The best new fiction to add to your reading list
The Wide Wide Sea
Hampton Sides
$40
Penguin Random House
Reviewed by Steve Atkinson
How bad can a book about an English explorer, written by an American who lives in New Mexico be? Well, truth be told, it’s not bad at all, despite the US-styled English. The author traces Captain James Cook’s third voyage that led to his fateful end in Hawaii.
Using a blend of documented and oral histories, we’re treated to an excellent life story prequel and the circumstances of the trip, all while giving a respectful insight into the different cultures encountered along the way.
Eruption
Michael Crichton, James Patterson
$38
Penguin Random House
Reviewed by Steve Atkinson
Considering Michael Crichton died in 2008, this book has been a long time coming, and I’m guessing James Patterson picked up the threads of an unfinished story. As it goes, our hero is trying to stop an impending eruption on an island in Hawaii from destroying the local population, while being made aware that the US Army has stockpiled a deadly radioactive herbicide nearby that could destroy the global population.
The story contained too many characters for me to adequately follow and failed to explain how a massive number of resources managed to turn up in a couple of days. Strangely enough, while all this is going on, our overworked hero even manages to get a surf in before the big day. Enjoyable reading though.
The Secret Life of Flying
Captain Jeremy Burfoot
$39.99
MacMillan Publishers
Reviewed by Steve Atkinson
A retired Qantas pilot and ex-Royal New Zealand Air Force navigator with more than 23,000 hours on the clock, gives us answers to all the questions we’ve ever wanted to ask about ground operations, flying, in-flight food, and the Mile High Club.
All provided in an easy-to-consume format, among other things, the author helps nervous flyers decipher those weird noises coming from the hydraulic system and how often the air in the cabin gets replaced. The information is delivered well, although, the light-hearted formula falls down occasionally with banter more suited to an older generation. Don’t let this put you off though; it’s a pretty good read.