Books

Here are some musings on books I recently read. (Oh, and if you click on any of the links and buy the item, I get some cash from Amazon. Thought you'd like to know.)

Malice Box by Martin Langfield.

This is a slightly Da Vinci code-esque romp through New York. The protagonist, a British journalist in the US, has to find his way through the Big Apple whilst being chased by all kinds of ne'er-do-wells who are out to kill him. His quest is to find the keys to stop a weapon of mass destruction going off and killing millions.

The story is a bit more involved than the quick blurb I wrote above seems to indicate. The journey made is both physical and spiritual and selves in to all kinds of spiritual myths and paths to enlightenment. I started out really fascinated by the story, as a large part of the flashbacks are set in Cambridge and use familiar landmarks. But, as with so many books, the ending just lacks... something. Having said that, it is still a good read and both the content and style gripped me so much I did have a hard time putting it down.

My Judgement: 7/10 (Slightly Flawed)

The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by G. W. Dahlquist

First off, I have to confess I haven't finished this book yet. However, some details about the book are intriguing enough to write something about it now.

I read first about this book a while back when someone mentioned somewhere that there was going to be a steampunk book which was going to be published in the old serial style: Every week the publisher was going to send out a small booklet to the subscribers which would be another chapter of the whole story.

I signed up to this and sure enough, in the 10 weeks before christmas a padded envelope with a book came through our door. Each book had a slightly darker shade of blue so that the 10 booklets standing next to each other form a gradient of blue. They also complete a shape of a mask across their spines. On the back of each book is an announcement of the next chapter and a short description of the author's incredible life. It's all done in a faux-Victorian style which gives the booklets a very authentic look.

I've read the first 3 chapters now and those introduce the 3 main protagonists: a lady who was until recently engaged to a highly-placed ministry employee, an assassin who - due to his clothing and scarred eyes - goes by the name of Cardinal Chang, and a doctor in the employ of a Prussian prince who's gone missing.

These 3 come together through their adventures and seem to have stumbled on a conspiracy to do with something called 'the process' which leaves scars around the eyes of the targets and affects them in different ways.

I'm completely enthralled by both the style, story and presentation of this book. The only reason I haven't plowed through it yet is the lack of time. Sadly the 10-booklet version was a limited edition, but the book as a whole is now available.

My Judgement: 9/10 (Recommended!)

I've also started reading Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity by David Allen. This is a book about increasing your productivity with a method which apparently is 'geek-friendly'. It has been recommended on a number of blogs I read frequently so I want to find out what all the fuss is about. More about this book later.