As you would expect from a Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel (2024), ALA Alex Award (2024), and Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Science Fiction (2023), Starter Villain is an engrossing book. It has all the hallmarks of Scalzi’s science fiction: it is light-hearted and whimsical, satirical and thought provoking and very easy to read at 265 pages.
The reader first meets Charlie who is trying to hold it together working as a substitute teacher, battling overdue bills and step siblings who want to sell the house he is living in with his two adorable cats, Hera and Persephone. He has a dream of owning a pub but is unable to meet the criteria for a loan. Then his billionaire uncle dies, leaving his supervillain business to him. What follows is a hilarious series of events as Charlie tries to come to grips with international movers and shakers who want him dead, talking dolphins and sentient cats, bombs and missiles, and an island lair full of deadly secrets. His previous career was a journalist, but nothing could prepare him for the strange and dangerous world that he faces.
This is a novel for readers who love cats; Hera is a highlight of the story, and the talking dolphins are a treat, although some readers may object to their foul language. Those who like satirical humour will enjoy Scalzi’s take on big business and the type of people who own multimillion companies, and the scenes where eager young entrepreneurs try to sell their ideas are hilarious.
Starter villain is a unique light-hearted story highlighting the villainy of big business, animal rights, unions and cloning. Readers may also enjoy The Kaiju Preservation Society, another of his distinctive novels.
Themes Science fiction, Animals - Moral and ethical aspects, Humour, Satire, Big business.
Winner of the Aurealis Award 2023 and Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Fantasy (2023) The will of the many is a gripping fantasy that is very difficult to put down. Vis Telimus is a young man, orphaned three years previously. When he is approached to join the elite Catenan Academy as a spy to uncover the secrets that his benefactor believes the leader is hiding, he agrees. But he too is hiding dangerous secrets and each day brings new challenges.
I choose the book because of its Aurealis Award nomination and I was not disappointed. The background to the novel is reminiscent of ancient Rome, with blood thirsty fights and spectacles in a huge amphitheatre, but it is the magic that fascinated me. The people are prepared to give away their Will, their drive and strength, to make those above them in the Hierarchy more powerful. Vis is not prepared to give up his Will and the scars on his back are testament to what that has cost him. At the Academy Vis must move up through the ranks and with the rebels having a hold over him, and facing certain death if he betrays his benefactor, this is not easy.
The will of the many is action packed. I found myself picking up the book at every opportunity to follow Vis and his tortuous path at the Academy. Vis is a remarkable young man and his choices are very difficult. Fortunately, he was able to make two good friends and his background and training helped. Friendship and honour are major themes and the political intrigue is fascinating.
Fans of The hunger games will love the action, while fans of the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik will enjoy the academy setting. With a cliff-hanger ending, fans like me will be eagerly awaiting the next in the series. Meanwhile I am going to read The Licanius Trilogy by Islington.
The prologue to The changing room describes an Australian girl intent on visiting the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, the place where Christ will return. On arrival she flings open the taxi door, discards all her belongings, and then gradually discards items of clothing as she ascends the slopes of the Mount, muttering something about wanting to give birth to the second Messiah. A guide, familiar with Jerusalem Syndrome, advises taking her to the Kfar Shaul Mental Health Center.
How Rachel ends up in this situation is revealed gradually in Cranston’s novel, beginning with her taking on a home help position in an elderly English household in London. Dismissed from there as too imaginative and not really suitable, a chance meeting with another adventurous Australian girl, leads to the two of them heading to Egypt and then to a kibbutz in Israel.
The ‘changing room’ is a reference to a childhood cartoon about Mr Benn stepping into different roles in a magical costume shop. It seems that Rachel, unsure of what she really wants, is stepping into different worlds, and trying out different experiences. The more we read, the more we become aware of her sense of loss, and of drifting along seeking some kind of reassurance. She feels a compulsion to ‘makes things better’, perhaps the aftermath of the loss of her father, but also a sense of wanting to overcome differences between people and create peace. Thus she tries to bring the local Bedouins to work alongside the kibbutzniks. But it is a world she doesn’t really understand, and she is out of her depth.
Cranston skilfully creates that uncertain world of the mind, blurring between perception, dream, confusion and delusion. Scenes where people are dancing, music is playing, snatches of conversation are overheard, lights and shadows interweave, all create an environment that many a young person will have experienced at some time, as they seek to define who they are and explore different experiences. Rachel’s search for for ‘balance, harmony, justice and truth’ will resonate with many a reader.
Grace the Amazing is a heart-warming novel written by well-known Australian author Aleesah Darlison. The delightful character of Grace will resonate with many young readers. She is full of energy, passion and creativity, yet struggles to find her place amongst her peers. School is not easy for her and a constant source of angst. Her one ‘saving grace’ in the grind of surviving is her weekly art lessons with her beloved teacher Pamela. They have a strong bond and Pamela sees Grace for what she is, a clever and extremely talented young person. Pamela also understands that Grace shies away from forming friendships as she so often speaks her mind and seemingly lacks the ability to say what others want to hear.
When Pamela is absent from class and teachers talk in hushed tones, Grace slowly begins to realise that something is not quite right. Outside of school she befriends foster child Fromelles and they form a kind of friendship although Grace is more intent on finding out what is wrong with Pamela. Fromelles is struggling with his own loss but offers support to Grace in her quest for the truth. When it is discovered Grace is determined that magic is the only way to make things better.
Grace the Amazing is a lively and engaging story full of deep emotions between the main characters of Grace and her mother, as well as Grace and Pamela. The experience of losing a dear friend is sensitively shared and the reader can feel the loss Grace suffers. This beautiful story is also leaves the reader with hope that one day Grace will be able to connect with others under her own terms and remain the energetic, quirky and charismatic child she is.
This is the first book by Adam B, a YouTube star that will grab the attention of many young readers who know him from his channel.
The book is based on a character called Adam who dreams of being a YouTube superstar but with little hope of this eventuating as he is a nobody at his school. He has no money, one friend and his mum and little brother at home who he is trying to support after the loss of their dad.
Adam stumbles across the mysterious Popularis Incrementum website on his old computer and from there his fortunes change with some interesting situations arising from the fame. Adam accepts a mission to get one million subscribers within a year and his luck seems to be running out as it becomes clear that he is in too deep, and his life becomes one big fail after another. He will need to have a trick up his sleeve to work out how he can get himself out of the situation he is in without damaging his family or his reputation too badly.
This book will be loved by readers and followers of Adam B alike, it is well written very funny and has enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged and interested from the first to the last page.
I would recommend this book as a class read aloud or as a read alone, but I think younger readers are going to want to read ahead of the class as the book has many cliff hanger chapters to encourage late night reading. Parents will enjoy this book too as the characters are well written and the story shows the human side of loss, fame and social media dangers which could open discussions with their children. This is a good book for the current social media generation.
Themes Social Media, Family, Friendships, Mystery, Action, Adventure, Humour.
Mhairi Alcorn
Butterfly Girl by Ashling Kwok and Arielle Li
EK Books, 2023. ISBN: 9781922539564. (Age:3+)
Olivia has only butterfly friends. She sits in her garden as often as she can, talking to her friends as they flutter around her. On rainy days she waits for the sun. She cannot imagine life without her friends. But one day her parents pack up the house and they move to the city. Mum tells her that she will not need her butterflies as she will make new friends. She waits for her new friends but no one comes up to their apartment. She thinks and thinks and decides to make something to attract her butterflies. She builds a garden on her balcony.
Her neighbours want to attract butterflies too. So she helps them build their gardens.
With so many gardens in the apartment block butterflies come too. Now Olivia has her butterflies and new friends as well.
A delightful story of taking steps to solve a problem, the story also promotes environmental concerns as insects including butterflies and bees are becoming less prevalent as the cities reduce the environment in which these animals thrive.
The gorgeous illustrations shows Olivia and her gardens. The first few pages show Olivia amongst her home garden with trees and lots of butterfly attracting flowers, then the pages show the move, with lots of cardboard boxes filling the rooms. The next pages contrast markedly with the open fields she has left behind, as they drive though a smoggy city full of buildings and cars. Children will easily see the differences between the environments Olivia lives in. After she builds her balcony garden still the butterflies do not come, and the next illustration of the apartment building with its single balcony of growing things shows why. It is only when the neighbours do the same thing that butterflies return and so Olivia becomes the butterfly girl. The last endpaper shows children ways of attracting butterflies to their gardens: find a sunny spot, add a dash of colour, don’t forget the water, don’t forget rocks and add some sparkle.
Alexander’s The Door of No Return is the first of a trilogy of books that each explores a particular period of African history. Set in 1860, this historical fiction shows the rich culture of the Ghanaian people in their homeland, before they were abducted and enslaved in America. Alexander describes it as about the 'African part of African-American'; it is a counterpoint to the history that the conquerors tell.
Kofi is an extremely likeable 11-year-old boy from the Asanti kingdom of West Africa, (Ghana) caught between two cultures. He enjoys listening to his loving grandfather’s stories of the ancestors, while his westernised teacher is intent on teaching him to speak correct English and read Shakespeare. His life in the village is relatively carefree, despite having to regularly avoid/challenge a bullying cousin and defend his secret crush, until this idyllic life is upturned by a series of devastating events.
Alexander weaves an engaging story around the centuries-old celebrations of the Kings’ Festival and the reader gains a solid insight into pre-European Ghanaian daily life and culture including wrestling contests, the importance of a traditional board game 'oware', wars fought over gold, and initiation ceremonies. Kofi’s grandfather’s sage advice stresses the importance of family and storytelling in maintaining the tribal traditions.
The two final chapters recount Kofi’s abduction into slavery, and transportation to America.
A glossary, list of locations and description of the Ghanaian symbols that appear throughout the book adds depth to the story and anchors it in reality.
This is an engrossing adventure story, layered with fascinating cultural information. Type-set as a verse novel, The Door is an easy read, as the language is down-to-earth and the plot fast-paced. However some dark instances of death, torture and slavery make for harrowing reading, so would be most appropriate for mature teens.
In the third of the Electra McDonnell series, Ellie is approached by Major Ramsey who asks her to travel to the port city of Sunderland where she is to await instructions. Ellie is determined to do her best for her country knowing that her safe cracking skills are sure to come in handy during the assignment. When she arrives, she is a witness to a man who dies in front of her eyes and quickly on the scene gains hold of a note that he is clutching in his hand. His friends rally around and Elly gets to know them while she impatiently waits for the Major to contact her.
With dangerous break-ins, bombs falling on the city, German spies and a spymaster to find, Ellie and Major Ramsey move from one precarious adventure to another in their quest to stop the traitors. The slow burn romance between the pair gently simmers although Ellie is not sure of Felix’s place in her life.
I enjoyed this short and easy to read cosy mystery very much. Ellie and Major Ramsey are fascinating main characters, the background of the Blitz, a port town being bombed and some bird watching thrown in, combine to make for an engrossing read. And the secondary mystery of Ellie’s dead mother and the stunning twist at the end will ensure that the next instalment is picked up.
Themes Cosy mystery, Blitz, Spies.
Pat Pledger
Rockstar detectives: Murder at the movies by Adam Hills
The second mystery from Adam Hills featuring Charley and George does not disappoint. After solving their last mystery, the dynamic duo are in Sydney filming a movie. Charley is cast in her first movie and George is along for moral support and to work behind the scenes, based on their previous adventure, when they were accused of being international art thieves.
Just as the filming is getting under way a series of mysterious accidents start happening whenever Charley is on set and it becomes clear that someone is targeting her again. The friends decide that they will investigate again and try to work out who is trying to sabotage the film and threaten Charley’s life.
While this is Charley’s story there is a strong focus on developing George as a lead character and his knowledge of social media that he uses to help solve the case really show him as a strong character but also an incredible friend
This story is wonderful, from the descriptions of the film set and the accidents that are inherently Australian while still having a broad appeal, to the friendship between the two main characters and their ability to stay positive as their lives and movie is threatened really make this a story that children will love to read. The book is also so well written that it would work really well as a class novel or class read aloud. This is the second book in the Rockstar Detectives series and I can’t wait to see where Charley and George do next.
Winner of the 2020 Banjo Prize, shortlisted for the 2023 Davitt Awards and 2023 Danger Awards, The torrent is Dinuka McKenzie’s debut novel. Set in northern New South Wales after devastating floods, Detective Sergeant Kate Miles is investigating a hold up at a fast-food outlet where a young girl has been injured. She is looking forward to her maternity leave when she is given a sensitive case to review: a distraught mother is convinced that her son was not drowned in the recent floods but was murdered by his wife. Kate’s investigations are not straight forward and there are complications as she and her team follow leads. Can she just dismiss the drowning case even if her gut tells her that there may be more to the initial finding? And how can the youths involved in the hold-up be identified?
It is fascinating to follow Detective Sergeant Kate Miles during the late stages of her pregnancy. Her body may be unwieldy but her mind is very alert and she follows clues leading to the resolution of both cases. McKenzie’s portrayal of one of the youths who committed the hold-up is sensitively drawn and the reader gains much insight into both cases through his thoughts and actions. Her sympathetic depiction of autism also added depth to her story.
Fans of mysteries that show police procedures will follow with interest the forensics that help the team to solve the violent hold up, while clever interviews and flashes of brilliance will hold the reader’s attention as the case of the drowning unfolds. Dinuka McKenzie’s book would be enjoyed by people who like Australian noir by authors like Jane Harper and Chris Hammer. I look forward to reading more novels with Detective Sergeant Kate Miles as the main protagonist.
Alexis Wright’s latest novel, Praiseworthy, defies description. It is a unique outpouring of language with its own shape and form. Rather than a lineal narrative structure, it weaves in and out, like the ripples of a whirlpool, or the waves of the ocean, picking up, capturing for a moment, then tossing down, winding back on itself in a restless motion that is cyclical, never straight. Thus as readers we come back to characters and their stories in a recurring flow that continues endlessly.
It is set in a far northern Aboriginal community called Praiseworthy, a town that has become wrapped in a mysterious haze. The character Widespread, alternatively called Planet or Cause Steel, has come up with one solution to the problems of climate change, and champions the vision of a renewable transportation conglomerate based on donkeys, harnessing those age-old beasts of burden running feral in the country. His wife Dance can’t listen to him, instead focussed on the magical world of butterflies and moths. Cause Steel’s oldest son, named Aboriginal Sovereignty, the words Cause loves best, is bowed down with guilt and contemplates suicide, and his youngest son, the fascist Tommyhawk, is obsessed with the social media stories of rapists and paedophiles in Aboriginal communities and craves rescue by the beautiful white mother of Aboriginal children, the minister in her white palace of the Australian Parliament. And then there is Ice Pick, Major Mayor of the community, an albino black man, who campaigns relentlessly for Praiseworthy to become an iconic white assimilated town.
There is a fury underlying the words. Tommyhawk has become so distressed by the news stories of rampant paedophilia in Aboriginal communities, he is afraid of his parents, afraid of all adults in the community and desperately appeals for rescue by the Australian government which supposedly loves sacred Aboriginal children. Aboriginal Sovereignty, the young man who slept with his promised wife whilst she was still a few months underage, has become labelled a criminal, one of the paedophilic scourge that must be wiped out; he wades out deeper and deeper into the sea, and then has a moment of panic as he realises he has left behind his plastic Basics card. And there are refugees on a sinking boat who reach out to help another unknown drowning person in the ocean. All this, within a world where Country is being suffocated by the climate change effects wrought by white colonisers.
Alexis Wright says that Praiseworthy gave her a deeper understanding of the importance in following a literary vision, ‘a literary vision that refused to be contained or restrained’. In this way she breaks new ground in Aboriginal literature, and in literature in general, much as James Joyce did when he reinvented the form of the novel with his book ‘Ulysses’ (1920). Wright’s novel weaves a new form, perhaps best represented by the image of the butterfly trail on the cover, weaving through time, curving back on itself and flowing on. Praiseworthy is the 2024 winner of the Stella prize, the University of Queensland Fiction Book Award 2023, and shortlisted for a number of other awards.
In contrast to Kelleher’s previous works, the Gibblewort goblin stories and the futuristic Wanderer, The cave is set in prehistoric times, where cave men are very much at risk from the elements and the fierce animals that are their predators. Irian and his clan are cave dwellers, guarding the cave from the wild animals that attempt to return to their lair. Their clumsy weapons are spears and axes, though the best weapon of all is fire, if only they can protect and nurture it. It becomes a rotating duty to stand guard through the night, fuelling the flames.
When Irian and his father fail in their duty and succumb to sleep, the Beast returns and annihilates all but the boy who escapes through a small cleft in the cave. It is a horror that traumatises Irian to the point of losing all speech and shuddering in fear whenever his thoughts turn to that night. There is however another survivor, the severely wounded Ulana, and the two of them unite to find a way to survive in the harsh environment.
An old woman, not of their clan, but a travelling trader, Trug, joins the two children and helps them to navigate the landscape, along the way sharing some of the secrets she has learnt. It is a story about the discovery of fire, and the power that it gives the cave people as they learn how to create and maintain it. And then as they master the striking of flint, more sophisticated weapons can gradually be perfected.
The cave is a scary adventure story. The little group have to travel through snow, rain and flood, always on the alert to danger from leopards and other wild creatures. Along the journey, Irian has to rediscover his selfhood and find the courage to stand tall and take his place in the world. There are strong moral lessons about caring for others, sharing knowledge, and working together for the better of the community.
In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen is the first in the Geomancer trilogy by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.Set in a timeless, mythical, almost recognisable world, this story takes the reader on a breathtaking adventure and leaves them desperately waiting for the next book in the series.
The book opens in Glaw Wood where Ysolda and her sister Hari live surrounded by trees and a peaceful village.Hari can hear the trees and communicate with them which causes the Wolf Queen’s warriors to take her as they are collecting gifted ones from across the land.Ysolda travels to the Wolf Queen’s palace to bargain for Hari’s life. And so, begins an epic adventure across the land with the Wolf Queen, who is a complex and fascinating character, portrayed as a villain but written as far more complicated than first thought; she is terrifying in her unfeeling nature but at the same time unpredictable and at times likeable.Ysolda must use her wits and knowledge of people and the land to stay alive and search for earth-magic.Ysolda is a complex character who yearns to be gifted like her sister, but in many ways has a far greater gift in her understanding and respect for nature and living in harmony with it.She is joined on her journey by a sea hawk, Nara, who is bonded to her but free to fly.
This story takes the reader along on a quest that is at times thrilling, dangerous and exciting.The book perfectly combines danger and tension with lyrical descriptions of both the people and the places that they are travelling through.
I was captivated by this story and found that I wasn’t ready for the book to end.I am eagerly anticipating the next book especially Ysolda’s quest to save her sister and the world, but I am also interested to discover the motives for the Wolf Queen and her single-minded obsession with being the most powerful at the expense of all else.
This book is brilliant, I would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy, adventure or books that will draw you through complex characters.A great read alone as the reader will need time to sit at times with the characters and situations and take time out.It could work as a class novel as there is a lot to unpack but I think many readers would prefer to read at their own pace to get the most out of it.
The Viking wolf pup wants to be a true Viking hero just like his dad. Unfortunately, Leif is always tripping up, falling down holes, ripping his trousers and nobody fears him, they just laugh at him. So when a shooting star crashes to Earth and a witch arrives at his village asking the chief’s (Leif’s Dad) help but he claims he is too busy, Leif decides that this is his opportunity to prove he is a fearsome and smart Viking not just to himself but also to his Dad and his (annoying) older sister who never trips or makes mistakes.
No one trusts Leif to do anything, and the author has crafted him to be such a funny, likeable character that the reader will be cheering him on. Leif has to journey deep into the heart of polar bear country to retrieve the star, on his adventure he is joined by a series of interesting and “helpful” characters that at times steal the limelight and create some comedic moments as he tries to outwit and defeat mythological and real creatures who are trying to stop him from reaching his goal.
This book is brilliantly written, and the reader will be giggling along as Leif encounters a range of characters who each present their own challenges including giant, extremely grumpy, polar bears, monster whales, mythological creatures, annoying older sisters and a cunning witch!
This is a book that would be brilliant as a class read aloud as the teacher will enjoy it just as much as the children. It was a great read, and I am sure that children and adults will enjoy it and reread it. A fabulous book with Viking adventures, Gods fighting and dropping mythical objects to Earth and a wolf pup who just wants to prove he is as fearsome and fabulous as his dad. This is the first in a series and I can’t wait to read the next one.
Real tigers, in the wonderful series of novels about Slough House, an end point for failed spies, comes after Slow Horses (2010) Dead Lions (2014) and The list (2015) a novella, sometimes called the third in the series.
Real tigers introduces us to the level of deceit and subterfuge behind the political machinations of the day.
The workers in Slough House are wondering where Catherine Standish has got to. She is never late for work. River receives a photo of her in handcuffs on his phone and immediately takes action trying to find her. The kidnappers tell him that he will need to bring a file from Regent’s Park in exchange for her. River gets into the tightly controlled archives in the Park, but is caught and taken to the basement for an interview with the notorious Dufy. Meanwhile Lady Dianna is called into the office of MP Judd, where he discloses that the kidnapping was staged to expose how inept Slough House is and he will have all the evidence he needs to close it down when this fiasco is cleared up.
Judd is a weasel with an eye for the Prime Ministership, happy to walk over any body he finds and not fazed about how many bodies there are, as long as he is not implicated. But the leader of the Real Tigers, a friend and ally of Judd is killed by the second in command, and the body dumped in London central.
When a shaken and very sore River returns to Slough House, Lamb brings them all together to plan a way of getting Catherine back. Their small numbers are reduced even more when Lamb sacks two of them, effective immediately. The climax is absolutely thrilling as all protagonists end up together at the building housing the archives of material held by Regent’s Park. River and Louisa talk their way into the facility, but find the there are several other groups to deal with, Donovan and the Real Tigers are there to stop River taking the folder. Donovan goes about looking for the folder which implicates the head of MI5 in a conspiracy to cover a crime linked to Donovan. But another group is on the ground keeping them holed up in the facility. Along comes Lamb ad Ho, bumbling their way into the action, while Duffy has been send by Ingrid to clean up the mess, that is, make sure no one leaves alive. On the outer, the sacked pair, Marcus and Shirley also make their way to support their former comrades.
The climax is wonderfully executed, readers will need to keep their wits about them to keep apart the disparate groups keeping tabs on each other and finally having a shoot out.
