clichés such as ‘I had to think outside the box’ did not fit well for events some 700 years into the future!

On top of all that there was not enough technical detail about how it might work, especially for fans of Sci-fi like me. The inventor of REQUIEM, Matthieu Fletcher and other characters like Anthony, Rachel, and Aurelen needed a lot more ‘fleshing out’ rather than the constant repetition of irrelevant information about clothing etc. Although towards the end of the book some surprising scenes between Rachel and Raylan lifted the story for me – but no spoiler here!

The dystopian world that Raylan encounters is definitely dark and threatening as expected with an evil protagonist, like Jean-Pierre, and a world subjugated by the tyrannical ‘Chief Lord’. All through the book there were strange choices of adverbs and adjectives which stopped me reading and made me feel a re-edit was needed. The poor writing and style badly let this book down for me.



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The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This well known Dickens' book was much longer than I expected and for quite a while I felt like giving up on it. It was so tedious and predictable. But then, when I looked forward to Quilp getting his come-uppance and seeing the back of the crooked lawyers there was a reason to read on! And a new heroine in the form of the 'small servant' took my attention; she had replaced Joe Gargery, from Great expectations in my list of favourite Dickens characters. There was a race to the end and the famous tragic denouement. Loved it in the end.

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