Saints of the Shadow Bible by Ian Rankin

The past might feel like ancient history, but no one knows better than Rebus how it has a habit of catching up with you.

When politics and policing mix no stone is left unturned and everyone can be hurt when those in powerful places are looking to score points against their enemies.

Rebus finds himself torn between doing the right thing and protecting old friends. As the bodies start to pile up Rebus must put his trust in Michael Fox, a man who has little respect for Rebus, and whose actions could lead to John's loyalties being tested to the limit.

Rankin on top form showing us once again that there is always another Rebus story to tell and this one was absolutely gripping.

The Ocean At The End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

A lovely and thought provoking novel that made me smile and made me sad in equal measure. When we are children monsters are real and anything is possible.  When we're older the monsters become other people and, perhaps, the grim realities of the human condition. This book reflects upon both - beautifully. Like all master wordsmiths Gaiman makes the connection between the story and the reader so effortlessly. He never over complicates the prose.

A book in which impossible things happen, as they do daily in the fervent imagination of a seven year old. Never let the child inside you die. Who's for a game of conkers? 

The Search For Ethan by Robert Cowan

One of the things I enjoy about this fantastic indie publishing era is that you can come across a little gem  of a novel like this around every corner.  It's not been clinically edited to death, like a fine piece of vinyl there are hisses and crackles but you enjoy it more for those idiosyncrasies than a clipped and cold digital recording.

Searching for Ethan is a charming novel full of warmth, humour and real character. The author, like myself, enjoys adding cultural references of music and film to his work. This is the kind of novel that would make a great film in the vein of Rita, Sue and Bob, Too or Raining Stones. The characters are reminiscent of Roddy Doyle's chancers and layabouts.

It's fair to say there are some very sad moments but a smile is never very far away in this character driven tale. A story of best friends, of love and a coming of age novel. A very enjoyable read that I didn't want to end.

Dark Eden by Chris Beckett

Imagine being stranded light years from Earth. The planet you're on has no natural sunlight, the flora and fauna have evolved to provide their own light.  You know that you'll be missed and that someone from earth will come to rescue you, right? Wrong. This is the setting of this wonderfully thoughtful novel.

The descendants of our stranded space travellers have built up a society based around the idea that earth is coming to their rescue. But after over a hundred and fifty years is that really going to happen? John, a rebel with big ideas of change, knows that it's a stagnant society doomed to ultimate failure unless changes and progress are made. But who will listen to a pubescent troublemaker like John?

Apart from being an intimately recounted sci-fi tale Dark Eden is about rebellion, stagnation and the innate evils caused by the jealousy and pride we all harbour within ourselves.

I read this on my kindle and it felt a tad long winded but I was fascinated by the sociological aspects of their captive little universe. Ultimately, I found that I enjoyed the journey the author took me on. The first person perspective helped the reader to feel the aching sadness of their situation. An open-ended conclusion that could well mean a sequel. I'd say with the right media attention this intelligent novel could well become a classic. Highly recommended.

Elite: Mostly Harmless by Kate Russell

I remember the original Elite, which I played endlessly on my ZX Spectrum, my imagination roaming alongside the vector graphics into far away galaxies.  So not only was I delighted to hear of the games latest incarnation, I was intrigued to see there was a whole series of novels set in the Elite universe.

Elite: Mostly Harmless was something of a lighthearted read for me but what an enjoyable novel it was. It reminded me of Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel rat series. There was action and adventure enough to appeal to younger readers and adult humour for older readers. Kate did a great job bringing the setting to life, the characters were well drawn and the plot was pacy, exciting and always interesting.  A five star read that will appeal to gamers and sci-fi fans alike. The space opera is reborn.

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

Like the rest of the world I knew this was a J.K. Rowling novel before I started reading. Whilst not her greatest fan, I’ve enjoyed her Harry Potter novels and adult novel, The Casual Vacancy. She has her critics who can’t understand her success and who bemoan a lack of originality in her work. I’ve often thought some of the comments unfair and she does know how to create an enjoyable page turner of a novel. So I wanted to see how she was going to tackle the crime genre. She didn’t do half bad at all.

As with all of her novels it was a touch over long. She could have shaved off at least a hundred pages. Cormoran Strike is an interesting character with a fantastic name. Two things frustrated me about the novel: Stike’s relationship with his temporary secretary, Robin, has far too much time devoted to it. It felt like they were going to be lovers and, frankly, it was unnecessary and detracted from the plot. My second frustration was Rowling’s occasional lapses into overly descriptive prose, for these brief moments, it didn’t feel like a crime novel at all. Strike’s observations were also, periodically, annoyingly out of character.

Negatives aside she did a decent job overall and it was a fun read, with a satisfactory conclusion. My four stars represent how much I enjoyed the novel overall, the negatives I’ve pointed out were a minor irritation at best. She’s clearly finding her feet in the genre.

Totalitarian Drone Groove by Jason Michel

Totalitarian Drone Groove is not so much a novel as a series of dark, I'd go as far as to say bleak, scenes. There's a dark poetry about Michel's musings that can at times hold you in thrall. The author ties together the narrative very cleverly indeed, as I found out at the conclusion. This is just the kind of experimental work that the kindle age was made for. By no means a perfect essay on the flaws of our society, and it's possible futures, but a very laudable effort. It’s an intelligent, cynical, dystopian read that is not lacking in humour. Look for the music references – Michel knows his tunes.

Michel sticks two fingers up to conventional fiction with TDG and he certainly entertained this cynical heart. Bold. Brash. Bolshy.