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Sixty-One Nails Mike Shevdon
Oct. 14th, 2009 10:51 pmI received another Angry Robot book in the mail the other day. The cover claims that it's "A Neverwhere for the next generation." It isn't. The similarities come at the level of generalisation. If I boldly state that London is not the London we know – then yes, they're very similar. Likewise the use of names and places – but this is more to do with the nature of London's history, and of how writers have interpreted names and places over time in particular. Both writers slip nicely into a tradition. It's at this moment I want to pull a rabbit out of my hat and name a famous children's writer who did something similar. Edith Nesbit? Edward Eager? I don't have a hat and the rabbit has slipped away. One day I'll find the name and explore this notion of living London. I might even blog it.
Sixty-one nails is an adult version of the coming-of-age novel, where magic suddenly leaps out from under the skin and the universe shifts. Being an adult version, it has some differences – the world is a more complex place. Really, though, it's a coming-of-age novel, even down to a first person narrative, and I'm very curious to see where Shevdon takes Niall next.
It's a very good read. Not stylistically remarkable, but consistent and with solid narrative. Shevdon links the familiar with the unseen and dangerous neatly, and his world is believable. Occasionally, it's terrifying.
Where it loses impetus for me is when - just occasionally - I have trouble suspending my disbelief. I know why the horseshoes and nails were required, originally (or at least, I can make a very respectable guess – and if you want to know what I'm talking about you might have to read the book, because to say more would be a dreadful spoiler) and the lack of mystery for me means that I kept expecting the obvious explanation. Shevdon doesn't give the obvious explanations in this case (or even account for them), because for him, the real-life reason is a mystery to him. I know this because he says so, in his afterword. I can't blame him for my knowledge of the Middle Ages.
All the other set-ups work nicely. There's a good balance of what's predictable (I felt in control of my understanding enough to want to read on and see if I had predicted correctly) and what was a bit of a surprise.
My stand-out favourites of the Angry Robot novels I've read are the ones by Warren and Beukes. Kaaron's would have been my stand-out even if I hadn't been editing a story by her at the time (and if you think *this* is a strong and bold confession of interest, just wait till you see the Australian Spec Fic Blog Carnival, tomorrow) – I've been following her writing progress with a great deal of interest since I first encountered a story of hers. These as my two favourites hasn't come out in the reviews. Some books I've been instantly enthusiastic about (and still like immensely) but they haven't had the 'need to think' after effects of those two novels. Not a bad book among them, though.
Angry Robot is rapidly becoming that rare (and almost old-fashioned) kind of imprint where you can look for the logo and trust their taste to guarantee a good reading experience. This makes sense of their marketing. If none of the books are bad, and a significant portion are outstanding, then giving books to bloggers and telling them to "Say whatever you like" works a treat.
Who would I recommend read Shevdon's book? Readers who look for faery and magic and London and a touch of history. I enjoyed it a great deal, and stayed up late to finish it. It didn't change my life, but it was a great deal of fun.
The back cover says it will be released on 29 October. Does this mean I get a chance to say "Coming soon, to a shop near you"? Possibly. It's also being released as an ebook It should work particularly nicely as an ebook. It's one of those tales that would be excellent for a long journey.
Sixty-one nails is an adult version of the coming-of-age novel, where magic suddenly leaps out from under the skin and the universe shifts. Being an adult version, it has some differences – the world is a more complex place. Really, though, it's a coming-of-age novel, even down to a first person narrative, and I'm very curious to see where Shevdon takes Niall next.
It's a very good read. Not stylistically remarkable, but consistent and with solid narrative. Shevdon links the familiar with the unseen and dangerous neatly, and his world is believable. Occasionally, it's terrifying.
Where it loses impetus for me is when - just occasionally - I have trouble suspending my disbelief. I know why the horseshoes and nails were required, originally (or at least, I can make a very respectable guess – and if you want to know what I'm talking about you might have to read the book, because to say more would be a dreadful spoiler) and the lack of mystery for me means that I kept expecting the obvious explanation. Shevdon doesn't give the obvious explanations in this case (or even account for them), because for him, the real-life reason is a mystery to him. I know this because he says so, in his afterword. I can't blame him for my knowledge of the Middle Ages.
All the other set-ups work nicely. There's a good balance of what's predictable (I felt in control of my understanding enough to want to read on and see if I had predicted correctly) and what was a bit of a surprise.
My stand-out favourites of the Angry Robot novels I've read are the ones by Warren and Beukes. Kaaron's would have been my stand-out even if I hadn't been editing a story by her at the time (and if you think *this* is a strong and bold confession of interest, just wait till you see the Australian Spec Fic Blog Carnival, tomorrow) – I've been following her writing progress with a great deal of interest since I first encountered a story of hers. These as my two favourites hasn't come out in the reviews. Some books I've been instantly enthusiastic about (and still like immensely) but they haven't had the 'need to think' after effects of those two novels. Not a bad book among them, though.
Angry Robot is rapidly becoming that rare (and almost old-fashioned) kind of imprint where you can look for the logo and trust their taste to guarantee a good reading experience. This makes sense of their marketing. If none of the books are bad, and a significant portion are outstanding, then giving books to bloggers and telling them to "Say whatever you like" works a treat.
Who would I recommend read Shevdon's book? Readers who look for faery and magic and London and a touch of history. I enjoyed it a great deal, and stayed up late to finish it. It didn't change my life, but it was a great deal of fun.
The back cover says it will be released on 29 October. Does this mean I get a chance to say "Coming soon, to a shop near you"? Possibly. It's also being released as an ebook It should work particularly nicely as an ebook. It's one of those tales that would be excellent for a long journey.