What to Buy to Read

Did I hear someone say  Jack Nightingale? Well from Hodder Stoughton comes Nightmare, a Jack Nightingale supernatural thriller by none other than Stephen Leather. I have to be the first to admit I am new to his body of work but I now feel I have been missing out on so, so much. For those not familiar with Stephen's work I can well recommend The Spider Shepherd Thriller series and even the two books to start this series Nightfall and Midnight. Now to review a thriller is mighty hard because you just don't want to give anything away, and I mean anything because half he joy of reading this man's work is trying to establish what is going on, who did what and how it was done and the race against time. Is it simply good enough for me to say Nightmare really is a nightmare? I think so. I read at night in bed and this made me wonder about those possums on the roof, the wind rattling the pane, what really was out there in the night and did I truly want to know? Jack knows what makes those sounds and if you are game he will show them to you, and this is troubling, seriously so. They say 666 is the number of the beast, perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't, maybe it just comes down to the nature of the beast and what it wants; in Nightmare it is up to you to decide. Now Jack might have been a cop, he has cop smarts but he is no negotiator, well not a good one and he is in more strife than he really knows what to deal with, but this isn't new to Jack, in fact he is so desperately trying to change things that I doubt he even knows what will be good for him in the end. I do know no good awaits him and when everywhere he turns is a danger just where does he turn? This is where I stop because this one time cop is in deep trouble with the dark side. If you love thrillers then this comes from one of the best, so good is the writing I felt quite intimidated about writing anything here, but I can without any reservation recommend not only Nightmare but everything Stephen Leather has written - yes, he is that good. You can get copies in Australia from any good book store and if in other countries you can simply try amazon.


While sitting and reading in my garden of an afternoon, as I have the want from time to time, I have blessed my eyes with a wonderful tale that brings to life the author's most memorable of characters from other novels. Lord John Grey is brought back to life in Diana Gabaldon's latest The Scottish Princess from Orion. I think I could easily launch into a rave about Lord John, the disquiet he leads within his life and within this new journey through his world. Be prepared to hop on John's soldierly and gentlemanly carriage and find not all is what it seems and there are all manner of connections with the Outlander books. So, are you a fan? No? Then let me say you may be missing out on some good historical fantasy here. Not really my cup of tea in a genre sense but if it is a Gabaldon book then I do take the time out. The Scottish Princess isn't a swashbuckler but don't think Lord John Grey is a slouch with a blade and yes he shows the skills of his hands with much gusto here. You will take a trip through some murder and mystery, naturally but someone wants to resurrect the rule of the Stuarts in 1760 and we know too well how capable the Stuarts were of murder and mayhem, so expect many a dastardly deed here. Again, available from all good book outlets in Australia, UK and USA. When you are dealing with a New York Times best selling author you have to take the work seriously and like me, you will be quick to realise just why she is such a significant author. The Scottish Princess is very, very good - get it this very minute, I dare you.


Now here is something that is a bit of a break away from what I have been reading of late. Pure by Julianna Baggott out through Headline. Like Nightmare above, Pure also has a small clip to show off its intentions and this is very good. Watch Pure and get a first hand feel for this wonderful book. Yes it is post-apocalyptic and has that feeling of doom and gloom about it, but unlike The Road this one has hope and after some of the  years we have had as people we could all do with a little hope from time to time. But is this a hopeful novel, full of light and fluff, NO. This is a book that explores some pretty serious issues, broadminded issues and visions with a creativity that sometimes reminded me of the great Jack Vance. Modern readers wouldn't know that name but rest assured this is quite high praise. When it comes to the awards parts of the year I wouldn't be surprised if this one is on the short list. This is a book that is only the first part of a planned trilogy but don't let that stop you from reading what is a very imaginative story. We have a life of two types. One inside the protective dome of strict rule and one outside the dome where the world has fallen apart and all is in decay. But like all good adventures there is a mystery and our main character, Partridge knows life inside the Dome has some questionable issues and there is a secret and despite what everyone thinks, life inside the Dome is not what it appears; while outside people want to get inside to be free of the hardships, disease and starvation. Life inside the Dome is Pure - but how Pure is the real question.


For the pure Fantasy fans of magic and even Arthurian type lures (note I draw a long bow with that comment). If you can think of Harry Potter meets Lord of the Rings with a blending of some Trudi Canavan to round things off. There is no doubt Advent by James Treadwell is a well written and developed story and for those seeking a world not much different from now but with magic diabolical then I am sure this journey will be a joy. Hodder & Stoughton has been putting out a number of great titles of late and this is certainly one of the more challenging reads.


Okay, also from Hodder & Stoughton, it is here, Lauren Oliver, who stunned the world with Delirium, delivers the sequel to the best seller. Pandemonium goes into the wilderness around Lena who has changed markedly from  the first book and we see developments in the character that make us both feel for her and also want her to succeed in the difficult new task ahead. It is about love and threat, war and fear of the mind and more than a little romance of the soul to make this book hold together so well. It would be good to say more about this Pandemonium but to do so would, I feel, ruin the journey for the reader. With some books it doesn't matter what you say as the readers will still enjoy it for what it is, but Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver has a special quality that has to be experienced personally and I whole heartily recommend this book as well as Delirium.

Those are the books to date I have managed to see, and I dare say there are hundreds I haven't seen as yet. The average reader may devour a book a week, and some readers are as good as a book every two days so these few titles should not set you back much time. Pandemonium only took two days for me to read and I am a slow reader. Yes, books do cost a little more than the eBook versions or iTunes downloads but I have to confess they feel pretty good to hold while reading. Call me old fashioned but there is nothing like the feel of a book in your hands. I will confess to also have many eBooks on hand and I do read them but when I curl up in bed, the wind is blowing and rain is dashing itself against the window there is something uniquely comforting about a physical book that I don't get from my digital counterparts. Do note that all these books I believe are also available to download in some form, so seek them out if you use e-readers and iPods, iPads and iPhones or Androids for your reading pleasure.


Until next time enjoy these offerings, and if you want to be decadent, give a book to someone as a gift.

All the best

Robert N Stephenson