The Winter King - Bernard Cornwell

Read for: Arthurian Challenge; A Tournament of Reading

I wanted to include both the original cover (left) and the new cover of the copy I own (right) for this review, as I really like them both.

Certain bloggers (who shall remain nameless) have been telling me to read Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles for longer than I can say. Well, I can finally say that I have made a start and finished the first book, The Winter King. And oh boy am I glad I bought all three the same day!

The Winter King is the tale of Britain after the death of Uther Pendragon. This Britain is less a tale of magic and myth, and more one of war and politics. The throne of Dunmonia is reserved for Uther's infant grandchild, Mordred, with several of the senior warlords pledging an oath to protect the child and his kingdom until he comes of age. Arthur, Uther's bastard son, and the most loved warlord in Dumnonia and beyond, makes the pledge and so begins the long struggle to govern and protect the kingdom without a king.

The trilogy tells Arthur's tale, through the eyes of his follower, friend and fellow warrior, Derfel Cadarn. The Winter King introduces us to the elderly Derfel, a monk living in a monastery in Wales, who spends his days chronicling the years of Arthur for his young Queen, Igraine. It is this tale that we get swept up into, brutal and unforgiving. Derfel was a young orphaned boy, adopted by the Druid Merlin, and raised in his home on Ynys Wydryn. Derfel witnesses betrayal of the child king's guardian and his attempted murder, and escapes with the king and some of the survivors. From that moment on, Derfel is plunged into a world of warriors, honour and lies. He becomes close friends with Arthur, who's ultimate aim is to unite the British Kingdoms against the Saxon (Sais) invadors. But peril and intrigue follow them at every turn.

I doubt very much that The Winter King could have been better written. I was hooked from page one and would have been mortified to find myself at the end, had I not already got books two and three in my possession. This is by far my favourite of the Arthurian fiction I have read so far, and I was so excited to read the next book, Enemy of God that I have not been able to write this review until finishing the series! To describe more of the events in this series would likely cause confusion and I imagine would put anyone off reading such a complex tale. So you'll have to find out for yourself...

Other familiar characters making an appearance in this series, include Nimue, Morgan, Lancelot, and Guinevere. Rather than a complete retelling of the Arthurian legends, this is more a reworking, with some of the older legends intermingled with newer ones, focussing more on the power struggles in the aftermath of the Roman exodus from Britain, and on the conflict between the old pagan religion and the new christian one. Sometimes hard to stomach, this book was always gripping and exciting. Thoroughly recommended for anyone interested in Dark Age and Arthurian fiction.

A Fine and Private Place - Peter S Beagle

Wow, Nymeth and Chris...you were so right. This book caught my attention after their fabulous reviews, and I began the hunt for this particularly beautiful edition.

A Fine and Private Place is a book to be savoured, ready slowly, absorbing its subtle nuances and lyrical prose. The plot is an unsual one. The protagonist, Jonathon Rebeck, is a former pharmacist who, after a big night, wakes to find himself in a graveyard, one which he does not leave...for nineteen years. His only regular companion is a talking raven, who supplies him with food and the odd luxury item, like a book. But far from being a lonely experience, Rebeck spends his time greeting the newly dead as they wake to their new existence...that is, before they forget.

The dead in Beagle's world do not move on to an afterlife, or haunt the living. They remain bound to their mortal remains, as they slowly forget their lives and ultimately fade away. Rebeck takes it upon himself to greet these people, spending time with them in conversation, and occasionally a game of chess. It is in this quiet life of Rebeck's, that we meet Michael Morgan. Angry and bitter about his death, being poisoned by his beautiful wife Michael is determined to hang on to his ghostly existence and resist fading away. Michael and Rebeck then meet Laura Durand, killed by a truck and resigned to her new existence. Laura and Michael begin an unusual friendship, threatened all the time by their fading memories, especially Michael, who clings onto his former life, all the while losing the true memory of it.

Rebeck too forms an unlikely relationship, with the widowed Mrs Klapper, whom he meets as she visits her husbands grave. Rebeck is afraid to admit the truth to his new friend and what that might mean for his life there. But soon a greater threat emerges, as memories are forced to the surface and truths are revealed.

An unlikely story of friendship and the nature of living and dying, A Fine and Private Place is truly that. A quiet space in which the reader can be totally absorbed, with a delicate story, fragile characters and eerie yet charming location. Beagle's writing is just delicious, simple but elegant. A couple of passages really stayed with me:

"Man searches constantly for identity, he thought as he trotted along the gravel path. He has no real proof of his existence except for the reaction of other people to that fact. So he listens very closely to what people say to one another about him, whether it's good or bad, because it indicates that he lives in the same world they do, and that all his fears about being invisible, impotent, lacking some mysterious dimension that other people have, are groundless. That's why people like to have nicknames."

"I am tired , he thought. Maybe the heat is doing it, but I have sat through a good many summers here and never felt like this. I am tired of being helpful. I am tired of being comfortable. Why this should be I do not know, but my image of myself as an understanding old man, floating in kindness like a cherry in a sugared liqueur, is beginning to curl at the corners. I wish something would happen to me, something that would show me exactly how cruel and jealous and vengeful I can be. Then I could go back to gentleness because I chose it over brutality for its own sake, not because I didn't have the courage to be cruel. I might even like cruelty. I doubt very much that I would, but I ought to find out."

What makes this work an even greater feat is that Beagle wrote it while only 19 years of age. An absolute joy to read, this is a ghost story with a difference. Whole-heartedly recommended to all. I cannot wait to experience more of Beagle's writing.

Other blog reviews:
Rhinoa's Ramblings
Stuff as Dreams are Made On
Things mean a lot

Here Lies Arthur - Philip Reeve

Read for: Arthurian Challenge; A Tournament of Reading

Picked up purely off the back of Nymeth’s review and because I’m having a bit of an Arthurian (and other mediaeval/middle ages/historical literature!) year, Philip Reeve’s Here Lies Arthur did not disappoint.

This tale of the legendary Arthur shies away from glossy cliché, portraying him as a brutish and not particularly intelligent warlord, who travels around the country with his thuggish band of fighters, ravaging villages, seizing gold and land, and generally taking whatever he wants.

The tale is told by Gwyna, a slave and one of the victims of such attacks, who flees in terror from her burning village and escapes by diving into a frozen stream. She is rescued by a mysterious man, who turns out to be none other than Myrddin, Arthur’s bard, who soon factors her into his mischievous plans. Myrddin explains that what others see as magic, are simply tricks and stories weaved from half truths, into something far grander, the stuff of legends. He uses Gwyna to help him weave the tale of the lady in the lake, passing the sword Caliburn (Excalibur!) to Arthur, who himself falls for the trick. Myrddin is then forced to hide Gwyna in plain sight, dressing and passing her off as a boy, Gwyn, who spends several years working for the bard and learning to live as a boy. She finds the life far better than that she had known, and becomes accustomed to male ways, until she is forced to experience the reality of war firsthand. Soon though, she becomes too old for Myrddin to hide her as such, and she is forced to rediscover her womanly ways, in a life she finds boring in contrast.

To say much else would begin to give away some of the fabulously creative ways that Reeve has incorporated the other characters from Arthurian myth. Most notably Guinevere, who is recognisable as Gwenhwyfar, a middle-aged widow, but whose fall from grace is not entirely the tale you will remember.

Although aimed at children and young adults, Here Lies Arthur is incredibly realistic and astute, dealing with the horrors that children of the age would indeed have experienced. Reeve treats his young readers with maturity and respect, and in return creates something I found to be a joy to read. It is work like this that can inspire so many young people to read, especially in this age of videogames and television. This maturity also makes the novel a fantastic read for adults and I found myself completely absorbed in Gwyna’s tale.

Although primarily an excellent spin on the Arthurian legend, the subplots of gender identity and the lines between what makes a story legend or truth, make this tale that bit more unique. But it is Reeve’s writing and storytelling that make this particular tale something special. Highly recommended.

Other blog reviews:
Things mean a lot

Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger

Sadly, in my busy state of affairs over the last few months, I have not kept up with my reviews. I finished Her Fearful Symmetry months ago and thus am unable to give this particular book the review I wanted and that I felt it deserved.

After, like most of the female population of the UK at least(!), absolutely falling for Niffenegger's first novel, The Time Traveller's Wife, I rushed out to purchase the hardback of her second full-length novel, something I try not to do! Although this review is not too spoilerific, I have mentioned some details that some readers may rather not know before reading the book...you have been warned.

Her Fearful Symmetry is literally a story of life and death, and is a slow book from the start. We are introduced to Elspeth Noblin, a successful 40-something living in an apartment overlooking London's Highgate Cemetary, and dying of cancer. It is Elspeth's death that is the catalyst for the story and she remains ever-present throughout. Her will is executed by her younger neighbour and lover, Robert, a PhD student writing a thesis on the cemetary where Elspeth is eventually buried. The estate passes not to Elspeth's estranged twin sister Edie, but to her American nieces, Julia and Valentina, also twins. The slow build to this book is the introduction of these characters, and the eventual arrival of the twins in London. We are not early on given the reasons behind the estrangement of Elspeth and Edie, although the answers are in Elsepth's diaries, bequeathed to her lover Robert, who cannot bring himself to read them.

The tale begins afresh with the young girls' arrival and subsequent meetings with Robert, the house-bound obsessive-compulsive neighbour Martin, and eventually Elspeth herself. For this is indeed a ghost story...the story of Elspeth, bound to her apartment, her former life and a new set of rules. She has no corporeal form nor indeed a voice, but must find a way to communicate with the new inhabitants of her apartment. She lives in a drawer, finds ways to build up her strength and even manipulate dust on a table into words. However, although the tale is Elspeth's, it is the twins that are the heart of this story. Polar opposites, the wilful and domineering Julia and the timid, fragile Valentina are inseparable, though their new life in London begins to drive a wedge between them. Valentina is stifled by Julia, unable to begin the life she truly desires, and it is her discovery of Elspeth and her burgeoning romance with Robert that drives much of the book.

Her Fearful Symmetry is certainly not as instantly gratifying as the more commercial Time Traveller's Wife. This however, felt more like a labour of love, with the author obviously spending a great deal of time researching in London, feeding every detail to the reader. The story builds slowly, allowing us to become accustomed to the characters, their lives, and their intricacies before allowing them to meet each other. Although this makes for a more satisfying understanding of the characters themselves, little appears to happen in the first part of the book, which was a time a little tedious. Becoming darker and more complex in the second half, the story suddenly turns towards the end into something quite sinister. But then it is all over too quickly and I for one would have liked that sinister Gothic feeling to perhaps have lasted longer.

Niffenegger's characterisation is top-notch however, with the heart-broken Robert, the dreamy Valentina, and the defiant Elspeth. I could not bring myself to care for Julia, though that was likely the desired reaction, but the relationship between the house-bound Martin and his wife Marijke was so delicately handled that I often wished it was more their story than Elspeth's. Rather than a pointless subplot, which it could so easily have become, the love between the fiery Marijke and the damaged Martin felt so real and beautiful, with hope for their future equally gained and lost as the story developed. It is the atmosphere of the cemetary itself that I completely fell for. With enough personality to embody its own character, the cemetary is so integral to both the joyful and the sad parts of the story. Unfortunately I have lent my copy to a friend, so cannot include here any of the passages that I was particularly enamoured with.

Without giving too much away regarding the darker side of this story, it is ultimately one of love and loss, both romantic and familial. As a novel, it is mature, artistic and complex, with a level of creativity I had not expected Niffenegger to reach in only her second novel.

Other blog reviews:
Stuff as Dreams are Made on
Stainless Steel Droppings (spoiler review)
Stainless Steel Droppings (non-spoiler review)

Ghost Hunter - Michelle Paver

All good things must eventually come to an end.

Those who read my review last year of books four and five, Outcast and Oathbreaker, will already know how excited I have been about the sixth and final installment of Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.

Set 6,000 years ago, Paver's series follows the young Torak in his fight against the Soul Eaters and save the clans of the Forest, Mountains and Sea from evil. Torak is accompanied in his journey by his Raven clan friend, Renn, and his pack-brother, Wolf.

In the final novel, Torak finds himself up against the last and deadliest of the Soul Eaters, the Eagle Owl Mage, Eostra. Wolf is now a fully grown adult and has his own family and cubs with mate Darkfur. Eostra is casting a dark cloud of evil over the clans, and Torak leaves to stop the evil mage and exact revenge for his father's death. When Wolf's pack is mortally attacked, he too is forced to leave the Forest, and all three friends find themselves on a dark journey. Without giving anything away, suffice to say that Ghost Hunter is possibly the most exciting book of the series. With characters old and new, Paver expertly takes the story down new paths with Torak and his companions again forced to make some difficult choices.

It is the tangible nature of Paver's world that is so compelling. The smell of the trees, the feel of the earth, the method of making a bow, knife or skin paddle boat. These are not words pulled from thin air, but observations made by the author as she spent time with the Inuit and Sami peoples of the Arctic. Paver's storytelling is intricate, as she draws together these details while weaving a tale full of beauty and horror. Torak's plight is unimaginable. An orphan struggling to survive in a world he little understands, his mission against evil thrust upon him, Torak is forced to find his own way and confront his greatest fears.

I consider myself a spiritual person, one with a deep connection to the world around me, something I share with the clans in Paver's world. These hunter-gather tribes have a solemn reverence for and understanding of Nature, something which should appeal to the young audience that Paver is aiming for. I was never afraid that this series would disappoint, though I was very intrigued with how the series would be ended. With this wonderful tale carried expertly through six books, we are granted a finale so thrilling and heart-wrenching, that this particular reader considers well well worth the wait.

Although satisfied with the outcome of the tale, there is an inevitable sense of loss when such a beautifully crafted series comes to an end. I cannot recommend this fabulous series enough and hope that it will reach the wider audience that it deserves.

Paper Towns - John Green

It's hard to believe that little over a year ago, this particular blogger was unaware of the existence of a somewhat well-known and renowned American author named John Green. His first main novel was the astoundingly brilliant Looking for Alaska, one of my favourite books of last year, followed by An Abundance of Katherines, which I must admit, did not rock my world.

Paper Towns is the third young adult novel from this fabulous young John Green. I was a little wary, after being disappointed by Katherines, but need not have worried. Paper Towns is the story of high school student Quentin Jacobsen, who has lived next door to Margo Roth Spiegelman since he was two years old. They were best friends until one day, at nine years old, they discovered a dead body. Now high-school seniors, Quentin is still besotted with the wilful and independent Margo, but they no longer speak. So one night, when she climbs through his bedroom window and invites him to help her in her all-night mission for revenge, Quentin cannot refuse. The night is insane and daring, impulsive and every bit as exciting as Quentin could have hoped, but the next day at school he discovers that Margo has disappeared. However, Margo has left clues for Quentin and his friends to follow, and he soon finds himself on a journey that will change his life.

It is safe to say that Paper Towns is not what I expected. What begins as an adventurous romance soon turns into something quite different. Quentin is the anchor of the story. The main protagonist, it is Quentin's desire to find Margo that drives the plot, and his confusion about her that keeps the reader so involved. He is so normal that it is easy to identify with him. Margo on the other hand, while intriguing, is very hard to understand. She is the enigma, the mystery that is slowly revealed. Paper Towns is witty, warm and magical, touching deeply into the meaning of truth and friendship and what it is to feel hope, despair or love. Although the ending may also not be what the reader expects, it is the journey that makes the story worthwhile.

Brilliant brilliant brilliant! Green will most certainly go down in my book as one of the most astute authors when dealing with characters making that final transition to adulthood.

Other blog reviews:
Bold.Blue.Adventure
Gemini Moon
Ravenous Bookshelf
Stuff as Dreams are made on
Things mean a lot
The Written World

The Last Unicorn - Peter S Beagle

Read for: Challenge with Rhinoa

Although considered by many to be one of the greatest classic children's fantasy novels of the last few decades, The Last Unicorn is largely unknown this side of the Atlantic. Now I will confess to having seen the animated film adaptation only once, as an adult, and really was not particularly impressed. But then, with many films, it is hard to appreciate them as an adult, when you didn't grow up with them, so I gave the book a chance.

The Last Unicorn is exactly that. A unicorn quite happily living her sheltered existence in her forest, until she overhears two hunters talking, and realises that she may indeed be the last living unicorn. She leaves the wood in search of her kin, only to be caught by Mommy Fortuna, and caged as part of her travelling menagerie. She is rescued by the mysterious Schmendrick the Magician who joins her on her journey. The two companions seek King Haggard and his Red Bull, en route encountering many hazardous situations and a new friend, Molly Grue.

Although based in fairy tale, with poetic prose and characters from myth and legend, The Last Unicorn feels somewhat conflicted. In places far more mature than a simple children's fairy tale, much of the story feels far too adult to be understood or appreciated by younger readers. At its heart, it is a tale of seeking what was lost, and accepting what can never be. A beautiful yet sad and bittersweet tale, and altogether a very pleasant surprise for this reader. And as with so many books I have recently read, it was the writing that I loved the most, here is a little taste.

"The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived alone. She was very old, though she did not know it, and she was no longer the careless colour of sea foam but rather the colour of snow falling on a moonlit night. But her eyes were still clear and unwearied, and she still moved like a shadow on the sea."

Thoroughly recommended for lovers of fairy tale and fantasy alike. And hopefully the first of many Beagle novels for me.