Excession (Culture #5) by Iain M. Banks

Excession
Culture #5
Iain M. Banks

Front cover

Date read: 14 - 24 July 2019
Length: 455 pages
Published: 1996


Something appears in space and no-one knows what it is, not even the super intelligent Minds. Genar-Hofoen is sent on a mission to retrieve a very old Mind from a dying spaceship, and his old flame keeps popping up...


Okay, so it was actually pretty hard to pinpoint a synopsis. There seems to be a lot of minor stories here, but not particularly one major plot. The novel took quite a while to get going, and I felt that pretty much the first half wasn't really much, it did get better towards the end though!

I like Dajeil Gelian. She's pretty interesting, and not just because she's been pregnant for 40 odd years! She's quite mysterious and obviously has a past that still influences her life today.

The ship names are interesting! They always have been but they seem to be even better here. I won't spoil any names here, you'll just need to read to find out.


Looking forward to the rest of the series.




Overall rating

Thanks,
The Wee Librocubicularist

The Fourth Bear (Nursery Crime #2) by Jasper Fforde

The Fourth Bear
Nursery Crime #2
Jasper Fforde

Front cover

Date read: 4 - 13 July 2019
Length: 383 pages
Published: 2006


Jack Spratt and Mary Mary are back, investigating the disappearance of Goldilocks, a Friend to Bears. Meanwhile the Gingerbread Man has escaped from prison, and what's with all the unexplained explosions? And how dangerous can a giant cucumber be?

The Gingerbreadman - psychopath,

genius, convicted murderer and biscuit

- is loose on the streets of Reading.

If there's one thing you can say about Nursery Crime, it's that it's not boring. There's always so much more to it than you think, and it keeps you on your toes! One thing leads to another and more things are discovered that need investigating. Before you know it you have many questions that need answered.

I am very much enjoying this series and all the characters. They're just so unusual you don't know what to expect.

I kind of feel sorry for Jack. He is underestimated all the time and not taken as seriously as he should be. If he was just left to get on with things I'm sure he would manage perfectly fine, but for some reason people keep getting in his way.

Mary and Ashley were an odd couple, but I liked it. It was a little bit unexpected but also really worked. It's a shame about what happened to Ashley - I hope he asks her out again.

When is the next Nursery Crime novel going to be?! Apparently there is supposed to be a third one, but considering this one was published 13 years ago and the third isn't out yet, I'm not very hopeful. It's a shame because I was really enjoying this series!

Overall rating

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The Wee Librocubicularist

Saturday by Ian McEwan

Saturday
Ian McEwan

Front cover

Date read: 27 June - 3 July 2019
Length: 279 pages
Published: 2005


Dr Henry Perowne is trying to enjoy a Saturday away from work, but after a disturbed night, a car crash, and an assault all before lunch, he's finding it difficult. His daughter is coming home to visit, so at least he has that to look forward to, right?


I found this book a little difficult to read, not because of the writing but because I thought Henry was a bit dull. You know, he has the perfect life; a loving wife, 2 children, a good job and house, he plays squash at the weekend. Nothing much of interest. A lot of the book is him rambling on about various things like neuroscience, his thoughts on war etc.

His collision with Baxter was probably the most interesting thing to happen in the book, because it paved the way for the rest of the story. Baxter is an interesting character, even considering the fact he is thoroughly unlikable. Baxter angers me in a way that makes me wish violence upon him.

Daisy has a surprise is revealed to her family too soon, because of Baxter's despicable acts. I feel sorry for her and the family because the joyous moment was taken away from her family, and especially her. Another reason to hate Baxter.


I did quite enjoy Saturday but I think a lot of Henry's waffling was unnecessary.




Overall rating

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The Wee Librocubicularist

The State of the Art (Culture #4) by Iain M. Banks

The State of the Art
Culture #4
Iain M. Banks

Front cover

Date read: 21 - 26 June 2019

Length: 216 pages

Published: 1991

Diziet Sma tells her story of when the Culture visit Earth. They learn all about the people, their way of life, the technology, everything. One member goes so far as to decide they want to stay on Earth, and even change their body to be more human. Also included are some short stories.

I like the fact that the Culture came to Earth, and not to destroy it or declare war, but to observe and learn. They get to know what being human is about and respect what they discover.

The short stories were okay but not really that memorable. I thought the pictures were quite cool though.

I'm looking forward to getting back into the series, after what feels like a little break.

Overall rating

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The Wee Librocubicularist

The Big Over Easy (Nursery Crime #1) by Jasper Fforde

The Big Over Easy
Nursery Crime #1
Jasper Fforde

Front cover

Date read: 11 - 20 June 2019
Length: 398 pages
Published: 2005


Jack Spratt is Detective Inspector with the Nursery Crime Division of the Reading Police Force. A new Detective Sergeant is assigned to him; Mary Mary. Together they must solve the death of Humpty Stuyvesant Van Dumpty III a.k.a Humpty Dumpty. One clue leads to another, and they only have until Saturday to solve it, or the case is handed over to Jack's nemesis, Chymes. Can they solve it in time?

Dead bodies never look like this.

This is a very interesting and enjoyable book. It's as if nursery characters were alive and real in this world. Everyone knows who they are, but they're just treated as if they're regular people. That being said, these characters are not designed for children! They have very adult qualities not present in their original tellings.

I like the relationship between Jack and Mary. Mary is very apprehensive at first, not sure if she'll fit in and kind of thinks the NCD is a bit of a joke and beneath her. But the more she works with Jack and the case, she realises there's more to it than meets the eye, and actually begins to respect Jack. Jack doesn't treat Mary like he's her superior, but rather a colleague. They make a good team.

There's more to it than just a murder mystery. We learn about Jack's home life, get to know more about the not-so-innocent people of the nursery story world, and even watch a romance blossom between Jack's daughter Pandora, and Prometheus.

It's an interesting take on a crime novel, and I'm looking forward to the next one!

Overall rating

Thanks,

The Wee Librocubicularist

Dead Ice (Anita Blake #24) by Laurell K. Hamilton

Dead Ice
Anita Blake #24
Laurell K. Hamilton

Front cover

Date read: 28 May - 10 June 2019
Length: 566 pages
Published: 2015


Anita is called in by the FBI to help them with a disturbing case. Someone is making zombie porn, but that isn't the worst of it. The zombies have souls trapped inside their dead bodies with no way out. Not only does Anita need to catch the necromancer responsible, she has to find a way to lay the zombies to rest. Can she do it?

THEY DID ANOTHER ZOOMING CLOSE-UP OF THE
ZOMBIE'S EYES, AND THIS TIME THEY WEREN'T
EMPTY. THIS TIME THEY WERE TERRIFIED.

I enjoyed this story very much, it's more like the earlier Blake novels! It starts off strong, straight into the case and the mystery surrounding it. We see some old favourites like Manny and Zerbrowski. I missed the earlier days of Anita actually solving crimes and dealing with the preternatural.

The way these books have gone, I was surprised at how little sex there is in this one. This is a good thing in my opinion. We still get treated to some, and of course Anita still has a very complicated love life with all her various people, but it isn't just about that.

Of course, we can't avoid it completely. Anita is getting married to Jean-Claude, and there's things to prepare, such as the rings. Then there's having to choose another tiger to join them in the bedroom, and finding the best person suitable for another ring. 

If Dead Ice had just been about the zombie porn case, I think I would have given this book four stars. But Anita is constantly surrounded by drama and it takes away from the investigation side of the story. I understand she needs to have a personal life as well, but it's too much!

Laurell K. Hamilton

Overall rating

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The Wee Librocubicularist

Use of Weapons (Culture #3) by Iain M. Banks

Use of Weapons
Culture #3
Iain M. Banks

Front cover

Date read: 18 - 27 May 2019
Length: 411 pages
Published: 1990


Cheradenine Zakalwe is asked by his rescuer from long ago to complete a task; break a man out of hiding and hand him over. His mind is fragile, however, and the job is not an easy one. Can he do it and retain his sanity?


Use of Weapons is slightly different in terms of how it's told from a linear perspective. There are kind of two parts to the same story, one in the present and one in the past. This is easy to follow as the chapters are named differently (ONE, TWO, THREE, etc & XIII, XII, XI, etc). It is an interesting way to do it and I think it breaks up the parts of the story well. Because of this though, I found it more difficult to pin point a brief synopsis, so what is above is a very poor attempt and doesn't do the book justice. Sorry!

The characters are all likeable, which I find rare in a book these days. Usually there's at least one character that I dislike, but not here. I even like the drone, although it still has an unreasonably long name!

The plot twist and the end is good! It is mainly for this reason that I had a hard time deciding between 3 or 4 stars for the rating, although I just felt that the book genuinely got better nearer the end. But I had to base it on the whole book and not just the last third or so.


Very much looking forward to continuing the series.

Iain M. Banks

Overall rating

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The Wee Librocubicularist