A Further Update

I was hoping to get back into some sort of infrequent blogging schedule this year after my last update before Christmas and the few reviews and year-end post I got up here, but it hasn't happened. While I'd like to think WoW will start back up soon I'm slowly coming to the realisation that it isn't actually going to happen any time in the near future.

Boring personal stuff coming up....

I had a very bad Christmas and new year. The issues that I thought I had dealt with came back with a vengeance, and then new ones came along to completely clusterfuck me. I've lost almost 2 stone in weight since last October because my eating has become unbelievably irregular, I have trouble sleeping, and my mind has been on an almost constant see-saw of bad and worse.

I'm trying to be pro-active in getting myself back to some sort of normality. I've been seeing a councillor to try and help, while going to the doctors has resulted in my being prescribed antidepressants along with a beta-blocker to help with my anxiety. I've tried to get back to the gym in the hope that it will force my body into a better state and get my eating kick-started, but it's been hard to keep any sort of motivation going.

On top of all this, and the main reason I've not started back blogging here, is the fact that my reading mojo has left me. I've not been able to get into any book I've tried, no matter how much I want to get excited about it. I've listened to one audiobook this year and read one graphic novel, and they were both hard work. Not being able to do the one thing that I used to be able to use as a form of relaxation and escapism is frustrating beyond words.

And if I hear the phrase "it'll take time" once more....

So there we go, my pathetic problems.

My Favourite Reads of 2011

So, that time of year again, to look back at what I've read and try and narrow it all down to the books I've enjoyed the most. I've read some cracking books this year and thoroughly enjoyed most of them. I've had some glaring oversights too, like The Iron Jackal by Chris Wooding, War in Heaven by Gavin Smith, The Ascendant Stars by Michael Cobley, Deadline by Mira Grant, The Departure by Neal Asher, Embassytown by China Mieville... the list goes on and on.

So without further ado, check out my favourite reads of 2011!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Every now and then a book comes along that not only ticks all the boxes that you want it to, but also add a few more for good measure. Ready Player One is such a book. It's an awesome geek-fest made of pure win.

The Kings of Eternity by Eric Brown

Before I read Ready Player One I didn't think anything would come along to knock The Kings of Eternity from the top spot. Not only is this Eric Brown's best novel to date, it's easily one of the most accesbile SF releases this year. Highly recommended to both SF veterans and newcomers alike.

The Technician by Neal Asher

See below for more on Asher's novels, but I have to say that The Technician is probably his best Polity novel to date. Do you need to have read the rest? Probably, but if you haven't I don't think it takes away from all the action and the wide variety of deadly alien creatures. Hugely entertaining!

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

I've always loved John Scalzi's books, his combination of good story and humour goes down a treat for me. I think that's why I love Fuzzy Nation so much, not to mention the cute fuzzies of the title.

Hard Spell by Justin Gustainis

I'm not a huge urban fantasy fan, but Gustin Gustainis is an author that stands out for me. Hard Spell is full of action and plenty of awesome characters that just make the story fly by.

A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber

I've been reading the Honorverse this year (see below) and this is a book set way before those novels. It's confined to one planet, has a relatively small cast of characters, but Stephanie and the treecats brought it to life and made me want to read more and more of their adventures. Can't wait for the next one!

Final Days by Gary Gibson

Final Days managed to bring action, the end of the world and time-travel together in a great novel. His best that I've read and very compelling. Worthy of a read.

Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey

Leviathan Wakes was a last minute read this year, and one I'm glad I got around to. Halfway through the book I was expecting it to make the top 5, but it goes to show that despite what a thoroughly enjoyable book this is, there were other even better ones consumed. Expect to see this one on many, many 'best of' lists this year.

Songs of the Earth by Elspeth Cooper

The first fantasy book in my list, and it was going to take something special to get in there with all the sci-fi I've read this year. Great story, characters, and setting, and the sequel can't come soon enough!

Dreadnaught by Jack Campbell

The first in the new Lost Fleet series, and a cracker. The fanboy in me does tend to turn a blind eye to the seeming repetative nature of these books, but for a quick and enjoyable read it gets my vote!

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

I loved The Name of the Wind, so reading Wise Man's Fear was a no-brainer. It's pretty much more of the same, but told in a masterful way. If you've read NOTW then pick this up, and if you haven't you'd better get started!

Honourable Mentions

The Cormac sequence by Neal Asher

I read the first book in this series, Gridlinked, a few years back and tried to read the sequel, The Line of Polity, shortly afterwards. For whatever reason I just couldn't get into it then, but I was determined to do so this year. I read the remaining Cormac books early this year and loved the series, the final book, Line War, being the highlight for me. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in weird and wonderful space opera, Neal manages to cover so much in these books, but above all else the entertainment value is excellent!
Check out all my reviews for this series: Gridlinked, The Line of Polity, Brass Man, Polity Agent, Line War

The Honor Harrington series by David Weber

Ahh, the Honorverse. What a place! I read the first book, On Basilisk Station, around Easter after hearing David Weber talk at Eastercon, and soon got around to more of the Honor Harrington books. You can find my reviews of the first four books on the blog (On Basilisk Station, The Honor of the Queen, The Short Victorious War, and Field of Dishonor), but I've read through to book nine. Since going on hiatus the Honorverse books have been my pleasure reads, taking prescedence over some other books that I really want to read. They're deep, multi-layered, have great characters, and a huge story. I couldn't ask for more ina series!

Review | Manhattan in Reverse by Peter F Hamilton (Pan Macmillan)

Title: Manhattan in Reverse
Author: Peter F Hamilton
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Format: Hardback
Release Date: October 2011

Reviewed by: Mark Chitty

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

A short story collection from one of the world's bestselling SF writers

A collection of short stories from the master of space opera. Peter F Hamilton takes us on a journey from a murder mystery in an alternative Oxford in the 1800s to a brand new story featuring Paula Mayo, Deputy Director of the Intersolar Commonwealth’s Serious Crimes Directorate.

Dealing with intricate themes and topical subject this top ten bestselling author is at the top of his game.

I've been a Peter F Hamilton fan for a long time, in fact the reason I read sci-fi nowadays is because of Pandora's Star. The last collection of short stories by Peter F Hamilton was A Second Chance at Eden released way back in the late 90's, but it was a collection of Confederation exclusive stories based on his Night's Dawn universe. On hearing about this new collection I was rather excited, hoping to see all of the stories that he's written since then. Aside from one glaring omission this is a pretty decent collection and worthy of a place on the shelf of any Hamilton fan.

Watching Trees Grow
Starting off with the longest offering in the collection, Watching Trees Grow was initially published back in 2000 by PS Publishing as a limited edition, though it was later re-published in the Futures anthology from Gollancz.

As an alternate history tale, this story looks at a world where the Roman Empire never fell and the grand families continued to prosper. With the planet in a golden age of sorts it has allowed technology to advance quicker than in our world, with the starting point of the story in the early 1800's comparable to the mid to late 19th century. By selective breeding in the 'Sport of Emperors', life spans of the grand families are now measured in centuries rather than decades of the Shorts.

At its heart Watching Trees Grow is the story of Edward Bucahanan Raleigh's continued investigation into the death of one of his family members at university. Told through his eyes from the night of the murder in 1832 through to the transcendence of the human race to pure energy, Watching Trees Grow is an interesting look at big events during that world's future, all wrapped around the one question: who killed Justin Ascham Raleigh?

Footvote
Footvote is another story originally published by PS Publishing, this one in their first issue of Postscripts, a long-running magazine/anthology. Pan Macmillan are also releasing this one separately as an electronic short story.

Anyway, Footvote is a simple story based on the premise that one man has opened a wormhole to a new planet, New Suffolk, and nobody knows how he's done it. He's set specific conditions on who can travel through the wormhole and settle this new world (these are amusing little tidbits throughout the story), but has given a strict time-frame of two years before he will close the wormhole forever. Footvote focuses on one family, Janette and her two children on the one hand and her ex-husband Colin and his new girlfriend on the other, each with opposing views to the wormhole and its creator.

It's a nice little story, perhaps one of my favourites in the collection due to its subject matter, and its nice to see something set in the near-future. The world Peter has created here could be the basis for an expansion into a full novel, or maybe another short story - I for one would like to see more of New Suffolk and how it's progressed...

If At First...
Here's a story that first saw the light of day in one of the anthologies from Solaris a few years back. It's a short one about a detective that finds himself chasing a suspect into a time machine that then sends his consciousness back to his 1968 body. It's an interesting tale, amusing in parts and easy to read with an ending nicely suited to the tale.

The Forever Kitten
Perhaps unbelievably, this tale is a mere thousand words that once again uses the subject matter of immortality/extended lifespans. Peter seems to have a thing for this and Forever Kitten is an interesting, though short, take that I think is rather successful given its limited word count.

Blessed by an Angel
This is the first of the three Commonwealth stories in this collection, and while the other two are Paula Myo stories, this one is a prequel of sorts to the Void trilogy. Looking at the events surrounding the conception of Inigo, one of the more central characters in the Void series, this introduces the 'angel' of the title, a higher human that can use biononics to change gender from female to male while using this technology to allow the conception of a biononic child.

There's a good bit of detail here and anyone that has read the Void books will fully grasp all the details, though I'm not sure the same can be said if you're new to the universe. I like it as it adds depth to the character and essentially gives a more detailed account of what is only hinted at in the early Void books.

The Demon Trap
The Demon Trap was previously published in the Galactic Empires anthology, but that had limited release and not many would have read it before now. It's nice that it's finally got a wider readership as it is one of the best shorts Peter has written.

The Demon Trap sits nicely between Misspent Youth and Pandora's Star and features Paula Myo, the genetically engineered detective we've all come to know (if you've read the Commonwealth books that is!). With her birth planet the much-hated Huxley's Haven, a planet in the Commonwealth where each person is genetically designed prior to birth to do the job they are allocated, she is an investigator that cannot leave a case until it has finally been solved and justice delivered.

The story itself follows the events of one of the Commonwealth planets, Merioneth, wanting independence and all connections to the Commonwealth closed. This starts off with a terrorist group targeting and killing young dynasty family members in order to pressure CST into closing the wormhole connection. Suffice to say, they are successful in getting the Commonwealth to agree a date that does exactly this. The story goes from there, Paula determined to unravel the mystery behind the attacker and terrorist group.

There is not a lot to dislike in The Demon Trap. Paula is an excellent character and carries the story with ease. There are, however, plenty of references to Peter's previous works (particularly Misspent Youth) and knowing these little details will certainly add to the enjoyment. I can't see any problems for those that haven't read the Commonwealth novels as The Demon Trap is a nice little murder-mystery with added political dealings. One of the best in the collection for sure.

Manhattan in Reverse
The reason I was looking forward to this collection so much: a new story! Manhattan in Reverse is another Paula Myo story that takes place shortly after the end of the Starflyer War depicted in Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained. You don't need to have read those books to enjoy this story as it is completely stand alone with only a few references to the novels.

After convicting a war hero for crimes committed in his youth, Paula Myo needs something that will take her away from the attention she's getting, and Wilson Kime has just the ticket. On a relatively new colony world one of the non-sentient species is kicking up some trouble for the human inhabitants, trouble that could lead to genocide if something isn't done soon. Problem solving is what Paula is good at, and with the help of xeno-biologist Bernadino Paganuzzi that's exactly what she has to do.

I liked this story quite a bit, it was interesting and had a nice finish, but I wasn't really sure why Paula was the main character. Still, I did like the exploration of the Onid, why they were attacking the colonists and just how they could see what they really shouldn't be able to. It's a quick read that finishes nicely - not much more you can ask for!

Conclusion
Manhattan in Reverse does exactly what it says on the tin: it collects Hamilton's short stories in one book for those that have not tracked them down by other means. A new story is there for the fans who need a reason to buy it, and it is worth it.

The glaring omission I mentioned earlier is The Suspect Genome, the BSFA award-winning short story the features Greg Mandel, the psychic detective from Peter's early novels. To me it's one of the best short stories Peter has written and should have been included regardless of how it's aged since publication, and especially because it's very hard to track down. It was a poor decision to leave it out.

However, with stories like Watching Trees Grow, The Demon Trap and Manhattan in Reverse, Peter once again shows why he is regarded as one of the best science fiction writers of the past decade and how, when he puts his mind to it, he can write some excellent short fiction.

Review | A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber (Baen)

Title: A Beautiful Friendship
Author: David Weber
Publisher: Baen
Format: Hardback
Release Date: October 2011

Reviewed by: Mark Chitty

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Stephanie Harrington absolutely hates being confined inside her family's compound on the pioneer planet of Sphinx, a frontier wilderness world populated by dangerous native animals that could easily tear a human to bits and pieces. Yet Stephanie is a young woman determined to make discoveries—and the biggest discovery of all awaits her: an intelligent alien species.

Treecats are creatures that resemble a cross between a bobcat and a lemur (but with six legs and much more deadly claws). Not only are they fully sentient, they are also telepathic, and able to bond with certain gifted humans such as the genetically-enhanced Stephanie. But Stephanie's find, and her first-of-its-kind bond with a treecat, brings on a new torrent of danger. An assortment of highly placed enemies with galactic-sized wealth at stake is determined to make sure that the planet of Sphinx remains entirely in human hands—even if this means the extermination of another thinking species.

The first entry in a new teen series and the origin saga for the incredibly popular, multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling Honor Harrington adult science fiction adventures. Young Stephanie Harrington is none other than the founder of a pioneering family dynasty that is destined to lead the fight for humanity's freedom in a dangerous galaxy.

I've read a fair amount of David Weber's stuff this year set in his Honorverse and following Honor Harrington, the heroine of the main series. Now we have the release of A Beautiful Friendship, the first in a new prequel teen series that focuses on one of Honor's ancestors, Stephanie Harrington. I'd heard about this a while back, but I hadn't read any of the Honorverse books at that time so I didn't pay it much attention. A bit of a mistake! Once I knew how much I enjoyed Weber's novels I got my order in for this straight away. My only real concern was whether or not I would be able to fully enjoy it knowing that it's the latest book written in such a large setting despite the prequel nature of the story. As is usually the case when I have these concerns there was no need at all. In fact, this is just about the perfect starting point...

Stephanie Harrington and her parents have recently moved to the Star Kingdom of Manticore, specifically the planet Sphinx within the binary system. Already the recipient of some genetic altering to live on a heavier gravity world, the Harrington family settles their homestead on the low populated frontier world. With a keen interest in the outdoors Stephanie is desperate to get out and about, but with Sphinx's native deadly species, such as the massive Hexapuma, her parents are not very keen on her venturing out on her own. Knowing that Stephanie won't disobey them, and trying to keep her mind active, they set her on the problem of the disappearing celery from human settlements around the planet. It isn't long before Stephanie discovers the mysterious thieves, and the possibility that Sphinx may already have its own sentient species in the treecats...

A Beautiful Friendship is partly based on the short story of the same name that appeared in one of the Honorverse anthologies and, while slightly amended, forms the first part of this new novel. I've not read the original story so I really didn't know what to expect other than a planet-based story focusing on a young main character. What struck me within the first few chapters was just how well it worked, how strong and interesting a character Stephanie is, and just how much I didn't know about the treecats!

Climbs Quickly is the main treecat character and it's through his eyes that we learn much about the history of human settlement on Sphinx and the way the treecats avoid and spy on the humans. We learn about their society, just how intelligent they are and, more importantly, just what they think of the humans, but this is an aspect that Climbs Quickly doesn't entirely agree with. Tasked to watch the two-legs we know as the Harrington’s, he ponders many things while in discussion with his clan mates and while alone, and it helps the story immensely. It's when, after a trap set by Stephanie, he is caught trying to take celery that the story really gets into gear.

The treecats of Sphinx are telepathic, and while they can talk to each other in this manner they can't do so with humans, although a strong bond can form between two of them, much like it does between mated treecats. It's interesting because it is a two-way bond, the human can also feel the treecat, although this does increase with time and is never full telepathy, more like empathy. The climax of the first part of the novel is down to this aspect and is thoroughly enjoyable, setting the scene for all that is to come.

While the human/treecat relationship is one of the larger focuses of the story, so is the possibility, from the humans point of view, of them being sentient. But it's an aspect that Stephanie, her parents, and the others close to treecats wish to take slowly and carefully, not wanting a repeat of the mass-slaughter that occurred when another human-settled planet discovered they may not be the rightful owners.

It's during these aspects of the story that I found it was confused with just what it wanted to be. A Beautiful Friendship is marketed as a teen series, and while having the lead character a young female lends itself to that area, the writing is not really suited. Sometimes it works well and flows nicely, but at other times Weber shows his usual style of info-dumping and getting into more adult and complex themes. Stephanie herself seems a little too old for her age because of this, and it does effect the overall enjoyment of the novel. Had it simply been marketed as a prequel to the Honorverse there would have been little issue, although the uneven pacing does stand out.

Overall I did thoroughly enjoy A Beautiful Friendship, but it's not without its faults. I've only read a few of the Honorverse books so I felt relatively comfortable with both the setting and Weber's style, although this is a clear departure from the military themes of the Honor Harrington novels. I think it's a perfect starting point for anyone new to the Honorverse, but is it representational of the other books? No. However, if you know this going in I can't see any reason why A Beautiful Friendship shouldn't be enjoyed to the maximum!

Review | Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey (Orbit)

Title: Leviathan Wakes
Author: James SA Corey
Publisher: Orbit
Format: Paperback
Release Date: June 2011

Reviewed by: Mark Chitty

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Welcome to the future. Humanity has colonized the solar system – Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond – but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for – and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to The Scopuli and rebel sympathizer, Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations – and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.

Leviathan Wakes has been making waves this year with many people regarding it as one of the best SF releases of 2011. Daniel Burton reviewed here earlier in the year and had only good things to say about it. I just had to get around to it before the year was out, it would have been remiss of me to not read it this year. And I'm pleased I did!

When Holden and his crew stumble across a derelict ship and discovers some things that certain people want to be kept hidden they're stuck firmly in the middle of a struggle to get them and keep them quiet. With implications that are far reaching and could alter the course of the human race they travel from place to place trying to find answers and sanctuary. Miller meanwhile is a detective on Ceres on the case of a missing girl, a case that leads him to dark secrets. Crossing paths with Holden is inevitable, yet his dedication to the investigation affects him on a personal level and he will not settle for half-answers, he wants the whole truth.

Leviathan Wakes starts with a bang, that's for sure. The prologue got me instantly hooked and wanting to read more, which is good because without it I wouldn't have felt the need to turn the pages quite as quickly. Sounds strange, but it really does make a huge difference. While the story is interesting and gripping, knowing that something huge is lurking makes it all the more worthwhile.

The other major plus point for Leviathan Wakes are its relatively short chapters that alternate between the viewpoints of Holden and Miller. Each starts off seemingly unrelated, but this soon changes and all hell breaks loose. Because of these short chapters it's always easy to read 'just one more', and they also keep the pace quick, punchy and to the point. I can't name another book in recent memory that manages to do it quite so well. The story itself initially seems to be mystery and, while with big implications, it doesn't come across quite just how big they could be. By the halfway point I was completely hooked and powering through eager to find out what happens next.

All in all I was very impressed with Leviathan Wakes. The characters are enjoyable to read (even if some of them are not all that likable), and the story is told with flair. It ends in such a way that I very much want to get my hands on the sequel, Caliban's War. Who knows what's in store, but I will be doing my damnedest to find out the moment it hits the shelves next year!