Book Review Hell’s Bells: Samuel Jonhnson vs The Devil – John Conolly

(Sequel to The Gates: Samuel Jonhnson vs The Devil)

 

Summary.

Witty, educational, thrilling and damn good fun!

 

8.5/10

 

This is the second exciting instalment of Samuel Johnson’s encounters with the Devil and his right-hand woman/ giant squid – Mrs Abernathy.

 

The novel begins in the small English town of Biddlescome, where life has returned to relative normality, following the breath-taking adventures in the previous book. But the evil Mrs Abernathy is hell-bent (did you like the pun?) on exacting her revenge upon Samuel.

 

The theme of Hell’s Bells is good vs evil (I’m always a little dubious when someone says that good vs evil is the theme of a book or film, as the majority of adventures touch upon this battle, but in the case of Hell’s Bells, it is actually the theme).  Samuel and his dog Boswell represent the good, the Devil and Mrs Abernathy represent evil, but most of the other characters lie somewhere in between. Nurd (the loveable demon from the previous book), is now a reformed demon, having spent some time on earth. The four dwarves are individuals who appear mostly bad, yet prove that they are capable of good acts. Sergeant Rowan, a stickler for the rules admits some wrongdoing in his life. Old Ram appears good, but turns out to be bad and we even see through the Blacksmith that even souls in hell are capable of redemption for past wrongs and can achieve peace.

 

There is also a secondary theme running through this novel concerned with the finding of ones place in the world. This is explored through Duke Abigor’s ambitions of promotion, the demon Ba’al’s adoption of the Mrs Abernathy’s characteristics (and flowery dress), Nurd’s altered character and his struggle with being back in Hell, Dan Dan the ice-cream man’s vocational choices, Shan and Gath’s desire to run a brewery and the professor’s desire to receive a Nobel Prize.

 

This novel is chock-a-block with humour and sarcasm. It made me laugh out loud on numerous occasion. I particularly enjoyed the footnotes, many of which describe ludicrous events from history (including corpses being put on trial and using urine to freshen breath) whilst others describe very interesting, complicated scientific theories in plain and simple English.

 

I also enjoyed Samuel’s character arc, which was nicely portrayed through the adolescent act of asking a girl out.

 

This was a brilliant book in its own right and a great sequel to The Gates. Definitely worth a read.

Book Review – The Abominables – Eva Ibbotson

Summary – Has potential, but fails to deliver.

4/10

I came across this book in Tokyo airport and bought it straight away. The cover designed by Sharon Rentta was great and the blurb got me all excited.

“High on a Himalayan mountain, a young explorer is asleep in her tent. At midnight she is snatched by a hairy monster – and never seen again.

“Agatha Faringham has been kidnapped by a yeti. But soon she discovers that he is a brave and noble beast. His family is in danger – and he needs her help.” (copyright remains with the original author of the blurb).

But as I started reading I quickly became disappointed. Despite the promises in the blurb, the Yeti family were not “in danger”. The first hundred years passed by without the slightest bit of trouble. And finally, when a boy named Con arrives in the valley with news of a vague threat from some rather nasty visitors at a nearby hotel, Lady Agatha decides to ship the yetis off half way across the globe, to her family house (which may not even belong to her family anymore).

This is essentially a road adventure (AKA a golden fleece) and it should four elements:-

• A very important reason to take to the road
• A clearly defined prize at the end
• A journey that teaches the participants something about themselves (that they may be lacking)
• Forces preventing the party from getting to their prize

I feel The Abominables fails to meet any of these criteria. This book was published posthumously, and my guess is that the manuscript was actually an early draft, not ready to be published. I’m sure it would have been better had Eva had the chance to finish it properly.

We don’t really see a real threat to the Yetis until two thirds of the way through the novel, where they are kidnapped by the ghastly Hunters Club and taken to the South Pole. If only these men had featured at the start of the novel and had discovered the yeti’s secret Himalayan valley we might have had a very different book. This would have been a truly important reason to take to the road.

I also feel that questions surrounding the current state of Farley Towers should have been quashed at the beginning. Perhaps Con could have heard about the Towers being used as a famous animal sanctuary. This would also have tied in with the theme (see more below).

I don’t feel that characters learned anything about themselves throughout their journey. The only character arc is that of Ambrose losing his faith and regaining it.

Finally, apart from the odd worry about being seen, the Yeti’s didn’t really face too many obstacles in their journey towards Farley Towers. The novel would have been far more exciting if there had been a race across the globe, with the Hunters Club in hot pursuit!

The theme was treating animals (and Mother Nature) with respect. Both sides of this were explored, but in places it felt preachy, instead of being an underlying message.

So… I know I’ve been pretty negative, but it wasn’t all bad. I enjoyed Eva Ibbotson’s splashes of humour and her fun similes. The writing flowed nicely, with the narrator adding witty comments at appropriate places. I also thought that the illustrations were beautiful and added a real depth to the book.

Overall this idea had tons of potential, but unfortunately didn’t fulfil the promise of the blurb.

Book Review – Heroes of the Valley – Jonathan Stroud

Summary – Slow start. Rip-roaring second half. Well worth a read.

7/10

I’m a big fan of Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimeus trilogy so I was really looking forward to reading Heroes of the Valley.

The novel follows Halli, a young (short, ugly) boy, who embarks upon a journey through a valley and discovers much about his society, his heritage and ultimately himself.

The theme running through Heroes of the Valley is faith. This is explored in many different ways, but mainly through the legends surrounding Halli’s great ancestor – Svein. The characters question whether these legends are based on fact or fiction and their assumptions are put to the test. Both sides of the argument are deftly handled.

My first impressions of this novel weren’t good. Nothing much happened in the first five chapters, the language was old fashioned, and I found Halli, the lead character, slightly irritating.

To elaborate, the catalyst moment happens in chapter 6 (about 20% of the way through the book) and even after this, the leap into act two is more of a gentle stroll. Had this catalyst moment happened in chapter two or three I think I’d have scored this book with an eight or a nine.

Thankfully, Stroud makes up for a slow start with a rip-roaring second half. By the end of the book I was utterly gripped.

I quickly got used to the old fashioned language and felt it added a certain depth to the book.

As Halli travels through his character arc he becomes more and more likeable – Helped along by the brilliant supporting character of Aud.

The end of the story had an unexpected twist, which I wasn’t entirely convinced by, but I’m sure other readers loved it.

Book Review – Goblins – Phillip Reeve

Goblins – Phillip Reeve

Summary - Everything a fantasy adventure should be.

8.5/10

Phillip Reeve is a great writer. His Mortal Engines series is top notch and Goblins doesn’t disappoint.

The novel is set in a world where magic is weak and mythical creatures only exist in a handful of places. But the old magic is beginning to return to the world and Henwyn, a cheesewright’s son with his head in the clouds, and Skarper, an unnaturally intelligent and decent goblin, find themselves at the centre of it all.

The theme of Goblins is friendship and loyalty. Qualities which are as alien to the goblin race as wiping their bottoms after they’ve been to the toilet!

We watch Skarper explore these admirable qualities for the first time and even help some of the humans to do the right things at key moments. I particularly enjoyed the use of the Sable Conclave (a group of cowardly magicians) in the development of the theme.

Goblins is rich with Reeve’s trademark humour and intricately woven storylines, which collide at mingle  beautifully. The twists and turns really made me smile. Particularly the parts about Stenoryon’s map.

Overall, this was a thoroughly enjoyable book. Everything a fantasy adventure should be.

I’m on Amazon!

My début novel Disappear is now available on Amazon! What’s more it’ll only cost you £1.01.

The front cover was designed by the wonderful Pearl Law.

You can get it here…

The Casino – my first comic

After a misspent youth with my head in comic books I decided it was about time to try and write one of my own. I thought I’d start off small with a kind of short story.

I wrote the basic storyline in an afternoon and then played around with page layouts and look and feel with my friend Akhil.

We got something that we were both pretty happy with, but unfortunately it never progressed any further.

Have a read and let me know what you think. If you know any good artists then send them my way!

The Casino

Page 1
5 Panels – panel 5 is a whole page splash really, with the important focus being the roulette table at the bottom of the page, whilst the rest of the casino is the background image, with the first 4 panels inset in two rows of two.

Panel 1
Completely black.

Croupier from off-panel: No more bets

Panel 2
Close-up of a hand spinning the wheel

Panel 3
Close up of ball being spun into the wheel

Panel 4
Close up of the teenager looking confused

Panel 5
A wide shot of the Roulette table with all its patrons, and the rest of the casino in the background (3/4 overhead angle).

Teenager: Where am I?

Page 2
First four panels all in a row on one line

Panel 1
Close up of the ball coming to rest in number 13.

Panel 2
Close up of the croupier scraping away the chips

Panel 3
Close up of winnings being pushed towards the teenager’s hands

Panel 4
Close up of the teenager’s face, again looking confused

Teenager: I won?

Panel 5
Teenager and Mafia guy, side by side – mafia guy is looking at the table and looking p1ssed off holding his cigar between his fingers, the teenager is looking at him and looking happy/excited

Teenager: How much are these black chips worth?
Mafioso: $100,000
Teenager: No way!!
Croupier: Place your bets

Panel 6
The teenager has his hand around the waist and resting on the hip of one of the girls on the other side of him to the Mafioso, but he is half facing the table, and half facing the girl

Teenager: Give me a number, beautiful.

Panel 7
She has turned his face, with her hand on his neck/jaw – close up of their faces

Girl: How about 26?

Panel 8
Shot from over the shoulder or through his eyes. He flicks a single chip, that lands neatly on the 26

Croupier (possibly off-panel?): No more bets

Page 3
Panels 1 -4 as with page 2. Panel five and six side by side, square, panel seven wide and short at bottom

Panels 1-4
Wheel spin, flash of white room, ball lands on 3, teenager shrugs

Panel 5
Teenager is holding his remaining chips and turning to leave the table

Chinese Business Man: Going so soon?
Teenager (thought): I know him from somewhere… but where?
Chinese Business Man: Why don’t you stay for one more bet?

Panel 6
Teenager is now walking away from the table, with the girl, whilst the chinaman is staring hard at him looking angry. Other gamblers are checking out the girl as they start to leave.

Teenager: Nah… I think I’ll quit while I’m ahead

Panel 7
At the cashiers window, pushing his chips towards the cashier

Teenager: Can you cash these for me?
Cashier: Yes sir

Page 4

Panel 1
The girl is passionately kissing him

Teenager(thought): I could get used to this

Panel 2
Extreme close up of her lips next to his ear

Girl: I need to warn you… Mr Lui it going to try to kill you

Panel 3
He freaks out

Teenager: What?!

Panel 4
She is holding him close, her face very close to his

Girl: Stay cool
Girl: He’s been following you since you left Los Angeles

Panel 5
Another flash of the white room, bigger panel, this time the chinaman is there in a labcoat.

Teenager (off-panel): …what happened in LA…?

Page 5

Panel 1
Big splash (half to 2/3 page), single pic with a horizontal split – Mr Lui is walking towards them with a couple goons, they are close to camera on right side.

Top half –

Girl: We have to go. Now!
Teenager: I’m not leaving $2.5mil behind!
Girl: It won’t be any use if you’re dead.

Bottom half of panel shows that Mr Lui is concealing a gun in his waist, beneath his coat

Teenager: Oh God…

Panel 2
They are running away from the cashiers, him shouting back to the cashier
Teenager: Hey, look after my money for a few minutes, I’ll be right back

Panels 3 – 4
They are dodging and ducking their way through the casino, avoiding Lui’s goons

Page 6

Panel 1
Shot from over shoulder, by entrance of Casino, Mr Lui gun drawn

Panel 2
Mr Lui and Teenager in exact same positions, but in the white room, and the gun is replaced by a syringe

Panel 3
Wide shot of them running out of the Casino towards some valets parking cars

Teenager: What’s this all about?
Girl: He knows…
Teenager: knows what?

Panel 4
He is pushing a valet away from a car, the valet is falling. His other hand is on the small of the back of the girl guiding her into the car – he is fully in charge of the situation now.

Valet: Hey!

Panel 5
They are driving off, as Mr Lui gets into a car driven by one of his goons, his gun still in his hand, in the air

Page 7

Panel 1
Shot from inside the car

Girl: Mr Lui knows about DEP
Teenager: What the hell is DEP??
Girl: You have to remember. Think!

Panel 2
White room – the letters DEP on the wall

Panel 3
A bullet shatters the rear windshield of the car

Teenager: Oh $@%&!!

Panel 4
¾ overhead of them screeching through a red traffic light at a crossroads

Panel 5
The car gets hit on the tail by another car going across the perpendicular road

Page 8

Panel 1
½ page splash of the car spun on the road, now stopped, having caused a bit of a pile up

Panel 2 and 3 (wide)
Back inside the car – cuts and scrapes, neither of them too badly hurt, but a bit shaken up. He is looking frustrated, perhaps banging his fist on the dash

Teenager: I can’t remember!

Panel 3, she has her hands on his shoulder and leg, looking pleadingly at him

Girl: Please try, before it’s too late

Page 9

Panel 1
Mr Lui has pulled up and is getting out of the car with his gun

Panel 2
Close up of teenager and woman’s faces

Girl: I love you

Panel 3, 4 and 5
Mr Lui at the window of the car, with the gun facing at the teenager.

He shoots. A close up of the gun firing as a separate panel here.

Everything goes black

Page 10

Panel 1

Half page splash, teenager waking up in a hospital bed, a bit disoriented. DEP – Dream Engineering Project written prominently on the wall.

A voice from off-panel: Welcome back David, how did you enjoy the “High Roller Chase” scenario?
Teenager: scenario…?

Panel 2

Lower half of page – Dr Lui is smiling, and holding a tray of syringes, labelled Desert Island Romance, Skiing on Everest, Wild West Adventure, Alien Abduction, Human Flight.

Lui: Which dream would you like next?

When the Wind Changes

My latest novel is almost ready to go out to the literary world.

I put the first chapter through a writing analyser and it told me that I write like…

…wait for it…

…Lewis Carroll!

Now that is one hell of a compliment! http://iwl.me/s/68a96d20

Here’s a short extract to whet your appetites…

When the Wind Changes 

By Tufan Gavaz

Chapter 1 

If Eric had known what was about to happen he would have walked straight past the video game shop and headed promptly home. But instead he raced ahead of his mother, weaving past the other shoppers on the busy high street until he reached the red and blue neon lights of Video Blitz.

He pushed his woolly hat up to get a better look and his attention was caught by two muscular characters battling on a television screen in the window. They were twisting and turning with such agility that Eric was instantly mesmerised. He leaned in until his nose was pressed right up against the frosty glass, taking in every single dazzling move.

When his mother eventually caught up with him she sighed. ‘Come on, we need to get home.’

‘Please can I get this game, mum? It’s called Super Kingdom Fighters and it looks amazing!’

‘No dear. We don’t have time.’ She took hold of his hand and gave it a pull but Eric didn’t move. His face was still pressed up against the window.

‘But I want it!’

‘Not now, Eric. The Howards will be arriving soon and I need to get everything ready.’

‘BUT, MUM…!’

At that very moment an icy gust of wind was racing along the high street. It was rustling people’s bags, shooting up ladies’ skirts and sending leaves into recently swept shops. It whisked and whirled towards Eric and he shivered as it blew and blustered around him.

He pulled his scarf together and his mother brushed the hair out of her face before sharply tugging Eric away from Video Blitz.

‘Please, mum,’ he said desperately. ‘It won’t take long and I promise I’ll be good.’

‘NO! And that’s final.’ She peered down at her son and suddenly gasped…