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Prophet – Helen MacDonald + Sin Blaché

Prophet – Helen MacDonals + Sin Blaché

I really enjoyed H is for Hawk. I saw this while on holiday in Dunsborough (here). I did know it was going to be completely different, but good writing is good writing.

Here’s the blurb …

A genre-bending, strikingly original tour-de-force about an unlikely spy duo on the most dangerous and otherwordly mission of their lives, from the New York Times–bestselling author of H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald, and the stunning new voice of Sin Blaché.

Adam Rubinstein and Sunil Rao have been nemeses and reluctant partners since their Uzbekistan days. Adam is a seemingly unflappable American Intelligence officer; Rao is ex-MI6, an addict and rudderless pleasure-hound with an uncanny ability to discern the truth about anything and anyone—except Adam.

Adam and Rao have gone their separate ways until they are called back together when a full-sized, 1950s American diner shows up in an English farmer’s field and a mysterious death ensues. What follows is a reality-twisting, action-filled quest as the unlikely duo begin to uncover how and why people’s fondest memories are being manifested and weaponized against them, in increasingly bizarre and tangible forms, by a spooky, ever-shifting substance called Prophet. Adam and Rao must find a way to stop these malevolent entities from taking over a world that is just one perilous step from our own.

The brilliant minds of Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché have created a tantalizing fusion of sci-fi, detective noir, action, and romance in this high-tension, fast-paced adventure. Prophet is a triumph of storytelling.

Like a lot of science fiction this was a bit too long. However, I loved the premise and the relationship between Adam and Rao. This novel has emotional heft – damaged people, working together to save the world. But at its heart it’s really about Adam and Rao, so relationships, courage and trust. And two people who really need to have a conversation.

A review

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Filed under 4, Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Paper, Recommended, Romance, Science Fiction, Spy, Thriller

H is for Hawk – Helen MacDonald

H is for Hawk - Helen MacDonald

H is for Hawk – Helen MacDonald

Several people suggested that I read this, but I resisted. The blurb (see below) didn’t really appeal to me – I am not all that interested in birds and I had a terrible relationship with my Dad, so I didn’t want to be reminded of what I didn’t have, but eventually I gave in and read it. I am glad I did because it is not just about birds and grief, it is about finding your way to live in the world.

Here is the blurb …

When Helen Macdonald’s father died suddenly on a London street, she was devastated. An experienced falconer, Helen had never before been tempted to train one of the most vicious predators, the goshawk, but in her grief, she saw that the goshawk’s fierce and feral temperament mirrored her own. Resolving to purchase and raise the deadly creature as a means to cope with her loss, she adopted Mabel, and turned to the guidance of The Once and Future King author T.H. White’s chronicle The Goshawk to begin her challenging endeavor. Projecting herself “in the hawk’s wild mind to tame her” tested the limits of Macdonald’s humanity and changed her life.
Heart-wrenching and humorous, this book is an unflinching account of bereavement and a unique look at the magnetism of an extraordinary beast, with a parallel examination of a legendary writer’s eccentric falconry. Obsession, madness, memory, myth, and history combine to achieve a distinctive blend of nature writing and memoir from an outstanding literary innovator.

So this is about Helen MacDonald overcoming her grief by training a goshawk, but it is also a memoir of T.H. White. And both of those are about making peace with yourself (accepting your nature and desires) and making a contented life for yourself.

I am quite nosy so I do like reading about other peoples’ lives – how they live and what they thought etc. This is a very personal story – I am in awe of anybody who can put so much of themselves into the world.

More reviews …

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/aug/04/h-is-for-hawk-review-helen-macdonald-taming-goshawk-mabel

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/books/review/helen-macdonalds-h-is-for-hawk.html?_r=0

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Filed under Memoir, Non-Fiction, Recommended