INDIE EBOOK – Review of Time Sniffers – Shadow World series by C.S. Lakin

I have not been reading or writing about self-published books, because when I first acquired a Kindle a couple of years ago, the dross I had to wade through convinced me that Life was too short to bother. However, with the market share of self-published books steadily increasing and a number of writers I respect making the decision to publish their own work, this stance was no longer possible if I wanted to keep up with events in the publishing world. So, here is my first review of self-published author C.S. Lakin’s offering.

This ebook is a YA science fiction adventure, very much aimed at the early/mid-teen market. Bria Harrison, brilliant teenage daughter of two prominent scientists, searches for her mother, whom she insists is alive, despite the devastating explosion at the National Laboratory. While re-creating her mother’s last experiment in her basement, Bria, her autistic brother Dylan, and four friends cause a rip in time-space – and out of the resultant black hole tumbles K-Six, a time sniffer who has come to get them.

The blurb chatters on for a few more lines, but as it contains a number of spoilers I have decided to leave it there. The intriguing title and well-written sample convinced me to download this book. But would the subsequent story hold me?

Written in Bria’s viewpoint in first person, the start of this novel is emotional as she and her family grapple with the death of her brilliant mother. The trauma and grief caused by the bereavement is well depicted and I also found Dylan’s autism believable. But Bria becomes convinced her mother isn’t dead, the pace starts to pick up and the adventure shifts into top gear.

Lakin set herself a hard task – Bria and Dylan are accompanied by a veritable posse of friends and companions. So, in addition to narrating a fairly complex time-travelling story where the party of youngsters visit a variety of very different worlds, Lakin also has to ensure that we learn about each of the group’s personal journey and what impact all the danger and adventure is having. Writing science fiction is a technically demanding task – which is why there are so many mediocre efforts out there. But, Lakin manages to braid the unfolding action, the changing backdrops and the various personal crises besetting the group very deftly. There is even a spot of romance…

I found Bria’s character and narration convincing and the story compelling – I certainly wanted to know what was going to happen next. Lakin manages to produce a clear story arc for each character and in addition to providing a satisfying conclusion to all the excitement, she also has a twist that sets the team off on their next adventure. Altogether, an entertaining, engrossing read with some interesting ideas about Time and our conception of the universe. I shall certainly be looking for more books by this author.
8/10

The Adventures of Mike and SJ – Episode 2

This thread started on a forum Mike and I shared, when we started playing off each other about this alternative/fantasy persona we each gave ourselves. Since then, we’ve started writing a novel together and Mike has had a number of books published as Michael D. Griffiths (The Chronicles of Jack Primus, Part I, The Chronicles of Jack Primus, Part II, Eternal Aftermath) while I’ve been busy rewriting several books and establishing my Creative Writing classes at Northbrook College. But though he writes horror and I write sci fi, when we get together, we write… differently! So I thought I’d put a slice of our combined madness on my blog…

Huh

SJ is all sweetness and punch and then I check her blog and find that she is telling everyone I have a big belly. Hey! I rode my bike to work all summer to make sure my beer belly didn’t-oh never mind.

What SJ isn’t telling you about is her secret plan to have me do about 10 year’s worth of ‘upkeep’ on her little cottage that she ‘might have let go for a while.’

For a while, in her case, means since her granny owned the place. I barely finished my fish and chips before she asked for my help with a little something. That little something was a reshingling the entire roof.

I still haven’t recovered from jet lag and now I’m working on zero sleep to try to finish this before the dark clouds overhead dump their rainload on me. Oh shoot – I gotten go. My break is over and she is telling me to get back onto the roof, since it has already started to rain. Dang – I didn’t even finish my porter yet.

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Ok… This visit has already gone to Hades in a handcart and Mike has been only been here a day.

We’re into a world of weirdness, here. I mean, I’d never have called Mike lazy – he does far too much writing for that… But he used to be able to relax… Chill out…

No longer. Ever since he’s been here, he’s been buzzing around the place, hammer in hand, fixing the place up. I mean, six hours into his visit, once I’d dabbed some witchhazel on his bruises and injuries after the bookslide, he was up a ladder, busy stripping the roof off cos he reckoned it looked ‘hinky’. I had to talk a mile a minute to persuade him that the sag in the middle was cos the roofbeams had settled that way – it’s an English method of building. So then, he’s up there in a thunderstorm, replacing them all… While I’m getting drenched at the bottom of the ladder, wondering what I’ll say to his Mom if he gets zapped by lightning…

He was all set to dig a swimming pool in the back garden this morning. With a trowel. Seeing as I don’t have a shov- I mean, spade on the property.

Last night, I took him to the local pub for a slap-up home cooked meal of bangers, mash and mushy peas. So, there he is pushing the food into his mouth – and then he just freezes. There’s this waxy look to his face – and a lock of grease-caked hair slithers down his cheek, wraps around a sausage and as his whole hair-do sort of writhes around his scalp and re-settles with a disgusting sucking sound – I realise the sausage has gone… And no wonder he reckons beer is expensive – I watched his hair slurp at least two pints, last night. It didn’t help that a couple of the neighbours set him up with several drinks – just to watch his hair do its thing. They reckoned it was a crazy Yank trick brought on by eating too many McBurgers (they’re not the shiniest tools in the box, this pair. Caught last year trying to glue-sniff a Pritt stick…)

Whereas, once Mike snaps out of this trance-thing, he hasn’t a clue what’s been happening. WHY didn’t anyone warn me he’d gotten into this state? So, I’m appealing for information. Urgently. Only… try to keep it away from poor old Mike, guys. You know how he panics when things go wrong. And I’m going to keep him occupied – and away from here. My neighbours reckon I’m peculiar enough, as it is. Without Mike finally hosing the last of my reputation down the plug-hole.

Starting tomorrow, I’m taking him out and about. We’re visiting London on the train – they’re broader-minded up there. Thought I’d take him to see the Tower of London and the crown jewels and then go for a nice peaceful ride on the London Eye…

What could possibly go wrong with that itinerary?

The Adventures of Mike and SJ

This thread started on a forum Mike and I shared, when we started playing off each other about this alternative/fantasy persona we each gave ourselves. Since then, we’ve started writing a novel together and Mike has had a number of books published as Michael D. Griffiths (The Chronicles of Jack Primus, Part I, The Chronicles of Jack Primus, Part II, Eternal Aftermath) while I’ve been busy rewriting several books and establishing my Creative Writing classes at Northbrook College. But though he writes horror and I write sci fi, when we get together, we write… differently! So I thought I’d put a slice of our combined madness on my blog…

Ooo… Mike – I have an idea! Let’s take a holiday together! What about hopping on a plane and coming over to the Big Smoke, eh? Let me show you the London sights. And we’ll go for nice soothing walks by the sea. Collect shells. Eat ice cream. Take it easy. Very gently and easy. Not an adventure in sight. Or a therapist.

What about it, buddy? C’mon. You’d love it!

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Wow an Invite to England!

Can we see castles? I wanna go to Wales. Can we go to Wales? Can we see castles in Wales?

I haven’t been to England since I was 18, which was obviously just a few years ago. I went to Rome earlier this year, but since I don’t speak Italian, I had less conversations than usual. Also the beer was nasty. Now mind you, English beer is not as good as American beer, but I’ll give them a honorable mention and since they did discover hops and IPA they…

Oh wait where was I? I’m going to England! I had better start packing. See you later. I’m going to fly over the Pond!

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I did find myself wondering whether I’d made a mistake inviting Mike over, as I drove up to Heathrow to pick him up. I mean – I sort of thought I’d have a couple of weeks to get things ready… air out the spare room… buy in a few tins of baked beans, spaghetti hoops, fish fingers, chips, sausages, tomato ketchup – you know – push the boat out – provide the best English cuisine on offer at Tescos.

But no – I get a quick text last night to say he’s just boarding the plane – and will be landing at 5.45 am… Will I pop over to meet him? He’s looked at the map at where I live and reckons that I’m just down the road from Heathrow airport, so it shouldn’t be a problem… Well, distance-wise, he’s right, of course. Let’s face it, no one’s very far from anyone in England. The catch is, the traffic. There are people who have spent two thirds of their summer holiday sitting in a traffic jam on the M5 – why do you think we all fly off to Spain? It’s not the weather – it’s the fact that once we’ve been dumped at the Costa Mosta by ScamAir, we don’t have to drive…

So I get up at stupid o’clock this morning to pick up Mike, having spent most of the night clearing out the spare room as best as I could. The black bin liners full of clothes can be piled up in the corner to make quite a comfy seat. And I personally think you can never have enough reading matter – although I have stuck a warning label on the stack of books that collapsed on Aunty Gertrude when she stayed. She’s due for her hip replacement operation at the end of the year, courtesy of the National Health Service fast-track system. Blames me for the accident – which is just not fair. I mean – what idiot would try to prise a book out of the BOTTOM of a pile that touches the ceiling? Which is why I put a PostIt note, warning Mike only to choose books from the stacks that are 6 feet high, or less.

I have to say it was a bit of shock when he finally ambled into the Arrivals Lounge. For starters, he was an hour later than everyone else on his flight – Airport Security were a bit twitched about his hair. Figured that he might be hiding illegal substances in it. I didn’t say anything to him, of course. Wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings. But… it seems to me that Little Wax Head Boy has invited the rest of the family to come and live on Mike’s head – and results aren’t pretty. It wouldn’t be so bad if his hair wasn’t so long. But he reckons the last time he went to the barber, the guy tried to sue him for damages as the scissors got stuck, so he’s given up trying to get it cut.

And you know he was talking about quaffing expensive beer? Well, judging by the size of his belly, he’s been overdoing that one. I might have to put him on a diet while he’s here – for his own good, of course. Thank goodness I got some packets of low-fat crisps in…

And then, as we’re loading his duty free drinks, toothbrush and spare sock (apparently he could only find one) into the trunk of my car, he mentions that he’s going to need an orthpedic pillow… WHERE am I gonna find one of those in Littlehampton?

Still… it’s great to see him. He’s just unpacking and getting settled in. It’s ok about the pillow – I suggested that he uses some of the bin liners, instead-

WHAT was that crash? Oh, Hell’s teeth! He’s only gone and knocked down one of the book stacks – and it’s the one I was going to start reading next – I’d sorted it in ISBN number order and everything…

Yeah – hang on, Mike. Stop yelling – I’m getting the books off you, but I can’t go too quickly or they might get damaged… Oh no – look at this! You’ve bent my copy of the latest Terry Pratchett, where it hit you on the head AND got some blood on it…

When did you say you were going home?

Review of Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold

This is the latest offering from Bujold’s long-running Miles Vorkosigan series – or is it the last instalment? It certainly feels as if this is a final round-up of some of the major characters that we’ve seen steadily develop over the years as we’ve followed Miles’ adventures.

Captain Ivan Vorpatril sometimes thinks that if not for his family, he might have no troubles at all. But he has the dubious fortune of the hyperactive Miles Vorkosigan as a cousin, which has often led to his getting dragged into one of Miles’ schemes, with risk to life and limb – and military career – that Ivan doesn’t consider entirely fair. Although much practice has made Ivan more adept at fending off his mother’s less-than-subtle reminders that he should be getting married and continuing the Vorpatril lineage.

Fortunately, his current duty is on the planet Komarr as staff officer to Admiral Desplains, far from both his cousin and his mother back on their homeworld of Barrayar. It’s an easy assignment and nobody is shooting at him. What could go wrong?

Plenty, as it turns, out when Byerly Vorrutyer, an undercover agent for Imperial Security shows up on his doorstep and asks him to make the acquaintance of a young woman, who seems to be in danger. That Byerly is characteristically vague about the nature of the danger, not to mention the lady’s name, should have been Ivan’s first clue, but Ivan is no more able to turn aside from aiding a damsel in distress than he could resist trying to rescue a kitten from a tree. It is but a short stage down the road of good intentions to the tangle of Ivan’s life, in trouble with the Komarran authorities, with his superiors, and with the lethal figures hunting the mysterious but lovely Tej and her exotic blue companion Rish – a tangle to test the lengths to which Ivan will go as an inspired protector.

In the rest of the books, Ivan is depicted as the physically handsome, rather feckless cousin that Miles manages to drag along in his wake, who is allergic to any real responsibility – not a helpful attribute to one of the main heirs to the Barrayan throne. So it was a real treat to find him the main protagonist in this romp.

For those of you who haven’t yet had the pleasure of reading the Miles Vorkosigan books – don’t open this book, yet. Track down at least one omnibus edition of Miles’ adventures – better still, give yourself the best present of the decade and tuck into the whole riveting canon. Bujold’s world is a joy and her ability to depict a complex world undergoing major social upheavals through the viewpoint of one very driven, high-ranking character with singular physical disabilities has earned her a hatful of awards and a unique place in the science fiction world. While it is possible to enjoy this book without having read any of the previous novels, there are so many asides, allusions and in-jokes referring to Miles that you will miss if you haven’t read anything else set in this world.

This book doesn’t have the frenetic forward tilt of Miles’ adventures, mainly because Ivan has lived his life trying to stay away from the sort of excitement that Miles generates by being… Miles. It is far more a romance with a sharply clever under-achiever as the main protagonist, who once more finds himself in a mess not of his own making. Bujold’s characterisation is absolutely spot on – she knows these characters inside out, and it shows in the slick writing and enjoyable humour that constantly bubbles under the surface.

At times, that humour tips into farce – the fate of the Imperial Security headquarters, for instance, had me laughing aloud. Yet, it is finely balanced. Barrayar is always dogged by its recent violent past – and the account of the short memorial service to Ivan’s dead father is poignant and one of the standout moments of the book for me, more so because it is so beautifully understated.
While it isn’t Bujold’s best book – and there is one glaring anomaly with the world that her beta readers certainly should have picked up – it was a joy to read and a worthy addition to an awesome series.
9/10

Review of Spirit Walker – Book 2 of the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver

This popular Young Adult series has been on my radar for a while, but when I won a copy of this book in a raffle, I was delighted to finally dive into Paver’s historical fantasy world.

Torak is a boy apart: a boy who can talk to wolves. As the clans fall prey to a horrifying sickness, only he can find the cure. His quest takes him to the perilous islands of the Seal Clan, where he battles an unseen menace – and uncovers a shattering betrayal.

Paver’s vivid, straightforward style has this Bronze Age historical adventure bouncing off the page. Her skill is in powering the narrative ever forward, with a cast of interestingly nuanced characters in her detailed, rich landscape with the minimum of fuss or stylistic tricks. Given that she has set her book in distant prehistory, so there are relatively few reference points that her readers can latch onto and identify with, she provides a wealth of enjoyable details about food, clothing and their attitudes. This is a period that Paver has clearly extensively researched, and while Spirit Walker is crammed with all sorts of relevant details, at no time did I feel that I was being given a history lesson. The dialogue – both spoken and internal – are well conveyed and convincing.

This is a deal more difficult than Paver makes it look. Given that her readership is young and relatively inexperienced, the moment she wanders away from the storyline, or tries to pad her characters with too many gestures or long speeches, she’ll lose her audience. And she doesn’t. This series had been an international success, selling over a million copies in Britain alone and the last and sixth book in the series, Ghost Hunter, won the 2010 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. The only surprise for me is that no one has snapped it up yet with a view to making the series into a film or films.

Paver manages to throw in a number of plot twists that I really didn’t see coming – not that I was straining overmuch to try and second-guess her. When an author writes with Paver’s quiet authority, I tend to relax and just enjoy.  Am I going to go to the bother of tracking down the other books in the series, to read to my granddaughter in due course? Absolutely. This book certainly lives up the hype and I recommend that you get hold of it for the youngster in your life – but before presenting it, give yourself a treat. Read it first…
9/10

Grieving

Reblogged from Independent women:

Grief is messy and hard. It doesn’t let up. You grow up an “I” person: I’m doing this or that, I’m going to such and such, I’m studying this subject etc. Then you meet someone and you find yourself becoming a “we” person: we’re buying a house, we’re having a baby, we’re going on holiday.

Then maybe that all goes wrong – or not – and you are again an “I” person, but not the same “I” person that you were before.

Read more… 371 more words

This honest, brave blog offers insight into a particularly difficult time... Thank you.

Review of Sound Mind by Tricia Sullivan

I came across a copy of Sound Mind at the local library, did a happy jig and snagged it off the shelves on the grounds that Tricia Sullivan’s shopping lists probably make an interesting read…

When Cassidy Walker stumbles into the middle of the highway, bloodied and bruised, Bard College in flames behind her, and manages to flag down a ride, she thinks the worst is over. Arriving in the nearby town of Red Hook, Cassidy tries to call her parents but the phone lines are down. Later she will discover that no radio or television signals are being received. The town, it seems, is cut off from the rest of the world – no one can get in and no one can get out. But that’s not the strangest thing by a long shot…  There is more – but it ventures into Spoiler Country and I’ve views on ruining the reader’s experience by giving too much away in blurting blurbs.

This story starts with a bang as Sullivan’s books generally do. And Cassidy is a wholly convincing, entertaining protagonist whose terrifying experiences are vividly portrayed. Although it gradually becomes clear that she isn’t exactly what she initially seems. Sullivan is a highly intelligent writer who isn’t afraid to push the envelope. As with all such artists, this means that the results can be variable.

The overall story is full of tension and adventure and – mostly – moves along at a good clip. It was only about halfway through that I realised that Sound Mind is a sequel to Double Vision, which I’d read before I was organised enough to make a note of every book I read, on account of my chronically awful memory. Despite the fact that I couldn’t recall much about Double Vision, I didn’t have too much difficulty grasping what was going on in Sound Mind, so it certainly ticks the box of not relying on the first book in the duology to make it a viable read.

One of Sullivan’s trademarks is to start with a credible problem set in a recognisable primary world setting, always portrayed with pin-sharp clarity. And as the story advances, she steadily pushes the borders of normality until we are confronted with something that is right on the edge of the fantastical – while still within the science fiction genre. Unlike a number of science fiction writers, Sullivan has no problem keeping her protagonists vulnerable and sympathetic as they are subjected to a series of increasingly bizarre ordeals. I really enjoyed the ending, which after the fantastic, multi-layered plot, could so easily have sold the reader short. It doesn’t.

The role of music is thoroughly explored within this novel. Cassidy is a music student and comes to believe that it is one of her taped compositions that has brought into being the destruction that has sealed off Red Hook. She explains to the reader exactly what she was trying to achieve and why – and goes into a lot of fairly academic detail about her feelings about music as a personal anchor for her. As ever, Sullivan’s work is layered and clever, with constant touches of humour to help leaven the chaos and violence – and her discussions about music throughout the book are often enlightening and entertaining. However, there are also a few places where I think some judicious editing would have improved the pace of what is – essentially – an adventure story. I love the fact that science fiction is a genre where the story is often not only an entertaining escapist read, but a vehicle to explore ideas and themes, although this is something of a balancing act. At times, the discussions/explanations about the role of music silt up the pace and I found myself skimming across these sections, particularly in the second half of the book.

But this is a minor quibble about a book that once more establishes Sullivan as a major voice in the genre, who deserves a great deal more exposure than she gets. And if you also are fortunate enough to find a copy of the book in your local library or secondhand bookshop – scoop it up. You’ll thank me if you do…
8/10

Adventures in Science Fiction Cover Art: Crashed Spaceships

Reblogged from Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations:

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(Gaylord Welker's cover for the December 1952 issue of Astounding Science Fiction)

Gaylord Welker's cover for the December 1952 issue of Astounding Science Fiction appeared in my best sci-fi cover post a while back.  Although I rarely recycle images, whenever I see his masterful cover I'm impressed with the sheer desolation and desperation of the scene.  Inspired by the image I set off to find more covers depicting crashed spaceships (alien or human on Earth, the moon, distant planets....).

Read more… 355 more words

Review of The Red Men by Matthew de Abaitua

Being a shallow sort, I was lured into picking this book off the shelves by the sheer elegance of the cover (kudos to Snow Books for this outstanding effort, by the way…) and was rewarded by discovering an unexpectedly thought provoking treatment that will – I feel – be with me for longer than usual.  This near-future literary thriller is remarkably prescient, given its attack on corporate aspirations and thinking, as it was published in 2007, well before the series of grubby scandals that rocked the banking world.

A police helicopter hovers above Hackney. Snipers surround the siege house. Fascinated, Nelson edges forward to watch the advance of the negotiator: a robot, uncannily tall and serene, designed to empathise with the despair that has turned a bitter executive into a cornered gunman. But the robot is too late; an explosion engulfs the house. As Nelson watches the burning machine burst out onto his street, he realises that the world has shifted beneath his feet; a strange and unexpected future has arrived on his doorstep.

Welcome to the adventures of young father Nelson Millar and his friend and manic poet Raymond Chase in the imminent technologies of tomorrow. Nelson unwillingly works on a project that threatens the nature of democracy, the simulation of a town and its citizens to create the ultimate focus group. Meanwhile, Raymond is hired to assist the mysterious Red Men, digital copies of the rich and powerful whose vile appetites and hatred for real life soon lead to murder.

Firstly a health warning – the initial chirpy tone and thread of black humour running through this book gets steadily darker. It is compelling, clever and terrifyingly plausible. It is also savagely violent. As a sharp and accomplished writer, de Abaitua is completely capable of delivering a nuanced, satirical take on the subject. For instance, it is Nelson Millar’s determination to provide a steady income for his young family that sucks him into working for Monad – not his earlier freewheeling ‘creative’ days working as editor for the magazine Drug Porn… While the technological details, such as the robots, Dr Easy and Dr Hard, are enjoyable – it is de Abaitua’s pinsharp observations of human nature that make this an uncomfortably standout read for me.

The impact on Nelson of being subsumed into corporate life, while forced to spend long periods apart from his wife and child, rings all too true in a world where families have to face these dilemmas on a daily basis. He has the stunning misfortune to have to deal with a number of executives who could all be labelled as ‘the boss from Hell’, from the charismatic figurehead, Hermes Spence, to Stoker Senior whose testicle transplant is an attempt to keep himself ever-young and virile – and his immediate superior, and the bullying Morton Eakins. Not to mention the unspeakably horrible Red Man, Morty…

Any grumbles? I’m not a fan of the limited omniscient viewpoint and there were times that I felt hopping between viewpoints in the same scene compromised the degree to which I identified with the characters. While I fully concede that Nelson managed to still bounce off the pages, Raymond’s character seemed particularly undermined by this treatment and at times, I found myself skimming the scenes which featured him to get back to Nelson… Given de Abaitua’s evident skill, I do think that this is an avoidable glitch.

Other than that, though, I think this book is a powerful glimpse into some of the possible dangers that our children may face. And as a cautionary tale about how the corporate ethos can pervert and twist the best-intentioned objectives, it is chillingly accurate. It should be required reading for all Bob Diamond and all his cronies…
8/10

Review of Catching Fire – Book 2 of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are still alive. Katniss should be relieved, but now there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol – a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create. As the nation watches Katniss and Peeta, the stakes are higher than ever. One false move and the consequences will be unimaginable.
I read The Hunger Games on a train journey and couldn’t get the book out of my head – despite the fact that it wasn’t aimed at my age group. The tense page-turning action and unexpected twists had haunted me, as well as Collins’ spiky, conflicted heroine, Katniss. So – was Catching Fire going to be able to sustain the excellent story-telling skills Collins’ demonstrated in The Hunger Games?

If readers are expecting Katniss to be remotely upbeat about their survival after The Hunger Games, they are quickly put straight in the opening section. The whole experience has left Katniss traumatised. And once the ‘victory tour’ gets under way, that trauma becomes something else. For there are clearly signs in some of the Districts that the inhabitants are becoming restive under Capitol’s brutal control – and when President Snow has a private word with Katniss and makes it clear that he holds her liable for keeping any sort of rebellion in check, she realises that her responsibilities haven’t ended with keeping her family safe and Peeta alive… Hundreds of lives may depend on how she acts and what she says during their tour.

As for her relationship with Peeta and Gale… Snow points out, she now has to take a certain course in that direction, as well. I was gratified to see a complete lack of the self satisfied wriggling that occasionally accompanies a three-cornered relationship in some urban fantasies. Anyone who has been in that situation will know that it is generally a miserably painful business.

It is a lot harder to pull off a successful middle book in any trilogy than Collins makes it look. There has to be plenty of progression and action, sustaining the strong start that a best-selling first book has achieved, with sufficient exposition so that anyone reading the books out of sequence isn’t completely flailing around, yet without exasperating the reader who has the sense to read them in the proper order (something I rarely manage to do…). And the ending is particularly tricky. There has to be a complete story arc within the trilogy, yet with a couple of trailing plot points to ensure your loyal readership cannot resist rushing out and getting hold of the third book at the earliest opportunity. Collins gives a masterclass in getting this balance right. The concept of the whole series is neatly apt; her characterisation of Katniss is very strong with a compelling narrative voice – yet, I still think that Collins major talent lies in her ability to craft a classic story structure that pulls her audience into her tale.

I had resisted the pull of Chasing Fire by reading a couple of other books between The Hunger Games and its sequel on the grounds that often by reading a series of books by the same author, I become sensitive to the writer’s foibles which inhibits my enjoyment of his/her work. But as soon as I completed Chasing Fire, I reached for Mockingjay – I had to know what happens next. So if you’ve decided to avoid The Hunger Games series because you generally find books with a lot of hype surrounding them are often a disappointment – yet enjoy character-led near future, dystopian science fiction, then I strongly recommend you seek out this series. It’s worth it.
9/10