We Know :: Greg Hurwitz - Non Review

I finished reading the book yesterday. It started off with a good pace but somewhere around the middle the pace slackened. The book kept promising something more with every page turn but nothing happened. Well, nothing much. No exploding helicopters, no dragons. Very less body count. A book should get the reader excited and keep him awake till morning light. Sadly, this book was not that.

Lately, i've been picking books just by looking at covers and reading blurbs, just a primal instinct to pick books and challenge myself to read them. But last few reading experience of real books have not been that good. On the other hand, i've enjoyed reading ebooks like 61 Hours and Worth Dying For, both Jack Reacher books. And presently, i am reading Eternal Prison by Jeffery Somers. JS is a fun dude, you can read his blog here.

Picked another book Furnace : Death Sentence by Alexander Gordon Smith. No idea what kind of book it is. Seemed fast and the cover was good. See, this is all it takes to make the sale sometimes. :)

Laters.

N

One More Hiatus

Hello to the non-existent readers of this blog. I am alive and well. After conquering NaNoWriMo, as mentioned in the last post, i didn't want to let the momentum die and so i decided to write A Story A Day on my main blog with the same name. You can check out www.fubar69.blogspot.com for daily stories. I've written eight stories as of today, but there are still 22 more to come. I am reading "We Know by Greg Hurwitz" whenever I can squeeze in a few minutes from here and there. This book is slightly like Jeff Abbot's Trust Me but its got a certain calm pace which makes me want to pick the book up right now and go through few more pages. This was not the case with Trust Me. Maybe because everything was very clear and on the face in Trust Me, while "We Know" keeps its cards close to its chest and reader gets the info in bits and pieces, well, anything that makes a reader turn the pages is good. Right.

Will post more when I pick another book.

Take Care!

N

Finished NaNoWriMo

Phew, this one was close. Almost last minute finish. But well, i crossed the limit of 50k words. Which feels good. Now I am just going to let this piece off, let it marinate and edit it in January. Really looking forward to reading some books because i was so busy with writing in November that I didn't get time to read!
And I have to update some blogs too.
Right on.

Do check A Story A Day in December. I've got plans for that baby.

Science Fiction And Three Links

I have a soft spot for science fiction in my heart and I love it when i discover a new author or a new book which has anything to do with cloning/robotics/nano tech/cyberpunk/or anything equally gruesome.

And on one of my internet journeys, i stumbled across Haikasoru.

What is Haikasoru? you might ask, well, they tell it themself, here

They have a great collection of books you can check out here

That's about it for now. I am not reading any books currently because I am writing for NaNoWriMo, you can read about my NaNoWriMo adventures here

Guess that should keep you busy for some time

Book Report October

A laptop malfunction in October led to a loss of many of the books i had marked up for future readings. Anyway, I managed to finish Ratcatcher. I kept waiting for things to happen in the book. Except a decent sex scene, there was nothing much in the book. I mean, the blurb said that the lead character is badass and everyone is scared of him. He had to get his ass saved by a secondary character TWICE in the book. That's not badass. Anyway, all said and done, the guy, Hawkwood fires a single shot from a sniper rifle to end the novel and kills the girl he had had sex with earlier. Wtf dude. Seriously.

In other news, i read Jack Reacher's next novel, Worth Dying For. It is the standard Jack Reacher fare. Those who love previous Jack Reacher novels must give this one a read, because the end of 61 Hours (previous book in Reacher series) there was a mystery of how Reacher survived the blazing drug filled inferno. Well, he did. Somehow, it is not very clear in the novel, but hey, dude is our hero. He is awesome in his cool calculated, methodical, violent ways. Reading a Jack Reacher novel is like sitting with an old friend and sharing a cold can of beer. Ah yum.

And, the literary Juggernaut, Stephen King won't stop at all. After his last book, Under The Dome, he is releasing his book, Full Dark, No Stars which is a collection of four Novellas. How novel.

You can check the wiki page here .

So, that's about the books and some of the book news.

I bought another book, "We Know" by Gregg Hurwitz. I started reading it, but it's no page turner.

Also, I am reading Scott Siggler's Infected on my phone. Which is a strange experience, but my Nokia 5800 is holding up pretty well.

Till next time!

Take care! and Keep Reading!

N

Book Report :: September :: Ratcatcher

I picked up Ratcatcher by James McGee few months back. The book was snugly stored with the other book in my library while i got busy with reading more books. I picked it up again when i was going for a small journey and the initial chapters of the book were interesting enough for me to put a bookmark in it and pursue it at a later stage.

The later stage is now.

After reading "Trust Me" as told in the last post, this book will be a welcome change given the old time settings of Regency London. Withe mysterious character Hawkwood who has a certain 'past'. I am hoping this would be an exciting read.

After this, i plan to read Terry Pratchett's I Shall Wear Midnight. I read a few chapters of ISWM and found them hilarious, but first it's Ratcatcher's turn.

Also, finished reading The Judas Strain by James Rollins. Standard action fare.

What i am looking forward to reading is Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century Trilogy.

And also, Jeffery Somers' new Avery Cates book.

You see now, how much is left to read!!

-
N

Currently Reading :: Jeff Abbot - Trust Me

This book is a medium paced read. The author has combined the twin topics, one of a looming threat of global terrorism and second of the protagonist's broken relationship with his father and step father (sounds confusing, but you'll get it once you read the novel, if you choose to).

There are certain things i liked about this book and some I didn't. The premise is excellent. A bunch of motivated individuals who are grouped together through the internet and they are ready to cause 10 shades of mayhem in America. There is no proper Hero, but the reluctant hero Luke who is ultimately going to end up stopping the group but only because he is trying to save his own ass and trying to to mystery of his father/stepfather.

What I didn't like about the novel.  It's neither fast, nor slow. It's not a page turner. The life threatening situations are not too life threatening. I mean, you are reading the book, you read that the characters are in trouble, but you know they are going to get out through something loserish like running out of a plane that has landed while the bad guys chase them. There are no thrilling moments in the book. And, no exploding helicopters. Minus ten points for that.

In all, a decent read, though the book makes me wish i had borrowed it from a library and not spent money on buying it.

The Man With The Getaway Face

Parker. That's the name. He is the anti-hero of Richard Stark's novels. I like the chilled out methodical approach of Parker in the two novels I've read so far. The Hunter and The Man With The Getaway Face. If not on the other side of the law, Parker would almost be another of my favorite characters Jack Reacher, created by Lee Child. Both of these dudes are cool, calm, collected, chilled out and they kill when they have to kill.

Something about the book The Man With The Getaway Face. It takes off with Parker having changed his face and him trying to pull off a new job. The story goes in a linear fashion. With things happening one after another, but if you read carefully, there is a lot of story construction going on behind the scenes. These are the kinds of things you realise when you have an "Ah Ha!" moment in reading a novel. I had a few such moment in reading this novel.

Next on list, I've started with The Outfit which is the third book in Parker series. I'm reading this as an ebook, in paper, i think i'll start with The Judas Strain by James Rollins. Also, trying to read few poems by Bukowski.

Yup, that's all for now.

Books I Am Really Looking Forward To

There is only a handful of authors I read with relish, the staple of Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Chuck Palahniuk and above all Sir Terry Pratchett. I also like to read Science Fiction, particularly Cyberpunk, and some Fantasy too. But not too much swords and sorcery for me, it gets suffocating.

With that out of the way, there are few fantasy books i am really looking forward to read.

1) Scott Lynch's The Republic of Thieves. Next instalment of Locke Lamora series. The previous two books The Lies of Locke Lamora (June 2006), and Red Seas Under Red Skies (July 2007) were completely kickass. I mean, fantasy where people swear like anything is total win in my book. One of the most memorable lines I remember from the first book is "Be fucked" proceeded by the sayer shooting the other dude in the head. Lynch writes awesomely. A must read.

2) Richard K. Morgan's The Dark Commands. After I read Ringil's adventures in The Steel Remains, i was blown away by the scale of violence and perversion in the book. I never knew swords and magic could be so amazingly cool. Though Morgan is an expert in cyberpunk, (I re-read all three of his Takeshi Kovacs novels once every year) but his foray in fantasy has been nothing but epic.

3) Patrick Rothfuss was a new find. I saw someone praising him a lot on some forum and decided to read Name Of The Wind. It was fantasy of a different kind for me. There was not so much of swords and magic, there was some magic, but the voice of the author and his main character was strong. The book was a delight to read and now, the second part A Wise Man's Fear will be released in March 2011. Oh well, long wait.

These are the three books, i am looking forward to read. What about you?

Reading Report :: Artemis Fowl's Atlantis Complex

Somehow, i felt that the book ended abruptly. Maybe it was the shorted Artemis book i've read, or maybe i read it too fast. There really is no way to tell unless i tally the word count of all the previous books and this. Which I won't. In all, i enjoyed reading this book. The alternate personality of Artemis was fun and indeed irritating after a while, as Eoin Colfer intended him to be.

The jokes were good and innovative.

In all, the book is good value for money. A must read for Artemis fans. New readers should probably start from Book 1 to garner the interest for reading this book.

Artemis Fowl :: The Atlantis Complex

Eoin Colfer spins a pretty tasty yarn. I read the 2nd Artemis fowl first, which was a pretty awesome book. I think all the Artemis Fowl books are much better than Harry Potter books because AF books do have certain message in them, they are more fun than HP books, there is more of a cool factor, more gadgets, and just more awesomeness.

Yup, so I am off to read Atlantis Complex

:)

Sandstorm by James Rollins

Sandstorm by James Rollins

Just  finished reading this book. A thoroughly researched book, there is a lot ancient history, lot of sciency mumbojumbo, lot of close escapes and the novel also acts as the introductory novel for Sigma Team. We get to meet the team leader Painter Crowe, who isn't much, frankly. I mean, when we are talking special agents, in my book, there is only Shane Sheofield by Matthew Reilly who comes off as someone i'd want to read about again and again.

The book, Sandstorm is a good read, but as with the last book by JR which i read, Excavation, it falls short on the rightful executions of the relationship angles in the book. Fine, there are relationships in every book, but when the reader is led of a merry chase among exploding helicopters, there is some kind of expectation on the reader's part to see the relationships culminate properly.

If you look at Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden books, he does this job with aplomb. Every thread tied, every story loop accounted for, but in the two books i've read by James Rollins, something is missing. What that something is, i am going to find out when i pick up the third book by him The Judas Strain.

Yeah, i have my doubts with this writer, but for writing style and a steady pace which is not breakneck like Matthew Reilly books, or slow as a dead camel like the book The Unknown Soldier.

Pick Sandstorm up if you like books about deserts, ancient civilisations, incomplete love angles, and some exploding helicopters.

Yeah, helicopters do explode in this book, that's a WIN in my book! :)

Next read, The Judas Strain

The Secret Of Excalibur :: Andy McDermott

I was looking to pick any action adventure novel after finishing the last two slow books (read last post). And i found The Secret Of Excalibur in my bookshelf. I had bought this book some time back but it was just hiding under some other books. I started reading it and found it a fresh and enjoyable read. The chemistry between the two lead characters Dr. Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase is funny and charming in turns. The way the character of Eddie Chase goes through a transformation after accidental death of a a friend has been written well. The novel is about the hunt for legendary Excalibur, which is some kind of superconductor used to create a super energy source which can cause super havoc. Feel the drift? Heh.

Other than that, there is your usual fair of exploding helicopters, drowning submarines, race against time, and a Threat To Humanity. All Earth In Peril and it is up to our heroes to Save The Day. Which they always do by the end of the novel. A great read, lots of history, but i guess you need that to fill the book, between the action sequences. I kid.

It's a good book. I read it in less than a week. I had time on my hands.

After this book, i picked up James Rollins' Excavation.

That, in next blog post.

Reading Report :: June

I finished reading The Unknown Soldier by Gerard Seymour. It took me a long time to read. Some 68 days. Why? because I read another book in between, Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey (More about it in a bit).

So, The Unknown Soldier. The book is slow. The premise promises of action. But that's all it does. Promises of action. There is very little action. Couples of camels getting shot, a dude getting sunk in a quicksand, and then a stinger taking down an unmanned airplane. There is lot of character development, of the lead character Caleb and his co travelers who are crossing the desert on camels. What really irritated me was a blurb on the back of the book that said that "the action in the last 150 pages is intense and it won't let you leave your leave the book." For me, last 150 pages were boring. I kept expecting some action and kept reading the book, but none, zilch nada. Even in the end, the book ends as a damp squib. I was not entertained, not disappointed either, because it's not a badly written book, but there is very less good in it.

Now, to Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey. This book is full of action. There is lot of action, there are lot of cool sequences, there are demons and angels and magic and violence, but, there is something missing. What is that missing thing? The basic idea. The basic premise that what the hell the book is about. The basic theme of revenge keeps the book afloat very thinly and frankly, the lack of justification for the title of the book is kinda intriguing. Why is the lead character called Sandman Slim? I never got it. Richard Kadrey's last book which I read was Butcher Bird, which was awesome in parts, some parts of that book blew my mind, on the whole it was ok too, and there WAS a justification for the book's title. This is the least a book can do, tell the reader why is it called what it is called. It gives the reader an idea how to approach the book.

This is what i felt about the books. In my opinion, no book is outrightly good or bad. It's the reader's perception which gives flavor to a book.

Currently reading  :: The Secret Of Excalibur by Andy McDermottt
Next planned read :: Johnny Gone Down

Reading Jim Butcher's "Changes"

Harry Dresden. Wizard, Investigator, trouble magnet and a heck lotta of other things. Jim Butcher has taken a stock character and molded him into something so fine that the fans eagerly await the next Harry Dresden book, every April. The author deserves great kudos for keeping the pace of the books yearly, because reading a Harry Dresden book is an experience in its own. It's nothing enlightening or mindblowing that will make you think and ruminate about the meaning of life and other jazz, but the books with Harry Dresden in it are FUN!

And if a book is fun, it is a winner in my book.

This is the problem with most of the fiction out there. Most people try to impress the reader or make the book a fictional mouthpiece for their own strange agendas but some books are like a bike ride. It's fast, fun and you want to do it again and again. This year's installments of Harry Dresden book Changes is just that, like a bike ride.

In short, Harry Dresden has a daughter now. And the daughter has been kidnapped by baddies, so Harry will do everything in his power and beyond to stop the baddies from harming his daughter. Harry takes a huge beating in the book, just like the previous books in the series, but he manages to emerge victorious after all the trials and tribulations.

Many characters from the past books make small appearances in this book and things do change a lot. I won't tell who all or what all are in the book, that's the fun for you to explore.

Happy Reading!

Buy the book :: From Amazon,
For Indian Readers:: From Flipkart

Pending Update, new books and Penguin India

From now on, i'll try to update this blog weekly. Just to tell everything I did regarding books in the past week. That sounds better than no updates at all.

This week i finished reading Under The Dome by Stephen King. The book is as kickass as Stephen King can be. There is no doubt that die hard King fans would love this book and so would anyone who gets introduced to King now. But if you've not read Stephen King by now, i can only feel sorry for you. Really truly.

Under The Dome, the book is about a town that is placed, well, under a dome. The seclusion from the outside world creates a new political and cultural ecosystem in the town and things start going very very wrong very very soon in the book. Sufficient to say, the bodycount is super high and King delivers!

A must read. Under The Dome.

In other news, I bought One Hundred Years of Solitude. Marquez is a genius, or so I have heard, but somehow I've always avoided his books. There have been enough Marquez fans in my knowledge who'd often guide me towards his books, but I always said no. This time, I bought that book. But to my disappointment, even as I opened the book, the quality of paper and the quality of words printed on that paper was below average. Penguin India needs to brush up their act. A consumer pays 300 bucks for a book and gets below standard quality, who goes to blame? I can easily download an ebook and get a print of the book, at a fraction of original's price, but that won't be cool.

Anyway, here's hoping for a better quality of books from Penguin India.

Currently reading : The Malice Box and Raggamuffin.