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Adam Colclough (3 KP) rated Slow Horses in Books
Mar 12, 2018
The awkward squad to the rescue
Slough House is the place where the secret service dumps those operatives who don’t’ make the grade. A bureaucratic limbo as far away from the glamourous world inhabited by James Bond as Biarritz is from the outer moons of Saturn.
The crew of misfits incarcerated there under the command of the objectionable Jackson Lamb are called back to active service when a terrorist gang kidnap a teenager and threaten to behead him live online. Suddenly the awkward squad are players in a deadly game with only one possible winner.
In this book, first published in 2010 and part of an award-winning quartet, Mick Herron delivers all the thrills you would expect as he pits his cast of oddballs against a chillingly plausible enemy.
Spy novels often describe hidden worlds as a way of talking about the one with which we are all familiar. In the Sixties Le Carre wrote about a secret service that resembled nothing so much as minor Oxbridge college down on its luck but clinging tightly to past glories. Any similarity to a Britain that for all the promises of wonders delivered by the ‘white heat of technology’ was starting to look decidedly seedy was entirely intentional.
Mick Herron writes about a service that has been capture by bean counters and career obsessed middle managers. Drowning in paperwork, stymied by procedure and inclined to try and be a little too clever for its own good.
He also creates delightfully complex characters, the ‘slow horses’ of the title may all be difficult individuals, but that gives them fears and failings that make them infinitely more interesting than monochrome supermen like Bond or Bourne. By the book’s end he even manages to provide them with if not redemption than the unexpected feeling they may have a purpose after all.
The best spy novels are always about more than just chasing after a McGuffin. This book is unafraid to look at troubling ideas and to present characters who don’t tick the boxes of traditional heroism. That puts it in the running to become a classic of the genre.
The crew of misfits incarcerated there under the command of the objectionable Jackson Lamb are called back to active service when a terrorist gang kidnap a teenager and threaten to behead him live online. Suddenly the awkward squad are players in a deadly game with only one possible winner.
In this book, first published in 2010 and part of an award-winning quartet, Mick Herron delivers all the thrills you would expect as he pits his cast of oddballs against a chillingly plausible enemy.
Spy novels often describe hidden worlds as a way of talking about the one with which we are all familiar. In the Sixties Le Carre wrote about a secret service that resembled nothing so much as minor Oxbridge college down on its luck but clinging tightly to past glories. Any similarity to a Britain that for all the promises of wonders delivered by the ‘white heat of technology’ was starting to look decidedly seedy was entirely intentional.
Mick Herron writes about a service that has been capture by bean counters and career obsessed middle managers. Drowning in paperwork, stymied by procedure and inclined to try and be a little too clever for its own good.
He also creates delightfully complex characters, the ‘slow horses’ of the title may all be difficult individuals, but that gives them fears and failings that make them infinitely more interesting than monochrome supermen like Bond or Bourne. By the book’s end he even manages to provide them with if not redemption than the unexpected feeling they may have a purpose after all.
The best spy novels are always about more than just chasing after a McGuffin. This book is unafraid to look at troubling ideas and to present characters who don’t tick the boxes of traditional heroism. That puts it in the running to become a classic of the genre.
The Prince Who Would be King: The Life and Death of Henry Stuart
Book
Henry Stuart's life is the last great forgotten Jacobean tale. Shadowed by the gravity of the Thirty...
The Indomitable Frank Whitcombe: How a Genial Giant from Cardiff Became a Rugby League Legend in Yorkshire and Australia
Book
Frank Whitcombe, described as 'one of the greatest Welsh rugby league forwards of all time', played...
Nell and the Girls
Book
'Goodbye! There's my good girl.' The German got hold of Papa's arm roughly and said, 'Come on!' They...
A Seeker After Truths: The Life and Times of G. A. Studdert Kennedy ('Woodbine Willie') 1883-1929
Book
Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy became one of the most famous army chaplains of the First World War,...
An Indian Summer of Steam
Book
'An Indian Summer of Steam' is the second volume of David Maidment's 'railway' autobiography,...
David McK (3816 KP) rated Death to the Emperor (Macro and Cato #21) in Books
Apr 10, 2023
The Year 2001.
I wondered into a local branch of Eason's, and saw Under the Eagle on offer, sold for an introductory price (which I can't even remember), and with a blurb that sounded interesting. That, and a quote from the king of historical action-adventure fiction Bernard Cornwell that 'I really don't need this kind of competition ... a great read'.
Jump forward just over 20 years, and we're now onto book #20 in the series, and back in the Roman province of Brittania after the intervening books have had us all over the Roman Empire.
The series has also lost the 'Eagle' that was always included somewhere in the earlier titles (Under the Eagle, The Eagle's Conquest, The Eagle and the Wolves etc), with that word last used in the title in entry # 7 (The Eagle in the Sand).
That's not all that has changed: Cato is no longer the scared young man he had been in the first entries; Macro no longer the seasoned Centurion. Now, Macro is retired from active service whilst Cato - who now has a family of his own - has risen in rank above that that Macro ever reached but is still firm friends with the latter.
We've now also reached a pivotal moment in Roman Britain history, with the Boudicean revolt just about to kick off (as it does here) and as the Romans finally capture and raze the Druid stronghold of Mona.
Those two events form the backbone of this novel, with Cato involved in the attack on Mona whilst Macro is charged with the defence of Camulodunum (Colchester) and in charge of the Roman Reserves there whilst the main army is away on campaign, just after the Governor of Britain has further alienated their Icenian allies.
As with all of the Simon Scarrow books I've read, the history is worn lightly enough to make an enjoyable read: this is not a dry, stuffy retelling of events but rather uses the real historical events as the backbone for the story being built around it.
This, I have to say, is also the first in the series that I can remember ending in a definite cliffhanger ...
(I might have to go back and re-read the previous now)
I wondered into a local branch of Eason's, and saw Under the Eagle on offer, sold for an introductory price (which I can't even remember), and with a blurb that sounded interesting. That, and a quote from the king of historical action-adventure fiction Bernard Cornwell that 'I really don't need this kind of competition ... a great read'.
Jump forward just over 20 years, and we're now onto book #20 in the series, and back in the Roman province of Brittania after the intervening books have had us all over the Roman Empire.
The series has also lost the 'Eagle' that was always included somewhere in the earlier titles (Under the Eagle, The Eagle's Conquest, The Eagle and the Wolves etc), with that word last used in the title in entry # 7 (The Eagle in the Sand).
That's not all that has changed: Cato is no longer the scared young man he had been in the first entries; Macro no longer the seasoned Centurion. Now, Macro is retired from active service whilst Cato - who now has a family of his own - has risen in rank above that that Macro ever reached but is still firm friends with the latter.
We've now also reached a pivotal moment in Roman Britain history, with the Boudicean revolt just about to kick off (as it does here) and as the Romans finally capture and raze the Druid stronghold of Mona.
Those two events form the backbone of this novel, with Cato involved in the attack on Mona whilst Macro is charged with the defence of Camulodunum (Colchester) and in charge of the Roman Reserves there whilst the main army is away on campaign, just after the Governor of Britain has further alienated their Icenian allies.
As with all of the Simon Scarrow books I've read, the history is worn lightly enough to make an enjoyable read: this is not a dry, stuffy retelling of events but rather uses the real historical events as the backbone for the story being built around it.
This, I have to say, is also the first in the series that I can remember ending in a definite cliffhanger ...
(I might have to go back and re-read the previous now)
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Crown - Season 2 in TV
Dec 9, 2017
Another stirring season of The Crown
The Crown returns with another great season, very different from the initial series, with less focus on an ongoing story. It delves further into the relationship between the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, and the clear tension that arises from his alleged infidelities. But the more interesting part is the fact that it feels educational, going through real-life situations such as diplomatic conflicts - the Suez crisis, former King Edward VIII's collusion with Nazis, and even the Profumo affair, all while showing actual images of the incident after the episode.
In this season, the Queen appears less timid, far more self-assured and stoic as a ruler, all the while attempting to hold the fort in her own growing household. Great Britain is flailing, with various political scandals arising, and as a result, she is heavily scrutinised. We see more of the Duke of Edinburgh's background as a child, while disturbing, it is also utterly heartbreaking. It's a much more realistic portrayal of the royal family than in the first series.
In this season, the Queen appears less timid, far more self-assured and stoic as a ruler, all the while attempting to hold the fort in her own growing household. Great Britain is flailing, with various political scandals arising, and as a result, she is heavily scrutinised. We see more of the Duke of Edinburgh's background as a child, while disturbing, it is also utterly heartbreaking. It's a much more realistic portrayal of the royal family than in the first series.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Autumn in Books
Jan 10, 2018
Unusual story yet beautiful prose
Ali Smith has a wonderful way with words, describing a relationship between a young girl and her eccentric older neighbour, which seems to mirror the title of this book. Autumn shows the blossoming and withering of a man, Daniel Gluck, describing his younger years as a respected art critic of sorts, and the beauty he was constantly surrounded by. When he meets the younger Elisabeth Demand, he is already in the process of change, but she continues to help him feel alive, while he has a mentor-like relationship with her.
In between, Smith describes all of the major events plaguing Britain. From protesting the Iraq war, to Brexit doom, the perpetual markers that appear in the background of this constant, unwaning friendship. Can love and art really triumph over war? Smith believes it can.
The main issue with this novel is the fact that it is completely disjointed, and ends on a quite anti-climactic note. Read for the tone and not the story.
In between, Smith describes all of the major events plaguing Britain. From protesting the Iraq war, to Brexit doom, the perpetual markers that appear in the background of this constant, unwaning friendship. Can love and art really triumph over war? Smith believes it can.
The main issue with this novel is the fact that it is completely disjointed, and ends on a quite anti-climactic note. Read for the tone and not the story.
ClareR (6247 KP) rated Ghost Wall in Books
Feb 11, 2019
A disturbing look at family dynamics.
This novella really packs a punch. Its uncomfortable subject matter is presented in an uncomfortable setting. Slivie, her checkout assistant mum and bus driver dad, spend their summer holidays recreating life in Iron Age Britain, along with an archaeology professor and some of his students. Silvie's dad is a very keen, knowledgable amateur archaeologist, and is well respected by the professor. However, he is an unhappy man. He seems to hate the way he lives, and takes his frustrations (physically) out on his wife and daughter. I actually thought Silvie was far younger than it transpired that she was, purely because of the way her father spoke to and treated her.
The book becomes darker as it goes on, as we see more of Silvie's dads' outdated ideas of masculinity and a woman's station in life, and the conclusion is simply stunning.
This is well worth a read in my opinion.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and fairly review.
The book becomes darker as it goes on, as we see more of Silvie's dads' outdated ideas of masculinity and a woman's station in life, and the conclusion is simply stunning.
This is well worth a read in my opinion.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and fairly review.