James Herbert
1975
0-450-03045-8
Nothing is as insubstantial as fog, so when it's the enemy, how do you fight it?
An earthquake releases a fog into the English countryside, where it roams at the mercy of the wind, sending any creature it touches completely insane. Holman, exposed and apparently immune, is left to try and convince that his story isn't fantasy, and to figure out how you fight a mist.
This is one of those horrors that unnerve you - there is normality mixed with unimaginable craziness. There is no central bad guy; everyone has the potential to lose their mind, so there is an uneasiness rather than an out-and-out fear, which seems even scarier.
There were several points in this book where I had to put it down altogether to get my head around what was happening, but it was also a story where I really had to know how it ended.
There was one thing that I thought was missed from the ending - the fate of McLellan's family wasn't told - but aside from that I thought this was riveting, and made more so for two reasons: it was set in England rather than America, and it was written in the 70s, so there wasn't the annoying convenience of technology like mobile phones and the internet.
Another reason why James Herbert is becoming my favourite author.
Date Finished: 20/03/08
Year Total: 10
Friday, March 21, 2008
Lord John & The Brotherhood of the Blade
Diana Gabaldon
2007
978-844-13201-0
Gabaldon admits that her books contain vast numbers of characters to keep track of, and this one is certainly no different. In spite of losing track and just flowing, this is a good read.
Lord John this time investigates his father's death, years before, after his brother receives a page torn from his fathers stolen journal. Along the way he is distracted by both a romantic addition to his life and family, and a campaign against the French.
I've always been a fan of Diana Gabaldon, so I knew this was going to be an enjoyable book, even if I forgot who was who among the background characters.
Date Finished: 16/03/08
Year Total: 9
2007
978-844-13201-0
Gabaldon admits that her books contain vast numbers of characters to keep track of, and this one is certainly no different. In spite of losing track and just flowing, this is a good read.
Lord John this time investigates his father's death, years before, after his brother receives a page torn from his fathers stolen journal. Along the way he is distracted by both a romantic addition to his life and family, and a campaign against the French.
I've always been a fan of Diana Gabaldon, so I knew this was going to be an enjoyable book, even if I forgot who was who among the background characters.
Date Finished: 16/03/08
Year Total: 9
Sunday, March 16, 2008
The Time Travellers Wife
By Audrey Niffenegger
2004
0-099-46446-4
One of those books that everyone raves about and insists you absolutely must read, I decided to avoid it, and only bought it as part of a bulk-buy at secondhand shop.
It was okay - a love story all out of order, caught between the nice, lineal life of Clare and the scattergun timeline of Henry, who suffers a rare genetic defect that sees him pushed and pulled thru-out his personal timeline.
Timeline stories generally frustrate me or overwhelm me with technical details; this is the first one that I felt comfortable with. Things are more or less told as you need to know as you need to know them, and the bits that are witheld are revealed eventually.
There is humour in this book, mixed in with the love and pain and fear. Altogether, it came out as an okay book, but to be honest I still don't understand the hype surrounding this story.
Date Finished: 02/03/08
Year Total: 8
2004
0-099-46446-4
One of those books that everyone raves about and insists you absolutely must read, I decided to avoid it, and only bought it as part of a bulk-buy at secondhand shop.
It was okay - a love story all out of order, caught between the nice, lineal life of Clare and the scattergun timeline of Henry, who suffers a rare genetic defect that sees him pushed and pulled thru-out his personal timeline.
Timeline stories generally frustrate me or overwhelm me with technical details; this is the first one that I felt comfortable with. Things are more or less told as you need to know as you need to know them, and the bits that are witheld are revealed eventually.
There is humour in this book, mixed in with the love and pain and fear. Altogether, it came out as an okay book, but to be honest I still don't understand the hype surrounding this story.
Date Finished: 02/03/08
Year Total: 8
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