TL;DR – it is often said that behind every great man there is a great woman… and then there’s Abraham Lincoln.

Summary

A biography of Abraham Lincoln written by Dale Carnegie, who pulls back the curtains on a man who experienced almost unending darkness to achieve change during a time when blood, sweat and tears soaked American soil.

Review

Clementine Churchill was married to Winston Churchill for 56 years. Coretta Scott King was married to Martin Luther King Jr for 15 years before her husband’s assassination in 1968. Both women created lives that were filled with numerous accomplishments while being steadfast, supportive wives to their husbands. They are a couple of examples that fit the “behind every great man there is a great woman”.

Then came Mary Todd Lincoln who broke the mold. At least, that is how Carnegie portrays her and what you will walk away with if you read this biography.

I don’t normally read non-fiction, but when a friend of mine recommended me Lincoln the Unknown, I thought I would give it a go. While there have been many books written about arguably the greatest president in American history, I discovered that Carnegie’s biography of the man captures far more than Lincoln’s political accomplishments and chronicles a life that was profound with suffering and an almost unheard of strength of will to strive for what he believed in.

Though debated by historians, Carnegie states in no uncertain terms that Abraham’s first and true love was Ann Rutledge, who died of typhoid at the age of 22. The many events that follow leading up to his marriage to Mary Todd Lincoln will leave you gobsmacked.

By all indications, she was a manipulative, power-hungry, jealous, angry, and mentally unstable woman who made Abraham’s life a living hell. Carnegie does not mince his words and makes it clear in no uncertain terms that she was considered a devil woman with many of Abraham’s closest friends urging him not to marry her. The fact that he did through Todd’s manipulation and his own honour as a man demonstrates he operated in a time that no longer exists today.

How Abraham Lincoln went on to achieve everything he did is beyond me. From his first inaugural address to the Emancipation Proclamation to the Gettysburg Address and reunifying a nation torn by civil war, Lincoln lived a life that any other person would have looked at and said, “Yeah, that’s not for me.” Imagine the stress, anxiety, pressure, worry and insomnia he experienced as a result of being president during a civil war with an economy going down the tube and then throw in a marriage that left nothing but heartache and pain.

One could argue whether Lincoln would have achieved such immortal greatness if he was happily married. That being driven out of his home by a vindictive, jealous wife forced him to focus on his life’s work rather than the idea of life’s love.

We will never know.

4 out of 5.

TL;DR – In a world where disease and death has been mostly conquered, over population becomes an issue. Enter the Scythedom, an organisation that is responsible for the selection of those chosen to be gleaned (killed) in order to maintain a population level that can be sustained. They provide a necessary service… or is it really necessary?

Summary

Humanity has created an artificial intelligence known as the Thunderhead. It has evolved to the point where it creates a near-Utopian society. Everyone has a link to the Thunderhead, a relationship that allows the AI to serve and protect them from sickness, disease, violence and even self harm. People now have the ability to live forever. This leads to the problem of over population.

The Scythedom came into being as a means to cull numbers, and it was decided that this could only be performed by humans. It also is the only organisation that the Thunderhead has no jurisdiction over. Along with a licence to kill, scythes are also given a ring that allows them to grant immunity for a period to the family members of those that they glean/kill; this immunity means that those family members cannot be gleaned themselves for a year.

With this as the backdrop, the story follows Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch, two teenagers that are chosen by Scythe Faraday to be his apprentices. Both grab his attention for demonstrating a level of moral fiber that he believes is a requirement to become a scythe. He explains to them that the Scythedom meet three times a year at a great assembly known as conclave to discuss the business of gleaning and whether more scythes are needed. He has been given one ring to take on an apprentice. He decides to take on two and whoever succeeds in being anointed a scythe, the other will return back to their normal life.

But this gets turned on its head when Scythe Goddard (a rival scythe whose methods of gleaning, Faraday disagrees with) manipulates vernal conclave and obtains a ruling that whoever of Faraday’s apprentices gets ordained as a scythe, he or she must then glean the other apprentice. Thus sets the stage for book 1 of the Arch of a Scythe series.

Review

Neal Shusterman has written an astounding young adult novel that is both fascinating and gripping. A world where living forever creates a whole different set of problems (not just overpopulation but stagnation in individuals living a life of meaning and purpose) and a system is established through the introduction of scythes to stem the tide of population growth, Shusterman achieves enough dystopian realism that you believe that if such a world existed, the world of Scythe would be it.

Both Citra and Rowan are immensely likeable, their personalities and motives for accepting their apprenticeship distinct. Scythe Faraday is the perfect foil for both of them until events tear the apprentices away from their master. This inciting incident leads to them going down very different paths before meeting up again at winter conclave where it will be decided who will be ordained the next scythe and in turn also end the life of the other.

I enjoyed the ending of book 1, and it sets the stage for a larger scale story in book 2. You sense there is far more to be told than the two lives of Citra and Rowan. Hints toward a much more complex tale between Scythedom and the Thunderhead. Yes, the Thunderhead intrigued me to no end. And that is what you want in a trilogy. For each book to have a satisfactory end yet tying together a bigger picture. Remarkable effort.

4.5 out of 5.

TL;DR – a dystopian world where there is a prohibition on poultry and individuals exhibit powers that revolve around tasting food. There’s conspiracy, intrigue and cannibalism… all you need in this award-winning graphic novel.

Summary

Tony Chu is a detective and Cibopathic. He can bite a piece of fruit and get psychic impressions of where the fruit was grown, what pesticides were used, and when it was harvested. Or he can take a bite out of a steak and get a much more violent psychic impression as to how the beef came to be served on his plate… the only food that does not trigger this ability are beets.

Together with his partner, John Colby, they work for the Philly P.D. busting illegal poultry distribution. Yes, you read correctly, it is illegal to sell, buy, or eat poultry meats. Why? Because years ago an ‘avian flu’ pandemic struck the world and wiped out millions of people. Subsequently, the governments outlawed the consumption of birds. This has led to conspiracy theories, protests, and plenty of underground racketeering in the area of poultry.

Volume one introduces us to this strange world where Tony’s unique ability allows him to solve many acts of culinary violence. Not that his boss treats him in any way other than a freak. Things take a more bizarre turn when he is recruited by the FDA (Food & Drug Administration), the most powerful law enforcement agency on the planet, and is thrown into a series of cases that hint to a far greater conspiracy than he could imagine.

Review

John Layman and Rob Guillory have created a story that is fascinating and gross in equal measure. This is a good thing for it provides a distinct feel, flavour and theme to the world of Chew. The story grabs you like a culinary delight filled with all manner of surprises, not all of them pleasant, but propelling you along to the next course with a curiosity that you can’t resist. The characters are all colorful and distinct, and artist Guillory has a style that is incredibly appealing. A combination of influences from other famous artists such as Steve Ditko, Dave Crosland, Rumiko Takahashi and Chuck Jones.

We’re introduced to Tony and John on a stakeout to bust an underground restaurant that serves chicken dishes. What they encounter is a sous-chef serial killer that has been kidnapping people and eating them (why eat chicken when you can eat human?)

Things quickly turn for the worse as they bust into the kitchen only for John to get a cleaver to the head. Tony captures the serial killer but not before he commits suicide by slitting his own throat (thinking he’ll take all his cannibalistic secrets to the grave). Tony, seeking to bring closure to the families of the murdered girls, proceeds to take bites out out of the killer to obtain the memories of the atrocities that have been committed. Tony closes all thirteen murder cases and captures the eye of Mason Savoy who recruits him to the special crimes unit of the FDA. And that’s all in chapter one…

Mason Savoy is a particularly fabulous character, a giant of a man, who talks with eloquence and a joy for rhetoric. He also happens to be a Cibopath and together they proceed to investigate a series of events including:

• a missing health inspector
• the Yakuza
• a food critic named Amelia Mintz (who is a Saboscrivner; every dish she writes about is so real that people who read her words can taste the dish)
• E.G.G (a terrorist organisation that believes the government has lied to the public about the avian flu)
• and a bunch of astronomers working in a lab at the arctic circle.

There’s much to absorb in the first volume of this magnificent series. Every panel should be examined carefully as it provides hints as to what is to come. Chew will have you chomping at the bit for the future volumes. Enjoy the feast.

4.5 out of 5.

TL;DR – Crime mystery novel that has been lauded for its realism in depicting a town devastated by tragedy and drought. The story is solid but I struggled to finish it (see full review below for reasons). In the end a passable read.

Summary

On a blistering, hot morning in Riversend, much-respected priest, Byron Swift, is getting ready for Sunday service. Wearing his casual clothes, he greets early arrivals and engages in friendly small talk. When Craig Landers, owner of Riversend’s convenience store, arrives with some of his mates from out of town, Byron shakes his hand, smiles, and they talk for a few minutes. When they finish Byron excuses himself and heads into the church to prepare for service. A few minutes later, the priest re-emerges wearing his robes, a crucifix reflects the sunlight and in his hands he holds a high powered rifle with a scope and proceeds to fire calmly and methodically on his parishioners. Five people are killed before the local constable arrives on the scene and shoots Byron dead.

Twelves months later, Martin Scarsden, a journalist, visits the drought-stricken town of Riversend to do a story on the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting. The story is only meant to focus on how the community is recovering, but it becomes evident that it has never recovered because the full truth is still yet to be told.

Review

The debut novel by Chris Hammer has a lot going for it, even if readers will see striking similarities with The Dry by Jane Harper. He captures outback Australia and a small country town dying from drought in a manner that will make your throat feel parched. A former journalist himself, Hammer is able to throw the reader into his main character, Martin Scarsden, and capture what it is like to be a journo and the methodical mind that is required for the profession. Scarsden also has his own mental and emotional issues, and this allows for a layered character that readers should find intriguing.

There is also care in creating a believable setting. A lovely map of this fictional town is provided at the beginning of the book and its description as Scarsden explores his surroundings comes to life off the pages. Outside of town, the scrublands is a place that is desolate and vast and will make you feel like it can swallow you whole without anyone ever noticing. When a bushfire comes screaming through the scrublands, Hammer describes the series of events as the townspeople rush to stop the devastation with such wonderful detail that you’ll be wanting to check the smoke alarms in your own home.

The plot is also intricate and should keep you guessing until the end. The mystery of why Byron Swift goes on his violent rampage and the many secrets each of the townsfolk are hiding allows the story to continue ticking over and suitably the pages as well. The many sub-plots almost seek to undo the ending, but Hammer is able to tie everything together in a way that is believable if fantastic in some areas.

All the above are strong reasons why Scrublands has done so well and Hammer awarded the 2019 John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger by the UK Crime Writers’ Assocation.

Where I feel it came undone was in how Hammer describes his female characters. His depiction of male characters is strong. Scarsden, Swift, Robbie Haus-Jones (the constable), Codger Harris and Harley Snouch are portrayed with depth. But the female characters didn’t grab me at all. The main female character, Mandalay Blonde (the name itself not doing me any favours) is portrayed as having “Hollywood” good looks. She has some level of complexity in that she’s a single mother and her own mum was allegedly raped. Unfortunately, she’s a “damsel-in-distress” type character and every time Scarsden sees her he’s amazed at how beautiful she is. In fact, in one paragraph of the book, Hammer describes Mandalay from the perspective of Scarsden as beautiful twice. He doesn’t even bother using a different adjective.

And, of course, Scarsden ends up sleeping with her. This was enough to take me out of the story on numerous occasions. Blonde plays a pivotal role in the story but she’s portrayed as helpless, in need of saving, and I found it annoying how Scarsden interacts with her. Her depth felt artificial as much as the description of how she looks.

If you can overlook how Hammer writes his female cast (to be honest, there aren’t many and that’s probably because he’s just not good at it) then the rest of the story can carry you through.

2.5 out of 5.