Every once in a while a book comes along and totally blows you away. This is that book.
Station Eleven isn't out until September but I was lucky enough to get a copy due to a work placement I had with Pan Macmillan a month ago. However, I couldn't wait until then to talk about it and think that everyone who reads this blog should pre-order it right now! The plot of the book focuses on several characters and their relationships before and after a deadly disease called the Georgia Flu wipes out 99% of the human population. I know that dystopian novels aren't exactly hard to come by these days but I promise you that this is in a different league. That's not to say that I don't love those kind of stories (Hunger Games fangirls represent) but I like the approach that Mandel has taken with this book in that it focuses on a set of people rather than the problem at large, which is that civilization has collapsed and there's no way of rebuilding it. The concept is terrifying; there is no electricity, no phones, no cars and very few people to try and fix the problem. The only thing that these characters can do is live and try not to kill or be killed along the way. A common phrase used throughout the book is a quote from Star Trek: "Survival is inefficient," which leads us on to the Travelling Symphony. The Symphony are a group of people that travel through a deserted North America performing Shakespeare plays to anyone who is happy to welcome them in to their so called town. Considering that most of the population now live in disused fast food restaurants, the word "town" is probably an exaggeration. These characters are the crux of the book and it is through them that we see what life has now become for those that have survived. There seems to be nothing to live for but their audiences relish their visits and Mandel elegantly points out that if and when the end of the world does happen what is it that we're going to cling to? Our "stuff" or the people around us? There's also a rather questionable character called the prophet who is the perfect creepy character but I'm not going to say anymore about him because he's too important to the book and I don't want to ruin it for you! Much like Margret Atwood, Mandel has left the dramatics and fight for civilization to other authors and the big Hollywood blockbusters, which are often referenced in the book in the hope of making the characters feel better but this seldom works. She has examined what it means to survive in a world where technology and the ease that it brings to our lives is so natural that even the idea of being without it terrifies us. Every sentence in this book is gripping and thought provoking and even if you're not a sci-fi loving, dystopian genre addicted reader you will still thoroughly enjoy it and, hopefully, be desperate to pass it on!
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The blurb of this book may have you believe that you are about to enter in to a sexy murder mystery set in San Fransisco during the smallpox epidemic in 1876 where tensions are high and morals are low. However, as much as I liked the plot I feel that the mystery behind the murder comes second to the character studies that Donoghue conducts throughout the book. Usually I would prefer a murder mystery to be filled with twists and turns but I thoroughly enjoyed this approach, which is probably mainly down to the story being based on a real-life murder, and thought that all of the characters painted in this book were intriguing and infuriating in equal measure.
The main character is Blanche Beunon, a French burlesque dancer living and working in San Fransisco with her lover, Arthur, and his best friend, Ernest. Blanche is happy enough performing at the city's most infamous brothel night after night to adoring fans and taking home some extra post-show money (nudge nudge, wink wink) until one evening she is literally knocked over by a woman wearing men's clothes who is riding a high wheeler. This is Miss Jenny Bonnet and, unfortunately, the person at the centre of the murder (this isn't a spoiler, she gets killed about two pages in!) Jenny is a whirlwind and completely turns Blanche's life upside down, forcing her to ask herself questions that she has been avoiding for a very long time. The story flits between the month before the murder and the days after it, which means that the plot is constantly moving and we aren't bogged down by the characters' back stories as they are neatly interwoven in to the narrative and become important to the events surrounding the murder. As I mentioned, I think that the characters in this book are great, even the ones I despise, because they have been so well formed that at points I wanted to jump into the book and strangle them for the way they behave. I believe this shows just how good a writer Donoghue is. Jenny is without doubt my favourite character in this book; she marches to the beat of her own drum in a time when simply wearing men's trousers can land you in jail. She isn't afraid to speak her mind and do as she pleases, which is why it is so sad that things turn out the way they do. I really wish I could discuss the story more because I think that Donoghue is not only presenting us with a whodunnit but also a commentary on how women found it impossible to escape the roles they were forced in to, even when they realise they have done wrong and try to rectify the situation. But if I did that I would be spoiling a splendid book for you all so please pick up a copy and then we can talk and dissect it to our heart's content! 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? I've decided that as well as blogging about my latest musings of the writing world, which can be few and far between, I'm going to start posting book recommendations and hope that anyone who reads this will do the same as I'm always on the look out for a good book! Although these posts will have a 'review' aspect to them I will only be posting books I like as opposed to writing scathing reviews about those that I don't. So shall we get on with it?
Unsurprisingly, the first book I'm going to recommend is Time Rep by Peter Ward. This book came out in July last year and I was lucky enough to discover it just before the Christmas period kicked in and, quite simply, I devoured it within two days. I love fantasy and sci-fi books that give a new twist on the genre and I especially love all things time travel so this book quickly became one of my all time favourites. The story focuses on Geoffrey Stamp, a boring nobody with no aspirations in life who is selected to become a Time Rep. In the future time travel is not only possible but accessible to all and Time Reps guide tourists through various time periods, showing them great historical moments such as The Great Fire of London and even the moment when the dinosaurs were wiped out. Of course, being the main character, Geoffrey is far from a nobody and by the end of the book you find yourself wanting to take him to the pub and buying him a pint, which he would probably happily accept. I know that a lot of people measure how good a book is by how flowery or poetic the writing is but, for me, it's all about the story. That's not to say that I can abide bad writing but if the story doesn't grip me then I won't think much of the book overall. Thankfully, the pacing of the story and the many plot twists had me grinning throughout. I like to think that I'm quite good at spotting a twist or working out a character's secret but Ward had me floored (oh that is a good but of rhyming) so many times that I lost count. However, the best thing about the book for me was Ward's writing style, which has been compared to that of Douglas Adams and it's easy to see why. He has a dry wit that I find hilarious and if anyone else enjoys sarcasm and silliness as much as I do then I guarantee that you will enjoy this book. Admittedly, this book is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, even hard core nerds may be annoyed at the lack of seriousness but that's why I love it. The book is unashamedly ridiculous but the strong characters and plot keep it grounded so that you can, to a certain extent, believe that these events could actually happen. I pray that one day this becomes a film but until it hits the big time I fear that will not happen. Until then I'm just going to have to see what else Mr Ward has to offer! |
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