Levent's Kaleidoscope

Nora Roberts' thrillers

2011-12-06T01:04:00.001+01:00

I have discovered Nora Roberts in the local library and quickly read two of her books. I always enjoy trying out a new thriller writer, although she has been around for more than a decade.

Reena was always fascinated by fire since she was a little girl, and that's why she chose to be an Arson investigator with the Police force. As she investigates recent fires, she notices that these point to her teenage life and an obsession that is deadly as well as frightening.... Nora Roberts has a very fluid style and you never want to stop reading. An enjoyable novel.... It looks like there is a TV feature adapted from the novel in 2007, with low ratings in IMDB.

Nora Roberts has once again created a compelling atmosphere for this thriller. Reece comes to this small Wyoming town, getting away from the horror in her past. As she takes on a cook job and tries to relax in this forgotten corner in the middle of a terrific nature, she will find out that it is not always so easy to leave the past behind.

Roberts builds up her story slowly, and you keep wondering how it is going to develop. Of course she uses typical 'whodunit' plot mechanisms (after all, Agatha Christie probably used all possible plots in her novels) but the result is not obvious at first. Character development is also given at an appropriate level so that the story does not stagnate or get boring. This book was also adapted for a TV feature in 2007, with low ratings.

It looks like Nora Roberts will be in my watch list for the near future (at least the books, maybe not the movies)

Allison Croggon and the Pellinor series

2011-02-09T01:24:00.000+01:00

It is always difficult to evaluate fantasy books without comparing them to genre classics like Lord of the Rings or Earthsea.

Allison Croggon has created a familiar atmosphere in the first book of her Pellinor series named The Naming, introducing Maerad, a common slave girl who discovers that she is a Bard (a sort of Mage) and is the sole survivor of the House of Pellinor. Pursued by the Dark, she runs from location to location meeting other Bards and trying to sort out friend from foe.

I found lots of themes from classical fantasy books, put together in a decent story. The rendering was harsher than expected with some bloody magic/battle scenes (book is recommended for 12+) and of course we have to read the later books to solve/understand a lot of the puzzles introduced. All in all this Australian writer has done an acceptable job and has put out a readable series.

The second book, The Riddle, follows Maerad as she continues running away from the forces of the Dark and meets more formidable enemies. We learn more about the world of the novels and the past of some of its heroes and villains. Maerad discovers more of her powers but also realizes that there are many missing parts of the puzzle she has to solve in order to stop the Dark. It is a good continuation to the first book and an enjoyable fantasy novel in the tradition of Tolkien and LeGuin.

The third book, The Crow, follows the story of Hem, Maerad's recently-discovered brother, who has been sent to the South to hide from the agents of the Dark. However, trouble is brewing in the South close to Den Raven where the evil Nameless One is assembling his armies for a final assault into the Kingdoms and Annar.

Hem discovers his strengths and weaknesses whereas we do not hear from Maerad in this volume. However Hem will discover something that will tell him how he might help Maerad in her quest to find the second part of the lost song in order to stop the Dark from ruling the world once again.

The story gets more interesting and one can not stop wondering what the fourth and final volume will bring.

A new Master of Fantasy : Karen Miller

2011-02-09T00:40:00.000+01:00

Karen Miller has written several books comprising two fantasy series named "Kingmaker-Kingbreaker" and "Fisherman's Children". Although this fantasy series uses combinations of familiar themes from similar series, it is exciting and gripping.

The theme of a unsuspecting hero has always been popular in literature and movies, but it has been handled quite well in the first novel The Innocent Mage. Asher is a well-developed character and is arguably the most enjoyable protagonist in the series. Coming from a British/Australian writer, it is no wonder that characters and atmosphere are distinctly Anglo-Saxon.

This first book tells the story of how Asher, a simple fisherman, turns out to be the Innocent Mage, who is expected to conquer the evil Morg who is awakening once again to conquer the known world.

The second book is named The Awakened Mage. As the name suggests, Asher now knows his powers and has to find a way to beat the evil Morg. The second book is telling the continued story of Asher and Prince Gar as they are trying - unknowingly - to fight an ancient evil that is trying to destroy the world of their respective people. In this struggle they will have to oversome heartbreaks, betrayals, greed and other weaknesses.

This final story in the first series is enjoyable, but the resolution is a bit simplistic and does not bring much to the genre. The story continues with the next series "The Fisherman's Children" where Miller is telling the story of Asher's descendants.

Karen Miller is back to the world of Lur in the second series. In the first book named The Prodigal Mage she is describing events that are 10 years after the resolution of the first series. The two peoples of Lur, the Doranen and the Olken are now in a reluctant coexistence in a world leftover from the evil Morg and they think those days are behind them. However, things are not as they seem to be. More evil is lurking in the shadows and Lur is once more shaking to its foundations.

Somewhat slow-paced, this book has its gems. Introducing Asher's children with their unique gifts, it is portraying a grim, shadowy future for the world of Lur. Karen Miller has done a good job.

In the final book of the series named The Reluctant Mage, Karen Miller has pushed the limits of fantasy and has taken a rather dark trait. With Morg reawakened, it looks like the fate of Lur and other lands within his reach is set. However, a reluctant Mage will travel to the distant land ruled by the evil sorcerer to change things.

Good conclusion to the series. Although it shares many themes with established standards of the genre such as Lord of the Rings or Earthsea, it manages to bring some new breath to Fantasy.

I also noticed the great movie-material in these books and hope somebody shoots a motion picture out of the books.

Stephen King's Colossal book

2011-02-09T00:20:00.000+01:00

Under The Dome is another colossal book from Stephen King. It describes the strange events that occur after the small town Chester Mill is suddenly isolated from the external world by an invisible dome. The dome is impervious to anything, including Cruise missile. Meanwhile inside the dome different power groups are flexing their muscles in order to gain dominance over others and planning to destroy them.

This mammoth of a book is a combination between J.G.Ballard-like psychological setup where people under extreme circumstances start forgetting all society-induced inhibitions and turn into savages, and the typical Stephen King theme of the unknown.

I would have rated it higher if it wasn't just too long....

Mankell back in explosive action

2011-02-09T00:17:00.000+01:00

After a series of boring "mainstream" novels, Mankell is finally back to his true self with The Man from Beijing, covering murder mystery.

There is no detective in the centre of the story, but there is enough complexity, with China's plans for Africa, greedy businessmen, rail workers in 19th century U.S. and other plot twists.

Great to see Mankell producing something really enjoyable.

Cook does it again

2011-02-09T00:15:00.000+01:00

Seizure is a new medical thriller from Robin Cook about a new cure for Parkinson's which has to be applied experimentally to humans, a senator trying to ban the use of human cells for therapeutic purposes, mob members trying to make sure their investment in a bioengineering firm is safe, cells taken from the Turin Shroud.

Complex and engaging story, but the ending is a bit hurried.

Greg Iles

2011-02-09T00:11:00.000+01:00

Dead Sleep is another good book from Greg Iles. In a complex story, he is following photojournalist Jordan, whose twin sister has been missing for 18 months. She sees a painting which is a replica of her missing sister, and discovers a series of paintings of missing women from New Orleans. Cooperating with the FBI she tries to solve the mystery and find out about her sister's fate.

Knights Templar in Action

2011-02-09T00:08:00.000+01:00

Why change a winning formula? I have been enjoying Paul Doherty's "historical crime fiction" books where he combined historically accurate stories with typical crime mystery elements to provide an exciting combination to the reader.

In his latest series about the Crusades and Templars, he has reduced the mystery element to almost zero and provides a fictional account of the Crusades and the origins of the Templar Knights. The Templar is boring and trivial....

Deaver Plays with Electricity

2011-02-09T00:05:00.000+01:00

The Burning Wire is another exciting Lincoln Rhyme adventure from Jeffery Deaver. This time Lincoln is trying to track a relentless killer who is using basic electricity and electrical circuits to electrocute and kill numerous people. He is at the same time busy helping the Mexican police who are tracking the Watchmaker, a notorious killer that Lincoln had previously let out of his grasp.

As usual the book has the twists and turns and the unexpected developments that are typical of Deaver.

Understanding the Cosmos

2011-02-09T00:01:00.000+01:00

The Fabric of the Cosmos is a book by Brian Greene. It is by far one of the best popular explanations of modern physics including quantum mechanics, the origins of the universe and the newly emerging superstring theory. The author uses daily language to explain these thrilling subjects and explains the current academic trends and how scientists are trying to put meaning to all that's happening around us and the heavens.

Although in places it is a bit difficult to understand, it is a good book for anyone who wants to go beyond high-school physics in the understanding of the universe.

King of Medical Thrillers

2011-02-08T23:58:00.000+01:00

One of Robin Cook's typical medical thrillers is Marker, in which his favorite protagonist Dr. Laurie Montgomery, is trying to solve the mystery of several deaths in which perfectly healthy patients suddenly die after undergoing minor surgery. A complex tale of corporate greed and the insurance giants looking into testing for genetic markers.

Mankell Goes Mainstream

2011-02-08T23:46:00.000+01:00

Mankell has lately started to produce more "mainstream"novels than his signature Wallander mysteries. I must say the result is a bit mixed. Although it is a new area for an experienced writer, I still believe his crime mystery books are much better.

In one of his latest books, Italian Shoes, Mankell is telling the story of a retired surgeon who lives in a distant area of Sweden with few people around him. One day he discovers Harriet, the only woman he loved, and abandoned when going to the United States. Harriet is sick and is about to die, and wants to settle some issues, and holds a secret....

Deaver's Lesser Works

2011-02-08T00:58:00.000+01:00

Bodies Left Behind is one of the lesser works of Deaver (although it is quite new). I did not find the plot too interesting, and it is really lacking the trademark twist-and-turn plot changes Deaver is famous for. The female cop character is OK, but nowhere near Deaver's two famous characters, Lincoln Rhyme and Kathryn Dance. A bit of a disappointment....

2011-02-08T00:55:00.000+01:00

This book named The Book of Air and Shadows has a very interesting topic, revolving around a previously unknown aspect of William Shakespeare. It follows three separate threads which are supposed to be brought together, however, after two thirds into the book, the author loses the energy and the threads seem to converge into dullness.

Deaver on the Cyberspace

2011-02-08T00:50:00.000+01:00

Deaver takes on social networking, cyberbullying and similar crimes of today in one of his new books, Roadside Crosses. The book has his usual twists and turns where it is difficult to predict who is who. He also has lots of recent information on blogs, social networks, MMORPG games, etc.

The book's protagonist is Katherine Dance, introduced by Deaver in one of his earlier books. It looks like Deaver is now alternating between Lincoln Rhyme and Katherine Dance novels, and both characters deserved to be brought back in many more books.

A fresh Breath in Crime Fiction : Stieg Larsson

2011-02-08T00:44:00.000+01:00

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a pretty interesting crime novel from a Swedish writer. Stieg Larsson's style is very much unlike Henning Mankell in the characters he has created. This is a much less sombre view of Sweden, rather a view that looks at Sweden as a modern, industrialized country with its share of violent crimes and its history of Nazism.

The second book The Girl Who Played with Fire shows that Larsson got better with every book in the series. Larsson portrays a Sweden which is really different from that of Henning Mankell. Russian defectors, secret security apparatus, test of democracy and journalism in modern Sweden.

Really a treat! It's a pity that there will be no more books by the deceased Larsson.

Finally the third book in the series (Millennium) named The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is an amazing finish to this popular trilogy.

What in Heaven's name is Mankell doing?

2011-02-08T00:34:00.000+01:00

I don't know what Mankell is up to with his book Kennedy's Brain. At first I liked this book, since it had a very different atmosphere from the Wallander books. But as the book progressed, it spiralled into an obscure text with nowhere to go.

It tells the story of an archeologist whose son inexplicably kills himself, or does he? As the text progresses, more mysteries are unravelled, but at the end the explanation of what was happening was completely lame.

I think Mankell must be having a rare version of Writer's Block where he is producing books but these are going nowhere. I have one more new book of him, let's see what he has with that one. (Yes, and I'm reading his Wallander stories book now, which should be good)

Has Dan Brown Lost His Touch?

2011-02-08T00:28:00.000+01:00

I am disappointed by this latest Dan Brown novel named The Lost Symbol. He uses the same literary techniques. Even the characters (apart from the protagonist) look very similar to the ones in his previous books.

The topic of the book is again one of conspiracy, namely the role of Masons in the world and how they actually built the U.S.A. However, I found the "mystery" behind the plot quite lame. I will not give it away, but it has none of the impact of "The Da Vinci Code"

More Baldacci fun

2011-02-08T00:21:00.000+01:00

In The Whole Truth, David Baldacci has gone into a slightly different area than what he did before and moved the focus to international conspiracies rather than presidential problems or FBI infighting.

I would believe that the new characters he introduced might come back later, since they look perfect for that (a hint of the Maxwell and King duo, but different)

All in all, another interesting Baldacci winner.

Baldacci does it again

2011-02-08T00:14:00.001+01:00

Sean King and his ex-Secret Service partner Michelle embark on another high-rolling adventure on this latest Baldacci book named The First Family. The plot is complex, following the First Lady and her family, as well as Michelle's own family, and in the meantime some strange people in rural America.

Baldacci brings the three threads together in an explosive, well-thought finale. The chemistry just works and I'm looking forward to more books featuring these characters.

Thriller in Venice

2011-02-07T23:58:00.001+01:00

The Rossetti Letter is a pretty good combination of historical intrigue with modern-day academic competition. There has been a flurry of such novels lately, but this is one of the good examples.

Venice has always been a charming city, but in the 17th century it was a dreadful place. The book looks into the realities around the so-called Spanish Conspiracy and gives a lot of insight to that period.

Richard Morgan's Dystopian Vision in The Black Man

2011-02-07T23:39:00.000+01:00

Black Man is another interesting book from Richard Morgan. Although different from his Takesci Kovacs books, it portrays a future world that is as depressing and grim.

It is a world where the U.S. has been split into several independent states (The Pacific Rim, Southern United States aka Jesusland and others), the U.N. is a major military power, Mars has been colonized and the space travel authority (COLIN) has a major military power rivalling that of the U.N. power.

Genetic manipulation has resulted in several anomalies, including "thirteens", namely genetically modified males used for aggressive military actions.

Certainly an interesting book, highly recommended. (The book has been published as The Black Man or Thirteen in two separate editions)

Dan Brown's Angels & Demons is a must read before visiting Rome

2011-02-07T23:16:00.000+01:00

I read Angels and Demons again after a short trip to Rome when I visited the Vatican City and also at least 6 of the important locations used in the book.

Dan Brown's books have always been good reads for me (except maybe The Last Symbol, which had a structure almost exactly copying The Da Vinci Code and as such was not very original) not necessarily because of the plausibility of their controversial hypotheses, but because of the puzzle-like structure and the mystery involved. Dan Brown uses a flowing language but also lots of hard-to-guess puzzles within his books. Maybe if you dig under the skin, you might find inconsistencies and far-fetched assumptions (which I believe multiple authors have written about by now).

Angels and Demons tells a quite sensitive story about the struggle between the Catholic Church and the Scientific Establishment. It uses the Vatican and the Conclave - in which the next Pope is elected - as the main ingredients, but throws in various other entities like the CERN (nuclear Physics research centre, the place where Internet was invented), antimatter and others to create a very complex and flowing story. The puzzles are very complex and you need to be an expert in the city of Rome and the period of Leonardo and the likes of Bernini and Raphael, but it is an enjoyable read. It is funny that the movies were shot in the reverse order of the books (The Da Vinci Code was first, and Angels and Demons were second in the movie versions), although they are independent.

Beginnings of Wallander

2011-02-07T07:46:00.001+01:00

I had read first of the Kurt Wallander books Faceless Killers after I had read several of Mankell's books about this acerbic Swedish detective.

Although it is not as brilliant as the other books, it sets up the scene, introducing Kurt's temper, his father, estranged wife, daughter (very briefly) and the background Swedish society.

Maybe it's not a good idea to start the series with this first book.

Unending Saga of Northern Ireland

2010-07-16T22:37:00.000+02:00

Just when everyone thought that the problem in Northern Ireland was slowly disappearing, the troubled region erupted last week with violence stemming from the protest against the Protestant Orange Walk that signifies the victory of the 17th Century King William of Orange (of Dutch Origin) against the Catholics.

Since the Orange Walk has always been controversial, it is understandable that it creates strong emotions, even after several years of the hard-obtained Peace and Devolved Government in Northern Ireland.

The Boxer is a movie which is about The Troubles. It was filmed in 1997, about a year before the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 which was the first major step to stop the conflict in Northern Ireland. It is the story of a boxer (Daniel Day-Lewis as Danny Flynn) who was prisoned for his ties to the IRA but has given up violence in prison and is trying to start up a non-secterian sports center in his neighborhood to promote sports values to children. His childhood love affair (Anne Watson as Maggie) has married another person, but her husband is also in prison.

The IRA in the neighborhood is also being split into two streams of thought, those who continue to support a solution based on armed conflict and those who are trying to break the vicious circle. The "peace" faction is headed by Maggie's father but things are not as rosy as they seem.

This is a very well-shot movie. The actors are superb, and of course Daniel Day-Lewis excels and is very much believable as a boxer.