Game on for Noughts & Crosses

Noughts and Crosses: Malorie Blackman. 26 October – 6 November 2009.
My rating: ♦♦♦♦◊

Forbidden love spawned by mixed childhood friendships – on the surface, Noughts and Crosses appears to be the latest incarnation of Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story and Fox and the Hound. But the first in Blackman’s title of the same name is an exploration of racial prejudice and human relationships.

The traditional whites-rule-the-blacks world is inverted, presumably to disturb the reader’s conception of racist issues. Aside from that, there is nothing much new particularly within the overriding pretext.

Callum and Sephy, a white nought and black cross respectively, alternate the narrative in a dual-first person setup which is cleverly done. With so much emphasis on the characters’ idea of each other, it’s a masterstroke on Blackman’s part to allow the reader to understand exactly what is being experieced from each perspective.

By the middle of the book, you cannot fail to get annoyed with both Callum and Sephy. Each chapter brings another, more depressing event and both lead characters simply allow life to happen to them. The reader cannot help but be irritated by their insistence on reacting to each setback by sitting feeling sorry for themselves. We must trudge on through the wallowing in the hope of a ray of sunshine, or some proactive activity from either Callum or Sephy.

Things change in the latter stages, and the plot takes a more dramatic twist. The ending, while somewhat predictable, is hugely emotive and powerful.

Many books are plot-driven with strong characters, but this is one of the few which can claim to be truly character-driven. The writing increases in emotion and Noughts and Crosses, while it didn’t quite move me to tears at its conclusion, is the book which has come closest to doing so and for that reason alone I have graded it four stars.

Upon closing the cover, I was disturbed and moved by the ending. The book does leave you emotionally drained, but that was no doubt the author’s intention. A serious issue such as this should not be casually brushed off, and we are challenged afresh to review our modern world, which is supposedly “over” its racist history. The characters penetrated my thoughts for days after the final page, and I was truly rewarded for pushing through the difficult middle of the book. I now can’t wait to read the next installment of the series, ready to be challenged again.

Angels and Demons (And Spellcheckers)

Frank Piretti. 24 September – 22 October 2009.
My rating: ♦♦♦♦◊

Piretti’s much-hyped This Present Darkness has earned its reputation as one of the key fiction classics of the 20th century. Strong and unforgettable characters are found in a carefully constructed plot, underpinning sound theology in this bestseller.

Written to explore the impact of spiritual warfare, This Present Darkness is supported by a strong and thrilling plot which could be enjoyed even without the Christian elements. As such, the background battles between angel and demon further enhances an already well-paced and gripping plot.

The characters are mostly rounded and believable. The main protagonist Marshall Hogan is funny and brash, yet vulnerable and sensitive. The angels are also well written, with their confusion and frustration well represented alongside their strength and determination. The demonic leaders Rafar and Lucius are well thought out, displaying the interrelationships fed on pride, jealousy and suspicion one would expect. The smaller demons are more disappointing – 2D and almost comical. Some, such as Complacency, almost warrant sympathy and undermine their menace.

The theology is broadly in line with mainstream Christianity, and Piretti avoids making any major theological statements. The casting out of demons is rather simplistic – the subjects being ready and willing, the process taking minutes and no aftercare is apparently needed. However, the power of prayer and truism that we know so little of the spiritual realm is well portrayed.

My biggest criticism of the book is the existence of constant schoolboy typing errors. As the cover of my copy proudly boasts more than a million copies have been sold, one would expect basic mistakes to have been corrected. Constantly, the writer does not take a new line when a different character speaks, which makes the dialogue difficult to follow. Elsewhere, quotation marks close which were never opened, and you find yourself backtracking, and the wrong word is used in another place. These annoying and distracting mistakes are the reason this book will go no higher than four stars.

This Present Darkness is an entriguing mystery with an inspiring spiritual undertone. Tal’s playing of the battle trumpet begins an epic finale which slips seamlessly between the natural and spiritual realm. Readers of this book will be encouraged to continue praying and contributing in the battle that is always ongoing, never sleeping, against this present darkness.

What’s occurring? Who knows?

BBC Three. 14 September – 1 October 2009.
My rating: ♦♦♦◊◊

The first series of this Doctor Who spin-off had a multitude of pros and cons that, once considered, leave the viewer somewhat underwhelmed.

The storylines, the thrust of any decent series, are varied. There are some truly good ones, such as Cyberwoman, Greeks Bearing Gifts and They Keep Killing Suzie, however even the best Torchwood episodes are on par with the worst of Doctor Who’s. Some of them are outright terrible, most of all the horrorfest Countrycide.

The sex and violence were used appropriately and only when required for the storyline. Thumbs up to the team for taking advantage of the “adult” tag without overdoing it. However, Russell T. Davis admittedly uses the series as some sort of crusade to bring homosexuality to the forefront, and Jack’s sexuality is brought obstensibly into the storyline without justification (as compared to Toshiko’s dabble, for instance, which is written almost naturally). The season finale is a downright disappointment – it builds up well and has the potential to be brilliant before being suddenly resolved with no real thought. The solution is nothing more than a cop-out.

The characters themselves are also varied. Captain Jack is a strong and complex character (if you ignore the horrible, bizarre contortions he pulls during his overacting!), and Eve Myles is excellent as surrogate audience character Gwen Cooper. Owen Harper is also well played, with layers of his character being revealed as the series progresses. Tosh is terribly played, and seems unsure of everything she says and Ianto is downright depressing, moping his way about the hub with tea and biscuits.

The references to Doctor Who are well done. A nod to the season finale, and the Vote Saxon posters paying homage to the upcoming season allow Torchwood to acknowledge the mother-show without overdoing it. The presence of the Doctor’s hand and the TARDIS are also carefully woven in without being in-your-face.

Overall, this first series experiments continuously. Some work out brilliantly, others are utter disasters. But kudos to them for trying, and I would certainly recommend giving it a go. The onus is now on the team to ensure the series finds its feet and progresses beyond its flaws in season 2.

2010: The 50 Greatest Thrillers

Next year, I’ll be reading the 50 Greatest Thrillers, compiled recently and with an introduction by Ian Rankin. A book a week is quite ambitious, but I’ll do my best – some of the titles look very interesting. There’s some huge names in there that I haven’t read yet, that I really should!!

The year’s split into five sections:

The Great Detectives
The first ten books have a great mix of classic sleuths, including Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, John Rebus and Inspector Morse to name a few. The brilliant authors Ruth Rendall and Patricia Cornwell has an outing, as does the No1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Murder on the Orient Express is one of the two books in the whole schedule I’ve read, and is certainly one of Agatha Christie’s most famous which I look forward to revisiting. It’s also worth mentioning the first book, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, is the oldest in the list with an 1841 publication date.

Serial Killers
Block 2 pays homeage to some of the great mass murderers of fiction with more enormous classics from Dracula to Jaws making an appearance. Unsurprisingly, Silence of the Lambs also makes the count in this section with James Paterson and Jeffery Deaver also making contributions. I’m especially excited about Michael Connelly’s appearance with The Poet. Neither of his more famous characters – Bosch or Haller – appear in this novel, but having recently LOVED The Brass Verdict, I’m very much looking forward to his latest offering.

The Thrill of the Chase
Some cat-and-mouse page turners are selected for the third category of the countdown. Probably the most famous in this section is James Bond’s outing in Casino Royale, which was Daniel Craig’s first incarnation in 2006. Fellow blockbuster The Bourne Identity is also in there, in what will be the book’s 20th anniversary year. Tom Clancy’s in the list, as is The Spy Who Came In From The Cold.

Nailbiters
The fourth chunk of ten books are thrillers in the edge-of-your-seat sense, with a spread of old and new like the other categories. More big names include The Count of Monte Carlo and the unrivalled classic Strangers on a Train – personally one of the ones I’m most looking forward to as it reaches its 60th year! As well as the downright creepy, we have gangland thriller The Godfather and John Grisham’s The Runaway Jury.

The Unusual Suspects
The category name for the top 10 is simply ‘The Unusual Suspects’ because they don’t all fit into one specific genre. Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jackyll and Mr Hyde is there alongside other greats such as Stephen King, Martina Cole and Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code (the other one I’ve read). James Ellroy is represented, not by LA Confidential but The Black Dahlia.

Click below to see the entire list!

The Mirror Crack’d From Side To Side

Agatha Christie. 10 September – 23 September 2009.
My rating: ♦♦♦◊◊

Click to view at Amazon.co.uk

The 37th installment of The Agatha Christie Collection, The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side, sees the return of Miss Marple as the title sleuth. The latest offering has a cunning twist but overall fails to leave a lasting impression.

The early part of the book spends a great deal of time “setting the scene”, but the characters are mostly bland and 2-dimensional. The inevitable murder is a relief, because it means there will at least be some plot movement.

The recurring themes for the investigation are quickly established, the “Lady Shallott” look. Christie wisely avoids dwelling for too long on any character or interview, and instead keeps the investigations brief. Although the characters are mostly quite dull and their accounts repetitive, the swift progression from one to the next prevents you from getting bogged down.

The story comes into its own at the end, with the plot quickening and twists emerging as the body count suddenly soars. The latter parts of the book are much more like the Christie we know and love.

It must be said, while I have criticised the flatness of some characters, it does succeed in making the more memorable ones shine out all the more. The incredibly complex Marina Gregg is unravelled further and further, and the represetation of the TV scene is very well represented from Christie’s quaint era. In particular, Gregg’s frequent marriages and divorces together with showbiz melodrama makes Gregg a wonderfully parodied yet equally original central character.

Also worth mentioning is Miss Marple’s hired help, Miss Knight, who backflips stereotypes of old and young people. Knight is incredibly funny combined with Marple’s sharp wit and refusal to be patronised because she is older.

Disappointing is Dermot Craddock as the lead investigator in the case. Unlike Poirot, where he does the work and has an obligatory sidekick, it is Craddock who does all the investigating in this case, with Miss Marple in something of a supporting role until the end. Notwithstanding Craddock’s own weaknesses – very little is shown of his analysis, thoughts, feelings or turmoil – it does seem a little misleading to class this as a Marple novel. Surely a character so famous of Miss Marple deserved more dialogue and action?

Overall, The Mirror Crack’d is a good read. It’s one of Christie’s shortest, which prevents the flatness of the plot and characters from being too defined. There are some great exchanges, and the solution – though very quickly revealed and forgotten in a rushed ending disproportionate to its importance – will leave you slapping your head for not working it out!

Dumfries-ho!

My new home!!

OK, so I promise to do a relevant current-affairs-y post soon. But it’s about time I addressed the Dumfries issue… I’m moving there!!

Carron and I have decided to pack up and move to Dumfries. We’re planning to go pretty much as soon as we’ve got a house and jobs down, but at a guess I’d pin it on summer next year.

Cry not, for I’m not dying.

Click on “more” to see what that means for my various involvements, if you’re needing to know.

How should we respond to the Lockerbie Bomber?

Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi

Yesterday, I witnessed a historic occassion that will go down in textbooks and documentaries for years to come. From my office window next to Glasgow Airport, I could see the plane that would transport Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi back to Libya taking off, followed by police helicopters, as the press and public looked on.

Today’s headlines carry the news of anger from the media, the relatives of the victims, the heads of state around the world and of the British and American publics. With so much fury being, understandably, directed at a convicted terrorist freed on compassionate grounds, where should we stand?

Matthew 5 warns us against anger, because “if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgement! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” (v.22). Jesus goes on to warn us about revenge in verse 38: “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.”

And crucially, verses 43-48: “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbour’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt taxt collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Justice would suggest Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi should be left in jail, despite his cancer. The argument is that, if he showed no mercy to the people he is convicted of killing in the Lockerbie Bombing in 1988, then why should we now show mercy to him? Shouldn’t he be left to rot?

The answer is no. We must extend grace to him, and that is not easy. The victims of the terrorist attack will remaind dead, and the bereaved will remain in grief. It seems unnatural to simply forget what happened 21 years ago, but Jesus tells us it is the way we behave. Yes, it seems impossible to expect us to just ‘turn the other cheek’ to Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, but then – isn’t it also absurd to expect a Father to send His only Son to be murdered for the benefit of those who murdered Him?

We have all been given grace as a free gift from God when we didn’t deserve it. You and I may not be terrorists, but our punishment was death. Nevertheless, through no act of our own, we were saved and forgiven when we did not deserve it. How can we, with a clear conscience and without hypocricy, refuse to extend that grace to others? Although Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi deserves to be punished for his actions, he is also being extended that same offer of grace from God. And if God can extend that offer when He is perfect, how could we ever fail to follow suit?

This is an opportunity for the church and for Christians to stand apart. Today more than most days, we have the opportunity to display Christ’s love and God’s forgiveness. Let people see that attitude in you, and let them ask how we can be so forgiving. Allow it to be an opportunity to express how God has forgiven you when you deserved to die.

My sypmathies go out to the families of those killed in the Lockerbie Bombing, for Kenny MacAskill’s statement will surely be like rubbing salt in their wounds. But let’s unite now, and demonstrate to an angry and hurting world that only one person will ever be capable of healing those wounds – Jesus Christ.

Originally posted Friday, 21 August 2009 by Everyday Community.