Bookshelf – Hype: One of these deserves it, one does not ...

INFERNO By Dan Brown TRANSWORLD PUBLISHERS ITâ€â„¢S NOT hard to see why publishers have been increasingly worried that book sales have generally gone down over the years. Itâ€â„¢s hard to compete with cinema and TV, not to mention gaming devices like Xbox or PlayStation â€â€ a population that is steadily losing its concentration is not one that will sit down for hours on end to read a good book. So itâ€â„¢s perversely lucky for those publishers that not all good books sell, and that not all books are necessarily good. If there is money to be made on a book it must generate sufficient buzz to compete with the movies; and contain the word â€Å“blockbusterâ€Â. Yes, for a time books had seemed lost to the new and frequently less cerebral medium of film â€â€ who needs to read when you can watch? But every now and again a novel comes out to capture the popular, collective imagination. The Harry Potter series was one, of course; the Twilight series another, but an even bigger phenomenon came along in the form of Dan Brownâ€â„¢s The Da Vinci Code and its successors. The Da Vinci Code is actually the second in the series of Robert Langdon- centred novels, causing controversy and subsequently the pivotal â€Å“buzzâ€Â, with its subject matter suggesting a thriving bloodline descended from Jesus. As of 2012, 200 million copies have been sold. And there has been a movie adaptation for those who still canâ€â„¢t bear to put their eyes to paper but want to see what the fuss is all about. Hoping to follow in the success of the last three the latest, Inferno, is the fourth to feature Harvard symbolist Robert Langdon on another perilous quest through historical and cultural capitals of the world. Going by the tried and tested format, the novel opens with a mysterious figure who refers to himself as The Shade talking in riddles about whatever dastardly but ultimately noble evil he is to unleash on the human race. Then Langdon wakes up with a splitting headache in a hospital room he doesnâ€â„¢t recognize and two daysâ€â„¢ missing memories. Almost at once he is launched into a race against time, first against unknown and unrelated assailants who appear to be after him, second to track down the truth of what happened to him in the days before and third to figure out what this funny looking canister that has appeared in a hidden pocket in his jacket is. Through a series of inevitable twists and turns, brief chapters sporting cliffhangers, impossible situations made possible with a little bit of expert symbol knowledge, Langdon makes his way through the highlights of Florence to the water-logged city of Venice and beyond. Like his previous adventures he is joined on his quest by a beautiful and brilliant young woman, with a few secrets of her own. Inferno is the same old, same old Robert Langdon escapade. All the generals are the same, with the specifics â€â€ the cities in which itâ€â„¢s based, the peril which are faced and the woman who is chased, then embraced, differing. It is truly a blockbuster, and many times I felt I was faced with the transcribed version of a movie rather than a book, such is the style it is written in. There are nice little tit-bits of trivia thrown in here and there, as is usual, filling in the plot holes just sufficiently to gloss over them. Itâ€â„¢s curious that Brown appears to want to write for an audience that has an interest in art, history and a good conspiracy theory, yet he feels the need to explain every detail, every movement, not letting the reader fill in a few things for him or herself. Itâ€â„¢s a fun jaunt through some interesting places, and it does paint a lovely picture of them, but in the end it is what it is, another blockbuster to turn your brain off to, to enjoy the ludicrous but nonetheless exciting adventure. GONE GIRL By Gillian Flynn PHOENIX, ORION BOOKS WHEN I read that Gillian Flynnâ€â„¢s Gone Girl was â€Å“the next Fifty Shades of Greyâ€Â I was more than reluctant to pick it up â€â€ this is a family paper after all. But having been reassured that the reference was in relation to it being the next must-read novel for book-clubs around the world, the relief encouraged me to give it a go. Like the Dan Brown books, there comes an anomaly every so often that puts a book in the public eye and Gone Girl is one of them. This is absolutely one of those books that you want your friends to read so you can discuss it with them. It brings up many common themes and twists them, and its structure cleverly leaves you neither trusting nor believing either of the unreliable narrators. Itâ€â„¢s a page turner in its own right, but one that is bereft of silly hooks, instead choosing a clever psychological trick to keep you reading, leaving just enough breadcrumbs to say â€Å“Oh, go on, another chapter wonâ€â„¢t hurtâ€Â. It opens on the fifth anniversary of Nick and Amy Dunneâ€â„¢s wedding. Itâ€â„¢s clear from the start that things are strained and that efforts are being made on this day of all days to breathe some life into the marriage. We follow Nick as he leaves for work in the bar he owns with his twin sister, up until he receives a phone call from a concerned neighbour telling him that his front door is wide open and things seem amiss. He arrives home to find his wife gone, and so begins the story of Amyâ€â„¢s disappearance told by way of the story of Amy and Nick. Each chapter is alternately told through the voice of the husband and wife â€â€ Nick in the present, during the search and with fingers increasingly being pointed at him; Amy in the form of diaries, the first being from the date the couple met, the last being just a few days before. It is also told in three parts, structure being integral to the plot. It is a great study in not only as specific a concern as a marriage gone sour but current global concerns of our day: the recession and the affect of media on our lives. Both have lost good jobs in New York and have been coerced into moving back to Nickâ€â„¢s small and economically unviable home town of Carthage, Missouri. Nick is suspicious that suspicions towards him are more pronounced since the advent of multiple TV police procedurals. Amy knows all too well the effect a good diary entry has â€â€ despite the worldwide trend away from print, the pen may well still be mightier than the sword. A blockbuster it isnâ€â„¢t. Itâ€â„¢s a sly creeper of a book, hooking you unbeknownst to you until you find you canâ€â„¢t put it down. Itâ€â„¢s intelligent and doesnâ€â„¢t take the reader for a fool, but still manages to stay one step ahead to provide effective and shocking twists in the narrative. With books like these there may be some life in the media yet. Oh, and it does deserve the buzz.