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defrogKeep on readin’, y’all. Cos that’s what dEFROG does. Yessir.
Hope by Len Deighton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The second book of the third Bernard Samson trilogy, in which Samson’s brother-in-law George Kosinski – in tax exile in Zurich – is suspected of having mysterious contacts with the East German Stasi. Samson and his inept boss, Dicky Cruyer track him to his family home in Warsaw, where he turns up dead. Or does he? This installment is one of the more straightforward of the series, focusing more on the mission at hand than the other subplots, although it does add up – the events of the previous books are obviously taking their toll on Samson’s professional and personal life, especially as he uncovers more details about his wife Fiona’s secret mission. It’s a pretty solid entry, and I’m looking forward to the conclusion.
Feed by Mira Grant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I don’t read too many zombie novels, but I saw a number of references to the Newsflesh series, so I thought I’d give the first installment a try. It definitely wasn’t what I expected in two ways: (1) it depicts a zombie apocalypse in which modern civilization actually survives (though not without serious changes), and (2) the plot follows a brother/sister blogging team who land a gig covering the campaign of a presidential candidate. The most impressive thing here – apart from Grant’s agreeably snappy writing style – is the detailed and convincing realization of a post-Rising world, from the virus that started the outbreak to the sociopolitical infrastructure shaped by it (to include awareness of zombie pop culture, which is a nice touch) and the technological advances 25 years from now. Where it goes wrong for me is the characterization. Bloggers Georgia and Shaun are annoyingly obsessive wisecrackers who embody hardcore and inflexible ideals about journalism and The Truth, while Senator Ryman comes across too much as Grant’s ideal of what a politician ought to be like, and his rival Governor Tate is too much the stereotypical opposite. There’s also a conspiracy angle here that feels pedestrian (though perhaps the next two books take it in more unexpected directions). Still, I think zombie fans will dig it, and the setting alone makes it a worthy addition to the zombie canon. Not sure if I’ll try the other books in the series, though.
No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA and the Surveillance State by Glenn Greenwald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is Greenwald’s account of his meeting with Edward Snowden in Hong Kong, as well as a summary of the NSA surveillance programs Snowden revealed and the subsequent reactions from both the US govt and the media. If you’ve been following the Snowden saga (especially via the Guardian), there’s not much new here, but the story of how Greenwald ended up meeting Snowden alone is worth the price of admission. And the summary of the leaks nicely illustrates the scope of the NSA’s programs and how dangerous they are from a civil liberties POV. The section on the role of journalism in exposing govt wrongdoing is a little self-serving – not because Greenwald talks about being persecuted for working with Snowden (which is both fair and relevant), but because I think he overstates the desire by mainstream media to play ball with the govt (or at least misattributes their reasons for doing so, IMO). Even so, for anyone who wants a good summary of the Snowden/NSA story – and isn't one of those people who thinks Snowden is a traitor and a criminal who should be waterboarded at Gitmo – this is highly recommended.
Zoo City by Lauren Beukes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Having impressed me with Moxyland and The Shining Girls, I was looking forward to this one (Beukes’ second novel), which is set in an alternate South Africa where criminals are magically assigned familiars and live in fear of being dragged out of existence by a mysterious force called the Undertow. Being “animalled” means getting certain psychic powers, but it also means being ostracized from society, so most live in a Johannesburg slum called Zoo City. The story focuses on Zinzi, a former journalist and drug addict who makes a living finding lost things and running 419 email scams, and gets in over her head after she’s hired to find the missing half of a teen pop duo. Beukes really knocks it out of the park here by creating a believable and fascinating alternate reality, and – as she did with The Shining Girls – populating it with engaging and vivid characters, notably narrator Zinzi. It’s got a few flaws (namely, it’s sometimes unclear how Zinzi draws certain conclusions), but for my money this is the best of Beukes’ novels so far. She has a new one coming out soon, and I’m looking forward to it. While I’m at it, I may have to check out her comics work with Vertigo.
Gun Machine by Warren Ellis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ellis’ second novel, which is his take on the police procedural/serial killer genre. NYPD Detective John Tallow loses his partner in a gunfight, and in the process accidentally discovers an apartment full of hundreds of guns – all of which turn out to be linked to unsolved homicides. The story follows Tallow’s investigation, with the help of crime lab scientists Scarly and Bat, who are tasked with finding NYC’s most prolific serial killer and generally expected to fail. As police procedurals go, it’s quite good, although Ellis leaves a few things either underexplained or not explained at all, and occasionally relies a little too much on coincidence to drive the story. But the real magic is Ellis’ gift of characterization and dialogue. He manages to make Tallow’s “burned-out cop who finds a reason to give a shit” sound fresh, while Scarly and Bat are vivid and funny as demented science monkeys, and the killer is convincingly psychotic. Very entertaining, and nicely done.
View all my reviews
Fuck yeah demented science monkeys,
This is dF
Hope by Len DeightonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The second book of the third Bernard Samson trilogy, in which Samson’s brother-in-law George Kosinski – in tax exile in Zurich – is suspected of having mysterious contacts with the East German Stasi. Samson and his inept boss, Dicky Cruyer track him to his family home in Warsaw, where he turns up dead. Or does he? This installment is one of the more straightforward of the series, focusing more on the mission at hand than the other subplots, although it does add up – the events of the previous books are obviously taking their toll on Samson’s professional and personal life, especially as he uncovers more details about his wife Fiona’s secret mission. It’s a pretty solid entry, and I’m looking forward to the conclusion.
Feed by Mira GrantMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I don’t read too many zombie novels, but I saw a number of references to the Newsflesh series, so I thought I’d give the first installment a try. It definitely wasn’t what I expected in two ways: (1) it depicts a zombie apocalypse in which modern civilization actually survives (though not without serious changes), and (2) the plot follows a brother/sister blogging team who land a gig covering the campaign of a presidential candidate. The most impressive thing here – apart from Grant’s agreeably snappy writing style – is the detailed and convincing realization of a post-Rising world, from the virus that started the outbreak to the sociopolitical infrastructure shaped by it (to include awareness of zombie pop culture, which is a nice touch) and the technological advances 25 years from now. Where it goes wrong for me is the characterization. Bloggers Georgia and Shaun are annoyingly obsessive wisecrackers who embody hardcore and inflexible ideals about journalism and The Truth, while Senator Ryman comes across too much as Grant’s ideal of what a politician ought to be like, and his rival Governor Tate is too much the stereotypical opposite. There’s also a conspiracy angle here that feels pedestrian (though perhaps the next two books take it in more unexpected directions). Still, I think zombie fans will dig it, and the setting alone makes it a worthy addition to the zombie canon. Not sure if I’ll try the other books in the series, though.
No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA and the Surveillance State by Glenn GreenwaldMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is Greenwald’s account of his meeting with Edward Snowden in Hong Kong, as well as a summary of the NSA surveillance programs Snowden revealed and the subsequent reactions from both the US govt and the media. If you’ve been following the Snowden saga (especially via the Guardian), there’s not much new here, but the story of how Greenwald ended up meeting Snowden alone is worth the price of admission. And the summary of the leaks nicely illustrates the scope of the NSA’s programs and how dangerous they are from a civil liberties POV. The section on the role of journalism in exposing govt wrongdoing is a little self-serving – not because Greenwald talks about being persecuted for working with Snowden (which is both fair and relevant), but because I think he overstates the desire by mainstream media to play ball with the govt (or at least misattributes their reasons for doing so, IMO). Even so, for anyone who wants a good summary of the Snowden/NSA story – and isn't one of those people who thinks Snowden is a traitor and a criminal who should be waterboarded at Gitmo – this is highly recommended.
Zoo City by Lauren BeukesMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Having impressed me with Moxyland and The Shining Girls, I was looking forward to this one (Beukes’ second novel), which is set in an alternate South Africa where criminals are magically assigned familiars and live in fear of being dragged out of existence by a mysterious force called the Undertow. Being “animalled” means getting certain psychic powers, but it also means being ostracized from society, so most live in a Johannesburg slum called Zoo City. The story focuses on Zinzi, a former journalist and drug addict who makes a living finding lost things and running 419 email scams, and gets in over her head after she’s hired to find the missing half of a teen pop duo. Beukes really knocks it out of the park here by creating a believable and fascinating alternate reality, and – as she did with The Shining Girls – populating it with engaging and vivid characters, notably narrator Zinzi. It’s got a few flaws (namely, it’s sometimes unclear how Zinzi draws certain conclusions), but for my money this is the best of Beukes’ novels so far. She has a new one coming out soon, and I’m looking forward to it. While I’m at it, I may have to check out her comics work with Vertigo.
Gun Machine by Warren EllisMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ellis’ second novel, which is his take on the police procedural/serial killer genre. NYPD Detective John Tallow loses his partner in a gunfight, and in the process accidentally discovers an apartment full of hundreds of guns – all of which turn out to be linked to unsolved homicides. The story follows Tallow’s investigation, with the help of crime lab scientists Scarly and Bat, who are tasked with finding NYC’s most prolific serial killer and generally expected to fail. As police procedurals go, it’s quite good, although Ellis leaves a few things either underexplained or not explained at all, and occasionally relies a little too much on coincidence to drive the story. But the real magic is Ellis’ gift of characterization and dialogue. He manages to make Tallow’s “burned-out cop who finds a reason to give a shit” sound fresh, while Scarly and Bat are vivid and funny as demented science monkeys, and the killer is convincingly psychotic. Very entertaining, and nicely done.
View all my reviews
Fuck yeah demented science monkeys,
This is dF
