The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story

"The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story" by Vivek Tiwary, Andrew C Robinson & Kyle Baker

This book is a large format, fully painted graphic novel that looks absolutely gorgeous. It tells the true story of Epstein, a mild mannered record store manager who discovers The Beatles, becomes their manager and ultimately meets a tragic end. There's not much more to the story but in this format it evokes strong emotions and a strong sense of period.

George Alec Effinger Live! from Planet Earth

"George Alec Effinger Live! from Planet Earth" by George Alec Effinger

I came to Effinger's writing fairly late in his career when I discovered his Budayeen series of novels, he died a few years later so I've been catching up ever since.
This volume collects a selection of his previously published short stories, each introduced by other writers who knew or had a passing acquaintance with him. While most of the stories have a SF angle, there's quite a variety on offer here. Many are satirical or just plain funny.
I enjoyed this collection but for somebody new to the author the novels might be a better bet.

Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking

“Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing” by Anya Von Bremzen

First of all this is a FANTASTIC book and probably deserves a longer, more detailed review..but I’m going to be lazy and just highly recommend it and give a brief description:

The author, born in the 1960s Soviet Union takes us on a journey through the 20^th century history of Russia and the Soviet Union using its food and the lives of her ancestors to illuminate several distinct periods. From the opulent last days of the Tsar, through famines, war, stagnation and eventual collapse. Von Bremzen and her mother emigrated to the US in the 1970s, and now they try and recreate the more famous or memorable dishes from each era. There are a lot of fascinating little details, facts and anecdotes in this book for anyone into history, Russia/The Soviet Union or just food. And yes, she even includes recipes at the back.

Fooling Houdini

“Fooling Houdini” by Alex Stone (Kindle Edition)

A fan of magic from an early age, writer and physics student Alex Stone gets the stuffing knocked out of him when he makes a disastrous appearance at a world magic championship in Europe. Later when he writes an insider’s guide to the skill and art of magic (in the process revealing a few secrets) he finds himself expelled from the magic society he’s been a long-time member of. After swearing off the tricks for a while he then plunges back into the field, travelling across America meeting magicians, con-men, psychologists and memory experts. Seeking the perfect illusion he almost abandons his career and close relationships in this single-minded pursuit. Most of the people he encounters are quite fascinating, and the book keeps the reader gripped with its humour and the author’s self-deprecating honesty.

Them

“Them: Adventures with Extremists” by Jon Ronson (Kindle Edition)

This book is pretty straight-forward – Investigative journalist (and humourist) Jon Ronson travels the globe interviewing assorted extreme nutjobs, from a  comical Islamist in London to American militia through to a man who believes 12-foot tall alien lizards are our secret rulers. Along the way he discovers they all have certain beliefs in common – that a secretive group known as the Bilderbergers regularly meet to conspire against us all and arrange the great events of history. Assisted by some rather dodgy personalities he tracks down the group to a meeting in Portugal and then to their annual retreat in California. Yes the Bildeberg group actually exists but the reality seems somewhat more mundane than the conspiracy theories would have you believe. This book is highly entertaining and somewhat eye-opening when it comes to the ‘extremists’ – most are pretty sad and ineffectual little men.

Hatchet Job

“Hatchet Job” by Mark Kermode (Kindle Edition)

One of my favourite critics (I’m a big fan of the radio show/podcast he hosts with Simon Mayo) Mark Kermode writes up a storm on the topic of the role of the professional critic in the modern age. Along the way he digresses and meanders through all sorts of related topics and tangents – from how people ‘game’ the review system on Amazon.com to how he managed to piss off film makers and other critics alike. Refreshing is his positive assessment of how the rise of the internet and review sites has actually helped his job -  rather than the usual doom and gloom we hear from some of his colleagues. I enjoyed this book, but it was rather short and easily finished in one sitting.

Twilight of the Bombs

“Twilight of the Bombs” by Richard Rhodes

Some time back in the late 1980s I borrowed a fantastic book from the New Brighton library – that book was Rhodes's master work “The Making of the Atomic Bomb”, a sweeping non-fiction historical epic. Several years later came “Dark Sun” his account of the creation of the Hydrogen bomb and the genesis of the cold war. Then about a decade ago came “Arsenals of Folly” a more journalistic account of (then recent) history and attempts at super power arms control.

Now I come to “Twilight of the Bombs” the fourth and final book in his nuclear history series. Again like “Arsenal” it’s a more piecemeal approach, jumping from Iraq after the first Gulf War to North Korea then to South Africa and back to Iraq a decade on. Also, he includes musings on how to eliminate nuclear weapons all together and how that could become a possibility in our lifetimes. The strength of this book and indeed the whole series is the author’s meticulous research and the recounting of anecdotes from people who were actually involved in these matters. Overall a fascinating account of recent history (all of it within my lifetime – scary) and it’s a little sad he’s giving up on it now before the real end has come.

Solo: A James Bond Novel

“Solo: A James Bond Novel” by William Boyd (Kindle Edition)

I’ve never read any of William Boyd’s previous novels so I don’t know how much of a stretch this book is for him – he’s produced a pitch perfect impression of Ian Fleming’s style and ‘voice’ in this volume.

It is the late 1960s, after celebrating his 45^th birthday alone a troubled James Bond is sent on a mission to halt a civil war in an (imaginary) oil-rich African nation. Things don’t go entirely to plan and Bond goes rogue (or ‘solo’) following a trail back to the US capital where he exacts his revenge.

The plot is pretty simple but it’s the little Fleming-Bond touches that bring this book to life – the obsession with fine living, food, drink, clothing, cars and women. At one point there’s even a foot-noted recipe for Bond’s personal salad dressing. It reminds the reader that the literary Bond was more than the quipping action hero of the movies..although I did still picture him as Sean Connery in my mind.

Mail Order Mysteries

“Mail-Order Mysteries” by Kirk Demarais

If, like me, you are of a certain age and used to read the occasional American comic in your youth you will have memories of all the amazing mail-order adverts that used to appear inside them. For mere cents it seemed you could buy all sorts of wonders..as long as you could wait 6-8 weeks. This book exposes the shocking truth behind those ads. Photo after photo documents what you really got for your money – who would have known that X-Ray specs didn’t really work, and giant ghosts were just balloons and rubbish sacks?? This is a fun book written with a good sense of humour and fondness for the source material.

Adventures with the Wife in Space

“Adventures with the Wife in Space” by Neil Perryman (Kindle Edition)

Another highly entertaining book - also too short. In the first section Perryman presents a memoir of his life, and how the TV show Doctor Who kept intersecting with it until he became a life-long fan, the wasn’t, then was again. The second part recounts his grand experiment – to watch every single (existing) episode of classic Who from the beginning with his long-suffering wife and report her reactions online. Somehow he managed to pull it off and stay married. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it more or less in one sitting.

From Earth's End

“From Earth’s End” by Adrian Kinnaird

This is a handsomely produced, chunky non-fiction volume divided into 3 main parts. In the first Kinnaird provides us with a history of comic creation and publishing in New Zealand – from the early 20^th century to the present day. Well illustrated with examples this, to me, was easily the best part of the whole book. The second section gives us simple biographies of a couple of dozen NZ comic creators along with samples of their work. The last part is a collection of several NZ comic related articles and even plans for a cut out model boat. Overall it’s a great book; the only thing I found annoying was the needless repetition of some information.

Murder In Mississippi

“Murder In Mississippi” by John Safran

I’ve been something of a fan of John Safran’s TV and radio efforts over the last decade so was looking forward to reading this, his first book. It doesn’t disappoint. After discovering a white supremacist he recently filmed has been murdered by a black man, John heads off to the US south and tries to find the facts of the case. Things don’t go quite that smoothly, and a lot of the enjoyment is the fish-out-of-water aspect. My only complaint is that it was too short.

Bleeding Edge

"Bleeding Edge" by Thomas Pynchon

First of all this is the second Pynchon book in a row that I've actually managed to finish(!) - he seems to becoming more prolific in his output which is a good sign I guess.
Unfortunately, I have to say this book gave me a bit of a 'meh' reaction - I was expecting so much more from a book set in 2001 and centred around September 11 and the internet industry. It could have gone in all sorts of trademark Pynchon paranoiac directions and gotten really weird but apparently not. This is pretty much a straight story about a forensic accountant who discovers dirty dealings going on behind the scenes of a tech company and how her family, friends and city all end up being involved to some extent. There are some nice little touches here and there and I can't fault the writing, close in style to his last novel "Inherent Vice" (also pretty mild Pynchon stuff). A decent read but not exactly mind-blowing.

The Last Greatest Magician In The World

"The Last Greatest Magician In The World" by Jim Steinmeyer

For a brief period from the late 19th century to the early 20th, stage magicians were the 'rock stars' of their day. Howard Thurston rose from humble beginnings (which he later sought to hide) to become one of the most famous in the profession.
This book is a pretty straight forward biography of the man in question, focussing mainly on his professional career and turbulent personal life. Steinmeyer already wrote an excellent book on how the tricks were done ("Hiding The Elephant", which I own, but have no idea where I've put..) so he doesn't really dwell too much on that angle, alas. Thurston invented the style that comes to mind when we think of stage magicians, but became, in time, overlooked. The Houdini rivalry mentioned on the cover and blurb really comes to nothing, they were, despite some clashes, friends until the end...another example of Houdini taking the limelight still.
Overall a great read but probably not if you have no interest in the subject.

The Rings Of Saturn

"The Rings Of Saturn" by W G Sebald

This is another of those books that I'd seen referred to, referenced and quoted over the last decade or so..so I finally bought a copy.
Originally written in German, it ostensibly is an account of the author's walking tour of south-eastern England. But in reality its an almost surreal mix of digressions and diversions as we delve into all sorts of semi-related topics. From a 17th century doctor to Herring fisheries, 19th century China, Joseph Conrad's adventures in Africa and the silk trade..including all sorts of things inbetween. Its all fascinating material and I enjoyed it immensely. There's a certain theme of lost glories and the eventual end that comes to all things. My only problem was that when discussing another individual the author sometimes flipped into their first person perspective without warning - I'm not sure if that was a result of the translation or just a style thing. Definitely worth seeking out a copy.

The Demonologist

"The Demonologist" by Gerald Brittle (Kindle Edition)

The recently released movie "The Conjuring" is supposedly based on one or two true cases investigated by the husband and wife supernatural investigating team the Warrens. As part of the movie publicity this 1980 book has been re-published. The book is part long-form interview with Ed Warren (the titular Demonologist) and part review of their more capitivating cases. Ed and Lorraine Warren became famous in the 1970s, appearing on many chat shows and embarking on countless speaking tours across the globe..needless to say I personally had never heard of them..
The recounted cases (if the details are only partially true) are quite chilling and unsettling - haunted dolls, haunted houses, posessed people and so on. Certainly events worth investigating. My only problem is that the Warrens, who started out as skeptics, ended up trying to fit everything they encountered into a narrow Christian-based framework. So we have on one hand ordinary ghosts and on the other inhuman spirits that hate God and so on. Many astounding statements are given out in a matter-of-fact manner and this starts to undermine their case.
Overall interesting and worrying.

 

 

The Bloody White Baron

"The Bloody White Baron" by James Palmer

Ungern von Sternberg was a dick. Born into an aristocratic German family in Tsarist Russia he looked down on most people but was a complete failure at most things in his life. He found his calling when he became a calvary office and soon gained a reputation as a brutal sadist. Sent to Russia's far east to confront the Japanese, he fell in love with the culture and religions of the region and made sure he was posted back there after the conflict ended. Needless to say he made a hash of things and was thrown out of a regiment or two. As imperial Russia fell apart and the Bolsheviks came to power he saw himself as a defender of the old traditions and the divine right of kings. This led him to become a leader of one of the 'White' factions in the Russian civil war and he raised a rag-tag army to follow him.
Eventually he decided to liberate Mongolia from the Chinese and use it as a base for his grand plans to reconquer the world. He had initial success but his bizarre befiefs and grandiose view of himself led him to utter failure. He was captured, tried and executed by the Soviets. Somehow he's become some sort of cult figure for right-wing dicks who see him as some proto-Nazi hero due to his anti-semetic, anti communist, anti-anyone conspiracy views..well they're welcome to him.This is a pretty straight forward book recounting what we know about the Baron's life and trying to fill in some gaps in knowledge. The author also provides a lot of interesting facts regarding eastern religion, cultures and the geo-political situation in the early part of the 20th century. It was a great read and told me much about a little discussed period in history.

 

 

Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles

"Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles" by Micheal Moorcock

A Doctor Who novel written by the great Micheal Moorcock? Sounds good doesn't it? I wanted to like this but it kept annoying me..
I havn't read any Doctor Who fiction since the Target novelisations in the 1980s but I did spend a of chunk of the 90s reading the omnibus editions of some of Moorcock's better  known work, so I had high expectations.
Unfortunately I bounced hard off the first section - its written as a 1920s style, 'jolly hockeysticks' P. G. Wodehouse style farce. The titular Terraphiles are a group of like-minded people from the distant year 50,000 (or something) who share a special interest in old earth customs and sports etc. The 'hilarity' comes from their mangled ideas of the games and language of our time - ie they play a sport which is a weird mix of archery and cricket..and so on. The basic plot is The Doctor (the Matt Smith version) and Amy must join one of the sports teams and win a trophy that will save the universe..and thats about it.
The second section where they travel (sans TARDIS) to the centre of the universe(?) is mildly better but it suffers from Moorcock trying to shoehorn his existing fictional 'multiverse' into the Doctor Who one and ending up just being weird and enigmatic for the hell of it.
We eventually get to the big game but the Doctor doesnt even save the universe personally, instead one of the better minor characters is sacrificed to achieve that goal.
Overall it just dragged, the author got the Doctor about right but everything else probably belonged in another book.