Dead Winter by C L Werner

More than a thousand years after the Age of Sigmar, the Empire he struggled to create rests on the edge of destruction – the reign of the greedy and incompetent Emperor Boris Goldgather has shaken down the great and prosperous edifice of his erstwhile realm. Without warning, a terrible and deadly plague strikes, wiping out entire villages and leaving towns eerily silent through the long frozen months. As the survivors struggle to maintain order and a worthy military presence, vermin pour up from the sewers and caverns beneath the cities, heralding a new and unspeakable threat – the insidious skaven!

Finding myself reading another Time of Legends novel kind of happened by accident. As we mentioned back here, Liz and I went off to the inaugural Black Library Weekender a few weeks back. There I finally got to meet Clint Werner, the first and only man cool enough to carry off wearing a rattlesnake on his hat. After that, it was pretty much a given that I was going to have a go at something he'd written! 

Dead Winter is set in the Empire at a time when the scurrying hordes of Skaven are setting in motion a grand plan to destroy the world of man. Werner is no stranger to the ratmen of Skavenblight, having penned several novels centred on them already, and there's no mistaking how firm a grip he has on their shadowy culture as things get underway. But there's more to Skaven here- the backbone of Dead Winter lies with the plague-riddled lands of men, where the tightfisted arrogance of Emperor Boris 'Goldgather' is threatening to do the Skaven's job for them. 

What ensues is classic Warhammer- everything either balanced on a knife edge or teetering towards destruction as Werner starts building the pace, bringing together rat-catchers, a plague doctor, a fallen priest of the god of death, Skaven infighting, plagues and the occasional giant spider into an atmospheric whole that bodes very well for the rest of the series (but not so well for the poor Empire!)

Devious, bloody and fun, with a great cast of characters and a rich setting, this was a fast and enjoyable read and I look forward to seeing exactly how far Mr Werner can twist the knife.

You can read an extract here, or visit Clint's website here.

At Yellow Lake by Jane McLoughlin

Etta, Peter and Jonah all find themselves at a cabin by the shore of Yellow Lake, and flung together in the terrifying series of events that follows. 

Jonah has come to Yellow Lake to try to get in touch with his Ojibwe roots. Peter is there to bury a lock of his mother's hair - her final request. Etta is on the run from her mother's creepy boyfriend, Kyle, and his dodgy friends. 

But as the three take shelter in the cabin, finding surprising solace in each other's company, they soon realise that they have inadvertently stumbled onto the scene of a horrifying crime, and Kyle and his cronies have no intention of letting them escape. 

What to say about At Yellow Lake that the handy synopsis doesn't give away? Not much, actually.  

What I found interesting about At Yellow Lake is that the author used three very distinctive voices to tell the story - the three points of view came from the three main characters.  And yes, they are all main characters rather than one main with a side of two secondary characters - this surprised me.  I felt for Etta and Peter and Jonah, their voices were fresh and new but it also made me cringe.  Especially Jonah's voice - there was this naivety about his expectations (go live in the woods and live off the land like his ancestors did) that made me deeply uncomfortable.  Not just because of his innocence but because you kind of know that things are going to go tits-up sooner or later. 

Because of this, my own hesitancy, I don't think I enjoyed At Yellow Lake as much as I should have.  And it's weird - I think it's because I knew A Bad Thing was going to happen, that I expected it to happen, so rather than looking forward to it, it made me worry for the characters - again, not necessarily a bad thing, but it did hamper my enjoyment of a book that is technically well written and in some places running amuck with achingly beautiful prose. 

Also, I think the overall plot, the danger the kids are in is actually incidental to the actual story - bear with me as I explain what I mean (it's not a criticism).  The story for me is about three kids, who are terrifically alone in this crowded world of ours, who for reasons of their own, go to great lengths to be cut off from society.  It's about kids who don't see themselves as part of a community or family and they feel weak and powerless because of their loneliness.  But once they find one another, there is conflict and tension, but a bond of camaraderie forms and they stand together in the face of adversity.  And that's what this book is about.  It's also about survival and how doing the right thing for the wrong reasons sometimes turn out to be the better thing to do, rather than inaction. 

I enjoyed At Yellow Lake, I'd recommend it as a thoughtful read for strong independent readers from say 12+ who are maybe a bit more mature in their reading tastes.  Personally, I would have liked a longer book and I felt that the ending was exactly as it should be, but again, there were scenes, especially when Etta, Jonah and Peter were together, that I would have liked to have been deeper, less rushed.  

Find the author, Jane McLoughlin's website here and At Yellow Lake's been longlisted for the Carnegie.  Find the whole giant list here.   

Favourite Childhood Books Part Two - The Moomins by Tove Jansson

Synopsis

When Moomintroll learns that a comet will be passing by, he and his friend Sniff travel to the Observatory on the Lonely Mountains to consult the Professors. Along the way, they have many adventures, but the greatest adventure of all awaits them when they learn that the comet is headed straight for their beloved Moominvalley.

When I read the Moomins as a child I don't think I really appreciated how surreal they are. I simply accepted their strange life and adventures. I didn't really understand, for example, that some places in the world had almost total darkness in the winter. To me it was just the world of Moomins where folk tales ruled. Take Comet in Moominland where Moomintroll has a bad feeling that something bad was going to happen. He trusts his gut and travels to the Lonely Mountains to find out more. This journey isn't simple though, it's arduous, difficult and almost ends tragically. However, Moomintroll and Sniff find the wandering and wonderful Snufkin who spends his life travelling the country. Together they find out more about the mysterious comet which is bringing the feeling of unease to the creatures of the valley.

Snufkin is a brilliant character. He always knows what to do for the best and makes sure they get to the mountains unhurt. The messages are gentle but quite profound. For example Sniff wants to keep some garnets that Snufkin has discovered. Sniff is scared off by a dragon and Snufkin gently reminds him that some things are better to appreciate from a distance without the need to take them. The lessons and messages in Moominland are never heavily laboured and I love the books because Moomin is allowed to do what he likes yet he's wild and responsible in equal parts. 

These are definitely books that you can appreciate for different reasons as an adult and at times you can sense that Tove is destined to end up writing for adults. Multi-layered and gorgeous - if you've never read them before give them a go. The television programme really caught the flavour of the books for me. So, before I finish, here's one of the more bizarre, beautiful and slightly scary episodes of The Moomins: The Lady of the Cold.

Le pays creux de Williams Morris

Mes lectures stagnes et surtout, tous les livres que j'aimerais pouvoir lire sont chez mes parents. Il va falloir que je patiente encore un peu je pense pour retrouver mon petit rythme de lecture adoré. En attendant, voici une chronique publiée que A&M dans le cadre d'un partenariat avec les éditions Aux Forges de Vulcain. Il s'agit d'un roman de fantasy considéré comme l'un des premiers du genre. Merci à lolly pour la correction de cette chronique !



Quatrième de Couverture
Alors qu’il est jeune garçon, Florian de Liliis assiste à une cérémonie au cours de laquelle son frère Arnald, à la suite d’une maladresse, est humilité et frappé violemment par la future reine Swanhilda. Les deux frères jurent vengeance, mais ce n’est que seize ans plus tard qu’ils décident de prendre les armes pour réparer cet affront et ôter la couronne à cette reine, haïe de son peuple à cause de sa tyrannie et de sa perfidie. Débute alors une autre histoire de vengeance, celle d’Harald le Rouge, fils de Swanhilda. Lors du combat qui oppose les frères de la maison des Lys et Harald, Florian tombe dans un précipice qui le conduit au Pays Creux, lieu de passage entre la Terre et l’Au-delà. Guidé par Margaret, il débute sa quête de la rédemption.

Publié en 1856, ce texte est considéré comme le premier roman de fantasy. Encore assez méconnu, il constitue pourtant un moment fondateur de ce genre fictionnel qui donnera naissance aux œuvres de Tolkien et de C.S. Lewis.

« Savez-vous où il se trouve – le Pays Creux ? Depuis longtemps, maintenant, j’en suis à la recherche, j’essaie de le retrouver – le Pays Creux – car c’est là que j’ai vu mon amour pour la première fois. Je veux d’abord vous dire comment je l’ai trouvé ; mais je me fais vieux, et ma mémoire me trahit : il vous faut patienter et me laisser réfléchir si d’aventure je puis vous dire comment c’est arrivé. Oui, à mes oreilles résonne un bruit de trompettes qui retentissent dans des landes désolées, de mes yeux et mes oreilles, je vois, j’entends le choc et le fracas des sabots de chevaux, le son et l’éclat de l’acier ; des lèvres retroussées, des dents serrées, des cris, des hurlements, et des imprécations. »

William Morris (1834-1896) fut imprimeur, poète, écrivain, peintre, conférencier, dessinateur, architecte et activiste socialiste.

Mon avis
Le Pays Creux renferme l'histoire de la vie de Florian de Lilis, un homme élevé selon un code d'honneur que l'on peut aisément comparer, au sein de la littérature, au code d'honneur des Chevaliers de la Table Ronde. Le sens de la famille prime face à toutes choses et sa quête a pour but de venger son frère. Il découvre sans le vouloir Le Pays Creux où il rencontre son Unique Amour. Il vit en ces terres une vie de plénitude et cet avant-goût de paradis le force, une fois un âge avancé atteint, à vouloir y retourner pour finir sa vie.

Le Pays Creux tient plus du conte que du roman de fantasy à mes yeux. On suit le parcours initiatique d'un héros qui, mortel, commet de nombreuses erreurs. Son principal faux pas réside dans son désir de rendre justice lui-même. En prenant ainsi la place de Dieu, il outrepasse son statut de simple être humain et s'attire la foudre du destin. Cet ouvrage est imprégné de la culture chrétienne, des croyances des hommes. Il s'agit d'une épopée teintée de religion que nous offre ici William Morris. Seulement, on peut tout de même considérer que l'oeuvre est effectivement du domaine de l'heroic fantasy ; notre héros est un chevalier évoluant dans un monde inspiré du Moyen-Âge, il affronte une Reine qui semble osciller entre la créature qui le pousse à la faute et celle dont la mort l'oblige à se repentir toute sa vie durant. Le mélange entre fantasy et religion est assez habile ; il permet de séduire un type de lecteurs qui se serait laissé facilement effrayer par un conte tournant uniquement autour de la religion chrétienne pure et dure. Je fais partie de ce groupe-là et j'ai été surprise de ne pas être rebutée par la présence constante de la religion.

Les personnages sont très peu explorés, mais cela semble naturel. On se retrouve tellement pris dans les pensées du héros, dans ses réflexions, que ce n'est qu'une fois la lecture terminée que l'on se demande pourquoi on sait si peu de choses sur qui il est, tout en connaissant la quasi-totalité de son histoire. L'homme que Florian de Lilis cherche à retrouver est présenté comme un être malfaisant tout au long de la quête et, lorsqu'il apparait à la fin, on se rend compte qu'il n'y a pas de personnes bonnes ou mauvaises ici, mais plutôt des personnes ayant suivi ce qu'elles pensaient être juste. Des personnes qui ont dû passer leur vie entière à chercher le pardon pour leurs erreurs.

Notre héros retrouve enfin le Pays Creux lorsqu'il a terminé sa quête de rédemption. Un avant-goût lui avait été offert afin qu'il puisse trouver un sens à sa vie, sens qu'il a découvert après de nombreuses épreuves. On retrouve là tout le processus dicté par la religion, mais qui colle à nouveau à la quête d'un héros de roman de fantasy.

Malgré la construction habile du conte, je n'ai pas réussi à entrer complètement dans cette lecture. Le vocabulaire employé n'est pas celui que je côtoie habituellement et cet aspect m'a plu, mais cela n'a pas suffi. Je n'arrive pas réellement à définir ce qui n'a pas fonctionné avec moi ; peut-être le fait que, finalement, 52 pages se lisent bien trop vite pour avoir le temps de plonger la tête la première au coeur de l'histoire. Cela peut aussi tenir dans le côté flou de l'organisation des événements : le récit est celui d'un vieil homme contant sa vie, un homme qui prévient celui qui l'écoute que sa mémoire peut se révéler être défaillante. J'ai peut-être été perdue dans cette défaillance du personnage.

Le Pays Creux est un conte agréable à lire pour qui n'a pas peur de se retrouver face à un langage plus soutenu qu'à notre époque. J'ai réussi à lire facilement ce livre, à apprécier ce qu'il avait à apporter, mais ce n'est pas un ouvrage qui m'a réellement marquée. Peut-être ai-je aussi eu du mal à saisir tout ce qu'il avait à m'offrir.

Je remercie les éditions Aux Forges de Vulcains pour m'avoir permis de découvrir l'un des tous premiers ouvrages de fantasy.

Long est le chemin du repentir

Bientôt de retour !

Non non le blog n'est pas abandonné ! 

Je m'excuse infiniment du manque de mises à jour ces derniers temps...mais je rencontre quelques problèmes avec internet, un réparateur va essayer de venir le plus vite possible... Grosso modo, j'ai internet, 1 fois sur 5 !

De plus, je suis en recherche en histoire de l'art et j'ai une tonne de dossiers à rendre avant la mi-décembre ! 

Je reviendrai très vite pour que l'on partage tous ensemble nos avis sur tel ou tel livre !

A très bientôt

Tachas. 

The Host by Stephanie Meyer

Disclaimer: I read The Host back in 2008 and did a review for The Book Swede and I spotted a lot of excitement about The Host movie online this week and thought I'd copy across my review here. I think it would be interesting to go back and re-read The Host to see if my opinion changed.  To be honest, I'm not sure it would have.  Unlike Twilight, The Host has not left a weird feeling in my mind, if I can call it that.  Anyway, enough babbling. Here's my dusted off review: 

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that takes over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. Wanderer, the invading 'soul' who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too-vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love. 

I genuinely can’t imagine a scarier scenario. Aliens invade Earth. And they stay. Not only do they stay to co-habit Earth, they take over by bonding with the humans (whom they call their host) in a parasitical way. They repress the host’s personality completely and take over their day-to-day lives. In some instances, the host personality dies and is overcome by the “soul” implanted into its body. Humanity becomes changed forever by the souls who find that they bond truly well with their human hosts.

I don’t like bugs – no matter how beautiful. So I had a preconception about how this was going to turn out already, and in the back of my mind, I ran through the various horror movies out there in the same sort of genre and I sort of despaired. How to do something new and fresh? The concept already had my skin crawling before I even read The Host by Stephenie Meyer. Which is not the best way to start reading a book to review.

I know the author through her Twilight books she did, in the past, and was unsure how she was going to handle this futuristic, Sci-Fi styled book with its overtones of horror and romance.

The fact is: she pulls it off. The aptly named soul, Wanderer, becomes implanted in a rebel human, Mel. Mel is a fighter and she refuses to let Wanderer take her over completely. She becomes a passenger in her own mind and slowly but surely a strong relationship grows between host and soul. We follow them on a journey filled with hate and despair as they strive to find Mel’s brother and her boyfriend/lover, Jared. A group of humans headed by Mel’s uncle, Jeb, (who immediately in my mind turned into Sam Elliot) discover Wanderer and Mel, in the desert, close to death. And this is where the story genuinely unfolds and the author’s writing skills comes to the fore.

A tremendous amount of internal dialogue and keen observations on human behaviour is dotted through the book. It is beautifully written and the style is consistent all the way through. But having said that, I couldn’t quite suspend my disbelief that the souls were all such gentle folk, even the Seekers, the ones who hunt humans and bring them in for implantation. Wanderer is rendered as incredibly saintly, yet all through the book I felt that I wanted to throttle her, to make her be more proactive and less reticent. Which, naturally, from a writer’s point of view is exactly what you want to do: stir up emotion in the reader. Mel remains as an interesting counter-point to the very selfless Wanderer (or Wanda) and I found it interesting to follow the storyline to see how the author played it out right to the very end.

It is a good book, no doubt about it. It is skilfully written with a lot of thought having gone into the society the souls press upon humanity. 

The movie is out next year and here's the trailer and it looks like fun...

Pour seul cortège (L.Gaudé)

Quatrième de couverture :

En plein banquet, à Babylone, au milieu de la musique et des rires, soudain Alexandre s’écroule, terrassé par la fièvre.
Ses généraux se pressent autour de lui, redoutant la fin mais préparant la suite, se disputant déjà l’héritage – et le privilège d’emporter sa dépouille.
Des confins de l’Inde, un étrange messager se hâte vers Babylone. Et d’un temple éloigné où elle s’est réfugiée pour se cacher du monde, on tire une jeune femme de sang royal : le destin l’appelle à nouveau auprès de l’homme qui a vaincu son père…
Le devoir et l’ambition, l’amour et la fidélité, le deuil et l’errance mènent les personnages vers l’ivresse d’une dernière chevauchée.
Porté par une écriture au souffle épique, Pour seul cortège les accompagne dans cet ultime voyage qui les affranchit de l’Histoire, leur ouvrant l’infini de la légende.

Impressions de lecture :

Ecoutez... "dans les steppes de l'Asie centrale "de Borodine, ce rythme d'abord lancinant, répétitif mais qu'on sent évoluer, puis ces voix fortes, discordantes ou assorties, fortes, envoûtantes...Vous aurez un aperçu de mon ressenti sur ce roman : j'ai eu la musique dans la tête pendant toute la lecture...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juisZsDQZBo&feature=related

J'aurais aimé ne pas vous en dire plus, vous laisser trouver votre propre musique...Il y a tant à découvrir par soi-même...Et tant à dire aussi.

Sur l'idée de départ, originale et osée, pas facile : parler d'un personnage très connu  (Alexandre le Grand) en se focalisant sur son agonie et son cortège funèbre. 

Sur la construction ensuite, tel un roman "choral" certes, où Laurent Gaudé alterne les narrateurs à la première ou troisième personne, mais aussi les types de voix : les vivants, Alexandre, et les âmes errantes des fidèles compagnons morts. Cela donne un côté passionné, flamboyant à l'ensemble. On passe du lyrisme à la réalité la plus dure. On est en empathie totale avec les personnages tels que Drypteis, digne et loyale, et les compagnons fidèles d'Alexandre, qu'on peut compter sur les doigts de la main, et qui formeront son ultime cortège.

"Alexandre doit retrourner à sa mère qui l'attend , 

qui hurlera à son tour, du haut des monts de Macédoine, 

et ce cri s'entendra jusqu'aux confins du monde."

Sur l'écriture de Laurent Gaudé, enfin, qui est vraiment sa signature même si elle diffère un peu selon les livres, mais qu'on retrouve dans le soleil des Scorta et plus encore dans la nuit Mozambique ( et dans la mort duroi Tsongor parait-il, je vais donc m'empresser de le lire) : 

cette écriture en effet, on peut la trouver "excessive", c'est souvent le reproche, mais qu'elle est belle ! Quel souffle elle donne au récit ! On est porté autant par l'histoire que par l'écriture ! Et c'est d'elle que vient cette musique qui ne vous lâche plus au fil des pages.

(Je mets peu de citations, je crois qu'il est important de decouvrir ces lignes sans a priori...)

Et toujours cette question de la mère d'Alexandre, Olympias, "A qui appartiens-tu, Alexandre ?", fil rouge lancinant du récit et réprésentative d'un des objectifs d'Alexandre le Grand : rallier Occident et Orient, les réconcilier, oeuvre ambitieuse qu'il tentera de mener à bien...Même si l'empire, dès sa mort annoncée,  sera l'objet de convoitises et de partages sanglants...

"Tout se fissure dans l'empire. (...) On déchire les alliances et aiguise les fers. Est-ce à cela qu'il lui sera désormais donné d'assister ?

Le dégoût en elle, je le sens. Il monte. C'est lui qui va nous donner la force de nous rejoindre, Alexandre (...) Elle ne le sait pas encore mais ce sera elle qui te ramènera à moi, et je te guiderai alors vers les terres lointaines que tu n'as pas foulées de ton vivant."

J'ai été happée dès la première ligne par le style très lyrique lorsqu'il s'agit des grandes scènes du roman (cortège, Egypte, dernier assaut...), très intimiste  lorsque la voix de Dryptéis se fait entendre, et très réaliste dans les anecdotes relatives au règne d'Alexandre le Grand : ces variations donnent beaucoup de relief à la narration.

p.31 : "Elle pense que les dieux ont faim, qu'ils veulent une proie, que personne n'a pensé à calmer leur appétit. C'est bien ce qu'elle a senti. Il flotte dans l'air autour d'eux, une menace. Les dieux cherchent une vie à dévorer.(...) Il est normal que ce soit elle."

En bref, une première page qui vous harponne, une construction qui donne un souffle à l'histoire, une écriture qui lui donne un rythme reconnaissable certes- mais c'est ce que j'aime chez un auteur, sa "signature littéraire"-mais un rythme très musical, grandiose souvent.

 Et une histoire prenante traitée de manière oiriginale.

Vous l'avez compris, ce  roman est un superbe cru de Laurent Gaudé, que je vous encourage vivement à découvrir en vous laissant porter par le style...

Un seul "oubli" mais on y remédie très facilement de nos jours (!) : une (même minuscule) biographie d'Alexandre le Grand aurait permis de se situer dans le temps, et une carte dans l'espace. ça aurait sans doute ajouté un caractère "roman historique" non voulu  au livre d'où peut être le choix de ne pas les inclure...

Note : 19/20

J'avais choisi ce roman pour les matches de la rentrée littéraire chez Price Minister.

Merci à Oliver et aux éditions Actes Sud 

pour l'envoi de ce livre.

Des billets à lire chez Asphodèle, Claudialucia, Liligalipette, Minou (et la chanson qu'elle y associe, "remember me" de josh Croban ICI)...

A cette URL, on trouve une carte très bien, avec possibilité de cliquer sur les villes, apparaissent alors des oeuvres d'art ou photos en relation avec la dite-ville.http://explorethemed.com/AlexanderFr.asp?c=1

Dark Eyes by William Richter

Wally was adopted from a Russian orphanage as a child and grew up in a wealthy New York City family. At fifteen, her obsessive need to rebel led her to life on the streets.

Now the sixteen-year-old is beautiful and hardened, and she's just stumbled across the possibility of discovering who she really is. She'll stop at nothing to find her birth mother before Klesko - her darkeyed father - finds her. Because Klesko will stop at nothing to reclaim the fortune Wally's mother stole from him long ago. Even if that means murdering his own blood. But Wally's had her own killer training, and she's hungry for justice.

I enjoyed this book so much but am peeved that it's got the crappy tagline of: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for teens, this debut thriller introduces our next big series heroine! 

Oh ffs, get a grip.  Wally is nothing like Lisbeth Salander - LS is a psychopath.  Wally isn't anything remotely like Lisbeth.  Besides, it's a tagline that would maybe attract adult readers as I'm not entirely TGWTDT had that wide a teen readership...and so it makes me think the publishers are desperately trying to mark this as something with cross-over appeal and maybe trying too hard.  

With that mini-tantrum out of the way: I thoroughly enjoyed Dark Eyes.  In fact, I loved it so much I want to write fan-fiction, but I have good impulse control so I won't.  Dark Eyes is a mixture of adult thriller (NOT Girl With a pointless Dragon Tattoo) and the best of YA contemporary your ten quid can buy.  It's feels gritty and very real and in Wally we have a unique and strong heroine who doesn't allow herself to be pushed around.  She's living on the streets, a voluntary choice, and she's the leader of a small team of homeless kids who steal and hustle cons on tourists and unsuspecting locals. There are four of them, Ella, Jake, and Trevin.  Ella and Jake are a couple (their brief histories and why they are on the street is explained too, which was nice) and then there's Trevin who just seemed to lovely to be real. 

Dark Eyes is a twisty turny modern thriller set on the streets of NY where the city and outlying areas are used to great effect.  If I closed my eyes whilst reading it, I could easily imagine the long sweeping aerial shots of the busy roads, of sunsets and dawns over the city.  Tremendously atmospheric, the city with its ebbs and flows formed the perfect backdrop to Wally's story.  There are just enough mention of touristy places to orientate me, and more than plenty of mentions of places I've never heard of to intrigue me.  More than anything I want to find a map and look up the settings used for the book.  Is that mad? Shut up, read on. 

And what a story it is.  Who Klesko is is easily deducible and it's a nice token from the author, giving us that sly nod, letting us in on the secret.  What we need to figure out though is not only who Wally's real family is, but what's the story behind the story - why was Valentina Mayakova abandoned in a Russian orphanage, who are her parents, why was she brought to America...and who is her mum? And what's the story with Klesko, what exactly does he want and who is his murderous sidekick, called Tigr?  

All these questions are answered and a few more - what worked well is the way the story was told, in a strong unaffected voice, with side-chapters and pieces given to a concerned policeman who enters the story pretty near the start as he investigates the death of one of Wally's team.  We get the more formal police procedural, the more serious story from NYPD Detective Atley Greer. 

Richter doesn't pull punches - there's cussing, sexy times, action, guns, fights, snark...in other words, Dark Eyes is aimed at more mature readers (nothing to do here with age, btw) and to be honest, Wally's the kind of MC who you know is a bit of a poser (she admits this herself) but you like her and want her to figure out the mystery surrounding her heritage and you want her to come out ontop, swinging. 

The ending is tied off neatly, but with enough of an opening for a second book.  And I'm super pleased that there is a second book called Tiger and it's already been pre-ordered - due out next year.  

Dark Eyes is a satisfying read and definitely one I'd recommend to you guys, if you look past the utterly rubbish Lisbeth Salander faux quote. 

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

WARNING:SPOILERS FOR ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD

Synopsis

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on. 

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.


Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.


Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

Anna Dressed in Blood was my favourite book of last year - hands down. In fact Liz and I have a little Anna fan club going on - no, really, we have badges and everything. I was so looking forward to reading book two and getting immersed in the world again. At the end of book one, Anna has sacrificed herself by passing on to another place taking the awful Obeahman with her. Cas is aware that he should be moving on, his athame has been purified so he can get back to the business of sending malevolent ghosts on their way - right? Well, not quite because Anna is turning up in Cas's dreams and eventually into his daylight hours and it's obvious that she hasn't passed on to a peaceful place. He's tormented with the knowledge that she's clearly in trouble but he can't help. He turns to his friends, Thomas and Carmel who encourage him to let it go. Even Gideon, his dad's advisor and voodoo practitioner Morfran warn him about messing with the door to the other side.

Cas won't let it go though, of course, and his search for help takes him to London so my wish at the end of book one to find out more about Gideon is fulfilled. However, it's in the UK that the story gets very scary. I compared Kendare Blake to Stephen King before and I say it again now - this lady can certainly write horror. I got chills as they entered the forests of Scotland - it was, without a doubt, one of the creepiest passages I've read. I won't spoil it for you but I think what happens to them there is loosely based on a real forest in Japan that I saw on television years ago. I also especially enjoyed the trip they make to see Thomas's aunt - I'll never look at gingersnaps the same way again!

I really enjoyed this book. My enjoyment of YA, whether it be contemporary, horror or fantasy, is always based upon the journey that the protagonist makes. Girl of Nightmares portrays some of the heartbreaking aspects of growing up - like first loves and succumbing to peer pressure. I loved the characters even more in book two despite the fact that I wanted to bash their heads together. There wasn't the urgency for me in this book though, despite the subject matter and their journey. At times it's quite a somber read with little let-up and when I finished I did a little internet searching to find that (as far as I'm aware) there'll be no book three. I feel that there should be another. Of course I'm going to say this, I'm heavily invested in Anna and the gang. However, if this is to be a duo then once I've come to terms with that I'm sure I'll be happy with the outcome. I can't say more without giving it away - there's so much I want to discuss with you about this! 

Anna, Cas, Thomas and Carmel - I've loved you guys - farewell. 

Devil's Peak by Deon Meyer (My New Obsession)

When I fall for a writer, with a backlist, I tend to fall hard.  It happened with John Connolly the last time in a big way.  I could not read enough John Connolly.  I scooped loads of his books up and stuffed them into my head.  Now I'm on a tiny sabatical before I burn out on Connolly. 

Then, a few weeks ago, I discovered this South African crimey thriller writer, Dean Meyer.  I read an interview with him hosted by a fellow review blogger here in the UK.  I liked his honesty and I thought his books sounded interesting.  Set in SA, where I'm from, I was intrigued to read what he'd done, having not been "home" for several years myself.  I thought I would have a decent distance to judge adequately how a foreigner would read the books, or rather, someone who's never been to South Africa and only knew of it as the place that gave birth to Apartheid, the place Mandela was locked away in and all the trouble with the ANC and the place where lions walk the streets.  (Sorry, I had to put that in there: if I had a pound for every time I was asked this question or one similar, I'd be able to dine out at Claridges at least three times a year).

 

I bought in two titles to read by Deon Meyer.  The first was Devil's Peak.  It's the first part of an ongoing series featuring a Cape Town police detective called Benny Griessel. This is the write-up nabbed from Amazon:

The former freedom fighter known as 'Tiny' has finally achieved his dream of a peaceful life. But then his beloved son is taken away from him. In that moment, he unleashes himself upon a corrupt South Africa. His victims are those guilty of crimes against children.

He goes by the name of Artemis.

Benny Griessel, a fading policeman on the brink of losing his job, family and self-respect, is assigned the case. Benny knows that this is his last chance - both his career and the safety of Cape Town are on the line.

But then Benny meets Christine, a young mother working as a prostitute, and something happens that is so terrifying that the world will never be the same again for Benny, for Christine, or for Tiny.

Within a few pages I was fully immersed in the world created by Meyer.  I felt so much empathy for this freedom fighter called Tiny because Meyer took great care to produce a well rounded, interesting, conflicted character.  Let's be clear here: this surprised me, as I remember the fears we had growing up about these freedom fighters, these boys and men who would kill and destroy and burn homes and schools and innocent people in order to get the point across. The old adage of: someone's freedom fighter is another person's terrorist, is an adage I grew up with.  For Meyer to take someone whom I thought of as the "enemy" growing up in SA and making him an character I have so much empathy for, turning him into an actual living breathing person, not just a faceless frightening person, making him someone I cared deeply about, is testament to Meyer's skill as an author. 

Tiny is supposed to be the antagonist in Devil's Peak but he's also the hero - in my opinion, he is. His character development is handled with such skill and everything he did you believed in.  His motivations were clear and you are with him every step of the way as he goes through his various "kills".  I sobbed my eyes out a few times - thank heavens for waterproof mascara, Mr. Meyer! 

Onto Benny Griessell.  What a complete fuck-up of a main character.  Benny is basically a victim of his own abuse.  And I utterly loved him for it. He is messed up, and piteous and whiny and so completely self-absorbed that it takes him most of the book to realise exactly how badly he has screwed up his life.  His wife kicks him out because he's a drunkard and she's had enough.  He tries to stop drinking and goes through this whole period of withdrawal.   His boss (Mat Joubert) gives him a talking to that made me crow with laughter and admiration because I could hear it so clearly spoken in my head.  The dressing down Benny gets, the complete telling off is worthy of an award in itself.  I kinda wish I was clever enough to scan that speech in to copy it in here, but I actually read it out to Mark and we both collapsed laughing at it because of it's sheer brilliance.  Needless to say: tough love is strong and living well in Deon Meyer's writing. 

And through all of this, Benny's been tasked to track down Tiny and to stop him.  Tied in with all of this (makes big hand gestures) we've got a young woman named Christine telling her story to a hapless priest somewhere in South Africa.  Somehow her story is connected to all of this and as the narrative moves ahead it becomes more and more clear how it fits in with Benny and Tiny's story. 

I have feelings about this book, about the writing, the settings, the people, the author.  And it's kinda canted over into being wholeheartedly smitten with the entire package, reader, I won't lie.  The book has shown me what a good writer can do, like John Connolly's novels: it makes you believe in characters who have dubious morals and it makes you love them, just a little bit, and care about them and how things work out for them ultimately. 

Standing back from my obvious infatuation, I would say that as a "foreigner" some aspects would seem difficult to understand but only initially because everything is within context.  Meyer never shies from writing honestly about corruption and the harsh realities of living and working in South Africa.  It's a very real world, inhabited by people of all colours and creeds and to Meyer's credit, he doesn't hold back or rather, to me it doesn't seem like he's holding back and he gives us the full scope of life on the force, the difficulties, the politics, the realities.  I also think that Meyer's got an incredible eye for detail and his observations and commentary hits home.  It made me smile wryly and nod and it shocked me too - racism is still there, but not in the way most people would expect.  But then, there's also friendships and compassion that transcends gender and race and that's incredibly important to point out to first time readers too, I think. 

I'd also like to do a shout-out to Mr. Meyer's translator as he writes the books in Afrikaans and it is then translated into English (and various other languages) which in itself is incredible as although I'm supposed to be Afrikaans and can understand it really well, trying to speak it, nevermind translating it, blows my mind.  Stupidly, I didn't make a note of who the translator is and I'm sorry, but really, they have done an amazing job because the writing flows beautifully and there is a lyricism to the prose when it comes to describing the characters' emotions but also the beauty and realities of this world, that gives me shivers.  It shows that Mr. Meyer and his translator must work very closely on keeping the integrity of each book. 

I went straight from reading Devil's Peak into the second Benny Griessell novel: Thirteen Hours.  Which, although it's still a Benny Griessell novel, is completely different to the first novel which was a very intimate character study of two very different men and a tormented woman, set against a backdrop of a country still struggling to make sense of the big issues that face them.  I'll review Thirteen Hours next week but basically: you'd be a fool not to want to read it.  My third Deon Meyer title should be delivered in the next few days and I can't wait to read it - it's not a Benny Griessell novel, but a standalone, and I can't wait to indulge.  

COMMENT ÊTRE DE BONNE HUMEUR TOUTE L’ANNEE ? Découvrez le secret de la bonne humeur et 365 meilleures blagues pour vous-y aider

COMMENT ÊTRE DE BONNE HUMEURTOUTE L’ANNEE ? Découvrez le secret de la bonne humeur et 365 meilleuresblagues pour vous-y aider

Ce livre vous fait connaître le secret de la bonne humeur. Les techniques qui vous permettrons d'avoir chaque jour la bonne humeur et ceci pendant toute l'année. Les techniques qui vous permettrons de surmonter vos mauvaises journées, votre mauvaise humeur, la haine que vous avez pour un proche.

Et pour vous y accompagner, vous trouverez également 365 meilleures blagues, une pour chaque jour de l'année, que j'ai sélectionnées pour vous. La bonne humeur est merveilleuse et vous aide à surmonter toutes vos difficultés. Alors découvrez ce secret et les 365 meilleures blagues.

Si vous voulez des journées merveilleuses, des semaines merveilleuses, des mois merveilleux, des années merveilleuses, une vie merveilleuse, alors ce livre vous y aidera, alors procurez le vous.

Alors n’ayez aucune crainte sur le contenu car vous avez la possibilité de le retourner s’il n’est pas conforme à la description qui est faite. Alors votre bonne humeur est à votre portée.

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COMMENT AVOIR LE SUCCÈS INÉBRANLABLE A VIE? 7 Secrets à connaître

COMMENT AVOIR LE SUCCESINEBRANLABLE A VIE ? 7 Secrets à connaître

Ce livre vous donne les secrets qui vous permettent de réaliser vos rêves de réussites, de succès. Il contient tout ce qu’il vous faut pour votre réussite, votre succès inébranlable, qui durera toute votre vie.  

• Le 1er secret chasse la peur. Il vous donne de la valeur personnelle, augmente votre confiance en vous et fait de vous une personne recherchée par tous.
• Le 2ème secret est la clef du bonheur. Il vous apporte de la joie, dans toutes les circonstances de votre vie. Il améliore vos rapports avec les autres, éclaire votre chemin dans les moments sombres et vous libère de la crainte de la mort.
• Le 3ème secret vous donne sur les autres un avantage presque injuste. C'est l'origine de toutes les réussites exceptionnelles, de la plupart des découvertes; c'est la clef pour transformer tout échec en succès.
• Le 4ème secret est un secret bien gardé. On peut tout savoir d'une personne, même ses pensées les plus cachées, à partir de cette loi. Tous les grands hommes l'utilisent.
• Le 5ème secret a une puissance presque magique pour mettre en œuvre des forces qui nous dépassent et qui, toutes, se mettent à nous aider. A lui seul, ce secret peut changer votre vie.
• Le 6ème secret vous mettra à l'abri des problèmes d'argent. Il fera de vous une personne aisée. Il vous livre les secrets de l'ancienne Babylone pour accumuler les richesses. Même si vous êtes endetté(e) jusqu'au cou, ce secret fera de vous une personne indépendante financièrement et libérée des contraintes matérielles.
• Le 7ème secret est le secret de la Vie. C'est lui qui vous permet tout le reste. Et pourtant il est si facile de l'ignorer, que plus de 99 % des gens qui vous entourent la dédaignent et le payent très cher. Il vous évitera la douleur, la maladie et augmentera votre longévité.

Voulez-vous réaliser vos rêves ? Alors procurez vous ce livre.

Vous n’êtes pas sur cette page par hasard, c’est le début de la réalisation de vos rêves.

Et de plus vous avez la possibilité de le retourner si le contenu n’est pas conforme à la description et si vous ne constatez aucun changement après 21 jours de mise en pratique sérieuse. Alors pourquoi laisser passer l’occasion ?

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La lumière pour les ténèbres de la sinusite

Ce livre est le fruit de plusieurs années de recherche sur la sinusite qui constitue un grand problème de santé. Vous y trouverez une explication détaillée de ce que c'est que la sinusite, les causes de la sinusite et les symptômes.

Il vous donne les notions essentielles pour prévenir la sinusite et les précautions à prendre quand vous souffrez de la sinusite.

Dans ce livre vous trouverez également de très bons remèdes naturels et de simples techniques pratiques pour soigner la sinusite.

Pour votre meilleure santé ou celui de vos proches, procurez vous ce livre.

Vous avez la possibilité de le retourner si le contenu n’est pas conforme à la description. Alors pourquoi hésiter.

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La Vierge Marie

Ce livre s’adresse à toutes les confections religieuses, que vous soyez chrétien ou pas, protestant ou catholique.

Dans ce livre vous découvrirez les réponses aux questions que vous vous posez  souvent sur la Vierge Marie, la Mère du Seigneur Jésus Christ. Vous trouverez également le témoignage d'un grand pasteur protestant à propos de la Vierge Marie.

Vous trouverez en plus assez d'information pour mieux connaître la Vierge Marie, la Mère de Dieu.

C’est un livre qui fait la lumière sur la Vierge Marie. Procurez-vous ce livre pour être mieux informer.

Vous avez la possibilité de le retourner si le contenu n’est pas conforme à la description. Alors pourquoi hésiter.

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Quand Liligalipette nous totem-ise !

Bon, tout le monde a déjà aperçu ce challenge très original sur la blogosphère mais je ne réésiste pas à l'envie de mettre ce joli logo (que sans doute j'adapterai pour "mes" animaux !).

Alors voilà, il s'agit de choisir votre animal fétiche, d'en faire votre totem et de lire des romans, albums, de regarder des films, de faire des recettes (euh oui, là c'est plus périlleux pour certains !) concernant cet animal.
C'est d'ailleurs très bien expliqué chez Lili Galipette, ICI.

Et pour ce challenge, j'ai choisi (Lydia, Lystig, attention...)

 l'herpétofaune 

 (affreux ce mot !)

Je n'y entends rien aux amphibiens et reptiles, 

 mais ça faisait rire les filles !

Alors c'est parti pour serpent et autres grenouilles,

crocodiles et salamandre...

Beurk !

Jen a choisi les dragonosaures...

quoi, vous ne connaissez pas ???

Ben, ya Charles déjà...

et pour Charles, Jen ferait n'importequoi !