? Reviews
(Icon Books) 000
creators. Dolnick is clearly as passionate as
ART H|STORY his protagonist. resulting EDWARD in an energetic pace that DOLNICK occasionally falls victim
Stealing the Scream 10 repetition and awkward metaphor. At one point he compares a villain to The Sirnpsons' Montgomery Burns, part of a sweet but slightly patronising effort to get even the least art-savvy aboard. A pleasantly diverting read on a complex and interesting subject. (Sian Bevan)
SCI-Fl DRAMA ANTONY JOHNSTON Dreams of lnan: Stealing Life (Abaddon) COO
The title of Edward Dolnick's light-hearted look at art history is misleading. This is less about the theft of Munch's classic The Scream and more the tale of its saviour: policeman Charley Hill. The author worked with Hill to get the full story of the Scotland Yard case. and offers a personal and touching perspective of the eccentric detective, whose fervour drives the book through the drier sections.
The narrative also takes fascinating diversions into other accounts of missing art pieces and whimsical asides about their
The publishers behind British sci-fi comic QOOOAD continue their new imprint Abaddon Books, where prose takes centre stage over the words and pictures
\ 'y 3i”? J C I?
FE
HISTORICAL FICTION NORMAN MAILER The Castle in the Forest (Little, Brown) 00
No one should deny Norman Mailer’s right to create novels about whatever the hell he wants. Much gnashing of teeth has already occurred in Germany over an octogenarian alpha male from Massachusetts writing about the darkest days of their nation; or more specifically, knocking up a fictionalised account of Adolf Hitler’s childhood. Narrated by a postmodern representative of Satan (hopping in and out of the story as though his tail is ablaze), we follow the genesis of evil from conception to teenhood, cutting the story off at 1905, with Mailer promising a follow-up about how Hitler’s obsession with the Jews came about. Certainly, it’s not explained in any way here, making the trawl through his vastly- researched, largely tedious 470 pages seem rather pointless.
So, what do we learn here? Well, that Hitler may have been a product of incest; that his dad beat him while his mother doted on him; that he felt stricken with guilt for the early death of his brother Edmund and he was a leader of boys when it came to war games in the fields. Oh, and he possessed just the one testicle, a fact which surely every teenage boy on the planet must be well aware of, even to the point of knowing where to locate the other one (the Albert Hall). The Castle in the Forest is not a book that should never have been written; it’s a book that could have been so much better.
(Brian Donaldson)
of their core title. Abaddon specialises in large scale series’, with multiple writers dipping into each reality for their own take on another world. and in Antony Johnston's tale, we return to the universe of lnan. where hi-tech and magic exist alongside one another.
Centring on the island city of Azbatha. a pit of crime and depravity, thief Nicco Salarurn is hired for a decidedly dubious job that could wipe out his debts for good. Unfortunately. this high profile theft is just the start of his problems as civil war brews in neighbouring Hurrunda. The sometimes simplistic writing and overused narrative tricks are offset by moments of exhilarating action. Nicco's continual last minute escapes can border on the fantastical even in this world of wizards and entropy blasters. but this is fun. throwaway sci-fi advenuMe.
(Henry Northmore)
ADVENTURE TALE STEVEN HALL The Raw Shark Texts (Canongate) 0000
There are not many authors who can say their first novel had such
STEVENHALL
an effect on Nicole Kidman she begged to be allowed to star in a movie adaptation. That’s the impact Steven Hall's debut is having. Already hailed as an ‘instant classic', it is seeped in imagination. unpredictability and ready-made cine-magic. Taking more unexpected turns than a wonky shopping trolley, the story starts out with one Eric Sanderson awaking to realise he’s lost his memory. or (as he discovers through letters from his former self) that it's actually been taken. Not by someone, but something. Something that. somehow. proves there's a missing link between The Matrix and Jaws. And that somethings appetite is far from sated.
Hall's prose is largely quite formulaic. but his imagery really strikes. Using metaphors and
simple illustrations. he
, drives home the ‘ themes: adventure.
myth, love and (best of all) good ol'-fashioned peril. Just when you
: thought it was safe to .9 go back into the text . . .
(Malcolm Jack)
MONOLOGUES LYNNE TRUSS
I I A Certain Age
(Profile Books) 00000
The word ‘monologue' 3 conjures up two
possibilities. The first is
a droning. nondescript.
shadowed face. The other is some heavily made-up and overly dramatic individual. unconcerned with masking anything. and most likely shouting. Taken from the series broadcast on Radio 4. Lynne Truss' monologues are something entirely different.
Every one is funny,
: affecting, as bizarre as
real life and. most of all, surprising. There‘s the son whose dead father tells him, via a medium, how to open the coal shed door: the wife who
I decides she is far
happier following her husband's apparent abduction: the neglected husband. lying in hospital
determined to be
Books
content with a wife who
seems to have forgotten
him; and the dishevelled pedant. forced to undergo a TV makeover,
l who falls in love with the
equally bookish production assistant. Together these monologues make a simply fantastic collection. (Katie Gould)
LYNNE TRUSS
5 MOVING MEMOIRS Mukhtar Mai In the Name of Honour When a woman is gang-raped in certain parts of Pakistan, custom insists that she should kill herself aftenivards. Not Mai, who took her attackers to court in an unprecedented act of bravery. Virago. Jocelyn Hurndall Defy the Stars The life and death of a young peace worker who was killed by a sniper in Gaza. As told by his mum. Bloomsbury. Cathy Glass Damaged: The Heartbreaking True Story of a Forgotten Chi/d Featuring a catalogue of neglect by the child protection agencies, the tale of Jodie is deeply upsetting. HarperE/ement. Nikola T James The Price of Love Having suffered horrendous abuse as both a child and an adult, the author has somehow moved on to become a therapist and counsellor. Sidgwick.
Miranda Seymour In My Father's House: Elegy for an Obsessive Love A memoir about a well- off but nonetheless dire childhood in the face of eccentricity and dark desires. Simon & Schuster.
15 Feb—i Mar 2007 THE LIST 29
~ ALSO PUBLISHED