'Men At Arms' by Terry Pratchett (1993)

For a brief synopsis go here.

For me this is the start of what I think of as 'the really good Discworld novels'! Sam Vimes starts to feature prominently and the politics of Ankh-Morpork are now consistent. Carrot is further explained as is his relationship with Angua. Some events in later books are foreshadowed here and we get an insight into the workings of the Assassins Guild....

This is one of my fasvourite Discworld novels. It starts to feel comforting and familiar; the characters are now behaving consistently which allows for the stories to develop more satisfyingly in the next few novels. Both leonard of Quirm and the patrician himself are more satisfyingly fleshed out in this book. Perhaps not a good starting place for Discworld newbies but a very good read all the same.

'The Fifth Elephant' by Terry Pratchett (1999)

Thanks to Wikipedia for the synopsis.

"Samuel Vimes, Commander of the City Watch of Ankh-Morpork and Duke of Ankh, thought that things were bad enough when he was forced to go to Überwald—a largely wild territory—on a diplomatic mission. That was before he found himself entangled in a plot to spark the dwarf equivalent of a holy war, not to mention running naked in the frozen wastelands of Überwald with werewolves on his trail.
The plot concerns the appointment of a new king of Dwarfs (the Low King). It is a controversial choice and the cause of a rift forming in the Dwarf community. Lord Vetinari sends Vimes as the Duke of Ankh-Morpork to be an ambassador along with Detritus and Corporal Littlebottom - the idea being Trolls and Dwarfs are ethnic majorities in Überwald, where the Low King resides. Littlebottom is not a typical dwarf, as she accepts her gender and even wears a dress, which is highly offensive to the conservative dwarf society. Accompaining them as both guard and spy is Inigo Skimmer, a scholarship boy from the Assassin's Guild school (the requirements for such a scholarship being left unsaid).
Once in Überwald Vimes finds his relationships with Dwarfs, Vampires and Werewolves very different from the ones he experiences back home and also finds the 'Scone of Stone' (a large piece of dwarf-bread the Low King MUST be crowned on, q.v.Stone of Scone) has been stolen. Perhaps there is a link to the recent theft of a replica of the Scone in Ankh-Morpork, and the murder of a manufacturer of prophylactics in that city. Vimes must use his detective skills to solve the mystery of the Scone, while trying to stay alive.
A sub-plot involves Carrot Ironfoundersson and Gaspode the Wonder-dog going in search of Carrot's werewolf girlfriend Angua. The simultaneous absence of both Vimes and Carrot from the city watch requires one of the existing watchmen to be promoted. Sergeant Fred Colon is the senior officer, and so is made Acting Captain. Colon is not comfortable being a leader, and deals with the position very badly, becoming excessively strict and paranoid as the Watch crumbles around him.
The novel gives more detail on werewolf society, including the concept of yennorks, werewolves who cannot shapeshift, and are permanently in human or animal form. It also explores the society of dwarfs on the Disc, introducing the drudak'ak (which roughly translates as "they who do not get out in the fresh air much"), conservative dwarfs who are the keepers and interpreters of dwarf law.
This is the fifth Discworld novel starring Vimes and the City Watch. Also starring Dwarfs, Werewolves, Vampires and Battle-Bread."

This is the 23rd Discworld novel and is actually one of my favourites. I like the development of dwarf culture, the expansion of the Igors and the Transylvania-esque setting. I particularly like the emphasis on Sam Vimes; I have a theory that he is being groomed for the patricianship....

As usual this is highly readable and very likeable. Having seen a few classic horror movies will aid picturing the surroundings, as will some knowledge of dwarf-culture from other fantasy sources (and some awareness of the bardic tradition in Welsh literature!).

One of the best Discworld novels so far, although not a good starting point.

'Jurassic Park' and 'The Lost World' by Michael Crichton (1991 and 1995)

These two books I picked up for free at Steer's mad giveaway recently. I really enjoyed them! I quite liked the first 2 movies (the third was abysmal) but was surprised how much better the books were. I'm sure you know the story so I won't describe it. I'm sure the science throughout is a little dodgy (otherwise there would be cloned dinosaurs I suppose!) and the characters are cardboard thin at times. But, hey....it is genuinely exciting! I stayed up to read them...I couldn't put them down.

I particularly liked that the animals themselves were portrayed rather sympathetically. They were not anthropomorphised nor were they simple killing machines. Part of the story revolves around concepts of dinosaurs as social creatures and their role as parents. The velociraptors, the protagonists of the movies arguably, have a somewhat smaller role, whilst the t-rex takes centre stage. But it is the supporting cast of more varied animals which brings this lost world to life.

I found it especially satisfying that the whole "let's take a live dinosaur to mainland USA" plotline (which diminished the second movie) was absent from the book. Crichton has gone up in my estiamtion for this fact alone!

I would recommend these books simply because they are good fun, if a bit bloody and strewn with entrails at times!

'Labyrinth' by Kate Mosse (2005)

I borrowed this book from the library as it reminded me a little of The Da Vinci Code but with medieval history thrown in. I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped I would but I think this was due, at least in part, to my current short term memory loss; I kept having to reread passages as I thought events weren't making sense.....

Labyrinth is an archaeological mystery set both in the Middle Ages and present day France. The detailed descriptions of the setting are well-written and insightful. In essence this is a 'quest for the grail' story with both the heroines discovering that their lives, separated by centuries, are intertwined with the fate of the grail.

It divides into two main storylines that follow the two protagonists, Alaïs (from the year 1209) and Alice (in the year 2005). The two stories occur in a shared geography and intertwine. The novel relies heavily on historical events such as the massacre at Beziers and the Crusade against the Cathars in the South of France from around 1200. It is these passages where the novel shines. The medieval setting is truly brought to life, and the complex political and spiritual environment is rendered in very human terms. These passages move the story along at a satisfying pace.

The modern day part of the story is more of a straightforward detective-style thriller. I found this a bit cumbersome and unsatisfying. The characters seemed wafer-thin and it was absolutely no surprise that one of them is centuries old; there was little dramatic suspense throughout the modern parts.

The main problem for me was that I really enjoyed the medieval bits and just when I settled into an historical novel it would change to the modern detective mode. Once I'd adjusted to this, it was time to change again. The two plot lines were not well-paced to heighten tension and they did not work together to bring a rousing crescendo as I had hoped.

Two petty points also affected my enjoyment. The first was the authors insistence on sprinkling the medieval bits with words from the dead language of southern France. This was done inconsistently and immediately translated (often unnecessarily!). This annoyed me as it smacked of an "ooh aren't I clever finding all these dead words!" mindset. It really did add very little and after a while was simply irritating (I'm pleased to say that Lisa found this to be the case as well!).

The second point was that the bibliography listed its sources alphabetically by title not by author. Surely that's not acceptable anywhere?

Labyrinth won a British Book Award and on the whole I think this was deserved. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed The Da Vinci Code or likes historical dramas... just don't get confused which is which!