I am legend

Thanks to the blockbuster film with Will Smith or even just the back cover you will know that this story is about vampires. However, I think this is a great injustice as it takes some of the gravitas out of the first few pages. Richard Matheson cleverly builds the world around Neville, held up in his house just to stay alive. Also, to label the novel as a vampire story is short sighted as it was the inspiration to the zombie genre. Yet to think of this as purely a piece of horror fiction is wrong. With it written from a third person perspective a modicom of distance is given between the reader and Neville yet you are pulled through his mental ups and downs. With the collapse of the society around him, morals become just an ignorable nagging, left at the way side in order to survive.
This book is nothing like the film, as I mentioned earlier I think it even detracts from it. Thus, I would urge you to read it and if I had my way people would read this before any other zombie or recent vampire novels, having read Bram Stoker's Dracula is always a must.
So, after having given away the threat that befalls Neville to any of you who didn't know already I bid you goodbye and good reading.
Ed

Consider Phlebas

Consider Phlebas, to me an unpronounceable name for Ian Banks first attempt at science fiction and if you ask me it was a success.

As with most si-fi this book starts out with being told there is a war between the humans and an alien race. However for this story there is a novel twist the humans are portrayed as they bad guys.

The protagonist is a humanoid working as a special agent for the three legged, practically immortal giant aliens known as the Idirans. He is descended from a species of human created solely to be spies so have the ability to change their appearance at will as well as having valuable home grown weapons like venomous spit. Horza as he is known is a mercenary for the Idirans because the way he sees it is that they are on the side of life. Compared to the Culture, the human society, who have created A.I. called minds to run most of the external affairs leaving them to lives of luxury and pleasure seeking.

In my opinion this is a good long read but at times Banks seams to be trying to hard, he tend to flick from one dangerous adventure to the next deadly situation without stopping to recover your breath. It appeared to me at least that he seamed scared of the idea you the reader may get board. Still this leaves for a fast paced interesting read that never lets up. This is handy if you are scared of big books as it is a good 500+ pager yet still what is better than being sat out in the sun with a good book?

(Exepose 18/05/07)

Wasp

Books, we know we should read them it seams like the done thing for those of intelligence. But do to this representation it some times feels like a chore to pick up a big book sit down and try and work your way through it.

However, I come to you with a suggestion, a small book. More specifically Wasp by Eric F. Russell a mere fourteen chapters and only 175 pages yet so engrossing most will not put it down until they are finished.

Wasp is a book with the plot based on the idea that a small wasp can irritate a driver of a car to the point of crashing and killing all the passengers. The idea a small almost insignificant, in size, being can cause the death of four giants and a huge machine. This then links with the timing of the piece set years into the future where a one James Mowry is sent to be a “Wasp” on an alien planet. Mowry’s work is used to help earth fight a war against an alien race far more numerous than humanity.

This compelling book to me is similar in many ways to George Orwell’s Classic 1984 with its way of gripping writing telling the tale of literally one man against the world.

For me whether you are interested in si-fi or not this is still a must for anyone and everyone.

(Exepose 18/05/07)