Wulf's Book Reviews

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel My rating: 3 of 5 stars “ Sea of Tranquility ” by Emily St. John Mandel was my first book by this author so I was completely in the dark about what to expect. What I definitely didn’t expect was the author taking a generous helping of common science fiction tropes and mixing them all up. First of all, there’s time travel which leads to thoughts of reality actually being a simulation and for good measure Mandel unoriginally throws in a pandemic… With several timelines and narrative threads, jumping back and forth, the story became convoluted and hard to follow at times. I found it difficult to fully engage with the characters or their predicaments; especially since some were never fully developed (e. g. Edwin or, even worse, Thalia). There are moments where the characters seem to exist purely as vehicles for the story, rather than as fully-realised individuals. Mandel's writing was fine but, mostly, nothing out of the ordina...

Saga, Compendium One by Brian K. Vaughan My rating: 5 of 5 stars It has been a very long time since I’ve had this much fun with comics! The story follows Alana and Marko, two former soldiers, now deserters from their opposing armies, who got married and went on to found a family. We see their daughter, Hazel, growing up on the run with her parents in a (mostly) hostile universe in which they encounter new friends and enemies alike. And this is where Saga shines beyond any other comic I’ve ever encountered: Our fugitives meet a broad range of people who more often than not want to either capture or kill them. Unless there’s no other way, Alana, Marko… … and their very diverse rag tag group of friends… …and great sidekicks… …will treat people with respect… …kindness and the kind of simple decency I wish all of us would apply… There are certainly very adult topics and scenes but they’re very obviously not included to “disturb” or “provoke” but they’re sensible p...

On 24 February 2022, Russian armed forces invaded neighbouring Ukraine on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin . The pretended reasons of the murderous dictator and war criminal Putin are alleged "numerous crimes committed against the civilian population, including citizens of the Russian Federation", the demilitarisation and "denazification" of Ukraine, and NATO's eastward expansion. None of this is true and there is no justification for the invasion by Putin, his government and his military. In my opinion, it is therefore only to be welcomed that large parts of the free world are supporting Ukraine with sanctions, military and humanitarian aid and many other measures. At the same time, Ukraine is constantly negotiating with the aggressor Russia in order to find a peaceful solution. I doubt this will work, because Putin clearly only understands the language of violence. For this reason, the West's support for Ukraine does not...

Network Effect by Martha Wells My rating: 5 of 5 stars “ (Confession time: that moment, when the humans or augmented humans realize you’re really here to help them. I don’t hate that moment.) ” It doesn’t happen often but I’m running out of words. So, go and read my previous reviews first, I’ll be waiting here for you. Everything I stated before still holds true for this book. This first full-length Murderbot Diaries novel proves that Wells can obviously write at any length without ever being overly verbose or even boring. “Network Effect” starts (mostly) peacefully and pretty similarly to the previous novellas. It’s all there - Dr. Mensah, her family, friends, colleagues and, most importantly, Murderbot who (yes, “which” just wouldn’t do!) is still socially “challenged” with many but not with all… “ It was just me-the-SecUnit they didn’t like. (That didn’t apply to the seven kids. I was illicitly trading downloads via the feed with three of them.) ” … as is, as show...

What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is one for the fans of Ben Aaronovitch ’s “ Rivers of London ”. This novella firmly establishes Abigail as an important character in that reading universe. Abigail investigates the (temporary) disappearance of teenagers (including a friend of hers!) and in the course of said investigation finds a mysterious house in which something has been left over… Sadly, the entire House thing is just ok’ish: It made some sense but I didn’t really like this part of the mystery. Amusingly, though, as central this detail should be, the “remainder” of the novella, is much more important to me and by far outweighs the mediocre House part. Abigail’s friendship with Simon feels right and made her very likeable. Her interactions with the foxes (especially, of course, Indigo !) made me both grin and admire Abigail in equal parts for their cleverness, the mutual respect and general enjoyment. » ‘Real talk, Abi,’ says...

Hamster im hinteren Stromgebiet by Joachim Meyerhoff My rating: 4 of 5 stars Einer meiner Lieblingsschriftsteller ist von Beruf Schauspieler. Nach vier großartigen, teils autobiographischen, Romanen bedarf Joachim Meyerhoff keiner großen Vorstellung mehr. Wenn also Meyerhoff ein neues Buch geschrieben hat, dann muß bei mir literarisch alles andere hintanstehen. Das ist nichts Neues. Neu für mich persönlich ist allerdings, daß ich dieses Buch als Rezensionsexemplar über NetGalley.de vom Verlag, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, erhielt. Dafür meinen ganz herzlichen Dank an Kiepenheuer & Witsch und NetGalley. Wie schon in den vier vorherigen Bänden von “Alle Toten fliegen hoch” erzählt Meyerhoff auch hier intelligent und mit viel Humor aus seinem Leben - obschon der Auslöser diesmal ein durchlittener Schlaganfall kurz nach dem 51. Geburtstag war. Aber nicht nur der Schlaganfall und der daraus resultierende Krankenhausaufenthalt wird thematisiert, sondern - und das sind meines...

Traditions by Michael J. Sullivan My rating: 3 of 5 stars What a curious coincidence! Immediately after finishing “ The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas ” I picked up “ Traditions ”. Written in Michael’s world of Elan, it features Annie, a girl who’s about to be sacrificed to a monster for the continued well-being of her village. Presented by her boyfriend with an opportunity to flee together, she rejects his plan but decides not to play by the age-old rules but to try and determine her own fate. Thus, she walks up to the lair of the monster and confronts it. The monster, an old, basically invalid dragon tries to talk her out of killing him by presenting the possible catastrophic consequences if it becomes known that the dragon “protecting” the village is gone. That all the sacrifices for a very long time have been for nought. In contrast to the people of Omelas, Annie decides not to play by the rules: She does not accept the potential consequences as a given. She does not...

Fox 8 by George Saunders My rating: 2 of 5 stars For Fox’ Sake - what a disaster! What an unholy mess of a novella! Our protagonist, Fox 8, who is, you guessed it, a fox, gets a quick glance of what humanity is capable of. This is a promising premise and, if excitedly well, could lead to an interesting story. Unfortunately, it turns out foxes don’t “speak” English very well and I don’t have much patience for sentences like this: “ But I was fast and nated by those music werds, and desired to understand them total lee. ” The entire booklet is written like that and the story is just as “meh”. In Fox 8’s own words: “ Reeding my Story bak just now, I woslike: O no, my Story is a bumer. There is the deth of a gud pal, and no plase of up lift, or lerning a leson. The nise Fox’s first Groop stays lost, his frend stays ded. Bla. ” Yes, bla. Read something else. This is bollocks. View all my reviews https://turing.mailstation.de/fox-8-by-george-saunders/?feed_id=2129...

This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay My rating: 5 of 5 stars » This morning I delivered little baby Sayton – pronounced Satan, as in King of the Underworld. « Wow, what a ride! Adam Kay , doctor gone writer, describes what he experienced in six years of medical practice in the United Kingdom. In about 10 chapters, Adam first introduces us to the new position or posting he’s in now. He then proceeds to write in usually short passages in anecdotal style to explain the manifold lows and highs of his profession. There were passages I laughed out loud at (something I rarely do and which garnered me curious and worried looks from my family), some that I thought couldn’t be true and others again that really truly hurt. So, first information if you want to read this book: On multiple levels, the title is extremely well chosen. Definitely dominant, though, is a wonderfully dry humour that, I imagine, in part allowed Adam to pull through those obvio...

All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny My rating: 3 of 5 stars I’m writing this review with a heavy heart because I’ve been a fan of Armand Gamache since the very first book. Gamache is the most human investigator I’ve had the pleasure to “accompany” him through 16 books now. His cases were never easy or clear-cut. There were rarely any truly, irredeemable evil perpetrators. Gamache himself wasn’t always the knight in shining armour but a believable human being. Three Pines, the almost mythological home of the Gamaches’, basically became a beloved part of (almost) all the books. Its inhabitants - Clara, Gabri, Ruth - they usually played an important role. In this book, though, Armand and his entire family find themselves in Paris for the birth of Annie’s and Jean-Guy Beauvoir’s child where the latter live after Jean-Guy got a job at an engineering company. Also in Paris is Stephen Horowitz, Armand Gamache’s godfather, who took care of young Armand after the death of Arma...

Age of Death by Michael J. Sullivan My rating: 3 of 5 stars It pains me to write this but I didn’t really like “Age of Death”. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad book per se. It’s just that it feels flat and - ironically - lifeless. That's probably why it took me almost a month to finish it. “Age of Death” starts where Age of Legend , the previous book, left off with a huge cliffhanger. Now our heroes move on into, uh, a sort of different realm… No, this won’t do: If you haven’t read the previous book yet, stop reading this review here - afterwards spoilers for the series as a whole might lurk! So, without further ado: Our heroes waded into the pool and died. They now enter the “afterlife” and meander through the different realms of it. This is my first issue: I’m an antitheist . Even if I suspend my disbelief and my opposition to anything related to faith, I’m simply not interested in any such ideas. Michael J. Sullivan is one of my favourite authors but even hi...

Adolf Hitler: Die Jahre des Aufstiegs 1889 - 1939 Biographie by Volker Ullrich My rating: 5 of 5 stars Mein Leben lang versuche ich bereits, wenngleich auch nicht zu verstehen, so doch zumindest nachzuvollziehen, wie Hitler und seine NSDAP in Deutschland an die Macht kommen konnten - wie konnte ein verkrachter “Kunstmaler” zum Diktator werden? Wie konnte ein Bierkeller-Agitator Millionen in seinen Bann ziehen, sie geradezu verführen, fanatisieren und in den Untergang treiben? Was bringt einen Menschen dazu, sechs Millionen Menschen jüdischen Glaubens, Sinti und Roma, Menschen mit Beeinträchtigungen und viele weitere Personengruppen systematisch zu verfolgen und zu ermorden? Was treibt einen Menschen an, einen Weltkrieg zu entfesseln? Was also liegt näher, als sich mit Hitler selbst und seiner Biographie auseinanderzusetzen? Bullock, Fest, Kershaw - ich habe sie alle gelesen und obschon sie alle ihre Stärken und Schwächen hatten - keine Biographie war so umfassend, detaillie...

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid My rating: 3 of 5 stars Well, this was a light read, indeed. The pages flew by and I felt entertained but, sadly, on a very, very shallow level despite the topics of racism, privilege and “class” differences. After a rushed ending, it feels like the author simply bit off too much for her debut novel. Emira, our black protagonist, came across as devoid of any ambition, drifting mostly with the flow. She works for white influencer Alix Chamberlain and her husband, Peter. Yes, she loves her charge, young Briar - Alix’ and Peter’s first child - but even with Briar, Emira mostly remains strangely indifferent. Alix’ and Emira’s girlfriends are also rather nebulous figures who seem to merely exist as inconsequential side-kicks of the respective protagonist. They could have taken clearer roles in this novel but as it is, they remain “filling” material and mostly merely reflect their friend. The self-deceiving schemer Alix is written to be annoyingly o...

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett My rating: 4 of 5 stars “ - ‘What’s that?’ ‘A book. I borrowed it.’ - ‘Dead, I suppose.’ ‘Who?’ - ‘The Beaton fellow.’ ‘Oh yes. Everybody’s dead.’ - ‘Good show, though.’ And he went off to bed glumly singing ‘Oh, what a beautiful morning’ as the Queen opened her book. ” In this short novella, the Queen herself stumbles upon a travelling library and, pretty much accidentally, gets into reading. The entire concept, though, is so foreign to the household (who are annoyed by the more and more thinking monarch) and the family (who are fairly happy to be left alone) that everyone gets upset with her majesty. Hilarity ensues. Well, maybe not actual hilarity but definitely some very amused smiling – with a stiff upper lip, of course. After all, the queen is portrayed as fairly human and sometimes, my own upbringing seems to make a cameo: “ ‘To tell you the truth, ma’am, I never got through more than a few pages. How far did your Ma...

Bretonische Spezialitäten by Jean-Luc Bannalec My rating: 5 of 5 stars » Dupin spürte, wie eine gewisse Aufregung in ihm aufkam. Er hatte Hunger, ja, aber es war noch mehr: pure lukullische Lust. « Da wären wir also mal wieder - der neunte Bretagne-Krimi um Kommissar Dupin . Wenn eine Buchreihe diesen “Reifegrad” erreicht, dann wird mir bei jedem neuen Band ein wenig “mulmig”, denn allzu oft verliert sich der Autor in der Routine und für treue Leser wie mich, wird es dann leicht langweilig. Nicht so hier, denn Dupin ist diesmal nicht in seiner (schon lange nicht mehr) neuen Heimatstadt Concarneau , sondern in Saint-Malo . Eigentlich soll er mit seinem Präfekten, Locmariaquer, an einem Seminar zur Département-übergreifenden Zusammenarbeit teilnehmen - wer Dupin ein wenig “kennt”, wird wissen, mit welcher Unlust er dies tut. Um so interessanter wird es, als direkt in seiner Nähe in einer belebten Markthalle ein Mord geschieht. Ganz in seinem ermittlerischen Element ist Du...

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is the second time I’m reading “ When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit ”. The first time was when it was compulsory reading at school more than 30 years ago. I don’t remember much of my reading experience back then but that I felt with Anna, the protagonist and narrator, who had to leave Pink Rabbit back in Germany when her family emigrated to escape the rising Nazism… Now, at 45, I’m impressed for different reasons: First moving from Berlin, Germany, to Zurich, Switzerland, then Paris, France and, finally, London, United Kingdom, both Anna and her brother Max are relatively quick to adapt to their new surroundings. While it’s rarely easy for either of them, their resilience in the face of difficult circumstances and optimism is deeply inspiring. Nazism always looms in the background; be it through German tourists who prohibit their children to play with Anna and Max for the sole reason of them being Jewish ...

Breathe Your Last by Lisa Regan My rating: 4 of 5 stars Josie Quinn No. 10. A swimming champion drowns, a firefighter sets his house on fire, some ordinary people try their hand at flying… It soon becomes clear that these are not just cases of truly bad judgement but that a half-crazed serial killer is on the loose in Denton. Sounds good? It is - for what it is. If you like Josie Quinn, you’ll enjoy this instalment. If you don’t, this won’t make you change your mind. Since this is a pretty “decoupled” episode, you can enjoy this book even if you haven’t ever read any of the previous books. Just be sure you know what you’re getting - a suspenseful but bog-standard police procedural like many others out there. It just happens to be one of the sort I enjoy from time to time for its pure relaxation value. Four out of five stars. View all my reviews https://turing.mailstation.de/breathe-your-last-detective-josie-quinn-10-by-lisa-regan/?feed_id=2057&_unique_id=6438...

Criss Cross by James Patterson My rating: 2 of 5 stars “The past will hunt you down” it says right there on the cover and I wish it was sarcasm by Patterson to put it there. Because the past hunts only him down. Let’s start at the beginning, though: In typical Patterson redneck manner, he lets Cross witness the state-sponsored murder of a killer he put away - right after Cross framed the guy… Cross himself about the framing part: “ You might ask if I believed the ends justified the means, and I’d answer that in this case, yes. ” Wow, just wow. But, hey, we’re not yet done with such crap because next to believing in state-sponsored murder, god and similar sources of evil, e. g. patriotism, Cross is just plain unbelievably dumb (how that reflects on his creator is left as an exercise to the reader…). An example: Right before heading deep down into an underground bunker (!) of one of those “preppers”, he asks his friend Sampson: “ I’m not back in an hour, use the Find My Fr...

Warden's Fate A Sci Fi Adventure by Tony James Slater My rating: 5 of 5 stars I really didn’t expect this. The previous book, “ Warden's Vengeance ” in the “Ancient Guardians” series wasn’t very good - the pacing was problematic, typos all over the place and the characters didn’t develop at all. Along came “Warden’s Fate” and with it, the final instalment in the series, Tony is back! Gone are (most of) the typos, the characters actually make sense and get sufficient room to grow. Back as well is Tony’s humour and good-natured kindness in his story. The action is still there and this book is another page-turner but the pacing is much more even and “rounded”. We actually get to enjoy the book, its scenes and people which is really, truly nice. There are lots of good ideas, presented in an engaging, suspenseful way and, mostly, in actually really well-chosen words. Especially important to me: Tony gets the emotions right this time - we really feel with Tris, Kyra,...

Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings My rating: 4 of 5 stars Wikipedia defines GrimDark as something that is " particularly dystopian, amoral, or violent ” and that’s pretty much the definition of what I do not like in my fantasy books. When I read fantasy, I want the heroes to be good people at their core. I want a world that’s essentially worth saving and not a dystopia that basically deserves going down the drain anyway and while violence is nothing I abhor, it’s something that should be used sparingly and only if necessary for the story. Fortunately, “Pawn of Prophecy”, the first volume of “ The Belgariad ” is quite the opposite of GrimDark and pretty much exactly what I outlined above: Garion, a young farmhand, tutored by his “Aunt Pol” grows up on the farm of a modest, good-natured man who cares about his people. When strangers arrive at the farm, Pol and an elderly story-teller, “Mister Wolf”, come to the conclusion it’s time to make a move of their own ...

The Shooting at Chateau Rock by Martin Walker My rating: 2 of 5 stars I’ve been a Bruno fan from the very first book on. I enjoyed reading so much about himself, his friends and the entire town. For quite a few books, things were developing nicely and Bruno became a favourite of mine. With this book, this ended. It all starts interesting enough with the death of an old sheep farmer and his children suspecting foul play when they find out they’ve effectively been disinherited. Bruno promises them to look into the entire issue and does fairly well, using his expertise of rural laws and regulations - I was actually getting my hopes up of getting a real Bruno experience. Like a welcome mixture of… “ Sex, drugs, murder—and cruelty to animals. ” … as Walker puts it at one point. The mystery that starts out so well, takes a backseat to a confusing tale of an aging rockstar, his adult children, a Russian oligarch, his daughter, the Ukraine conflict and world politics… “Chateau...