The Eighties Called…

Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline. Standalone novel.

I wanted to start this review with a brief introduction to the plot, but that would give me less time to jabber at you in an inconsequential manner. Anyway! I’ve got a bunch of books still left to review this year if I’m to make good on my resolution to review every one that I read. As such, December ought to be full to the brim with stuff, assuming I can keep this up. There’re ten  or so books in my backlog, assuming that I don’t read anything else this year (don’t bet on it). And so, to the review!

The year is 2045. The world is screwed. Most of humanity spends a good deal of time in a virtual reality called Oasis. And then a competition is launched to find one person who will inherit the entire thing. The cover promises a mix of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and The Matrix, and I have to say that it’s not far off… though it’s a lot darker than the first and more in depth than either.

The characters are varied and likable enough, but the most interesting part about any of the characterisation is the blending of online anonymity with a massive online reality. Each character has two layers: their avatar, and their real life self. Some are much and the same, others completely different. It’s exploring these differences, and the difficulties inherit in doing so, that make the characters so engaging.

The plot itself is stuffed full of references to eighties pop-culture, from old sitcoms, to arcade games, to anything else you can think of. It makes reading it a treat to anyone who’s a fan. There were some moments when I know references went over my head, and I’m sure there were more that I missed entirely, but there are just so many that it doesn’t matter in the long run. You’ll get enough of the references that they won’t feel too much like a slog.

What might feel like a slog is the sheer amount of exposition. It’s handled well, but there’s an awful lot to get through. If I remember rightly, it’s more prominent at the beginning of the novel, and I think that’s partially a result of the setting being so integral to the plot. The other reason is that it’s all in the style of the protagonist telling the story.

Overall, it took me a while to get into this book, but I’m glad I did. There were parts I liked more than others, of course, but in the end I enjoyed it quite a lot. I believe a film version is in the works, so I’ll be interested to see how that goes.

Next up, the Magic Police!

The Start of Something Great

Murder Most Unladylike, by Robin Stevens. Book one of the Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries.

So, we have a new series here! I’m not sure about naming the series after the first book – it makes my header look untidy, dammit! – but that might well be my only complaint with this book.

The novel is set in a boarding school for girls in 1934 England, and is narrated by Hazel Wong, the secretary of the Detective Society. The entire book is laid out as the notes written up on the society’s activities, but it never sacrifices suspense to stick with that style. I don’t feel that’s an apt explanation, but it’ll have to do for now.

With regards to character, Hazel is quite straightforward at first glance, but reveals a lot more depth as we learn more about her. The other member of the Detective Society is Daisy Wells, the president. Displaying far more confidence than Hazel, but tempering it with a less methodical attitude and a tendency to rush in, she is a great contrast to our narrator.

I want to mention the style of the narration while we’re on the subject; and just how different it is to most of the other first-person books I’ve read. Generally, the protagonist of a first person book is fairly confident of their abilities and situation, even when that situation is getting out of hand. My first thoughts are immediately of Harry Dresden (The Dresden Files) and Gregor Eisenhorn (Eisenhorn), for example. People with power, resources, and the wits to do what they have to. Even Lucy Carlyle (Lockwood and Co.) has some measure of control over the situations she finds herself in.

In contrast to these heroic characters, Hazel is very ordinary. Yes, she’s one of the smartest in her class, but being more academically proficient then other thirteen year-olds isn’t quite up there with fireballs, ultimate authority, or ghost fighting. It’s this ordinary perspective that grants Murder Most Unladylike a lot of its charm. Hazel and Daisy have to stay within the rules, which puts a serious limit on any investigating they might otherwise wish to do.

As per usual with mysteries I’ve kept details of the plot as absent as possible, but I can say that I didn’t manage to solve it before the protagonists, and I’m satisfied that the conclusion was built into the story well enough that a second reading should point out a lot of stuff that points to it.

Overall, I really liked this book. So much so, that I went and picked up the next two in the series almost immediately. If you’re looking for something light but with a bit of a twist I can’t recommend this enough.

Next up, a first person protagonist with a lot of power to control the situation.

Heresy and Tragedy

The First Heretic, by Aaron Dembski-Bowden. Book fourteen of the Horus Heresy series.

The Horus Heresy series tends to vary in quality, from the excellent to the mediocre. Part of that is due to the wide range of subjects covered, while part of it is the different writing styles of the various authors who work on the project. The First Heretic is good, but hasn’t stuck in my mind as well as some of the others.

The story follows the XVII Legion, the Word Bearers, as they strive to find meaning in their existence after they are viciously chastised for their worship of the Emperor. Ironically, the very belief which causes the Emperor to drive them away is the same one that all citizens of the Imperium will be following in ten thousand years: that the Emperor is a god.

With regards to the plot, this book is in my opinion a beautiful example of a tragedy. Anyone with any knowledge of Warhammer 40000 (which, let’s be honest, is the target audience) knows how this has to end for all the characters, but the way in which events are presented is what makes it so good. Seeing the events of the story, and the actions of the Emperor, from the perspective of the XVII Legion leaves little doubt as to why they act as they do.

This book also gives us a rare glimpse into the creation of the Space Marines and their Primarchs. This includes a major revelation for the lore of Warhammer 40000 – if it is true.

Overall, not a bad book. I was almost reluctant to finish it, as the number of possible endings dwindled, but it did not disappoint and I do feel that I understand the Word Bearers motives a lot better now than I did before.

Next up, a mystery, and one of my new favourite series!