Book Review: Anne Rice's Wolf Gift

Anne Rice is writing horror/supernatural again.  The author best-known for Interview with A Vampire took a break from the genre to focus on Christian literature before moving away from organized religion in 2010.

She released Wolf Gift in February, 2012; the first in the series.  The story followed the adventures of Reuben Golding, a San Francisco Reporter.  Reuben is assigned a story on the sale of an old house in Northern California, and goes to interview the owner.  They're attacked, and Reuben is bitten by a "man-wolf" and as the story goes eventually turns into one.

That's where the usual tale takes an interesting turn.  Rice's take casts werewolves as superheroes.  They only take on the bad guys, and they retain the consciousness of a man, and remember everything they do as a wolf.  Reuben sees the transformation as a gift, instead of a curse; he can help people in need.  This finds him conflicted between his newfound gift, and the values he was taught through his Catholic upbringing. 

I stopped reading Anne Rice for a long time, and I'm thrilled she's writing horror again. This is a great kickoff to a series. It manages to set up the story without getting bogged down in minute details.  Rice's vivid descriptions portray the joy Reuben feels as the "wolf."  The characters introduced at the end are a great way to add the necessary explanation, and set it up for the next novels.

If you're looking for a different take on the werewolf myth, check out Wolf Gift, available at most book stores.

Hilary Mantel's Bring Up The Bodies Review

Bring Up The Bodies is Hilary Mantel's second novel in her trilogy about Thomas Cromwell.  In the follow up to Wolf Hall we join Cromwell as he successfully brings down Henry VIII's second Queen: Anne Boelyn. 

In Wolf Hall I felt as if I was transported to the 1500's, following Cromwell as he rose through the ranks at Henry VIII's court.  There was a great blend of historical detail, and fiction that made it worthy of the Man Booker Prize.  At the end I felt I came away feeling as if I knew the man a little bit better.

Bring Up The Bodies is a clunky read.  It has the same attention to detail as its prequel, and similar characters of course because of the time period.  But that's where the similarities end.   A big difference is the narrator. In technical terms I think what Mantel was going for here was either a "3rd person first"  or maybe a second person narration?  She tried to make the narrator a separate character, and yet was also trying to see inside Thomas Cromwell's head. 

On page 182 Mantel writes: "He, Cromwell, stands back while Thomas Cranmer, pale and smooth takes charge of the king's bereavement."  She uses the expression of "He Cromwell," a lot to get into his head.  The lack of commitment to a point-of-view makes it a tough read.  If the character Thomas Cromwell is a mysterious figure, then why not use first person? The failure to commit to a narrator makes it confusing.

Mantel writes sections of the book without dialogue.  I appreciate there is a lot of detail to cram into a book about Henry VIII and Anne Boelyn. But, as a writer, and reader too, I find dialogue key to advancing the plot, and showing a character's background.  She's not successful at it here.  Basically the only thing I'm left with after reading it is that Cromwell is  good to his friends/family.  This I can see through his conversations with his neighbour Ambassador Chapuys, and the occasional exchange with other characters.

And then there's Henry VIII himself.  He's relegated to a secondary character for most of the book.  That makes sense since the primary focus is Thomas Cromwell who struggles in the background. Towards the end Henry VIII becomes a little more prominent as he reacts to Anne's betrayal, and is played up to be melodramatic.  In everything I've seen on television or read in history books, this King was anything but melodramatic.  I found myself thinking; she betrayed you, and you do get a chance to mope around... but honestly it's time to get over it now.

Overall verdict on this one: Great for historical detail, but not if you're looking for a good story.  

Summer Reading: 2013 Inferno Review

I broke down and grabbed a copy of Inferno by Dan Brown, from the library last week.  It was a one-week loan; one of their frequent flyers.  I only made it halfway through because I worked last weekend, and it wasn't very good.

Brown is known for his stories rather than his writing.  They're thriller-mysteries, involving a lot of travel, a bit of killing, and are successfully wrapped up with a conclusion.  Inferno meets all of these; it takes place in Florence, begins with a suicide, and ends with the main character safely on a plane (I skimmed the epilogue).  As an added bonus; it includes Robert Langdon one of Brown's enduring characters.

Where this book failed was the pacing.  Every few pages it hit the pause button to go on at length about a painting or a sculpture.  I'm a history buff; I understand the significance of the setting, and the many gorgeous works of art created throughout the renassiance.  But is it necessary to go on, and on about them? Seriously I could've cut this book's length by a good 50 pages by asking the question: "How is that relevant to the plot?" 

What happened to the style of the DaVinci Code? It was  faster paced, with enough dialogue to make it a really easy read? The characters led the action, not the writer.  Inferno is written as if Dan Brown is more impressed with himself, than into telling a good story.

With the time spent on Florence, and its history it reads like a travelogue.  And if I wanted one of those, I would've picked one out, instead.   I have no idea how this is still on a best-seller list. 

Summer Reading 2013

Looking up on my blog I have an entry about Summer reading from last year.  This year though I have nothing.  I've been reading George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones' series and have returned library books unread.

I've got 190 pages of book 5: "Dance with Dragons."  The whole series so far has been a work of art.  Martin has created his own world; complete with its religions.  It is as detailed as Lord of the Rings, but I find it faster-paced thanks to the way he switches points-of-view every chapter.  I keep waiting for story lines to merge and it seems like I'm about to be rewarded for my persistence.  And yes, you should be reading the first four books before you read this one.  If you spend your summer reading one series, make it this one, it'll make you forget how hot it is outside.

I still have a few on my table waiting to be read- Hilary Mantel's sequel to Wolf Hall; I think this one takes on Anne Boleyn.  It could be good for a break from the fantasy world. There's also Jack Layton's "Speaking Out Louder" which, I can't seem to get through without arguing with myself.  I'd love to go back and read more Kelley Armstrong, for a bit of Canadian content.

The last book in Ken Follett's Fall of Giants' trilogy is due out later this year. This series follows the fortunes of five interrelated families across the 20th century.  Think of this as historical fiction with the pacing of his thrillers.  The first two books seamlessly blended elements of both.  Like with Game Of Thrones, you should read them first.

What have you guys been reading this summer? Any books I should add to my reading list?  Hit that comment button below