Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegurt

I guess this has been on my 'to read' list for many years, for some reason I just didn't seem to get round to it.  Maybe the subject of war put me off, I can't cope with reading about war it really upsets me and so I tend to avoid books about it.  Or maybe it was the title, although I knew the subject wouldn't scare me - the title does make it sound like a horror.

I did worry that it wouldn't be an enjoyable read (although that isn't a reason not to read something) - I was wrong.

In a bookshop just before Christmas I gave in and on the spur of the moment bought it (crazy really as I'm sure that it can be found on the web for only a penny, or in a secondhand bookshop for a couple of pounds!).

Telling the story of Billy Pilgrim we follow him during his world war two experiences, his life before and after the war, his time as a POW, and as an alien abductee....yes, it's a strange little book!

Obviously very anti-war, it centres around the night of the bombing of Dresden, and Billy's time travelling around this point in his life.

In all honesty it's hard to describe this book, it's an easy read and the main character is engaging and interesting, you really do want to know what will happen to him next. 

I'm glad I got round to it, if I have any criticism of it, it's that it's too short.

19th - 20th December 2011

The Host - Stephanie Meyer

I can't get over how much I enjoyed this book! It seems a shame that it will probably be overlooked by many people because of it's connection with the Twilight series - which it is very different to.

Although not an avid science fiction reader, I have read my fair share (Asimov, Heinlein, Harrison, Clarke....and others) - so I was looking forward to this book, hoping it would be as well written as the Twilight series, but also hoping it would be very different.

I wasn't disappointed. It did take me a while to get into the story, and it is perhaps a bit over long - but it's an excellent story, well set up, well written, which can't fail to drag you in.

Melanie is one of the last humans on Earth, the majority of humanity has been taken over by the 'souls', aliens you use other lifeforms as 'hosts'. When she's captured and a 'soul' is given her body, the hope is that she will lead the aliens to other remaining humans - but it doesn't quite work out like that.

Melanie is strong, she refuses to give in to the invasion of her body, still yearning for the man she loves, Jared, who is still in hiding. Wanderer begins to realise that she too loves the human - and so their journey together begins.

I've seen fan made film trailers for this book on Youtube that make it seem like a horror, but to me it's a love story - both Melanie and Wanderer are fighting to find the man they love. It's a story about the resilience of human spirit, and the need for friendship and companionship.

It's a great book, even if you weren't interested in the Twilight novels, or you don't like science fiction, I'd still recommend that you try this book - it's worth the effort.

Bought on Green Metropolis.
30th September - 21st October 2009