Master Review

Reviews & Overviews by Rod Cameron

End of the World Blues - Jon Courtenay Grimwood

Jon Courtenay Grimwood’s latest novel End of the World Blues has just been published in hardback. This is his tenth novel, and is up to his usual standard of excellence. Like a number of his recent works, this has two disparate strands which don’t appear to be logically connected, keeping you guessing until almost the very end of the story. In one storyline, Lady Neku, Countess High Strange and chatelaine of Schloss Omega lives in a sentient castle at the end of time, or at least towards the end of the existence of the Earth.

In the other strand, Kit Nouveau has tried to escape his life in modern-day England by travelling to Japan where he runs a bar in the Roppongi district of Tokyo. Although he has a partner who is addicted to bondage in a big way, he is having an affair with the wife of a Yakusa hood just to keep life interesting. Life in other words is busy. It becomes even more hectic when he is saved from a robbery by a young girl, Nijie who appears from nowhere, with a very intelligent cat; and saves him by killing the attacker. However, Nijie is also Lady Neku, and after the robbery Kit inadvertently steals some of her memories which she wants back …

One of the great things about Jon Courtenay Grimwood’s books is that none of them can be classed as an “easy” read. He sets down rewarding challenges for the reader. However End of the World Blues is more straight-forward than some of his earlier novels. It is well worth the effort of getting into, and would make an ideal first read for those who have not tried him yet. End of the World Blues is definitely an enjoyable and thought provoking book.

Publisher: Gollancz
Date: 2006
Pages: 343 Pages
Price: £12.99
ISBN: 0-575-07616-X
Format: Hardback
Reviewed by: Rod Cameron
Date Reviewed: October 2006

End of the World Blues - Jon Courtenay Grimwood
Jon Courtenay Grimwood’s latest novel End of the World Blues has just been published in hardback. This is his tenth novel, and is up to his usual standard of excellence. Like a number of his recent works, this has two disparate strands which don’t appear to be logically connected, keeping you guessing until almost the very end of the story. In one storyline, Lady Neku, Countess High Strange and chatelaine of Schloss Omega lives in a sentient castle at the end of time, or at least towards the end of the existence of the Earth. In the other strand, Kit Nouveau has tried to escape his life in modern-day England by travelling to Japan where he runs a bar in the Roppongi district of Tokyo. Although he has a partner who is addicted to bondage in a big way, he is having an affair with the wife of a Yakusa hood just to keep life interesting. Life in other words is busy. It becomes even more hectic when he is saved from a robbery by a young girl, Nijie who appears from nowhere, with a very intelligent cat; and saves him by killing the attacker. However, Nijie is also Lady Neku, and after the robbery Kit inadvertently steals some of her memories which she wants back … One of the great things about Jon Courtenay Grimwood’s books is that none of them can be classed as an “easy” read. He sets down rewarding challenges for the reader. However End of the World Blues is more straight-forward than some of his earlier novels. It is well worth the effort of getting into, and would make an ideal first read for those who have not tried him yet. End of the World Blues is definitely an enjoyable and thought provoking book.
Publisher: Gollancz Date: 2006 Pages: 343 Pages Price: £12.99 ISBN: 0-575-07616-X Format: Hardback Reviewed by: Rod Cameron Date Reviewed: October 2006