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Strangled Silence #1
Strangled Silence
When pretty, talented and very ambitious Amina Mir manages to land a newspaper work experience placement she thinks it might just be making coffee and following-up tame stories. But then, when by chance she's sent to interview Ivor MacMorris, a veteran of the war in Sinnostan who's just won millions on the lottery, but bizarrely hasn't spent a penny, things start to get interesting . . . and dangerous.
Ivor thinks he's been made to forget what happened in Sinnostan. He believes false memories of how and why he lost an eye have been planted in his brain and that he's being followed by threatening faceless people. At first Amina thinks Ivor's suffering from some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder, but soon Ivor, conspiracy theorist Chi Sandwith and events persuade Amina that she could have stumbled into one of the biggest and most terrifying cover-ups ever.
Ivor thinks he's been made to forget what happened in Sinnostan. He believes false memories of how and why he lost an eye have been planted in his brain and that he's being followed by threatening faceless people. At first Amina thinks Ivor's suffering from some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder, but soon Ivor, conspiracy theorist Chi Sandwith and events persuade Amina that she could have stumbled into one of the biggest and most terrifying cover-ups ever.
438 pages, Paperback
First published September 4, 2008
2 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Oisín McGann
64 books37 followersBorn in Dublin in 1973, Oisín spent his childhood there and in Drogheda, County Louth. He started writing and illustrating stories in copybooks when he was about six or seven, setting himself on a path that would steer him well clear of ever obtaining of a proper job.
Despite his writing habit, he spent most of school convinced he was going to become a zoologist, an aspiration he lost after taking his first art exam in third year at St. Olivers Community College. Unable to conceive of a way to make a living from writing fiction after his Leaving Cert., he decided to fund his dreams of being an author by working as an illustrator. He signed up for a design and print foundation course in Ballyfermot Senior College, Dublin, in 1990 and then studied animation at Dun Laoghaire School of Art and Design.
In 1992 he dropped out of college to set himself up as a freelance illustrator/artist, serving the publishing and design industries. In 1997, he took up a position as Background Layout Designer for Fred Wolf films, working on the animated series of Zorro. After completing his contract, he decided to expand his horizons and left for London in February 1998 to seek his fortune. He found gainful employment as a security guard, watching over trains and then hospitals.
In January 1999, he joined the M&M Consultancy, a small advertising and design firm, as art director and soon expanded into copy writing. After three and a half years of working in advertising he became increasingly concerned for his immortal soul. He returned to Ireland in the summer of 2002 much as he had left – with no job, no home and some meagre savings. He set himself up as a freelance illustrator once more, before getting his first books published in 2003.
Oisin now works full-time as a writer and illustrator. He lives somewhere in the Irish countryside, where he won’t be heard shouting at his computer.
Despite his writing habit, he spent most of school convinced he was going to become a zoologist, an aspiration he lost after taking his first art exam in third year at St. Olivers Community College. Unable to conceive of a way to make a living from writing fiction after his Leaving Cert., he decided to fund his dreams of being an author by working as an illustrator. He signed up for a design and print foundation course in Ballyfermot Senior College, Dublin, in 1990 and then studied animation at Dun Laoghaire School of Art and Design.
In 1992 he dropped out of college to set himself up as a freelance illustrator/artist, serving the publishing and design industries. In 1997, he took up a position as Background Layout Designer for Fred Wolf films, working on the animated series of Zorro. After completing his contract, he decided to expand his horizons and left for London in February 1998 to seek his fortune. He found gainful employment as a security guard, watching over trains and then hospitals.
In January 1999, he joined the M&M Consultancy, a small advertising and design firm, as art director and soon expanded into copy writing. After three and a half years of working in advertising he became increasingly concerned for his immortal soul. He returned to Ireland in the summer of 2002 much as he had left – with no job, no home and some meagre savings. He set himself up as a freelance illustrator once more, before getting his first books published in 2003.
Oisin now works full-time as a writer and illustrator. He lives somewhere in the Irish countryside, where he won’t be heard shouting at his computer.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
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April 8, 2015Received from NetGalley
An interesting sf conspiracy novel, apparently for YA, but seemed to straddle uneasily YA, New Adult, and adult.
The blurb says: When pretty, talented and very ambitious Amina Mir manages to land a newspaper work experience placement she thinks it might just be making coffee and following-up tame stories. But then, when by chance she's sent to interview Ivor MacMorris, a veteran of the war in Sinnostan who's just won millions on the lottery, but bizarrely hasn't spent a penny, things start to get interesting . . . and dangerous.
The front half of the book was absorbing as we met the main four characters, who I found interesting and complex as Amina, despite her young age, is sent to investigate the weird claims of Ivor. Add chases and threats, leading to Chi Sandwith, a conspiracy investigator, which in turn leads to questions about the war (?) in Sinnostan. Events begin to accelerate as the four main characters investigate a conspiracy that will involve UFS and mind-controlled kids.
The suspense builds terrifically--and then . . . Either this is supposed to be a series, or McGann is terrific at front-end alignment without paying much attention to the trunk-end.
An interesting sf conspiracy novel, apparently for YA, but seemed to straddle uneasily YA, New Adult, and adult.
The blurb says: When pretty, talented and very ambitious Amina Mir manages to land a newspaper work experience placement she thinks it might just be making coffee and following-up tame stories. But then, when by chance she's sent to interview Ivor MacMorris, a veteran of the war in Sinnostan who's just won millions on the lottery, but bizarrely hasn't spent a penny, things start to get interesting . . . and dangerous.
The front half of the book was absorbing as we met the main four characters, who I found interesting and complex as Amina, despite her young age, is sent to investigate the weird claims of Ivor. Add chases and threats, leading to Chi Sandwith, a conspiracy investigator, which in turn leads to questions about the war (?) in Sinnostan. Events begin to accelerate as the four main characters investigate a conspiracy that will involve UFS and mind-controlled kids.
The suspense builds terrifically--and then . . . Either this is supposed to be a series, or McGann is terrific at front-end alignment without paying much attention to the trunk-end.
August 15, 2021
I couldn't connect to any of the characters within the story, in the beginning, it started off interesting with the paranoia, the conspiracy theories of UFOs and government corruption, I needed more world and character building which is a shame. I skimmed through several final chapters of the book and the ending was anticlimatic. This book wasn't for me.
December 14, 2019
Full review to come!
June 18, 2015
I received this novel from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
"The powerful ones make you afraid of the bogeyman so that you will be good children and go to bed when you're told. And though there are real bogeymen- real terrorists- they are less dangerous than car crashes or bad electrical wiring or heart attacks. Now that you have you started questioning the bogeyman legend, it is the powerful ones who are afraid."
Strangled Silence is a novel about conspiracy theories, and the lies governments are willing to tell their people. It raises questions about war, terrorism, government control and the role of journalists in society, without ever getting preachy or sacrificing the story for these ideas.
Is it a little bit over the top? Possibly, but it never feels that way, due to the way it rationalizes its claims, and and the fact that it constantly acknowledges the outrageousness of what is going on.
Though most people are willing to believe everything the government and media tell them, three young people come together to question things- Amina Mir, an ambitious intern at a newspaper; Ivor McMorris, a shell-shocked war veteran and Chi Sandwith, a paranoid conspiracy nut.
These three characters were perfect in this particular story. There was great chemistry and understanding between the three, and they all brought something to the table, which meant you were never left wondering what the point of any of them were. They were all smart, curious and sympathetic in their own different ways, and suited the story perfectly. I really liked them all.
On the other hand, Tariq seemed kind of unnecessary up until the very end, and I feel like his story could have been dealt with differently. It seemed kind of out of place for most of the story, since he's not a part of the main plot.
The actual writing techniques were nothing special, but the language was clear, and it got the job done, so I’ve nothing to complain about on that front.
What I do have to complain about is the world building. Strangled Silence is set in a world identical to ours, the only main exception being a war going on between the Western world and the fictional nation of Sinnostan. I adore politics, and to be honest, I found this unbelievable.
For much of the story, Sinnostan is an expy of Iraq and Afghanistan during the last 14 years. The war is called the ‘War of Freedom’, clearly copying the 'War on Terror'. And yet the 'War on Terror' as well as the Vietnam War, the Cold War and the Second World War also took place, which seems a bit unrealistic to me. I feel like either the book should have used the Iraqi War as its background(though this may have been slightly controversial) or just use an alternate universe as its setting. The mix of reality and fiction was jarring.
I also had issues with the ending, which was too sudden and rushed in comparison to the rest of the novel. Most of the plot was resolved- though only barely. And we were still left with many questions.
What’s funny is that despite these weaknesses, I still really enjoyed the novel. It was never boring and was quite a fun thriller to read. Highly recommended.
"The powerful ones make you afraid of the bogeyman so that you will be good children and go to bed when you're told. And though there are real bogeymen- real terrorists- they are less dangerous than car crashes or bad electrical wiring or heart attacks. Now that you have you started questioning the bogeyman legend, it is the powerful ones who are afraid."
Strangled Silence is a novel about conspiracy theories, and the lies governments are willing to tell their people. It raises questions about war, terrorism, government control and the role of journalists in society, without ever getting preachy or sacrificing the story for these ideas.
Is it a little bit over the top? Possibly, but it never feels that way, due to the way it rationalizes its claims, and and the fact that it constantly acknowledges the outrageousness of what is going on.
Though most people are willing to believe everything the government and media tell them, three young people come together to question things- Amina Mir, an ambitious intern at a newspaper; Ivor McMorris, a shell-shocked war veteran and Chi Sandwith, a paranoid conspiracy nut.
These three characters were perfect in this particular story. There was great chemistry and understanding between the three, and they all brought something to the table, which meant you were never left wondering what the point of any of them were. They were all smart, curious and sympathetic in their own different ways, and suited the story perfectly. I really liked them all.
On the other hand, Tariq seemed kind of unnecessary up until the very end, and I feel like his story could have been dealt with differently. It seemed kind of out of place for most of the story, since he's not a part of the main plot.
The actual writing techniques were nothing special, but the language was clear, and it got the job done, so I’ve nothing to complain about on that front.
What I do have to complain about is the world building. Strangled Silence is set in a world identical to ours, the only main exception being a war going on between the Western world and the fictional nation of Sinnostan. I adore politics, and to be honest, I found this unbelievable.
For much of the story, Sinnostan is an expy of Iraq and Afghanistan during the last 14 years. The war is called the ‘War of Freedom’, clearly copying the 'War on Terror'. And yet the 'War on Terror' as well as the Vietnam War, the Cold War and the Second World War also took place, which seems a bit unrealistic to me. I feel like either the book should have used the Iraqi War as its background(though this may have been slightly controversial) or just use an alternate universe as its setting. The mix of reality and fiction was jarring.
I also had issues with the ending, which was too sudden and rushed in comparison to the rest of the novel. Most of the plot was resolved- though only barely. And we were still left with many questions.
What’s funny is that despite these weaknesses, I still really enjoyed the novel. It was never boring and was quite a fun thriller to read. Highly recommended.
January 25, 2016
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
Before she turns twenty-one, Amina Mir intends to have one of her stories published on the front page of the Chronicle. So when she gets an internship there, she's thrilled, even if it means a summer making coffee and writing human-interest stories. Then she interviews Ivor McMorris. A veteran of the war in Sinnostan, Ivor is convinced that someone interfered with his memories while he was there—but if he does anything about it, the watchers will make him disappear.
At first, Amina is skeptical. As the daughter of a major in the Royal Marines, she knows that veterans often suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. But when she meets Chi Sandwith, a conspiracy investigator who has spoken to dozens of soldiers like Ivor, Amina realizes that she may have stumbled upon the biggest and most terrifying government cover-up ever. Now if only she can break the story before disappearing herself.
This was a pleasant surprise! Billed as a YA novel, it does also tend to dip its toe into the New Adult market as well - which does bring up the level of the suspense as it isn't primarily a book for teens.
A conspiracy novel that is well written, has believable characters and plots as well as being slightly outrageous just to keep me reading is always a good find - and that's exactly what I got here. The overarching story line of war, terrorism and government control is something that is relevant to us today and very easy to believe - even if the descriptions seem a little over-the-top.
The best part of this book for me was the character of Amina - the newspaper intern who has the story of the decade land in her lap. Her place in the book makes absolute sense to me and she interacts with the other main characters easily and freely. She is a character that I would go back and read more of.
Sadly, the biggest disappointment was the ending. I gather the author had a plane to catch and just wanted to finish the book first - such a sudden, rushed finale that would have benefited enormously with another dozen pages or so!
Overall, a really good story with some great characters and action sequences - just a little disappointing at the end!
Paul
ARH
Before she turns twenty-one, Amina Mir intends to have one of her stories published on the front page of the Chronicle. So when she gets an internship there, she's thrilled, even if it means a summer making coffee and writing human-interest stories. Then she interviews Ivor McMorris. A veteran of the war in Sinnostan, Ivor is convinced that someone interfered with his memories while he was there—but if he does anything about it, the watchers will make him disappear.
At first, Amina is skeptical. As the daughter of a major in the Royal Marines, she knows that veterans often suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. But when she meets Chi Sandwith, a conspiracy investigator who has spoken to dozens of soldiers like Ivor, Amina realizes that she may have stumbled upon the biggest and most terrifying government cover-up ever. Now if only she can break the story before disappearing herself.
This was a pleasant surprise! Billed as a YA novel, it does also tend to dip its toe into the New Adult market as well - which does bring up the level of the suspense as it isn't primarily a book for teens.
A conspiracy novel that is well written, has believable characters and plots as well as being slightly outrageous just to keep me reading is always a good find - and that's exactly what I got here. The overarching story line of war, terrorism and government control is something that is relevant to us today and very easy to believe - even if the descriptions seem a little over-the-top.
The best part of this book for me was the character of Amina - the newspaper intern who has the story of the decade land in her lap. Her place in the book makes absolute sense to me and she interacts with the other main characters easily and freely. She is a character that I would go back and read more of.
Sadly, the biggest disappointment was the ending. I gather the author had a plane to catch and just wanted to finish the book first - such a sudden, rushed finale that would have benefited enormously with another dozen pages or so!
Overall, a really good story with some great characters and action sequences - just a little disappointing at the end!
Paul
ARH
May 19, 2012
Conspiracy thrillers aren't really my genre at all, and I'd never heard of this author before picking up this book on a completely random whim, but this turned out to be a surprisingly enjoyable and engaging story with decently rounded characters and a plot that, while I'd consider it far-fetched in the real world, made enough internal sense that I could easily suspend disbelief.
The only let-down was the ending - sudden, abrupt and feeling as if someone lost the last couple of chapters of the manuscript on their way to the printing house. *scratches head in confusion*
The only let-down was the ending - sudden, abrupt and feeling as if someone lost the last couple of chapters of the manuscript on their way to the printing house. *scratches head in confusion*
Read
August 6, 2011Not a bad book although the characters never really developed properly. The ending also felt like the author ran out of words: the last couple of chapters felt almost like an overview of what was happening compared to the detail earlier in the book. I think the story had some good features, but it just wasn't very well evolved.
June 5, 2023
Another novel that starts off well, then starts to meander towards the end. This wasn't badly written (okay, some bits seemed quite clumsy), but it just never resolved the ideas that it introduces. It's like the author was told 400 odd pages in that he only had 20 pages to wrap it up. The 'open' ending just felt a little bit like he didn't know how to finish it.
July 9, 2009
Not bad at all, well thought out, and in some parts quite thought provoking. Unfortunately, Oisin McGann does not know how to end a book.
June 24, 2012
loved it dargged on but still, funny with a throw in of supsence and mystery.
April 4, 2015
Generic post-9/11 surveillance-state thriller novel.
Really, really generic.
Really, really generic.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews