Desert island books (pt. 2)
Mortal Engines Quartet
(Mortal Engines, Predator’s Gold, Infernal Devices, A Darkling Plain)
Author: Philip Reeve
Published: 2001
I was given the second book – Predator’s Gold – one Christmas by my grandparents, who had no idea it belonged to a series. Neither did I, until I tried to read it! I asked for the first book, and soon after the third & fourth ones. Needless to say, they turned out to be an inspired gift choice!
The backdrop to the story is a post-apocalyptic world where most remaining cities are now mobilized on giant caterpillar tracks (think wheeled wedding cakes), fighting and scrambling for resources – namely other smaller cities. Unassuming Tom Natsworthy gets swept up in an adventure that spans four books, multiple continents, and two generations of his family.
It’s been a while since I read them, but I vividly remember thinking “these would make cracking films!” Fast-forward to 2018 and my wish was granted – by Peter Jackson, no less – but one trailer was enough to know it wasn’t going to live up to my expectations.
Fantastic Mr Fox
Author: Roald Dahl
Published: 1970
I devoured Roald Dahl’s back catalogue as a kid, so it is only right he is represented in this list. I could have picked any number of his endearing, imaginative, and slightly twisted children’s books, but I think F.M.F. just wins out.
Mr Fox is a dab hand at stealing his family’s dinner from farmers Boggis, Bunce & Bean, until the three men decide that enough is enough, and commit to catching Mr Fox once and for all. This pushes the Fox family (and their neighbours) to the edge of starvation, and it falls to Mr Fox to come up with a Fantastic plan to bypass the dangers awaiting them outside.
I always find it interesting how certain art forms can make you root for someone you normally wouldn’t – Disney films are a good example of this – such as a thieving, sneaky fox wandering into chicken coops and helping themselves night after night!
The Demon Cycle
(The Painted Man, The Desert Spear, The Daylight War, The Skull Throne, The Core)
Author: Peter V. Brett
Published: 2008
I do love a fantasy series. In this world, demons rise up from the earth’s core every night, and remorselessly chow down on anyone who isn’t sufficiently protected by magic wards that must be carefully painted in place as barriers. The story is told from the perspectives of several main characters, as the search for a lasting solution to this problem gathers pace.
Each book adds further layers, to both the characters and the story. My favourite example is that in subsequent books, a couple more characters’ backgrounds are brought to light, as well as their own involvement in earlier moments from the series. This shines some light on who they are, and provides a lot of “ah, now I see” moments when reading about a previous event from their viewpoint.
The character detail is also a weak spot, however. Mostly because a large amount of them have very similar names, and I sometimes got confused. I often had to stop and remind myself who I was reading about, which killed the flow of the story. I felt like I should have had a notebook beside me to jot down the family trees – how many names do you need beginning with ‘A’?!
I have only read the series once as it was a fairly recent find, but for me there was a bit of a drop-off in the final two books. In my opinion, the longer a series goes, the harder it becomes to stick the landing, given all the rules/connections you’ve set in place. I got a bit fatigued trying to remember who everyone was and what their motives were, and I wasn’t wholly satisfied by some of the protagonists’ decision-making towards the end. However, the first three books are incredibly strong, and I found the majority of characters fascinating – particularly Arlen, who was generally the character I missed the most when he disappeared for a few chapters.
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 ¾
Author: Sue Townsend
Published: 1982
My mum recommended this one to me, so let it be known she does sometimes get it right! This is the first entry in a long-standing series of books/diaries that document the events in Adrian’s life, but the first two books (this and The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole) were from his teenage years, and the ones I found most interesting.
The book is presented as a diary, with Adrian noting down the day’s events and giving his penny’s worth. The main source of amusement is that he is often blissfully unaware of what is really going on – which in fairness you might expect from a 13 ¾ -year old.
Ironically, I think I was of similar age when I first read this, and there was a lot that went over my head, too! I still found it funny, but subsequent read-throughs have made me laugh harder, when I realised what the actual joke was! It’s a bit like watching a Pixar film years later and realising those fish weren’t so innocent after all…
