Fiction review

Dune (Frank Herbert) Supposedly, Dune is the classic sci-fi novel. Like Harry Potter, the beauty of the book is that the technicalities of Herbert's world are somewhat irrelevant, existing to serve the story. And its a good, somewhat timeless story. One about a fight against the imperialists for a precious resource hidden in the inhospitable desert. A story where, despite the broad details of the trajectory being fairly clear from early on, the details are enough to keep the reader on their toes. That said, I think I'd prefer another Terry Pratchett.

The Light Fantastic (Terry Pratchett) The sequel to The Colour of Magic doesn't stray far from the known good recipe, but it does indeed stray. The Light Fantastic is pleasingly story driven, whilst keeping the seasoning of uncle jokes of the original. It lacks the novelty of the Colour of Magic, but makes for a fun couple of train journeys none the less.

(Evelyn Waugh) The Complete Short Stories The problem with "complete" sets is that they inevitably contain duds. And perhaps the biggest dud of the lot was The Balance - the first story in the book. Perhaps it went over my head. Having set off on the wrong foot, I'll admit that there were several nice stories, but nice is a long way from unputdownable. And when I have such high expectation of Waugh, that's disappointing.

The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) Nine-hundred pages of dense text is rather a daunting prospect. But by the hundredth page the book is enjoyable, and by the six-hundredth, its difficult to put down. It is a story of love, betrayal, ascension and revenge. It has the makings of an excellent film were it not for its length, complexity or number of characters. Indeed, the trailers of the Monte Cristo film adaptions seem to take excessive liberties with the book. The story is great fun, but I do have one quibble. Monte Cristo appears to omnipotent and infallible. One simply waits to see what form is success will take.

Bedlam (Christopher Brookmyre) The joy of Brookmyre is his ability to insert the elusive triple Red Herring plot device into a book based on the reader's mildly shameful interests - in this case, computer games. Despite on the lookout for the first hint of slippery plot twists, I was none the less taken by surprise. Bedlam isn't quite peak Brookmyre, but it is a good display of what he is capable of writing.

The Colour of Magic (Terry Pratchett) Both a mockery and a celebration of the Dungeons and Dragons playing type. Set in a fantasy world with magical restrictions as perverse as the laws of physics, Pratchett delivers a story which seems to be largely a vehicle by which he can introduce and then discard entertaining ideas as suits his whim. Enjoyable for those that enjoy Terry Pratchett.

Tess of the d'Urbervilles (Thomas Hardy) A series of mundane cruelties. The potency of the original story has perhaps been lost with the passing of time. A good book, but not enjoyable.

Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad) A river cruise shapes a man's outlook on the world. Surprisingly boring for the message and content. I struggled with what is not a long book.

The War of the Worlds (Herbert George Wells) The Martians attack Surrey. For those of us familiar with the home counties, to have such an influential story set within a scattering of better known towns is a great amusement. Whilst many complain at the degree of deus ex machina with which the book ends, I suggest that they've already had to firmly suspend their disbelief, and that other possible outcomes might be even less likely. One criticism - the title seems like an inappropriate description, no matter how nicely it rolls off the tongue.

The Scarlet Pimpernel (Baroness Emma Orczy) The Smartest Woman in Europe is surprisingly dim, the French are the root of all evil, and known ne'er-do-wells may move as they wish, so long as they are sufficiently well dressed. A story that remains entertaining, despite being predictable. Recommended.

The Thirty-Nine Steps (John Buchan) If the schoolboy William Brown were to become an author, this is the book he would write. A series of tense action sequences somehow tie themselves together into a story whilst promoting moderate political thought. Recommended, especially to 14 year old boys.

Places in the Darkness (Christopher Brookmyre) Solid Brookmyre entertainment until a twist makes you loose faith in the rules of the sci-fi world of the story. If Brookmyre could please rewrite the final third of the book I'd be happy.

Love is Blind (William Boyd) aka. On Wellness and Women, psychos and seductresses, players and pianos. William Boyd strikes again with a book that feels as if it better for the soul than mere entertainment. Recommended.

Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) Described as dystopian, but I'm not convinced. So often with utopias, the devil is in the neglected detail. Huxley has thought this one through however - the biological machine is as programmable as any other, and to neglect that is to lead to unhappiness. Recommended.

Nineteen Eighty-Four (George Orwell) Unification for dummies, and other parables. Recommended.

Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury) The GSCE student in me appreciates the headache inducing style, but it does detract from an otherwise excellent children's story. One also questions who the inhabitants of Bradbury's world remain literate without ever reading a book. Avoid.

Trainspotting (Irvine Welsh) Not a book to discuss with your mother. Recommended to the morbidly curious and people who I would rather kept out of Glasgow.

A Picture of Dorian Grey (Oscar Wilde) A story that could have been the work of a 13 year old, but oh so artfully written. The story of the book itself could be written on a single page, but it would be nothing if it were not for the pleasing filler that makes up the remaining 99% of the book. Read on if you enjoy the first 5 pages. Otherwise, stop.

Any Human Heart (William Boyd) A lifetime flashes by surprisingly fast. It isn't the details that make this book remarkable, its how one inevitably wonders where all those hundreds of pages went as you approach the final few. Very good.

The Hunt for Red October (Tom Clancy) A excellent book ruined by a merely fantastic film. Sufficiently full of important detail that by the time the reader has finished the book, the reader has forgotten the beginning and can start afresh.

Patriot Games (Tom Clancy) It is said that Americans have a fascination with the British Royal Family. The beginning of Patriot Games consequently feels a little like the when the Simpsons encounter the Queen - painfully forced. Whilst the book is ultimately forgettable, it is at least passingly entertaining.

Clear and Present Danger (Tom Clancy) Better than the film - thank goodness. And the plot is completely different to the film too.

Debt of Honor (Tom Clancy) Clancy goes off-piste, making the Japanese the villains. A war started by petty politicians is finished by American Unity, American Ingenuity and American technological superiority. Good fun.

Executive Orders (Tom Clancy) Five books later, and Clancy is tiring of Jack Ryan in his position as a CIA man, so by the beginning of this book, he's head honcho. Clancy is also bored with conventional warfare. The peaks achieved in this book are therefore not created by Clancy's usual strengths, but instead the repercussions of Ryan's past. Fun for those who've already wasted too much time the the Jack Ryan universe, but probably uninteresting otherwise.

Red Storm Rising (Tom Clancy) The classic Clancy 'Merica vs Russia storyline applied on a grand scale. Red Storm Rising stands apart from most of Clancy's other books: it doesn't borrow characters from other stories; the communist/politician bashing is relatively muted; and generally it steers clear of unlikely plot devices. The book also benefits from a credible story with authentic characters. My favourite Tom Clancy. Recommended.

Without Remorse (Tom Clancy) John Clark: Origins ft. goodhearted ordinary Americans and Gangsters. We're lucky that Clancy makes this so plain - one might accidently mistake our hero for a villain. Recommended to seasoned Clancy fans.

Red Phoenix (Larry Bond) A wanna-be Tom Clancy novel bought because I'd run out the good Tom Clancys - after the fall of the Soviet Union, Clancy's books become far-fetched and uncomfortably racist. Whilst a passable techno-thriller, Red Phoenix fails to attract any emotional investment in its characters, and attempts to focus of relationships later on in the book consequently fall flat on their face. Since Larry Bond is a cowriter of such gems as Red Storm Rising, this is disappointing.