Tag: Fiction

Book Review: ‘A Thousand Ships’ by Natalie Haynes

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Greek mythology has never been my thing; every time I approached it, I ended up bored to death.

The books felt dry and longer than the Great Wall of China, like eating dust while hoping for a tasty morsel that never materialised. The same goes for any movie. If I had to choose between watching a film on this topic or not watching one at all, I know what I’d pick.

Enter Natalie Haynes. For my company book club’s Greek mythology evening, we chose one of Haynes’s books. ‘A Thousand Ships’ is a retelling of the Trojan War from the women’s perspective. I was apprehensive, to say the least. But the whole point of a book club is talking to others and reading books you wouldn’t have otherwise picked up. So, I dove in.

‘A Thousand Ships’ begins with a woman waking up to Troy falling, with everything on fire. It’s an explosive start that immediately hooked me. From there, Haynes hops forward and backwards in time, exploring the lives of women connected to the war. We see both Trojans and Greeks, each aching with loss and longing.

The book doesn’t follow one woman; it follows a whole cast. It feels less like a single novel and more like a collection of interlinked stories that form a complete whole. That’s why I enjoyed it a lot more than I otherwise would have. This format kept it fresh and fast-paced, ensuring it never dragged. The pages burn away. And each character is sympathetic, regardless of which side they stand on.

The best compliment I can give Haynes is that this is the first time I’ve ever taken an interest in Greek mythology. Her writing is crisp and fast-paced; it’s never a slog to get through. She always makes it easy to understand. And even with the array of characters, she makes it clear who we’re talking about and how the others relate to them. Some of those well-versed in mythology disliked aspects; for a newbie such as myself, it was great.

If, like me, this topic has never hooked you, don’t skip over Haynes’s book.

While I’m not going to devour more Greek books, I am interested in trying more of Haynes’s Greek retellings.

She does it well.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book Review: ‘Silver Nitrate’ by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s ‘Silver Nitrate’ is my latest read of 2025.

Moreno-Garcia first popped onto my radar with the release of ‘Mexican Gothic’ (which I’ve still yet to read). So, when I found ‘Silver Nitrate’ on the shelf, I grabbed it – and not only because that red cover oozes coolness.

‘Silver Nitrate’ follows Montserrat, an awkward sound editor. She’s in love with her childhood best friend, the washed-up actor Tristan. Together, they discover his new neighbour is a horror director from years past. For unknown reasons, he never finished his final film. Now, the director wants Montserrat and Tristan to help him complete it. Things go awry from there.

I had a good time with ‘Silver Nitrate’. The setting of ’90s Mexico is very cool and original. The childhood friends who always loved movies and horror resonated with me. And the idea of Nazi sorcerers is always creepy. The book is easy to read and doesn’t overstay its welcome. That said, I do have a few complaints.

I thought the genre was going to be horror when I went in. But, despite one or two scares (a couple of which were quite fun), the book itself isn’t terrifying. In fact, it wanders over to fantasy, sci-fi, and romance. I’d say it’s a romance novel wrapped in horror wallpaper.

Additionally, very few of the characters popped for me. Tristan, despite his interesting backstory, is whiny and annoying. Montserrat has her moments, but sometimes acts out for no clear reason. Abel was fun, as was the other guy who likes tropical décor (I forget his name). Speaking of forgetting, the main villains were all forgettable. We’ve all encountered these nefarious, lurking-in-the-shadows cult types before. Plus, there never felt like there would be any real repercussions if our heroes failed, only a vague ‘end of the world.’

These caveats didn’t stop me from enjoying ‘Silver Nitrate’, but they did make it disappointing. Judging by the cover and the blurb, this should have been a home run for me, yet it wasn’t. In the end, ‘Silver Nitrate’ didn’t quite cast the spell I hoped for. But it was fun enough to keep me curious about Moreno-Garcia’s other worlds.

I’m especially eager to check out ‘Mexican Gothic’.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ☆ ☆

Book Review: ‘Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead’ by Olga Tokarczuk

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Olga Tokarczuk’s ‘Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead’ is my latest read of 2025.

Like ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ and ‘Alias Grace’, this novel was a pick for my work’s book club. This month’s theme? Nobel Prize Winners. (Tokarczuk won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2018 – nine years after ‘Drive Your Plow…’ was first published.)

The story follows Janina, an older woman living on a wooded mountain near a rural Polish village. The novel starts with a bang. Oddball (a neighbour) awakens her in the middle of the night to say that Bigfoot (another neighbour) is dead. From the names alone, you can likely tell this is a dark, quirky little book. You’d be right. Bigfoot appears to have choked to death on an animal bone. From this point on, residents begin dropping off, one by one.

I enjoyed ‘Drive Your Plow…’ a lot. The beginning was excellent – strange, with a terrific hook. The middle sagged a bit under the weight of astrology talk. (We get it: Janina is eccentric!) But Tokarczuk brings it back under control for the final third. The dark Polish humour that simmers beneath the surface is perfect. And the English translation is top-notch – I often forgot I was reading a translated work.

I wouldn’t call this a ‘mystery’, though. It was clear where the plot was going. To me, the whodunit aspect is scaffolding for the real story (which I won’t spoil here).

Still, I’d recommend ‘Drive Your Plow…’ – if only because I’ve never read anything quite like it. It’s a peculiar book. If you can push past the astrology, you’ll find the ending rewarding, if unsurprising.

As for me, I’m keen to read more of Tokarczuk’s work – especially ‘Flights’, the book that helped her win the Nobel.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ☆

Book Review: ‘A Moonlit Path of Madness’ by Catherine McCarthy

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Catherine McCarthy’s ‘A Moonlit Path of Madness’ is my latest read of 2025.

It took me a while to finish, but that’s not the book’s fault; life’s been chaotic. My wife gave it to me as a Christmas gift, along with a year’s worth of other books. And boy, does she know my taste in literature.

The story – set at the turn of the 20th century – follows Grace, whose mentally ill mother has passed away. Her brother inherits the family home in the US, where Grace lives with her servant. But her parents have left her another house on the Welsh coast. Hoping to leave her mother’s madness behind, Grace sets off for Wales to begin a new life. But escaping ghosts, real or metaphorical, is never that easy.

The story is dark and brooding, taking time to build the atmosphere. Being half English and half Welsh, I loved the damp, moisture-in-the-sea-air setting. You could almost taste the salt from the waves. Grace’s journey is haunting and relevant to our modern era. ‘A Moonlit Path…’ examines how we viewed mental health in the not-too-distant past. In doing so, the novel encourages reflection on how we face these issues today. McCarthy also creates a sense of fate’s inescapability, reminding me of Stephen King. It’s the type of story where you sense how it will end but hope things might turn out fine.

Haunting, beautiful, tragic.

If you enjoy slow-burn gothic fiction, this one’s for you.

Book Review: ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ by Shelby Van Pelt

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Shelby Van Pelt’s ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ marks book two of the year.

I’ve started a new job at a company that has a book club, and I was very much looking forward to joining. We’re discussing this book for our first meeting of the year, and I can’t wait to chat with everyone about it.

‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ follows the paths of Tova and Cameron. Tova is recently widowed and lost her son many years ago. At night, she cleans an aquarium, where a Pacific giant octopus is the main attraction. Cameron grew up with his aunt and has never succeeded in life. He has never gotten his life on track since his addict mum abandoned him as a child. A series of events knock them out of their ruts, and the story unfolds like a flower blooming in the spring.

I loved this book. Slow and warm, it is a bit different from my usual fare, but it enraptured me. I challenge anyone not to have misty eyes at the novel’s end. As I started the book, I told my wife, ‘I’m pretty sure this is going to ruin me.’ The writing is witty and wise, and the characters – even exasperating at times – feel real. Even though the twist becomes clear early on, its execution still packs a punch.

It is a beautiful and original story; I recommend this to everyone.

Book Review: ‘Ghost Story’ by Peter Straub

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Peter Straub’s Ghost Story is my first read of 2025!

I started this book around Halloween last year, but finishing it took me a while. I picked it up after reading Stephen King’s high praise. And I’ve also enjoyed the books the two co-wrote (‘The Talisman’, ‘Black House’). I adore King’s slow-burn, small-town epics, so I went into this one expecting the same.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me.

Like King, Straub sets up a town’s worth of characters and a curious supernatural mystery. The atmospheric, snowy setting lingers on every page. The prologue, in particular, hooked me: a man kidnaps a young girl for reasons we don’t yet understand. But after that strong start, the story began to lose its grip on me.

The narrative shifts to a group of older men telling ghost stories. Straub punctuates this with extended, meandering explorations of the town and its people. While this setup has potential, I struggled to stay engaged. The pacing felt slow, with stretches where little happened. Some plot points felt underdeveloped or convoluted. I also found the dialogue and character behaviour hard to connect with.

I wanted to love this book. I gave it my all, but I struggled to stay invested. Even the conclusion, which Straub built up over hundreds of pages, felt anticlimactic.

That said, I see why others might enjoy it. Straub’s writing creates a strong sense of place, and the atmosphere is perfect for a cold night. Yet, it lacked the urgency and tension that makes a slow-burn story rewarding.

I wish it had lived up to its initial promise.

⭐⭐☆☆☆

Book Review: ‘Caliban Cove (Resident Evil, #2)’ by S.D. Perry

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For the final book of my 2024 reading challenge, I picked up S.D. Perry’s ‘Caliban Cove (Resident Evil, )’.

Having enjoyed Perry’s first ‘Resident Evil’ novelization, I wanted something lighthearted and easy. With its evil corporations, secret labs, and hordes of zombies, this book was a no-brainer. Pun intended.

Unlike most of Perry’s Resident Evil books, ‘Caliban Cove’ is not tied to a specific video game. There is no ‘Caliban Cove’ game – this story is Perry’s creation. Free to craft her own story, she takes us on a new romp with Rebecca Chambers, the rookie medic from the first story. The story follows the events of ‘The Umbrella Conspiracy’. Perry dives straight into the action.

Like its predecessor, ‘Caliban Cove’ is fast-paced and easy to read, making it a breeze to fly through the pages. I appreciated Perry’s creativity with new monsters and villains, bringing some freshness. That said, the ending felt rushed, and I wanted more details about some of the creatures. While keeping your big bads in the shadows can build suspense, having some payoff at the end is nice.

Although weaker than book one, ‘Caliban Cove’ is still fun – it’s good cheesy action to turn your brain off.

Book Review: ‘The Umbrella Conspiracy (Resident Evil, #1)’ by S.D. Perry

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I picked up ‘The Umbrella Conspiracy (Resident Evil, )’ by S.D. Perry, for my next read of the year.

I’ve loved the ‘Resident Evil’ games since my older brother got ‘Resident Evil 3: Nemesis’ in the early 2000s. I’ve since devoured every game. With ‘Resident Evil 3’ day at the end of last month, I wanted to delve back into Raccoon City. But I didn’t have the time to replay the games. So I thought, ‘Why not try the novels?’ I’ve heard other fans talking about them in horror circles, and I’m a big fan of trashy books and B-movie horror.

The book follows – surprise, surprise – the S.T.A.R.S. members as they investigate trouble in Raccoon Forest. People have been disappearing, sometimes turning up eaten. Perry opens the novel with the S.T.A.R.S.’s Bravo team going missing, leaving the Alpha team to investigate. It doesn’t take long until a zombie shambles onto the page, and from there, the book follows the game’s beats. We even get P.O.V.s from Jill and Chris – the first game’s two playable characters – along with the rest of the cast.

The book follows the game’s story much more than its silver-screen counterparts. It might do too well, describing the maze-like corridors and endless puzzles. But I understand that Capcom must’ve insisted Perry do this. This adherence might also be a plus for those who felt the movies should have stuck to the source material.

I went in expecting it to be enjoyable but flawed – after all, I have a soft spot for the movies – but it turned out decent. It’s not ‘The Shining’ or anything, but who would expect that from a video game novelisation? The characters are as we remember them, with some embellishment. The settings are all there, and the atmosphere is suitable. The puzzles fit into the story, and all the monsters appear – even if killed “off-screen”.

Perry’s book scratches the itch (itchy, tasty) well if you want to return to the Spencer Mansion.

Book Review: ‘Es wächst und wächst und wächst…’ by R. L. Stine

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R. L. Stine’s ‘Es wächst und wächst und wächst…’ is my penultimate read for my 2024 reading challenge.

I decided to pick up another after reading a few Goosebumps books in German to help me learn the language. I needed something easier after struggling with ‘Der kleine Prinz’ earlier in the year.

The book follows Evan, a boy whose parents left him with his old aunt as they leave town searching for a new house. Evan, who is very reluctant to do this, brings along his best pal, an old dog named Trigger. He soon meets a young girl of the same age named Andy, who shows him a dusty old toyshop with an irascible owner. The pair discover a strange tin with the word ‘Monsterblood’ (‘Monsterblut’) on the label. But, upon purchasing this treat, Evan learns it does not stop growing.

The story is classic Stine – fun, with likeable characters and easy-to-hate bullies. The book has plenty of peril, but you always know the heroes will get out of it (although, as a kid, I didn’t know this!). As my friend promised me upon gifting me ‘Der kleine Prinz’, I found the German in this book much more accessible. Some bits were tricky and required a dictionary, but I got through it. It’s getting more accessible – I’ll move on to the Fear Street novels in German soon.

‘Es wächst und wächst und wächst…’ is a great horror book for kids and is an excellent book to help adults learn a new language.

Book Review: ‘The Stand’ by Stephen King

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For my latest read of 2024, I dove back into Stephen King’s ‘The Stand’.

As with most of King’s work, ‘The Stand’ is something I read as a teen and wanted to revisit. A monster of a book, I began this while on holiday in Finland over the summer. It took me from mid-July to last week to finish. When I was a kid and had no commitments, I could burn through a tome like this in a week. But those days are long gone.

You might stick with a book this long for one of two reasons: either it drags, and you dread picking it up, or you love it so much that the length doesn’t matter. ‘The Stand’ definitely falls into the latter camp. It’s an absolute triumph and one of King’s best.

The book begins with a catastrophe at a military base. What follows is a pandemic that ends almost all human life. A few smatterings of survivors remain, left to rebuild how they see fit. Groups form around two individuals who the survivors dream about. Mother Abigail, a 108-year-old black woman, serves as a force for good. Randall Flagg, an evil figure with supernatural powers, is hellbent on destruction. King writes so many characters that it’s hard to pinpoint a single protagonist. But there are clear groups of ‘heroes’ and ‘villains’, and the large cast adds depth and complexity.

The intro is electric, with that cloying, inescapable destiny thing that King does so well. As soon as the wheels start to fall off – and the body count rises – King doesn’t let up. After this, the tempo slows, and we get to know our wide cast. The characterisation of this wide range of people, from good to evil, is astonishing. As things become more complex, you can’t help but feel their losses and celebrate their wins. Nobody does this like King. You’ll be so hooked when the magical elements – e.g. prophetic dreams – come in that you won’t mind the shift to fantasy. ‘The Stand’ is a glorious book from one of the best to do it.

It’s a long read, but every single page is worth it.