Book Reviews

Erebus (The Sleeping Gods #2) by Ralph Kern

2017-01-29 “I was really beginning to long for the days of just running after thieves and shoplifters down Islington Upper Street. Instead, here I was in a starship, racing toward the most destructive force in the universe at full burn, chasing down a cybnetically enhanced killing machine while worrying about whether the laws of physics would rip me to shreds.” Ralph Kern is fast becoming... Continue reading

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse, #1) by Dennis E. Taylor

2017-01-29 I’ve just finished this and it’s fantastic. It’s engaging, intelligent, funny – and very original. 🙂 The negative: the first 5 pages didn’t really hook me, though I appreciate why they are there. The positive: Plenty of humour, and an astonishing coverage of so many hard SF topics approached in a very accessible and entertaining manner. Am already halfway through reading the sequel and... Continue reading

Unfathomed (The Locus #1) by Ralph Kern

2017-01-29 So I had a few minutes to kill and picked this up just to see what it was like. And – I know it’s a cliche – but it grabbed me immediately and wouldn’t let me go. The story is simple enough – the setting is 2024, and a state-of-the-art cruise liner suddenly finds itself lost in the Caribbean and everything starts to look... Continue reading

Sandman Slim (Sandman Slim, #1) by Richard Kadrey

2017-01-29 The lead character, Jimmy Stark, begins like a John Constantine but without the cleverness, which was frustrating. Magic was mostly all flash without subtlety. But it improved into the last third of the book when the story proper came into being and finally showed some insight and intelligence. In the end, this book felt like a long prologue which finally set up an interesting... Continue reading

Red Tobruk: Memoirs of a World War II Destroyer Commander by Frank Gregory-Smith

2017-01-29 Another interesting WWII memoir from the British side, this time from within the Royal Navy. Having read a few accounts already centred on the North Africa campaign, it was interesting to see details outside of what I’d already read – not least the RN’s criticism of the lack of RAF, which mirrors a lot of German criticisms about the Luftwaffe. There’s a strong sense... Continue reading

Guardsman and Commando: The War Memoirs of RSM Cyril Feebery DCM by David Feebery

2017-01-29 Feebery’s laconic humour and clear detail shine through. As a biography it is a decent and enjoyable read. However, as a WWII biography some people may find its appeal limited – except from a short stint in German-occupied France after D-Day, he never really saw action. So while he’s involved in a lot of preparations and minor incursions, this is more a soldier’s account... Continue reading

Troop Leader: A Tank Commander’s Story by Bill Bellamy

2017-01-29 I’ve been reading a number of WWII autobiographies from German soldiers. When I saw this, and a string of similar ones for just 99p, I decided to take a punt. And I’m glad I did – it turns out this was a book I’d chased after before. However, previously it was only available as a very expensive paperback. The account overall is interesting and... Continue reading