I’ve recently changed my commute routine for the day job. Before, I used to drive 35-40 minutes into work, park up nearby and repeat the routine coming home. I’m making a bit of an effort at the moment to save money here and there for a mortgage – you know, proper grown up stuff. As part of that I realised I could spend less money by driving to the nearest train station that has free parking and then catch the train in from there. The good news is that yes, it is indeed saving me money. I only pay for the trips that I have to make. Before, I had a monthly parking pass which I would be charged for whether I used it or not.
Anyway, to explain the train thing. It means that now I have opportunity to read some books, watch some TV shows, even do some writing when I’m on the train. It’s an extra hour or so per day that I have for it, and I’m making the most of the time I’ve gained back. So far this year I’ve finished off 15 books, 6 or 7 ahead of my target for the year. I’m quite pleased with myself – if only because I have more than 500 books on the “to read” pile, which never seems to shrink. If anything, the more I’m reading the worse it gets. In a good way, of course.
There, that’s the boring bit of context out of the way. Now onto the fun stuff.
So then, what have I been reading this week? I’ve been switching between physical books and my Kindle subject to where I’m reading. As much as I’d like to lug around a big hardback novel on my commute, it’s much more convenient sticking with the Kindle. Physical books I tend to read when I’m at home.
The Player of Games by Iain M Banks
I’ve recently started reading the Culture series of novels by Iain M Banks. Consider Phlebas was a solid space opera opener, even if the plot felt like it was a case of watching the main character Horza make one bad decision after another. In any case there was enough there for me to enjoy without picking too much of it apart. The characters were interesting and the world itself feels like a living, breathing thing in itself. Good enough to justify continuing with the series in any case. Thus, I made a special trip to Waterstones to pick up the second in the series, The Player of Games.
At the time of writing this I’m about 40 pages in. The story focuses on a character called Gurgeh who is very, very good at playing games. This in itself isn’t usually enough to draw me in, but it’s book 2 in the series and Banks has drawn me in with the way he describes the world and the character’s thoughts. I’ll provide my final review of this as soon as I finish it. Most likely in time for next week’s update, if I follow my usual routine!
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood by Oliver Bowden
You know, I read the first Assassin’s Creed novel in probably 2010 or 2011. Since then I’ve bought the next three books in the series but hadn’t read any of them until now. I vaguely recall enjoying the first book, obviously enough to justify buying more books in the series. I should also point out that I’m a big fan of the video games. The story’s aren’t great, but I love the gameplay and the things you can do within that open world.
Unfortunately my feelings don’t stretch to the books. I’ve finished nearly half the book inside a couple of days and, bearing in mind it’s a novelisation of perhaps my favourite game in the series to date, it’s a horribly clunky affair. Aspects of gameplay such as developing the guilds and freeing parts of Rome from Borgia control are thrown into the narrative with reckless abandon, adding little to the core narrative. The dialogue is stilted and uninspiring, and both action and stealth sequences lack the necessary impact. It’s a shame, because there’s a lot to like about the world the series is set in.
There is one good thing about it – the novels ditch the modern day story completely. Thus, there are no cutaways to Desmond in the 21st century. This is purely about Ezio and his quest to defeat the Borgia menace. Otherwise, I’m not impressed thus far.
Reading far and wide has an effect on my own writing. It helps me to see where I could be going wrong, where I could make changes for the better, and so on. It can, in some very rare instances, show me where I’m doing things right as well. It’s interesting to see what other authors put out there, and to learn from them however I can. Not only that, but it’s also a brief respite from the real world. It certainly does the job, even when the book in question is mediocre.
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Oh yeah, I also finished the first draft of my second novel this week. I’ll hit you with details on that shortly.
