The Evening and the Morning – Ken Follett (audio)
This is “book 0” of the famous Kingsbridge trilogy, which has by now mushroomed into a pentalogy. It’s a prequel to the famous Pillars of the Earth (book 1). Set around the year 1000, before Kingsbridge became a town taking its name from the bridge built there with the king’s money. The backdrop is the Viking raids on England and King Ethelred’s efforts to consolidate control by taking away some of the power from the local nobles. We follow the adventures of Ragna, a Saxon noble who moves to England to marry Wilwulf, only to find out that the man of her dreams already has a wife who bore him a son. She makes friends with Edgar, a commoner who becomes a boatbuilder, and they both maneuver against Wynstan, the corrupt and greedy local bishop. Bottom line: Follett is a master of writing historical fiction sagas, and this book is a great addition to an already great trilogy.
The Armour of Light – Ken Follett (audio)
To complete the Kingsbridge pentalogy, I immediately went on to listen to The Armor of Light, the fifth (and, for now, last) book in the series. This book takes place in the 18th century and the backdrop is the Industrial Revolution and the war with France. The Spinning Jenny makes its debut, transforming the town of Kingsbridge and changing the old order. All the while, the threat of invasion by Napoleon looms large. For some reason, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the previous four in the series. I didn’t find any character to be compelling enough, as I did with characters in previous generations of Kingsbridge. Bottom line: this is still a Follett, so a good book, but perhaps the trilogy should have not been extended this far.
1984 – George Orwell (audio)
This is not the famous book, but an Audible adaptation, with a full cast and an original score composed for this recording. I don’t think 1984 needs a review; I doubt there are many people out there who have not read it, or at least are not familiar with its contents. I will just say that, while I enjoyed listening to this 3.5-hour adaptation (the lovemaking scene between Winston and Julia were a bit over the top), nothing beats reading the actual book. Not the movie(s) and not this recording. Bottom line: nice as a reminder, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a substitute for reading the book itself.
Sword Song – Bernard Cornwell (audio)
This is book number 4 in The Last Kingdom series. We have reached the end of the 9th century; England is at peace after King Alfred’s victory against the Vikings; Danes rule the north, Saxons the south. But the Vikings are restless, and they conquer London, threatening the entire kingdom of Wessex. They capture the daughter of the king, and our hero, Uhtred, needs to fulfill his oath to protect the king and his family. Bottom line: a fitting sequel to this great series, altough the action in this one seems to trump the historical narrative.
The Downloaded – Robert Sawyer (audio)
The year is 2059 and two groups of people have their minds uploaded to a quantum computer: astronauts preparing for interstellar voyage, and a group of convicted murders destined to serve their sentences in a virtual prison. When they are all downloaded back to reality, they realize that their frozen sleep has extended hundreds of years beyond the original plan. They now need to work together to save Earth from an impending disaster: a meteor strike. This is an Audible original performance. Bottom line: a predictable sci-fi story, but enojyable due to a well-executed performance by a cast of excellent voice actors.
Una lama di luce – Andrea Camilleri (paper)
This is book #19 in the Montalbano series, the flawed Sicilian detective who is rough at the edges but has a big heart. In this book he needs to deal with the apparent kidnapping and rape of the wife of a local businessman. When the body of a former lover of the woman is found, it seems the case is solved, but – as those familiar with Camilleri’s plot twists and turns – this is not the case. Montalbano uncovers the real culprit in this sordid affair, all the while also grappling with an unexpected infatuation with a young woman and needing to find a couple of missing Tunisian illegal workers. Bottom line: enjoyable as always.
A Spy by Nature – Charles Cumming (audio)
This is book #1 in the Alec Milius series, which I read based on a recommendation. Milius, a young and ambitious graduate, fails to qualify for a job with the Foreign Service but instead is recruited, on a temporary basis, to the Secret Intelligence Services (aka MI6). In his new assignment he gets caught up in a spy game between his employer and the CIA, at first not knowing how to tread this treacherous and dangerous path. As things get more complicated, he finds he has a natural knack for the spy game. Bottom line: a good enough spy novel, with the right amount of understatement only a British author can muster.
The Second Stranger – Martin Griffin (audio)
Remie begins her last shift at the remote MacKinnon Hotel in Scotland, when a storm arrives and she is stuck at the hotel with a couple of guests (it is off-season). An injured man appears at the door, claiming to be a police constable by the name of Don Gaines. He says he survived an accident in a car transporting a dangerous convict, and the convict managed to escape from the scene. As he begins securing the hotel, a second man appears, showing a police badge with the name… Don Gaines. Now Remie needs to decide who is the real police constable and who is the escaped convict disguising himself as one. Bottom line: a delightful story, well written and with just the right amount of action and suspense.