Seventh Son

The Book

.. or books, as the Seventh Son is the title covering the first two separately published books in the Spook series by Joseph Delaney - Spook's Apprentice and Spook's Curse. Delaney's books are set in a fictional County in medieval England, but taking inspiration from real places in Lancashire, where he lives. There is a definite Northern feel, with characters walking over fells and saying Aye a lot, which immediately sets alarm bells ringing with me about the adaptation, looking at the cover of the book (the film poster) which has Jeff Bridges as the Spook and Julianne Moore as a pale red head (I am guessing a witch).


Tom Ward starts learning to be the Spook's Apprentice and leaves his family to be taught in the ways of imprisoning boggarts, witches and ghosts.


The first book focuses on this initial training and Tom's gradual introduction to Alice, a young girl with pointy shoes, who persuades him to help Mother Malkin, an old crone of a witch to escape her imprisonment by the Spook. Realising his error, he tries to kill the newly risen witch and she becomes wick - a shapeless form that can take over the body of another. The finale is set for a great showdown where the reader is looking for clues as to who out of Tom's friends and family might be the witch in disguise.

Insurgent

The Book

Having foiled the attempt by Jeanine Matthews and the Erudite to mind control the Dauntless to do their bidding, Tris, Tobias and a group of rebels are pursued as they move from faction to faction. The visits to Amity, Candor and the factionless give us a bigger picture and help flesh out the differences within the different groups. It also brings together characters from each faction, where familial and friendly loyalty sometimes overcomes the faction traits.
Jeanine continues to pose a threat, expanding her control to include Candor and experimenting on Tris in order to overcome the Divergent strain that is resistant to the mind control serum. 
The last 100 pages are non-stop action, whereby the factionless and Dauntless team up to storm the Erudite's fortress, which is protected by controlled Candor.
The second book in the trilogy is much more satisfying to read and provides at least some explanation for the strange divisions in the society, with a grand reveal at the end:

The Giver

Oh no, not another young adult dystopia novel! Lois Lowry's classic and popular story was written in 1993, however - way before trend. It could be seen as the young adult novel that started the ball rolling, in fact, and has so many elements that stay with you after reading.
It has all the usual requirements of the genre: strict rules and regulations, assigned roles within the community, selection ceremonies and callous leaders. It is not until Jonas on his twelfth birthday is selected to be the next Receiver of Memory that it starts to become clear just how bad things have got in this alternative society.
There are illustrations in my version by Paul Cox and they feel totally wrong for the tone of the novel. It even becomes a bit dubious, when the young Receiver has to lie shirtless on the bed and the Giver, a smiling old man, puts his hands on his back.

The Giver is a benign figure, however, who is the holder of all the current and past population's memories. He passes them on to Jonas through touch and Jonas experiences the memories for the first time - family Xmas', sledging in the snow but also war, pain and suffering. He holds these to protect the rest of the people but it is a heavy burden and The Giver's previous chosen incumbent (his daughter) committed suicide.

A Most Wanted Man

John Le Carre novels have never been something that I have enjoyed reading. I tried Tinker, Tailor but found it the same as this - plodding and wordy, dialogue heavy and with little action.
It starts promisingly, with a Muslim immigrant turning up in Hamburg and claiming an inheritance from a private British bank, that was accrued by his father through nefarious means. The plot follows lawyer for the displaced and regugees, Annabel Richter, and banker Tommy Brue as they are reluctantly used by British and German politicos as pawns in a larger chess game to catch a jihadist funder of terror operations.


If it wasn't for this blog, I don't think I would have persevered with the book, as it was dull and added very little in the way of revelations to the war on terror.

If I Stay

Another Young Adult novel following on the heels of Fault in Our Stars that also features teenage love and tragic death, but falling short.
The family breakfast idyll, where a disappointing snow storm gives the excuse for everyone to skip work or school, soon shatters when they are involved in a tragic car accident. Both parents are instantly killed and daughter Mia is rushed to hospital in a critical condition. It is frustratingly unclear what has happened to her younger brother, Teddy. Mia continues to tell the story of her treatment at the hospital and the various ways in which family and friends cope with the bereavement via an out-of-body experience. The question is does Mia have anything left to live for now or should she let go?
Interspersed with the current timeframe are Mia's reminiscences of her family and blossoming first love with Adam. Mia and Adam both share a love of music, as she develops as an accomplished cellist and he as a guitarist in a rock band.