Richard Morgan - Broken Angels

Some great things about Richard Morgan. Where do you start? He writes like a movie, I admit that can be a let down with some authors, but with Morgan he manages to pull off a gripping pace with a deeply involving plot. A definite noir feel permeates all of Morgans writing, always revolving around crime, war and nostalgic thought lines.

Broken Angels is a loose sequel to Altered Carbon, Morgans first. The book revolves - well follows really, Takeshi Kovacs (Eastern european "che")

He is an ex envoy, a trained killer and now a freelance mercenary. Takeshi finds himself going AWOL from his platoon and embarking on a desperate mission to recover some ancient alien artefacts.

I loved this book. It had a nice grounding, given to it by its predecessor on which Morgan could go wild, in a way this must have been a nice ride for him as an author just to focus on the characters and plot - rather than explaining away fifty pages on world building. Granted some of this book was fairly linear, only following the day to day of Kovacs, but makes up for with a gripping story and evocative scenes.

I cant fault Morgan really, he is so much the contemporary author - I revel in it.

(Side note: I didn't know he wrote the script for Crysis 2, and is supposedly on the line up for a movie adaption of Altered Carbon, Cross Fingers.)

James Barclay - Dawnthief

I finally gave in and read some Barclay - not for lack of trying. I'd been owner to one of Barclays books for ages but didn't realise at the time it was a good few books into the series. I thought now was the right time to try again.

Anyway, Barclays Dawnthief is a fast paced, frenetic, adventure filled gorefest. It's mainly character driven - more about the camaraderie and relationships than the staple in-depth world building other fantasy novels thrive on. This brand of heroic fantasy drew me right in.

The focus of this novel is based on an impending war and a spell that can save them all. Ok. Not the most original - but to be quite honest I'd be disappointed if it didn't.

It follows the journey of The Raven, a group of mercenaries who get brought into the fray between the Wesmen and the Four Colleges. Personally I think this read is definitely something you'll love or hate. Its simplistic plot rarely strays far from the unexpected, but it does work. It sets up a great canvas for Barclay to build on for the future - with another six novels in the same world.

Barclay is a rough diamond, I found myself drawn in by the pace and enthusiasm Barclay imbues into his writing. Not too much beneath the surface, but a thoroughly enjoyable read.