Piracy Revisted, Book Reviews and Picturegrid Teaser.
First, i probably made my feelings on the Oink debate clear with my last post, but read this article - clear and brutal, its my kind of rant : when-pigs-fly-death-of-oink-birth-of.html
I also wrote these reviews for another site, but I’ll duplicate them here, because, well, i don’t know really. I guess this is just a flow of consciousness, and these are from my brain etc. Anyway, due to my fathers death recently, I’ve spent a lot of time travelling, and reading. Its nice in a way, because my dad was one of the best read people I’ve ever mean - someone with a book in his hand and a story to tell every minute of every day.
The Perfect Storm
Is a brilliant book - the film of the same name (very loosely) based on the book was arse and so when i was passed this book i sort of started with an attitude and low expectation. I couldn’t have been more wrong! The book doesn’t fabricate, suggest or dramatise anything that happened - instead its a completely factual and moving account of life at sea. There is great detail regarding the mechanics of ocean rescue, the mechanics of drowning (a sizable proportion of drowning victims suffocate by their larynx closing on reflex, and are found with no water in their lungs etc) and the way of life on board a sword fisher. 20 hour days for 3 weeks at a time etc.
Incredibly well written, this book kept me entertained and was pitched just right, the mix of detail and adventure, and the twist of human emotion makes for the best book I’ve read this year.
Agent Zigzag
Another book recommended, another non fiction drama - Agent ZigZag tells the story of double agent Eddie Chapman during WW2. Without giving too much away, Chapman ends up coveted by both sides o the war and at one point offers to assassinate Hitler! Another well written book, expertly drawn together from 100’s of secret service documents made available by the freedom of information act and hundreds of interviews and personal diaries.
Another entertaining read with the distinct advantage that its played out like a novel - always keeping you guessing for more, and each chapter leaves you on a cliff hanger.
Finally Making Money is the latest Terry Pratchett novel set on the Discworld. Its been a while since the last one, because in the meantime Pratchett has been busy trying to tap back into the younger readers market (the Bromliad trilogy was immensely successful and even made into a TV series) with his Discworld for kids novels. Somewhere along the line he has lost the plot. Or to be more accurate, recycled it. Making Money reads through like a carbon copy of the previous Discworld novel “Going Postal”. Same characters? Check. In fact, Lazy. Pratchett has always revisited characters, but two novels in a row around one central character is just a little bit two much. Plot structure/setting? Same. Criminal conman with heart o’ gold given chance to redeem character by saving dying institution… first its the post office, now its the bank. Moist Van Lipwigs character is so redeemed its like an Iceland voucher.
There are some nice touches, Pratchett’s illustration of the way paper money actually came about (thinly veiled satire, and if you think about it, it is pretty wacky that slips of posh paper mean so much to us) are humorous, and the scenes surrounding the bank rush are timely given Northern Rock (this book was finished before summer apparently).
Overall though, despite the biting wit and satire which are ever present on the Discworld, this novel is too short and not good enough - all of Pratchett’s previous novels have consistently delivered and so whilst this isn’t a bad book, its a case of could (and regularly does) do better.
Finally…. coming soon:
Filed by Kieran at October 30th, 2007 under Blog, Books, Code, Photography