The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy

The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy is the middle book of a vampire trilogy by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan.The third book has not yet been published.


Like everyone else who takes on the vampire genre, del Toro and Hogan have added their stamp to this archetypal monster, so much so that Bram Stoker would probably not even recognize the monsters in The Fall as vampires. I won't go into details about what make The Fall's vampires tick, but if you are hoping for pretty teen vampires in designer jeans or castle-dwelling Eastern European counts, this book will disappoint you.

The Fall opens with New York (and the world) in flames. Vampires are preying on people and spreading the curse of their blood lust at such an alarming rate that there are few humans left to tend to critical matters like, say, maintaining nuclear reactors. A team of unlikely allies under the leadership of a vampire expert must rid the world of this substantial menace while there is still time. Their biggest challenge is defeating the Master, the vampire overlord who telepathically unites all the monsters under him into a pretty feisty fighting force.

I found this book enjoyable for the most part. It was just what I was in the mood for: quick-reading, fast-paced entertainment. The narrative should hold the interest of most readers and I never found myself rooting for the vampires, which is a good sign. However, the writing is a bit wooden and the plot is completely unbelievable. Yes, I know that one must suspend disbelief when reading a monster book, but it is possible to write in this genre without resorting to scenarios that are so absurd as to be unlikely even in a highly fictionalized setting. Stephen King, for example, pulls this feat off well.

Other quibbles: the characters are a bit thin on personality and the focus is on action, not terror, so I never found myself scared. Negatives aside, I am sure I will read the third book when it comes out.

Oh, and surprise, surprise -- they are making a movie based on it.

-Paul


If you like The Fall you may also appreciate:

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. A very suspensful and well-written story about the hunt for an elusive vampire.
The Vampire Chronicles, a series by Anne Rice.
Salem's Lot by Stephen King. Very creepy!

Seaworthy: a Swordfish Captain Returns to the Sea

I just finished Linda Greenlaw's Seaworthy: a Swordfish Captain Returns to the Sea. I was surprised to see she had written a new book related to her commercial fishing career: I thought she had retired from fishing.

Seaworthy recounts Greenlaw's 52-day sword-fishing trip to the Grand Banks, her first after a ten year hiatus. Just about everything that could go wrong does go wrong, from mechanical failures, crew electrocution (he lived) to being arrested by the Canadian Coast Guard. Despite this, Greenlaw writes as if the experience were a humorous and fun adventure.

Her writing style is engaging and informative and she assesses herself with humor and honesty. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing in her adventure.

I've read her other books about adventures at life at sea and enjoyed them as well.  I haven't had a chance to read her mysteries yet, but they're on my ever growing list of books I'll get to.

If you enjoy her writing, you may be interested to know that the Discovery channel has a show about her and other swordfishing captains called "Swords - Life on the Line."  The show is modeled after the "Deadliest Catch."


-Natalie


If you enjoy Seaworthy, you might also like:

The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger
The Hungry Ocean: a Swordfish Captain's Journey by Linda Greenlaw

In the Woods

In Tana French's debut novel In the Woods a team of Dublin murder detectives works to solve the murder of a young girl, a crime that may have connections with the 20-year old disappearance of two children. The strain of the investigation takes a huge toll on both detectives and on their friendship, and shatters the family of the murdered girl -- a family that includes more than one possible suspect. 

This is a supremely well crafted psychological thriller, with imperfect, believable characters who do imperfect, believable things. French's prose is effortless and evocative. Her modern Ireland -- torn between its prosperous present and its downtrodden past -- is a character as fascinating as her protagonists.

I found In the Woods hard to put down and would have read it in one sitting if I had had the time. I do not read many books in this genre, but this is almost certainly the best of its sort I have read in a long while and the best book I have read recently.

Fortunately for me, Tana French has written two more novels with some of the same characters, and they are next on my list. These are The Likeness and Faithful Place.

You may wish to avoid this if you are bothered by graphic crime scene descriptions or explicit language.

-Paul


If you like Tana French, give the following authors a try:

Benjamin Black (beginning with Christine Falls)
Elizabeth George (try Traitor to Memory)

Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury is considered a classic. It's one of those books that you think you should have read. So I tried to read it. I really did. I got through the first 100 pages and stopped because I hated the premise. I gave it a break for a few days and decided to read the last 20 pages. I figured if I liked the ending, I'd go back and finish the book. I didn’t like the ending. The book describes a depressing, alternate future in which no one is allowed to own books, and "firemen" burn books and the houses that books are found in. I did not want to contemplate such a bleak future in which no one is allowed to discover new ideas or think original thoughts.

I guess it is considered a classic precisely because it makes you ponder what you take for granted -- an open society with no censorship. Not all books are warm and fuzzy. Some make you think. This one certainly did. My negative emotional response might be a testament to how well written it is: I was drawn into a world that I didn’t like and that felt all felt all too possible.

But try it. You might have a better experience than I did.

-Natalie


If you like Fahrenheit 451 or Ray Bradbury in general, you may also like these authors:

David Almond (for teens)
Peter Crowther (author and editor)
Theodore Sturgeon

Star Island

Star Island is my first Carl Hiaasen novel and I think I am intrigued enough to try his many others. The novel is a satirical treatment of our celebrity-crazed culture and tells the story of a talentless train wreck of a singer. When her double (who fills in when the singer is too inebriated to safely appear in public) is kidnapped by an obsessed paparazzo in a case of mistaken identity, everyone scrambles to avoid a PR disaster but nothing to rescue the double, who is one of the two honorable characters in the novel. Also on hand are the former governor of Florida who left office to become a mangrove-swamp-dwelling hermit, a bodyguard with a weed-wacker in place of one hand (yes, I know), and a very sleazy record producer.

Not high literature for sure, but an entertaining book. Avoid if you are offended to strong language.

-Paul


If you like Carl Hiaasen you may also enjoy:

Laurence Shames
Tim Dorsey

Sizzling Sixteen

I just listened to Sizzling Sixteen,  Janet Evanovich's latest installment in the Stephanie Plum series. As usual it was very fun to listen to!

Bounty huntress, Stephanie Plum is at it again. This time she must rescue her boss Vinnie from the mobsters who have kidnapped him because of a $1.3 million debt. In their attempt to raise the funds, Stephanie, Connie and Lula will keep you laughing with their antics. Wait until you meet Mr. Jingles! There is also a surprise relating to either Ranger or Morelli....can you guess which one it will be?

Lorelia King, who narrates for Janet Evanovich is great: her reading helps your picture the characters and keeps you rolling with laughter!  If you have the time, I highly suggest listening to a few of Evanovich's books.

-Denika


You can view the Stephanie Plum series in order here at Janet Evanovich's website.


If you liked Sizzling Sixteen, you may also wish to read:

Sarah Strohmeyer, especially those books featuring the Bubbles Yablonsky character.

Anthony Bruno, especially those books featuring the Loretta Kovacs character. Start with Devil's Food.

Stone's Fall

Iain Pear's latest novel, Stones' Fall, is a murder mystery and historical novel with a satisfyingly complex plot. Three narrators provide us with the portions of the story that concern them, gradually building to a revelation that I did not see coming.

Set in England, France and Italy, Stone's Fall unfolds over the course of approximately fifty years. It begins in London in 1909 where we are introduced to the widow of the recently deceased John Stone, an industrialist of extraordinary wealth. He fell from a window. Was he pushed, did he trip, or did he perhaps jump? Who and where is the child mentioned in his will? What are we to make of his widow's odd behavior and mysterious past? Each successive narrative jumps back in time and adds a piece to the puzzle.

Fans of fast-paced thrillers may find this story slow to unfold, but Pears' graceful prose, believable characters, and skill at weaving his plot with the geo-politcal intrigue of late 19th and early 20th century Europe are so engaging that I was sad to see it come to an end.

I would recommend this highly to fans of complex mysteries and historical novels.

-Paul


If you like Stone's Fall, you may also enjoy:

An Instance of the Finger Post by Iain Pears
Ex Libris by Ross King
Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson