Tag Archives: Historical fiction

Human Acts by Han Kang

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Human Acts : Han Kang : 9781846275975

Title: Human Acts
Author: Han Kang
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Asia, Historical fiction, War
Dates read: 22nd – 23rd July 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Portobello
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: How can that be possible?

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Synopsis

Gwangju, South Korea, 1980. In the wake of a viciously suppressed student uprising, a boy searches for his friend’s corpse, a consciousness searches for its abandoned body, and a brutalised country searches for a voice. In a sequence of interconnected chapters the victims and the bereaved encounter censorship, denial, forgiveness and the echoing agony of the original trauma.

Human Acts is a universal book, utterly modern and profoundly timeless. Already a controversial bestseller and award-winning book in Korea, it confirms Han Kang as a writer of immense importance.

Thoughts

This was nothing like what I expected. Although, to be fair. I really didn’t know what to expect – after all, this is my first piece of Korean Literature. And my first novel that has been translated from this language. It was a great story. And I loved the ways in which some of the idiosyncrasies of another language worked their way into this story.

Effectively, this story works as six separate tales. That are all interrelated. They tell the stories of people whose lives were interconnected when their world came crashing down in war. I loved the set up – it showed so many different perspectives to the same events. And at different points. Some were in the present day, some in the past.

At the end of this novel. My heart just. Hurt. Seriously. Hurt. It was such a tragic tale. And. Just. Wow. So much heart pain. I sat there, staring at all of the happy books on my shelves that had far happier stories in it…

Some of the war stories that I’ve read have a bit of a positive light and spin. This is not one of those stories. There is such a feeling of tragedy. This is just all about the atrocities of humanity. And the horrible things that we do to one another. It is completely obvious why this is an award-winning novel. Definitely one that I would like to return to in the future…

<- More Asia reviewsMore War reviews ->

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Ink, Iron, and Glass by Gwendolyn Clare

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Ink, Iron, and Glass by Gwendolyn Clare

Title: Ink, Iron, and Glass
Author: Gwendolyn Clare
Series: Ink, Iron, and Glass #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Historical fiction, Steampunk, Young adult
Dates read: 29th June 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Square Fish
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: So, that left only one option available to her: she would have to scribe a laboratory for herself.

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Synopsis

Our best weapons are words.

A certain pen, a certain book, and a certain person can craft entirely new worlds through a branch of science called scriptology. Elsa comes from one such world that was written into creation, where her mother – a noted scriptologist – constantly alters and expands their reality.

But when her home is attacked and her mother kidnapped, Elsa is forced to cross into the real world and use her own scriptology gifts to find her. In an alternative Victorian Italy, Elsa finds a secret society of young scientists with a gift for mechanics, alchemy, or scriptology – and meets Leo, a gorgeous mechanist with a smart mouth and tragic past. She recruits the help of thse fellow geniuses just as an assassin arrives on their doorstep.

In this thrilling debut, worlds collide as Elsa unveils a deep political conspiracy seeking to unlock the most dangerous weapon ever created – and only she can stop it.

Thoughts

Wow. This was just… wow. And I don’t even remember when I bought it. Or why I didn’t read it straight away. Because… seriously… wow. This was awesome, powerful and brilliant. It was filled with all of those wonderful steampunk moments, and the aspects of young adult stories that I already know that I love. The fact that it is based in historical Italy, instead of Victorian London like many steampunk stories… that just added to the feeling of “wow”. I should really find a better word, but this one just seems to work so well…

One of my favourite things about this novel is probably just how powerful Elsa is. Most of my books feature a female lead who is powerful. But there is something so much… extra about her. Something which definitely drew me in from the very beginning. Add that to the creation of different worlds and realities… and the access to these realities is through a portal in a book… I found this to be one of my favourite worlds that have been built in a long time. There was something so eerily and beautifully familiar about all of it… whilst being completely new and refreshing.

I love that there are three main affinities for the “mad children”. And one of those is Alchemy… I’m still a little vague as to exactly what alchemy encompasses. But I do love that Skandar is the creation of one such “mad boy”. He may be my favourite, quirkiest creature yet. Definitely the most unique, a squidlike cuddle monster who can also attack and kill others… I may be a little ghoulish and blood-thirsty. But it was an idea and execution that I particularly enjoyed. And it kind of helped to make some of the more serious moments… less serious.

Leo and Elsa are a great couple in this. I love the way they fall for each other and the constant banter that they have. Their histories are intertwined and their futures even more so. And although there are moments in which you’re not entirely sure if they’re going to actually make it… you really just can’t help but hope for the best. Or at least, that’s what I’m hanging out for in the next book… when I have enough money to actually buy the next book…

<- More Gwendolyn ClareMist, Metal, and Ash ->

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The Last Necromancer by C.J. Archer

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Overview
The Last Necromancer by C.J. Archer

Title: The Last Necromancer
Author: C.J. Archer
Series: The Ministry of Curiosities #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Historical fiction, Paranormal fantasy, Steampunk
Dates read: 23rd – 24th May 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: C.J. Archer
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: I wouldn’t have stood for it if I were her.

Synopsis

The Last Necromancer

Victorian London: For five years, Charlotte (Charlie) Holloway has lived as a boy in the slums. But when one theft too many gets her arrested, her only means of escape lies with a dead man. Charlie hasn’t raised a spirit since she first discovered she could do so five years ago. That time, her father banished her. This time, she brings even more trouble upon herself.

People are now hunting Charlie all over London, but only one man succeeds in capturing her.

Lincoln Fitzroy is the mysterious head of a secret organization on the trail of a madman who needs a necromancer to control his newly “made” creatures. There was only one known necromancer in the world – Charlotte – but now there appears to be two. Lincoln captures the willful Charlie in the hopes the boy will lead him to Charlotte. But what happens when he discovers the boy is in fact the young woman he’s been searching for all along? And will she agree to work for the man who held her against her will, and for an organization she doesn’t trust?

Because Lincoln and his ministry might be just as dangerous as the madman they’re hunting.

Thoughts

I bought this book because I needed a book with the word Necromancer in the title. I’d also heard of the author C.J. Archer in the past, and knew that she was one that I wanted to read. So, the combination of the two seemed like this was the perfect book to put on my shelves. And I was right. The Last Necromancer ticked all of my boxes. It took me to my happy place, featured a great storyline and was just impossible to put down. It’s been a while since I got this happily hooked into a novel.

This whole journey was thoroughly enjoyable and seriously fun. It also had the moments of darkness that I always love in a good novel. After all, if it’s all sunshine and light, there aren’t so many heart stopping moments. And, honestly, I just don’t find the storyline quite as realistic, and therefore harder to relate to. I love that this story featured a battle of wits between two wonderful characters who end up suiting each other really, really well.

I absolutely adored the way in which Archer was able to weave together the past and the present in this story. Whilst you start when Charlie is an adult and has been alone for five years, you constantly refer back to a time when she wasn’t. A time when she had a family. And what happened when that family was taken away. And destroyed. There is also the mystery surrounding exactly where she got her necromancy talents from and how everything in her life came to be. Different battles which you want to find the conclusion to… again and again and again.

This novel was definitely one of those enjoyable, love that it’s in my shelves, can’t wait to buy the next book in the series books. It was just a really great, fun read. And one that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. I’m very grateful that I had to buy a book with the word necromancer in the title… it meant that I got to have the great enjoyment of filling my head with this wonderful tale.

<- C.J. ArcherHer Majesty’s Necromancer ->

Image source: Goodreads

11/22/63 by Stephen King

Book Review, , ,
Overview
11/22/63 - Wikipedia

Title: 11/22/63
Author: Stephen King
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Alternate history, Historical fiction, Time travel
Dates read: 6th – 23rd May 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Gallery Books
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: Another long fit of coughing, which ended with a terrible wet gagging sound.

Synopsis

Dallas, 11/22/63: Three shots ring out. President John F. Kennedy is dead.

Life can turn on a dime – or stumble into the extraordinary, as it does for Jake Epping, a high school English teacher in a Maine town. While grading essays by his GED students, Jake reads a gruesome, enthralling piece penned by janitor Harry Dunning: fifty years ago, Harry somehow survived his father’s sledgehammer slaughter of his entire family. Jake is blown away… but an even more bizarre secrets come to light when Jake’s friend Al, owner of the local diner, enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession – to prevent the Kennedy assassination. How? By stepping through a portal in the diner’s storeroom, and into the era of Ike and Elvis, of big American cars, sock hops, and cigarette smoke… Finding himself in warmhearted Jodie, Texas, Jake begins a new life. But all turns in the road lead to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald. The course of history is about to be rewritten… and become heart-stoppingly suspenseful.

In Stephen King’s “most ambitious and accomplished” (NPR) novel, time travel has never been so believable. Or so terrifying.

Thoughts

I was told a few years ago when I first started feeling interest in reading a King novel that this was one to start with. I then started with IT because I’m a fool who is kind of freaked out by clowns… but I digress. Turns out that this is a fantastic novel. Fantastic to start your King journey with and just a fantastic read all round. It was fun, enjoyable and not filled with the freakiness that I have found in King’s novels so far…

Although this didn’t have that horror aspect to it, there was still some serious feelings of discomfort and darkness throughout this novel. Not only in the relationship between George and Sadie (which I found tragic on so, so, so many levels). But also in the many journeys that Jake / George goes through. Each moment is a lesson in morals and the past, a lesson in understanding just what the future can hold for us… if we figure out a way to move on from the past.

The only thing that I truly know about the Kennedy assassination is that it happened. He was shot. That was the extent of my knowledge. And, to be honest, I don’t exactly know heaps more at this point. But I do know that Lee Harvey Oswald is the known shooter and that it happened in Dallas and it occurred through a window in a building called Book Depository (which disturbs me, because that’s my favourite online bookshop). This may be all a fiction, but it’s a fiction based on facts, so it was nice to not only read a very interesting and intense book that was also filled with facts about a reality I’ve never known much about. It was certainly a great way to find out more information.

11/22/63 will not only hit you in the feels, but it will also draw you in. The concept of time travel and the machinations that are involved in this are complex and brilliantly thought through. I’ve got a few time travel novels on my shelves, and some of them are just a great plot point, without much thought into the actual practices behind how time travel would work. This isn’t the case in this story – King has seriously thought through all of the details, the facts and the difficulties which time travel would entail. Which is kind of obvious when you realise just how damn big this book is…

<- ‘Salem’s LotUnder the Dome ->

Image source: Wikipedia

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Cecily (The United Kingdom)'s review of The Help

Title: The Help
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Book to Film, Historical fiction, Race, Strong women
Dates read: 21st March – 2nd April 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Penguin Books
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: Some dormant instinct tells me to smile, run my hand through my hair.

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Synopsis

Enter a vanished world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren’t trusted not to steal the silver…

There’s Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the heart caused by her own son’s tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white Miss Skeeter, home from college, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared.

Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they’d be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend and rely upon one another. Each is in search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary stroy to tell…

Thoughts

The Help is one of my absolute favourite movies. Not only does it star some of my favourite actors, it’s an amazing story. Filled with just the right amount of humour to top the sad parts from being too sad, but also a great message throughout. So I bought the book. And I really wasn’t sure whether it would be all that great – after all, sometimes if the movie is that good, the book isn’t, and vice versa. But, I am pleased to report. I was wrong!

Once I really got my teeth into this novel, I seriously couldn’t put it down. Not only is it phenomenally amazing, but, even though I know how it’s going to end… I STILL couldn’t put it down. Because what if I was wrong? What if it was something different to what I saw in the movie? There were all the key moments, but so many extras in the book… I couldn’t stop just wondering what would happen next!

One of the great improvements of this novel is the romance between Stuart and Skeeter. It’s a little more tragic when they have differences they can’t get over and eventually end their relationship. You feel a little sorry for Skeeter in the movie, but it’s more of a blip in the greater storyline. Yet, in the book… you actually think that there may be a chance for them. And you hope again and again. Which of course makes the come down and the break up all that much worse. Same with Skeeter’s relationships with Hilly and Elizabeth in the book – you actually feel incredibly sorry for her as all of her relationships dissolve and the consequences of her actions are so much more serious.

I absolutely adored this book. And it’s definitely going into my “reread me” pile. Yet, what I loved most about this whole story was how seriously racial relations are dealt with. How it’s not all about hate or love. Not simple. There is such an intense complexity to all of these relationships that makes you think about the relationships in your own life. Whatever shape or form they are in, the message I got from this book is that we are all people, and in particular, all women, and we don’t know each other’s stories. So maybe we should just give each other a break every once in a while?

<- More raceMore historical fiction ->

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Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell : Susanna Clarke : 9781408856888

Title: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Author: Susanna Clarke
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Alternate history, Historical fiction, Magic
Dates read: 7th – 23rd March 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: He said that he had always thought that it was a pity that magic was not more commonly used in England; he said it pained him to see Mrs Bloodworth and her daughters washing and sweeping and cooking and cleaning from dawn to dusk when they ought, in his opinion, to be sitting on cushions in jewel-spangled gowns eating comfits.

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Synopsis

The year is 1806. England is beleaguered by the long war with Napoleon, and centuries have passed since practical magicians faded into the nation’s past. But scholars of this glorious history discover that one remains: the reclusive Mr Norrell, whose displays of magic send a thrill through the country. Proceeding to London, he raises a beautiful woman from the dead and summons an army of ghostly ships to terrify the French. Yet the cautious, fussy Norrell is challenged by the emergence of another magician: the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange. Young, handsome and daring, Strange is the very antithesis of Norrell. So begins a dangerous battle between these two great men. Their obsessions and secret dabblings with the dark arts will cause more trouble than they can imagine.

Thoughts

To be honest, I didn’t get all the way through this book. It was just really not my pace. Or my style. But I did get most of the way through. And then I skimmed the rest of the pages to at least get a bit of a gist of what the story was about and how it all ended.

The irony? Sitting down to write this review… I still don’t have any strong feelings or thoughts about this story.

Don’t get me wrong, I did really like the style of writing and storytelling. There was something in that alone that kept me hooked for quite a while. But I didn’t feel this overwhelming need to pick the book up and keep reading. My emotions were really just “meh” about it. Which is why I skimmed to the end. I was curious, but I wasn’t that bothered either. And since I have so many other books that I can’t wait to see what will happen next…

All in all, if you really love historical fictions that read a little bit like a telling of history. This may actually be the book for you. I can’t really fault it. But for me, who likes a bit more page-turning in my stories… I just didn’t quite get the yay feeling out of it.

 <- More alternate history reviewsMore historical fiction reviews ->

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The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories edited by Maxim Jakubowski

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Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of jack the ripper stories book cover

Title: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories
Author: Maxim Jakubowski, Barbara Nadel, Rhys Hughes, Columbkill Noonan, John Moralee, Martin Edwards, Paul A. Freeman, Vanessa de Sade, Josh Reynolds, M. Christian, Terry Davis, Patrick Jones, Michael Gregorio, Alex Howard, Stephen Dedman, Sarah Morrison, Martin Gately, Andrew Lane, Nic Martin, K.G. Anderson, Violet Addison, David N. Smith, Keith Moray, William Meikle, Cara Cooper, Brett McBean, Andrew Darlington, Betsy van Die, David Bishop, Nick Sweet, Steve Rasnic Tem, Erin N. Kennemer, Adrian Ludens, Catherine Lundoff, Martin Feekins, C.L. Raven, Nicky Peacock, Alvaro Zinos-Amaro, Sally Spedding & Adrian Cole
Series: Mammoth Books
In: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories (Maxim Jakubowski)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Historical fiction, Short story collections, Thriller
Dates read: 29th January – 30th December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: She does not possess the sharpest mind, and it was not until long after the death of her friend Mary Jane that she began to make sense of what had happened.

Synopsis

Jack the Ripper as he has never been seen before…

Countless theories have been put forward by Ripperologists as to the identity of the notorious Victorian serial killer, but in the absence of proof how can we hope ever to unearth his real identity? How many more plausible new theories based on known facts can the experts hope to come up with?

In this wonderful collection of newly commissioned stories, Jakubowski has compiled an extraordinary array of fresh explorations into the identity and activities of Jack the Ripper – this time unabashedly fictional, unrestrained by the facts of the case. Contributors include Vaanessa de Sade, Sarah Morrison, Betsy van Die, Alvaro Zinos-Amaro and Sally Spedding.

Cummulatively, they propose numerous possible identities, some already suggested by historians, others more speculative, including some famous names from history and fiction – even Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are on the case!

Thoughts

You know from the very beginning that this collection is going to be quite twisted. I mean, it’s a collection of 40 stories about Jack the Ripper. That is never going to be a nice collection. But it was an incredibly interesting one. One that I’m incredibly glad I read and found very difficult to put down.

I’m glad that I read The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper before reading this. It made a few things make a little more sense as I read these short stories. Plus, there were SO many different takes on the events of 1888. Or adaptations to modern day society. It filled my head with a lot of wonderful information.

After reading this, I know even more about Jack the Ripper. I’m not actually sure that this is such a good thing. Because wow. There’s a reason why he’s (or maybe she’s) such a notorious killer. There are just so many things that are known and not known…

<- The Mammoth Book of Jack the RipperBertie ->

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In the Wake of the Autumn Storm by Adrian Cole

Book Review, ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of jack the ripper stories book cover

Title: In the Wake of the Autumn Storm
Author: Adrian Cole
In: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories (Maxim Jakubowski)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Historical fiction
Dates read: 30th December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: Could be complete tosh, or it might allow us to blot a few escutcheons.

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Synopsis

Do you ever wonder what happened to the Ripper? Dolly is happy to provide you with the true, far more sinister story.

Thoughts

This story was incredibly beautiful. Which is a weird word to use, because it’s a story about Jack the Ripper. It’s also incredibly twisty and turny – which makes far more sense considering the stories topic and subject. But it’s this twisty and turny nature that makes it such a beautifully intriguing story.

In the Wake of the Autumn Storm is incredibly deprived. Horrifyingly so. And that depravation has nothing to do with the actual Ripper. It’s got to do with the woman whose telling the story and what happens around her. And to her. It’s just depraved.

This short story is the tale of the Ripper, his demise and the ultimate reveal at the end. Which was quite a good little surprise. One that even made me smile after I turned the final page.

 <- Trespass ReviewThe Mammoth Book of Kaiju Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Trespass by Sally Spedding

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of jack the ripper stories book cover

Title: Trespass
Author: Sally Spedding
In: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories (Maxim Jakubowski)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Historical fiction
Dates read: 29th December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: Pani Bielski, good morning.

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Synopsis

She teaches young boys in the Jewish quarter of Whitechapel. And when she realises what a monster she’s teaching… things begin to go pearshaped.

Thoughts

I seem to have really enjoyed origin stories this year. Something about them completely draws me in and I like the way that a well-known character can be seen as an immature being. This origins story was a lot freakier. Because it was the beginning of Jack the Ripper. When he was a small child and everyone else ignored what he was becoming. So much, much creepier.

There was somehow something much more terrifying about this Ripper story. Probably because it was a small child. Children as killers and budding sociopaths freaks me out. Which is probably why I don’t like dolls (but that’s a conversation for another day). Using a small boy in this made me cringe in abject horror and feel incredibly, intensely uncomfortable.

At the conclusion of this story, I literally got up, and went and found my dog. The big one. That weighs almost two thirds of my weight… and gave him a huge, gigantic hug. It made me feel just a little bit better.

 <- The Ripper is You ReviewIn the Wake of the Autumn Storm Review ->
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Signed Confession by Martin Feekins

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of jack the ripper stories book cover

Title: Signed Confession
Author: Martin Feekins
In: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories (Maxim Jakubowski)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Gender, Historical fiction
Dates read: 12th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: In the interests of equal rights, I am going home and you can finish the work here, work that can be done equally well by a man as by a woman.

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Synopsis

Twenty-two years have passed since the last Jack the Ripper murder and change is in the air. But when one woman’s walk home quickly turns sinister, she discovers that the darkness might not have completely left her city.

Thoughts

This short story takes place twenty-two years after the final canon Ripper murder. Unlike all of the other stories in this collection which take place in either modern-day society or at the time of the murders. It was nice to have a story that not only left you with an idea of some of the scars left on the city, but also with a bit of an ending to the Ripper tale.

Jack the Ripper is the most famous of serial killers. He’s the one that is known across the world in almost every household. Even if you don’t even know what he did, you know the name. Which meant that it was kind of beautifully poetic that throughout this story… it’s kind of about him not having that immortality. There is a chance that his true identity will be revealed. But rather than allowing that, the lead female decides that it’s better if some things are kept secret.

This story also highlights that turning of women’s rights. The beginning stirrings of fighting for a right to vote, a right to exist, and a right to be. It’s only touched upon, but it’s enough of a story line that you don’t want to forget about it.

 <- Bluebeard’s Wife ReviewAutumn of Terror Review ->
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