Algorithm by Arthur M. Doweyko

01 Oct 2014 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, General, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller Tags: , , , , ,

Goodreads badgePublished: 1st October 2014
Publisher: E-Lit Books
Pages: 448
Format: ebook
Genre: Science Fiction/Mystery/Thriller
★   ★   ★  – 3 Stars

A story that spans decades, ALGORITHM first takes readers back to the summer of 1979 as we meet Adam, a 13-year-old boy fascinated by a mysterious lump of coal with a gold medallion at its core. Despite his best efforts to understand its origins on his own, he ends up with few answers. His curiosity does, however, compel him to learn more about archaeology and living organisms, and eventually to become a bio-organic chemistry professor.

As the narrative leaps forward to Adam as an adult, the protagonist, now armed with years of scientific knowledge, revisits the marvelous artifact and learns that it may date back more than a hundred million years. When a random explosion at the lab threatens to destroy it, Adam becomes more determined than ever to understand its significance. 

With Linda, head of the Human Genome Project at their college, by his side Adam embarks on an action-packed adventure that takes the two from their lab to an abandoned coal mine. Meticulously following each lead, the pair encounters all kinds of trouble: the authorities, enigmatic beings and, finally an unplanned trip into space. Face to face with their darkest fears, and narrowly escaping death, the two begin to question everything they once held dear — science, humanity, faith and even DNA.

Note: I was provided a copy of this book for review

The story Doweyko’s created is one that is filled with questions that humanity has been wondering about since they first looked at the stars: where did we come from and why are we here? With a combination of reality, fact, and the creativity of science fiction, Doweyko offers up a creative and intriguing answer to these questions.

Told in two parts, Algorithm follows Adam, a boy who discovers a medallion in a piece of coal, who uses his curiosity about the piece and grows up to be a scientist interested in archaeology and living organisms. When mysterious things begin to happen that seem to be connected to the medallion, Adam and colleague Linda are thrown into a world of secrets, wonder, and dangers they are not prepared for. With their scientific curiosity guiding them they embark on a journey for answers, and to escape those who are after the mysterious medallion, and will stop at nothing to achieve it.

While the story is told in two parts, and despite being very different from one another, they are also connected. They are their own stories in a way, but the second part still refer back to the previous events. I liked the way Doweyko concluded the first part, it was suitable and rounded off the story so far very well. With the narrative clearly moving in a different direction for the second part there was a need to conclude what had gone before, something Doweyko has achieved as there is a clear sense of one stage finishing, while another one is just beginning.

The second part is slower in terms of narrative and pace than the first, but it still keeps its mysterious elements, albeit on a different level. It keeps you wondering and guessing as many things are possible and there is always a chance of the unexpected. The main theme of part two is mystery and uncertainty, away from the ongoing action, but not without its own drama. Trying to anticipate what will happen does not always work as just when you think you have worked out where the story is going it changes course. Instead you go along with an uncertainty but slightly intrigued to know where the story will go next.

There is an element of truth that Doweyko uses such as real disasters and a base in real scientific fact which makes certain aspects of this story really interesting as you learn about DNA and the sequence that makes up human kind. This, coupled with the science fiction element, works well as each aspect supports the other and enhances the nature of the story.

The characters are likeable, and most are given a small history into who they are and what their past is. This is kept to a minimum though with Adam being the most detailed, but you also get a sense of who the other characters are as well and Doweyko incorporates this information into the narrative well.

I want to say I enjoyed the first part over the second, but I think being so different it is hard to compare. As a whole I liked the story, and I think the involvement and interest in the first half is different than the curiosity and the intrigue in the second. While the first part offered a bit faster paced and almost nonstop action, the second focused on solving the mystery that was underlying the first part so you cannot really compare them adequately.

Overall the story is interesting and well written and the concept is detailed, with the right balance between reality and science fiction to make it believable as an idea. There is a risk of becoming a bit confused towards the end of the book as it all comes together, but the information and explanations are there to help make sense of what is happening if you pay attention. Algorithm is a story that demonstrates that seemingly innocent and exciting adventures may be anything but, and can also be so much more than you have ever imagined.

Nocturnes by John Connolly

14 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

by Amy in General, Mystery, Short Stories, Thriller Tags: , , , ,

Published: February 28th 2007
Goodreads badgePublisher: Hodder
Pages: 486
Format: Book
Genre: Short stories/Horror/Fantasy
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

 A dark, daring, utterly haunting anthology of lost lovers and missing children, predatory demons, and vengeful ghosts. In these stories, Connolly ratchets up the tension to almost unbearable — and irresistible — levels. Nocturnes is a deliciously chilling collection from “one of the best thriller writers we have” (Harlan Coben)

John Connolly’s short stories in this book are dark and magical and monstrous, in so many different ways. All monsters are different, not all monsters can be seen, and there is always something lurking in the dark. There are 17 stories in this collection, each of them revealing something terrifying and eerie. The variety Connolly comes up with are amazing, and the fact we do not always find out what exactly is hiding in the shadows is what adds to the delight. What isn’t told leaves a lot to your own imagination to fill in the gaps, and what is told is just haunting enough to stay with you even as you move onto the next story.

With the opening story, The Cancer Cowboy, you know that these stories may not be entirely pleasant or uplifting, but with the other stories varying from being less dark and tragic to being simply eerie, or on occasion humorously tragic, you are given a wide variety in which to challenge your nerves and keep you awake at night.

Connolly writes with a wonderful descriptive simplicity. We are given details and basic information, but there are things we aren’t told as well. What we are told is what we need to be told for the story to progress and for us to understand. Anything else is revealed gradually in conversation, or implied through something else, or we don’t need to know it at all. The joy of the short story, and the art I suppose, is trying to capture a life within less space than normally provided. Connolly gives us characters that are as developed as they have to be for the roles and situations they are placed in. You do not always need to know everything about them, but we are not left with any husks of characters that we have no sympathy for and for what is happening to them or around them.

The title Nocturnes comes from one of the stories within the book, a story about things that come out in the dark, that haunt you, and hide in the shadows; the very name suitable to cover the nature of these stories. Nocturnes can be defined as “a work of art dealing with evening or night”, something these stories do, mixed together with the creepy and scary.  Connolly draws you in as you read with the mystery and unknown, but also compassion for the characters involved; of the innocent parties, the guilty, and even an admiration for the monsters. The extent of what he has created is of such variety it must be said it isn’t all darkness and shadows, but the daylight monsters are no less unnerving than anything that Connolly creates in the night time shadows I assure you.

One stand out addition was the Charlie Parker novella The Reflecting Eye towards the end. Even this manages to suit the theme Connolly has going rather well. Charlie Parker is from Connolly’s detective series, with this novella being between the fourth and the fifth in the series.  I have yet to read any of the Charlie Parker novels; I suppose with this novella I have had a taste now to reignite my desire to start reading them.

From the man who wrote the beauty of The Book of Lost Things, seeing the darker side was very revealing. The Book of Lost Things had its own darkness certainly, but the darkness and monsters hiding inside Nocturnes, whether they are treated with a distracting light heartedness like some, a mysteriousness that remains not entirely revealed, or one that brings a twist, is something that I found very exciting, and a wonderful surprise. Perhaps it was because we don’t always know what is happening, we only see snippets of events and what happens, or perhaps it is because it shows that darkness can breed anything and anywhere, and no one is exempt from its talons.

X Y Z by Anna Katharine Green

03 May 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, General, Mystery, Short Stories Tags: , , ,

Published:1883
Goodreads badgePublisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Pages: 52
Format: eBook
Genre: Mystery
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

A short detective story

I found this as part of an A-Z reading challenge last year after having little luck tracking down my previous choice for X. I had never read a detective novel at the time and I think this was a very good way to introduce myself into the age old genre. I had of course heard of all the wonderful detective novels and authors but never felt drawn to read them, aside from the feeling that I should read Sherlock Holmes one day. After I finished this short story I did begin looking for other stories of this genre and I am slowly opening myself to this wonderful genre.

X Y Z is a short story written by Anna Katharine Green, and tells the story of a detective who arrives in town in an attempt to investigate counterfeiters possibly connected to a series of mysterious letters addressed only to X Y Z. Set in a small town in Massachusetts, the story takes place in the later parts of the 1800s and begins with one investigation but soon moves into another of mystery and drama. In the course of the investigation an anomaly occurs, tugging at our unnamed detective’s curiosity. This curiosity leads his inquiries and attention to a prominent family in town, who as far as the rumours and secretive nature demonstrate, have mysteries and secrets of their own.

What amused me was that as I started to read I found myself reading it in the voice of the old black and white detective films, including that undeniable accent which made it all the more interesting in my mind. The story is engaging, and despite being short there is a decent well rounded story and character establishment. We are given the details we need for the plot, there is no information in this story that is irrelevant. I am not sure whether this includes the name of our detective, it hardly seems irrelevant, he interacts with enough people in the town, yet Green has omitted his name. Whether to add mystery or to keep her readers in suspense, I don’t know. If you wanted to look deeply into this you could play the idea of the mystery stranger who arrives in town, changes the town and creates a fuss, then leaves again. But isn’t being a stranger enough to do that? Whatever the reason I didn’t find it a bother, you almost forget after a while, there is only one detective to keep track of after all.

The characters in this story are well thought out and planned, and the story unfolded in a way where there were hints and clues and when it all came to a head it was as I imagined it to be. There are just as many gasps and surprises and twists even in a story of this size and there is no doubt it is of the detective genre. The secrets and mysteries are revealed by the end, perhaps not in the way you would imagine, but there are no extravagant twists and turns that make the story more mind bending and complex than it needs to be. Being written in the era it was, it is a basic detective novel where you are given clues and answers with the twists and revelations as you go. It was certainly a good read that certainly sparked my interest in this genre.

Mine to Avenge by Kerry Letheby

01 May 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, General, Mystery Tags: , , ,

Published: November 1st 2012
Goodreads badgePublisher: Love Of Books
Pages: 488
Format: Book
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

When Alcandor is blamed for the tragic death of his friend’s sister in Greece in 1940, little does he know of the repercussions this will have for him and his family for the next seventy years. Unable to forgive himself, and wanting to give his young family a new start, Alcandor leaves Greece and brings his family to settle in the Riverland of South Australia in 1948. Although Greece and his past are far behind him, Alcandor harbours a terrible secret and he remains a fearful man. Alcandor subdues his fear, and he and his family adapt to an idyllic life of freedom and opportunity. 

However, eighteen years after leaving Greece, Alcandor learns that his past has caught up with him. His family needs to know the truth, but circumstances tragically intervene before he can warn them. Years later, Alcandor’s sons show signs of odd behavior hinting at possible mental instability, before disappearing without a trace. And in the next generation, Alcandor’s grandson exhibits the same strange behaviour not long before he is killed in the tragedy of September 11, 2001. It is not until 2010 that Alcandor’s great- granddaughter, Alethea, discovers that there is far more behind her family’s tragic history than mental illness, and little does she know that the threat against her family is much closer than she realises, and very far from over.

Mine to Avenge is an excellent book. The amount of work and time and thought Kerry has put into this book is amazing. There are interconnected things everywhere, not to mention the research she has done about the history of Greece and America and Adelaide, and all the other places mentioned in the story. If you followed her blog tour she mentions a few details about where she got her ideas and how she wrote this story, and I always have a great admiration for people who put so much time and effort into their work for others to enjoy. There surely must be a time where they want to just wing it because it is easier, but a lot don’t, they want it to be as accurate as possible, especially if dealing with real times and real places and events.

 When Alcandor Galanos is blamed for the death of his friend’s sister in 1940 Greece, it sets in motion a vendetta that will follow his family for the next seventy years. Kerry takes us on this journey of mystery and a vengeance that haunts the Galanos family, and by the end of the book you close it with so much inside your head about the connections and the lives of all the characters it is extraordinary. We are given multiple points of view and there is a fractured chronology as we get to see everyone’s side of the story as is required. This was evident right from the beginning because Chapter one opens with September 11, 2001, and leaving us on a cliff Kerry then jumps back to 1940 Greece where she shows us how it all began with another side of the story. It is writing like that that makes you eager to keep reading, if not to see where the exciting chapter leads, but also because you know there is still a cliff hanger from the very first chapter that is always on your mind as you are given this new information. But through this novel you get so many moments unanswered with new questions and as you continue you are abuzz with theories and you half read and half try and leap ahead in your mind and connect the dots.

 The way Kerry captured moments of the past was wonderful. With real events like September 11 and World War 2 and conflicts in Greece, she manages to portray the feeling and environment wonderfully, as well as the characters who are embroiled in these events. For September 11, because it was the only real one I had any real connection too; the way the confusion and the environment were captured was done extremely well, without it having to be the main focus of the scene. I especially liked how other characters reacted, even those who were not directly involved, specifically Nina and her children Alethea and Mila. Nina cared for her children and protected them from the scenes outside their window and the way Kerry tells their side of the events, you instantly can establish the fear hidden deep under a need to keep children unafraid, but you also can sense the almost young adult 12 year old Alethea who senses the fear, but wants to help her mother by being calm for her.

 Kerry has thought about everything, she has small details that make all the difference, the fact a mother protects the September 11 news from her kids, and how they treat the situation is very real, and very touching without showing the horrors, but still managing to capture the scene perfectly. The emotions, fear, uncertainty and missing description creates the images for you. This is evident in the other cases of terror with the family, creating the family bond, the family love amidst the destruction of the world around them was insightful and heart warming without a sense of over the top emotion.

There are so many gripping moments in this novel, even away from September 11, which isn’t really a huge part of the novel in the scheme of things, though it has its consequences and influences though which play their role in this interwoven narrative as does everything else. But with these scenes, and gripping moments of curiosity and intrigue, you become very involved in the lives of these characters, you have become so invested in their personal lives over their lifetime and knowing the dangers that surround them your brain works overtime to try and anticipate or deduct what it happening, about to happen, or has already happened.

Through the multiple points of view, as well as the jump between years you get to see the evolution of this family, and see children become fathers, mothers, and great grandmothers. When you read about characters when they are older with their families you also have the knowledge behind you of their childhood and their previous moments up until that point. And by having the same experiences retold from different eyes Kerry has compiled these lives, and this mysteriousness into an exquisite packages that leaves nothing unturned, even if it is still being uncovered in the final pages.

There are wonderful transitions between characters and emotions, nothing is rushed, yet nothing is drawn out unnecessarily with unneeded details. Each character is captured and portrayed so well, with such affection you do see them as real people, or as whole characters with a history and past.

As I reached the halfway mark point the cogs inside my head that had been working overtime to think and deduce started to click into place. When suspicions were confirmed it was as if a curtain had been lifted and the pieces started to fall into place. Of course there is always the missing pieces in the puzzle that magically end up under lounge cushions and under pets, these were yet to come, but that doesn’t stop a small sense of delight at the developing result.

I will not give away any more of this plot as it is too glorious not to experience yourself, but by the end of the book, when we are truly still having things revealed, it is done so wonderfully that you close the book feeling like you have been involved in something amazingly complex that works so well on oh so many levels.

The Ruby in the Smoke (#1) by Philip Pullman

29 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Mystery, Sally Lockhart, Young Adult Tags: , , , , ,

Published: November 12th 1988
Goodreads badgePublisher: Scholastic
Pages: 373
Format: Book
Genre: Young Adult/Historical Fiction/Mystery
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

Sally is sixteen and uncommonly pretty. Her knowledge of English literature, French, history, art and music is non-existent, but she has a thorough grounding in military tactics, can run a business, ride like a Cossack and shoot straight with a pistol.

When her dear father is drowned in suspicious circumstances in the South China Sea, Sally is left to fend for herself, an orphan and alone in the smoky fog of Victorian London. Though she doesn’t know it, Sally is already in terrible danger. Soon the mystery and the danger will deepen – and at the rotten heart of it all lies the deadly secret of the ruby in the smoke.

This book certainly starts off unexpectedly, I will give you that. In what is a crime/detective type story, we are immediately introduced to a Miss Sally Lockhart and the mysteries around herself and her father. The novel opens with 16 year old Sally visiting her father’s place of business after his death to inquire about a letter she received and Pullman instantly sucks you in by the second paragraph by saying “in fifteen minutes she was going to kill a man”. If that doesn’t make you keep reading then what will?

As a character, Sally is has had little conventional education, but she does know her fair share about running a business, military tactics, and how to shoot a pistol. The world she knew is changed when her father is drowned in suspicious circumstances and now must live as an orphan in 1872 Victorian London, living with her aunt who does not approve of her and how she lives her ‘unladylike’ life.
The letter mentions something called the Seven Blessings, and when her initial inquiries go awry Sally tries to find an alternative way. However while she continues to investigate Sally learns her life is in danger, and with the help of friends of her father and helpful strangers turned friends, Sally tries to solve the growing mystery and keep herself from harm. As readers we are not given much to go on ourselves about what these are and we must learn with Sally as she investigates these Seven Blessings that no one wants to talk about despite the chaos they create, though we are given an advantage as we are shown where this possible danger lies, as well as hopes for Sally finding some answers.

With the help of people like 13 year old office boy Jim, as well as brother and sister Frederick and Rosa Garland, Sally continues her journey for answers. After leaving her aunts house she lives with Frederick and Rosa, helping them to improve their business as payment for their help. As a photographerand actress, Frederick and Rosa are very enjoyable characters, they have quirks, as does their employee Theophilus ‘Trembler’ Molloy, ex-pick pocket with a nervous disposition. There are dangers and fear through this story, which makes it seem real and demonstrates the danger that really is present. People are selfish and ruthless when they want something, and there are suffers because of this, but Pullman offers enough hope and goodness to counteract this.

This is only the first book in the series so not a lot is given away, yet a lot is revealed, and that is not to say there is no curiosity sparked about characters and their circumstances. Pullman ends on a wonderful cliffhanger, as cliffhangers go, with new mysteries on top of the half solved old ones to bring readers into the second book. I had been wanting to read this series for about ten years and I am really glad I have finally gotten around to it. The way Pullman writes is for the Young Adult reader, but there is just as must grit, violence, death and intrigue as any other book. Perhaps not as well described, but there is drug use and violence throughout which I found rather charming in a book for this age group. The way Pullman uses it is certainly for the pot movement and isn’t exactly shown in the best light, though it does suit the era, and by doing so, amidst this crime and mystery, there is a nice little moral address about the dangers of drugs for the younger readers; but with full credit to Mr Pullman he weaves it in almost seamlessly with the narrative and it is certainly well placed.

The fact this is set in the Victorian era just adds to this charm. Reading about old England and the inventions emerging and the technologies is great. Seeing how people react to new things could pretty much be suited to anything at any time, but the fact this is the past makes you realise just how some things just don’t change, and how people don’t like it when it does. Another joy of being in this era is how proper and adult these 16 and 21 year olds can be. Not to mention the society, which I think Pullman captures well, especially around Sally. Somehow I think through capturing the society and the era, it adds a little more to the characters and who they are. It makes them more believable, rather than some one who could be living anywhere or any time. You certainly get the feeling of walking through London and its surrounding areas in the later 19th century, it’s rather enjoyable.

There are twists in this book, and enough intrigue and unanswered questions to get you into the second book. And while we may not call  it an actual cliffhanger per se, but the characters introduced, what happens to them and their lives and personalities are so engaging that you do want to keep reading and see what happens. It certainly ends very differently from where it begins, and all for the better I feel.

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