Book Reviews

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Anthology #59

The Truth, by Terry Pratchett

I think it’s the case that all of this author’s Discworld novels can be seen as allegories of modern life, but wrapped up in clever, and humorous [if that style of humour appeals to you] fantasy stories about a society which lives on a flat earth-like planet [planetoid?] which is being carried through space on the back of a giant turtle. Fantasy is not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’, I readily concede, but it is a very broad church, so these stories are possibly quite ‘normal’, compared to a lot of other fantasy. Just as much as with fiction series which deal with ‘real life’, and encompass familiar characters, there is always something enjoyable, for me at least, in catching up with the latest exploits of known characters, both likeable & unpleasant. I went through a phase of reading any TP books I could lay hands on, but then the supply in my library dried up, and I moved on, although not with any tangible sense of loss; so it was with a sense of curiosity, at the very least, that I approached this hitherto unread entry in the Discworld canon. I was not to be disappointed, albeit after a slow start. The moral of this story is encapsulated in the title, using the vehicle of the Press, which can either be a force for good, using the corroborable truth, or bad, by means of disinformation, rumour, and supposition. The hero here is the deterministically nominatively named William de Worde, one of the lesser scions of the rich de Worde family in the capital city of Ankh-Morpork, little better than a festering cesspit of trouble, both seen and lurking threateningly beneath the surface of what purports to be society. William takes it upon himself to start a news-sheet, using the radically new and, to some, primarily the Engravers, dangerous mechanism of movable-type printing. In this endeavour, he is assisted by a motley selection of entities, not all of which are human, but TP has developed all these to a fine art. Without revealing the plot, suffice to say that good triumphs in the end so, to coin a phrase: All’s well that ends well! The paperback I read was published in 2023 by Penguin, [2013, 2008, 2001, Corgi], first published in 2000 by Doubleday, an imprint of Transworld Publishers, London , ISBN 978-1-8049-9045-2.

The King of Torts, by John Grisham

John Grisham is best known for his courtroom dramas, and although the courtroom only plays a marginal part in this story, it is a gripping exposition of hubris, and how pride comes before a fall. Many people will be unfamiliar with the legal term Tort, generally only using solicitors [aka lawyers] for conveyancing, probate, and divorce; it is defined as a civil [as opposed to criminal] wrong, one that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, but a fuller definition can be found here. My perception is that this is more prevalent in the litigious USA, but that could be inaccurate; I think there is also an overlap in this story with class actions.  Clay Carter is a young lawyer working in the Washington DC Office of the Public Defender, and he feels it is the honourable thing to do, but he is not optimistic about his prospects for advancement; so when an informed source tells him that there is much more to one of his cases, a young black man who has committed a motiveless murder, than first appears, he is intrigued. His source wants to remain anonymous, but he seems to be reliable, and he promises Clay almost unimaginable riches if he investigates, and proves liability against a pharmaceutical company which has been treating young criminals such as Clay’s client, with identical results for several of them. After initial scepticism, Clay proceeds, and is provided with sufficient capital to enable him to set up an office; the only stipulation being that he can never reveal his source, or the name of the company or medication. Far from that being an inhibition, Clay is successful, and expands his business at a breakneck pace. After more success, the vultures start circling, and Clay realises that he has taken on too much; but will his professional skill and youthful enthusiasm enable him to overcome all the obstacles? If you enjoy legal fiction, you will find this unputdownable, and the moral is, in Clay’s erstwhile fiancée’s words: “…the destructive power of greed.” The paperback I read was published in 2022 by Penguin Books, part of the Penguin Random House group of companies [2003, Arrow Books and Century], ISBN 978-0-0995-3713-7.

My Animals and Other Animals, by Bill Bailey

Bill Bailey is arguably at the peak of his popularity right now, and well deserved it is too. It is hard for me to imagine how any reasonable & sensible person could dislike this native of Keynsham [“That’s K.E.Y.N.S.H.A.M.”, for older readers] who is now happily ensconced in west London with a wife who, endearingly, shares his enthusiasms and “a small menagerie of animals…”. This “memoir of sorts” is his third book [the title being a knowing reference to Gerald Durrell], the previous ones being a Remarkable Guide to British Birds, and his Remarkable Guide to Happiness. I don’t slavishly ‘follow’ so-called Celebrities, but I am always pleased when the opportunity to watch his performances, either as a ‘standup’ [with many accomplished & enjoyable musical interludes], or a member of a panel on a TV quiz game, comes up. His humour, generally quirky, but informed by his obvious intelligence and love of life, shine through; you don’t have to love ballroom dancing, a recent involvement which must have increased his professional exposure greatly, to enjoy his work [as it happens, I’m not a fan of Strictly], but that is only one element of his versatility. This memoir is an unstructured, but incident-filled ramble through his life & career to date, both of which [but the latter somewhat more so] have enabled him to fulfil one of the loves of his life, to encounter animals of all shapes & sizes, in many, some exotic, locations around the world; it is also illustrated by his own accurate drawings [as are the other two books]. Thankfully, many of us are now attuned to the necessity to accommodate & cherish animals wherever they are, rather than expecting them to be subservient and accommodate our needs for land to produce food & housing [and, sadly but too often, as commercial raw materials], as was the case until very recently. If any book could be described as “feelgood”, this is definitely one. The hardback I read was published in 2024 by Quercus Editions, London, an [sic] Hachette UK company, ISBN 978-1-5294-3614-3.

The Askham Accusation, by Rebecca Tope

I always try to avoid giving books negative reviews, but in this case, I had no choice: it was very hard going, like wading through treacle [as was, regrettably, another of hers, Betrayal in the Cotswolds]. The book’s title refers to a real village in Cumbria, and I would like to be able to say that a Google™ map which accompanies an Author’s Note has been placed there helpfully but, apart from Askham itself, nowhere else mentioned in the book can be found on it, so in my humble estimation, it’s as much use as [insert favourite metaphor here]. The accusation in the title follows the discovery of the body of an elderly woman, to whom the protagonist, the floridly named Persimmon Henderson, had been speaking mere hours earlier, in the company of a much younger woman whom Persimmon had also only just met, very near a bleak beauty spot where she had been walking. Persimmon is known in that part of the country for providing useful assistance to the [almost inevitably] plodding local CID in some previous murder cases, but it very quickly comes to the latter’s attention that Persimmon is being accused of despatching the old lady, for reason or reasons unknown; Persimmon’s regular police contact, Inspector Moxon, who seems to be unusually taciturn, compared to his normally easy-going manner, doesn’t reveal the source of the accusation, but Persimmon is astute enough [a rare occurrence in this narrative, unfortunately] to guess that it is the young woman to whom she was talking before the old lady’s death who is the accuser, but she can’t fathom why. This sets a pattern for the rest of the story, despite the rambling & unfocused efforts of her regular collaborators in these situations: we are treated to a succession of guesses & surmises about family relationships which might, or might not provide a motive for the old lady’s demise, and thereby point to the killer. It takes until the last few pages before the resolution is found, by which time I heaved a sigh of relief: not an enjoyable experience. The paperback I read was first published in the UK in 2023 by Allison & Busby Limited, London, ISBN 978-0-7490-2981-4.