Karl's Reading List

Published by Puffin Books/Penguin Group: London, England: 2013. Book 1 in the 'WARP Series.' Followed by 'The Hangman's Revolution.' This at times surprisingly violent young-adult novel begins in Victorian London, where we meet Riley, a stereotypical Victorian street urchin. He has been trained by Albert Garrick, a stage magician and true psychopath, who has turned to the life of an assassin following the on-stage death of his lovely assistant. When we first meet Riley, Garrick is supporting him to attempt his first assassination, something that Riley is understandably a bit reluctant to do (thus the title). However, as the attempt goes sideways, Riley is sucked into a time portal, and emerges in the present day. Here he meets Chevron 'Chevie' Savano, a 17-year old FBI agent, hired under a now defunct youth programme. Chevie, who was somewhat responsible for the programme being shut down, is impulsive and a bit over-confident, and becomes our second protagon...

Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC: New York, NY, 2016. I made it! This is the 26th and final book in my Alphabet Soup reading challenge. I finished the first book in this challenge on the 11th of August last year, having started it a week earlier. So, finishing in May means it took me 9 months to finish this challenge. I suppose I could have done it quicker if I only read Alphabet Soup books, but where would be the fun in that! Anyway, Judenstaat is a strange book. It falls into the 'alternate history' category of fiction, with this world having a slightly different outcome for the Jewish people post-World War 2. Instead of being granted a state of their own in Palestine (aka, the modern nation of Israel), they are instead granted a state of their own within the borders of Germany. This is justified both as a sort of punishment for Germany's acts of atrocity, and also as a statement of resilience from the Jewish people - that the place where they have faced their w...

Published by Penguin Books: London, England, 2003 (2001). The quote on the cover of this book compares it to Monty Python, Harry Potter, Stephen Hawking and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I get mostly reminded of Terry Pratchett  and Discworld. It is bizarre but humorous, full of wordplay and plot diversions; a world where seemingly anything goes. A world where the protagonist's fugitive time-travelling father will pause time and show up mid-scene in order to query his daughter - literary detective Thursday Next - about whether bananas exist in her version of reality or not. A world where characters from classic fiction are beginning to cross over into 'the real world' and vice versa. A world where vampires and werewolves exist, but its not the main thrust of the plot at all. A world where cloned dodos are now so common as to be a bit of a pest. A world where literature is so popular that the audience is able to perform entire Shakespearean plays from memory at sold-out venues. ...

Published in an omnibus edition "The Complete Illustrated Works of Mark Twain" by Bounty Books: London, 2004 (1986). First published 1889. The basic story of Connecticut Yankee is one I've heard before, and seen variations of in movies (I recall a Martin Lawrence version called, I think, Black Knight ). A "modern day" Yankee falls asleep for some reason (here he is struck in the head during a fight) and wakes up in sixth century England, where his modern-day knowledge allows him to survive, and even pass himself off as a magician greater than Merlin. Reading the original version of this story is both interesting and surprising.  Mark Twain seems to be writing a satire here. I say "seems to" because I get the feeling that most references go over my head. Certain things I can figure out from the context (such as the term "hello-girl" referring to a phone operator), but with so much of the plot wrapped up in showing the superiority of Tw...

Published by Alfred A. Knopf, Publisher: New York, 2012. Although the title of this work might imply some non-fiction exploration of a forgotten moment in history, instead The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln takes place in an alternate reality where Lincoln has survived the attempt on his life (although other historical figures have died) and is now facing an impeachment hearings over his conduct during the Civil War. Lincoln himself remains on the peripheries of the plot but is certainly caught up in the going-ons. The main character, however, is Abigail Canner, a young black woman with a law degree who has been hired (semi-reluctantly) by the law firm defending Lincoln. This is a well researched and fascinating novel, giving a glimpse into a particular period of American history, while also reinterpreting and reimagining what may have been. It also works well as a novel in its own right, highlighting prejudice and racism existing in the era, but also containing a central consp...

Published by Bloomsbury: London, 2007 (2004). Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell takes place in an alternate history where magic is real, but has been largely forgotten. The two title characters 'rediscover' "real" magic and set about using it to help Britain succeed on the world-stage. The book, set in the era of Napoleon, is written in a faux-Dickensian style, something that as a Dickens fan I greatly enjoyed. It uses footnotes to highlight extra "facts" in a way that Pratchett fans will also take to! And it interacts with actual historical events - such as the Napoleonic wars - which lends an extra level of enjoyment to the proceedings. The characters of Mr Norrell and Jonathan Strange are well-written, very flawed, and both ego-centric in their own ways. A third main character - the "Gentleman with the thistle-down hair" is suitably mysterious and creepy, and as a reader I was eagerly rooting against him. Switching perspectives constantly, w...