What is Life without Books discussion

Can't wait to find out what we are reading next!

The winner is Neverwhere by by Neil Gaiman

Starting this one today, and sorry, it was me that suggested the book, not realising this group was reading indie authors.

This fantasy book is set in London and has an interesting plot and colourful characters. I did struggle with this one at the start as I wasn't keen on the main protagonist. However, the introduction of other characters soon picked the story up. I thought the writing was good and the plot moved along at a reasonable pace. I gave the book 4 stars.

Kady wrote: "This fantasy book is set in London and has an interesting plot and colourful characters. I did struggle with this one at the start as I wasn't keen on the main protagonist. However, the introductio..."

Thank you for sharing with the group. I hope to start this book soon myself

I enjoyed this book and gave it 4 stars.

As a Sir Terry Pratchett fan, I could not help but approach this book in the knowledge that he and Neil Gaiman worked together on Good Omens, and were good friends while STP was alive.

In the interests of fairness, I tried to put that aside as I began the book. What I found was, Neil Gaiman's fantasy is very different to STP's, though they obviously collaborated very successfully.

The more I read, the more involved I became in the story. I liked Richard Mayhew, the hapless main protagonist who becomes inadvertently drawn into an evil plot going on in Neverwhere; a fantasy parallel world which exists below the 'real' London. In Neverwhere, rats can speak and all kinds of dark, fantastical creatures exist. It is a labrynthine world, a dark, twisting, spiralling world where it is all too easy to get lost or to fall into the wrong hands... Heaven help you if you do.

I really liked Door. I love the premise of her whole family, who met an unfortunate end at the hands of the villains (I will come to them shortly.) I loved how all of their names were synonyms for 'door' and how their special talent is to open things, even when there is nothing physical to be opened. Very clever.

The villains - or at least the henchmen for the 'big baddie.' (I won't give it away, don't worry) are called Croup and Vandemar. Absolutely brilliant! Thuggish, menacing, repulsive, brutally violent; yet also well spoken, methodical, efficient and, horribly, darkly magical. You really wouldn't want to bump into either of these two in a dark alley. I thought these were possibly the strongest characters of the book, easy to visualize, and really not very nice! But, crucial to the plot, nonetheless.

I liked Hunter too, and Old Bailey and, of course the Marquis de Carabas. There can be no doubt that Neil Gaiman created some great characters in this book.

The tone of the whole thing was slightly grubby (intentionally I am sure, lots of rats, sewers, darkness etc etc.) There are definite metaphors for real life, even some commentary perhaps, on the trials of modern living. One of the prompt questions at the end of the book relates to the idea of people 'slipping through the cracks' into Neverwhere, below reality. If you think about this long and hard enough, there is an element of truth in there, and it really is very sad.

However, for me the book was not meant to be a heavy read or some kind of deep social commentary. It was a piece of enjoyable dark fantasy, with some very novel characters and some great, if unusual, settings thrown in, including a very surprising heavenly figure with an extremely dark role to play. I hope I haven't given anything away there.

I have never read Neil Gaiman before, but I will definitely give him another try in future.

Has any read When Saigon Surrendered? I have not read it yet. If so what did I think of the book?

This was my review of When Saigon Surrendered: A Kentucky Mystery
Loved the book. Like a strange mix of Mark Twain, Tony Hillerman and the TV Show 'Justified'. A Kentucky family struggles to deal with effects of the Vietnam War. The story is told by an 18 year old farm boy, who is both naive and wise at the same time. Great characters and the plot takes a twist that will make you chuckle. Definitely looking forward to more books by this author. A very readable, crisp writing style. He paints word pictures.

I enjoyed this book, thought it was a fresh voice for historical fiction. The title suggests it takes place in Vietnam, but it is really a Kentucky story about a young man and his family whose lives were changed by the Vietnam War. I really liked some of the historical touches regarding the Boat People and the human trafficking that sometimes happens because of war.

Aly wrote: "Has any read When Saigon Surrendered? I have not read it yet. If so what did I think of the book?"

I liked it. I found it memorable and fast paced, with a slow burn, a big twist and a surprise at the end. Loved the depiction of the South in the mid 1970's. Would have liked to hear more from the main character, an 18 year old college student whose observations about life are quite entertaining. The little old black lady businesswoman was fascinating too, and the Korean War vet uncle.
The sequel to this story The Cumberland Killers: A Kentucky Mystery is on my to-read list. Plan to get to it soon.

I found it to be a bit of a roller coaster but I liked all the characters and the first person narrative style, reminded me a little of Huck Finn or The Catcher in the Rye. The main character is rather immature but turns out to be heroic, in his own way.

I see this doesn't get it's own discussion thread but see some others chimed in. I enjoyed When Saigon Surrendered: A Kentucky Mystery found it was a page-turner and liked the ending.

I am so glad so many of you like When Saigon Surrendered. I have been trying to get to this book to read as will. I didn't make a separate thread because these are the two books we voted on for our group read #8. We can discuss both here or just one, either way will work.