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Suomalaiset kirjailijat ovat viime aikoina jääneet aavistuksen verran taustalle omassa repertuaarissa. Tunnistan osapuilleen niin kirjailijoiden kuin teostenkin nimet, mutta kirjahyllyyn niitä ei ole eksynyt.

Puhdistuksen lukeminenkin sai alkunsa elokuvasta. Näin leffan, ja sen jälkeen päätin selvittää, kuinka uskollinen se on kirjalle.

Ja onhan se. Elokuva karsii tarinaa, mutta se ei välttämättä ole huono asia; vaikka lukukokemus kaiken kaikkiaan oli perin sujuva, tarina eteni hitaasti. Toisaalta tilannetta ei ainakaan helpottanut, että juonikuvio ainakin pääpiirteissään oli elokuvan jälkeen jo selvä.

Elokuvassa tarina etenee myös lineaarisemmin kuin kirjassa; vaikka molemmissa pompitaan sodanjälkeisen Viron ja 1990-luvun alun Viron välillä, kirja ei noudata yhtä siistiä kaavaa kuin valkokangasversio. Rakenne on perusteltu, sillä se auttaa näkemään yhtäläisyydet Aliiden ja Zaran tarinan välillä. Toisaalta joitakin asioita paljastetaan ehkä tarpeettomastikin vasta loppumetreillä.

Mielenkiintoista on myös päähenkilön rakentumisen ero. Elokuvassa Aliide tuntui syystä tai toisesta lähes välittömästi vastenmieliseltä hahmolta, ja mielikuva pehmeni vain vähän loppua kohti. Kirjassa tapahtuu toisinpäin: Aliidesta tulee ehkä kova vaikutelma, mutta epämiellyttäväksi se kääntyi ainakin omalla kohdallani vasta loppumetreillä. Tämä on hyvin vahvasti kahden henkilön kirja: Aliide on kiistattomassa pääosassa, Zara yhtä selkeä kakkonen, ja kaikki muut jäävät kaukaisiksi statisteiksi.

Viron, Neuvostoliiton ja itäblokin tapahtumat yleensä lienevät suomalaisille sen verran tuttuja, että kirja ei suoranaisesti onnistu paljastamaan mitään uutta. Tietyllä tapaa järjestelmäkin on statisti: vaikka Neuvostoliitto on kiistatta merkittävä tekijä, tarina pyörii niin paljon henkilöiden ympärillä, että itse jäin miettimään, olisiko tilanne olennaisesti muuttunut, jos N-Liittoa ei olisi ollut. Vaan silloin tätä kirjaa ei ehkä olisi kirjoitettu.

The Ninth District follows a common pattern: a veteran FBI agent gets a rookie sidekick for a case where they try to catch a devilishly clever criminal. In this case, the criminal is a bankrobber and murdered only known as The Governor.

The book starts well, with a mix of action and character development, and the author seems to know his surroundings - the descriptions of the surrounding city are enjoyable even if I've never seen the places the author writes about. The main character, Jack Miller, is a likeable fellow with a marriage he's set on saving.

At some point, though, the book starts to fall apart. Maybe it's because the plot follows The Governor but never really tells much about him. We see him plotting something, but there are never enough clues to get an idea of what it is - and when it goes on, it starts to seem like the author doesn't really have an idea either.


Things get to a breaking point when we get close to the end. The Governor creates a distraction - what kind, you ask? Well, come to think of it, that part of the plot disappears as soon as it's introduced. Next moment the FBI finds out who The Governor is, and agent Miller realizes what is his final target. How? Because they just do.

The author brings in elements that serve no purpose - or more likely, he realized he's been building elements that don't really work the way he'd like. So, instead of rethinking the plot about digging under the city of Minneapolis, he kills the crew in a useless explosion. He wants to keep Miller active, but since there doesn't seem to be anything worth doing, poor agent ends up brooding in the rain.

And, finally, our hero and The Governor meet face to face. But instead of an epic conclusion, we get a few blows in the dark, and then the bad guy just disappears along with a hint that he's surely dead. Good agent Miller is immediately reunited with his wife, and for the moment, everything is fine.


As some people have mentioned, it seems like at some point the author just stopped caring and wanted to end the book. What started well ends in confusion and whimper.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer is probably the first book which I read purely based on reviews; or to be more exact, the glowing review in Fantasy & Science Fiction. Yes, it was a jump to unknown, but after reading the book, well worth the risk.

HMCN could be thought as fiction for young adults - the plot revolves around ever popular paranormal themes, such as werewolves, zombies and necromancy. The main characters are young and at least reasonably beautiful, the main adversaries are obviously bad guys from the very beginning. If you're looking for moral ambivalence, this is probably not the book for you.

The writing is clever, and the dialogue is full of comical soundbites. The plot starts a bit slow, and occasionally jumps around a bit too much, but towards the end, it all starts to come together. Too bad, though, that by that time you've probably noticed there's no way the book can end with a decent closure. The final confrontation is a bit too abrupt, and the final chapters pave too clear a way for the sequel - recognizing this as the first book in a series certainly doesn't require any supernatural powers.

Having said that, if you're in need of something to spend a few hours with, HMCN is as good a choice as any. It probably won't make the list of contemporary classics, but the characters are easy to like and it shows a promise for the future; after all, the sequel is already on the way.

I Shall Wear Midnight is the fourth installation in the Tiffany Aching subseries set in the Discworld universe. The first three were targeted for young adults, and this one's main character is still only 15 years old, so you might think it's another story for the younger audience. Forget about that, and just go read it already.

Compared to some of the earlier Discworld novels, I Shall Wear Midnight has a darker tone from the beginning. Even if it still has plenty of humor, clever use of words and distinctly funny supporting cast, it also attacks some of the shadier undercurrents of the human mind. Pratchett takes a teenaged witch, a bunch of tiny blue men and a decent plot, and turns them into a cocktail that, along with the story-telling, also brings up themes revolving around communities, such as acceptance, bonding and herd behavior. It does not really reveal anything you wouldn't already know, but it shows that comic fantasy doesn't always have to be light.

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality is a fan fiction which takes a bit more scientific look at the saga of Harry Potter. While happening in Harry Potter universe, it also introduces the readers to basics of scientific method and sees Harry trying to apply it to magic. It also takes a stab at explaining common fallacies in thought patterns and describes some of the groundbreaking psychological experiments of the last century, all the while keeping up with the fantasy plot.

Sounds boring? Doomed to failure? It could be both, but Methods of Rationality pulls through. It starts with criticizing low hanging fruits like quidditch. However, as the story evolves - and boy, does it evolve: two more chapters were published this week - it goes from "Rowling with modifications" into an ambitious story of its own. The characters grow, the plot thickens, and it turns into a thought-provoking work of literary art.

Of course, there are things that occasionally annoy. Harry Potter is too adult for his (and probably story's) own good. Being fan fiction, the book takes occasional, completely unrelated side steps, and almost 80 chapters into the book, the plot still doesn't seem to be converging into any kind of resolution.

Still, on the whole, this is definitely worth reading, and one of the best Harry Potter books I've read ;)

The Emperor's Edge continues my journey through the free books for Kindle, and it's definitely one of the bigger hits after a couple of bad misses... It distinguishes itself by actually having a plot, likeable characters, enjoyable writing and even some successful attempts on humor. The story starts with a young female enforcer - a local cop - plodding in a world of discrimination, but through a few random accidents, grander schemes take over.

The book is easily accessible, and the pace is fast enough to suck you in and keep you there until you've finished it. It has its share of clichés, but on the other hand, The Emperor Edge paints a world with an intriguing mix of traditional fantasy and early industrialization. This is only the beginning of the series, and the writer has also published some short stories set in the same world, so I'm hoping it slowly turns into something marvellous - the ingredients are there.

Kirsch starts the book by stating some simple facts from his original metastudy of efficacy of the antidepressant drugs, then continues deeper into the possible meanings of those results, and ends up debunking the whole chemical imbalance theory. Nice job!

The whole book is interesting read. It gives insight on how the drug approval process works, and also about the double standards evident in the field. Even if you take out the debunking of antidepressants, it has plenty of information about how the placebos work - after all, researching placebo effect was Kirsch's original goal.

Regarding the concerns that some reviewers have stated about this being dangerous if people stop taking their drugs... The book states several times you shouldn't do decisions on your medication on your own. It also suggests several alternative treatments, and points towards research to back those suggestions up.

The most important message this book has, I think, comes after about ten pages and is in some way or another reinforced throughout the book. The message is: Do something. Whether it's drugs, therapy or half a dozen other choices, the important thing is to take action.