2666

by Robert Bolano

Paperback Edition, 898 pages

Originally published 2004

“This morning I drove past the Santa Teresa prison and I almost had a panic attack. Don’t be shocked by what I’m about to say, but it looks like a woman who’s been hacked to pieces. Who’s been hacked to pieces but is still alive. And the prisoners are living inside this woman….”

After finishing Underworld by Don DeLillo i searched for other tomes that were as acclaimed and could hopefully leave me in as much awe as the aforementioned did. I checked a few lists and 2666 appeared on all of them and sounded the most appealing.

Released posthumously, 2666 by Robert Bolano is split into five sections all with names that sound like episodes of Friends. Each part centres around the oppressive, violent city of Santa Teresa located on the Mexican/USA border.

We open with The Part about the Critics, which tells the tale of four friends who met via their interest for elusive author Archimboldi, who sounds like a literary genius. There’s never been any public sightings of the author so the four friends make it their lifes obsession to track him down and the rumors all point toward Santa Teresa.

Part 2, The Part about Amalfitano, is the shortest and best section of the whole book as it tells the tale of one mans decent into madness since moving to Santa Teresa. The Part about Fate is next, which follows the aptly name journalist Fate as he travels to Santa Teresa to cover a boxing match. Whilst there he hears about the brutal slaying of over a hundred women, which nobody seems to care about and decides to pursue this instead.

Up until part 4, The Part about the Crimes, i was enjoying 2666. Chapters 1-3 were intriguing because they all had there own separate story with the murders lurking in the background. We are given snippets about the crimes but never delve fully into them, which compelled me to keep reading. I anticipated part 4 to cement this books brilliance but instead my intrigue turned to boredom. The title of the section is very literal; the deaths of 112 women are described in detail. I do like a bit of murderous gore in fiction but after the 20th death is recounted i started to find the whole thing monotonous and no where close as interesting as the chapters before. All of the mystery is sucked out of the story as the whole section is a brutal death list, which gradually becomes a chore to read. I even skimmed the last thirty pages due to no longer caring.

Due to the nose diving direction the book took during Part 4 i didn’t bother with Part 5, The Part about Archimboldi. I read a couple of pages and decided to waste no more of my time on 2666. Instead I visited the Wikipedia page to see how it ended and i was glad i didn’t bother with the last section.

Despite sections 1-3 being good i can only score this 1/5, due to skipping close to a third of the book. It was a brilliant idea for a story but the execution was lacking. Perhaps a 500 page book as opposed to 900 pages may have been better.

My score is 1/5

Killing Commendatore

by Haruki Murakami

Hardback Edition, 704 pages

Originally published 2017

“Today when i awoke from a nap the faceless man was there before me. He was seated on the chair across from the sofa i’d been sleeping on, staring straight at me with a pair of imaginary eyes in a face that wasn’t…“

Killing Commendatore has an intriguing plot and after only three of his books I can quite confidently say that it’s typical Murakami. After a sudden split from his wife, the Narrator quits his job as a portrait artist, abandons built up civilisation and holes up in his friends isolated mountain home, which once housed Japans most famous artist. Whilst exploring the attic he uncovers a forgotten painting entitled Killing Commendatore. What follows is, obviously, a bizarre series of events that lead you to question what is and isn’t real.

For 500 pages this was the best book i’d read in 2019. The discovery of the painting opens up a circle of mystery and investigation that had me addicted to turning the pages as I had to know the answer to the questions the Narrator was exploring. It was philosophical, historical and just a great story and I was convinced i’d be scoring it 5 out of 5. Unfortunately after 500 odd pages the finale kicked off and it all became a bit silly.

He could have ended the investigation with a sense of normality but he decided to go full weird and stupid. I obviously wont spoil anything but I couldn’t believe the story went downhill so fast. It was as if a different writer wrote the last 15% of the book. Another thing that really ticked me off was how every loose end was tied up. Barely any intrigue was left unsolved with the last few pages becoming a boring summary of the aftermath. The sheer quantity of sex also became a chore to read and slightly creepy.

This is now my third outing with Murakmi and I’m still yet to be blown away and left in awe of the great writer he is renowned to be. I’ll persevere as I own Norwegian Wood and have The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle on my to-read list and there are enough extended periods of greatness in the books I’ve read to keep me interested but his endings always let me down. 1Q84, Kafka on the Shore and now Killing Commendatore all diagnosed with Stephen King syndrome.

My score is 3/5

Return of the Crimson Guard (Malazan Novel #2)

by Ian C. Esslemont

Paperback Edition, 702 pages

Originally published 2008

“The eruption had wounded the world… “

The second addition to the Ian C. Esslemont collection of Malazan novels and it’s a massive improvement on Night of Knives. Where as its predecessor was a bit of a nothing book with a limited amount of plot Return of the Crimson Guard is epic, dense and complex; everything i want from a Malazan book.

Taking place after The Bonehunters (book 6 of the Steven Erikson series) the focus is Quon Tali, where a rebellion is slowly taking shape against Empress Laseen. The Crimson Guard are also looking to fulfill their ancient Vow of crushing the Malazan Empire. As is the way with Malazan books there are several subplots, all heading toward an inevitable convergence.

The writing styles of the two authors are very different. Erikson writes challenging prose with philosophical undercurrents whilst Esslemonts writing is a step down on the difficulty level. It’s still challenging but he’s no Erikson.

It’s a slow burner as the plot takes around 350 pages to advance but i didn’t mind. Getting back into the Malazan world a few months after finishing The Crippled God was such a pleasure that i was more than willing to be in for the long haul. The unique characters, the vastly different continents and worlds and the in-depth history reaffirmed this as my favourite fantasy world.

The Crimson Guard appear for the first time proper after brief mentions in previous books and they’re as expected; brutal and war weathered. Although this is their book they’re not overly used and have an equal share of the chapters. Laseen also appears for longer than ever before but i still wanted more from her. She’s the much feared Malazan Empress and needs more airtime to cement her status as ruler. New character Kyle is likable and there’s plenty of involvement from characters alluded to in the Book of the Fallen.

I would suggest reading books 1-6 of the Erikson series before tackling this book. Without prior knowledge of characters and how the world works you’ll get no pleasure from reading Return of the Crimson. For seasoned veterans of this brilliant series then this is a must read and it sets it up nicely for Stonewielder, which I’ve already ordered!

My score – 4/5

The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak

Paperback Edition, 584 pages

Originally published 2005

“Here is a small fact: You are going to die. I am in all truthfulness attempting to be cheerful about this whole topic, though most people find themselves hindered in believing me, no matter my protestations…”

Turns out ‘Death’ is a pretty decent chap with a gift for storytelling. In The Book Thief he is our humble(ish) host as he recounts the tale of Liesel Meminger who, after her mother is ‘taken away’ and brother dies, is re-located to a foster family. She becomes obsessed with books after stealing a couple, reading them over and over and ultimately falling in love with the written word.

The family end up harboring a Jewish man, Max, in their basement who befriends Liesel and shares her passion for books. Along with Max and best friend Rudy she faces the horror and misery of war as the country gradually deteriorates to its inevitable loss.

This is the first book about World War 2 i have read from a German perspective and it really captures the oppressiveness of the regime toward the Jews and anyone else who dared oppose the Fuhrer. Although categorised as Young Adult it doesn’t hold back with its dark tone and by the end i was definitely feeling a small lump in my throat, which is exactly what i wanted from a holocaust themed story.

As a child protagonist, Liesel is likable. She doesn’t complain or cry about her situation, she carries on and adapts to the drudgery war-life throws at her. For me, all of the characters are well written and i became invested in them all with genuine care for their fates. Having Death as a narrator for the whole book works well and makes this a unique experience.

My score = 4/5

The Dragon Reborn (Wheel of Time #3)

by Robert Jordan

Paperback Edition, 699 pages

Originally published 1991

” The way back will come but once. Be steadfast …”

The third chapter in the mammoth Wheel of Time saga and I’m finally starting to realise why there are fourteen books. The scope of the story Robert Jordan is weaving finally becomes evident in The Dragon Reborn.

After two books of Rand being the focal point of the story he is barely featured in the third installment. Instead the spotlight is directed toward Perrin and Mat, who so far have come off looking like Rand’s peripheral sidekicks.

Mat has finally arrived in Tar Valon to be healed of the poison running through his body courtesy of the tainted dagger. With him are Egewene and Nynaeve who are given the task of hunting down the Black Ajah. Perrin is with Morraine and Lan on the trail of Rand who has run off seemingly on the way to Tear to take control of Callandor, the Sword of the Dragon.

Giving Mat and Perrin time to develop as pivotal characters was a class move on the authors part. Another book solely dedicated to Rand could have turned readers against him but instead he is transformed into an insane wreck of a hero whose sparse appearances contribute to the best parts of the book.

Mat and Perrin are able to breathe whilst away from Rand and their personalities come to the forefront as they commence their own journeys. I preferred Mat’s story over Perrin’s as he spends a greater amount of time on his own and is a more interesting character. Perrin is still slightly held back by Morraine and Lan but i’m sure he’ll venture out on his own at some point.

Compared to The Eye of the World and The Great Hunt this is a slow burn. At around the 300 page mark i was almost regretting reading this so close after finishing The Great Hunt but suddenly the book comes to life and transforms into a work of brilliance. The ending, although expected, is still well written and worthy of a fist pumping cheer! My favourite book so far.

My score = 4.5/5

Kafka on the Shore

by Haruki Murakami

Paperback Edition, 505 pages

Originally published 2002

“And you really will have to make it through that violent, metaphysical, symbolic storm. No matter how symbolic or metaphysical it might be,  make no mistake about it: it will cut through flesh like a thousand razor blades…“

My second outing with Murakami and i’d class this as way more ‘out there’ than 1Q84.

15 year old Kafka Tamura, fed up with life in his big house with his rich father, leaves home with the hope of finding answers to the gaping hole in his life. He falls on his feet when he meets Oshima and takes up residence in a library.

Running in conjunction with Kafka’s story there is Nakata, survivor of a freak childhood accident, who has the ability to talk to cats, enabling him to be Tokyo’s number one cat detective. He also feels the need to flee his familiar surroundings, commencing a bizarre journey.

This is as much synopsis i can give without ruining the plot.

Kafka on the Shore is a very surrealist book, full of metaphors, dreams and unreal visions and from the get go i was hooked. As I’ve come to expect after reading the tome 1Q84, Murakami is very philosophical with his prose and character conversations so if you’re into that in-depth, soul searching, meaning of existence ‘stuff’ then you’ll love this book. As well as the amazing writing the journey of the two main characters becomes more fascinating with each chapter as they head toward the inevitable convergence.

I can’t justify a fifth star as the ending was a bit too ‘off the rails’ for my liking. I thought the last hundred pages were setting the finale up nicely but i was a tad disappointed. It’s still a superb book but not a 5 star masterpiece.

My score is 4/5 

The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5)

by Stephen King

Paperback Edition, 335 pages

Originally published 2012

“During the days after they left the Green Palace that wasn’t Oz afterall – but which was now the tomb of the unpleasant fellow Rolland’s ka-tet had known as the Tick-Tock Man – the boy Jake began to range farther and farther ahead of Roland, Eddie, and Susannah…“

I read the original Dark Tower books consecutively over a two month period in 2016 and was in awe that a fantasy series could be so mind-blowingly awesome. The series changed the way i perceived the fantasy genre and turned me into a bookaholic!

It’s taken a while to get around to The Wind Through the Key Hole mainly because ‘spin offs’ don’t really appeal to me. Most of the time they’re a novelty, cashing in on the success of the main original series. This isn’t quite at that level but compared to any one of the seven originals it’s worlds apart.

We join the ka-tet just after Wizard and Glass on their journey to Calla Bryn Sturgis, the setting for Wolves of the Calla. There’s a badass storm approaching so cover is taken where Roland spins a tale from the old days. A younger Roland and companion Jamie are sent to investigate a series of murders by a possible ‘Skin Man’, who sounds like a more ungainly version of Mystique from X-Men. Midway through younger Roland spins another tale making this a story within a story within a story! The second tale, which he dubs The Wind Through the Keyhole, is almost half the book and isn’t as interesting as the Skin Man story. There’s a couple of references to the Man in Black, which put a nerdy smile on my face but for the most part the second story is way too long. I wanted more of the Skin Man tale, which is wrapped up and over way too soon.

Unfortunately an average edition to the Dark Tower collection.

My score is 3/5 

The Regulators

by Richard Bachman

Hardback Edition, 334 pages

Originally published 1996

“Summer’s here. Not just summer, either, not this year, but the apotheosis of summer, the avatar of summer… “

Released at the same time as Stephen Kings ‘Desperation’, The Regulators has the same cast of characters but is set in a different environment. It’s actually a pretty cool concept of parallel worlds with the same antagonist in both.

The plot is pretty simple and there’s no obligation to read Desperation first. A convoy of multi-coloured vans roll into Poplar Street and open fire on anything within range. Within the first few pages the paperboy and a dog lay shot to death thus setting the tone for the rest of the book. The story is split between two groups of characters; the cowering neighborhood folk, doing their best to evade the gun toting freaks whilst trying to figure out who/what they are and Audrey and Seth who’ve had their lives ravaged by cruel entity ‘Tak’, who’s a typical Stephen King bad guy: violent, perverted, twisted.

This is no masterpiece nor is it one of Kings best. The first third is all action, blood and gore so by the 200 page mark the book has pretty much punched itself out. The chapters with Tak are half decent but i preferred the Desperation version of Tak to this one. The ending did slightly rejuvenate the story but not enough to satisfy me. Although Desperation is also not King at his best, it is preferable to The Regulators.

My score is 2.5/5 

The Great Hunt (Wheel of Time #2)

by Robert Jordan

Paperback Edition, 707 pages

Originally published 1990

“Born among black, knife-edged peaks, where death roamed the high passes yet hid from things still more dangerous, the wind blew south across the tangled forest of the Great Blight, a forest tainted and twisted by the touch of the Dark One…”

Like The Eye of the World i have to mention the negativity surrounding the series, which put me off reading it for so long. I’m two books in and so far it’s brilliant and lacks any resemblance to Lord of the Rings, which seems to be the majority of peoples beef with these books. The more fantasy i read the more i realise LOTR is a dated borefest.

The story picks up after Book 1 with the gang laying low in Fal Dara. Rand is slightly overwhelmed with his ‘saviour of the world’ role and is looking to flee his obligations and his friends; Egwene and Nynaeve (easily my favourite female character) are preparing for a trip to Tar Valon to learn the ways of Aes Sedai and Mat is also in need of White Tower assistance for his wound from the cursed dagger. The plan quickly goes awry as the Horn of Valere is stolen by Dark Friends and Trollocs.

I preferred this over Book 1. The writing is vastly improved and there are more viewpoints from different characters. Whilst the majority of the book is dedicated to the main group, we are introduced to the intriguing Children of the Light and there’s a couple of decent chapters from Padan Fain. The direction of the story isn’t completely obvious, with a few twists and turns and just like Eye of the World my favourite parts were the dream sequence/conversations between Rand and the Dark One.

My score won’t be the full compliment but i would consider this a high four stars. For me, the Malazan books are perfect so i’ll always judge fantasy against them. I did prefer The Great Hunt to the Way of Kings, which i recently read.

My score = 4/5

The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1)

by Brandon Sanderson

Paperback Edition, 1124 pages

Originally published 2010

“Kalak rounded a rocky stone ridge and stumbled to a stop before the body of a dying thunderclast…”

I bought the Way of Kings in December 2017 and had every intention of reading it immediately but i started the Malazan series instead and was reluctant to begin another fantasy saga. Plus Malazan was finished and Stormlight had only three releases out of a forecasted ten. After the farce with Winds of Winter and KingKiller i wanted to read at least one completed series.

I’m glad i waited because reading Malazan first has made me appreciate Way of Kings more. With a decent fantasy book you have to be prepared to wait and have rock solid patience. Book 1 of the Stormlight Archive is 1124 pages and i’d say 80% is laying the foundations for the epic story Brandson Sanderson is preparing us for. We are slowly introduced to the world of Roshar, it’s inhabitants and the way things work. At times it was slow going but interesting and well written enough to compel me to read on.

The story focuses on three characters; Ex-soldier and newly branded slave Kaladin is sent to the Shattered Plains to act as a Bridgeman in the avenging Kings army; Dalinar, a veteran in said Kings army, is having frightening visions that may or may not be from the past when the Knights Radiant ruled the world and finally Shallan, pursuing a wardship with Dalinars Niece Jasnah, is attempting to steal Jasnahs soulcasting stone but finds herself drawn into the mystery of the Voidbringers.

I personally enjoyed Shallans story over the other two and would of liked more from her but i guess the intention was to leave you wanting as Words of Radiance is supposed to focus on her. Kaladin is your standard fantasy hero who is the least intriguing and Dalinars visions are brilliant and make up some of the strongest parts of the story.

As well as the main story there are three sets of short interlude chapters, that mainly follow the intriguing character of Szeth who isn’t overused and is obviously being saved for later books.

For the opener of a fantasy series The Way of Kings is slow going but well worth the pay off, especially the last couple of chapters leaving the story nicely poised for book 2. I couldn’t stretch to a fifth star as this wasn’t as good as Deadhouse Gates or Reapers Gales, two fantasy books I’ve given full marks to previously.

My score = 4/5