It is 1545 and the individual nations of Europe are at each other’s throats, mistrusting of one another. The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire spots his best chance of capturing Malta and his aim is to eradicate the last of the Order of St John, who to his insult captured of one of his beloved warships.

The reader is introduced to a young knight of St John’s order, Sir Thomas Barrett, a quick thinking and ferocious warrior in the heat of battle. After the capture of a trade ship from the Corsairs, valuable cargo is discovered, and Sir Thomas makes a dreadful error of judgement that sees him exiled in disgrace.

After a lonely time spent back in England with a few adventures as a mercenary for other campaigns, Sir Thomas is contacted by the order, requesting his aid in the defence of Malta. However, the advisors of Queen Elizabeth have heard that he is returning, and so task him (with the help of one of their men) to recover a valuable document concealed on the Island.

What should be a matter of defence with reinforcements from Spain suddenly becomes a fight for survival unaided. The Order of St John and their Maltese allies must face overwhelming odds, with no sign of help on the horizon. Scarrow has written a fine stand-alone novel about the plight of the Order of St John and Malta. The detail of what happened during the siege of this island is covered brilliantly, and with such detail you can almost imagine you are there and fighting with the knights to survive.

If you liked the novels of Macro and Cato, or have an interest in the war between Europe and the Ottomans at the time, this book is perfect for you.

Simon Scarrow’s Sword and Scimitar is another gripping brilliantly researched adventure that you won’t want to put down until you have finished reading it!

The start of the book trails Webster’s teenage years. Many novels centring on teenage boys fail to expose the painful vulnerability that’s inherent in the adolescent condition. Instead many popular characterisations of young men, show them as bolshy, precocious, stubborn and strident in their dealings with other people. It’s a rare novel that goes beyond that, and into soft places in an appealing way, so that the reader – male or female cannot fail to sympathise. To say that Barnes knows about characterisation is to say that the Dalai Lama knows about Buddhism. Although that’s as much gushing as I will do this time around.

The older incarnation of Webster is a pathetic, beige suburban type that all people dread becoming in middle age; but that nevertheless seems to be the fate for many people. His amiable and insulated existence makes him frustrated. So he pokes and probes deeply into his past. All the while, there is a deeply unsettling sense of time running out, and death waiting in the wings.

The rifts and cracks in this novel don’t appear until later on: once the characters are comfortably ensconced and taking a cup of tea and biscuits. It’s a thoroughly English book, in the way that England was in the middle of last century. With a sexually repressed and morally forthright middle class that sought to squash any hanky panky before it started. A cast of naysayers who judge a ‘loose woman’ with a blanket condemnation; that goes backwards into the past, and forwards into the future.

This book exposes the blind spots that are inherent in these moral judgements. It exposes in a spectacular way, the (now quaint) judgements about sex, gender and class that hassled our grandparents in Britain. There’s a sense of closed hands over mouths and talk behind curtains, done in a subtle way that only Barnes can do.

Subjects and themes traversed in this book include: the faulty nature of human memory; the intersection between remembered and recorded history; and long held ideas that shatter like a mirror pane inside of the mind. Barnes won the Man Booker Prize for this novel and deservedly so. It will linger long in the memory after the final page is read. The epic scale of this story isn’t indicated by the meagre 150 pages – it’s a complete masterpiece!

Mukhopadhyay starts with a short introduction to the history of feminism, positioning herself as a feminist woman of colour. She then introduces one of the main topics of the book; the popular claim that feminism has ruined dating. Mukhopadhyay takes the challenge: it is not feminism that ruined dating – it’s the dating that ruined dating.
The book explores the complicated issues of marriage, singledom, masculinity, myths, sexuality, all in reference to the popular beliefs on one side, and feminism on the other. Mukhopadhyay asks to stay critical about the media’s portrayal of romance and its expectations. Several examples in the first half of the book are US-specific, and a non-American reader might feel left out or puzzled. However, it would be unfair to dismiss the book for this reason, as Mukhopadhyay’s arguments are balanced and there is no shortcoming in terms of the quality of her writing.

Men and women, Mukhopadhyay says, are constantly bombarded by impossible, unreachable, contradictory messages about that the other sex expects or wants; although the author focuses on the female side of the population, she does not forget the other side of the coin- men are equally affected by the messages from the outside world as to what is expected of them in terms of being men, and being men whilst dating/in relationships. When it comes to the female side of the dating industry, Mukhopadhyay successfully reveals the faulty logic of many contemporary books/sources on dating, calling them misogynistic and sexist.

For me Why dating is ruining your love life was not a revelation and did not evoke a wow reaction; it was more a reminder to stay critical. Maybe the book will be a breath of fresh air for someone who is lost in-between the myriad of dating advice. The author thoughtfully combines personal experience from her own dating fortunes and misfortunes and compares these to feminism. Feminism, according to Mukhopadhyay, requires reminding oneself what one believes in, in order to form and maintain satisfying relationships. The most important message, I believe, is to not take dating and relationships for granted. There are many kinds of relationships, and discovering what kind suits you best is essential: one-night-stands, casual hook-ups, polyamorous relationships, open relationships, monogamous relationships; they all exist as valid paths for different individuals. The more we acknowledge the imperfection of ourselves, the more freedom we have to carve out the relationships that we consider meaningful. This book is good in emphasizing the importance of starting the romance from the inside (within ourselves), and not from the outside, which is full of impossible standards and hurtful “truths”.

Within these 13 stories, situations play out in Simpson’s preferred landscape of the ordinary, such as the muted domestic malcontent in “Squirrel”, with a few jarring left-hand turns thrown in; the futuristic “Diary of an interesting Year”.

Indeed, the force of stories like “Squirrel”, in which a squirrel trapped under a bin lid reveals much about a suffocating marriage, or the title story, at the center of which lies a dead man and a transatlantic flight, is diluted by these left hand turns. There is a forced, superficial feel to the pieces like “Diary”, a story that may indeed feature a woman trapped by her life choices, but that plays out in a world made unrecognizable by environmental disaster.

This graphic imagining of a world turned lawless and savage is not original or particularly provocative. There seems little point to the narrative, and it lacks the poignant aftertaste that so many of her stories carry. The same goes for the flimsy “Ahead of the Pack”, which is essentially a first person sales pitch concerning the need to reduce our carbon footprint. This again has a forced quality, its credential lying in novelty, or some kind of half-baked admonition about our attitude towards climate change.

It is as though Simpson was challenged to do something different for this collection, but it smacks of difference for difference’s sake. And there is this continual bee in her bonnet about climate change, which should come across as a theme but feels more like querulous repetition to me.

One story wears the difference well; in “Sorry?” we are lead through the tragic-comic story of an old man and his new hearing aid, a device that gives him access to things he might rather not hear. And indeed those stories that are more classically Simpson are rewarding showcases of what she does best. Her caliber as an observer and a straight talker bring a grief, accessibility and sweetness to the works like “Scan” and “Homework.”

As a consequence I feel the collection is weakened as a whole, but the pieces that shine with the true Simpson touch remain worth the read.

Hostage, the author’s latest novel, is a slender volume readdressing that same theme. Shaltiel Feigenberg is a Romanian born Jewish storyteller living in Brooklyn. In 1975 he is snatched off the streets by two members of the Palestinian Revolutionary Action Group, a fictional terrorist organization. His captors, an Arab and an Italian, blindfold and imprison him in a basement and demand the release of three Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Feigenberg’s freedom. They also demand that he sign a “voluntary” declaration condemning the Jewish state for all crimes “committed against the unfortunate Palestinians”.

Being of no true political importance and of meager wealth, Shaltiel, son of a holocaust survivor, sits bound to a chair, baffled as to why he has been taken prisoner. Wiesel writes: “Will the person who has never been tortured ever know the solitude of the hostage, his humiliations, his incomprehension, his doubts?”

Hostage is a study of the complex series of emotional reactions which take place in the dark psychological terrain beneath the prisoner’s blindfold. Wiesel documents vividly the nauseous sense of disorientation, the rhythmic upset to the personal time frame, and the flinching anticipation of the torturer’s blow. His latest novel is also a celebration of a hostage’s survival instincts, with a specific emphasis on Shaltiel’s mental dexterity and resilience.

The author notes poignantly: “A man’s life, really, is not made up of years but of moments, all of which are fertile and unique”. These very moments keep Shaltiel alive. In his darkness, he recalls his past life: his childhood in Davarowsk before and during Nazi occupation, his brother’s involvement with the Communist party and journey to the Soviet Union, the ghettoization of the Jewish community and liquidation of the ghetto, his evasion of the death camps on account of a Nazi SD officer hiding him in his basement, the murder of his relatives, his father and cousin’s return from Auschwitz, his first encounter with his future wife Blanca at City College New York, and his restless wandering as a journalist in the Far East.

Shaltiel’s story is a meditation on the importance of memory. Each moment in the hostage’s history is presented by the author as a series of broken fragments. Some readers may criticize Wiesel’s writing style for being overly choppy, yet in this case it serves to mirror the hostage’s unsettled psychological state. Shaltiel flips frantically between past and present, drawing strength from memory in order to defend and sustain himself in the face of his captors. “Anything is better than chaos or amnesia,” writes Wiesel.

The ghosts of his past wrap around him as protectors. As he is being beaten viciously, the face of the burly Soviet Jewish soldier who helped liberate Davarowsk looms before him: “Piotr, where are you my friend? Come and help me!” Meanwhile, the memory of the mystic One-eyed Paritus, a recurring character in Wiesel’s writing, offers the captive philosophical sustenance.

Shaltiel’s kidnappers are aligned in their opposition to the “Zionist cause” yet via a Socratic line of questioning their prisoner succeeds in exposing the glaring disparities in their moral and political convictions. The Arab, Ahmed, is ruthless and bloodthirsty, born in a refugee camp, his brother killed by an Israeli commando and his father and grandfather stateless and living on alms, he is intent on reaping revenge. His communication is based on insults and threats alone, and Shaltiel finds it impossible to converse or reason with him. The Italian, Luigi, refers to himself as a political revolutionary. He believes that “fear is more tangible than promises,” and that violence alone can bring about radical political change. He underlines that he is not cruel, unlike his Arab comrade who, he remarks, would take the lives of children if it were to further his cause. Shaltiel senses that the Italian is open to political debate and begins to test his motives for the kidnapping.

It is in these protracted political debates that the novel goes astray. Readers will doubt that in his vulnerable position, Shaltiel could find the audacity to remind the men who hold his life in their hands of “a few political truths,” but this he does, remarking glibly: “It was only in 1947 that, for the first time, the concept of a legal independent Arab state in Palestine appeared on a resolution adopted by the United Nations…This resolution….had been accepted by Israel. The Arabs rejected it and chose violence instead. Had they accepted the partition plan, today Lydda and Jaffa would be part of a Palestinian state living peacefully alongside a smaller, if not weaker, Jewish state.”

It is implausible that a hardened terrorist would allow his captive to lecture him at such length, or that a badly beaten prisoner would ever address his captor in such a patronizing manner. The debates which take place between Shaltiel and Luigi feel contrived – a vehicle for Wiesel’s political philosophies – but little more.

Perhaps the most disconcerting aspect the novel is that it fails to remain true to its own basic principles. Toward the end of the story the narrator comments “after all, the truth of the opposite camp is also a truth”. Sadly, the Palestinian truth is emphatically muted. The Arab character is kept at a distance from the reader and seen only through his explosions of violence and hatred towards his prisoner – his life story reduced to little more than a footnote. Shaltiel remarks “I am not an enemy of Islam”, and yet there remains a distinct indifference to the Palestinian ‘right to return’, whereby the author cannot mask his Zionist commitments.

Insightful and moving in part, Hostage is an important novel in terms of its exploration of hostage psychology. For survivors of political terror, Wiesel’s message remains emphatic: there is hope and strength in memory – never forget. And yet the author’s blunt dismissal of the Arab viewpoint, his oversimplification and dehumanization of his one Arab character serves only to sully this message, denying the narrative of what could prove a valuable multi faceted political perspective. Wiesel’s novel discusses political chains of violence and ultimately advocates the importance of words and discussion as a means to peace, but it is a peace that can be met on the author’s rigid terms alone.

‘The First Blast of the Trumpet is a fictional account of the early undocumented life of John Knox. Marie MacPherson, a renowned academic, will be presenting a short documentary film followed by a reading from her novel and book signing.

The evening will be further enhanced with period music from the duo Shatter’d Consort.

Tickets are free and can be booked here

Edinburgh Central Library
on Tuesday 30th October 2012
6pm – 7.30 pm

Refreshments will be served

Hardback copies of the novel (£20) will be available for signing

The Armour of Achilles is the third book in Glyn Iliffe’s Odysseus series, after King of Ithaca and The Gates of Troy. 10 years have passed since Odysseus’ parting with his wife Penelope from the small Island of Ithaca, 10 years since the beginning of the Trojan War and the Greek army is no closer to defeating the Trojan army and capturing Troy.

We join Odysseus and his Captain Eperitus at a pivotal moment in the Trojan War, King Agamemnon faces possible mutiny from his soldiers and allies of Troy from Amazonia and the Aethiopes approach to break the Siege imposed by the Greeks. But to add even more hardship to Agamemnons’ current situation he has also angered one of the most feared and respected soldiers in the Greek army, Achilles the Myrmidon Prince.

If you have always fancied reading the original Iliad written by Homer, but like me find the poetry hard to read, then look no further than this series by Glyn Iliffe. It has all the important details of the Iliad with very little deviation from the original story, unlike some other more accessible versions. Eperitus’ storyline is intertwined with Odysseus’ journey, meaning there is no straight line to follow, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat right up to the end of the book. There is plenty of deceit, greed, betrayal, revenge and madness for the reader to enjoy which will leave you craving the next story in the series.

If Greek Mythology is an interest of yours or you just enjoy reading about the Classics, and want to read an excellent edition of the Iliad with all the most famous of Greek Heroes and Kings, then The Armour of Achilles might be for you.

If you really enjoy Greek mythology I would also recommend you look into two books by Robert Graves, The Greek Myths I & II: they provide an excellent translation of the Greek Myths and how their interpretation has changed over time.

The event is open to the public and refreshments are provided. The launch starts at 6.30pm at the Blackwells on South Bridge (no 53-59).

For more information and RSVP please visit the Cynthia Rogerson - If I Touched the Earth book launch Facebook page.

The range of books the Humble eBook Bundle is offering is quite diverse:

• Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean –  Signal to Noise
• John Scalzi – Old Man’s War
• Cory Doctorow – Pirate Cinema
• Paolo Bacigalupi – Pump Six
• Lauren Beukes – Zoo City
• Mercedes Lackey – Invasion
• Kelly Link – Stranger Things Happen
• Kelly Link – Magic for Beginners

When you pay more than the average price, you also receive:

• Randall Munroe – xkcd: volume 0
• Zach Weiner – Save Yourself, Mammal!
• Zach Weiner – The Most Dangerous Game
• Jerry Holkins & Mike Krahulik – Attack of the Bacon Robots
• Jerry Holkins & Mike Krahulik – Epic Legends of the Magic Sword Kings

One thing that is worth noting is that all the books are DRM free, so they are not tied down to any particular device, and come in a variety of formats (ePub, PDF and MOBI).

To find out more,  you can visit the Humble eBook Bundle website. If you’ve read any of these titles, please let us know what you think of them by commenting on this post below.

These tensions do not make for stereotypes however. In fact my initial fear that this would be a pedestrian stick to the formula kind of best seller, disintegrated in the warmth of this broad, subtle book. The scope gradually swells and expands beyond that small stretch of California where the sisters’ differences play out. Soon Goodman has woven both US coasts into her tale, and an array of families, tensions and subplots encompassing, among others, a stock-market savvy Jewish sect, a conflicted woman with an oven full of cookbooks, an English computer programmer who doubles as a performance artist and who may, or may not, end up throwing a rubber chicken in the Charles River.

And that’s not to mention the cast of characters who machinate on either side of the tech and arts world boundary. These programmers and tree huggers, the eponymous “cookbook collector” all vie with their own equivalent ethical and emotional dilemmas. The book probes the implications of electronic fingerprinting and surveillance, the ethics of buying what arguably shouldn’t be sold, or saved, and the calcifying effects of long-term loneliness.

All these goings on of life, love and beyond beat to the rhythm of several metaphoric ticking clocks, the aging process of Jess and Emily, the downward direction of the tech companies share price, the weight of a certain secret Emily shares with her boyfriend, and the march of the plot towards September 2011, the year in which the book concludes.

There is no disjointedness; each part of this miscellany keeps an organic connection to another part. The well researched business and technical vocabulary is cross-pollinated with the psychological and emotional. Goodman pulls back the
curtain of jargon to reveal the inspiration behind it:

Instead of lecturing about release dates and talking up ISIS products, Jonathan
was presenting new ideas…Orion saw the plan opening, blossoming like fireworks
trailing sparks and smoke in the night sky…

This is not to say Goodman is a “girlie” writer, rather she is humanizing. Of course, the book does end on a wedding, which to me seemed a little too tidy, a little too redolent of an Austen-like romance plot. However that’s not to say it’s a cut and dry “happy ending” and anyway, who doesn’t like a wedding?