The Quatermass Book Reading Marathon Blog: Taking the Fifth

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Book 64...

REVIEW: Psyren, volume 2: Baby Universe by Toshiaki Iwashiro


Despite my earlier reservations about Psyren, I decided to read the second volume of the series just in case it improved, as well as to fill a hole in my book reading blog. So, having decided to give the next installment of the series a shot, would I find it any better than the first? Or would it drag it down even further?

Having just returned from the mysterious world of Psyren, Ageha Yoshina has just learned from his friend Sakurako Amamiya that Psyren is in fact Japan in the future. Not only that, but the atmosphere of the future wasteland is able to awaken dormant psychic powers in those who travel there. Alongside the imposing Hiryu Asaga, Ageha has to learn how to harness his powers, thanks to the tuition of Sakurako and her own mentor, concert pianist Matsuri Yagumo. But there is even more afoot to this than they realise. Nemesis Q, the entity that sends those chosen into the world of Psyren, is determined to make sure that nobody outside the game knows, and it is more than willing to kill...

The story has a certain amount of improvement, in that we finally get some explanation as to what the purpose of the Psyren 'game' is, as well as elaborating on how Nemesis Q deals with anyone trying to reveal facts about Psyren. Even so, it's still not that much of an improvement, just managing to make the story a little more intriguing and entertaining. But it still feels like, at this point, something of an also-ran story. The beginning of the use of psychic does add some spice to the story, but again, it feels like an old trope's being trotted out in a very familiar manner.

The characters are improving slightly. Ageha's entertaining enough, and we have some more insight into Sakurako's character. We also have an interesting (and highly amusing) revelation about Hiryu Asaga's character. Of the new characters, actor Oboro Michizuki is rather irritating, although the psychic offering the reward for info on Psyren, Elmore Tenjuin, is a more intriguing character who might prove to be one of the more interesting in this series.

Overall, the second volume of Psyren is a slight improvement on the first volume. Not enough to make it excellent, but certainly just enough to maintain some interest.


7.5/10


First words: The future?

Last words: ?!

Book 65...

REVIEW: Doctor Who: Last of the Gaderene by Mark Gatiss


Mark Gatiss is now relatively well-known as a scriptwriter, writing for both the new series of Doctor Who, along with comedies such as The League of Gentlemen on radio and TV, and the Quatermass-spoofing radio series Nebulous. But before then, he wrote four novels based on Doctor Who, the last of which was in 2000. This was Last of the Gaderene, a story set during the third Doctor's tenure. Having only read St Anthony's Fire and his Lucifer Box novels, I was curious to see how this adventure would turn out...

In World War Two, the pub in the sleepy village of Culverton was destroyed, apparently by a bomb. Thirty years later, one of the survivors, Wing Commander Whistler, still has the strange jade crystal he picked out of the wreckage. The abandoned military air field in Culverton has been bought up by Legion International, ostensibly for creating a new international airport. But with black-uniformed troopers protecting the airfield and mysterious goings-on happening, Whistler calls in his old friend, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, who in turn calls on the help of the Doctor. The Doctor and Jo investigate, only to find official resistance from the government ministers involved. While Whistler is interrogated by Legion's leader, the mysterious woman Bliss, the Doctor and Jo find a young man who babbles about a monster in a nearby swamp. As it turns out, Culverton is about to become the bridgehead for an alien invasion. The last of the Gaderene are coming, and they're being assisted by one of the Doctor's oldest enemies...

I find the story reminiscent of many things. Some elements of the story sound like they come from Quatermass II, Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, and Alien. Other aspects are reminiscent of Gatiss' later work for the revival of Doctor Who, specifically The Unquiet Dead. This is not to say that it is completely derivative, nor that it isn't enjoyable. In fact, Gatiss is good at, if not actually invoking the feel of the Pertwee years, then at the very least writing a cracking good story. It's a slight cut above the usual Doctor Who story, though at times it does feel too much like an also-ran. But it does have enough of a horror element to paper over some of the cracks, and there's an interesting allusion to the original story intended to write out the Master.

The characters are all decently written, and while they don't have all the depth that I would expect them to (with the exception of Wing Commander Whistler), the transformation of many villagers into slaves of the Gaderene is nonetheless chilling. I just wish that the characterisation was a little better. At times, there seem to be caricatures (like the politician blackmailed for transvestitism, or the village vicar). The Gaderene themselves are a rather average villain, reminiscent of the Gelth from Gatiss' TV story The Unquiet Dead, but they make up for it in both their horror, and their motives, even if their means do not redeem their character. The regulars are done fairly well, but not particularly spectacularly, and one gets the feeling that Gatiss has imposed his own stamp on them. And the Master is rather underutilised here.

All in all, Last of the Gaderene was quite a good story. Entertaining, if a little average by Doctor Who standards.


8.5/10


First words: The woman's eyes were as brown as the Bakelite wireless on the high shelf behind her head.

Last words: 'Just someone he went to school with,' she said.

Book 66...

REVIEW: The Stand: American Nightmares by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Mike Perkins et al, from the novel by Stephen King


Earlier in this book-reading blog, I read and reviewed the first part of Marvel Comics' adaptation of The Stand. King's famous post-apocalyptic epic translated reasonably well to graphic novel form, at least for the first part adapted. But what of the next part, titled American Nightmares?

The epidemic of genetically engineered bioweapon and superflu Captain Trips has virtually ended. But the true horror is just beginning. Stu Redman, in danger of being killed for knowing too much about the flu's origins, makes his escape from incarceration, while Frannie Goldsmith buries her father and has to deal with a surviving schoolmate, the good-intentioned but obnoxious Harold Lauder. Larry Underwood escapes New York with fellow survivor Rita Blakemoor, while the pyromaniacal Trashcan Man destroys oil tanks. And each of them dream dreams, not only of the deadly and demonic Randall Flagg, but also of another. Captain Trips may be dying out, but the American nightmares are just beginning...

Unlike the more story-intense sequences of the previous volume, here, the story seems to be mainly in transition. This is by no means a bad thing, as part of it focuses on the psychology of the characters, and when characters do meet up, there are character conflicts that make up for the lack of solid story in the wake of Captain Trips. It certainly makes a change from the more overt horror of the previous volume, although there is still some horror there, especially during the Lincoln Tunnel sequence. The story is still not as satisfying as the more plot-intensive first volume, though.

The characters are all recognisable from the novel, and despite my previous disappointment with them, the versions in the comic are growing on me. Certainly, they seem closer now to the book versions, and now that Flagg is being shown more often, I find him more enjoyable. Of the new characters introduced, I have to say that I enjoyed the graphic novel version of the Trashcan Man the most. He certainly fits what was in the novel.

All in all, The Stand graphic novel series is still quite a good adaptation of the novel. Some bits got better, others went down in quality, but overall value was maintained.


8.5/10


First words: Dust blew across the Texas scrubland, and at twilight it made the town of Arnette seem like a sepia ghost-image.

Last words: And he thought: Whatever lay ahead...he was glad to be alive.

Book 67...

REVIEW: The Black Cloud by Fred Hoyle


Fred Hoyle's contribution to science is undeniable, even if one of his theories, the Steady State model of the universe, is now all but disproven. But he also had something of a contribution to science fiction. Having read his adaptations (with cowriter John Elliot) of his Andromeda serials, I decided to try his first foray into science fiction, The Black Cloud.

A mysterious dark cloud has been spotted, steadily moving into the Solar System, on a course that may bring it to collide with the Earth. A motley group of scientists are forced to confront the possibility that the Earth may be adversely affected, but even as they struggle to notify their respective governments, strange phenomena are observed within the cloud. It seems to move of its own volition, rather than according to the laws of physics. The black cloud may very well be a dangerous threat to the Earth and the human race, but it also may very well be alive...

I'll be perfectly frank here: the idea and general overall story is a good one. It's an intriguing concept, having an interstellar cloud being an intelligent being, and the need to communicate with it in order to prevent ecological disaster on Earth, as well as the clash between science and politics, and one can see the intelligence behind the conception of the story. In practice, however, it falls flat on its face, in my opinion. Not so badly that it is an absolute effort to keep reading, not like Atlas Shrugged, but Hoyle tends to shove a lot of scientific concepts at us and, to me at least, fails to make them interesting enough.

The characters are to me, mostly non-entities, with the only distinguishing ones being Kingsley and Alexandrov. And even that's not saying much. While I understand Kingsley's frustrations at dealing with the government, at times, he does take rather questionable measures, and I sometimes feel that his reputation, at the end at least, was justly roasted. He also feels a little repulsive as a protagonist, and one feels that Dr Fleming, the protagonist of A for Andromeda and its sequel, is a rather more refined and likeable version of Kingsley. The cloud's character is rather bland, but then again, that in itself could be justifiable, given that it is an alien intelligence.

Overall, The Black Cloud was intriguing, but disappointing. It lacks the entertainment value I sorely need from such a story investigating profound issues.


7/10


First words: The episode of the Black Cloud has always had a great fascination for me.

Last words: (Not recorded due to spoilers)

And hot on the heels of that, book 68...

REVIEW: The Boys, volume 1: The Name of the Game by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson


Of late, I've been experimenting somewhat with various new comic series that I normally wouldn't have considered not long ago. Transmetropolitan was one of the successes I had in that area, and it's fitting that I mention that, for the artist for that series, Darick Robertson, went on to do another series, The Boys, with famous comic writer Garth Ennis. How would I liek that series, then?

It is a world of superpowers, but superheroes are hard to come by. Most of those with superpowers are egotistical, sociopathic, and psychologically deviant, at best. Many don't care about fighting crime as much as doing what they want and maintaining their heroic image. And so it is that, thanks to new legislation that allows the CIA to monitor superheroes, that Billy Butcher comes to reform his anti-superpower group, The Boys. Although he manages to get the quiet Mother's Milk, the polite killer Frenchman, and the mute and psychotic Female of the Species, he needs a fifth member, and tracks down Hughie Campbell, aka Wee Hughie, a conspiracy theorist whose girlfriend was killed by a fight between a superhero and a supervillain. While Wee Hughie has to adjust to life with a group of varied psychopaths currently tasked with investigating the misdeeds of super group Teenage Kix, young superheroine Annie "Starlight" January, learns the hard way that just because you are called a superhero doesn't mean that you are heroic, and that idealism is the last thing you need when you're joining a new superhero group...

Okay, in theory, The Boys is an excellent concept. It goes down the road already taken by Watchmen, and takes it up a notch. Problem is, it takes it up several more notches, unnecessarily in my opinion. It is unrelentingly dark, crude, and violent. Transmetropolitan easily took its violence and crude nature to a similar level, but it was far more intelligently written and used it somewhat more sparingly. It's rather like comparing The League of Gentlemen to South Park. The story still remains slightly enjoyable, but its buried under sex and death and human grime.

Of the characters, the only ones I enjoyed were Wee Hughie and Annie January. They're the only sympathetic characters in the series, and even then, they aren't very nuanced. Butcher is nuanced, but he is also hard to like, with his only likeable trait being that he trained his bulldog to rape annoying pets on command (it's actually hilarious, believe it or not). The other members of the Boys are not quite distinguished enough, and the superheroes are all repulsive, making this, like Atlas Shrugged, very much a case of evil vs evil without much distinguishing characteristics between the two factions.

The first volume of The Boys was a disappointing first foray into the world of Garth Ennis. In fact, it makes me wonder how he managed to get into comics at all. It just seems so juvenile, despite all the sex and violence.


6/10


First words: I'm gonna f**kin' have you.

Last words: F**k 'em.

Book 69...

REVIEW: Doctor Who: The Wages of Sin by David A McIntee


After the Second Doctor story The Highlanders, there was virtually no pure historical Doctor Who stories, stories which delved into history, but the only science fiction element was the Doctor and his companions. The only such television story after The Highlanders was Black Orchid, made fifteen years afterwards. But the original novels published by Virgin and the BBC, along with the Big Finish audios, have managed to continue this tradition. And one of these was The Wages of Sin...

Having just had his exile lifted by the Time Lords, the Doctor invites current companion Jo Grant and former assistant Liz Shaw on a trip in the TARDIS. On Liz's request, he tries to travel to June 30, 1908, for the Tunguska Event, as Liz is fascinated with meteorites. But he gets the time and place wrong, and they emerge in December 1916, in St Petersburg, and after staying the night in a hotel, the TARDIS is stolen. The Doctor and his companions are suspected of being spies, but while the Tsarina, thanks to some allusion to the British Ambassador of the time, welcomes them as allies, some believe them to be spies of Russia's enemies, espeically as they seem to have avoided Russian borders completely. While Liz finds herself getting involved with ballistics expert Kuznetzov, Jo finds herself interested in Rasputin, despite the man's reputation as an evil monster. But who is a friend and who is the foe in Russia on the brink of revolution? The Doctor, Liz, and Jo have found themselves ensnared in history, where preconceptions are challenged, and they may not be able to escape...

I find it a little ironic, considering that Tom Baker himself played Rasputin, that this story deals with him, but it's also interesting to have a story that shows that pre-Revolution Russia was a dangerous place to be in, filled with intrigue and iniquity, though the latter doesn't come through. The Doctor, once more, exhorts his companions to be careful about changing history, though Jo, indirectly, becomes part of it. I feel that the problems the Tsars had caused should have been given more notice, but it is otherwise a fine, decent story, and shows that you don't need aliens in history to make a history-based Doctor Who exciting.

The Doctor, Liz, and Jo seem like they are on TV, although I'm surprised that there isn't more of a clash between Jo, the current companion, and Liz, the former companion, like there was between Sarah and Rose in the new series. But their views of the situation are in line with their characters at least. The other characters do their job, though McIntee's examination of the character of Rasputin is quite good. Rasputin is portrayed not as a monster, but rather as an unconventional, good-hearted healer, albeit one with some unfortunate tendencies and inclinations (he even lusts after Jo, and while he does take no for an answer, the parts written from his viewpoint are a little uncomfortable to read).

The Wages of Sin was an interesting, but average (by Doctor Who standards) work. A nice historical that will make you think a little about historical perspective, it's certainly worth a read if you're a fan of the historical stories.


8.5/10


First words: Burning blue-white, and too bright to be viewed with the naked eye, the cylindrical fire blazed over the village of Nizhne-Karelinsk, passing high to the northwest.

Last words: (Not recorded due to spoilers)

Book 70...

REVIEW: The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman et al


Having weaned myself on Neil Gaiman's The Sandman series, I eventually moved onto his novels. But eventually, I have come full circle, not back to The Sandman series, but rather to another comic series Gaiman wrote. It is time that I came to look at the comic miniseries that started The Books of Magic...

Tim Hunter is an apparently normal twelve year old living in England, but he has become a person of interest to the various magical beings and mages of the world, and many beyond. Gathered by the Phantom Stranger, a group of mystic adventurers decide to educate him about the world of magic, and the potential Tim has. The Phantom Stranger is to show Tim the perilous past of magic, while John Constantine shows Tim the state of magic in the world today. Doctor Occult gives Tim a tour of Fairyland and the worlds beyond, and the fanatic and puritan Mister E will show Tim the future of magic. But there are many who wish Tim dead, including one of those who intend to teach him...

I'll be utterly frank. Most of my interest in the DC Universe is restricted to Batman. I know of the other comic series, enough to spot some of the references, but it's good that this series doesn't rely on people having foreknowledge of the many characters in the DC Universe, being more of a standalone work. It does help if one is familiar with at least The Sandman, and the story, at times, can be a little too high-concept for the average reader. But it is nonetheless a mature coming-of-age story that looks set to continue, even if it is more like an albeit fictional history book at times.

The art is varied in style in interesting manners, and I have to confess that it's quite good. The characters are also interesting, even to an outsider to the DC Universe. Tim Hunter is both not unlike Harry Potter in respects that include the superficial (young, dark-haired, and glasses) and profound (inquiring and tenacious), but he is ultimately a different creation who has his own good points. The 'Trenchcoat Brigade' are also interesting, although to me, in terms of appearance and manner, the Phantom Stranger and Doctor Occult seem similar, and it says volumes about their idiocy in letting the fanatical Mister E take Tim to the end of time when he had stated an intent to kill him. Constantine, however, is more nuanced and enjoyable as a character.

Overall, I enjoyed The Books of Magic miniseries, and I might consider continuing to read the series, if I feel so inclined. Pretty good, enjoyable, and quite high-concept for a graphic novel.


9/10


First words: I don't want anything to do with it.

Last words: MAGIC!

Book 71...

REVIEW: The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle


Having read the first three Sherlock Holmes novels in previous book-reading blogs, it is well overdue that I should read the fourth and final Holmes novel, The Valley of Fear. But after the high watermark that was The Hound of the Baskervilles, would The Valley of Fear surpass it? Or would it sink without a trace?

Sherlock Holmes is working at a means of attacking the criminal empire of Professor Moriarty, but so far has not had any success. However, that has changed, thanks to an informant called Porlock, who has sent an encoded message revealed to mean that John Douglas of Birlstone House is due to be murdered. Mere moments after deciphering it, Holmes and Watson are visited by Scotland Yard Inspector MacDonald, who is here to deliver the news that John Douglas has indeed been murdered. But taken to investigate, Holmes discovers that what seems to be a clear-cut case of murder is anything but. What does Douglas' wife and his friend, Cecil Barker, have to hide? And what does this have to do with a secret society in a mining community in Pennsylvania? The shadow of the Valley of Fear has long fingers, and they may have just reached out for Douglas...

Now, I noticed while reading it, and had my suspicions confirmed, that this story is basically a re-run in general aspects of the first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet. Half of the story is about the crime, and the other half involves a pseudo-religious organisation that causes havoc, and the events of which have a bearing on the Holmes investigation. It's not bad, per se, but it means that The Valley of Fear feels like a bifurcated story, and in fact, the events in Pennsylvania ultimately prove to be far more interesting than the murder investigation, which admittedly has an interesting twist in the middle, but otherwise feels rather flat.

So too do the characters. Again, it is the characters in the Pennsylvania section, the criminals aping the Freemasons, that are far more interesting than those in the crime scene at Birlstone House. Holmes and Watson are already well-established, and Moriarty, while he does not actually appear, at least makes his presence known in an effective manner. But of the newer characters in the investigation sequence, only MacDonald seems to interest me, and even then it is because of his eccentric Scottish mannerisms. The characters in the Pennsylvania section seem, even if grotesque caricatures when it comes to the criminals, to be more engrossing and intriguing, and it is a genuine surprise as to McMurdo's true identity.

The Valley of Fear isn't bad, but I feel that it could have been much better, and it feels extremely average as entertainment. Nice twists and some intriguing stories kept me interested, but seriously, not that good a note to go out on...


7.5/10


First words: "I am inclined to think-" said I.

Last words: (Not recorded due to spoilers)

Book 72...

REVIEW: Preacher: Book One by Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon et al


After my experiment with The Boys didn't go anywhere, I could have easily given up on Garth Ennis. But after a chance finding in the library, I decided to give him another chance, by going back to the series which put him on the map, Preacher. But would Preacher turn out to be more of the same gratuitious gore and transgressionistic work? Or would it be something more?

Jesse Custer is a Texan small town reverend with more issues than the average magazine, but everything changes when a bizarre entity bonds to him, wiping out his congregation. Found quite by chance by his old squeeze Tulip O'Hare and the Irish vampire Cassidy, Custer has found out some shocking truths. That the entity that possesses him is the offspring of an angel and a devil, and that it may be as powerful as God Himself. And indeed, God has fled Heaven, leaving the angels in charge, and they have unleashed the Saint of Killers to track Custer down. Custer resolves to track God down, and bring Him to task for what has happened to creation, and he not only has Tulip and Cassidy on his side, but the Word of God, allowing him to control people as he pleases. But it's no small task. A persistent sheriff, angels, a serial killer, and Jesse's own past stands in their way, and they'll have a hard time overcoming these obstacles...

At first glance, Preacher seems almost every bit as grotesque and gratuitious as The Boys did. There is violence of an extremely grotesque kind, there's far more profanity than anyone would use in their entire life, and it is frankly a work darker than the event horizon of a black hole. I would certainly not recommend it to anyone with a weak stomach, or gentler sensibilities, as Ennis pushes everything to the extreme here, and if you shudder at violence and/or horror in TV, movies, or comics, then I will give you fair warning: DO NOT READ IT. But if one looks beyond the grotesquery on display, and can stomach the violence and nastiness, it is written far more intelligently than The Boys, or at least is constructed better. This is a morality tale made for misotheists, where God-fearing folk can often be as evil and vile, and even worse so, than the worst serial killers. And there's even some heartwarming pieces too, like how the hapless police detective Tool manages to win fame and a temporary respite from his bad luck, or the fact that Jesse, despite what has been done to him, is still a decent guy.

The characters range from the normal to the 'divine' to the grotesque. Jesse Custer is an excellent hero: flawed, but ultimately good, despite what was done to him in his childhood, and also trying not to abuse the power Genesis has granted him. Tulip and Cassidy are both interesting supporting characters, both extremely flawed, but still capable of being protagonists. The characters of the various angels, as well as God himself, show Ennis' misotheism, with the Adephi being sympathetically portrayed because they do the hard work in Heaven. The other characters range from being sympathetic (such as the unfortunately named A***face, named due to a facial injury caused by a failed suicide attempt), to the repulsive (Jesse's grandmother and her clan), and some are more intriguing than others. It's more of the fact that it seems to be a little too gratuitious with the grotesquery here that the series gets marked down.

Preacher was a surprise. Dunno whether I could call it a pleasant one, given how unpleasant it was to read at times, and I would not recommend it for everyone. There's too much violence and horrific things to let me do so in good conscience, and it certainly has stronger violence at times than Transmetropolitan. But if you like your comics dark, adult, and relatively intelligently written, then give it a try. Just make sure that you prepare yourself for a journey into darkness. Let the reader beware...



8/10


First words: It was the time of the preacher...

Last words: I don't give a good goddamn.

It looks like I'm going to stop this particular book-reading blog after this book. However, I will be picking it up later in the year, when my motivation comes back up.

72 books, though...pretty damn good achievement.

I probably won't start the next book-reading blog until April, at the earliest. However, I still have plenty of books lined up to read. Motivation is the problem.

Here's some of the books I hope to read during the next book-reading blog:

Doctor Who: Shada by Gareth Roberts, based on the story by Douglas Adams

A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin

'Salem's Lot and Bag of Bones by Stephen King

Tom-All-Alone's by Lynn Shepherd

Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

BTW, just out of interest, I've read in these book-reading blogs 300 books, since July 2009. In other words, I have read, on average, about 100 books a year over the past three years, and that's not counting the ones I read between book-reading blogs.

A hundred books a year? That's roughly two a week.

There are books on my shelf with bookmarks in them that have been sitting like that for over two years.

I know. Impressive, innit? And that's not counting books I didn't read in the blogs.

I have a number of books like that on my shelves and in storage boxes, part-read. Many of them are Doctor Who, but I also have bookmarks in A Feast for Crows, Heretics of Dune, and Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony.

Watch this space. The next book-reading blog may be coming before long. It may not be a long one this time, but that depends on many factors.

The first book will be, in all likelihood, Doctor Who: Shada, by Gareth Roberts, based on the scripts by Douglas Adams.