Dinosorcerers by Nathan Milner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Dinosaurs and magic! What a great combination for a story aimed at 9 to 10 year old children. This story has an intriguing start when Charlie is tempted to follow some signs in a museum that read “Dinosaurs Alive” and lead him into his adventure. There are many twists and turns and exciting events all of the way through this tale of dinosaur wizardry, with good and evil constantly battling. Charlie’s feelings and his love of all things prehistoric are well expressed by the author. Although it is a first chapter type of book for youngsters I thought that the inclusion of some simple illustrations, particularly of named dinosaurs in the story, would have greatly increased its appeal. My own grandchildren would love this book but would find some of the US English strange, for example “dove” occurs often and in the UK it is a “pigeon”. I think they would also wonder how come the talking dinosaurs from 65 million years ago knew that their names were the same as that used by modern palaeontologists. But I suppose where magic and sorcery are included then almost anything is possible! My main criticism would be the ending, which I found confusing and too briefly wound up.

View all my reviews

The Eclipse Dancer by Laura Koerber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review: Eclipse Dancer by Laura Koerber
This novel by Laura Koerber is an amazing mixture of fantasy and contemporary, somewhat harsh, reality. The thought of reading such a book is not at all my usual choice of literature, but, having read one of her books before and enjoyed it, I looked forward to starting Eclipse Dancer. Ms Koerber has a magic all of her own when it comes to writing moments of fascinating, surreal intrigue combined with the touching complications that often revolve around family relationships.

Andy is a mature woman who is caring for her dying mother but has perpetual flashbacks to events that took place and dramatically changed her own life, together with strong influences upon her outlook and her attitude towards her mother. The discovery that Andy is a “mix”, a person who is half-human and half-fairy, is gradually revealed in such a powerful and beautiful way that even a doubting old cynic like me could accept it. There were some expressions in the book that demonstrated Koerber’s wonderful literary skill, which is one of the main reasons I enjoy her writing. For example this will stick in my mind for a long while: “She’d treated her childhood like a bad bruise. She didn’t touch what already hurt.”

The ending of the book brought tears to my eyes but, somehow, still was not dripping in obvious sentiment. The characters and their conversations were well drawn and believable. There was enough pace to keep me reading, even on those hot and sweaty days that Andy found so uncomfortable. I would recommend Eclipse Dancer to those readers who enjoy books about the dark and unspoken secrets that sometimes lie beneath the surface of a family’s history. Fantasy with an emotional touch of realism.


View all my reviews

The Peterloo Massacre by Robert Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was reading Robert Reid’s book at the time I saw Mike Leigh’s excellent film of the same name; it was attended by the director who was available for a questions and answers session afterwards. The two melded well in my thoughts then and in my memory much later. What comes across so clearly is the undoubted inequality and lack of rights or privileges allowed for the lower classes at that time. All the cards were in the hands of the landed gentry and their toadies and lackeys, with some such as Deputy Constable Joseph Nadin, only too willing to administer their own particular brand of justice in a violent and ruthless fashion. On the day magistrates and many of the military officers were so convinced that any kind of gatherings, or calls for reform of government, were the start of a threatened revolution, of the kind that had occurred in France or in America that they panicked into the use of military force.

Robert Reid describes in great detail the events that led up to 16th August 1819, with a named cast list of the main characters, and the various influences that affected their actions and poor decisions. The resulting, senseless, carnage and terrible injuries to innocent men, women and children caused by poorly trained officers of ill-disciplined yeomanry and hussars was never officially recognised. Many of those responsible were applauded and promoted later, with deliberately “blind eyes” being cast about, even as high as the Home Secretary, the Prime Minister and the Prince Regent. Lord Sidmouth, Home Secretary, proposed The Six Acts to the House of Commons, using the unrest at Peterloo as an excuse. It said that “every meeting for radical reform is an overt act of treasonable conspiracy against the King and his government”. This indicates that the government was out-of-date with the kind of mentality prominent in the previous century.

The Peterloo Massacre is one of the major disgraces of the British government during the 19th century in my opinion. Although I think that Reid’s book is excellent, in the research and details so obviously used, I found that I had to disagree with some of his own observations about the incident and some of the characters. When he describes Nadin as “fearless” I consider the corrupt policeman to be sadistic in the extreme. And I think that the author does little to condemn people like John Lloyd and the outrageous dereliction of duty shown by General Byng, who absented himself that day to go to the races, when he had been appointed as being in overall charge of the military forces at St Peter’s Field. Finally the author seems to be of the general opinion that the horrendous day known as The Peterloo Massacre did virtually nothing to further the cause of working people’s rights. Fortunately, the horrors were well documented by the press, including some of the most prestigious papers in Manchester and London and there is no doubt that some of the more enlightened upper class radicals and future working class Chartists would see it as a rallying point at a more opportune time


View all my reviews

Mr Wroe's virgins by Jane Rogers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a very interesting read about Preacher Wroe and how he may have caused his own downfall when living in Ashton-under-Lyne, in the early 19th century. I found parts of the book quite difficult to access and understand due to the unconventional way the chapters had been arranged. This spoiled my overall enjoyment of the story. I would have liked to read about more details concerning his faith and proclamations since he was highly acclaimed for a time after his "visions". We are given seven fictitious characters who are meant to represent the "virgins", though some are not. Each has quite an interesting background and personality, with four of them remaining the focus of the tale. The character of John Wroe, however, remains an enigma in this book when in fact far more has been left to history. It did form the basis of a TV play so perhaps that is the reason behind the extra dramatic attention given to the particular four women?

View all my reviews

Inferno by Dan Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was not sure at all, when I started to read Inferno, whether it would hold my attention with its pace and intrigue like the other Dan Brown novels I’d enjoyed so much in the past. However, the unusual beginning gripped me immediately and I wanted to know, just what strange situation had hero, Robert Langdon, landed himself in. He wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia. Very soon he and Sienna, a doctor, are involved in a chase from some mysterious agents and so the plot unfolds, with the heart of the story revolving around Dante’s 14th century poem, The Divine Comedy, and the more contemporary problems about population control of human beings on Earth.

The book contains lots of facts about places I’ve never visited, such as Florence and Vienna, which some describe, critically, as ‘information dumping’. Although I probably won’t ever travel there I found the details very educational and was grateful to Dan Brown for providing these snippets of cultural lessons. While it did slow down the pace every so often the fascinating facts and figures, about the art, churches and history etc, came as a bit of relief from the inevitable twists and turns that one has come to expect in a Dan Brown novel. The essence of the tale, for me, had to be about an attempt to cure the Earth of its ‘humankind plague’ before it was too late and pestilence and famine took over. There were some ideas taken from current scientific and medical advances (arguably?), like genetic manipulation and modification that held a modicum of credibility. In many countries the jury may be still out on the subject of genetic engineering and that is not argued in detail here, but does leave the reader considering some of the pros and cons. This was a compelling and intriguing read and one that I will come back to again.


View all my reviews

Wales History of a Nation by David Ross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having visited Wales many times, in particular North Wales and Anglesey, I found this book very interesting. Without going into great depth David Ross relates enough detail about the early history of Celts, Druids etc, and the various rulers and warring factions, to keep the attention of the reader who is not necessarily a student of history but who desires to understand how modern Wales 'came about'. The sections about establishing the Welsh language as a school subject, and also as a legal right, are fascinating. There were a couple of observations by the author about the mass migration of the Scots and Irish to America, in previous centuries, compared to the Welsh populace who were not compelled or inclined to do so. Whether it is true that those who left British shores, for a 'better life', took a generation of people with drive and determination to succeed is debatable, but an intriguing thought. Towards the end of the book the subjects of devolution and the emergence of Plaid Cymru are discussed and this helped me gain a much deeper appreciation of the feelings, the rights, and the wrongs of those matters that are important to a distinct nation of special people.

View all my reviews

Killer's Forest by Ellington Norris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While there was a lot to commend in this psychological thriller, set in the 18th century, there were also several points that prevented me from rating it very highly. I liked the basic premise behind the main character, Al, becoming obsessed by death and dying after he had watched a public hanging, having been encouraged by his father who was a prominent citizen of a colonial town in Pennsylvania. The way that Al’s character continues to become more and more warped is quite well done and intriguing to the reader. However, I found much of the writing simplistic and quite pedantic, lacking flair and description for both the settings and the other main characters: Will, Johnny and Mary-Sue. There was not enough to make me feel that I was in the supposed, historical, place and time the action was meant to be taking place. For me, there was too much “telling” and not enough “showing” of places, people and events.

Too much of the plot had me asking “how?” and did not make sense: for example how do you “lure” two large and fierce predators to a chosen place in the forest? It lacked necessary detail to make it believable. At the same time as much of the narrative was too mechanical and lacking emotion, like a shopping list, there were quite a few confusing uses of descriptive words that did not make logical sense: e.g. “transitioned” (electron transfer between atomic shells!) where changed or moved would have done? The manuscript could also bear some attention from an editor because there were several typos; some confusion of past and present tense, within the same paragraph or page. There was even on one page, a reference to the same horse as a “call” (calm?) mare at the top of the page, but which had become a stallion, by the time you read to the bottom of the page!

Notwithstanding my previous criticisms there is an exciting, intriguing and suitably disturbing psychological thriller within these pages, but it just requires some close editorial attention before publication.


View all my reviews

Let Me Be Frank by Frank Bruno
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I began reading this book I had no idea what to expect since I could recall mostly being disappointed at the negative publicity Frank Bruno received during the days when he fell from grace, and admittedly, feeling very little sympathy for this ‘National Treasure’ who seemed to have the world at his feet but apparently blew it. However, after reading just a few pages of his honest revelations and quite upsetting treatment, both during his bipolar bouts and when being sectioned, I very quickly had to agree with his deliberately ambiguous book title! What a great line – “Let Me Be Frank”. There are many points in the book when you can see which way things are going to go for Frank if he continues to take the attitude and course of action that he intended. I had to exclaim, “No!” a couple of times and had so much sympathy for his family and close friends who seemed to Frank to be ganging up against him. But his openness, when explaining where he was coming from at the time, was just so understandable, and it made me angry with the various authorities who lacked empathy and the correct procedures needed when dealing with individuals suffering from mental illness.

The strength of character, kindness, affection and genuine respect that Frank Bruno feels for all others on this planet are inspirational. He goes out of his way not to name people with whom he has a justifiable grievance, but instead consults many others, knowledgeable in the field of such illness, in order to support and create organisations that can help fellow sufferers. You feel as though you have accompanied this remarkable man from beginning to end on his remarkable journey. Surely, there can be no better person to front the current, necessary, changes in the treatment of mental health. This is a highly recommended, inspirational, read.


View all my reviews

Silentis by M. Susanne Wiggins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I started reading this book I had all of the wrong ideas about it. From rapid-reading the blurb I thought that it was a YA thriller about a suicidal student on a high school romp with his classmates in a spooky Victorian graveyard. I assumed that it would probably all turn out well in the end. There were elements of the tale that I dislike in a book and that often make me hate what I am reading from beginning to end, but being a stubborn and determined ‘avid old(er) reader’ then I will usually persist reading most books until the denouement – particularly thrillers. The contemporary story is related in the first person (dislike) by Payton Raynor and it is a gothic style (dislike) tale with many supernatural (dislike) occurrences that are essential to the telling.

However, when an intriguing novel is told with such skill and talent, as well demonstrated by new author M. Susanne Wiggins, then I am hooked! The characters and conversations are completely believable and so accurately written, that this very spooky and disturbing story is one that will stay in the mind long afterwards. It has plenty of surprising, even shocking, twists and turns; as well as the half-expected, occasional, touches of teenage randiness between Payton and Ava. This burgeoning relationship serves to cast doubts in his mind about carrying out his plans, revenge-killing plans that, unfortunately, we all too often hear about in today’s media. Silentis is a compelling but disturbing novel, with a totally unexpected ending that will challenge a reader’s logic and emotions.


View all my reviews