“The Future” by Naomi Alderman delivers a captivating and thought-provoking narrative that centers around a sharp and satirical parody of big tech and its founders. In this dystopian world, Alderman masterfully depicts the consequences of unchecked technological power. The story’s darkly humorous take on the tech industry’s influence creates a gripping atmosphere that keeps you engaged from start to finish. Alderman’s imaginative exploration of this dystopian future is a thrilling ride that provides both entertainment and a stark warning about the potential dangers of our digital age. A must-read for those who enjoy incisive social commentary wrapped in an engaging story.
Author: Steven
Helgoland
Helgoland by Carlo Rovelli is a rare find, a book about the history of science that is an exhilarating read and teaches the uninformed something about a complex science.
In 1925 Werner Heisenberg has retreated to Helgoland, an island in the North Sea, there he formulates the basis of quantum physics. Helgoland describes the contributions of the numerous young scientists and their interactions and disputes which changed our understanding of matter and energy and underpins much of modern physics and philosophy.
This is a great read although I did find myself losing the thread as the science becomes more abstract towards the end.
3.5/5
The Doll
The Doll by Yrsa Sigurdardottir is right centre in the canon of Scandinavian dark crime.
Take a detective trying to get his career back on track, a faithful colleague, a hint of romantic interest, add in a sprinkle of child abuse, part of a skeleton dragged out of the sea, an unexplained murder of a drug addict, some organised crime, and some remote locations and you have classic scandi fare.
Good but not great, somewhat predictable but enjoyable.
3/5
Cecily
Cecily by Annie Garthwaite tells the story of the beginning of the War of the Roses from the perspective of Cecily Neville, the Duchess of York.
I love history that reads like and adventure and this is a real page turner even though I knew the story of the Brothers York and how it would turn out. Centring the story on the matriarch of the family rather than on the male actors provides a brilliant perspective and probably gives room for more characterisation and historical context.
This is how to bring history to life, although I am not qualified to assess what mistakes, if any, Garthwaite has made.
4.5/5
Sweet Sweet Revenge Ltd
Sweet Sweet Revenge Ltd is the latest from Jonas Jonasson, author of The 100 Year Old Man who Climbed out of a Window and Disappeared, Hitman Anders and the Meaning of it All and The Girl who Saved the King of Sweden. Jonasson writes quirky feel good novels that suck you in and his latest is no exception.
As the title suggests this is a story of revenge, Jenny has been swindled out of her inheritance by her husband Victor who has also abandoned his son Kevin in the Kenyan Savannah. Kevin eventually returns to Stockholm where inevitably he meets Jenny and then a trail of events is set inn place to get revenge on Victor. Add in an ex advertising executive who has set up a revenge business and the Masai warrior who adopted Kevin in Kenya and you have a chaotic cast of characters scheming and stumbling through the plot.
If you have read any of Jonasson’s earlier stuff you will love this, if you haven’t you are in for a treat.
4/5
How to Kidnap the Rich
How to Kidnap the Rich by Rahul Raina is funny, edgy and riveting.
It is the story of Ramesh’s rise from working as a tea boy alongside his father’s tea cart in Delhi to becoming a professional exam taker for the lazy children of the rich and aspirational middle classes. When Rudi, a client, comes top of the national exam list opportunities open up and Ramesh and Rudi cash in on Rudi’s celebrity until things start to unwind in a disastrous and chaotic way.
This is a roller coaster read, with a great close. Highly recommended.
4.5/5
The Girl who Died
Ragnar Jonasson is a highly acclaimed Icelandic writer who I had never heard of before reading The Girl who Died.
Una has taken a job as a school teacher in a remote Icelandic community to escape from her stifling life in Reykavik. the only problem is that the tiny village only has 10 residents and they are both unnaturally close to each other and unfriendly to outsiders. Una struggles to assimilate or to build a relationship with her two pupils. She has brief sightings of an unknown girl that no one acknowledges but perhaps she has been drinking too much.
Then a young girl is found dead and with only 9 people left in the village suspicion starts to grow.
This is dark and sort of scandi atmospheric but overall it is unsatisfying, I pressed on to the end but didn’t really care how it would resolve.
2/5
Dark Memories
Liz Mistry is a new writer to me, her lead character Nikki Parekh is a gritty Bradford police detective.
A series of murders of homeless people leads Nikki closer and closer to her own difficult upbringing and leaves her asking questions of her mother and needy younger sister. This moves at pace, is full of surprises without feeling contrived and builds to a great climax.
If there is a genre called Northern Noir, this might be it. I loved it.
4.5/5
Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder
Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by TA Willberg is entertaining although highly derivative – think of a 1950’s Harry Potter inspired detective.
Marion Lane is an apprentice in a very secretive private detective agency, Miss Brickett’s, that aims to right the wrongs that the police cannot solve. The agency hidden beneath the streets of 1950’s London is full of technology and tricks that feel like they were inspired by HG Wells or Jules Verne.
Marion gets called upon by her mentor to solve a murder within the agency of which he is accused. In the process she uncovers a terrorist plot and the dark origins of Miss Brickett’s.
This is complete tosh, moderately enjoyable but I got to the end and breathed a sigh of relief. I won’t be reading the next in the series.
2.5/5
Black Buck
Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour is dark, funny and twisty.
Darren is working in Starbucks as a supervisor, his life is going nowhere and he is happy with that. Then he gets spotted and recruited into a fast growth tech business to go through their sales intern scheme. As he learns how to sell, he also has to learn how to survive in a high pressure competitive environment. Just as he thinks he has made it, things start to fall apart both corporately and personally.
Black Buck is a hilarious send up of the driven sales culture of modern tech businesses, layered with race and a broader lack of social responsibility. Not every tech company will be like this but most who have worked in the tech sector will recognise something in this novel.
This is a page turner, you will want to finish it in one or two sittings and it closes with a powerful ending. Whilst you are laughing your way through Black Buck you might learn a few sales tips as well.
4.5/5