Review by Zoe Cunningham
In the 1990s Manchester-born Jeff Noon released his first 4 novels, known as the Vurt series, to great acclaim.
ChannelSK1N is Noon's first novel since 2002. As he said in an interview on litreactor.com "Recently I woke up and realised that I hadn’t reached an audience for a long time and it was time to do so." I thought this would be an interesting book to review here on Byte the Book, as it's been released in digital edition only.
The story is set in the near future, and centres around a young fabricated pop star, Nola Blue, whose popularity recovers from its downward trajectory when she discovers that her skin has mutated to allow her to receive and display television signals.
Similar to many other books in this genre, current popular culture is parodied - the fact that she used to sing her own songs but is no longer allowed is referred to, as well as plastic surgery and video manipulation so that she looks "glorified, elevated, set ablaze with computerised passion". Amongst mixed-up channels created by Nola such as "Animals on Drugs" and (my favourite) "Dirty Rock and Roll Decorators", the central TV show is based around a "pleasure dome" where a contestant/victim bares their soul to the world through electrodes implanted in their skull - a none too thinly veiled reference to the reality TV of today.
The book is written in the typical lyrical style of Noon, spattered with new words (often composite, e.g. "skintalk"). If you only have time to read one book by Jeff Noon, I recommend Vurt, but if you read Vurt and liked it, read this.
If you're interested in other projects by Noon, check out twitter handle @temp_user9 where he has been working on "micro-fiction" stories, published via Twitter. Or take a look at http://microspores.tumblr.com/start: 140 character "spore" stories, accompanied by images and sound.
Zoe wears so many hats that she confuses herself. She's MD over at Softwire Technology, the Ladies' World Backgammon Champion 2010, a radio and TV presenter and a volunteer at Ashanti Development. One thread running through everything is her love of books and she has also on occasion dipped her toe into the stingray-infested waters of short story writing.
She's interviewed several Byte the Bookers for radio here and you listen to those interviews by clicking on the links below:
Justine Solomons founder of Byte the Book
Clare Jacobs author of Ophelia in Pieces
Chris Chalmers author of Five to One
Tracey Sinclair author of Dark Dates
She's also founder of Mind Engagement Reader, who have just launched their inaugural radio play competition, offering one lucky winner a £200 prize and the chance to have his or her play produced and aired on radio, you can find out more about that here.
She's also the founder of a technology networking event at Shoreditch House Tech Talkfest
Finally she's keen to add her reviews to this site, read more on those below:
ChannelSK1N by Jeff Noon
Room by Emma Donoghue
The Cruellest Game by Hilary Bonner
Review by Tracey Sinclair
For those unfamiliar with her work, physician and author Tess Gerritsen mines much the same seams as Kathy Reichs, Karin Slaughter and Patricia Cornwell, her own medical knowledge combining with an easy-to-read storytelling style in both standalone books and the best-selling Rizzoli and Isles series, which have now been turned into a TV show.
Her latest novel sees us once again joining no-nonsense female cop Jane Rizzoli and glacial medical examiner Dr Maura Isles as a series of murders leads them to a mysterious school where all of the pupils have been victims of violent crime – and where the ugly secrets of the past refuse to stay buried. Although marred by a series of flashbacks which, to my mind, gave away too much of the plot too early, it’s a tense and page-turning thriller and the characters of Jane and Maura are as well-rounded and engaging as ever.
Existing fans of the series won’t be disappointed but, although it works relatively well as a standalone story, if you’re not familiar with the series, it’s not the best place to start. The action heavily references events in earlier books, particularly The Mephisto Club and The Killing Place, so I imagine could be confusing if you’re not up top speed. For newcomers who like their thrillers with strong female leads and a medical slant, I’d recommend checking out this excellent series from the start, with the first Rizzoli and Isles book, The Surgeon.
Buy this book
One of the great things about running this site is that I get loads of book recommendations. However, life is short, and it's difficult to get through them all. I keep a list on my phone of all the recommendations I've been given, organised by the name of the person that recommended the books. In addition, for big prizes like the Orange and Booker, I download all the samples on to my Kindle and work my way through them. This book recently made the Booker longlist, plus several people told me to read it, including my mother in law - twice! So I felt as though I should give it a go. I'm so glad I did. It's been more than a week since I finished reading it, and I can still feel Harold walking beside me.
We first meet Harold Fry, who is retired, at home with his wife. Their relationship is fraught; he seems depressed and his wife criticises him constantly. He receives a letter from Queenie, a former work colleague, who is dying. Queenie had helped him many years ago, but he'd never been able to thank her. He writes her a reply but then decides that a simple note is not enough. He begins a pilgrimage to her, walking over six hundred miles across the country. At first he stays in hotels and carries his belongings with him, but eventually he sends home all his possessions, including his wallet. With no money, he camps out wherever he can, foraging for food and relying on the generosity of strangers for essentials. Through the journey we learn more about his life, his relationship with his wife, his connection to Queenie and his son.
I found the writing in this book exquisite, the central concept admirably simple, and the shape of the unfolding story, fascinating. I read much of this book walking through London, past shops selling things I might want but didn't really need. Like the people in the novel who follow Harold, I felt inspired by his ascetic devotion. I also admired the example of a man who had not achieved much in his life, but then pushes himself to do something of worth in his later years. I thoroughly recommend this book and hope it makes your shortlist of books to read.
We don't know about you but we're feeling a little bit culture deprived this August, the sport has been lots of fun but we're keen to get our grey matter working again. If you feel similar you might to hear about a very cool event happening this week.
Salon London are taking up their first urban residency at the site of the original Victorian Pleasure Gardens in Marylebone. The event is running for three nights, with nine speakers, covering three themes of Future Cities, Future Taste, and Future You.
They begin on Wednesday 15th August with atomised food and why cities are the answer, on Thursday 16th August they will be looking at what the future holds technologically while discovering easy ways to change our worlds. Finally on Friday 17th August they suggest you join them to learn how to forage in a post-apocalyptic urban environment and to be part of a game of musical bingo.
Their speakers include: Julian Baggini (on the 15th), Ben Hammersley and J P Flintoff (on the 16th) and Charles Spence (on the 17th).
They will be providing gourmet flavoured balloons to all Saloners who make the opening night, and Hampstead Heath foraged pesto for closing night Saloners. Throughout they'll have a well stocked bar and DJ Alan Condi on the decks. Sounds like loads of intellectual fun, we suggest you book for one, two or all three days here.
Review written by Tracey Sinclair
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She-Wolves by Helen Castor – which has now been turned into a BBC series – looks at the lives of women who had their hands on the reins of power (albeit not explicitly) long before Elizabeth I was crowned queen: Matilda, daughter of Henry I, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabella of France, and Margaret of Anjou.
Well-researched yet written in the flowing, easy to read style of a novel, Castor’s book is a magnificent achievement, vividly bringing to life England’s past in a style that is at once accessible and engaging. She is even handed in examining the strengths and weaknesses of the women she writes about, as well as understanding and illuminating the cultural norms and gender expectations which, too often, thwarted their ambition. Although she resists the urge to filter events through modern revisionist eyes, she also overturns some generally accepted ideas (her take on Edward II, for instance, rings true with the pragmatism of the times: often portrayed as a man whose homosexuality itself was his downfall, Edward’s fatal flaw here is shown rather to be a weak personality and poor judgement combined with a disastrous taste in lovers, since nobles were well used to tolerating the peccadilloes of their rulers, providing they didn’t interfere in the running of the land ).
The real strength of She-Wolves, though, is Castor’s writing: although the text never feels lightweight or, to use that hated phrase, ‘dumbed down’ – there are plenty of facts to grapple with, and Castor is a knowledgeable and informed guide – the book is as gripping as a historical thriller, a page turner that is as hard to put down as the best kind of novel. Fans of Philippa Gregory or Hilary Mantel could do worse than check this out – you won’t be disappointed.
Graham Rawle is a fascinating writer and illustrator, whom you may remember as the author of "The Lost Consonants" series, which ran in The Guardian for fifteen years. Since then he's used words and images to tell stories. The Card is his most recent novel, and it's fabulous.
The novel's protagonist, Riley Richardson (nee Pincus), is a bubble gum card collector who thinks he's been assigned a coded mission by M15 to protect Princess Diana. The queen of hearts playing card, dropped in a deserted alleyway by a mysterious grey-haired man, is Riley's starting point. Then more cards appear. Has Riley got what it takes to decipher the cards correctly? As he struggles to find answers, the reader gains access to the workings of Riley's mind, and also learns more about his father's disappearance, thirty years earlier, and the effect that had on Riley.
What's so interesting about this book, apart from the intricately layered plot and the fantastic character of Riley, is how well Rawle has employed visual techniques to tell the story. The images of the cards are beautiful, but so too is the sur-text that runs through the book. It's the kind of novel only someone who is as multi-talented as Rawle could produce, but fortunately one a wide audience can enjoy. This man's a genius, I tell you. You've just got to read this book.
Though The Hare with the Amber Eyes received critical acclaim, several negative reviews put me off it when it first came out. However, recently, when two friends told me they were reading it and enjoying it within a few weeks of each other, I decided to give it a read. One friend said that she'd been up late into the night, unable to put it down. I know exactly how she felt; it had the same effect on me.
This nonfiction book, written like a novel, tells the story of a family through its Japanese netsuke collection. It reminds me of Simon Mawer's 'The Glass Room' and W.G. Sebald's 'Austerlitz', both books I loved. The netsuke collection at the centre of the story was initially purchased by a cousin of De Waal's great grandfather, a french connoisseur named Charles Ephrussi, who then sent the collection to Austria to Edmund's great-grandfather Victor as a wedding present. The collection survived the horrors of the second World War and were eventually discovered and introduced to the author by his great uncle in Japan a few years ago.
As a Jew, I often find books about the Holocaust disturbing, such that I at times approach the subject with fear and reservations. However, I am so pleased I read this book. Luckily, de Waal's family largely survived the Holocaust, managing to flee to safety (although some did perish). De Waal does not go into detail about the atrocities in the camps. What he does examine in some depth, and incredibly well, is the rise of anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe. Through the netsuke collection, he tracks the survival of the de Waal family.
This is both an exceptionally well-written book and an important one. Not only did it educate me on the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe, it also made me incredibly grateful for the support and safety the Jews have received in England. As a child I often wondered why we'd always say a prayer for the Queen in synagogue services, but now having read this book, I understand just how fragile the Jews' survival has been and I am exceptionally grateful for the asylum Jews received in this country. Please read this book; like the netsuke, it's a work of great beauty and of solid importance.
Mind Engagement Media have launched their inaugural radio play competition, offering one lucky winner a £200 prize and the chance to have his or her play produced and aired on radio. Applications from previously produced authors are welcome, but they are especially keen to hear from new talent including those who have been published in other media. The deadline for submission is Friday 2 November 2012. The rules are below. If you're interested, please get in touch with them on their site.
Rules
1. Submissions must be received via the form on the site by the deadline of Friday 2 November 2012.
2. The play must be in English, unpublished and must not have been previously produced in any medium.
3. The play must run between 30 and 60 minutes.
4. The winner will receive £200, plus production of your play to be broadcast on Shoreditch Radio in 2013.
5. By entering, you confirm that you own the copyright of the material submitted and consent for it to be broadcast on Shoreditch Radio.
6. Unsuccessful entries will be returned to the author.
7. If insufficient quality plays are received, we reserve the right to not award any prize.
We are really pleased to bring you some non-fiction today, showcasing the introduction to Joe Hayman's book British Voices: The UK in its own words. The full book is available to buy here.
British Voices: The UK in its own words tells the story of the 100 days Joe spent travelling across the UK talking to members of the public about life in Britain. He says:
"Having spoken directly to over 1,000 people from all walks of life, I like, respect and trust my fellow Britons far more than when I start my journey around the UK but I am also more concerned about British society."
"My book is a call for concerted action, both from political leaders and ordinary citizens, to build a stronger society to face an uncertain future."
Joe is also is the founder of The Community Trust, a new charity set up to build a stronger sense of community and citizenship in the UK. He is also a Trustee of the mentoring charity Friendship Works, through which he has also been a mentor to a teenage boy for the last seven years. He is a director of the social enterprise North London Cares.
If you are interested in us showcasing some of your work or in reading more of Joe’s work then get in touch at info@bytethebook.com.
