Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The tale Charlie, the eponymous wallflower, and his freshman year at high school. Through a series of letter written to an unnamed stranger as he navigates his way through the uncharted waters between childhood and adulthood. Charlie finds friendship, love and acceptance over the course of his year. Along the way he also finds a deeply hidden secret from his own past.

I genuinely found this novel funny, touching and poignant in equal measure and for a debut novel it's certainly making me want to try others of Chbosky's oeuvre.

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Review: Rivers of London: The Fey and the Furious

Rivers of London Volume 8: The Fey and the Furious by Ben Aaronovitch

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rivers of London: The Fey and the Furious is the eighth collected volume of the Rivers of London comic book. This volume is made up of four issues of the comic book.

Set immediately after Lies Sleeping, The Fey and the Furious begins with DC Peter Grant still on suspension from the Met and a young Essex boy racer found dead in a Dutch dyke (No... stop it! Filthy mind you have!) with cargo of illicit produce in his boot. Peter and the Muslim Ninja, Sahra Guleed, are despatched off to Essex to infiltrate local street racing rings. Things soon take a turn for the "weird bollocks" when the race route goes through fairyland...

I want to start this review with my congratulations on the pun title, great work, now stop it or I'm calling the police. This story only missing a Vin Diesel character to be The Fast and the Furious with fairies and I love it. This one has just the right balance of call backs and returning characters to give the new thing a place to breathe. Beverley Brook is also given more to do in this than just being Peter's girlfriend (I know she gets more of a role in the main series) which is good.

I know I've said this before for others in the series but this one really is the best one so far. Read it, read it now!

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Review: Rivers of London: Action at a Distance

Rivers of London Volume 7: Action at a Distance by Ben Aaronovitch

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rivers of London: Action at a Distance is the seventh collected volume of the Rivers of London comic book. This volume is made up of four issues of the comic book.

In a Harry Dresden meets Springheel Jack tale Nightingale mourns the loss of a friend while Peter reads of them pursuing the nefarious Fischer from Windscale to London and back again.

At last a story where Nightingale is the protagonist! I've been waiting for this for a while now and was not disappointed. Nightingale as a protagonist is witty, charming, ruthless and has more tricks up his sleeve than Paul Daniels.

I liked this a lot, in fact it's fair to say this is probably my favourite RoL graphic novel so far. We're also treated to a new artist for this volume with Brian Williamson doing the honours.

Like the others this isn't essential reading but it is a ripping good yarn.

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