I read this book a little while a go but I don't think that enough people know about it so I thought I'd just pop it on my blog and share a few of my thoughts with you.
Like the majority of my favourite books this one has a fantasy element to it in the form of magic, wizards, vampires and the rivers of London actually being real life "people". As well as this awesome mixture of fantastical beings the book is set in London, my spiritual home and one of the best cities in the world. So, all in all, it has pretty much everything I could ever want from a story. Peter Grant is a PC in the Metropolitan Police and desperate to play with the big boys, despite not noticing the vital clues that make up a crime scene and could potentially solve the case. One night he is helping out on a case in Covent Garden and meets a ghost, as you do, and is soon introduced to the hidden magical world of the city and the secret branch of the Met that no one knows about. Grant is soon thrown in to numerous cases that have a magical influence over them and must learn not only to deal with these cases properly but also to become a trained wizard himself. I don't want to say much more because the story is a mystery at its heart and the less you know the more you will enjoy it. After all, what's the point in a mystery if you already know the elements that make it up? The narration and dialogue are naturally witty, not a single line seems out of place or self indulgent, which makes the book an absolute pleasure to read. In addition to this every single character is unique and intriguing in their own way, particularly DCI Nightingale who is Grant's mentor throughout and doesn't seem to understand the modern world in which he currently lives. What I liked most about this book is that despite it being place din the fantasy genre it doesn't forget its setting. The way the characters speak to each other and the reactions that they have to the ridiculous situations that they find themselves in are exactly how you would expect normal people, never mind Londoners, to react. There is no flowery language or an attempt to be the next King Arthur, these are just a couple of police officers trying to settle a few magical disputes across London. I mean, really, what more could you want from a book?
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Absolutely everyone on the planet, particularly the British population, has a visit from The Doubt Monster. It is a grey, messy beast that feeds off your knock backs in life and excretes uncertainty all over your brain until you're not even sure if that cup of tea you just drank was a good idea. Coincidentally, I did just drink a cup of tea and it was a good idea.
Like most writers my book has been rejected by a few agencies by now, which wasn't a huge surprise by any means, and my quest to find a job that makes me feel like I have some purpose in life is proving futile in the extreme. I just don't know what to do or to feel to be perfectly honest. In terms of my book, The Doubt Monster is rampant in its hunger to put me off selling it to more book agencies. "Are you sure this is good enough?" It asks, "Do you really think you're meant to be a writer? Maybe you should try something else, although that might fail, too." All in all, I've been asking myself a lot of questions recently about my book and whether I should make some serious changes to the plot and characters or even if I should continue to try and get it published. Rejection is par for the course when it comes to writing, I know that. But when it feels like everything you have applied for over the past six months, both jobs and agents, has been with energy and vigor and is basically amounting to nothing it's hard not to feel a little down. In my heart of hearts I still adore my idea for Enkindled and I just hope that there is one person out there who is willing to take a chance on it. I'm always open to developing and changing its concept, providing that I approve of the suggestions, and so I know that I have to keep telling myself not to give up. I do have other ideas I wish to explore, as mentioned in a previous post, and there is one that I'm giving some serious thought to as writing as a book. Although this feels like I might be giving up on Enkindled, I know that I have to get it written down and who knows what will come of that? It might turn out to be rubbish, it could be my best work yet but it could also inspire new ways to approach Enkindled. Everyone has their down moments in life, particularly those of us who consider ourselves to be creative types, but, for me, I think the best way to fend off The Doubt Monster for as long as possible is to just keep writing about the things that I love. I know that I want to be a published writer more than anything and the only way that can happen is if I write something, stopping now when I'm just getting started would be a resounding victory for The Doubt Monster and we just can't have that. I'm not really a romance novel kinda gal, as a teenager I think I overloaded on books about quirky teen girls looking for love with the too-cool-for-school guy and ever since my interests have been more in the fantasy or sci-fi genre. That's not to say that I don't like a nice love story, one of my favourite books is One Day by David Nicholls, I just prefer it when the writer brings something new to the genre. Otherwise it's just a lot of 'Will they, won't they?' and 'Do I even care that much? I know they're going to get together, anyway.'
To put it plainly I like contemporary love stories to either be unconventional and unique or to be surrounded by a great futuristic battle or the like. The Rosie Project was the former and did it brilliantly. Our protagonist, Don Tillman, is a socially awkward genetics professor who wants to find a wife but doesn't really possess the life skills needed for such a venture and so begins something called 'The Wife Project.' Unsurprisingly, Don has a very strict criteria of what he wants in a potential mate and no one seems to quite match it. In comes Rosie, a young woman in search of her biological father who doesn't tick a single one of Don's boxes but manages to turn his world upside down. What could possibly happen?! I won't spoil the ending for you but I'm sure anyone who has ever read more than one book can figure it out. Although the ending is pretty clear from the get go the journey to arrive there is great fun. Don's various unsuccessful encounters with the opposite sex are both hilarious and heart breaking. As I said, the ending is obvious, so when he goes on these many dates it's best not to get too frustrated with him and just enjoy the ride. Simsion's words are always spot on and caused me to smile at the text numerous times. In addition to the lovable but sometimes infuriating Don, there is a brilliant cast of secondary characters that provide him with the situations to woo Rosie without him realising, most notably on their quest to find her biological father. Even though the plot may seem a bit far-fetched Simsion weaves in his cast of extras perfectly so that you don't question the story too much. I read one review that labelled this book as 'Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory looks for a wife' and I think that is the perfect way to sum up this book. It's silly, it's funny and, yes, it's romantic in its own way. Love may be one of the major themes but, thankfully, due to Don's character it's not described with long, overly descriptive poems or screaming out in anguish in the middle of a thunder storm. It is approached in a fairly clinical way and yet, somehow, the book doesn't reduce its importance. If you're looking for a straight forward approach to love with a few laughs along the way then this is definitely the book for you. |
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