As part of the Once Upon a Time Challenge, Carl is hosting a group read of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, as this is my favourite book of all time, I jumped at the excuse to read the book once again, and talk about it with like-minded souls.

1.  What do you think of our two villains thus far, Messrs. Croup and Vandemar?

Wonderfully scary in that actually-quite-like-them-kinda-way. There’s a sense of dread that creeps on to the page every time they appear. I first read the book back in 1996 when the mini-series was being shown, and therefore I’ve always pictured Hywell Bennett and Clive Russell in the roles (more so than the other character/actor combinations).

2.  Thus far we’ve had a small taste of London Below and of the people who inhabit it.  What do you think of this world, this space that lies within or somewhat overlaps the space the “real world” occupies?

You know, again, because I’ve watched the mini-series and read the book so many times at this point it’s really hard to pull my thoughts back to small part of the world we’ve seen at this point. London Below exists in my mind as much as Richard’s old world in London Above does.

It’s also the yard-stick by which I measure the success of real/alternate worlds in other books.

3.  What ideas or themes are you seeing in these first 5 chapters of Neverwhere?  Are there any that you are particularly drawn to?

There’s clearly comparison being drawn with how the homeless are viewed by the rest of society. The very names London ABOVE and London BELOW draw a very clear line between the two worlds. But of course as we follow Richard down into Door’s world, we see a different picture.

The people we meet in London Above tend to be a little more cliché than most of the characters we meet in London Below, but then we spend more time with the denizens in London Below. We’re definitely being encouraged to look below the surface.

4.  We’ve met a number of secondary characters in the novel, who has grabbed your attention and why?

Has to be the Marquis De Carabas, although to call him a secondary character is almost blasphemous! He’s probably the most interesting character in the book, in that he can be quite cold, clinical and businesslike, but he’s also got a heart (though he’d deny it) And if you could pick someone to have in your corner, it’d be him.

I also have a soft spot for Old Bailey.

5.  As you consider the Floating Market, what kind of things does your imagination conjure up? What would you hope to find, or what would you be looking for, at the Market?

Not sure I’d be brave enough to step foot in the place! But if I did, I suspect that you’d never find quite what you were looking for, you’d find something you didn’t know you needed. (That broken Action Man figure might just save your life a few weeks further down the line!)

6.  If you haven’t already answered it in the questions above, what are your overall impressions of the book to this point?

In case you didn’t notice it in my opening paragraph, Neverwhere is my favourite book, so yeah. I’m quite enjoying it!

This is how Holly had woken up every day since the crash. First she would become aware of a weight pressing against her chest; then she’d open her eyes, stiff and unmoving in a breathless clutch of wrinkled sheets, her hands by her sides, as if in a vice, staring into the face of her dead sister from inches away. She hadn’t screamed, not even the first time.

It’s 2001 and Holly believes her life will never change. She and her twin sister Yvonne, growing up on their mother’s isolated farm, will be stuck with each other forever, no matter how desperately Holly longs for freedom. Until, one February morning, Yvonne dies.

For a few brief hours Holly is alone at last. Then her sister’s silent ghost appears, and haunts Holly with ruthless determination. Her cousins arrive, full of promises and secrets. The foot-and-mouth epidemic erupts, and gangs of slaughtermen begin to maraud the countryside. As the pyres blaze, Holly has to find out how far she’s prepared to go for a life that is truly her own.

A gripping and darkly comic tale of loss, haunting and the search for identity in a world on fire.

Review

When is a ghost story not a ghost story?  When the metaphorical ‘ghosts’ are more important than the actual one.

This is really a story about, coming-of-age, and finding your place in the world. Set against a backdrop of grief and a countrywide crisis.

One of the things I’ll take away from the book (other than a really compelling main character) is just how evocative it was. Will le Fleming manages to really convey that sense of being on autopilot even when you are otherwise in control, that grief can leave you with. Whilst there are clearly some heartbreaking moments, le Fleming doesn’t allow it to become a depressing read

When Holly’s extended family arrive to help out, it’s slightly uncomfortable to start with, and the raw emotions on show allow some family secrets to rise to the surface, but dealing with the personal and the foot-and-mouth crisis brings a sense family to Holly she’s not had before, it may not be ‘her’ family, but it is a family and therefore something to cling to.

By the end, when the smoke starts to dissipate, there’s a hope and clarity about the future, Holly wasn’t expecting.

I’ll be honest, the stellar comment blurbs and reviews I saw this one getting when I received the initial pitch did leave me thinking this was a new publisher/author slightly ‘over egging the pudding’ as it were, but that’s not the case here.

It’s not perfect. There’s a touch of crassness in the early paragraphs (fairly light as it happens), but they do feel at odds with the rest of the book, and while it’s certainly within character, Holly (and the other younger characters) do act a little older that their actual ages. There was a gap between me reading the first few chapters and the rest of the book, and I honestly thought Holly was older than she was. It was only when I skimmed the first few chapters that I remembered she was only 13. But honestly, it never once spoiled my enjoyment of the book.

Rating

Characters:	★★★★½☆
Plot:	★★★★½☆
Writing:	★★★★½☆
Just One More Page:	★★★★☆☆
Overall:	★★★★½☆

Buy: Central Reservation by Will le Fleming

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of: At Home With Books.

Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

The other day I spotted the above in Amanda Hocking’s latest book, Ascend. I’ve been blurbed!

It’s the first time (that I know of) that one of my reviews in the 4+ years I’ve been book blogging has been used in such a way. I’ve occasionally seen one on an info sheet that comes with an ARC but never in the actual book before!Definitely made me do a double-take!

Legacy – Synopsis

The veil which marks the division between life and death is falling. Lost souls are seeping through to roam Albion’s graveyard city of Fume. Kate Winters’ recent memory is lost.

Relieved to be heading home to Albion, Kate can’t shake the feeling that Dalliah Grey, the woman she’s supposed to be working for, is not to be trusted.

Disgraced warrior Silas Dane plans to rescue Kate and save Albion from the advancing armies seeking to profit from the confusion.

But the veil will not be easy to repair and Silas knows sacrifices have to be made. Kate must return to the dark secrets detailed by her ancestors in the ancient book of WINTERCRAFT and learn from their mistakes to save herself.

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Against all odds, 17-year-old Gene has survived in a world where humans have been eaten to near extinction by the general population.

The only remaining humans, or hepers as they are known, are housed in domes on the savannah and studied at the nearby Heper Institute.

Every decade there is a government sponsored hunt. When Gene is selected to be one of the combatants he must learn the art of the hunt but also elude his fellow competitors whose suspicions about his true nature are growing.

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda is released this Thursday, and It’s a fantastic blood-pumping read (check out the review I posted earlier today). Thanks to Simon & Schuster I have a copy to give away to one of my visitors!

How to Enter:

• Enter using Raflecopter form below.
• Entries via the comments will not count.
• Open to the UK only.
• Winners will be announced on my blog and notified via email, once the contest ends.
• Winners must respond within 3 days or the contest will be re-drawn.
• Check out my Contest and Privacy Policies.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Synopsis

Against all odds, 17-year-old Gene has survived in a world where humans have been eaten to near extinction by the general population.

The only remaining humans, or hepers as they are known, are housed in domes on the savannah and studied at the nearby Heper Institute.

Every decade there is a government sponsored hunt. When Gene is selected to be one of the combatants he must learn the art of the hunt but also elude his fellow competitors whose suspicions about his true nature are growing.

Review

I quite enjoyed Andrew Fukuda’s first novel, Crossing, (published by AmazonEncore) which I read a year or so back. It wasn’t a perfect book by any means, but I was impressed enough to see what his take on a vampire book would be.

There’s definitely no splarkeyness with these guys! There’s not even any vampires who would be happy to live & work alongside humans for a common goal, like in say, Department 19. These vampires will kill you, the moment they realise you are a heper (human) and are therefore, little more than cattle, something to tear to shreds, and then eat.

Andrew Fukuda does a great job of building his world; with Gene providing a lot of the information we need, as he describes how he has survived all these years. It feels like a really fresh take on the genre.

The pacing is spot-on as well. From the moment Gene, is picked in the lottery, Andrew Fukuda ratchets the tension right up, and doesn’t let go. How will Gene survive, the training, never mind the hunt, without being discovered? And if he does escape, how can he evade beings that are so much faster, stronger and designed to hunt hepers just like him?

Andrew Fukuda manages to bring things to a satisfying conclusion by the end of the book, but also leaves enough plot strands unresolved to have you begging for the next book to find out what happens next… and that’s before the cliff-hanger revelation on the last page!

Rating

Characters:	★★★★½☆
Plot:	★★★★½☆
Writing:	★★★★★☆
Just One More Page:	★★★★★☆
Overall:	★★★★½☆

Review: The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda
The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda is released on Thursday.
My copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

Read my review of Divergent, the first book in the series.

Synopsis

“I have done bad things. I can’t take them back, and they are part of who I am.”

Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.

Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever! because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.

Review

I really enjoyed Divergent last year (although it didn’t quite reach the top echelons) so it was with a lot of anticipation, that I waited for its sequel Insurgent, to drop though my letterbox. Of course almost the minute it did. Real Life™ hit, and I’ve really struggled to eke out the time to read it.

So, it’s taken me most of the week. But, let me get this out right now. If I’d had the time, I would have read this straight though, because my god, it’s good!

Veronica Roth, has done that special thing and written a sequel that surpasses the first book. The characters, don’t miraculously recover from the events of the first book. Everything that happened to them in Divergent continues to haunt and drive them in Insurgent. Tris in particular has a lot to sort out, but Ms Roth doesn’t give her much opportunity to do so, before she starts to throw more smelly stuff at her!

The plot continues to expand on first book. If you think you know what’s going on, think again!. There are twists and shocking revelations, layered on more twists and shocking revelations, with a liberal sprinkling of secrets on top, just to keep things interesting!

You’ll just be getting your head around one shocking revelation, when Tris or Four find themselves in yet another sticky situation, and you’ll be wondering how the hell they’ll get out of it this time.

Despite the relentless twists and turns it’s not a brainless roller-coaster ride. Veronica Roth keeps a tight rein on her story (and by this I mean both Insurgent and the series as a whole). Things happen for a reason, other than to just make your jaw-drop (and drop your jaw will…) everything that happens in the book, and not just the rather large cliff-hanger at the end, that will have you clamouring for book three!

Rating

Characters:	★★★★★★
Plot:	★★★★★★
Writing:	★★★★★★
Just One More Page:	★★★★★★
Overall:	★★★★★☆

Buy: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
My copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

This review was first posted on 8th April, 2011. Look out for my review of the sequel, Insurgent, on Thursday.

Sixteen-year-old Beatrice (or Tris) is about to make a choice that will effect the rest of her life, once a year, every one of her age must decide which of the city’s factions they want to join.

There’s: Abnegation, Beatrice’s current faction, Dauntless, Amity, Candor and Erudite. Each faction favours one character trait: selflessness, courage, peace, honesty and knowledge.

Once made, it’s a choice that will change your life for ever, as should you choose a faction outside of your current one, it is unlikely that you will see your friends and family very often, again.

To help make the choice, the teenagers take a test in the days before the ceremony, the results of which will suggest, which faction may best suit you. However the final choice is up to you.

Beatrice’s test produces a result that could put her life at risk, she is a Divergent. Someone who is equally suited to more than one faction. Divergents are viewed as dangerous and with much distrust, so many are killed when if their secret is revealed.

The book follows Tris’ training as she joins Dauntless. It’s harsh training as well, entry to the Dauntless are is made by stepping off the roof of one of the city’s many tall buildings!

As training progresses, Tris discovers much about herself and what being a Divergent means, and uncovers a plot that pit faction against faction, and bring all-out war to the city.

Roth, does a fantastic job of making you turn the pages, with exciting action sequences and building the suspense bit by bit. She doesn’t hold back on the violence either, while keeping it realistic and the right side of over-the-top. Essentially if you would expect an event to be violent and bloody, then it is. It certainly makes for an exciting read!

A couple of characters are somewhat stereotypical, but those that matter, are rounded individuals, that will have you rooting for them – or not – and cheering their successes – including a little romance – yet are still capable of surprising you.

All-in-all a five-star read, that maybe doesn’t quite reach the heights of The Hunger Games, or Chaos Walking trilogies. But then again not much does.

Buy: Divergent by Veronica Roth from The Book Depository

My copy of Divergent was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

Lorenzo Cuni is a fourteen-year-old loner.

His wealthy parents think he is away on a school skiing trip, but in fact he has stowed away in a forgotten cellar. He plans to live in perfect isolation, for a week, keeping the adult world at bay.

Then a visit from his estranged half-sister, Olivia, changes everything…

Review

This was one that called out to me every time I popped into my local Waterstones, I loved the cover and the slim volume just felt ‘right’ when you picked it up. I like to read the odd translated works and the plot of this one sounded like something I’d enjoy. And I’d heard good things about Niccolò Ammaniti’s writing before.

The book opens with an older Lorenzo, waiting in a café to go see his estranged half-sister, once we’ve been introduced, we skip back ten years to a time when Lorenzo, was fourteen-years-old, a bit of a loner, lacking social skills.

When some kids at school are planning a skiing trip, for a group of their friends, Lorenzo longs to be invited to go along, but he’s pretty much invisible at school, and the invite never comes. (Nor does he out himself forward to go along.)

Rather than explain to his mother, he lets her think that is where he is going, and makes plans instead to camp-out in the cellar to the large house they live in.

His peaceful existence is shattered, when his estranged half-sister (who he barely knows) turns up. Will she let others know about his secret or has she got secrets of her own?

During the short amount of time they spend together, a bond of sorts forms between the two of them, and long-buried family secrets come to light. The Lorenzo that leaves the cellar will be a different one that enters it.

When we return to the 24 year old Lorenzo in the café, Niccolò Ammaniti gives us a gut-punch of a finish.

Rating

Characters:	★★★★★☆
Plot:	★★★★★☆
Writing:	★★★★★½
Just One More Page:	★★★★★☆
Overall:	★★★★★☆

Buy: Me and You by Niccolò Ammaniti

As a Junior Press Officer for the British government, Jake is sent to cover a ‘non-story’ – a demonstration against the construction of a laboratory on the supposed site of an ancient fairy ring.

But what Jake sees there is shocking and terrifying and leads him to investigate a clandestine organisation – the Order of Malichea. And then sinister things start happening: Jake is ‘accidentally’ pushed, almost falling under a tube train; Lauren, Jake’s ex-girlfriend, has all her notes on the Order stolen; and then Jake returns home to find a dead body in his flat and is accused of murder.

Who is trying to scare Jake? Is it the British government? Or other, more sinister agencies? Either way, Jake and Lauren must fight for their lives

Review

This one had a lot of potential, but I’m not sure how much of a success it was. The plot certainly drew me in, and drove things along nicely. Not quite heart pounding stuff, but entertaining and occasionally quite exciting, along with some nice twisty bits to keep things interesting.

I sort of don’t know who the book is aimed at though, it feels like an mid YA-ish book to me, but the characters are around the 19/20-ish mark, and while they were mostly rounded, interesting people who I liked and all, that, there was something about them that felt off. And I think that was a lot to do with the target age group.

I don’t have a problem with older characters in YA books (I don’t subscribe to the thought that they should be a year or two older that the intended age group) but the age should be more than a number. They should feel the age they’re meant to be. What do I mean? Well, considering the main character is probably from a working class background, and 19/20ish then, when he does something stupid, or something doesn’t go his way, then he’s probably going to use a curse word a lot stronger than the “drat” he does use.

I liked the connection between ex’s Jake and Lauren you can tell they care (and maybe even love each other), but again because of their ages, (and the reason behind their split) I’d have expected a little more sexual tension between them, nothing explicit of course, but something more.

The book just didn’t seem t know whether it wanted to a mid-YA or a later-YA novel, and for me that overshadowed the, story, which I did actually enjoy.

Rating

Characters:	★★★½☆☆
Plot:	★★★★☆☆
Writing:	★★★½☆☆
Just One More Page:	★★★★☆☆
Overall:	★★★★★☆

Buy: The Invisible Assassin: The Malichea Quest by Jim Eldridge