Posts Tagged ‘fiction’

The Children of Men is a dystopian novel by P. D. James. The book tells the story of British society after the world enters a state of complete infertility. No baby has been born for 26 years and the country, now run by a small council under the leadership of the Warden of England, has to cope with an aging population.

It differs from the film, which was also excellent but much more action and violence oriented. The book is slower, more exploratory of the impact on society. Less happens and it is more interesting for it.

The Eyre Affair is a novel by Jasper Fforde. It follows a literary detective as she chases down a supernatural criminal through various novels including, as you might guess, Jane Eyre. Also there is some time travel and England is still fighting the Crimean War.

It’s not as world building as Early Riser and Shades of Grey, but it is still a fun read. Many readers, may in fact prefer the fast moving narrative in comparison, especially if you enjoy ther literary references.

The Forensic Records Society is a novel by Magnus Mills. Claude recommended Mills, specifically some of his other books, but they weren’t available as audiobooks so I gave this one a go. It around four hours of reading, it was time well spent.

The book tells the story of two friends who establish a society for listening to music. Rival societies then spring up and the novel examines group formation, normalisation of rules, and movements splinter in different directions.

The City & The City is a novel by China Miéville. It’s an alternative history wrapped up in a police procedural. As far as I can tell, it’s very clever. But I found it too hard to keep up with and gave up after the first two chapters.

Red Side Story is the second novel in Jasper Fforde’s Shades of Grey series and follows directly on from it. It’s a great sequel. Sometimes sequels are a bit slow moving, especially the second in a trilogy. But this one has some serious plot. And continues Fforde’s captivating ability to create such cool alternative histories. Well worth a read.

Shades of Grey is a dystopian novel Jasper Fforde. The story revolves around a society that has largely abandoned technology and now lives in a strict hierarchy where your class is determined by your colour perception, which most people have lost.

It is the third Fforde novel I have read, and it is once again excellent. I don’t know if I love it quite as much as Early Riser, but that quickly rocketed up to one of my favourite fiction books, so tough competition. This one is part of a series and I’m going straight on to part two.

Early Riser is a fantasy novel by Jasper Fforde, set in an alternative history where the climate is much colder over winter and humans hibernate. The story follows the protagonist as he joins the Winter Consul Service who stay up through the winter to and keep everyone safe.

This is the second Jasper Fford novel I have read, after The Constant Rabbit, and I enjoyed this one even more. In fact, I think this is pretty high up my all time favourite fiction reads. Great storytelling and great world building in a place that feels very familiar but also intriguing. Well worth a read.

The Castle is a novel by Franz Kafka. It tells of a surveyor known as K. who arrives in a village and finds he was summoned by accident. He finds it impossible to navigate the bureaucracy of the castle’s systems, trying in vein to reach the castle authorities.

I was intrieged to see how Kafka could fill 200,000 words on this, but he does and he does it very well. Unfortunately, the novel was unfinished at the time of Kafka’s death. Usually, I would expect either the editor to add a note at the end or someone else to finish it off. This one just ends mid-sentence without any conclusion.

The Constant Rabbit is a novel by Jasper Fforde. It tells of an alternative reality in which “the event” has transformed rabbits, and a few other animals, into anthropomorphised versions of themselves. It explores the political implications of having what are seen as an under-class of a million rabbits, paralleling fears about immigration, and played out through the love story of the protagonist and the rabbit who moves in next door. Well worth a read.

Bartleby, the Scrivener is a short story by Herman Melville. It tells the story of a lawyer who hires a new member of staff, Bartleby. At first Bartleby works hard but gradually refuses to do any work or even leave the office, answering each request with “I would prefer not do”.

It’s well worth a read. For me, the exploration of the psychological processes the lawyer goes through in responding to such a situation are both relatable and fascinating.