Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Bite-Sized Reviews

I've got through a decent crop of books over the past week, so before the moment passes here are my thoughts on them.

First up was Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns. Hosseini is an accomplished story-teller. More than one reviewer makes the comparison with Dickens, and the similarity is evident in the bold strokes with which the characters drawn and the high degree of social engagement. It's a good read, but the characterisation feels perfunctory at times. It's not as well-structured or engaging as The Kite-Runner but the quality of the prose, the sense of place and the narrative drive make it a recommended read.

Even better was Kate Summerscale's The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, a true-life account of a hideous crime from the nineteenth century. Summerscale is excellent at drawing out the social context of the case, its impact on the "sensation" fiction of writers like Wilkie Collins and Mary Elizabeth Braddon, and the way in which the class distinctions of the time prevented the crime's early resolution. It's likely to appeal to anyone with an interest in the nineteenth century, crime or indeed crime fiction.

Next I've picked up Ken Follett's World Without End. At over 1,200 pages (I'm on about page 60), "novel without end" might be more appropriate. Follett engages and infuriates in equal measure. He's a contemporary thriller-writer turned historical novelist, and while his enthusiasm for the Middle Ages and the extensiveness of his research shine through, I'm not sure the move is wholly successful. His control of plotting and pacing, as demonstrated in the earlier volume Pillars of the Earth, is exemplary, but his grinding infodumps lack finesse and the dialogue can grate. If you like stories set in this period there are better ones out there.

Finally, there's Joe Abercrombie's Best Served Cold. Abercrombie is in many ways a writer after my own heart, whose fantasy is clearly rooted in a wide reading of history. I've posted a much fuller review over at Science Fiction and Fantasy Enthusiasts: suffice it to say here that this is a book lovers of fantasy should read.

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I can't end without noting that Alastair Reynolds, a fine science-fiction writer, has signed "£1m book deal" with Gollancz. The deal is for 10 books, and the amounts quoted in the press are invariably exaggerated, so this is hardly money for old rope; and it will be a long time before he sees all the money--if ever. I haven't read a lot of Reynolds' work, but I've enjoyed what I have read. Century Rain is a clever engaging futuristic noir novel, while "A Spy in Europa" is a highly accomplished short story.

It's good to see a major imprint investing in a science-fiction writer in this way. I hope the deal works out for everyone.
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4 comments:

Frances Garrood said...

I actually preferred A Thousand Splendid Suns to the Kite Runner, but loved them both. Have you tried A Fine Balance by Khaled Hosseini? It's not dissimilar, and is one of the best books I've ever read.

Tim Stretton said...

I haven't read this one, Frances. The blurb on Amazon looks promising so I'll track it down. Fellow MNWers' recommendations are normally pretty good!

Alis said...

World Without End... yes... I quite liked Pillars of the Earth, though I did think that the historical knowledge he'd boned up on tended to be inelegantly foregrounded to the detriment of the story, particularly in the first third of the book. But I quite simply couldn't read WWE - even though I love the period. It just creaked too badly and I hate reading novels in which I'm constantly being made conscious of the craft (not in a good way). But I don't supposed he cares for a second what I think...

Tim Stretton said...

Exactly my views, Alis. I wonder whether I'm reading a history text book explored through characters (like the old schools' programme "How We Used to Live") or a novel.

And God, is he obsessed with breasts! The first 300 pages is a damned gropathon...

I can also do without (to give but one example): "Merthin raised his eyebrows. He was surprised." You don't say...

That said, a lot of people buy his books. But in all seriousness, you could do this kind of thing much better (and indeed I suspect you are in the process of doing so).