Review: Age of Iron by Angus Watson
Age of Iron by Angus Watson.
Released on 2nd September 2014 by Orbit Books.
Dug Sealskinner is a work-shy mercenary traveling south to join up with King Zadar’s army. But he keeps rescuing the wrong people.
Now Dug’s on the wrong side of the thousands-strong army he hoped to join – and worse, Zadar has bloodthirsty druid magic on his side. All Dug has is his war hammer, one small child, and one unpredictable, highly trained warrioress with a lust for revenge that might get them all killed . . .
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book. I have read quite a lot of historical fiction by writers such as Bernard Cornwell, but almost without exception these have been based on post-Roman times so this was my first excursion into the heart of pre-Roman, Iron Age Britain.
I have to admit that I was a little put off by the cover. For some reason the stern looking, unwashed man on the front lead me to think that the novel would not be as good as I discovered it to be.
My first thought upon reading the opening chapters was that the characters seem very modern; they speak and act just like we do today, just with the odd Pagan god thrown in for a curse word every now and then. I found this a little unsettling at first, Continue reading
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Review: Created, The Destroyer by Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir.
Sphere, August 2014.
Created, The Destroyer was originally published in the early 70’s and has now been republished by Sphere. It was released on e-book on 21st August 2014.
About the book:
Sentenced to death for a crime he didn’t commit, ex-cop Remo Williams is rescued from the electric chair at the eleventh hour and recruited by a secret government organisation named CURE. From this moment, he ceases to officially exist.
From now on, he will be an assassin, targeting criminals who are beyond the law. Remo’s trainer is a grouchy old Korean named Chiun, whose mastery of the terrifyingly powerful martial art of Sinanju makes him the deadliest man alive.
Together Remo and Chiun set forth on their epic, impossible mission to vanquish every enemy of democracy – every bad guy who thinks they can escape justice.
This is a new era in man’s fight against the forces of evil.
This is the time of the Destroyer.
I wasn’t sure what to make of this book. I had very little knowledge of it before reading aside from the fact that I knew it was a series.
This book began well and drew me in. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Of course I knew Remo was going to escape his execution but how was a mystery and it was interesting to see how his rescuers got him out of that situation.
Remo is a believable hero (you don’t find out too much about his past aside from the fact that he was in Vietnam. I would have liked to have known more about him.)
by Review: The Tiny Wife by Andrew Kaufman
The Friday Project, 2011.
A robber charges into a bank with a loaded gun, but instead of taking any money he steals an item of sentimental value from each person. Once he has made his escape, strange things start to happen to the victims.
A tattoo comes to life, a husband turns into a snowman, a baby starts to shit money. And Stacey Hinterland discovers that she’s shrinking, a little every day, and there is seemingly nothing that she or her husband can do to reverse the process.
The Tiny Wife is a weird and wonderful modern fable. Small, but perfectly formed, it will charm, delight and unnerve in equal measure.
The Tiny Wife is a short novella. It’s about ninety pages in length and so I read it in a couple of sittings (night shifts got in the way again,) so it’s great if you’re looking for something short to read. This book got recommended on You Tube so I thought I would give it a go. I chose the hardback version as I just thought the cover was beautiful. You can also get in paperback and on Kindle too.
The story opens on a bank robbery but the thief doesn’t take money. Instead, he takes a sentimental item from each person. Soon after the robbery, each person goes through a different experience – some have a positive outcome and some don’t. The story is mostly told from the point of view of the husband of someone in the bank. Stacey begins to shrink soon after the robbery as a reflection of her own life. Another example is Dawn’s tattoo of a lion that comes to life and begins to chase her.
This story makes you really think and the lesson is not to take your life for granted. It really made me reflect on my life. From the first page this book pulled me into everyone’s story. I wanted to know how it ended and it’s beautifully written. I loved the illustrations which are dotted throughout the book too. It made me think of what would happen to me. Even though I finished it a couple of days ago, I am still thinking about it.
This was an original, magical story and well worth reading. I loved it.
by More Books To Kick Start Your Writing
As a new writer, the first battle for me was knowing where to begin. With so many ‘how to’ books on the market, it’s hard to pick which one could be right for you.
We posted our ‘five books to kick start your writing,‘ last year. As there were so many I wanted to pick, here are a few more I think you may find helpful as you find your own path to writing your first book.
I have lost track of the amount of people who have recommended this book to me. Whenever I am talking about ‘how to write’ books with other writers, this book (along with Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott,) will always comes up accompanied by the sentence, “have you read it? You should, it’s fantastic.” Part memoir, it also offers invaluable advice and a tool kit for aspiring writers. Stephen is one of the most successful writers so I don’t think you can go far wrong with On Writing. (Hodder Paperbacks.)
by Blog Tour: The Atlas of Us by Tracy Buchanan – Review
The Atlas of Us is about family, loss, resilience, reconciliation and hope…
When Louise Fenton flies to Thailand to find her mother, Nora, after the Boxing Day tsunami, she fears the worst when the only trace she can find is her mother’s distinctive bag. In the bag is a beautifully crafted atlas owned by travel journalist Claire Shreve, with her notes and mementos slipped in-between the pages. The journal tells the story of Claire’s struggle to find her place in the world following a life-altering revelation, and a tumultuous love affair.
Louise treks across Thailand’s scarred landscape, exploring Claire’s atlas to try to make sense of the connection between this woman and the mother she is so desperate to find.
As devastated people are beginning to put their lives back together, Louise uncovers the secrets that nearly destroyed Claire and the man she loved – the same secrets her mother has been guarding all these years …
This book has such a beautiful cover but from the blurb, I was intrigued to find out how the author was going to tackle the subject matter (the story is set around the tsunami that happened in 2004.)
Told from the point of view of two seemingly unconnected women, Louise and Claire, the story immediately drew me in. It does jump around between the two storylines but this helped build up the mystery and suspense – that urge to keep turning the page as I wanted to know what would happen. I particularly resonated with certain aspects of Claire’s life.
by Book Club
