| Title: | The Magicians |
| Author: | Lev Grossman |
| Genre: | Fiction/Fantasy |
| Synopsis: | A highly intelligent young man is accepted into a magical college and struggles to reconcile his new reality with the old. |
| Verdict: | Moves quickly, leaves you off-balance and although it’s well-written it feels incomplete and under-realised. |
| Pages: | 402 |
| Read: | May 2010 |
30 May 2010
#65. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
#64. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
| Title: | I Am Legend |
| Author: | Richard Matheson |
| Genre: | Horror/Science Fiction/Post Apocalyptic |
| Synopsis: | The last survivor of a disaster that turned everyone else into sub-human monsters fights for survival and sanity. |
| Verdict: | Dark, very subtle and to the point. The innovation against despair is very powerful. So very different from the recent film, more poignant. |
| Pages: | 161 |
| Read: | May 2010 |
#63. The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss
| Title: | The Vesuvius Club |
| Author: | Mark Gatiss |
| Genre: | Spy Fiction/Historical Fiction |
| Synopsis: | Edwardian dandy, dilettante and painter Lucifer Box is an agent in His Majesty’s Secret Service and the Empire is in peril! |
| Verdict: | A strange but easy read, less time is spent on the science than the sex or the musings on the possibility of sex but it was still funny. As if James Bond doesn’t spend as much time pondering rumpy pumpy. |
| Pages: | 240 |
| Read: | May 2010 |
#62. St Lucy's Home For Girls Raised By Wolves by Karen Russell
| Title: | St Lucy’s Home For Girls Raise By Wolves |
| Author: | Karen Russell |
| Genre: | Short stories/Surreal/Bildungsroman |
| Synopsis: | A collection of short coming-of-age stories using strange settings or hints of magical realism to highlight the mood or message the author wishes to convey. |
| Verdict: | None of them have ‘real’ endings but they’re so captivating and strangely real. |
| Pages: | 246 |
| Read: | May 2010 |
#61. Interstellar Pig by William Sleator
| Title: | Interstellar Pig |
| Author: | William Sleator |
| Genre: | Science Fiction/Young Adult |
| Synopsis: | A young man encounters exciting strangers on his summer holiday who draw him into a strange board game of interstellar tactics and survival which seems to have some weird connection to the actions of his new ‘friends’. |
| Verdict: | A lot more didactic than I remember but bloody scary for a kid’s book. Interesting idea. |
| Pages: | 201 |
| Read: | May 2010 |
#60. The Sign Of The Cross by Chris Kuzneski
| Title: | Sign Of The Cross |
| Author: | Chris Kuzneski |
| Genre: | Action/Thriller |
| Synopsis: | A conspiracy linked to the Catholic church is at the heat of global turmoil and could erupt into international chaos if not resolved in time. |
| Verdict: | Interpol investigates murder, ex-military folk investigate cover-up, Chris Kuzneski shows that he isn’t very good at telling and shouldn’t be allowed to talk about women because apparently being threatened by a strange man who has just tortured your estranged brother is perfectly acceptable and you will find this man sexy later on when he compliments you but this totally isn’t sexist because he will make a point of his character saying ‘hey women are their own people and not possessions’ just as he has his white character say ‘hey, I am not racist my best friend here is black’ *fistbump*. Shallow and predictable. |
| Pages: | 607 |
| Read: | May 2010 |
#59. The Child Thief by Brom
| Title: | The Child Thief |
| Author: | Brom |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Synopsis: | A re-telling of Peter Pan that focuses on the dark possibilities of the myth – what is the fate of the children who follow Peter to Never Never Land? Where do they all come from and how does he convince them to join him? |
| Verdict: | Grim, fascinating, rich and nicely mixed with more traditional faerie legends. The reality of conflict and the harsh violence that surrounds makes the horror at the situation of these enamoured children all the more effective. |
| Pages: | 481 |
| Read: | May 2010 |
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