Book Review - Love and Nausea, by David Wilson

Love and Nausea is, in many ways, the epitome of the expression “don’t judge a book by its cover”. The novel itself has a front cover that suggests a trashy romance novel, filled with details of sordid encounters and high-powered women stalking the streets, looking for that perfect pair of shoes with which to capture the heart of the businessman of their dreams. The kind of novel written by women who genuinely believe men are attracted to them on the basis of their shoes. However, what lies inside is practically the opposite in every way.

Funny, clever and wonderfully touching, Love and Nausea is – as The Times summarised perfectly – “An existentialist version of Adrian Mole, with flashes of acute satire”. It follows the life of Robert, from confused teenager, determined to experience Jean-Paul Sartre’s nausea for himself, through the emotional turmoil of being madly in love with a fiercely independent feminist, to a time of radical self-realisation and coming to terms with himself and the world around him. A fantastically accurate insight into the mind of a wannabe existentialist, Love and Nausea recounts Robert’s constant attempts to be a free agent, entirely in control of a life of adventure, whilst in reality being a slave to his overwhelming desire for middle class simplicity and security. His position is both heart breaking and hilarious, as he struggles to force together his liberal philosophies and conservative upbringing, resulting in a perpetual state of agony, as Sartre might say.

Robert is a fantastically constructed character, as is Eva – the love of his life. Both are fanatical existentialists in love with freedom, yet both are too English to ever fully embrace it. Robert finds himself constantly trying to be somebody he’s not to please other people, whilst all the time hating himself for doing so. Eva, by contrast, is so much herself that it’s overwhelming, yet doesn’t know how to handle it when Robert finally gains the courage to be the strong-minded and independent person she thinks she wants him to be.

Although the booked was intriguing enough that I could have read it from cover to cover in one sitting, I actually found myself putting it down for days, to muse on the events and mull them over in my own time. David Wilson has written a fantastic combination of a funny and clever novel and a critique on liberal philosophies and the middle class way of life. Excellent reading, especially if you are familar with works like The Outsider and Nausea.

Book Review - Vellum By Hal Duncan

In the name of reviewing books, I am often forced to read things I would have never otherwise picked up. Not being a huge science fiction fan, Hal Duncan’s Vellum was something I bought from a charity shop for £2 and never got around to reading, precisely because it looked about as sci-fi as any book I’ve ever purchased.

However, finding myself with a lack of decent material for review, I decided to take the hit and read Vellum for the good of the online community..to be honest, I’m still reeling. On the one hand, I found Vellum to be something of an aesthetic joy; stylistically stunning and packed to the brim with glorious descriptions and references to mythologies even I hadn’t heard of, it was a tour de force of alternative literature! However, after couple of hundred pages, I felt my mind wandering as I slowly lost any real concept of what was happening. Although I’ll admit the variety of interwoven plotlines wasn’t helping matters, it was less the complexity of the plot that was derailing me as how self-aware the book seemed. Vellum was literary form of the woman at the party you can’t stop staring at, not because she’s exceptionally attractive, but because she is going out of her way to act as if she is. By the final chapters, the book seemed more aware of itself and what it was trying to do than I was, which is never really how I like things to end.

I’m not somebody prone to criticising a book because it lacks the typical style of modern literature. In fact, I love quirky and unconventional books – anything that challenges me, or makes me read in a different way to usual is something I’m likely to enjoy. However, it wasn’t the complexity and obscurity that put me off Vellum– it was the pretentiousness that permeated every level of the book that made me want to stop reading. Somewhere amidst the chain-smoking, leather-clad characters, different fonts used for different storylines and perpetual references to just how much mythology Duncan had researched, I lost all sense of why any of this was actually interesting. The more I read, the less intrigued I found myself until, by the end, the only thing left in my mind’s eye was an image of Hal Duncan, hunched over a desk lit only by candlelight, desperately trying to create something cool. In fact, from this day forth, I declare the word ‘Vellumesque’ to be an appropriate way to describe trendy East Londoners.

To summarise Vellum for fans of popular literature, I would compare it the attention-seeking middle child of His Dark Materials and The Da Vinci Code; without Pullman’s mighty narrative or Brown’s ability to merge reality, mythology and fiction, Duncan’s creation simply screams “Look at me! See how different I am!” before denying that it even values your opinion. Without a doubt it’s an impressive read but, at the heart of it, it’s snobbery in book form.

– Reviewed by Ed

Book Review - White Wolf By David Gemmell

David Gemmell was, in my humble opinion, one of the masters of the fantasy genre. Although the last series he wrote before he died, Troy, is probably his most famous, the Drenai series is certainly his most acclaimed with true fans of the genre. It is a joy then that White Wolf was written as a return to the Drenai, featuring Gemmell’s most renowned character, Druss the Legend, along with a new addition – the mighty Olek Skilgannon.

As a general and master swordsman in the Queen’s army, Skilgannon was ordered to slay the entire population of a city – men, women and children all, earning him the moniker ‘The Damned’. Sickened by such duties under the Queen, he chooses to leave his violent past behind him and join the men of the cloth. However, when an angry mob attacks his monastery, Skilgannon finds himself unable to control his bloodlust and, as a result, is cast away from the monastery and back into the world he has shunned. In a final attempt to create a normal life for himself, Skilgannon decides to travel to the fabled Temple of the Resurrection, in a bid to bring his deceased wife back to life.

Of course, things aren’t even that simple. Skilgannon was the love of Queen Jianna’s life and, when he deserted her and her empire, she swore to have him killed! So begins an epic journey in which Skilgannon and Druss’ paths cross on their own paths to their own concepts of justice and happiness.

Book Review - Sapphire By Katie Price

I can honestly say this book is incredible…insofar as it kept me incredulous from the beginning to the end. Not only was the plot unrealistic from the word go, I also found myself struggling to believe this rubbish was ever published!

The protagonist, Sapphire Rose, loses faith in relationships after catching her husband in bed with another woman. As simple a start as this is, the possibilities it allows for the creative mind are limitless; Sliding Doors, for example, is a story (albeit a film) that takes this simple concept and uses it to explore the massive impact that a single change can cause – amongst many other things. Sapphire on the other hand, doesn’t have the benefit of being written by Peter Howitt – it was written by Katie Price…and it shows. Filled with mistakes and brainless, pointless attention to details like hair, the book is the tale of Sapphire’s new life; filled by an attractive young lover and her new business, a lingerie and hen weekend company, naturally.

In short, all seems to be going well until one day Sapphire meets another gorgeous man, this time a very successful businessman! Could it be that she’s actually capable of love after all and her young-lover fling was the rebound we all knew it was? Yes, this is exactly the case. Hmm. Yet that’s not all the plot; when one of her hen parties goes badly wrong, Sapphire finds herself facing the wrath and scrutiny of the media, as well as suffering from continued A.H.M.S (another-hot-man syndrome).

What could have been an emotional journey through depths of despair and insecurity turns out to be a predictable waddle through the shallow puddle of Katie Price’s feeble mind.

Book Review - Existentialism Is A Humanism By Jean-Paul Sartre

Considered by many to be the definining text of the existential movement, Jean-Paul Sartre’s Existentialism Is A Humanism was originally delivered as a lecture, defending his theory against misguided criticisms. To this extent, it is a short but powerful book that can be read in an hour, but take a lifetime to fully understand. I don’t think I would be exaggerating if I said it changed my life; after reading it, I went on to do an degree in Philosophy that has shaped my life – how much more life-changing do books come?

Having been so influenced by this book, I thought it only fair to share the fundamental theme of the text with the Ash Books community, in the hope that some of you will read it for yourselves. Whether you love it or hate it, it will almost certainly raise questions in your mind you would otherwise never experience. So, here is perhaps the key idea behind the concept of existentialism:

For human beings, our existence preceeds our essence. Unlike created objects, which are made to serve a certain purpose, we human beings are free to define ourselves however we want; I could be a policeman, an actor, a writer or a mountain climber. We exist first, then we define ourselves afterwards, However, is is this very freedom to choose that causes so many problems for us – many of which Sartre covers in this book.

Rock N' Roll Confessions, by Helena Danyluk

AshBooks Review for Rock N Roll Confessions Book 1 by Helena Danyluk:

This book is a surprising read as it is much more than just a glimpse into a rock-stars life. It provides romance and deep relationships. You will be happy to receive romance with a twist. This book simply outlines the love from women who devoted their time to rock-stars.

User Submitted Reviews:

“I am happy to say that I’m impressed with what I got though!”

Book Review - Night Watch By Terry Pratchett

After the popularity of my post on Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, I thought I’d face a fear of mine and write a post reviewing one of the mighty man’s novels. With thirty-six books in the Discworld series, I was slightly spoiled for choice, so I decided on arguably the best of them all – Night Watch.

In Night Watch, Watch Commander Sir Samuel Vimes is busy chasing criminal Carcer Dun, when he suddenly himself flung backwards in time by a magical storm. Realising he’s in a tricky situation, Vimes attempts to reach help with the wizards of Unseen University, but is unfortunately arrested on his way or breaking curfew. The worst part? He’s been arrested…by himself! Ironically winding up in a cell next to Carcer, Vimes is later taken for interrogation, when time gets frozen by Lu-Tze. The sweeper informs Vimes that Sergeant-At-Arms John Keel was meant to arrive at the Watch that day, but was murdered by Carcer! Vimes must now fool his younger self and assume the identity of John Keel, in order to teach himself the ways of the Watch.

Pratchett’s characters are always superb, but Night Watch stands apart from the others as a masterpiece of interplay and storytelling. Equally intelligent but separated by years of training and knowledge of the streets, the interaction between old Vimes and young Vimes is nothing short of masterful. For fans that already know the characters, seeing them in their young forms adds another level of humour to what is already a melting pot of conviviality.

Book Review - Triangle of Deception

Summary (from goodreads):

How do you penetrate the world’s most secretive and tightly knit terrorist organization? Dan Gordon’s only option is deception. Working undercover in a joint CIA/Mossad mission, he’s on the hunt for the source of funding to Hezbollah. He has infiltrated a Lebanese network in Paraguay, only to realize the operation is far more wide-ranging than he’s been told.

And when Dan finds himself locked in a grim Romanian prison cell, he wonders if there’s still more that he hasn’t been told. Was it a security leak that got him arrested? Did the CIA make him a sacrificial lamb? Or has he stumbled on a much bigger plot, one with the potential to disrupt Al Qaeda’s operations in America?

Triangle of Deception is one of those sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat books. It’s book four of a series but it makes a wonderful standalone. I don’t want to say too much for fear of giving anything away! Fast paced, energetic, and exciting, this is one that any crime-thriller lover won’t want to miss.  – Hayley[haleymathiot[at]yahoo.com]

Probably not one of his King’s best books, Under The Dome is nevertheless a nice idea for a story.

A small community in Maine is going about its everyday life when, immediately and out of apparently nowhere, a colossal dome appears, surrounding them all and cutting them off from the rest of the world! As time goes by, the predicable consequences arise; the water starts running out, the air quality falls dramatically and, of course, a degree of anarchy starts bubbling up, fueled by the leadership of a morally dubious character, but in the name of safety and security. Of course, the religious extremists all pop out of the woodwork as well and go a little more nuts – Mist-style, though less frustratingly.

No prizes for spotting the satirical take on Bush’s America so far. Of course, however, it’s Stephen King – so it’s less political and far more horrifying that my short summary makes out. It’s also very cleverly written and filled with smart references for the more well-read Stephen King fans out there. What it also it, however, is very…very…long. Too long, one could say. So it’s definitely not something for the novel-a-day types; you could easily spend so long reading Under The Dome that you’d find somebody had actually built a dome around you as well – but by hand…using tissue boxes…having first blown their nose on each and every tissue. It’s long.

Starting out of 1035, Valhalla Rising tells of a tribe of Vikings’ struggle to find a new place to settle in America. Shooting forward to 1894, we read of a sea monsters causing havoc for the local shipping in the Caribbean Sea. Finally, the tale settles in 2003, when the cruise ship Emerald Dolphin suddenly bursts into flames on its maiden voyage from Sidney to Tahiti. As the flames spread unnaturally fast, it looks like the all 2500 people aboard the ship are doomed.

Cue Dirk Pitt; National Underwater and Marine Agency engineer, who spots the burning ship and rushes to the rescue aboard Deep Encounter, an oceanographic survey vessel. Miraculously arriving in time to save thousands of lives, but not in time to stop Emerald Dolphin sinking into the depths, Dirk Pitt launches an investigation into what caused the disaster. What Dirk doesn’t realise is that sea monsters that now have him in their sights are both human and mechanical, both ancient and modern – Dirk is in deep this time.

Valhalla Rising is a kraken of a thriller than will grip your from beginning to end in the many tentacles of Clive Cussler’s imagination.