Review | A Jar of Wasps by Luis Villazon (Anarchy Books)

Title: A Jar of Wasps
Author: Luis Villazon
Publisher: Anarchy Books
Format: E-Book
Release Date: April 2012

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

Graham Trevennan has just been dumped by his girlfriend. That's not the problem. He's wanted by the police for a murder he didn't commit. That's not the problem, either. But around the world, dormant volcanoes are suddenly erupting and impossibly complex crystal meteorites are falling out of the sky in a way that probably isn't coincidental.  Now, the CIA, the army and at least one terrifyingly beautiful treasure hunter all seem to think that shooting Graham will somehow help them get hold of these priceless, extraterrestrial crystals. That is a problem.

Graham's mission is to avoid getting killed, figure out whose side he is on and save the world. In the end, he manages two out of three. Which for a beginner, isn't bad.

I picked up A Jar of Wasps from the Kindle store after I got a shiny new Kindle Fire HD for Christmas. It was an impulse buy, mainly because I was stocking up on some e-versions of books I owned paper copies of and it popped up as a recommendation. I thought the cover was rather nice, and the blurb and few reviews I read seemed to be positive. I'm not massively into techno-thrillers, but I like to mix things up every now and then, see what reading outside my normal sub-genres can give me. Sometimes I'm in luck and thoroughly enjoy what I pick up, other times not so much. Unfortunately A Jar of Wasps falls into the latter category...

From the opening scene where Graham receives a delivery, finds himself with unwelcome guests, and then at the end of a murder charge that he didn't commit, it's clear that things aren't going to hang around. But it's also clear that we're going to be left with a fairly standard set of characters and a connect-the-dots plot. It's a shame, especially because the story about strange alien rocks falling to earth at volcano sites has plenty of promise, though even that left me wondering after I'd finished reading. I suppose it's a good sign that I thought about the events within, and the repercussions of said events, but the positives were far outweighed by the negatives.

The story, while interesting, jumped back and forth too much and often (despite the timings and dates stated at the start of chapters) I wondered just what (and when) I was reading. The fact that most of the characters seemed to blur into one didn't help me, and I had to stop once or twice to check whether the point of view had changed without me realising. And to add further to me gripes with A Jar of Wasps, sometimes things were a little too convenient for our characters - like Graham ending up at the right place even though he didn't have a clue where he was going. It's the little things that matter, and it felt like they were glossed over more than once in an effort to get the story going where the author wanted.

Despite these things I really did want to like A Jar of Wasps - I read it quickly and found it well paced and, at times, enjoyable. There truly is potential in this novel, but it's hidden beneath cut-out characters and convenient plot points. A disappointment.

Cover Art & Synopsis | The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Guardian by Jack Campbell (ACE)

Admiral Geary's First Fleet of the Alliance has survived the journey deep into unexplored interstellar space, a voyage that led to the discovery of new alien species, including a new enemy and a possible ally. Now Geary's mission is to ensure the safety of the Midway Star System, which has revolted against the Syndicate Worlds empire - an empire that is on the brink of collapse.

To complicate matters further, Geary also needs to return safely to Alliance space not only with representatives of the Dancers, an alien species, but also with Invincible, a captured warship that could possibly be the most valuable object in human history. Despite the peace treaty that Geary must adhere to at all costs, the Syndicate Worlds regime threatens to make the fleet's journey back grueling and perilous.

And even if Geary escorts Invincible and the Dancers' representatives safely unharmed, the Syndics' attempts to spread dissent and political unrest may have already sown the seeds of the Alliance's destruction...

Here's the cover for the next Lost Fleet book, Beyond The Frontier: Guardian. Much like the rest of the series, it's alright, and probably has nothing to do with what is contained within - I don't think the main character, Geary, has ever been in any of the situations the covers depict.

Regardless, this is a novel I'm very much looking forward to reading. I love the whole Lost Fleet series to date, and providing Campbell doesn't completely cock this one up I can't see my opinion changing any time soon.

Review | The Wind Through The Keyhole by Stephen King (Hodder)

Title: The Wind Through The Keyhole
Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Hodder
Format: Hardback
Release Date: April 2012

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

For readers coming to the epic bestselling Dark Tower series for the first time - and for its legion of dedicated fans - a fabulous new book about Roland's first quest and a perfect introduction to the series.

For readers new to The Dark Tower, THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE is a stand-alone novel, and a wonderful introduction to the series. It is a story within a story, which features both the younger and older gunslinger Roland on his quest to find the Dark Tower. Fans of the existing seven books in the series will also delight in discovering what happened to Roland and his ka tet between the time they leave the Emerald City and arrive at the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis.

This Russian Doll of a novel, a story within a story, within a story, visits Mid-World's last gunslinger, Roland Deschain, and his ka-tet as a ferocious storm halts their progress along the Path of the Beam. (The novel can be placed between Dark Tower IV and Dark Tower V.) Roland tells a tale from his early days as a gunslinger, in the guilt ridden year following his mother's death. Sent by his father to investigate evidence of a murderous shape shifter, a "skin man," Roland takes charge of Bill Streeter, a brave but terrified boy who is the sole surviving witness to the beast's most recent slaughter. Roland, himself only a teenager, calms the boy by reciting a story from the Magic Tales of the Eld that his mother used to read to him at bedtime, 'The Wind through the Keyhole'. "A person's never too old for stories," he says to Bill. "Man and boy, girl and woman, we live for them." And stories like these, they live for us.

The Wind Through The Keyhole is the eighth Dark Tower novel from Stephen King, though events contained within places it as book 4.5 in the series. When it was announced that King was writing a new Dark Tower instalment I was cautiously optimistic, wondering just how he was going to slip in another volume to an already finished series, especially with it placing halfway through. The Wind Through The Keyhole was always going to be on my to-read list, especially with the series as a whole amongst my favourites. A story within a story, The Wind Through The Keyhole is an interesting book. It's not long, and with two tales in a short page count it does remarkably well.

With a storm brewing, Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Oy take cover to let it pass. With a long wait in store Roland begins to tell a tale of his younger Gunslinging days, not long after his return from Mejis and the events that unfolded there, and after the untimely death of his mother at his hands. Sent to investigate murders by a rumoured skin man, Roland and his partner gather evidence of these murders, which in turn leads Roland to Bill Streeter, a young boy who survived one of the attacks, and the only person that could possibly identify the killer. It is with young Bill that he recounts another tale: The Wind Through The Keyhole.

The titicular story is perhaps the best starting point, and the stand out of the novel by far. The story that King tells here shows off many things: his ability as a storyteller, creating characters and situations that can completely hook the reader, and the level of background detail the Dark Tower universe has. It's a mythical story that includes everything that I've come to love about the books, while adding more depth in, what is at first glance, simply another tale. This story could easily be a stand-alone novella, not necessarily needing the other part of the novel, but it works very well in such context. The rest of the novel is still very enjoyable, and adds more history to Roland, giving us a little more on his background as a young Gunslinger. It also shows much of how Gunslingers work when looking into murders and such, and does so with ease.

One of the main aspects of this novel that I needed answering was whether or not it could fit halfway through a finished series without raising further questions. The answer is simple: yes. Because the structure of The Wind Through The Keyhole is that of past events narrated by Roland, it fits in without any hitches at all, and begs the question: when will we see more of these stories?

As a long time Dark Tower fan I came away more than satisfied, and I'd even go as far to say that even a non-reader of Stephen King's epic could easily enjoy what is within these pages. Of course, you'd benefit more if you read the series...

Review | The Iron Jackal by Chris Wooding (Gollancz)

Title: The Iron Jackal
Author: Chris Wooding
Publisher: Gollancz
Format: Paperback
Release Date: October 2011

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

Things are finally looking good for Captain Frey and his crew. The Ketty Jay has been fixed up good as new. They’ve got their first taste of fortune and fame. And, just for once, nobody is trying to kill them.

Even Trinica Dracken, Frey’s ex-fiancee and long-time nemesis, has given up her quest for revenge. In fact, she’s offered them a job – one that will take them deep into the desert heart of Samarla, the land of their ancient enemies. To a place where the secrets of the past lie in wait for the unwary. Secrets that might very well cost Frey everything.

Join the crew of the Ketty Jay on their greatest adventure yet: a story of mayhem and mischief, roof-top chases and death-defying races, murderous daemons, psychopathic golems and a particularly cranky cat. The first time was to clear his name. The second time was for money. This time, Frey’s in a race against the clock for the ultimate prize: to save his own life.

The Iron Jackal is the third novel following the crew of the Ketty Jay, preceded by Retribution Falls and The Black Lung Captain. I've thoroughly enjoyed the previous novels and, despite my poor reading last year, it always hovered near the top of the to-read stack. After finally settling down to read The Iron Jackal I found myself treading lightly, wondering whether it could equal the previous books. I really shouldn't have worried as Chris Wooding brings his A game to the table and delivers not only a good tale of the Ketty Jay, but an excellent novel in itself.

The fortunes of Frey and his crew looking up, with widespread recognition and the Ketty Jay given a complete overhaul courtesy of his old fiance and long time nemesis, Tranica Dracken. When she offers him a simple heist job Frey is keen to take it on, seeing as nothing could go wrong, or so he thinks. When the item he must steal lays a curse on him, Frey and his crew must race against time before it fulfils its purpose and robs him of life, taking him to many places he's not been, and some that some members of his crew would rather not return to...

It's easy enough to say why I enjoyed The Iron Jackal so much: because, like it's predecessors, it's a page-turning, action packed, character driven novel. Being the third in the series means that you're likely to have read the first two books and know what you'll be getting into, but if not I highly suggest starting at the beginning. Not only does The Iron Jackal expand on what has gone before, it introduces some other new elements that ensure it's not just walking in the footsteps of Retribution Falls and The Black Lung Captain.

Wooding manages to keep the characters fresh, delving a little further into some back-stories, and exploring new aspects following The Black Lung Captain. The dynamic between the crew is as good as ever, and the introduction of Ashua early on means there's a new female for Darien to make a fool of himself over, despite some interesting developments in the Tranica department. And I can't forget Bess, who once again delivers some of the stand-out moments in the novel for sheer enjoyment.

As for the story, well, it's a fairly straightforward affair. Darien needs to return a stolen item to it's home or he dies from the curse that it inflicted on him. But it's not as simple as it may seem, and the crew of the Ketty Jay go from place to place trying to track down where it came from, with some enjoyable set pieces along the way. The ending is great, and once again opens up some new aspects that can be looked at further in the concluding volume of the Ketty Jay saga.

All in all I found The Iron Jackal to be hugely enjoyable. It continues what I expect from the series and leaves a fair few questions open for the final instalment, The Ace of Skulls. Once again, another highly recommended novel from Chris Wooding.