It is mid-July. My attempt to read 20 summer books (as detailed here: https://grabthisbook.net/?p=7360 ) could certainly be going a little bit better. as I have only finished four of the planned twenty. But I have just returned from my summer holiday where I managed to read and review book 2 of 20 – The New Kingdom by Wilbur Smith , The Guards by Ken Bruen and Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep.

I reviewed The New Kingdom here: https://grabthisbook.net/?p=7444 and as it was part of my #TeamWilbur read for Zaffre Books I totally forgot to also tag it as one of my 20 Books for Summer reads. So that was the second of the twenty which took me to the 10% completion mark.  Time to move straight up to 20% as I am reviewing two more right now.

The Guards – Ken Bruen

I hadn’t heard of Ken Bruen or his Jack Taylor series. Too many books and too little time. Then I started a wee feature I call #Decades and I began to discover many new authors. I have Paul Gadsby to thank for bringing Bruen to my attention (https://grabthisbook.net/?p=6488). Although Paul didn’t select The Guards when making his Decades selections there was a lot of chat on Twitter about the quality of Bruen’s writing and, in particular, the Jack Taylor books. I did a spot of shopping and picked up the first Taylor book The Guards. I then stuck it on a shelf for months with the well meaning intention of reading it “soon”. This is why I included The Guards in my 20 Books for summer selection, I really wanted to read it and this got it off the shelf into the line of sight.

BEST DECISION EVER.

Wow. Just Wow. What a book and what a dark piece of noirish storytelling. I am home from my holiday and immediately plan to order more books in this series, if they are only half as good as The Guards they will be brilliant.

Jack Taylor has a problem with alcohol. The few friends Jack has also have a problem with Jack’s problem with alcohol. He was a policeman who had to leave service after he overstepped the mark when pulling over a car for speeding (hilariously). He then became a private investigator as he was good at doggedly pursuing an answer to questions. But Jack has to fit his questions around his drinking time and that can slow the pace of progress.

Jack is approached by the distraught mother of a dead teenager. Her daughter died when she drowned in a treacherous spot, notorious for suicides, but she can’t accept her daughter ended her own life. Jack is asked to investigate and to find out what really happened. He agrees and begins asking questions. Not much progress is being made and Jack is still found in the pub more often than he will be found out asking questions. However, someone has decided they don’t like Jack asking questions and he is jumped and given a severe beating. Maybe there is something to be discovered after-all?

With achingly sharp writing Bruen invites us into Jack Taylor’s life and we get a front row seat at the show of a clever man losing a fight against a terrible addiction. The dialogue is witty, dark, cynical and brutally honest. The writing style is beautifully effective and I totally lost myself to this story.

Read this: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-guards/ken-bruen/9780863224102

Doctor Sleep – Stephen King

King says he wanted to know what happened to Danny Torrance, the boy at the heart of The Shining, after his terrible experience in the Overlook Hotel. The instantly riveting Doctor Sleep picks up the story of the now middle-aged Dan, working at a hospice in rural New Hampshire, and the very special twelve-year old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.

On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless – mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and tween Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the ‘steam’ that children with the ‘shining’ produce when they are slowly tortured to death.

Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him and a job at a nursing home where his remnant ‘shining’ power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes ‘Doctor Sleep.’

Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival…

The fourth book of my planned summer reading is another Stephen King novel. Over the years I missed a few of Mr King’s books as they released and I am trying to go back and plug the gaps in my reading. I’ve had a copy of Doctor Sleep for a few years but never quite got around to reading it. Now I have…the anticipation I’d built up was totally justified as I had fun with this one.

Doctor Sleep is the follow up to The Shining and there’s a lot of references to the original story which made me wish I’d read the original book a bit more recently. That said the key elements of Doctor Sleep don’t rely upon knowing what happened to Danny Torrance at The Overlook Hotel, King does a nice job of recapping past events, explaining Dan’s “gift” and bringing us back into his world.

While King is bringing us back up to speed he is also introducing Abra. Abra is born with “the shine” and through the first half of the book we follow her growing up, see the early evidence of her talent and how her parents cope with their unusual daughter. Abra is aware of Dan and she finds a way to make him aware she is out there. Also “out there” is a danger to both Dan and Abra – the sinister group known as “True Knot”. These dangerous individuals seek out people with the gift of the shine and steal their power (King calls it their “steam”). With the steam the members of True Knot can retain a degree of youthful vitality and use their own powers to track more victims and keep themselves safe.

The book becomes a tale of Dan battling various demons, Abra learning she is special and that her special skills are making her a target and True Knot doing what they need to do to keep themselves alive but letting an unknown danger get through their barriers. The three elements of the story are clearly on a collision course and the build up to their meeting was great fun to read. King is the master at building a world and filling it with fascinating people who you just want to read about.

It’s fascinating catching up with Dan again. Not many characters get revisited over 30 years later and when you know his background it’s upsetting to see all did not turn out smoothly for him or his mother after the events of our first encounter with them. This was another book where a battle against alcohol was lost and it was fascinating seeing how two lead characters in two consecutive books tacked their addictions differently.

It is rare I don’t enjoy one of Stephen King’s books so I knew Doctor Sleep would likely hold my attention. And it certainly did. I found myself rushing towards that inevitable confrontation too quickly and I wanted more time with Dan and Abra. As it was a Stephen King story I was worried they may not safely reach the end of the book – maybe they did, maybe they didn’t you’ll need to read for your self to find out.

The title of the book did make me curious. Why Doctor Sleep? And why is there always a cat on the cover? The Doctor Sleep reference and the cat image are actually linked elements of the story. One of the more emotive parts of the tale is Dan’s job in a care home and his ability to help the residents at the end of their lives to peacefully see out their last hours. He’s there as a comfort and friendly voice and all the residents know he will be there for them. The cat plays a role in this time too but again it is worth reading to appreciate why.

Pleased to finally catch up on a book I’d been keeping back as a treat for myself when I had time to enjoy it. What better time than on my summer hols?

You can order a copy of Doctor Sleep here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/doctor-sleep/stephen-king/9781444761184

In the heart of Egypt

Under the watchful eye of the gods

A new power is rising

In the city of Lahun, Hui lives an enchanted life. The favoured son of a doting father, and ruler-in-waiting of the great city, his fate is set. But behind the beautiful façades a sinister evil is plotting. Craving power and embittered by jealousy, Hui’s stepmother, the great sorceress Isetnofret, and Hui’s own brother Qen, orchestrate the downfall of Hui’s father, condemning Hui and seizing power in the city.

Cast out and alone, Hui finds himself a captive of a skilled and powerful army of outlaws, the Hyksos. Determined to seek vengeance for the death of his father and rescue his sister, Ipwet, Hui swears his allegiance to these enemies of Egypt. Through them he learns the art of war, learning how to fight and becoming an envied charioteer.

But soon Hui finds himself in an even greater battle – one for the very heart of Egypt itself. As the pieces fall into place and the Gods themselves join the fray, Hui finds himself fighting alongside the Egyptian General Tanus and renowned Mage, Taita. Now Hui must choose his path—will he be a hero in the old world, or a master in a new kingdom?

My thanks to Zaffre/Bonnier Books for the review copy and to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for the opportunity to revisit the books of an author I haven’t read for too long!

When I was still at school I was the reader in our house. My parents enjoyed reading but were too busy to read much so I relied upon the local bookshop (when funds permitted) and the local library (always). Occasionally I’d peruse the family bookcase but nothing really grabbed my attention until one day I realised my dad had over a dozen books all written by Wilbur Smith. As a boy who liked a series (and I still do) I decided to give one a try. I read all those books over the next couple of months then shopped for the titles my dad didn’t own – I was hooked.

Once I’d hit my limit and blitzed Mr Smith’s back catalogue I stopped reading. This was the late 1990’s – more books were released but I didn’t read any of them. Until now…I’ve got some catching up to do! I started with The New Kingdom and more will follow.

In The New Kingdom we are following the story of Hui – the intro kindly reminded me Hui had featured in earlier books and would be a familiar name for returning readers (after 30 years you will have to forgive me if I didn’t recall him). Fortunately this book is a great jumping on point  for Hui’s story as we meet him as a young man in the cusp of adulthood.

Hui, his older brother Qen and his best friend are on a bold (read foolish) mission to steal a valuable stone from a group of dangerous bandits. They plan to sneak into the enemy camp, steal the Ka Stone while the bandits are sleepy and drunk then make their escape before they are discovered. Sadly for Hui his plans don’t run smoothly and only two of the three “would be” heroes rerun from the raid.

The outcome of his foolish venture is not just the loss of a friend – the events which open the story will define Hui’s journey. He will be betrayed, cast out, accused of murder and will be left to find for himself in the toughest of environments.

Egypt is a dangerous land and there are bandits and warring factions intent on pillage and plunder – Hui will need his wits about him to avoid their interest and keep himself alive. But Hui’s luck will only hold so far and he invariably finds himself captured and at the mercy of his enemies.

The authors have delivered up a pulsating page turner. Hui’s adventures see him betrayed, framed, imprisoned, on the run and forced to learn new survival skills to avoid a brutal death. The chapters zipped by and I remembered why I loved reading Wilbur Smith’s adventure stories all those years ago.

Soldiers, bandits, warriors and a witch. Wenches, servants, traders and grooms. All had their role to play under the hot Egyptian Sun and their stories are woven around Hui’s in an absorbing manner. Great fun and perfect for the beach (which is where I read my copy)

The New Kingdom is published by Zaffre and available in digital and paperback format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B08PKYX4ZX/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1688394714&sr=8-1https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B08PKYX4ZX/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1688394714&sr=8-1

Watch for more Wilbur Smith reviews over the coming weeks by searching for the #TeamWilbur hashtag on social media platforms