Monthly Archives: April 2021

Embassy of the Dead

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Will Mabbitt. Hachette. (272p) ISBN: 9781510104556
Embassy of the Dead

Embassy of the Dead

Embassy of the Dead is a story of a misunderstanding, but a misunderstanding that drags Jake Green into the Embassy of the Dead in a race against time and could cost him his life.

From the start this is a fast-paced adventure with a lot of humour and spookiness, with a great central character who seems constantly confused at the start but really shines by the end of the story.

Jake is assisted by a couple of great supporting, but ghostly, characters.

Will Mabbitt’s world beyond the veil is a well thought out and executed alternative and it gels together throughout, the bureaucracy of the afterlife is so British and harks back to things like Monty Python and other classic comedies.

I’m really looking forward to other books in this world, as things may have been defeated, but…

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Wed Wabbit

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Lissa Evans. David Fickling Books. (250p) ISBN: 9781910989449
Wed Wabbit

Wed Wabbit

Wed Wabbit had been kicking around my TBR pile for quite a while and kept getting put down until I decided to go for it as it was going to be the 8-12 book club book for the month.

I instantly regretted it, by it I mean not reading this book earlier.

This is a story of Fidge and Graham in the land of the Wimbley Woos which has been taken over by a wicked, angry dictator. Fast-paced and laugh out loud funny, the only time I put it down was to have my dinner and finished it in two big bites.

There are great characters throughout the book and the themes of friendship, bravery and growth are very strong but do not overwhelm the story.

A side-splitting take on children and their love of children’s books and toys, and the fickle nature of their love.

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American Gods

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Neil Gaiman. Headline Publishing Group. (736p) ISBN: 9780755322817
American Gods

American Gods

An American road trip with a difference, new gods meet old gods to fight it out for supremacy and Shadow is at the centre of it all.

From the first chapter I was entranced at Neil Gaiman’s imagination and writing. Together they developed a story that was at the same time both real and mythical, weaving mythology through the land of America.

Neil’s storytelling was at the fore once more, with me unsure of Shadow’s back story until the reveal, swinging from one theory to the next, and I really didn’t see that one coming.

Strong character’s throughout supported the story going forward and not one was used without thought and reference to something else in the story, again weaving complexity throughout but leaving nothing loose at the end.

I read this as the TV series was coming out soon, but now I’m unsure if I want to watch the TV adaptation, Neil’s world as he described it has no match.

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The Last Children of Tokyo

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Yoko Tawada. Granta Books. (144p) ISBN: 9781846276705

 

The Last Children of Tokyo

The Last Children of Tokyo

The Last Children of Tokyo another book that I saw on the trolley as I was shelving and was instantly fascinated by the cover.

It also fits in with my goal of reading more books which weren’t originally written in English.

Looking at a world in the near future, set in the Tokyo of this world, older people aren’t dying but the young aren’t thriving, though it is always unclear whether or not the children are evolving or just getting more and more fragile.

Yoko Tawada’s prose is beautifully sparse but explores the characters so vividly, it brings Yoshiro sharply to life with all his dreams, reminiscences and worries.

An exploration of family life in a future Japan set against an environmental disaster could have been sensational but we are treated to a warm and compassionate look at the intricacies of a shattered family and all their frailties.

Translated by Margaret Mitsutani, and it feels with a light and loving touch.

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Never Let Me Go

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Kazuo Ishiguro. Faber & Faber. (304p) ISBN: 9780571258093
Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go

Melancholic.

This is about the only word that can be used to describe Never Let Me Go, it is there from the start to the end.

Always on the verge of crying. This is such a well-crafted elegy to the dead or those about to die.

Nothing is clear and the characters see their lives written in euphemisms.

Certainly a book to get you thinking about societies and how societies other outsiders, how societies commodify aspects of life they shouldn’t and the way societies ignore hard truths when they want to.

So glad I eventually got around to reading this.

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The Ice Sea Pirates

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Frida Nilsson. Gecko Press. (368p) ISBN: 9781776572007
The Ice Sea Pirates

The Ice Sea Pirates

The Ice Sea Pirates is set in a frozen North, not unlike the North of our world, in Siri’s North though there are Pirates, Mermaids and more.

Frida Nilsson’s book follows Siri in her quest to rescue her little sister, Miki, who has been abducted by the notorious Captain Whitehead to work down his diamond mine, just like all the other little children Whitehead has abducted in the past.

Along the way Siri encounters wolves, mean people and kind people, but kindest of all is Frederik who makes Siri believe she can achieve what she has set out to do.

There are some beautifully crafted scenes throughout the book, making the world come alive as a cohesive place that works together well.

The adventure cracks along at a good pace, often looking at the behaviour of humans and making them come up short, but Siri must always hope, and it is this hope and love that wins in the end.

Cracking book by Frida Nilsson and Gecko Press!

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