Bedlam

Another re-read (chosen as it was the “if you enjoyed ... look out for ...” at the end of The Atrocity Files).

I didn't remember anything really from my previous read, which probably reflects negatively on the author (sorry Brookmyre, I love your work, honest). However, I thoroughly enjoyed it and my forgetfulness meant the plot twists were ably to creep up and surprise me as intended.

Love, love, love the swearing! It's a matter of pride that us Scots have the ability to be so inventive and cutthroat with our vocabulary. Who would have thought there were so many different words for testicles?

Definitely worth a read for anyone who like Sci-Fi and/or gaming. An inventive plot and down-to-earth details that meld beautifully


On a sidenote, if I continued my reading progress as recommended by the “if you enjoyed ... look out for ...” bit at the end of the novel I would find myself marching along a Mobius strip. The recommended read was The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross!

It has been a long time since I read a Christopher Brookmyre novel, and similarly a long time since I read Sci-fi. This has been on my shelf for ages, and I needed an easy read.

In other reviews of this book, people who disliked it seemed to dislike it on the gamer content - which is fair enough, but if you are reading a book about a person who gets trapped inside a video game, and it's not what you want to read, you kind of only have yourself to blame. There is no deception in the blurb.

I was never a fanatical gamer, but I guess I was there enough to understand all of the content, if not exactly able to identify the gaming worlds. There are probably more inside jokes I missed due to this, but it seemed pretty straight forward to me - ie well telegraphed as to the game the worlds tied to.

So, for me an enjoyable read, but probably not as good as Brookmyres ‘Tartan Noir” as his crime and politics / social commentary novels are collectively known.
3.5 stars - rounded down to 3.