John Macnab

Time for a classic I think – “John Macnab” by John Buchan.

"I speak figuratively.  You've got to rediscover the comforts of your
life by losing them for a little.  You have good food and all the rest
of it at your command--well, you've got to be in want for a bit to
appreciate them.  You're secure and respected and rather eminent--well,
somehow or other get under the weather.  If you could induce the
newspapers to accuse you of something shady and have the devil of a job
to clear yourself it might do the trick.  The fact is, you've grown
too competent.  You need to be made to struggle for your life again--your
life or your reputation.  You have to find out the tonic of difficulty,
and you can't find it in your profession.  Therefore I say
'Steal a horse.'"

A faint interest appeared in the other's eyes.

I first read this when in the 6th form at school. I spent hours in the school library, supposedly working and researching of course, but in reality devouring as many fiction books as I could. John Macnab was a great read on that first acquaintance; and in the many readings since, it has continued to delight me on every occasion. It might be a fanciful and romantic evocation of Scotland, and of its country traditions and lifestyle, but it is a wonderful and entertaining one. The book is both a joy in itself, and a brilliant introduction to the works of an author whose easy style will always attract readers, new and old. Should you not have read it, you are missing a real gem of Scottish literature.

More information from the John Buchan Society.

and Glasgow University

False Impression

My next review is definitely in the realms of accepted adult thriller writing – “False Impression” by Jeffrey Archer.

Jeffrey Archer is of course a controversial public figure – successful businessman and politician until a failed business investment made him virtually penniless and left with enormous debts; successful writer which led to a substantial reversal of his fortunes and a return to political ambition; he received a Life Peerage in 1992; he fell from public grace when sent to prison for perjury; on his release he is concentrating once more on writing. “False Impression” is his first novel since that episode, and he has another, “A Prisoner of Birth”, heading for the top of the best-sellers list now. I hope to read and review that at a later date.
“False Impression” is an international crime story that will undoubtedly have you gripped from the very first sentence. In a sense it is a conventional plot, yet it has so many twists and turns it will easily satisfy the most demanding reader of the genre. Forget the pithy early reviews from people such as Mark Lawson in The Guardian.
Thriller writing is mainly about artistic license with real events and the capacity to transform those events, small or large, by authors of creative imagination, into something that will entertain the reader and persuade him or her to ride the helter-skelter journey with you. False Impression may or may not be the best of examples, other reviews are certainly mixed, but it is what it is – a page turner that hit the best sellers lists in the UK and US with ease, and no doubt elsewhere also.
Hear a synopsis of the book from the author himself here.

Jeffrey Archer has his own website here.

The Sleepwalker (Cherub Series)

There was a time when there was a clear distinction between the adventure story for teens and the thriller for adults. It can safely be claimed today that the distinction no longer exists. True, there was probably always the adult thriller that was attractive and accessible to teens (e.g. James Bond), but that is quite different, in my view, to the teen thriller that appeals almost as much to adults.
The first I shall review of this genre is the Cherub series, and specifically, as an example, “The Sleepwalker” by Robert Muchamore.

The series comes with a stamp “Not suitable for younger readers”, which will of course ensure it is eagerly snapped up by them. It may also ensure that some otherwise bashful adults will overcome their inhibitions and pick them up just as eagerly. A synopsis of “The Sleepwalker” will give you the idea:
An airliner explodes over the Atlantic leaving 345 people dead. Crash investigators suspect terrorism, but they’re getting nowhere. A distressed twelve-year-old calls a police hotline and blames his father for the explosion. It could be a breakthrough, but there’s no hard evidence and the boy has a history of violence and emotional problems. Only CHERUB agents can unearth the truth. They’re trained professionals with one essential advantage: adults never suspect that children are spying on them. For official purposes, these children do not exist.
So what makes this series so popular that it can be called a cross-generational thriller? I think that, if I may say so, it is pretty obvious from reading any one of them – the plot is fast moving; it uses sub-plots to fill in the natural pauses of time very effectively; it has created an array of well-developed characters, any of whom can take centre or supporting stage in a particular story, disappear and return in a later one; it has adult themes of sex and violence, mostly mild but sometimes not; whilst fantastical, it has sufficient elements of authenticity to satisfy the kid within each or most of us that hell, it could be true! But the most important thing, and something which some critics will deplore – it doesn’t attempt to moralize. It is what it is – a thriller. And as a bonus in this genre, for once, it can’t be dismissed as just a boy’s book. The Sleepwalker is the 9th in the series, and no.10 is on its way.
If you’ve got to hang around an airport, or take a long train or coach ride, or simply want to refresh your taste-buds for reading, you could do a lot worse than pick up a copy, though to fully understand the main characters you should start at the beginning of the series. With over 1 million copies sold, and winner of 14 awards to date, you will be joining quite a fan-base.

It has its own website here.

Bloodtide

A few days taken to catch up on other commitments – hope I wasn’t missed .

My next review is of “Bloodtide” by Melvin Burgess.

I first happened upon this author many years ago shortly after the release of his blockbuster “Junk”. That book deserves a review of its own – maybe later. I bought Bloodtide, again shortly after its release, on the strength of that, but didn’t get around to reading until about three months ago. Seven or eight years is a long time to wait on my shelves, but once I determined to start, I couldn’t put it down. This is an extraordinary story by any measure – part science fiction, part love story, part thriller, part horror. Taboo subjects such as incest are thrown in also. But while the violence and sex are challenging, the context of the book – the struggle for survival, the terrible price of revenge, the powerful influences of the Gods – real or imagined, turn this into a modern classic of some significant proportions. Most mature teenagers will love it. Their parents and others will enjoy it for themselves, but wonder at the level of maturity in this new wave of literature targeted at younger readers. Don’t get me wrong – I thought this was a terrific read. But I can’t help feeling that even the most mature of teenage readers are being stripped of their rightful time of innocence by enticement to read material like this too soon. Melvin Burgess was well aware of the similar doubts that might be raised as he quotes:
“Since this tale nor anything else can be made to please everyone, nobody need believe any more of it than he wants to believe. All the same the best and most profitable thing is to listen while a story is being told, to enjoy it and not be gloomy: for the fact is that as long as people are enjoying the entertainment they won’t be thinking evil thoughts. I’d like to thank those who’ve listened and enjoyed the story, and since those who don’t like it won’t ever be satisfied, let them enjoy their own misery.”
Uncompromising and defiant – that just about sums up the book also. Read it and judge for yourselves.

Other reviews, from teenage readers, can be found here.

Naturally the book has been adapted into a play, by Marcus Roamer – which has apparently toured the UK.

A very useful educational pack can be download here, and the main resource page is available here.

Tamar

I have to go back a few months for my next review – “Tamar” by Mal Peet.

It is no exaggeration to say that I was bowled over by this book and I have no hesitation in agreeing with Jan Mark in the Guardian – “As fine a piece of storytelling as you are likely to find this year”. Set against the backdrop of World War 2, but moving between that time and the present, this is a deeply impressive story of love, jealously and tragedy. But don’t think for a minute that you have read all there is to know about those themes – this book will make your hair stand on end and your heart beat fast as the layers of complex plot are revealed. The end is truly unforgettable. At over 400 pages (paperback version), the book would seem to be aimed at older teens and adults, but younger enthusiastic reviewers age 12 can be found, demonstrating that both story and style is accessible to all readers. I found it hard to put down and I’m sure you will find it a rewarding read. Mal Peet is developing a string of successes now, and this book follows “Keeper” and “The Penalty” which were also very well received (though I am sure he has written more since!).
You can find more about the author here.

and also an excellent interview report here in The Telegraph.

If you want to hear from the author himself, who outlines a synopsis of the book, then put on your headphones or speakers and see/hear him here at Meet the Author.

Into Exile

I have just finished reading “Into Exile” by Joan Lingard.

Written in 1973, it reflects some of the social problems of young people brought up in the sectarian troubles of Northern Ireland at the time. While these problems may be subdued today, the issues have not disappeared from the lives of many, and similar problems exist for other communities both in the UK and elsewhere. The deeper issues of loyalty, love and friendship are explored so well in this book that most people will recognise reflections in their own lives and communities. The story features Sadie, brought up as a Protestant, and Kevin, a Catholic. They had come to London to get away from the hostility of their families to their marriage, and were trying to make something of their lives from the unpromising start in a rented flat and low paid work. They both make progress as Kevin finds encouragement and a new job that he loves, and Sadie starts to find new friends at work and from the street in which they live. But strains develop as Kevin spends longer hours away from Sadie, as he needs to go to night classes to develop his skills in electronics. Sadie hates being alone and starts going out with the girls from work, attracting the attentions of Joe. The situation comes to a head as Kevin is forced to return to Ireland as the troubles hit his family there hard. The dreams they had seem shattered, and both fear that the forces driving them apart are too strong for them resist. Family loyalties, and their own relationship, are tested to the limit but in the end the love they have for each other proves strong enough, and the search for a peaceful place to live their lives together begins again.
This is a strong story which teenagers and adults alike will enjoy – both for itself and for the thought-provoking issues explored.
More about the author, Joan Lingard, can be found here at the Scottish Book Trust website.

Run for your Life

No comments to my first posts, but I will soldier on. Taking that as the cue, my next review – of “Run for your Life” by David Line – features two lads, one of whom hears a conversation that leads him to believe a murder is about to be committed.

Sozolda, or Soldier as his friend calls him, tells Woolcott about it, and despite Woolcott’s understandable reluctance to get involved, the two of them investigate further. They soon become witnesses to the murder, and so begins the chase as the boys try to elude capture by the killers, having failed to convince the police of the deed. David Line is a skillful writer. While his target audience is 10+, the plot is sufficiently complex to interest older readers. Indeed, it keeps up a tense pace throughout, while at the same time exploring issues of friendship and of fitting in. It was actually adapted and made into a nine episode children’s TV series in 1974, and repeated about seven years later. What has happened to children’s adventure film production? – another hobbyhorse of mine! I was fascinated to discover after reading “Run for your Life” and “I am David” that these two books were selected for example and analysis by the Australia Association for the Teaching of English as part of their Literacy though Reading training program and classroom guide. Read the guide document here (pdf download).

If you are interested to read about the TV series, which was renamed “Soldier and Me”, Televison Heaven has a page about it here.

While this book could not be expected, by any stretch of the imagination, to be part of a mainstream adult reading list – as a break from the usual fare that we might read, it is as metaphorically refreshing as a good cup of Earl Grey. Which goes to support my general contention that good writing should not be pigeon-holed by expected readership age. Of course, if you have children, this should certainly be on their reading list, and you can always read it after them.

I am David

Ok, I hope that after the first two reviews, I have wetted your appetite for more. My next choice, like the first – “A Tiger in the Smoke” – made it to the big screen. “I am David” by Anne Holm, is certainly a modern classic, though, first published in 1963 in Denmark, it relates to a time that younger people already will find difficult to understand.

In the words of Anne Holm herself, “I cannot name any special experience as a basis for David, except the general one of not having been quite seventeen when the last war broke out, and having seen where violence, terror and hate leads you. I made David, and sent him travelling, in order to tell somebody who might want to know what, to me, is the most important of all things in life, if that life is to be worth anything to oneself and others.” I really want you to read this book, so I will give the briefest of synopsis. David is brought up in a concentration camp somewhere in central Europe – the only child occupant, and strangely protected by the camp Commandant and other inmates. He is helped to escape when the Commandant is about to be transferred.

He has been told to make his way to Denmark – no explanation, and no other help except for a compass, a pen-knife, some matches, a bottle of water and a loaf of bread. He was to journey first south to Salonica, where he would take a ship to Italy, and then travel north to Denmark. His adventures on the way develop and test his character, but his trust in his God – the “God of the green pastures and the still waters” – and his own sense of right and wrong, together with his deep determination to achieve his goal, thrill and inform us of the essence of life, in as powerful a manner as I have found from any story. The film was enjoyable – but inevitably could never, as a truncated precis of the story, do this book justice. Every child should read this book – and every adult also, if for no other reason than to capture once more the spirit of childhood, and perhaps as Anne Holm hoped – to know and remember the most important things in life. That is certainly ambitious, but you won’t regret the experience she has provided in this beautifully crafted story.

There is a rich resource about Anne Holm and “I am David” here.

Information about the film here. 

Gulf

My second choice to review is a much shorter story – “Gulf” by Robert Westall.

I chose this because the idea of putting yourself into the mind and body of another person on the other side of the world seemed quite different from anything else I had read. The story revolves around two brothers, one of whom, Tom, is quite normal, the other, Figgis, having extraordinary telepathic powers that enable him to “see” and to speak to people in other lands. One of these people is a boy of about his own age, Latif, who is caught up in the conflict in Iraq. Americans are bombing his homeland, and we learn of his fears and his hatred as the threat to his life, family and friends increases. Figgis is acting so strangely as his bond with Latif grows stronger, that he is admitted to a mental hospital under the care of Dr Rashid – someone who fortunately believes in the unusual and frightening powers Figgis is showing. Eventually Figgis “becomes” Latif, and almost dies as Latif succumbs finally to the bombing and his injuries. Tom’s own relationship with Figgis plays a large part in his brothers survival perhaps, and the relationship between Tom and his father is also finely explored. This is a very moving story yet a powerful way of giving the reader an insight and empathy with those at the sharp end of war – many innocent and fearful as they struggle to understand the conflict, and suffer its consequences. Robert Westall was of course regarded as a writer for children. If this is a typical example of the quality of his writing and imagination, then I would suggest he should be more widely read. Believe me, you won’t regret spending a few hours reading this book – it will challenge your ideas about the boundaries between children’s and adult reading material. I look forward to reading Westall’s most famous book “The Machine Gunners” very soon.

Information about a tribute and exhibition devoted to his life and work can presently be found at the Seven Stories website. Seven Stories is the only exhibition space in the UK dedicated to the celebration of British children’s literature, and is located in Newcastle.

The Tiger in the Smoke

Ok, lets pick a book I read last month, to start us off – “The Tiger in the Smoke” by Margery Allingham.

Some amongst you will instantly recognize the name of one of the three Queens of Crime – Dorothy Sayers and Ngaio Marsh being the others. Yes, this places the book firmly into the mid 1900’s, 1952 to be precise. Its backdrop is London – in the days of smog and policemen on the beat, real cockneys and street bands, war memories and parlour games. The story concerns “a truly evil man” – Jack Havoc – who has devised a plan to recover a treasure that he heard about during a wartime operation. Escaping from a long stretch in prison, he commits murder, and begins a trail of death in his efforts to obtain the clues to its whereabouts. The police close the net, marshalled by Detective Chief Inspector Charles Luke, with old friends, Mr Albert Campion and Assistant Commissioner Stanislaus Oates assisting. So why did I like this book so much? You can smell the fog, damp and clinging in the narrow alleys of London. You can delight in the character of the dotty but crystal sharp Canon. You can wonder at the simple minded lust for treasure as a way out of the hardship of homelessness and poverty. But most of all you can bathe in the rich description of good and evil, of energy and pathos, of love and envy. Margery Allingham has woven a tapestry in which mystery is illuminated by her determination that we understand both the criminal and the innocent in equal measure. Jack Havoc believed in the Science of Luck, failing to recognize that its true nature was the Pursuit of Death. It’s hard to imagine anyone creating such a magnificent tapestry today. Read and enjoy.
Other critiques:
A S Byatt: Why I love Margery Allingham

More information about the author:
The Margery Allingham Society