After The Fear by Rosanne Rivers. Young Adult Dystopian.

In very few words, Rosanne Rivers conjures up a new dystopian world which is peopled by vivid characters. It is a dystopian world where debts have to be repaid; a world where city states are isolated and enclosed. It is a world governed by a few powerful Shepherds who control the lives of the powerless masses. Here, every move a person makes is traced, and some people strive for the power to achieve some level of control over their own lives and exert a hold over the lives of others, sometimes without considering the consequences.
In this world lives a teenaged girl called Sola, and at the beginning, her tribulations are barely a breath away. Too soon, Sola learns what it is like to undergo trials, Demonstrations, to live to fight and worse still, to fight to survive. Rosanne Rivers’ writing evokes empathy with Sola’s pain and dilemma, makes the reader fall a little bit in love with Dylan, worry for Alixis following the revelation, to see Coral for what she is; and keep guessing about what Shepherd Fines is really like.
There are definitely editing issues, but they don’t detract from the story too much, except for in one or two places where a suspected missing word creates a little confusion. But these are nothing that cannot be fixed in a reprint, and nothing major to worry about.
There is lots of scope for a second book; lots of story left for Rosanne Rivers to explore. Does Shepherd Fines come good? Is he true to his word to Alixis? If not, what happens to her? What happens to Dylan? And what happens to Sola? Who does she become? Exactly what happened to Coral?
I’m now waiting patiently for a sequel which will provide the answers…

After The Fear by Rosanne Rivers

After The Fear by Rosanne Rivers

 

If you’re looking for something to read and you’re into Dystopian fantasy, check out this book by Rosanne Rivers – she’s an amazing new writer!  It’s due to be published by Immortal Publishing Incorporated. You can sign up to be notified of when it becomes available using this link: http://www.immortalinkpublishing.com/notify.php?book=16

Here’s a teaser to tantalise you:

You have not attended a Demonstration this month.
In Sola’s city, everyone obeys the rules. Stay away from the trigger cameras and regularly update your Debtbook, and you just might survive. But having to watch the way criminals are dealt with—murdered by Demonstrators in the Stadium—is a law Sola tries to avoid. When a charming Demonstrator kisses her at a party, however, she’s thrust into the Stadium and forced into the very role she despises.
Armed with only natural resourcefulness and a caring nature, Sola narrowly survives her first bout. Her small success means she’s whisked off to a training camp, where she discovers a world beyond the trigger cameras and monitoring—a world where falling in love with a killer doesn’t seem so terrible.
Yet life as a Demonstrator has no peace. Sola must train her way through twenty-five more Demonstrations before she can return home to her father. At the end of each battle, only one survivor remains.
Sola could face anyone in the Stadium . . . even a loved one.

Intrigued? You won’t have to wait long – it’s coming in December 2012! It’s on my reading list – why not put it on yours?

West of No East by Bobby Nayyar

Image courtesy of Bobby Nayyar at Limehouse Books

West of No East by Bobby Nayyar packs into a small book many of the issues facing people in multicultural, contemporary Britain today. It tells of difficult relationships, be they marital, friendships, work or parental. Difficult economic times increase pressures on already fragile relationships. Clashing cultures add extra heat into the mix.

Disappointments abound as Tarsem, an only child, fails to reach his potential not only in his own eyes but those of his wife, his parents and his in-laws. His parents dreamt of more: more children, more from Tarsem, more for their retirement, more grandchildren. Tarsem’s wife Anita’s parents want better for their beloved youngest daughter. Tarsem wants better work, not to be stuck in a call centre to supplement another job that fails to recognise his potential.

Into this world, throw in: marches, protests against library closures, home governments, uprisings in Egypt and feared protests in the Middle East. David Cameron states that multiculturalism has failed. Parents who are not what they seem to be momentarily play second fiddle to appearance of a beautiful stranger.

Amidst all this, there is a yearning for home. An emotion everyone can relate to. The hope that things will improve is something else that connects us. And beautiful words like: “It was a reassuring warmth that reminded me that as distant as we often were, we were never completely alone” keep us reading on to find more in a story which shows the importance of language, love and home in our lives.

Bobby Nayyar, West of No East (London: Glasshouse Books, 2011). (Please Note: Glasshouse Books is now Limehouse Books.)

 

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff: Book Review

This review is the result of a writing exercise: write a book review in one hundred words or less.

Boston-born Meg Rosoff‘s multi-award winning debut novel has wide appeal. Wise-cracking fifteen year old Manhattan girl, Daisy comes to visit her English country cousins.

Through Daisy’s eyes, Rosoff explores many voyages of discovery: of self, sexual love, new ways of life, and of learning to cope with the unknown. We see a magical, idyllic age, suddenly become tarnished by harsh and brutal times when war breaks out. Rosoff keeps us page-turning with minimal effort. Her descriptions like ‘I made jam sandwiches for breakfast and they tasted hoepful’ are delicious!

If you liked Mark Haddon‘s Curious Incident… you’ll like this!

Salt and Honey by Candi Miller: Book Review

Image courtesy of Tindal Street Press, and permission from Candi Miller.

Salt and Honey by Candi Miller is an epic saga posing as a small book which deals with issues of major importance not only in Africa but on a global level too: persecution of ethnic minorities; apartheid; inequality; and mixed race relationships.  These are slipped seamlessly into the narrative. Reflections on the class divide and social commentary are effortless and non-judgmental. Candi Miller does not preach to her readers, she just presents things as they are.  This treatment of issues that matter to all of us worldwide makes Salt and Honey very easy to read. We do not feel as if we’re being directed to feel a certain way about the issues that are presented or about the fascinating characters; we are left to make our own minds up.

The book is full of beautiful words and imagery which take us into an unfamiliar landscape. The world of Koba is one that will be unknown to many, but the author weaves it in a way which feels like a blanket: it becomes familiar rather than foreign in her expert hands.

Changes made to the text for the Tindal Street Press edition of Salt and Honey have helped to make an already great book even better. The glossary of words is helpful, but not complete.

Despite Candi Miller’s attempts to explain the sounds of the different clicks in the Ju’hoansi language, these are not easy to grasp unless you are a linguist, or hear someone vocalise them. With this in mind, I can’t wait to listen to an audio version of this book.

Candi Miller, Salt and Honey  (Birmingham: Tindal Street Press, 2011)

Candi Miller, Salt and Honey (London: Legend Press, 2006)

Hello!

Hello!

Welcome to my website.  Here, you can find out a little more about me and what I’m up to, and read my blog posts.  You can also read some extracts of my work: poetry and narrative; and see photos or videos of me in action.  See also what I like to read in my spare time. If you’re stuck with your writing, take a look at ideas and suggestions on my site, for example, check out the inspirations and writing tools.

Raj