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As well as the more general Author Recommendation I've decided to start adding recommendations for specific books that take my fancy. These are the books that, though I may have already talked about the people that wrote them, I feel deserve special mention as they are just so darn good. Here's hoping you find something that takes your fancy.

I thought I would start off my new Book Recommendations page with a double whammy of Dean Koontz novels, mainly because they are both so good I couldn't decide between them. And so first up is Velocity, Koontz's most recent offering. For a book with such a high speed, energetic title Velocity starts at an incredibly slow pace. The first chapter takes place in a bar where a local bar fly is toasting the four year anniversary of his next-door neighbours death. Prompted by those around him he goes on to tell a highly amusing story, I actually laughed out loud while reading it, of urination and death by garden gnome, during which the books main character is introduced with such subtlety that you hardly notice he's there until the end of the chapter.

After that however things quickly take a turn for the macabre and scary. Heading home for the night Bartender Billy Wiles, our hero in waiting, finds a note stuck under the wipers of his car. Thinking it simply another flyer advertising some local event or offering him a discount on his dry cleaning he quickly removes it and reads the following message.

The clock is off and running. Unsure what to make of the note Billy takes it to show an acquaintance, Lanny Olson, who also happens to be a policeman and who quickly dismisses it as a joke, if admittedly a rather sick one. Six hours later the schoolteacher dies. Soon after that Billy receives a second note. Before he knows what’s happening Billy is hemmed in on all sides by the choices demanded of him by the killer and kept from help by the increasing amount of evidence pointing his way. The Killer quickly decides to make things personal, forcing Billy to choose victims from the people around him, and then ups the anti even more by targeting Billy in person.

I only started reading Dean Koontz's books fairly recently and since then I have been grabbing pretty much ever one I can get my hands on. Koontz has a seriously warped mine, an amazing flare for bizarre comedy and the courage to take his stories in weird and wonderful directions that would have other writers running for the hills in terror. Velocity is a great read and one of the few Koontz books that keeps to one genre all the way through. If you are looking for a place to jump into Koontz's ever expanding world, 47 books and counting, then this is a great place to start, though personally I still think that Odd Thomas is his best work to date.

Life Expectancy - Dean Koontz - 28/08/05

And so on to my second Dean Koontz recommendation for the day. Unlike Velocity the events of Life Expectancy take place over an entire lifetime rather than a few hectic days. That said don't for a second think that that means the pace is any slower. This book cracks along a fair old whack even if at times many years separate the events in question. So enough of my blabbering, what's the book about?

The story follows the life of one Jimmy Tock, a big for his size pastry chef, who on the day of his birth has a terrifying destiny thrust his way. His grandfather, dying in the same hospital in which he is to be born, predicts five dark and terrible days in the life of his grandson. Further predictions are made that seem to validate the truth of the old man's deathbed words and at the very moment his grandfather draws his last breath Jimmy emerges into the world...and within seconds finds his life and destiny placed in jeopardy.

After its initial cryptic and blood filled opening the story jumps ahead to the first of these dark and terrible days and finds Jimmy, and the rest of the Tock family, preparing for the worst. It's here that Koontz's flair for comedy really shines through with deep belly laughs being drawn from an increasingly dark and sinister situation. There is no real surprise as to what the source of the evil Jimmy is set to face eventually turns out to be, in fact anyone who doesn't guess by the end of the first chapter really isn't paying attention. But then with this, as with a number of Koontz's books, the joy is in how he chooses to reveal the information rather than the information itself.

Even though you know that Jimmy is set to face five dark and terrible days and the book is written in the first person you still have this nagging feeling that the main character might not make it. And it's a feeling that Koontz's is more than happy to play upon. On more than one occasion in the book he happily leads you down a blind alley only to suddenly completely change direction and leave you feeling dizzy. You expect one thing, in fact everything points that way, but then something completely different happens...or does it.

Despite the liberal helpings of horror and violence this is a story about love, relationships and the true meaning of family. There are pages that really tug at the old heartstrings, moments of tenderness and self-sacrifice that you find yourself hoping you could attain if faced with the same situation. There are also twists and turns galore, more slight of hand and misdirection than on a Paul Daniels rerun and enough good reasons to stay away from the circus for life.

If pressed I would find it hard to say which of the two Dean Koontz books I have recommended here I enjoyed the most. The stories, while both dealing with murder and mystery, are completely different and the main characters have such unique voices that there is very little with which to compare the two. My advice in this case is simple, get both.

The Murder Artist - John Case - 29/08/05

I love thrillers, read them by the bucket load. However it's been a fair while since I have been as emotionally involved in a book as I was with this one. The first hundred pages or so of this novel are so intense and emotionally draining that I actually found myself having to put the book down to check that the world outside hadn't been swallowed up by a great grey ball of depression. (It hadn't in case you were wondering)

The story starts with Alex Callahan reluctantly taking his two 6 year old twin boys, Sean and Kevin, to a Renaissance Faire. The faire turns out to be a great success and much to his surprise Alex finds that he is enjoying himself. The three of them head over to watch the joust, the boys rushing to the front to join the Green Knight's supporters while Alex takes a seat and keeps an eye on the twins. After watching the Green Knight despatch the Black Knight, he turns to see how the boys have enjoyed the joust, but at first he can't see them. And then: he really can't see them at all.

It's at this point that the bottom drops out of Alex's world and you feel yourself dropping with it. The first third of the book focuses on the Polices attempt to find out what has happened to the twins and is written so powerfully that, as the story is told from Alex's point of view, you can almost feel yourself going through the pain, guilt, anger and heartache that he suffers. At first the police believe Alex is responsible for the boy's disappearance and he is forced to under go a polygraph and hours of interrogation. Once they finally realise that Alex is innocent the trail is cold and the sheer desperation Alex feels practically explodes from the page.

Frustrated with the Police's lack of success Alex takes the investigation upon himself and the rest of the book follows him on his search. With Alex now off on his journey it is probably a good time to mention my one complaint about this book...well perhaps complaint is too strong a word. Let me explain. About half way through the book I suddenly found myself stopping, putting the book to one side and feeling really reluctant to read on. The reason was that for the very first time in the story I could see where it was going and, as I had been so caught up in the tale to this point, I found this really disappointing.

Thankfully however my disappointment didn't last long and with in two pages I was back into the flow of things. The story quickly moved on from the move obvious and into the dark heart of magic and voodoo, which once again left me blissfully in the dark as to its final destination. This is a really good book written by a really good author. The story is both gripping and draining in equal measures and the mystery unfolds so naturally that the character never makes jumps of intuition that you yourself couldn't make if presented with the same information.

Summer may be drawing to a close but if you still have some beach sitting in your near future then this is a great book to help while away the hours as you turn bronze. Just don't start it right before bedtime or you won't get a wink of sleep.

Atlantis - David Gibbins - 09/09/05

If David Gibbins isn't a huge Clive Cussler fan I will eat my hat. In fact, seeing I don't own a hat, I will go out, buy one and then eat it. Atlantis reads like a Dirk Pitt wannabe novel and I am still somewhat undecided as to whether this is a good thing or not. To be completely honest I am even a little unsure as to if I should be including this book on my recommendations page or not, as though I enjoyed it at the same time I didn't. Maybe I should try and explain.

As anyone who has visited my site regularly will know I am a mhasssive Clive Cussler fan myself. I generally devour his books in a single sitting and get a tingle of almost child like excitement every time a new Dirk Pitt adventure pops up on Amazon (Don't worry I am seeking help for this!!!). And so when I started reading Atlantis the similarities between it and Cussler's world hit me at once, so much so that I found myself wondering how closely you can base a book on something before it becomes plagiarism.

Gibbins's main characters are the tall, dark and ruggedly handsome Jack Howard (ex-navy as opposed to ex-air force like Pitt) and his short, stocky and tough companion Costas Kazantzakis (who is Greek rather than Italian like Al Giordino). The two of them work for IMU, the International Maritime University, an organisation that travels the world seeking out lost treasures, ship wrecks and generally righting wrongs. Can you say NUMA!!! The love interest is a Russian archaeologist named Katya Svetlanova, a beauty with penetrating green eyes and long glossy black hair, who of course is completely unable to resist Jack's charms. (Actually as a quick side note has anyone ever met an amazingly attractive archaeologist in real life? They pop up everywhere in fiction.) Finally the bad guy is a rich, powerful and well-educated leader of an international terrorist organisation who finance their operation by stealing ancient treasures. So far so Pitt!!! On top of all this IMU's research vessel Seaquest, with it's hidden weaponry and armoured control centre, reads like a toned down version of Captain Juan Cabrillo's ship Oregon, another of Cussler's inventions.

I think Gibbins's goal when writing this book was to create a British Dirk Pitt, something I have dreamt about doing myself, but then there are better ways to go about it than simply renaming people and organisations and hoping no one notices. But enough of all that, I am willing to concede that my love of Cussler's books has somewhat warped my perception of this novel and so now that I have said my piece I will attempt to judge the book purely on its own merits from now on.

Atlantis is a good book. David Gibbins has worked as an underwater archaeologist in real life and this shows in the attention to detail and realism of his underwater scenes. He has also clearly done his research as the sheer amount of historical and scientific information he hits you with is almost overwhelming. After a fairly slow but involved start the action really heats up for the last quarter of the book as Gibbins throws so many action clichés into the works that you can hardly keep up. Gun battles are followed by daring escapes are followed by fights with evil henchmen which in turn are followed by helicopter battles. All watched over nicely by terrorists and the threat of nuclear apocalypse.

The Cussler similarities aside, look see how I am not mentioning it again, this book does have a number of flaws that are often found in first novels (trust me my books full of them!!). I mean you can only have so many recent archaeological discoveries providing you with just the right missing piece of the puzzle before it starts getting unbelievable. As I said at the beginning I was a little unsure about putting this book in as a recommendation but at the end of the day I would feel worse about leaving it out.

Gibbins clearly intends to write future Jack Howard adventures (the last line of the book is "But that's another story") and as he really starts to make the character his own and so moves away from mirroring a certain other author who I won't mention the stories can only improve. Though where exactly he intends to go with them I have no idea as by the end of Atlantis they had pretty much discovered everything from the Ark of the Covenant to Aliens (kind of).

If you enjoy this book then why not check out Atlantis Found by Clive Cussler and see how the master told the same story.

Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow - David Gemmell - 09/09/05

David Gemmell is regarded by many, myself included, as one of the greatest fantasy writers alive today. And so with this in mind it may surprise many to learn that his latest book, Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow, isn't a fantasy novel...or is it? I guess it all depends on whether you believe if the legend of Troy was based on real events or not. If you do then this book is a brilliant historical novel, if you don't then its a creative fantasy adventure lacking in any of the normal fantasy elements such as magic, mystical beast or strange fantastic lands.

Either way this is a really great book that reads like an introduction to the main story of Troy that we all know and love. In fact characters such as Helen and Paris are barely mentioned, Hektor only turns up in the final chapter and Achilles is absent from the story completely. This is the story before the story, the build up to the war, and on numerous occasions I found myself wishing I knew Homers tale better so that I could tell exactly what parts were "real" and which bits came purely from Gemmell's amazing imagination.

This story, like many of Gemmell's other books, follows the adventures of three heroic but flawed characters. First and fore most there is Helikaon, a young prince of Dardania and great friend of Odysseus, who travels the Great Green (The Aegeon Sea) fighting pirates in the largest ship ever built, while at the same time trying to temper his sometimes uncontrollable rage. Next up is the priestess Andromache who is sent to Troy to become Hektor's wife but who is in love with Helikaon. And lastly the legendary warrior Argurios, a man whose sense of honour forces him to defend his enemies against his friends and thus risk all he holds dear.

Anyone who had ever read a David Gemmell book before will have a fair idea how things go. His heroes face struggles, both physical, emotional and spiritual, and eventually emerge better, stronger people...or die in the attempt. Actually that’s one thing I have noticed about Gemmell's books, he's not afraid to kill off his heroes and this novel is no exception. Not all of his main characters survive to the end of the story, though I won't spoil it by telling you which ones don't make it as Gemmell is happy to keep you guessing all the way through.

At a recent book signing for this novel Gemmell described the book as a "25 mile an hour story". By that he meant that the book is slow enough to give you a broad and detailed picture of the world its set in but still fast enough to give you a thrill with the top down. This book is indeed the most detailed and in-depth novel he has writen so far but he still manages to lay the action on thick and finishes the book with a battle worthy of Dros Delnoch itself.

All in all, though the stories of Druss and Skilgannon remain my favourites, I think this is by far his best book to date and I can hardly wait for the next two books in the series. Agamemnon is preparing his fleet and the heroes of old are starting to choose sides. The greatest battle of the ancient world is about to start and the story is to be told by one of the most skilled writters in the genre...what ever that genre may be!!!

Orcs - Stan Nicholls - 25/09/05

I like fantasy; I mean you only have to scroll the page up a couple of inches to know that. But I have never been a big fan of what I call Hard Fantasy. Stories of elves, dwarfs, pixies and dragons generally have me looking the other way. So I was somewhat surprised myself when, at the recommendation of a friend, I picked up a copy of Stan Nicholls' Orcs Omnibus. Here was not one but three Hard Fantasy stories that didn't even feature recognisable humans as the main characters...and its not as though the title didn't let me know exactly what I was getting myself into. With that in mind I was even more surprised to find that I really enjoyed the story and read all three books within a week.

That's not to say it was all plain sailing from the get go. For at least the first half of the first book I was finding it fairly hard going. As well as the obvious Orcs the first part of the book features a couple of Dwarves, a dragon, a gremlin, a group of creatures called Kobolds and a sex act with a unicorns horn that...well that really shouldn't be discussed in polite company. Added to all this the only humans involved where bad guys, referred to only as Unis and Manis!!! It was all a bit much.

But I stuck at it and I'm glad I did. The basic plot of all three books follows the misadventures of Stryke and his warband, the Wolverines, as they try to escape the murderous intentions of their megalomaniac employer Queen Jennesta, she of the afore mention unicorn horn fame. The warband is made up of Stryke, four other officers who join him in taking centre stage and a group of twenty-five grunts who seem to be barely involved in the story for the most part, other than to wade in now and then during the books many many fight scenes.

After deciding to go on the run after failing to complete a mission for the Queen, Stryke and his gang become embroiled in the hunt for five mystical objects known as Instrumentalities, a word that looks good on paper but that is incredibly difficult to pronounce. What these Stars, as they thankfully become known, are or do remains a mystery until the very end of the novel and it is only the vague hint that they might offer the Wolverines a better life that keeps the warband pushing forward. What follows is a mad dash around the country, and much violence, as the Orcs try to collect all five Stars before the Queen catches up with them.

This is a good story that reads kind of like a Saturday morning TV show. The first two books even feature cliffhanger endings and there are 'Previously on Orcs' style recaps at the start of the second and third novels. The problem is I was left with the feeling that the story could have been so much better had the writer been a bit more brutal. Don't get me wrong, the violence is pretty graphic and there is more than enough of it to make Quentin Tarantino wince. The problem is that the Wolverines are just too damn good. Every battle they enter into they win with barely a scratch to show for the effort. In fact during the course of the book only five of their number die, two of which snuff it in the opening chapter. To me this gave the action a kind of cartoon feel. Yes I know you can't go killing off your heroes willy nilly but when you keep saying things like 'the odds looked grim, they might not all survive' and then they do, it kind of robs the story of its tension. I think towards the end Stan Nicholls realised this himself as he introduces another, larger band of Orcs that basically turn up and die. But still this isn't quite the same.

My moaning aside it's an interesting story that cracks along at a rate of knots and is very rarely dull. Almost every fantasy creature you can think of makes an appearance, usually just in time to die horribly, and Nicholls throws a few of his own creations into the mix as well...who also get chopped up a fair bit.

If you like Hard Fantasy then you will love this, and if not its a good place to start as it contains very few surprises and doesn't really try to do anything that new with the different races outside of what we all know of them from other books, films and computer games. Plus it has the added bonus of being only £5.99 from Play.com. Like I said to start with I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I was going to. Though it doesn't mean I am going to rush out a buy more Hard Fantasy novels, as I still like my stories more Gemmell than Tolkien.

Seven Ancient Wonders - Matthew Reilly - 20/11/05

It's not everyday that someone like me gets to read a book almost a whole two months before the rest of the country, and so I guess I have to start by thanking Play.com for messing up and sending me an advanced reading copy of Seven Ancient Wonders way ahead of its release date. Ta lads.

Thanks aside lets move on with the recommendation shall we. For his seventh action packed outing Matthew Reilly has headed deep into Indiana Jones territory. The story follows the exploits of Captain Jack West Jr and his small international team of elite soldiers in their quest to obtain a piece of the legendary Capstone of Giza. This fabled golden capstone vanished over 4500 years ago, broken into seven pieces and disappearing into legend. The stories say that whoever obtains all seven pieces with bring absolute global power to their nation, and now for the first time in millennia the location of the pieces is known.

As with all of Reilly's books the action kicks off straight away with West's team racing to claim the first piece of the capstone, which is buried deep inside an ancient booby trapped mine. Aligned against them are some of the most fiendish and deadly traps ever designed by man and two rival teams, one American and one European, both possessing far larger numbers, almost infinite resources and more than enough psychosis to fill an insane asylum. What follows is a mad dash, life or death struggle that takes our heroes all over the planet in search of the seven ancient wonders of the title.

This book is exactly what you would expect from the true king on escapist action, fast, over the top and involving larger than life characters with definitely more balls than brains. That said, while it hurtles along at a fair old whack, unlike some of his previous books this one at least takes time to breath. There are a number of sections where the action takes a back seat for a few chapters while the characters plan their next move. There are also a number of nice flash backs that fill out the burly action hero types and do a fairly good job of turning them into real people.

But these lulls never last for long and within a few pages you find yourself hip deep in the action again. Throw in a touch of the supernatural and the impending destruction of the earth and there is more than enough going on to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. But much as it pains me I have to admit that this book troubled me a bit in places and as a result is the only Matthew Reilly novel I haven't read in a single sitting. Now there is a good change that some of these issues relate to the fact I've got a pre-release copy, gosh I like saying that, and I'm hoping a sharp eyed editor picks them up before it hits the shelves for real. You see in a number of places Reilly seems to have trouble with his numbers. West team is supposedly made up members from eight countries but no matter how many times I reread the chapter introducing them I could only ever come up with seven. In the same section he names eight people and then refers to the nine people at the table. All this got me very confused.

That tiny complaint aside I loved this book, in case you hadn't guessed. Matthew Reilly is a great author who understands that books should be good fun to read. This one, like all the others, ends with a short interview with the man himself and you get a real sense of the enjoyment he gets from writing these adventures. According to Reilly Jack West Jr could well be returning for a second outing sometime in the future and I for one am looking forward to that already.

Retribution - Jilliane Hoffman - 16/11/05

I read this book a month or so back now and have been meaning to write a recommendation for it ever since. However every time I've sat down to do it my mind has gone blank. Not because I couldn't think of anything good to say about it, on the contrary I really can't praise this book enough, rather I found it hard to adequately put my thoughts and feelings into words. Six weeks later and I'm trying again and this time the brain is firing on all cylinders...both of them!!!

The book starts with beautiful law student Chloe Larson heading out for her anniversary with her boyfriend. The evening doesn't go exactly has she had in mind, no engagement ring for a start, and spurning her fellas advances she returns home alone...only to be brutally raped, tortured and left for dead by a sadist in a rubber clown mask. The next few chapters follow the failed police investigation and the subsequent break up of her relationship and break down of Chloe herself. The rapist gets completely away and Chloe's life is ruined.

Skip forward twelve years and Chloe is now CJ and has a formidable reputation in the Miami Dade State Attorney's Office. Onto the scene comes Cupid, a vicious serial killer with a taste for rape, torture and outlandish murders. When the police stop a suspect and find the body of young girl in the boot of his car with her heart removed, Cupid's trade mark mutilation, they are sure they have their man. And so is CJ who, assigned to the case, almost immediately recognises the suspect as the man who raped her all those years ago...and she wants payback.

And so the chase is on. With the suspect in custody the police relax but CJ finds herself skirting the razors edge of sanity as she attempts to prosecute the man who destroyed her life without anyone, especially him, finding out their connection. This is basically a highly detailed legal drama story but what raises it above the ordinary and into the excellent is the sheer emotional power of some of its scenes. The rape scene in particular, told in flashback snippets through out the story, is brutal and visceral and left me, as a bloke, feeling drained and somewhat violated. The murder scenes as well have a real sense of evil and darkness about that that practically radiates from the page.

As a central character CJ is perfect. She's strong and forthright and more than up for the job, but beneath it all she is both physically and emotionally scarred by her attack and only just holding it together. There are sections when you can almost feel her fear as she is forced to face the man who tired to kill her and all but succeeded. On top of all that this is only Jilliane Hoffman's first book and most writers get better with time. Hoffman has worked as an attorney in the very offices she writes about and the level of detail and knowledge of her subject shines through in the writing.

Everyone in my house has read this now and we have all had a similar response to it. This is a brilliant, dark, gritty and gripping book that is likely to keep you up all night and then give you nightmares afterwards....but don't let that put you off as its well worth a touch of insomnia.

The Loch - Steve Alten - 22/03/06

Steve Alten is back with yet another deep water story of larger than life creatures and the men that hunt them, and there in no prize for guessing in which body of water this one is set. After nearly dying in a deep-sea accident whilst conducting an experiment to prove once and for all the existence of Giant Squid, Marine Biologist Zachary Wallace finds his life in ruins. Blamed publicly for the accident Zach is plagued by night terrors and a sudden fear of the water that practically destroys his career. Added to this a terrifying memory from his childhood has surfaced for the first time in years, a memory of something that happened to him out on the waters of Loch Ness.

His salvation comes from a most unexpected source. His estranged father, Angus Wallace, is on trial for murdering a business partner and has called for Zach's help. Returning to Scotland for the first time in years Zach finds himself once more immersed in a culture that thrives on Nessie law, something Zach, in his professional capacity, cannot believe. And then, on his first day in court, Angus drops his bombshell. He claims that he is innocent of the murder and that the real killer is none other than the Loch Ness Monster it's self. Charged by his father to prove his innocence Zach finds himself not only in search of the mythical beast but the truth behind what really happened to him seventeen years before out on those dark waters.

This is probably the most believable Nessie story that you will ever read as well as being a great fast paced thriller. Alten throws out all of the preconceptions about the monster and approaches the subject from a new and fresh angle. Incorporating the very latest research this Nessie is not the lumbering dinosaur of old but something far more deadly, terrifying and scientifically realistic. Drawing on the history of Loch Ness as a place and not just a tourist attraction Alten flawlessly blends history, religion, science and mythology into a cracking good monster story.

I really enjoyed this book though I did have one issue with it that took me over half the book to get over. You see almost all of the characters in the book apart from Zach speak with a heavy Scottish accent and as such large parts of the dialogue are written this way and, like the spoken tongue, can be a bit tricky to understand at first. When first visiting his father in prison Zach is asked if he is "Here tae see oor Angus?" On the very next page he questions his father about why he is afraid of the water to which his father replies "I think we baith ken the answer tae that." Generally you can understand what is being said without too much trouble but there are times when the heavy use of the Scottish way of speaking can have you reading a sentence two or three times to understand exactly what was said. But then this is a small complaint and I doubt that the book would have read so true if everyone spoke perfect Queen's English.

If you liked Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park series or Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong then there is a good chance you will love this novel. A monster story with real bite and the facts and science to make it all seem a little too real.

Temeraire - Naomi Novik - 23/03/06

It has been a long time since I enjoyed a book on so many levels as I enjoyed this one. Naomi Novik's debut novel is a fast paced, action pact, thrilling, humorous, emotional, epic adventure story that blends together a number of different genres so perfectly that you can't spot the joins. The idea behind the story is so surprisingly simple that I am amazed that no one else has thought of it before. Set during the Napoleonic Wars it tells the story of Britain’s air force, yup you heard me right, and the adventures of Captain William Laurence and his dragon Temeraire.

This book is every bit a fantasy novel while at the same time being a historical war story. The dragons in the story are not mystical or magical creatures but simply a fact of nature who have lived beside mankind as far back as history goes. The dragons in this book read to me very much like large, intelligent, talking, flying dogs...if you can picture that. They had the kind of relationship with their Captains that dog's have with their owners. Loving, loyal guardians who bond with their Captains in a deep and oh so canine way. In fact it's this bond that is at the very heart of the story.

The book starts with Captain Laurence as a naval officer capturing a French frigate and finding a dragons egg on board. This is a great prize for the British who have far fewer dragons than the French. The bounty alone should set Laurence up for life. But then it hatches and that changes everything. You see dragons have to accept a harness within a few hours of birth or they go wild and are useless to the Air Corps. They also form a relationship with who ever harnesses them that is unbreakable and that will last a lifetime. When the dragon rejects the officer chosen to harness him and instead chooses to bond with Captain Laurence instead, Laurence knows his life in the navy is over, as is the relationship with the woman he loves. From now on it's just him and the dragon, that he names Temeraire after the famous warship.

Most of the book deals with Laurence and Temeraire training to be members of the Air Corps. This includes learning to dog fight, fly as part of a formation and choosing a crew. Yup the dragons in this story are so big, about the same size as the ship Laurence commands at he start of the story, that they have crews. The harnesses are made up of web like rigging that allows the crew to clamber all over the beasts. Sharp shooters are stationed on the dragons back while bombers hand from its belly. If the dragon takes a wound then the crew can patch it up in midair. It is even possible to board enemy dragons for direct hand to hand combat with the crew...which makes for really exciting reading.

The book culminates with Napoleon's all out air assault on Britain and a massive air/naval battle. If you can picture in your mind the film Dragonheart merged with the gritty realism of the Russell Crow movie Master and Commander then you will have a good idea of how this story reads. Yes there are a few moments when its a little hard to picture exactly what’s going on or when the period language can get a bit heavy but all in all this is a truly masterful story, all the more so for being a first novel. Even before I was half way through I was checking the Internet for a sequel and was pleased to find that by this time next year two more Temeraire stories will be available. I can hardly wait...now will someone tell me where I can get my own dragon?

The Two Minute Rule - Robert Crais - 24/03/06

The Two Minute Rule of the title refers to how long a bank robber can hope for at a robbery before the cops show up. Every second after that initial two minutes makes it more and more likely that he will land in jail. Max Holman knows this only too well as the one time he broke this rule landed him a ten-year stretch in federal prison. As the book start Max's sentence is over and he is looking forwards to a new life and a chance to catch up with the son he barely knows. But before Max can take a single breath of free air his son is murdered, gunned down along with three other men on the banks of the Los Angeles River. And when it turns out that all four men were cops Max knows that the motives behind the killings are anything but simple and that he will willingly risk it all, including his newly earned freedom, to get to the truth.

As you would expect from the guy behind Hostage (recently turned into a movie starting Bruce Willis) and Demolition Angel this is a clever, gritty thriller with plenty of twist and turns and well-drawn characters. Max Holman is a great lead, an edgy tough streetwise ex-con who finds the bottom falling out of his world at the death of his son. Struggling to stay not only on the right side of the law but also of a serious case of depression he is forced to seek help from the very person who put him in jail in the first place. Which introduces nicely former special agent Katherine Pollard of the FBI, now a widowed stay at home mum with an over bearing mother desperate to set her up with a nice young man.

Together this unlikely pair set off to track down the murders, a quest that lands Max in a whole heap of trouble. I have only read a handful of Robert Crais books and honestly have to say that this is not the best he has to offer. However it is still head and shoulders over the large majority of crime thrillers on the scene. Crais has a way of piling on the tension and action in manner that leaves you breathless. Rare for a novel the title actually plays an important part in the story with a climax that has you watching the clock like an episode of 24. A great novel and a great place to jump into Crais's world, as it's not part of a series like so many other of his books.

Creepers - David Morrell - 30/03/06

Wow, Jiminy cricket, ding dang doo, pinch my bum and call me Rosie! That was one hell of a book, but then you would expect nothing less from the guy who invented Rambo. This is the book that puts the "Arrrrgh, run, just run for it, no don't look back, he's coming oh god he's coming" back into thriller. To review this book without using the word fandabbydosy could be considered heresy.

And pause for breath!!!

The Creepers of the title are a group of urban explorers who illegally enter sealed buildings - hotels, offices, department stores - for the purpose of exploring the past and the thrill of being somewhere they shouldn't. They take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints. The story starts as a group gathers to infiltrate the fabled Paragon Hotel, a decaying seven-story pyramidal building built by a reclusive millionaire. A once beautiful structure that dates back to the hay day of Art Deco and which now holds more dark secrets than the team could possibly imagine.

The scene is set and the thrills are off and running. Things start much as you would expect in a story about people exploring a run down building but rapidly escalates in surprising and horrific directions. Just when you think that these poor people can't survive any more the author throws another curve ball that leaves you reeling. The violence, when it comes, is sudden, extreme and deadly. The bad guys are almost inhumanly evil and you wonder how Morrell could possibly top their malevolence...until shockingly he does.

Morrell keeps the chapters short, which adds to the pace, and often ends them on a cliffhanger or even halfway through a conversation, an idea which works far better than you would expect. Conversations are frequently rapid, breathless and tinged with terror. The whole story takes place over only a few short hours and the book is divided into hour-long sections kind of like a season of 24. The only reason I didn't read this book in a single sitting was the fact I had to go to work the next day and that said I stayed up far later than I should have just trying to find a pause in the action that would allow me to put the book down.

I could easily go on about this book all day but to do so would require me to give away essential plot points and I would feel remiss to do that as the less you know the more you will enjoy the story. My advice is to book yourself a day, unplug the phone and just read until you're finished...then lock all your doors and pray you will be able to get a good night's sleep at some point in the near future. If you would like more information on urban exploring check out the Infiltration Magazine Website otherwise just go out and buy this book now. Fandabbydosy!!!

Brother Odd - Dean Koontz - 22/01/07

Thanks to a major case of insomnia combined with the unpleasant effects of a cold I read this book in one sitting. Now while I am in no way complaining about this as Brother Odd is Dean Koontz at his best, the fact that this took place between the hours of 11.30pm and 5.30am last night probably explains while I feel like death warmed over as I write this. Which, given the subject matter, is possibly a good thing!!!

Brother Odd is the third in a series of books featuring the character of Odd Thomas (the other two being Odd Thomas and Forever Odd), a short order cook who just happens to be able to see the dead. Odd is a unassuming, kind, self deprecating kind of a guy who has had great responsibility thrust upon his shoulders and who takes his job very seriously. The dead come to him for help, think Jennifer Love Hewitt in The Ghost Whisperer only with mute ghosts, better one liners and less cleavage, and to warn him of impending dangers to the living. Odd using his abilities to solve crimes, sometimes even being able to stop them from happening in the first place. All of which, being his third outing, you would probably know before reading a word of the latest book.

Brother Odd finds our soft spoken hero having retreated from the world after the horrors of the last two books and now living a quiet life at monastery high in the snow covered mountains. Life is good, his only responsibility being the cooking of pancakes for the monks, and best of all there are no ghosts...well except for the occasional visit from a bell ringing poltergeist and of course the spirit of the king of rock and roll himself, Elvis Presley. But then Elvis has never been any trouble and seems content just trying to make Odd smile. Of course all that changes with the arrival of the bodachs!

Bodachs are dark smoke like spirits that vaguely resemble human sized cyotes. They have no features and move silently, unable to interact directly with the living. The problem is they are attracted by death, and not the soft passing away in your sleep kind of death either. No what draws bodachs is violent, bloody, terrible death usually involving numerous innocent people, and when they appear at a monastery where the only people for miles around are monks, nuns and disabled children then this is definitely not a good sign. The book follows Odd has he desperately tries to work out why the bodachs are there before it becomes all too terrifyingly obvious.

Odd is a wonderfully likable character, well aware of his limitations and full of guilt over his past failing. But despite this he is an easy going guy, always polite, even to the bad guys, friendly and able to see the funny side in almost any situation. Because of this the books have an endearing quality as no matter how bad things get, and the do get bad, Odd comes across as a little ray of light doing his damndest to keep the darkness at bay. The books are also written not just in the first person but as though Odd himself is the author which allows the story to drop in anecdotes about what makes a good book and other such things and still seem completely natural. The book is also very funny. With the skill of a seasons stage comic Dean Koontz weaves themes and stories into his comedy so that throw away lines at the beginning of the book popup again and again through out the story, each time more funny that the last. There are also some great comedy set piece scattered here and there, the moment where Odd relates the weapons he has preferred to use over a gun, which includes a cross eyed ferret, a rubber snake and a large sausage, causing me to laugh out loud despite the seriousness of the over all story.

If you have read the previous Odd Thomas stories then I probably don't need to try too hard to convince you to read this one as you will already know just how good they are. If you have never read them then I advise that you read them in order. In fact at the time of writing this Play.com have a nice little deal on where you can pick up the first two books, plus a third Koontz novel, for just £15. Well worth it.

The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins - 25/02/07

It is to my shame that when I first saw this book on Play.com I had no idea who Richard Dawkins was. From the title and its position in the bestseller list I simply assumed it was just another mediocre religious thriller being released in the wake of the Da Vinci Code. I was sure the blurb would be something along the lines of a Professor of something investigating a string of murders relating to supposed sightings of God. I was ready to immediately hate it. To my great surprise it turned out to be something completely different, though I did get the Professor bit right.

For those of you who don't know, as I didn't, Richard Dawkins is the Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University, which basically means that it is his job to explain really complex things to dolts like me in a way I am going to understand. No easy task I can assure you. He is generally accepted as one of the top intellectuals on the planet at the moment and as well as the Professorship has an impressively long list of qualifications, some of which I have difficulty understanding the titles of let alone the subjects they pertain to. In 1976 he was first catapulted to fame when he published The Selfish Gene, a controversial take on evolutionary theory, and has been working to, as he puts it, raise our consciousnesses ever since. Also, and I personally think this is rather telling, he is married to actress Lalla Ward, introduced to him by Douglas Adams no less, who played one of Dr Who's companions Romana alongside Tom Baker. Personally I think if there is anyone who personifies a real life time lord then it is Dawkins with his massive brain, easy going but powerful personality, unwillingness to shy away from a fight and his compelling, lopsided grin that speaks of mischief and barely contained excitement. Richard, if this whole science thing doesn't work out for you why not give the BBC a ring once David Tennant gets tired of holding the reigns!

But enough of all that, on with the review. I have to say that this is the first non-fiction book I have reviewed and as such I expect I will end up talking more about the subject of the book than the book itself, I hope you will indulge me. I should probably also add that I didn't buy the book right away. I was, as you can probably guess, a lot more interested in the man than in the subject of the book he had written. I spent a good few months reading every article of his I could find, watching his lectures, debates and documentaries and going through the many many articles both praising and condemning The God Delusion until I got to the point that I had to find out what all the fuss was about for myself. I finally ordered the book a few months back and for some reason I felt compelled to hide this fact from my parents. It was as if I had brought something evil and unclean into our Christian household and I was ashamed that they might discover this, admittedly latest in a long line of, potentially heretical examination of my faith. In fact this review is likely to be the first they are aware that I have a copy.

So why so nervous and secretive when in all likelihood my parents would have understood my interest and possibly even have read the book themselves. Well as you can guess from the title this book is about God, more specifically the non-existence of God, any god, and the therefore invalidity of religion. There is a quote, which I really can't be bothered to look up to get right or find out who said it, that goes something like "you shouldn't question a man's religion for the same reason you don't question him when he tells you his kids are smart and his wife is beautiful". Criticizing religion in our society simply isn't done, we skate around the issue, accepting that people have different beliefs and not questioning them and in fact giving them special treatment and tax breaks because of it when in fact there is no scientific evidence, actually no evidence at all, that there is a God. In a world where religion is growing in power by the day, shapes political decisions and is the cause of many of the worlds worse conflicts I think we need someone like Dawkins to stand up and say "I think your children are stupid and your wife is ugly".

As I said this is the first non-fiction book I have reviewed and as such I decided to look up what other people has said about it to get an idea of how to proceed. I have to say that I was rather surprised by some of what I found. It seems that if you are an atheist then you probably loved it but, as I said above, felt the need to distance yourself from some of the "your wife is ugly" parts. If however you have faith, in whatever religion but mainly Christianity as it turns out, then you seem to have thought that this was an evil, inaccurate, blasphemous, pointless book that made no valid points...oh and you hope that Dawkins burns in hell for good measure. Now of course I am over simplifying thing, in fact that's one of the most common complaints aimed at the book, as there are many people, both atheist and Christian, who were able to read the book with an open mind and appreciate the logical, rational, well rounded and literary arguments for the non-existence of God without becoming angry or feeling the need to apologise to anyone. And I think this is the group I fall into.

I found this to be a truly fascinating book and, though I didn't agree with some of the conclusions he reached, was unable to fault Dawkins logic at any point. I also found it hard to work out why it made people so angry, if angry is the right word and not fearful! Having watched many of his lectures I found myself reading the book with Dawkins soft, logical, humorous voice echoing in my mind. As such when I came to the parts of the book that had the potential for offence, if you wanted to take it, I didn't read them as "the wild ranting of a Christian hating bigot", as one reviewer so pleasantly put it, but as areas where his passion, enthusiasm and at times exasperation that he needed to explain these things at all temporarily overcame his calm literary style. The other most common complaint, after "how dare he question my beliefs", was that Dawkins was not a theology expert and even dismisses theology as not being a really subject. Again I didn't see this as an issue. Theology is the study of the mind of God and as, and I am sure most Theologians will agree, we can never truly know the mind of God then who is to say that one person is right on the subject and another is wrong? As for dismissing it as not being a subject let me put it this way, if I honestly don't believe in fairies and there is no scientific evidence that they exist at all then why should I take seriously anything someone who studies them for a living says about the size of their wings? This is simply the point Dawkins tries to make. I don't believe in God, he says, so why should I accept your answer that "God did it" as valid? He then asks that they try a different line of reasoning as, if God really exists, then surely there should be proof outside of God himself! Apparently Theologians find this idea rather offensive.

As an aside, and yes I am well aware I am starting to ramble, it is worth mentioning that when I was about halfway through this book they showed the South Park double bill, entitled Go God Go, dealing with the subject of Richard Dawkins, Evolution and Religion on Paramount. This episode seems to have upset many atheists who claim that it tries to say that atheism is just another religion and so no better or worse that the current ones. Again I find myself disagreeing with this and think that they actually missed the point. Let me give you a run down of what the episode was about, and trust me this will tie in with the book review...I hope. Unable to wait three weeks until the release of the new Nintendo Wii Eric Cartman decided to freeze himself so that he can simply wake up on the day of the Wii's release. Mean while "Mrs" Garrison, formally Mr, is refusing to teach evolution to the students and so they bring in Richard Dawkins to take the class. Though they initially disagree Dawkins and "Mrs" Garrison eventually fall in love, and trust me if atheists want to be offended this is a much better issue than the one that actually rattled their cage. Else where Cartman is being unfrozen, 500 years in the future. Cue brilliant Buck Rogers send up.

As Cartman quickly discovers this is a future where, thanks to Dawkins and his "wife" Garrison, there is no more religion and everyone is an atheist. But despite this they are involved in a three way war with different groups of atheists whose opinions differ slightly in the answer to "The Ultimate Question". It is at this point most of the atheists who reviewed the episode got annoyed. As I said above they seem to think this indicated that Trey and Matt were saying that atheism is simply another religion...but that's not it at all. The point I believe they were trying to get across was that even without religion humankind, and in the case of the episode otterkind too, will always find something stupid and ultimately pointless to fight over. Even at the end of the episode when Cartman manages to change the future using a timephone and finds the three former enemies now living in peace, having done away with any kind of 'ism years ago, there is still war, in this case, if I remember correctly, something to do with cheese. I'm reminded of the war between the "Big-endians" and "Little-endians" in Gulliver’s travels over the correct way to eat a boiled egg.

Which brings me nicely, and finally, back to the book. Dawkins proposes the idea that if we lived in a world without religion then most of the wars going on today would have happened. It's hard to fault him on that logic, no matter how much you may want to. True, if we had no religion at all then the Muslim Extremists probably wouldn't have flown two planes into the World Trade Centre. Israel and Palestine would have a whole lot less to fight about and the large amounts of the money currently being spent on arming both countries could be put to better use, say improving conditions in the Gaza strip, something that I am sure Israel, without the burden of religion, would try to help it's neighbour with. It is undeniable that without religion we would not have many of our current wars...we would simply have different wars!

Us humans love to fight and if it takes something as petty as which end to crack your boiled egg, which by the way was a parody of the argument between consubstantiation and transubstantiation in the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church, then that's the excuse we will use. So would the world be a better place without religion? Who knows, it would certainly be a different place but not necessarily a better one.

All of which is almost inconsequential in my recommendation of this book. Whether you are a die hard atheist of a Christian fundamentalist I advise that, if you are capable of doing so with an open mind, you read this book as there is a lot more on offer here than just the subject of whether there is a God or not. This book is beautifully written, Dawkins really has a masterful way with words, and as well as religion delves into the subjects of history, science, philosophy and, yes, even theology and presents some interesting, compelling and at times beautiful and truly amazing insights into these areas. This book opened my eyes to many things I didn't know before, such as the symbiotic relationships between many animals, the logical evolution of the eye, the odds of life existing at all in the universe, the cargo cults of Pacific Melanesia and New Guinea and an alternative Darwinian reason why we have morals. Of course as well as this it highlighted the weakness of many arguments for a God and, disconcertingly for someone brought up in the Christian faith for all of his 29 years on the planet, the inconsistencies and contradictions in the Bible that, once you are aware of them, are so easy to locate that you find yourself marvelling at how they could have escaped you all these years.

At the end of the day this book didn't change my opinion about religion, though I do now feel far better equipped to deal with religious arguments no matter which side of the fence I finally come down on. And at the end of the day isn't that what a good book on a subject, no matter what side of the argument you are on, should do. Give you the ability to see the other guys point of view and either accept it or understand how best to argue your side of things. I seriously doubt this book will bring an end to religion but maybe, just maybe, it might enable believers of different faiths and non-believers to understand one another better, and understanding is always an important step on the road to peace.

For more information on Richard Dawkins and the various areas in which he is involved I recommend you check out his Official Website as it makes for interesting reading.

The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak - 04/03/07

To be completely honest with you I have no idea why I bought this book in the first place. It is so not the kind of story I usually go for and when I reread the blurb once I got home I wondered to myself what on earth I could have been thinking when I purchased it. This is the story of Liesel, a young girl living in Nazi Germany at the beginning of World War 2, who is sent away to live with foster parents and finds the ability to survive the horrors she sees through her love of literature and the books she steals. The story is a simple one full of accordion players, fanatical Germans, Jewish fist fighters, bombs, mud, grief and quiet a lot of thievery. Right from the beginning it had all the hallmarks of a future literary classic which again begs the question of why I, with my far from literary taste in novels, picked it up. Well there was something about the story that caught my attention and that, despite my concerns it would be a bit too highbrow for my liking, compelled me to buy it. The story is told from the point of view of Death! The black cloak wearing carrier of souls, forced to work like never before thanks to Hitler's mania, narrates the story from the book Liesel herself eventually writes and which Death picks up the day the bombs arrive on the sleepy street she calls home.

It took me a while to get into the style of writing for Death is an unusual storyteller. Unconstrained by the limits of time, able to be there at the moment of every souls passing, tireless, driven and compelled by what he calls "the colours", Death narrates in a way unlike any you would have come across before. The story is also told from a point in time many years after the events it portrays and as such characters are often introduced with words such as "Bob was a nice man, he didn't deserve to die the way he did." But perhaps the most difficult thing to get use to is Death's use of lists and asides. It's a bit hard to explain but for example when a character is introduced, as above, rather than then moving on to a description of the person you get a centred peice of text in bold font entitled "Some Important Facts About Bob" followed by three of four bullet pointed bits of information, many of which often give away facts that you would otherwise only find out much later in the story. These asides also include quotes from books, poems, historical facts and instructions on grave digging to name but a few. It is a bit disconcerting at first but it is surprising how quickly you get used to this and how much this strange style adds to the story.

I should say at this point, in case you were starting to suspect otherwise, that I really enjoyed this book. It is unlike anything I have ever read before and is a sad, heartfelt and at times draining story. It took me a lot longer than normal to finish it as I often found myself reluctant to pick it up and step back once more into this world of misery and fear. This book, and don't get me wrong there are moments of joy, excitement and even laughter, mainly reminds you of the horrors man is capable of inflicting upon one another. Large parts of the tale deal with the atrocities inflicted upon the Jews and of Liesel's friendship and love of one particular Jew who ends up hiding in her basement. It's the story of war at a personal level, of madness and oppression, of hatred and fear and the power of words. It is at times very heavy stuff.

Heavy but beautiful. Despite all the horrors it depicts this is a beautiful, moving masterpiece of fiction that creates images, sometimes bizarre and unreal, that seem to lodge themselves in your brain and refuse to let go. I found myself dreaming about this book many times while I read it and no doubt will continue to do so in the future. The picture of the Word Shaker Tree, the Standover Man and of Stalingrad snow falling to cover everything in a German house are powerful and haunting. The language itself has an unearthly quality to it that reminds you that the narrator is at once both far from human and more human than many of us. He is there at mankind’s darkest moments and sees both the horrors we are capable of and the wonders too. He sees the terror of blood soaked children, feetless soldiers, crying mothers but also the moments of great compassion, the teddy bears, the stale bread, the painted sun and of course the book thief.

I can't recommend this book enough. True it may not be the sort of thing I usually read and I will even admit I am somewhat unlikely to pick up its like in the near future, but still it is one of those books you really should read. It will tug at your heartstrings, make you shake your head in despair and maybe even bring a tear to your eye. It will also stay with you, drifting into your mind when you least expect it and, despite everything, making you smile. Words can be powerful things indeed.