Ghost Brigades

Ghost Brigades

John Scalzi

A scientist who has turned traitor escapes by killing a clone of himself, but leaves a copy of consciousness behind. To understand what happened the consciousness get put into a modified soldier clone of the ‘Ghost Brigade’, but doesn’t take initially. The story revolves around the nobody is completely sure whether to trust the clone, especially when bits of the memory start coming back. Is this clone going to be becomes a traitor? Is he going to become the scientist or he is a person in his own right? What happens if the a super-enhanced soldier has the mind of a traitorous scientist? So you could say it - whether it is nature or nurture.

Mostly this book sets the background for one of the most interesting groups from the book “Old Man’s War” – The Ghost Brigade. A force of special forces soldiers who are cloned from people who are dead, and who are born, as adults, knowing they are soldiers and their destiny is to protect humanity.

If you enjoyed Old Man’s War this is also forms it’s sequel and is well worth reading.

Angelmaker

Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway is another one of those book it is hard to pigeon-hole, so I won't. The writing is well constructed, descriptive and the book is 'hard to put down'.

The story revolves around a man, Joe Spork, who initially desires a quite life repairing clockwork devices, and not following in the footsteps of his late gangster father. Everything changes when

• he is tricked into starting an old doomsday device by an octagarian ex-spy; 
• becomes public enemy number one; 
• chased by a group of monks with a charasmatic leader who wants to become God; 
• clockwork bees;
• finally becoming what he didn't think he wanted to be initially.

Read this book, the pace is fast. I wouldn't describe it as only a comic novel, but there is a definite warped sense of humor evident in the writing.


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Top five books of 2012

1. The Hundred-Year-Old Man who Climbed Out of The Window and Disappeared 
Jonas Jonasson
This book has a great twist in that the character you think is going to be this harmless very old man who is going to need to be protection is anything but. The way the book switches from the past to the present really works well and reveals the main character Allan Karlsson has been behind the scenes of many of the great events of the twentieth century (without really trying - Forrest Gump bit), as well as being probably one of the brightest people ever (speaks several languages, nuclear physics is not a problem, international diplomacy, etc) not bad for someone with only three years of formal education - this guy makes James Bond look incompetent. The switching between the past and present also does help develop the story.
2. Robopocalypse
Daniel H Wilson 
A slightly chilling book (which I should have guessed with a quote by Stephen King) about a war between robots and humans. Ok, this is not an original idea but this book does not claim it is, in fact there are plenty of historic quotes to show this idea has been around a long time.


3.Ready Player One
Ernest Cline
This is an excellent book it has been described as "Enchanting, Willy Wonka meets the the Matrix" (USA Today) but if you were a teenager in the 80s and Geeky this book will probably please you with all the references to 80s computers, films, TV programmes and games. The character Wade Watts is a star, if this is Ernest Cline's first book then I look forward to seeing what follows!




4. The Departure
Neal Asher
If you like Polity Series I think you will like this. New heroes including the rapidly developing post-human Saul and his Mars stranded sister are interesting. The title for the Trilogy - Owner is clever (I won't spoil where it comes from).  The second book in the series Zero Point was released late 2012.


5. Three Unbroken
Chris Roberson

A war on Mars (or in his case Fire Star) seen through the eyes of three people in different services but the same side, set in an alternative history where China or Celestial Empire became the dominate world power but is at war with an Aztec-styled Mexican-like nation. I know this didn't come out in 2012 but this when I read it.



These are mine - what would yours be?

Ghosts of Manhattan

Batman meets steampunk with slight touch of Lovecraft, set in 1920s Prohibition New York  Ghosts of Manhattan by George Mann has all of these features. Coal-powered cars travel the street; a Cold War between America and the British Empire; and Roman Coins in mint condition appearing at crime scenes - you have an interesting book.

The Ghost is a vigilante hero, whose alter-ego is playboy haunted by 'things' he saw during war including something that he can't explain - so there is the Batman/The Shadow link. People are dying and crimes being committed by a gang headed by The Roman. Who the Roman is? Why is he called the Roman? What are these people dying? These questions are explained with a touch of creatures from another dimension throw in for good measure.

This is a good fun book, that I kept thinking would make an great graphic novel; like a lot of steampunk the images are strong.  Well paced action and story, that keeps the readers interest.

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Tears in the Rain by Rosa Montero

How can any sci-fi fan resist reading a book with such an obvious reference to Bladerunner! The links with Bladerunner / Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep are clear but not important - there are a couple quotes from the film and some discussion how the 'Reps' in this are different to those in the film (the comparisons are all made to the film not the book). This is NOT a Bladerunner rip-off though, after a while I was able to ignore the comparison and read this book as a good book in it's own right - the two are different with some similarities. 

Bruna Husky, a ex-combat replicant who is now a private detective gets drawn into (and targeted we later find within) a conspiracy against Earth and Techno-humans (replicants):

• by a neighbour trying to kill her in her apartment who then kills herself;
• finding out there have more of these cases; 
• then the whole thing going political and Husky being accused of many things but including the murder of human-separatist leader.

Don't this put you off, what you actually have is a story with several levels:

• A detective story around a series of murders and the politics;
• A near-future story about aliens, humans and artificial humans; their conflicts and biases;
• About someone not just 'finding themselves' but actually creating what they want to be; who they do or don't want to be with;
• Last but not least, an enjoyable read.

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