Goddess of Grass by Ed Morawski
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Unfortunately, this book is described as a historical novel when, for me, it did not come across as a novel at all, and of any genre. The narrative reads mainly as a factual book with plenty of descriptions informing the reader of many fascinating facts about Cortes and the conquering of the Aztecs, but not in the context of a story with characters that exchange conversations, which pull the plot along in an engaging and intriguing fashion. There are admittedly a few pieces of imagined dialogue but in between them the large amount of information is presented like a list of facts and figures, such as may be found in a more academic history book. While there are occasional descriptions of the characters, like Cortes, Montezuma and Malinalli, the Goddess of Grass, I found they were not written in the context of a fascinating tale of adventure, plot and betrayal as I had expected to find. As I have said previously, it was too cold and dryly academic, and constantly felt theoretical.
After the final chapter of the ‘story’ a lot of time was spent on explanations of the origins of the Goddess’s name, and more detail about the Aztecs, together with a time line; all illustrating, even further, just how much the author may have spent on research. But whether it was necessary to include as much information within the body of the ‘novel’ was questionable.


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Faithless Heart by Randall Moore
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

As a fan of thrillers I began reading Faithless Heart with my usual hopes of an intriguing and engaging ‘who done it’ novel; a ‘good read’ possibly in the style of Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe novels. This novel had been presented to me as a historical novel set mainly in the 1950s but, for me, there was such a lack of verisimilitude I could not easily accept it as such. The blurb gave a similar impression, notwithstanding its alerts about the sexual nature of the story, hovering around the rumours of the Hollywood casting couch. Well, it was not at all similar to the thriller novels I’ve enjoyed; such as those of Ian Rankin, Dan Brown or John Grisham, and of which I am a fan, since there was a serious lack of subtlety, mystery and anticipation or even the odd twists in the tale. It is obviously a book much more of the graphic (very!) and hard-boiled genre of fiction, and I found it quite difficult to like from beginning to end. I counted 82 mentions of the f*** word as well as almost countless times the plot moved into a sexual scene. The main character, Mark McMichaels, a detective, was not someone I found myself rooting for to the end. He was obsessed with women’s bodies, and the endless descriptions of his thoughts about almost every woman he met, became rather tedious after a while. The plot moved from one violent or sexual scene to the next with such regularity, that I found myself thinking, ‘Another page, another act of…’ etc. so often it became boring. No doubt this would be quite titillating for many a teenage boy reader. But I could not wait until I reached the end of the book, which lamely raced ahead about thirty years and felt rushed. The frequent changes of the story’s point of view, which suddenly arises about two thirds in, were confusingly unexpected, and felt like unnecessary padding out about the historical context of the tale. There were a few punctuation and typo issues that invited some editing attention.

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DUALITY by Ica Iova
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Duality is a very revealing novel about the cultural differences between Romania under President Ceausescu and Canada during the 1980s. The major part of the novel is about the pressures experienced by an immigrant family in their attempts to adapt to their new life after escaping through Yugoslavia in order to move to Canada. The story is told through the difficulties encountered by the families of Diana and Paul, and Lili and Alex. They must cope with learning a new language, their children’s schooling, finding decent jobs and somewhere to live that suits their aspirations and previous life in Romania. Meanwhile there are prejudice, jealousy and social influences that affect their children. The writing was very good with many bouts of introspection from Diana and Lili that allowed the reader to share some of the heart break and emotions suffered by them. The dialogue was realistic and I could sympathise with each of the main characters. Their trials and tribulations over several years are covered very well; but my only criticism was about last couple of chapters when there is an overlong harangue about the US government, and when there seemed to be some explanation missing during Diana’s violent encounter with Liana.



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Dr. Thorne by Anthony Trollope
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This classic novel from Anthony Trollope read like a Romantic Historic fiction with shades of a coming of age tale for me. The sub plots were many and just as entertaining as the main story of how Mary Thorne, Dr Thorne’s ward and niece, and Frank Gresham get together. The elements against their relationship are typical of the times, when aristocrats and the landed gentry could never consider marrying someone that was not of the same class and social position. Despite Mary’s childhood friendships with Frank’s family and sisters, when she shared their nursery and much of their education, Lady Gresham is totally set against any thought of such a romance. Meanwhile, Dr Thorne, a medic, has various legal battles and problems to contend with that involve his good friends the squire and Sir Roger Scatcherd. The squire happens to be Frank’s father who considers Mary to be a wonderful girl, and almost as close as one of his daughters, but her low birth and pressure from Lady Gresham about the impossibility of this romantic attachment, add to his troubles. Trollope also includes the dangers of the demon drink and the dubious behaviour that occurs around the electoral system of the times. The author acts as the narrator for most of the novel and does not hold back with his opinions about such things.
Intriguing, amusing and very revealing throughout the whole book, I really enjoyed book 3 in the series known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire. Highly recommended.


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The Pacifists by Kevin Carlin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kevin Carlin’s humorous and very fast moving sci-fi novel is pretty impressive as a first book. It includes quite a range of different characters and the author is adept at conveying each of their very different personalities, even the various aliens. The plot involved saving the galaxy of course, but a group of fighter astro-pilots with a peaceful mis-fit, Monk, amongst them look like having a serious problem. When he fakes his own death and teams up with Freeda, an ace from the enemy the story really starts to develop. They eventually join up with another group, including Monk’s brothers, and form the group from which the book gets its title. To achieve their aim of ending the war they need to utilise a range of fascinating technology, the ideas of which I found both amusing and curious in their originality. Carlin is to be commended for that, particularly in my case as I was starting to find the endless descriptions of the space ‘dog-fights’ just a bit too tedious and boring; ‘Star Wars’ here we come again. Much of the futuristic ‘science’ was a little too far-fetched for me without sufficient explanation, but it is fiction after all! It was an enjoyable read for fans of comical space opera.

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Trouble at Clenchers Mill by Diana J. Febry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kate and Simon are two amateur detectives who have each experienced a tragedy in their lives. This is their first case and was taken on when they were at a loose end, and they stumble along at first, disagreements ensue because of their different personalities. I have read a couple of Diana Febry’s horse-based mysteries in the past and this was no less enjoyable as a cozy murder mystery set in the English countryside. The pair of detectives are still forming a close relationship and the reader quickly concludes that they are ‘just friends’. There are conflicts involved that arise out of current real issues, such as the hunting ban and potential friction between ‘townies’ and the rural community, and we are unsure for much of the book whether the crime arises from these, or whether it is more personal. The miscreant is revealed well before the end but the suspense is racked up well before the conclusion, during his attempts to complete the dastardly plan he has in mind. A certain amount of introspection helps to reveal a lot more about the murderer, as well as our detectives, than we initially think we know, and the end did leave me wondering about possible romantic developments in the future. Some editing attention is needed as I found a few punctuation and indenting issues, which were distracting.

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Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second of Trollope's Barchester series of novels and it was a most enjoyable read. The opening chapter asking the question, “Who will be the new Bishop?” is a great start and had my immediate interest since it had been a long time ago when I read “The Warden,” the first book. The easily intimidated Dr Proudie turns out to be the Bishop’s successor, and so the scene is set for this amusing and often comedic novel. What follows is a parade of excellently drawn characters, not all are either heroes or villains, but the lesser characters are each intriguing and essential to the overall story. The overbearing Mrs Proudie and the disingenuous Mr Slope attracted my anger and dislike, while the contrariness of Eleanor Bold, and the diffidence of her father, Mr Harding, caused a few sighs along the way. Trollope does not spend too much time describing the minutiae of the church’s ecclesiastical matters. It is the jostling and squabbling between the clerical hierarchy over who will manage and direct such affairs that commands the centre stage of the tale. The sub-plot about who will succeed to win the hand of the widow, Eleanor, runs alongside this and is equally engaging.

The ‘Signora Neroni’, aka Madeline Stanhope, was easily the most intriguing and delightful character in the book, with her effortless winding around her little finger of any male within hearing or sight. Her beauty and smooth charm, as she lies upon her sofa requesting attention, initially indicate an evil influence, but we are surprised when ‘La Signora’ becomes a heroine later in the book. One of her victims is Mr Arabin, an uninspiring and painfully modest vicar, who has to be urged to declare himself a serious suitor to widow Bold. I found the endless string of archbishops, bishops, deans, masters and vicars very confusing at times, causing me to question the necessity for such a complex hierarchy within the Anglican Church. Trollope’s satirical mirror of the religious establishment during the Victorian era is full of humour together with an occasional side-swipe of cruelty. Although I am a fan of Dickens, Trollope’s novels are just as graphical in their revelations about human nature, but they are less wordy. I am eager to read Dr Thorne, his next novel in the series.


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Islands of the Gulf, Volume Two: The Treasure by Audrey Driscoll
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I started reading ‘Islands of the Gulf: The Treasure’ I was quite confused for very many pages because I found it difficult to place this book in a recognisable genre. Was it a thriller? Maybe it was an autobiography of the ‘memoir noir’ category, or just one novel in an historical fiction series? The principal character, Herbert West, was certainly subjected to a lot of intimidation, humiliation and sadness during his boyhood. However, the strong characterisation and beautiful prose carried me along, and I discovered I no longer minded what genre this rather long novel was. By chapter 4 the intriguing tale had captured my imagination and I wanted to discover more about Herbert. Audrey Driscoll is a talented writer whose ability to describe people, places and situations deserves more recognition. When I found that she was a big fan of Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ and Mervyn Peake’s ‘Gormenghast’ trilogy then I was encouraged to read on even more.

It was the beautiful writing and the hints of science fiction, set in a period of time moving from the nineteenth to the early twentieth century that kept me reading on. I had checked out the blurb for the book by chapter 6, and discovered there was even more intrigue about Herbert, aka Francis Dexter, still to come; with further explanation of the elements of fantasy and horror I was finding confusing. I am not sure if Driscoll intended that shades of Mary Shelley’s story of Frankenstein would linger in the reader’s thoughts at different points in her story – but they persisted during my reading of it. Notwithstanding that issue, or my usual avoidance of ‘new’ fantasy tales, I enjoyed ‘Islands of the Gulf’ and can recommend it to fans of the genre, but I also think fans of mystery and horror will like this book. My main reservations about the book are: there was not enough science to back up the parts about the revivification experiments and, by contrast, there was too much personal introspection at times that slowed down the story for me.


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Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The story of Paul Dombey and his son, also named Paul, should perhaps have been entitled ‘Dombey and Daughter’ for that is what it was essentially, for me at least. From the early part of the story Mr Dombey’s arrogance, pride, and misplaced misogyny made me furious with him. No doubt this was due as much to Dickens’ clever writing as to the changes in the mores of modern society, when a greater amount of respect and due is paid towards women, race, and social class etc. Although, I admit there is still a long way to go in many countries and cultures around the world.

After a brief introduction to Mr Dombey and his son the reader then encounters a large panoply of characters over the following six or seven hundred pages, together with the events and incidents that relate to the ‘great man’ himself, Mr Dombey. Each character that is mentioned in detail has a particular story of their own, and at times the complications woven around them by Dickens can be quite difficult to follow. On a few occasions I found myself looking back to previous chapters in order to be sure that I understood the tale correctly from their point of view. A couple of characters’ names were similar and I was half way through the book before I was sure I knew them, but only slightly even so! One often finds comments, even complaints, in contemporary book reviews about too many characters, and objections to several points of view – or head-hopping as it is usually termed. This makes me smile and feel sorry for those readers who cannot cope with such interesting writing. Maybe they have never read a novel by one of the classical authors, giants of the past; maybe they lack patience or the time to engage with the writer and his characters? I think it is their sad loss.

Altogether, I counted in excess of fifteen different, named characters, of which about ten had a particular relevance to Mr Dombey and Florence, his poor, neglected daughter, and the outcome of the story. Many of them are colourful, amusing and interesting in some way. But surely, we think that this is typical of most of Charles Dickens’ novels? And it is something to be enjoyed and savoured, over whatever time is available for readers to become so properly immersed in the book. Throughout the book I felt great sorrow for the plight of Florence, and disgust and anger towards her father. When he appeared to be getting his come-uppance towards the end I was glad, and then there is a twist that I will not reveal of course. However, it certainly made me feel surprised, disappointed and even fuller of my admiration for Florence’s generosity of love and spirit.
This was a thoroughly good read; thought provoking, and enormously compelling.


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Sapience: A Collection of Science Fiction Short Stories by Alexis Lantgen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This collection of short sci-fi stories was a brilliant surprise for me. I was an enthusiastic fan of Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Azimov, John Wyndham, et al for many years when younger, and felt that their original and intriguing concepts were most unlikely to ever be equalled, never mind bettered. I have read many other sci-fi novels since then and enjoyed them but nothing has really grabbed my emotions and imagination. However, Alexis Lantgen’s book of 10 science fiction tales had me gripped from the first page of each and every one. Here are her imaginative ideas that quickly encapsulate the potential problems (maybe some are known, while others are still not considered by society) involved with AI, plague viruses, nanobots, totalitarianism, and species extinction.

There is a very personal perspective and point of view in each story, from each of the main protagonists that often caused me to re-think. By that I mean I re-considered what my own view was about society, technology, the world, and its many foibles, not an easy thing to do. Coming from a science based training and background there were times when I wanted to question the survival of some individual characters, when they were part of a colony of humans living on a different planet or a moon of Jupiter, like breathing Europa’s atmosphere for example. It was a just a little bit too convenient for me when the author seemed to skip those details, probably so as not to slow down the pace of the plotline. Nevertheless, Lantgen is to be congratulated for tackling societal issues, like prejudice in ‘Earth is for Earthers’, and cosmetic plastic surgery in ‘Remade’, within her amazing, if not sometimes dystopian, group of incisive tales. It is highly recommended to all readers, and not just those fans of the science fiction genre.


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