Book reviews: December 2022
Here's what's made to our bookshelf this month
Surrender
Bono
$55
Penguin Random House
Reviewed by Steve Atkinson
You know you’re famous when identification is via a nickname, as does Paul Hewson aka Bono. Here we finally see his version of people and events that have taken him and the other members of U2 from obscurity to stardom — perhaps even superstardom.
It’s an ok read, but like many autobiographies, there’s a lot of ego involved, right down to the self-drawn pictures and weirdly arranged images.
Some of what I would expect to be significant events in the lives of Bono and the members of U2 are only scantly touched on, one example is the 1986 death of Kiwi-born roadie/mate Greg Carroll. However, I’m sure die-hard fans will cherish the book, gobbling up every word that’s written, and for that reason, it’ll be a bestseller.
Chevalier & Gawayn
Phillip Mann
$37.99
Quentin Wilson Publishing
Reviewed by Steve Atkinson
Don’t let the awkwardly chosen title put you off, as this sci-fi tale is an excellent read. In what I perceived as an alternative near future, our hero lives in a world rife with disease, or threats of it, and Big Brother overtones.
Everyone lives in sealed day-suits and one’s health status is constantly checked by ‘helpful healthfriends’. These people are not to be confused with our taxfriend hero who moonlights as an amateur taxidermist, selling his wares on the black market.
The one form of escapism for those in society who can afford it is a neurally-connected dream-like state, where you can be whatever your brain leads you to be — even a hero on a horse in medieval times. If you look closely enough, this could be our society of tomorrow.
Prisoners of the Castle
Ben Macintyre
$40
Penguin Random House
Reviewed by Brett Arnold
The German-run Colditz Castle with its gothic architecture and seemingly impenetrable high walls is instantly recognisable as the infamous World War II P.O.W camp that it was rumoured no Allied prisoner could escape from.
The book highlights a number of great escape attempts, with the competitive nature between the British, French, and Danish troops being well-documented, perhaps even over-documented in parts.
Even though it was a prison, it was also a microcosm of society, with traitors, heroes, and everything else that makes or breaks a group of people. What sort of surprised me but didn’t — if you know what I mean — was the English class structure being clearly evident even to the degree of some officers having those of ‘lesser breeding’ attending to their needs.
Reading about the German’s final surrender to the Allied forces was engrossing and for those who want to really understand what happened, you won’t be disappointed.
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