Alex James's Blog: AlexJamesNovels Blog - Posts Tagged "thriller"

Seen the film and not sure if the book can match it? Think again! Casino Royale blew me away. From basic mission dossiers from M, to what can only be described as one of the most intricate and yet fascinating build-ups to a casino game that will decide the fate of Soviet agent Le Chiffre. In a manoeuvre orchestrated between London and the folks at Washington, Bond is the man best placed to out-gamble Le Chiffre and remove the substantial Soviet fifth column of 50,000 men that he controls.

His nemesis is desperate to pay off his debts and this game will be the perfect chance. If Le Chiffre loses, his Soviet paymasters will hunt him down with the deadly organisation SMERSH, which deals with traitors and back-sliders.

Bond will soon learn that more is at stake than a casino game, and that he needs a proper reassessment of just how brutal the enemy spies are, and of what lengths spies are willing to go to keep their covers.

Casino Royale is a ground-breaking introduction to the entire Bond series, and is not to be underestimated. Though the casino game was the highlight, the atmosphere was classic Bond – it read like a film – and the characters were dressed as formal with powerful and well-concealed passion.

Shadow of a Dead Star is science-fiction cyberpunk, set in a future America called Wonderland, where over-reliance on dark technology fuels society, and sexual and materialistic fantasies are prevalent. Commercial status even determines human rights: the population of Seattle is divided between poverty-ridden Old City, the tumultuous Verge, and the dazzling New City; where lights, advertisements, and simulations overload the senses. I was fully immersed in the opening scenes and the author’s technology of the future was concise and clear. There was no room for ambiguity. After 17%, the writing breaks free from minor rigidity, and then the investigation unfolds with tension.

Federal Agent Walken is the exception, or so he believes; he’s a man of flesh who distrusts the widespread implicit faith in machines. Walken must investigate a case of Princess Dolls, little girls modified into sex toys, a practice that infuriates him. When the Princess Dolls are hijacked, Walken is ordered to investigate dubious sources to trace their location. However, he must work alongside “Civilian” Protection (CivPro) officers: who are unsympathetic and uncooperative because corporate interests masquerade behind most civil and public services. All Walken has is his instincts; and they haven’t let him down yet… I easily sympathised with Walken’s remarkable point-of-view, and liked his tough-guy persona.

Shadow of a Dead Star is a terrifying glimpse into a world where individual independence and initiative has been made obsolete: doors with no handles; administrative workers physically connected to the machines they use; and soldier helmets with view-screens instead of visors. Body “branding” is commonplace. Indeed, faith in machines is absolute to the extent that Walken sees himself alone, apart, and distinct from everybody. For readers worried about the rapid technological invasion in the information age, Shadow of a Dead Star reads like a political statement: cyberpunk realism if you like. Expect a few familiar cyberpunk elements, such as brain-riding (hacking), virtual reality, and an “underground” movement. Many of the main and sub-characters appeared typical of cyberpunk, but with relief the author fast-forwards past all pretence.

The sudden injection of first-person thriller action in the latter half kept me enthralled; it was like a first-person shooter video-game. Don’t expect an average plotline either. Just when you think it’s going to lapse into predictability, it takes a sci-fi/horror twist that is so “out-there” that I was horrified, stunned, and yet fascinated because the conclusion made perfect sense. Shadow of a Dead Star concluded but it didn’t fully end, which is something that will no doubt be cleared up in the sequel. Overall, what an experience! What was life like before this meteor-impact of a novel?

Gory modern sci-fi thriller with a military twist! Neil is a UK government hitman who has an artificial brain, wetware, which he uses to alter the host body’s physical processes, such as enhanced speed, for combat and survival needs. After each assignment Neil must upload the mission’s success via wi-fi to his superiors, and then he must commit suicide after every mission to erase all evidence in order to ensure he doesn’t talk to enemies. This setup allows Neil to escape culpability every time. However, his psychological stability is deteriorating, and he is getting careless. When Neil kills himself with a pile-driver in Iraq, he fails to crush the brain, leaving evidence for bright medical scientist Ariana; who must investigate his brain and its oddities while maintaining her job in an increasingly sexist country.

Neil is not a likable protagonist; though his wife was a victim of a bomb most of his actions, either reported or committed, were despicable and evil. I gathered that this could be attributable to the past abuse he suffered or his wife’s death, and this made me see Neil as a conflicted human, trapped in the super-soldier mentality. And yet he also represents a saviour, whose skills can afford freedom to escape from the depicted sexist and vicious Iranian state. Walk In The Flesh has a western perspective, culture, and influences, specifically concerning modern technology like phones, wi-fi, etc. Most of the novel was an alternative present, the background being the Iranian government having recently set off a bomb in London and the Americans having nuked Tehran in retaliation. There were certainly parallels to be made with modern-day terrorism.

Criticism: the wrong words were often used or were sometimes placed incorrectly in the sentence, and there were missing apostrophes. There were many switches to background scenes that occurred too quickly after introducing a new scene, breaking the flow of what was happening in the present. Further to this, I felt Neil’s struggle to save his soul would lead him to individual redemption or stability, but after reading the end I wasn’t sure where the author will take his morality next.

Overall this is a complete thrill-ride, interspersed with dramatic action sequences and conspiracy; and told from multiple viewpoints. Both the main plot halves came together seamlessly and believably. It had a seriously stylish conclusion that kept me swiftly flicking through pages. All loose ends were neatly tied up and the structure of the novel was very good. The ending was exciting, spy-like, and memorable. It was a stunning debut novel and a commendable work. I would read more of this author’s work!

I don’t know what my expectations were for The Unlucky Man – I was looking for something dystopian, dark, and that I hadn’t read before – and believe it or not that’s what I got! I’d classify it as an urban dystopian fantasy with supernatural and thriller elements. Ultimately, it’s about ordinary man John Hesker who is talking with best friend Corg when a body smashes on top of their car. They’re questioned by an investigator called Whimsy, who is a man only half-interested in what they are saying and seems to ask his questions ‘on a whim’, so he was well-named. However, it’s not long before the dark elusive organisation called Control will send its most accomplished assassin Wychelo (like a witch with dark unnerving pools for eyes) to kill Jon and therefore hide its secrets. When a disturbing supernatural force is injected into Jon, he goes on the run, over Old Links bridge where there is no law and only savagery awaits.

Well, HTG Hedges has an eye for atmosphere and setting, which places the reader into a three-dimensional world that brought clarity and richness to every description of setting, and was applied consistently throughout. I’d say this was the best feature of his writing, and made me feel as if I was reading something new or rare. The writing from 76% captured me fully, immersing me into complete disorientation, which was the intention, into a graphic hell that was also somewhat pleasant on the senses to witness.

Criticism: it took me a while to remember who the villains were, especially their names and what distinguished them, because they had small parts and mainly from the point-of-view of Jon. Closer to the end there was a touch too much background information on the villains, which though missing before to add mystery, was inserted a little late in this relatively short novel. Third-person omniscient was used to re-shine a light on the villains at 67%, which though I worried the plot was crumbling at this point it did actually put things back into perspective where they had been missing in the car-chases and well-directed action scenes. Third-person and first-person point-of-view was mingled, which lent the story inconsistency and did become more noticeable as it progressed. On that same note, the author was adept at using first-person to add depth, colour, and contrast that I haven’t seen before when reading from first-person POV, but his use of third-person omniscient from 76% was a display of incredible writing. It seems the author needs to decide on where his strengths lie and how to use point-of-view with consistency to deliver maximum impact. I would have enjoyed this more if it was better balanced as well: two-thirds action and one-third background/conclusion didn’t move events forward in a way that I had hoped.

Overall, I don’t think HTG Hedges’ readers will be disappointed by his writing. The atmospheric descriptions, combined with metaphor, worked consistently well throughout. I was often curious where the plot was going, and when things turned chaotic I was utterly absorbed, with mouth agape. Piecing together the sub-elements of the plot didn’t come immediately to me, but when parts did they made sense and piqued my interest. There’s some terrific writing in this.

‘It was the face of a woman who has come momentarily untethered from all of the vital positions and landmarks of her life, a woman who has forgotten not only the memory she was in the process of recounting but memory itself. He had once toured a mental asylum…’

The sheer terror and suspense of Misery left me speechless with shock during the entire reading experience. Bestselling writer Paul Sheldon has a car accident and wakes to find he is crippled. Soon after he realises he has been kidnapped by Annie Wilkes. From their first encounter Paul sees something amiss in Annie Wilkes’ behaviour and believes she is mentally unstable. His legs are broken, being confined to his bed, and he is addicted to the painkillers she feeds him. In his delirious state, she has him in thrall. Indeed Paul soon sees what happens when he contradicts Annie or awakens the ‘Dragon Lady’. What does Annie Wilkes want? Well, she’s the number one fan of his Misery books, and she can’t wait for him to write another one. This new book will be a single-copy special edition, dedicated to her. After all … she did take care of him, rescuing him from his car after the accident, and of course she loves him, right?

Seeing the breadth of the terror Annie embodied and how it affected Paul was one of the most thrilling parts of Misery. Annie’s sadistic nature and sly intellect grow with each part, and you’re left feeling as helpless as poor Paul. Just when you think things can’t get any worse, they do. Throughout, Paul has to tread carefully if he is to keep his life; she’s threatened to kill him on more than one occasion, and he sees it as dangerous to go against her. All the while he is bringing back to life a character he killed at the end of his Misery series, Misery Chastain, in his new novel Misery’s Return.

In many ways Misery is the story of a writer fighting against fears and paralysing impossible situations to come up with new ideas and find the will to write the story you feel like writing, and want to write.