Mr Ripley's Enchanted Book Review: Philip Reeve & Sarah McIntyre - Cakes In Space

Warning: This book may contain nuts. No cakes were harmed in the production of this book. Well, that might actually be a big fat lie as the reader actually chases crumbs around space! Nevertheless, what an enticing start to a great sugary fantasy.

This is the second collaborative venture by the talented duo Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre - the creative wordsmith is Philip and the imaginative illustrator is Sarah. Although, the word on Nova Mundi is that a bunch of crazy aliens have taken both Philip and Sarah over, so perhaps we don't really know who has done what or even who is in charge of the words and the illustrations. 

This is the best exploration into space that I've undertaken for some time. It left me shaking in my armchair with the wobblies. This book is pure genius - it will lift your spirits up to the moon and back again . . . . . and then some more. The story is highly original and totally wacky; I loved every second that I spent reading this. The gravitational force behind this is pure fun, fun, fun. 

This book is packed full of amazing illustrations which definitely enhance the plot. The mixture of free flowing pencil sketches alongside the bold colourful illustrations create intergalactic ambience. The subdued next to explosive colour is exciting for the reader to engage with and, in my opinion, is well thought out and executed.

This is a great family read that can be shared together out loud or independently. The main character, Astra, is the only person left that hasn't been frozen in time. Faced with a galactic space adventure fighting sweet tooth monsters, escaping an invasion of alien Poglites and encountering a Nameless Horror, Astra has a lot to contend with. Is this too much for her to cope with alone or will the ship's robots come to her rescue?

Don't hesitate to grab a copy to read as you will definitely not look at another cake in the same way. Chocs away!!!! BEWARE - THE BATTENBERG! - FEAR THE FAIRY CAKE! - SHUN THE CHOUX BUN!

Synopsis: Astra's family are all snoring in their sleeping pods aboard their spaceship, but Astra is WIDE AWAKE. With her robot friend, Pilbeam, she goes off exploring and soon finds out the ship is in deep trouble. It's been knocked off course and invaded by a gang of Poglites, an alien salvage crew searching for spoonage (they just LOVE collecting spoons)! But even the Poglites need Astra's help when they discover something far more sinister lurking in the canteen. Sure, they're cakes; but no one would describe them as sweet.

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Mr Ripley's Adult Book Review: Enter Wildthyme by Paul Magrs

I'd like to think that this book came from The Great Book Exchange in Darlington, but to be honest it was Oxfam in York. They are not worlds apart really, unlike the galactic voyages that take part in this little adventure. One of the main characters in the book has been around for some time, but this is the first full length appearance for them in this trans-temporal adventure. Iris Wildthyme might be familiar to some, as a character from Paul's first book, as well as appearing in the Dr Who escapades but to me, she will always be a special character in fantasy. She's the  feisty granny that you would have loved to have been related to. The gin and tonic drinking time traveller with a mysterious past.

The first part of the book is set in a dusty secondhand bookshop in Darlington. Add in to the mix a celestial red, route master double decker bus and the scene is set for a normal life, but how wrong you would be.  Undeniably, Paul has the most amazing world building skills at his finger tips in this book - the story writing is very cleverly executed. Immediately, the reader is thrown into the action with a whole host of crazy and well imagined characters.  There is Iris, as well as her sidekick (a stuffed panda) originally known as Panda who is about 10 inches high and cooks a very mean breakfast. As well as a talking vending machine called Barbra, an evil poet called Marvelle and many more crazy folk.

I've never had so much fun reading an adult novel before; this was a perfect read for me. It's so crazy and surreal that it was an absolute joy to read. The story is about an object; a glass jar filled with mysterious contents which soon form the focus of a chase. It takes then to the outlandish world of Hyspero, the throne room of the Scarlet Empress and the very brink of the strange pocket dimension called . . . . . The Obverse.

This story is an adventure of good and evil - it is a book to read with a very large gin and tonic. It's fast paced; in a blink of an eye the story moves from the mundane life in Darlington to Montmartre in Paris where an alien invasion is witnessed. Never mind being catapulted to the Hammersmith Odeon to a glam rock concert in the 1970's.  It really is a breathtaking read; a roller coaster ride of mayhem and madness.

This book is very cleverly written and highly imaginative - it is full of zany off-the-wall moments. I connected with this story through the music references as well as the ideas behind the events. I found myself deeply immersed in this adventure; it is a read that I will savour until the next instalment. Five star entertainment - looking forward to the next book very soon ....

Book Review: Sophia McDougall - Mars Evacuees - Published by Egmont

I've been really looking forward to reading this book for a year or so now.  Now I have finally had the chance to read it, the question has to be . .  . . was it really worth the wait? It certainly wasn't what I was expecting, as I was anticipating something more serious and perhaps with a little bit more depth in the detail. However it is an adventure for the 9+ age group and what an adventure it turned out to be. The story rocketed from the very first page, and yes, I really enjoyed it, and so, I think, should you....

The plot for this story is brilliant. It is very imaginative - just imagine that earth has been invaded, in this case by a race called the Morror,  who fly around in invisible spacecrafts with invisible spacesuits. No-one can actually seen them, but earth needs to defend themselves from their attack. As a result, the government evacuates a group of children to Mars to train as cadets for the Exo-Defence Force. From this part on, the book should be entitled chaos in space as we read about laser shooting robot goldfish ingenious, earth eating flying worms, or something along those lines. Never mind the alien monsters and 300 crazy kids that have been left on Mars, with no adult supervision, after the adults mysteriously go missing. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? That's all I am going to say about the story, as I don't want to spoil your reading pleasure. I'm sure that you are starting to get the idea.

What you will find is a fresh, fast-paced space romp. A group of children fighting to save themselves from themselves in order to rescue the galaxy. This is science fiction where children rule. This book, in my opinion. is one of the best reads for me this year and one of the most exciting books that you will find for both boys and girls.

The story is both witty and smart. It is full of friendship and brilliant characters, good times and bad times as well as a few sad times. However these are all explored wonderfully by Sophia.  It's a joy to read; it has got all the ingredients required to pull off a magical space story. I particularly loved the craziness, playfulness and care free attitude that is evident through this book. This makes me, as on older reader, feel like a big kid and sometimes in this world this can be a wonderful feeling again.

I DON'T think that you can say that you've really lived until you have read this book. I am looking forward to the next book in the series which is, I think, out in August 2014.

Published by Egmont UK - 27, March 2014

Gareth P Jones - Space Crime Conspiracy - Book Review

The first book I read by this author was the twisted dark story of The Thornthwaite Inheritance - a book that featured the murderous twins of Ovid and Lorelli. I had the pleasure of reviewing it some time ago and really enjoyed it. So I was so looking forward to more of the same. However after the first chapter, I was left thinking about the versatility of the author, as the book proved to be really quite different in style, to the previous one that I had read. 

For Stan, a young lad from London, this is one amazing ride into the ether and back. It is a nail biting sci-fi journey to a far, far away galaxy, where Stan is whisked to the Bucket for an intergalactic crime - the killing of President Vorlgenar.

Packed full with an imaginative and inventive plot, this book finds you turning the pages faster then a speeding rocket. The book is full of Gareth's trade mark humour - making you laugh along with all the characters. The many imaginative characters all vie for your attention but my favourite is the talking mushroom, which befriends Stan - making a crazy, but important impact on the mystery that finds Stan on trial for murder.

In prison, accused of murdering President Vorlunar, things are not looking good for Stanley. But when he is released, matters get even worse! He discovers that his assumed crime has given him not only notoriety, but value. How can a boy who lives above a pub in south-east London cope with bounty hunters with beards on their foreheads, lawyers who specialise in Intergalactic Law, Pan-Dimensional Litigation and Criminal Prosecution, and the terrifying bird-headed space pirates, the Marauding Picaroons.

All through this book it left a smile on my face, until it sadly ended. This was the most enjoyable read I have had for quite some time - a bizarre romp of space madness. The runaway action is so much fun that it leaves you wanting another adventure soon, if there is one. I sincerely hope so!

Book Published by Bloomsbury 12 July 2010

David Jowsey - Shattered Truths: An'Tsari Trilogy No. 2: The Past Holds a Secret - Book Review

Mr Ripley's Book Review

I have wanted to read this book for sometime now. I have kept my eye out for this title, as the author is quite local and the book is published by an independent publishing company. So when I found a copy in a rather good bookshop in Whitby I was particularly happy to come across it. 

This is the second book to be written by David in the An'Tsari Trilogy, with the last book to come out sometime next year entitled Summer 2012. The first thing that struck me about the book was the cover, as I am a sucker for a good book cover! 

I enjoyed the first book in the series Dragons In The Sky and I thought I had a good idea as to the style that the second book would be written in but I was surprised to find it totally different.

I found the descriptive work the author used in this book to be well researched leaving the reader engaging with the story. The books overall concept was very intriguing and thought provoking at the possibilities of space travel and life on other planets. The story had an original feel and kept me guessing as to how the story was going to pan out and the ending which followed. Tom Richard's is the central character, we follow his past life and the new experiences he encounters on a NASA space mission to Mars. The truth eventually uncovers itself and questions are answered from book one whilst new questions are asked in preparation for the last installment. This is a spine-tingling encounter of self-discovery and a really good read that gets four out of five.

Published by Sigel Press 15 June 2009

Book Synopsis: Mars 2039 - Tom Richards knows he has been destined to visit the red planet since his childhood encounter with the An'Tsari thirty years before. Can he protect humanity from a dark and treacherous past, or will the existence of an overwhelming power mean the extinction of the human race? "Shattered Truths" is the eagerly awaited sequel to "Dragons in the Sky", and draws the second chapter of the An'Tsari trilogy to a nail-biting conclusion. Thirty-one years have passed since Tom Richards' terrifying childhood encounter with the An'Tsari, but the fears he has struggled so hard to bury will be challenged once again as the truth behind his own destiny is revealed. Mars: 2039 - Tom Richards knows he has been destined to visit the red planet since his childhood encounter with the An'Tsari but as part of a NASA team, exploring the surface of Mars, he finds himself subjected to startling visions of Mars' past. Amongst the visions stands a sinister figure, but who is he, and why is he so desperate to withhold a secret of epic proportions? With the odds stacked against him by a devastating planet-wide storm, and all contact with Earth lost, Tom must fight to protect the existence of the human race. But how can he confront a dark and treacherous power that threatens to destroy everything the human race has achieved, when the individual behind it turns out to be the person he least expects? "Shattered Truths" is the eagerly awaited sequel to "Dragons in the Sky", and the second installment in the exciting "An'Tsar Trilogy.

Some book signings coming up by the author:

                           The signings are:

Borders, Teesside Park - Thursday 3rd December from 5.30pm

Guisborough Bookshop - Saturday 12th December from 12.30pm

Waterstones, Middlesbrough - Thursday 17th December from 4.30pm

Whitby Bookshop - Saturday 19th December from 12.00pm

                                                  

David Jones - Meltdown - Book Review

Mr Ripley's Book Review
The first thing about this book is that it's set in space, which is not an over used theme in books at the moment. Then there is the slightly religious undertone which comes from the spaceship full of monks, which is actually a floating cathedral called "Prominence" navigating the solar system. A final addition to this 'interesting' mix comes in the form of space pirates, whose mission it is to steal the monk's valuable pottery (that is made onboard the ship). Now all that stirred together makes one crazy story in space! 

I have to say that this book was a cosmic read and I really relished it. It is certainly  a very different book, from the author's very first book published by Chicken House called "Baboon," which I reviewed during the earlier days of this blog. However back to this book. The plot is very imaginative and unexpected at times. The characters are very well constructed through the way they develop the mood of the story. I found the book to be particularly entertaining at the end, although it did leave me feeling quite sad when the story actually came to an end, as I wanted to continue to follow the characters to find out what became of them, but unfortunately as a stand alone book we will never know.

A particularly interesting part of the book (for me), was the detailed depiction of the monks making their pots and the intricate description regarding the whole process. All in all a 'booktastic' space romp which encompasses a crazy adventure to Sun and back. I give this book four out of five.
For those of you interested, this book has also been released as "Monks in Space," which was published in the U.S and Canada by Annick Press in Sept 2008.


Book synopsis 
Aboard the Prominence, a spaceship abbey filled with holy treasures, is a 14-year-old novice-monk. But Bart is more interested in flying the old ship than worshipping the sun. When the Prominence goes to the aid of an unidentifiable spacecraft, it’s Bart who realises the danger of stopping. For not only are the passengers space-pirates, but the Prominence’sengines then fail. Temperatures soar as monks and pirates alike drift closer to the sun.

It’s up to Bart to risk everything or it’s meltdown.

An out-of-this-world, adventure from the extraordinary imagination of Baboon author David Jones. Meltdown is filled with zero-gravity action, memorable characters and mounting suspense as the end of hope draws near.

Published by Chicken House, January 2010 

Mark Haddon - Boom! Book Review

Mr Ripley's Book Review

This book was originally published in 1992 under the great title Gridzbi Spudvetch! But Mark states that he thinks the title didn't entice sales, as no one knew how to pronounce it or had any idea as to the content of the book. As a result the book went out of print. However a call for it to be republished came and Mark has just rewritten the story; introducing it to a new audience and I'm really glad he did.
This is a great family read which will pull in all readers, of any age. It's a really fun adventure which involves a trip to another planet and back, as part of a galactic mission to save Planet Earth. The adventure starts when two school friends (Jimbo and Charlie) bug their teachers' staffroom to find out if Jimbo is going to be sent away to a Special School. But on listening to the overheard conversations of the teachers, they find two of the more 'quirky' teachers talking a strange language. Subsequently this sends them on a mission to find out the mystery behind them.

I found the mix of humour and descriptive language particularly enjoyable to read. The story flowed from page to page in this gravity-action madness. The narrative voice was well written and the on-going plot was not predictable. In fact it became a very addictive read; to the point of the pages being turned faster than a rocket setting off on a space mission to the moon!

This book adds another feather to Mark's cap as he has managed to write yet another good quality book, alongside his other published gems. This book gets a big four out of five as it is a great read for the younger person, we could do with more books as exciting as this one.

Published by David Fickling Books 3 Sep 2009

Book Synopsis

From the moment that Jim and his best friend Charlie bug the staff room and overhear two of their teachers speaking to each other in a secret language, they know there's an adventure on its way. But what does 'spudvetch' mean, and why do Mr Kidd's eyes flicker with fluorescent blue light when Charlie says it to him? Perhaps Kidd and Pearce are bank robbers talking in code. Perhaps they're spies. Perhaps they're aliens. Whatever they are, Jimbo and Charlie are determined to find out. There really is an adventure on its way. A nuclear-powered, one hundred-ton adventure with reclining seats and a buffet car. And as it gathers speed and begins to spin out of control, it can only end in one way ...with a BOOM. Note: This book was first published in 1992 under the title "Gridzbi Spudvetch!" It has now been completely re-written (Mark has changed pretty much every sentence one way or another) and given a new title that is much easier to pronounce.

About the Author

Mark Haddon is an author, illustrator and screenwriter who has written fifteen books for children and won two BAFTAs. His bestselling novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time was published simultaneously by Jonathan Cape and David Fickling in 2003. It won seventeen literary prizes, including the Whitbread Award. Mark Haddon lives in Oxford.