Showing posts with label spoilers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spoilers. Show all posts

Monday, 12 May 2014

Irvine Welsh, Filth

Picked up for an absolute steal at Hylands House, I intended to read Filth on my journey to Edinburgh, but didn't get round to it. I've read a few of Irvine Welsh's novels, (click for my review of Skagboys) so I knew what I was in for, but I must admit I did find this novel a bit much.

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The Plot: When the body of a young black man is discovered on the Playfair stairs in Edinburgh, it is the duty of Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson to investigate. Bruce is a thoroughly unpleasant man and a corrupt officer.  Racist and violent Bruce's main concerns are his upcoming trip to Amsterdam and his schemes to secure a promotion rather than justice for the deceased.
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Rating: «««« (4/5)
For my review, click under the jump *spoilers warning*:

Tuesday, 22 April 2014

Patrick Ness, Chaos Walking Trilogy

After finally convincing my mum to read The Hunger Games (which she loved by the way) I fancied reading some YA fiction of my own. I spotted the first of Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking Trilogy for a mere pound on Amazon kindle, which I quickly devoured, before scooting off the the local library to pick up the other two.   

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The Plot: A month away before becoming 13 and officially a man, Todd is the youngest resident of Prentisstown - a town in which all the women are dead, and the men are plagued by Noise, a telepathic disease which means no thoughts are private. When Todd stumbles upon a silence in the Noise, his discovery has far-reaching consequence which threaten the survival of the entire planet.

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Rather than reviewing the books separately, I'm going to lump them all together, so I'm going to put spoilers under the cut. However, in brief, if your perhaps looking for a book for adolescents/teenagers Chaos Walking is not a bad idea. In my opinion, it lacks the brilliance of  His Dark Materials or The Hunger Games, and isn't as a successful as them for YA/adult crossover, it's not without merit though. The initial premiss, pioneers to a new world and the complication of Noise, is clever and imaginative. My main gripe is with the main protagonist Todd, but like I said spoilers under the cut:-