New Arrivals: Book Sale Loot

I've been very, very good when it came to not buying more books. My last splurge was in August last year, but alas I fell victim to the temptation of an online book sale. Still, seven months without buying books is an impressive feat for me.

Strangely enough most of these I already own in ebook format, but I haven't gotten round to reading them yet. The physical copies were just too irresistible...

For Review

I also received The Eterna Files from the wonderful folks at Tor for review. There's nothing quite like surprise book post to turn a dreary Monday into pure awesomeness. A huge thanks to Ardi for sending this all the way to the tip of Africa!

Still hanging on

Originally I wanted to start with the iconic line "I aten't dead" from the Discworld novels, but with the sad news that Terry Pratchett passed away it didn't really feel appropriate. I still can't believe that he's really gone, the world is much, much emptier without Sir Terry. Thankfully his spirit will live on forever in the Discworld and as we all know, "A man is not dead while his name is still spoken".

On that rather sad note, back to the real reason for this post. Way back in December I applied for a job which I didn't think I'd stand a snowball's chance in hell of getting. Hell, it seems, has suddenly grown a couple of icebergs richer - I actually got the job! Since the middle of February when I started with just 12 hours of prior notice I've been struggling to cope with the world of the permanently employed.

It has been a HUGE adjustment for me. Being self-employed for the past twelve years has made me accustomed to a certain level of freedom. If you are your own boss there's nobody to complain that you are reading during office hours or spending way too much on Twitter. Suddenly stepping into a much more regimented environment where there's no internet access, personal devices are frowned upon and literally everyone is your superior has been a huge shock to my system.

The work is mentally exhausting and the only thing I want to do when I get back home is to curl into a ball and sleep. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the work, as frustrating as it can be at times, and the promise of a steady paycheck, pension fund and medical aid is a huge bonus. The problem is that it feels as if I don't have any time left for anything else.  Surely a month and a half should've given me enough time to adjust to the new routine, but I'm still constantly exhausted. That's normal right?

A point. I had a point in there somewhere....

Oh, yes. With the new job devouring all my time it seems that reading/blogging/bookishness will have to be relegated to weekend activities. Needless to say that means that the blog will be even more quiet than usual and I'll have to be very selective in accepting review requests. It breaks my heart since there are SO MANY books I'd love to read and review, but I don't want to commit myself to something I might not be able to follow through on.

So I guess the entire point of this post is to say that I'm still here. I'll still post reviews whenever I'm able and I guess I'll just have to get the hang of being a weekend blogger/reader...

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How do you guys cope with limited reading time and juggling full-time jobs with blogging? Any tips would be hugely appreciated.

Review: The Forever Watch

Title: The Forever Watch
Author: David Ramirez
Pages: 326
ISBN: 9781444787894
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: 2014
Genre: Science Fiction
Source: Review copy from publisher

Buy it from:
The Book Depository

The Noah: a city-sized ship, four hundred years into an epic voyage to another planet. In a world where deeds, and even thoughts, cannot be kept secret, a man is murdered; his body so ruined that his identity must be established from DNA evidence.

Within hours, all trace of the crime is swept away, hidden as though it never happened. Hana Dempsey, a mid-level bureaucrat genetically modified to use the Noah's telepathic internet, begins to investigate. Her search for the truth will uncover the impossible: a serial killer who has been operating on board for a lifetime...if not longer.

And behind the killer lies a conspiracy centuries in the making.

David Ramirez’s debut novel is filled with a smorgasbord of science fiction ideas - a generation ship, a simulated world, psionics, aliens, nanobots and even an emerging artificial intelligence. Cramming all of these concepts into a single novel could be overwhelming and confusing, but The Forever Watch manages to pull it off with a flourish.

Initially it reads as a murder mystery set in a science fictional world, but as the story progresses and the elements start to fall into place it grows in complexity. Nothing is as it seems. In their hunt for a killer the main protagonists, Hana and Leon, discover that the utopian society on board the Noah is only a husk of normalcy build upon secrets and lies.

“Our perfect little world maintained by secrets and a willing acceptance that those above us know better.” (p 161)

Going into detail about the secrets they uncover would spoil the entire experience. Suffice it to say that The Forever Watch is unpredictable, filled with stunning twists and revelations that take the story into unexpected directions. The character’s allegiances and convictions are mutable, they shift and change as they react to the information they uncover. Their choices are complex with terrifying consequences.

All the different elements at play in the story are brought together in a brilliant finale that’s heartbreaking and yet retains a sense of hope. You couldn’t ask for a better conclusion and it makes persevering through the rough spots well worth the effort.

The Forever Watch isn’t without its faults. I found the pacing somewhat uneven, but once the action picked up I was completely drawn into the world. There are some sex scenes that felt overdone and unnecessary and for some reason Hana referring to “her man” on multiple occasions didn’t feel quite true to her strong, independent character.

The Verdict:
The Forever Watch is a complex, unpredictable read overflowing with ideas and new twists on familiar tropes. The characters are well-fleshed out, the world-building is top notch, there’s enough science for hard SF fans, but it’s the stunning finale that will blow you away. It turns out some secrets are worth protecting... Recommended!

The Rating: 7/10 (Very good)

Thanks to Chabi from Jonathan Ball Publishers for the review copy.