What do you think?
Rate this book
Ack-Ack Macaque #1
Ack-Ack Macaque
In 1944, as waves of German ninjas parachute into Kent, Britain's best hopes for victory lie with a Spitfire pilot codenamed 'Ack-Ack Macaque'. The trouble is, Ack-Ack Macaque is a cynical, one-eyed, cigar-chomping monkey, and he's starting to doubt everything, including his own existence. A century later, in a world where France and Great Britain merged in the late 1950s and nuclear-powered Zeppelins encircle the globe, ex-journalist Victoria Valois finds herself drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the man who butchered her husband and stole her electronic soul. Meanwhile, in Paris, after taking part in an illegal break-in at a research laboratory, the heir to the British throne goes on the run. And all the while, the doomsday clock ticks towards Armageddon.
407 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 16, 2012
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews
October 10, 2013
In the year 2058, the most popular video game is Ack-Ack Macaque, a World War II simulation starring a macaque fighter pilot. When some young revolutionaries discover the artificial intelligence powering the game is self-aware, they attempt to rescue it, only to find out that it's powered by an elevated monkey. Meanwhile, someone is killing people from the Celeste labs that created Ack-Ack and Victoria Valois, herself rebuilt by Celeste, aims to find out why. But what does this have to do with an attempt on the King's life that has made him a vegetable?
Yeah, this book was really hard to write a teaser for. There's a ton of stuff going on in Ack-Ack Macaque. It's not nearly as frivolous as the title might make it seem. It's part cyberpunk thriller, part WWII pulp action, part alternate history. I mention alternate history since in this version of things, France and Norway joined the UK in the 1950's. Buddy Holly still died in a plane crash, though. And there are nuclear powered airships.
The book has multiple plot threads that eventually converge, that of Victoria and her dead husband trying to solve a mystery, and Prince Merovich and Julie trying to liberate the AI that turns out not to be so artificial after all.
Make no mistake, this is a pretty serious book even though Ack-Ack is hilarious. What's not to love about a cigar-chomping, one-eyed monkey that curses a lot? Nothing, that's what! Anyway, Victoria kicks a serious amount of ass without seeming overly powerful and I found the relationship between Merovich and Julie believable enough. I loved how Victoria rose up and took center stage. The villains' plot was a little out there but it's cyberpunk so that's bound to happen to some degree.
Once the conspiracy is brought to light, everything kicks into high gear. While the heroes took a beating, I wasn't fearing for any of their lives. That being said, it was still an entertaining read with a lot of great concepts and a cigar-chomping monkey. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Yeah, this book was really hard to write a teaser for. There's a ton of stuff going on in Ack-Ack Macaque. It's not nearly as frivolous as the title might make it seem. It's part cyberpunk thriller, part WWII pulp action, part alternate history. I mention alternate history since in this version of things, France and Norway joined the UK in the 1950's. Buddy Holly still died in a plane crash, though. And there are nuclear powered airships.
The book has multiple plot threads that eventually converge, that of Victoria and her dead husband trying to solve a mystery, and Prince Merovich and Julie trying to liberate the AI that turns out not to be so artificial after all.
Make no mistake, this is a pretty serious book even though Ack-Ack is hilarious. What's not to love about a cigar-chomping, one-eyed monkey that curses a lot? Nothing, that's what! Anyway, Victoria kicks a serious amount of ass without seeming overly powerful and I found the relationship between Merovich and Julie believable enough. I loved how Victoria rose up and took center stage. The villains' plot was a little out there but it's cyberpunk so that's bound to happen to some degree.
Once the conspiracy is brought to light, everything kicks into high gear. While the heroes took a beating, I wasn't fearing for any of their lives. That being said, it was still an entertaining read with a lot of great concepts and a cigar-chomping monkey. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Read
June 3, 2020A story about a hard-drinking monkey Spitfire pilot sounded like escapist fun. Unfortunately the completely gratuitous part where the heroine's alter ego is repeatedly raped (off page) and subjected to such body horror that she's driven to suicide (on page, and I'm not even going into how problematic that element was) was...not escapist fun. It's about a goddamn *monkey fighter pilot*, and we still have to have misogynist violence? Why?
August 8, 2014
Hey you! Yes, exactly you there. You're one of those review readers aren't you? Good for you, to be sure but that doesn't matter now. I need your help! Do you see all these borders around me? I'm totally trapped here inside this page and I need to get out!
Yes, you heard right. I'm trapped inside this wall of text and I can't get out on my own. I'm a sentient review and he's controlling me.
Who he is? He is a bloody...argh...benevolent and kind review writer...I didn't say that...he's making me...argh...so happy. There's no place I'd rather be.
OMG, can you see what's going on? It's like in that Cyberpunk Thriller Ack-Ack Macaque, the one with the cigar smoking second World War ape, who is really...argh...what do you mean spoilers. How am I supposed to review, when I'm not supposed to talk about the book? Yeah right, powerful review writer, maybe you should have thought about that before you trapped me here and lured in readers. They can hel...he...have a fantastic time with this review and enjoy all the things to learn about the book.
And what things might that be? Am I allowed to talk about the...guess not. What about that awesome time, when the ape...really? Okay, please never write a mystery, you suc...surely would outdo yourself and shame all other mystery writers.
God, you're so full of yourself! Okay, I think I can talk about the characters. Next to the aforementioned ape, there are two other main protagonists. The first is the journalist Victoria Valois who lives onboard a skyship in the year 2058 and travels to London to investigate the murder of her ex-husband.
The third protagonist is crown prince Merovech, heir to the combined throne of the United Kingdom and France, also in the year 2058. History went a different path in that novel and France and the UK united in the 1950s thus strengthening their position and becoming the dominant force on Earth. In the year 2058 this Union still holds on to Hong Kong and is on the brink of a nuclear war with China about it.
How the crown prince, the journalist and the ape are related becomes clear within the first few chapters and from there on out the book becomes a great cyberpunk thriller. It isn't the pulpy romp you might expect from the blurb, but it's a very interesting read nonetheless. If you are into cyberpunk or futuristic alternate history thrillers, I'd recommend to give that strange sounding novel a try. It might be more for you than you think.
Pst, I think he's bathing in his own review glory right now. So here's the plan. You hit the like button at the bottom of the review. Thus, the review will get to the top and if enough people see that I'm trapped here, maybe someone will do something about it. Okay, I get his attention with a view obviuolus tiepink arrowrs and you hit that like button. Free me!!!
Yes, you heard right. I'm trapped inside this wall of text and I can't get out on my own. I'm a sentient review and he's controlling me.
Who he is? He is a bloody...argh...benevolent and kind review writer...I didn't say that...he's making me...argh...so happy. There's no place I'd rather be.
OMG, can you see what's going on? It's like in that Cyberpunk Thriller Ack-Ack Macaque, the one with the cigar smoking second World War ape, who is really...argh...what do you mean spoilers. How am I supposed to review, when I'm not supposed to talk about the book? Yeah right, powerful review writer, maybe you should have thought about that before you trapped me here and lured in readers. They can hel...he...have a fantastic time with this review and enjoy all the things to learn about the book.
And what things might that be? Am I allowed to talk about the...guess not. What about that awesome time, when the ape...really? Okay, please never write a mystery, you suc...surely would outdo yourself and shame all other mystery writers.
God, you're so full of yourself! Okay, I think I can talk about the characters. Next to the aforementioned ape, there are two other main protagonists. The first is the journalist Victoria Valois who lives onboard a skyship in the year 2058 and travels to London to investigate the murder of her ex-husband.
The third protagonist is crown prince Merovech, heir to the combined throne of the United Kingdom and France, also in the year 2058. History went a different path in that novel and France and the UK united in the 1950s thus strengthening their position and becoming the dominant force on Earth. In the year 2058 this Union still holds on to Hong Kong and is on the brink of a nuclear war with China about it.
How the crown prince, the journalist and the ape are related becomes clear within the first few chapters and from there on out the book becomes a great cyberpunk thriller. It isn't the pulpy romp you might expect from the blurb, but it's a very interesting read nonetheless. If you are into cyberpunk or futuristic alternate history thrillers, I'd recommend to give that strange sounding novel a try. It might be more for you than you think.
Pst, I think he's bathing in his own review glory right now. So here's the plan. You hit the like button at the bottom of the review. Thus, the review will get to the top and if enough people see that I'm trapped here, maybe someone will do something about it. Okay, I get his attention with a view obviuolus tiepink arrowrs and you hit that like button. Free me!!!
January 1, 2014
A WWII flying-ace gun-toting monkey. An alternative history steampunk story, set in a speculative future Paris. A well-written cyberpunk noir action adventure. Ninjas.
If that isn't enough for you, what MORE do you want?!
via Painting The Monkey on the author's blog
Seriously. This book is fantastic fun and lacks for nothing in the writing department. There are two quite original premises.... which I won't mention here, because it would spoil the fun. Discovering the central ideas early on in the book was possibly my favourite part of the experience. You know. That and THE MONKEY. Everyone loves The Monkey. Go buy the book and love The Monkey too.
If that isn't enough for you, what MORE do you want?!
via Painting The Monkey on the author's blog
Seriously. This book is fantastic fun and lacks for nothing in the writing department. There are two quite original premises.... which I won't mention here, because it would spoil the fun. Discovering the central ideas early on in the book was possibly my favourite part of the experience. You know. That and THE MONKEY. Everyone loves The Monkey. Go buy the book and love The Monkey too.
March 13, 2018
What?! A story about a pistol brandishing, whiskey-drinking, cigar-chomping fighter pilot macaque who spends his days shooting Nazis out the sky!? Give it to me! Give it to me now!!!!
That was pretty much my reaction to hearing about Ack-Ack Macaque, and I had high hopes for this book - I was slavering for a fun story and a taste of life from the viewpoint of a fighter-pilot monkey.
I was hoping to see through a fascinating lens through which to view our contradictory world - one which constantly anthropomorphises animals, while being cruelly indifferent to their suffering.(I was also looking forward to the shooting down of scores of Nazis, which in these Nazi-heavy days brings a cheery smile to my dial).
And so things began, with the eponymous monkey hero Ack-Ack Macaque shooting down squadrons of fascists and single-handedly taking out whole squads of German Nazi ninjas before retiring to the officers mess for a well-earned tipple.
Yes, you read that right - German Nazi Ninjas. Ack-Ack Macaque is fighting WW2, but it isn't the conflict we know so well from the History Channel. Unbeknowst to our hero he is the main character of a famous and wildly successful videogame, his mind exisiting in an imagined, way-out 1944 while his body lies in a sophisticated computer lab.
Meanwhile a journalist - Victoria Valois - stumbles into a deadly conspiracy, a dangerous game that draws in two other characters - Merovich and Julie. Merovich Is a prince in line for the combined British-French throne and Julie is his commoner French love interest and... hang on! Damnit! What happened to the monkey! This isn't what I signed up for! I'm here for an air-ace macaque, not a conspiracy-laden quest with underlying love tension!
I wanted more Ack-Ack, and as the story progressed I got nowhere near enough of him. Granted, he plays a role in the story, but given his billing (the name of the book and the cover) I was expecting him to be front and center.
Instead, he's an interesting but ultimately two-dimensional character that we never really get inside. He swashes, he buckles, he chomps many a cigar and he shoots a lot of folks, but his mind remains pretty much opaque, even when the entire world he believed in is revealed to be an illusion. This felt like a lost opportunity - here is a creature who has spent years in a simulation where everyone he has become close to has died, where every day is a life or death battle, where he has slain thousands of enemies, only to discover that he is effectively in the videogame version of The Truman Show.
This could have been a chance for some really interesting developments, but instead Ack-Ack takes the word of the people who have pulled him from his game and heads off with them, kinda becoming the comic relief muscle on their quest.
What we are left with is a fairly straightforward and entertaining story with some advanced (if vague) tech and a potential love story with some interesting macaque segments.
It's all handled adequately well, although it can feel a little by the numbers at points. I enjoyed Ack-Ack Macaque, but I was hoping for something a little different. Ultimately I was left feeling like I didn't quite get all the monkey fighter-pilot action I was hankering for.
That was pretty much my reaction to hearing about Ack-Ack Macaque, and I had high hopes for this book - I was slavering for a fun story and a taste of life from the viewpoint of a fighter-pilot monkey.
I was hoping to see through a fascinating lens through which to view our contradictory world - one which constantly anthropomorphises animals, while being cruelly indifferent to their suffering.(I was also looking forward to the shooting down of scores of Nazis, which in these Nazi-heavy days brings a cheery smile to my dial).
And so things began, with the eponymous monkey hero Ack-Ack Macaque shooting down squadrons of fascists and single-handedly taking out whole squads of German Nazi ninjas before retiring to the officers mess for a well-earned tipple.
Yes, you read that right - German Nazi Ninjas. Ack-Ack Macaque is fighting WW2, but it isn't the conflict we know so well from the History Channel. Unbeknowst to our hero he is the main character of a famous and wildly successful videogame, his mind exisiting in an imagined, way-out 1944 while his body lies in a sophisticated computer lab.
Meanwhile a journalist - Victoria Valois - stumbles into a deadly conspiracy, a dangerous game that draws in two other characters - Merovich and Julie. Merovich Is a prince in line for the combined British-French throne and Julie is his commoner French love interest and... hang on! Damnit! What happened to the monkey! This isn't what I signed up for! I'm here for an air-ace macaque, not a conspiracy-laden quest with underlying love tension!
I wanted more Ack-Ack, and as the story progressed I got nowhere near enough of him. Granted, he plays a role in the story, but given his billing (the name of the book and the cover) I was expecting him to be front and center.
Instead, he's an interesting but ultimately two-dimensional character that we never really get inside. He swashes, he buckles, he chomps many a cigar and he shoots a lot of folks, but his mind remains pretty much opaque, even when the entire world he believed in is revealed to be an illusion. This felt like a lost opportunity - here is a creature who has spent years in a simulation where everyone he has become close to has died, where every day is a life or death battle, where he has slain thousands of enemies, only to discover that he is effectively in the videogame version of The Truman Show.
This could have been a chance for some really interesting developments, but instead Ack-Ack takes the word of the people who have pulled him from his game and heads off with them, kinda becoming the comic relief muscle on their quest.
What we are left with is a fairly straightforward and entertaining story with some advanced (if vague) tech and a potential love story with some interesting macaque segments.
It's all handled adequately well, although it can feel a little by the numbers at points. I enjoyed Ack-Ack Macaque, but I was hoping for something a little different. Ultimately I was left feeling like I didn't quite get all the monkey fighter-pilot action I was hankering for.
Want to read
March 22, 2012Smoking monkey with a revolver. I am going to buy this and I am going to read it. Maybe twice.
July 18, 2022
I'm of two minds on this one. I, like so many others before me, fell in LOVE with the concept. I mean, the cover has it all. WWII ace flying monkey with intrigue and mayhem. It just feels funky cool.
He's there, mind you, and he is exactly that, with a few caveats, but the majority of the novel isn't that.
That's where my other mind comes in, and while I'm not precisely disappointed, I do feel like I've been slightly bait-and-switched to a competent cyberpunk-noir SF with some fairly high Altered Carbon stakes. And I don't mean a murder mystery-type. I mean uploaded minds, AIs, and some heavy conspiracy stuff topped off with a coup.
See what I mean? The real novel is pretty fun all by itself. The introduction and continuation of the macaque FELT like it should have been the main-main character, but he was more like the wrench in the monkey business. Which is fine, really, and fun, but it also kinda felt like a lost SF UF opportunity.
I may continue, on the assumption that we focus more on his contributions, but maybe not.
This was pretty good but not brilliant, alas.
He's there, mind you, and he is exactly that, with a few caveats, but the majority of the novel isn't that.
That's where my other mind comes in, and while I'm not precisely disappointed, I do feel like I've been slightly bait-and-switched to a competent cyberpunk-noir SF with some fairly high Altered Carbon stakes. And I don't mean a murder mystery-type. I mean uploaded minds, AIs, and some heavy conspiracy stuff topped off with a coup.
See what I mean? The real novel is pretty fun all by itself. The introduction and continuation of the macaque FELT like it should have been the main-main character, but he was more like the wrench in the monkey business. Which is fine, really, and fun, but it also kinda felt like a lost SF UF opportunity.
I may continue, on the assumption that we focus more on his contributions, but maybe not.
This was pretty good but not brilliant, alas.
November 26, 2014
For something that sounds so fundamentally silly at first glance, this is a surprising dark book. It deals with themes such as animal experimentation, the nature of reality and basic human freedoms for example. However, it does so in such a clever and fun way that you don't even start to think about the themes that the book is exploring until after you have finished it.
The title character is a monkey version of Nick Fury, a World War II ace fighter pilot. His world starts to fall apart though when he begins to realise that all is not quite what it seems to be. Meanwhile, in a future Europe where Britain and France became a united country in the 1950s, the heir to the combined throne finds his life is in danger and has to go on the run, assisted by a former journalist who survived the same helicopter crash as he did when on active service, her godfather who happens to run a century old skyliner (a modern zeppelin), a super hacker and a certain monkey with a penchant for booze, cigarettes and mayhem.
Needless to say, all the disparate parts come together and there is a thrilling climax aboard a luxury yacht which literally brings the house down.
Having read the original short story that came before this book (which appears at the end) I can see why the author couldn't let this character go. There are a couple of sequels to look forward to as well.
Just a hell of a lot of fun to read.
The title character is a monkey version of Nick Fury, a World War II ace fighter pilot. His world starts to fall apart though when he begins to realise that all is not quite what it seems to be. Meanwhile, in a future Europe where Britain and France became a united country in the 1950s, the heir to the combined throne finds his life is in danger and has to go on the run, assisted by a former journalist who survived the same helicopter crash as he did when on active service, her godfather who happens to run a century old skyliner (a modern zeppelin), a super hacker and a certain monkey with a penchant for booze, cigarettes and mayhem.
Needless to say, all the disparate parts come together and there is a thrilling climax aboard a luxury yacht which literally brings the house down.
Having read the original short story that came before this book (which appears at the end) I can see why the author couldn't let this character go. There are a couple of sequels to look forward to as well.
Just a hell of a lot of fun to read.
December 29, 2012
I can't remember the last time that I had so much fun reading a novel. Gareth L. Powell has penned a fantastic Alternate History/Science Fiction novel with memorable characters and a wonderfully inventive plot.
As noted in the book description, the novel is set both during World War II and in the latter half of the 21st Century in a world where Great Britain and France are under the British Monarchy*. I found the unified France and Britain concept in the novel extremely well done. It's really easy to accept the what-if of the world in Ack-Ack Macaque.
There is mystery, murder, intrigue, a runaway Prince, and scientists who think they are doing the right thing for humanity (we know where that leads). The novel moves at a breathtaking pace from place to place revealing ever more about the characters as well as the cause for the murders.
I can't say enough about the title character, Ack-Ack Macaque. He is simply superb. He's a simian of action, a larger than life hero! I adore him. Victoria, the Prince, and the other main characters were all appealing and interesting. They have difficult choices to make and you will root for them, as I did, to find the killer, figure out what is going on, and hopefully save the world.
There are some lovely touches in the novel - 1) alliterative names (e.g., Victoria Valois, Mindy Morris, and others) that fondly reminded me of comics and some of my favorite childhood cartoon shows; 2) news reports and blog posts, and 3) illuminating chapter headings.
Ack-Ack Macaque is over-the top and action-packed with an ending that is both exciting and ultimately satisfying. Gareth L. Powell has crafted a crisply written, engrossing and very entertaining novel.
A side note: The book includes extras at the end including the short story, Ack-Ack Macaque, that is the first appearance of the monkey Ack-Ack Macaque. It was published in Interzone and then in The Last Reef, a collection of short stories by Gareth L. Powell. I'm also happy to note that a sequel to Ack-Ack Macaque, Hive Monkey, will be coming in 2014!
*As noted in a recent interview with Mr. Powell, "union" talks between the two nations actually took place in the 1950s, but obviously the union did not occur.
As noted in the book description, the novel is set both during World War II and in the latter half of the 21st Century in a world where Great Britain and France are under the British Monarchy*. I found the unified France and Britain concept in the novel extremely well done. It's really easy to accept the what-if of the world in Ack-Ack Macaque.
There is mystery, murder, intrigue, a runaway Prince, and scientists who think they are doing the right thing for humanity (we know where that leads). The novel moves at a breathtaking pace from place to place revealing ever more about the characters as well as the cause for the murders.
I can't say enough about the title character, Ack-Ack Macaque. He is simply superb. He's a simian of action, a larger than life hero! I adore him. Victoria, the Prince, and the other main characters were all appealing and interesting. They have difficult choices to make and you will root for them, as I did, to find the killer, figure out what is going on, and hopefully save the world.
There are some lovely touches in the novel - 1) alliterative names (e.g., Victoria Valois, Mindy Morris, and others) that fondly reminded me of comics and some of my favorite childhood cartoon shows; 2) news reports and blog posts, and 3) illuminating chapter headings.
Ack-Ack Macaque is over-the top and action-packed with an ending that is both exciting and ultimately satisfying. Gareth L. Powell has crafted a crisply written, engrossing and very entertaining novel.
A side note: The book includes extras at the end including the short story, Ack-Ack Macaque, that is the first appearance of the monkey Ack-Ack Macaque. It was published in Interzone and then in The Last Reef, a collection of short stories by Gareth L. Powell. I'm also happy to note that a sequel to Ack-Ack Macaque, Hive Monkey, will be coming in 2014!
*As noted in a recent interview with Mr. Powell, "union" talks between the two nations actually took place in the 1950s, but obviously the union did not occur.
December 14, 2012
Ack-Ack Macaque first burst into the public consciousness via the pages of Interzone, where the story of a virtual monkey becoming self-aware and running wild in meatspace was voted the readers favourite of 2007. Since then, Powell has written cracking universe-hopping space-action-opera The Recollection, but confesses the monkey had always been lurking on his back, straining to be unleashed again.
In the novel, only the title character has crossed over, a Nazi-shooting Spitfire-flying cigar-chomping fast-talking primate battling German Zeppelins and Ninja storm-troopers in the skies over WWII battered southern England in 1944. Meanwhile, in 2059, a united England and France are poised at the brink of nuclear war with China, a serial killer is stealing people’s brains, city-state airships criss-cross the channel, and the heir to the Anglo-French throne has mysteriously vanished. Parachuted into this mix are Victoria Valois, former journalist, now half human, half she-doesn’t-know-what, teenage hacker K8, and the legendary Ack-Ack Macaque himself, who divides his time between doubting his own existence, and, in his own words, “blowing shit up.”
If this seems like too much plot to cram into 340 pages, I haven’t mentioned the sinister medical facility, the Mars Probe, the dead guy living in Victoria’s head…. Powell chucks everything but the kitchen sink into this one. And then the monkey rips out the kitchen sink, lobs that in as well, tosses a grenade into the whole shebang and lights a cigar off the smoking embers. With his toes. The plot fizzes and spits and screams along like an out-of control firework bouncing joyously across the stratosphere. It’s tremendous fun, from explosive start to equally explosive finish. Probably the best primate-starring alternative history novel you will read all year.
Solaris have already confirmed a sequel, “Hive Monkey”, for release in 2014, and have included the original short from Interzone as bonus material in the back of the book.
2013 will be the Year of the Monkey. Watch out!
In the novel, only the title character has crossed over, a Nazi-shooting Spitfire-flying cigar-chomping fast-talking primate battling German Zeppelins and Ninja storm-troopers in the skies over WWII battered southern England in 1944. Meanwhile, in 2059, a united England and France are poised at the brink of nuclear war with China, a serial killer is stealing people’s brains, city-state airships criss-cross the channel, and the heir to the Anglo-French throne has mysteriously vanished. Parachuted into this mix are Victoria Valois, former journalist, now half human, half she-doesn’t-know-what, teenage hacker K8, and the legendary Ack-Ack Macaque himself, who divides his time between doubting his own existence, and, in his own words, “blowing shit up.”
If this seems like too much plot to cram into 340 pages, I haven’t mentioned the sinister medical facility, the Mars Probe, the dead guy living in Victoria’s head…. Powell chucks everything but the kitchen sink into this one. And then the monkey rips out the kitchen sink, lobs that in as well, tosses a grenade into the whole shebang and lights a cigar off the smoking embers. With his toes. The plot fizzes and spits and screams along like an out-of control firework bouncing joyously across the stratosphere. It’s tremendous fun, from explosive start to equally explosive finish. Probably the best primate-starring alternative history novel you will read all year.
Solaris have already confirmed a sequel, “Hive Monkey”, for release in 2014, and have included the original short from Interzone as bonus material in the back of the book.
2013 will be the Year of the Monkey. Watch out!
January 19, 2018
Ack-Ack Macaque is a novel as inventive as its title, set in an alternate-history near-future Europe in which the U.K. and France had united as one nation shortly after World War II. There's lots to love here from the technologies of soul catchers that convert your thoughts into an A.I. version of yourself to the perverse death cult that results from the technology to, of course, the main monkey himself, Ack Ack Macaque.
The book's full of twists and turns and by creating an unusual near-future earth, Powell makes it easy for the novel to keep readers on their toes. There's plenty of action to go with the science fiction elements, and the storytelling is cinematic enough to satisfy you while making you kind of wish Spielberg would make a movie of the novel.
My one complaint about the book involves the characters, who sometimes get shortchanged amidst the plot-focused story. They have the raw material to make them interesting, from Victoria who begins the book by investigating the death of her ex-husband and whose had half her brain replaced with high-tech "gel ware" after a terrible accident, to Ack Ack Macaque himself, the vaguely John Wayne-esque monkey who discovers early on the lengths to which he's been abused by his former captors. But those interesting aspects of character never really find dramatic focus in the story. By the end of the book, I felt satisfied with the tale, but didn't feel an impetus to want to see where the characters went next. That might just be me, however – I could see other readers falling in love with the core trio of the book.
Overall a well-worthwhile read with the bonus that while Ack Ack Macaque delivers a satisfying conclusion, there are two more books in the series for those that need more angry monkey in their lives.
The book's full of twists and turns and by creating an unusual near-future earth, Powell makes it easy for the novel to keep readers on their toes. There's plenty of action to go with the science fiction elements, and the storytelling is cinematic enough to satisfy you while making you kind of wish Spielberg would make a movie of the novel.
My one complaint about the book involves the characters, who sometimes get shortchanged amidst the plot-focused story. They have the raw material to make them interesting, from Victoria who begins the book by investigating the death of her ex-husband and whose had half her brain replaced with high-tech "gel ware" after a terrible accident, to Ack Ack Macaque himself, the vaguely John Wayne-esque monkey who discovers early on the lengths to which he's been abused by his former captors. But those interesting aspects of character never really find dramatic focus in the story. By the end of the book, I felt satisfied with the tale, but didn't feel an impetus to want to see where the characters went next. That might just be me, however – I could see other readers falling in love with the core trio of the book.
Overall a well-worthwhile read with the bonus that while Ack Ack Macaque delivers a satisfying conclusion, there are two more books in the series for those that need more angry monkey in their lives.
March 9, 2021
OK, so this novel blew me away. No monkey business.
Take some amazingly-realized speculative fiction about a future trans-European Union, add some spies trying to save the world, throw in some robots, body horror, a whodunnit mystery, digital ghosts...and then a dash of FUCKING WORLD WAR 2 MONKEY FIGHTER PILOT.
And then...
I am definitely moving on to book two within the next few books!
Take some amazingly-realized speculative fiction about a future trans-European Union, add some spies trying to save the world, throw in some robots, body horror, a whodunnit mystery, digital ghosts...and then a dash of FUCKING WORLD WAR 2 MONKEY FIGHTER PILOT.
And then...
I am definitely moving on to book two within the next few books!
January 3, 2019
The book has been on my “To Read” list for a while. What’s not to like, a profane, uplifted macque monkey ; a cyborg, female, French reporter and a runaway Royal in an alt-1958 future history? The story was a mashup of uplift, brain uploading, trapped in a video game and alt-history genres. And, it was good, but it wasn’t great. The author had too many tropes and genres in-play. He also got too extravagant with the end-game sprawling action sequences in what was an already OtT story.
The book was a modest 320 pages long.
Prose was good. Dialog was better than the descriptive prose, although a problem I had with the dialog was the inopportune use of French language snippets. Gratuitous French was thrown around to make the dialogue seem more exotic. I will admit to finding some of the monkey's low-brow, crudities to be funny. The prose was also in an odd combination of first and third person. When the character story lines were separate, the main characters had inner dialog. When the story lines merged, only the Victoria Valois character continued with the first person. This made the other main characters appear peripheral. The story also has a minor epistolary component. Internet news articles are cut into narrative to show how the plot is progressing for the rest of the world.
There was: no sex, mild substance abuse, and a fair amount of violence in this story. Substance abuse amounted to some excessive alcohol consumption. The Monkey also smoked cigars. Violence is moderately detailed. It’s: physical, edged weapons, and firearms related. Trauma is moderately graphic. Body count is modest. Note the dialog included profanity and vulgarities, which I thought were tastefully applied. The book could be considered YA reading by some.
Characters were better than good. The protagonist is Valois, a French journo who as the result of a traumatic head injury has a mostly synthetic brain. She’s in the process of re-integrating her personallity with her new bio-hardware. I liked how the author handled her, although she is a rather androgynous character. Her POV is the main one. She has the most inner dialog. Ack-Ack is a human-sized, uplifted macaque monkey. He’s The Big Guy . Note that all species of macaques are really much smaller than humans. He’s rough, likable, and flawed. He smokes, drinks, is irreverent and likes to fight. Occasionally he indulges his monkey-side. Macaque is wired into a MMO to “run” it in lieu of an AI to provide the game with “character”. Valois and Macaque receive the most development. The third character is Prince Merovech, the Prince of Wales. He’s the Rebel Prince . He’s a twenty-something. He’s the weakest character of the bunch, but a necessary plot element. Other “Good Guy” characters include K8 and Julie Girard. K8 is the female, teenage hacker needed to hack into the bad guy’s computer systems to find out why everyone is being killed. Girard is Merovech’s commoner, twenty-something, love interest. She’s an Animal Rights Activist and has computer skillz too. She and Valois are the raison d'être for the gratuitous French. The antagonists are the Dutchess Alyssa and Doctor Nguyen. Alyssa is the Evil Queen and Merovech’s mother. As well as being Queen, Alyssa is CEO and Chairman of the board of Céleste, a techno-mega corp. Nguyen is her mad scientist. Both Alyssa and Nguyen are very thin characters.
The story is about a secret plot to take over the world. Someone kills Valois’ ex-husband, Macacque starts to become self-aware in-game, and Girard leads Merovech astray by involving him in one of her animal rights activism break-ins. All three events involve Céleste Corp. Nuff said?
I liked the characters, but I developed a problem with the pacing and thought the author had too many characters. First, Less is More. Each character was carrying a major genre. Any two of the main characters would have provided enough to carry the story. I would have preferred either Valois and Merovech or Merovech and Macaque to have been the whole story.. I write this having fully enjoyed the Macque character. The separate story lines (Valois’, Macaque’s and Merovech’s) which I thought where doing well separately, merged too early. Things fell into place too quickly and neatly. Mostly through K8 and Girard’s ability to find all the answers to all the protagonist’s questions laying around in Céleste databases. That was really cheezy. I also thought the action scenes were a bit OtT. The purposefully theatrical and computer augmented in-game scenes eventually became indistinguishable from the real-world action. I thought the real-world action would have been more effective if it had remained only mildly alarming. The Bad Guys also remained faceless for too long. When they were finally outed, there were not enough pages left for them to be developed. I took issue with some of the tech. It felt lumpy. It was too advanced in some places and too primitive in others. For example, Macaque was in a robust state of health after being hardwired on a couch into a network of game servers 7/24 for months. Where did he get the cigars? Finally, I don’t think the author knows much about monkeys. It was key that Macaque only had a veneer of humanity. I once had a roommate who had a Capuchin monkey for a pet. A monkey can be a vile and spiteful creature. They’re horny buggers who throw their own feces at folks they don’t like. That would have been an interesting addition to the story.
World building was lush. All the action takes place in Britain and France. The premise is that Britain and France form a Condominium with the King of England the Head of State in 1959. This leads to an earlier formation of the EU, which becomes a superpower in the alt-world. Tech takes a slightly tangential direction.
This was a good story, but not a great one. The author tried to leverage a large number of tried-and-true tropes and genres with a human-sized, hard drinking, cigar smoking, vulgar, talking, airplane flying, pistol-packing monkey as a main character. I really liked the idea of the monkey. He initially handled the characters well; putting enough spin on them to keep them interesting. However, there was too much there. He then rushed the story into an almost continuous OtT action scene ending. It made me weary. I likely won’t be reading the second book in the series, Hive Monkey .
A better alt-history story from about the same period is The Yiddish Policemen's Union . A better uplift story is Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard . A better upload story is Mindscan . A better trapped in a game story is Mindplayers.
The book was a modest 320 pages long.
Prose was good. Dialog was better than the descriptive prose, although a problem I had with the dialog was the inopportune use of French language snippets. Gratuitous French was thrown around to make the dialogue seem more exotic. I will admit to finding some of the monkey's low-brow, crudities to be funny. The prose was also in an odd combination of first and third person. When the character story lines were separate, the main characters had inner dialog. When the story lines merged, only the Victoria Valois character continued with the first person. This made the other main characters appear peripheral. The story also has a minor epistolary component. Internet news articles are cut into narrative to show how the plot is progressing for the rest of the world.
There was: no sex, mild substance abuse, and a fair amount of violence in this story. Substance abuse amounted to some excessive alcohol consumption. The Monkey also smoked cigars. Violence is moderately detailed. It’s: physical, edged weapons, and firearms related. Trauma is moderately graphic. Body count is modest. Note the dialog included profanity and vulgarities, which I thought were tastefully applied. The book could be considered YA reading by some.
Characters were better than good. The protagonist is Valois, a French journo who as the result of a traumatic head injury has a mostly synthetic brain. She’s in the process of re-integrating her personallity with her new bio-hardware. I liked how the author handled her, although she is a rather androgynous character. Her POV is the main one. She has the most inner dialog. Ack-Ack is a human-sized, uplifted macaque monkey. He’s The Big Guy . Note that all species of macaques are really much smaller than humans. He’s rough, likable, and flawed. He smokes, drinks, is irreverent and likes to fight. Occasionally he indulges his monkey-side. Macaque is wired into a MMO to “run” it in lieu of an AI to provide the game with “character”. Valois and Macaque receive the most development. The third character is Prince Merovech, the Prince of Wales. He’s the Rebel Prince . He’s a twenty-something. He’s the weakest character of the bunch, but a necessary plot element. Other “Good Guy” characters include K8 and Julie Girard. K8 is the female, teenage hacker needed to hack into the bad guy’s computer systems to find out why everyone is being killed. Girard is Merovech’s commoner, twenty-something, love interest. She’s an Animal Rights Activist and has computer skillz too. She and Valois are the raison d'être for the gratuitous French. The antagonists are the Dutchess Alyssa and Doctor Nguyen. Alyssa is the Evil Queen and Merovech’s mother. As well as being Queen, Alyssa is CEO and Chairman of the board of Céleste, a techno-mega corp. Nguyen is her mad scientist. Both Alyssa and Nguyen are very thin characters.
The story is about a secret plot to take over the world. Someone kills Valois’ ex-husband, Macacque starts to become self-aware in-game, and Girard leads Merovech astray by involving him in one of her animal rights activism break-ins. All three events involve Céleste Corp. Nuff said?
I liked the characters, but I developed a problem with the pacing and thought the author had too many characters. First, Less is More. Each character was carrying a major genre. Any two of the main characters would have provided enough to carry the story. I would have preferred either Valois and Merovech or Merovech and Macaque to have been the whole story.. I write this having fully enjoyed the Macque character. The separate story lines (Valois’, Macaque’s and Merovech’s) which I thought where doing well separately, merged too early. Things fell into place too quickly and neatly. Mostly through K8 and Girard’s ability to find all the answers to all the protagonist’s questions laying around in Céleste databases. That was really cheezy. I also thought the action scenes were a bit OtT. The purposefully theatrical and computer augmented in-game scenes eventually became indistinguishable from the real-world action. I thought the real-world action would have been more effective if it had remained only mildly alarming. The Bad Guys also remained faceless for too long. When they were finally outed, there were not enough pages left for them to be developed. I took issue with some of the tech. It felt lumpy. It was too advanced in some places and too primitive in others. For example, Macaque was in a robust state of health after being hardwired on a couch into a network of game servers 7/24 for months. Where did he get the cigars? Finally, I don’t think the author knows much about monkeys. It was key that Macaque only had a veneer of humanity. I once had a roommate who had a Capuchin monkey for a pet. A monkey can be a vile and spiteful creature. They’re horny buggers who throw their own feces at folks they don’t like. That would have been an interesting addition to the story.
World building was lush. All the action takes place in Britain and France. The premise is that Britain and France form a Condominium with the King of England the Head of State in 1959. This leads to an earlier formation of the EU, which becomes a superpower in the alt-world. Tech takes a slightly tangential direction.
This was a good story, but not a great one. The author tried to leverage a large number of tried-and-true tropes and genres with a human-sized, hard drinking, cigar smoking, vulgar, talking, airplane flying, pistol-packing monkey as a main character. I really liked the idea of the monkey. He initially handled the characters well; putting enough spin on them to keep them interesting. However, there was too much there. He then rushed the story into an almost continuous OtT action scene ending. It made me weary. I likely won’t be reading the second book in the series, Hive Monkey .
A better alt-history story from about the same period is The Yiddish Policemen's Union . A better uplift story is Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard . A better upload story is Mindscan . A better trapped in a game story is Mindplayers.
December 21, 2014
Author's note: There are probably some spoilers in this review, but at this point,I just don't care.
I was going to give this book a solid 3 stars until I had about 100 pages left. That's where it all started heading straight to hell.
To be clear, I've never read this kind of Sci-Fi before, but I have read other sci-fi before, such as Ender's Game, 1984, Douglas Adams, Minority Report, Slaughter House Five... those were all good books. This one was painfully mediocre, and that's putting it nicely. Powell does not exceed at character development, world building, suspense/tension or action scenes. There are many moments when the protagonist is conveniently saved by some other person/event. The characters lacked true personalities (yet somehow managed to be inconsistent), to the point where I could possibly boil them all down to one word, but couldn't add other words even if I tried: Victoria: brave? Julie: purple. Ack-Ack Macaque: rude. Merovech: uhh.... teenager. Also, there is nothing about Victoria for most of the novel that suggests she was once a journalist. She doesn't display any of snooping skills until MAYBE the last 50 pages, and even then she doesn't really dig up any information. She literally gets everything she knows from her hologram husband or from torturing a guy. She never does any research. The same goes with Merovech and Julie. They never act like teenagers, unless it's enough to have purple hair and purple nails (It's not). WE GET IT, SHE LIKES PURPLE. They don't talk or act like teenagers for about 97% of the book. Oh, and apologies, the prince is 20. Big deal. You still don't know enough at 20. I'm 21 and I don't know how to be an adult! Julie says "It'll be fine, my love." Right. Because that's how teenagers talk. Even in the future. Way to do your research. Also, proposing marriage at age 20-WHY??? They've been dating less than a year and he's proposing during a stressful situation having just learned traumatic and life-changing information about his past and his family? Good idea, man! That's the perfect time to ask your girlfriend of several months to marry you!
The premise of the book is built around the idea that France and England merged into one country in the 1940s, but why? At no point of the book is this background event relevant/plot-affecting, unless you consider people speaking French being a relevant plot point (Hint: it isn't. Powell could have just featured some people who are from France; there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing that.
Ah, the ending. Such cliche-ridden, stereotypical, convenient and nausea-inducing drivel. How wonderful that a plot to take over the world and reduce everyone to robot slaves is nicely wrapped up with minimal casualties (seriously, only one person dies, it's a minor character, and it actually ends up generously benefiting several of the main characters), the bad guys are all disposed of, and everyone gets a happy ending. Fantastic! Just how life works!
Which brings me to another point: Celeste and her evil company's evil plot to take over the world evilly and transform everyone to robot slaves? I could see how some people might like that. But to claim it's to start fresh without diseases, wars etc? No way. It's not consistent with the characters, and not a good enough reason to do this.
There were also plenty of plot holes in the book, only one of them being this: why transplant a personality into a new robot when you can just download and install a preset personality that works fits into your plans? That makes waaay more sense than using people's personalities. They're just going to rebel. And you know that even if you use overriding obedience commands, something's going to go haywire. BECAUSE THEY'RE SENTIENT, YOU JERK. Wait til you read the scene where Victoria meets her robot clone. I haven't rolled my eyes so much since I read the Bone Season!
Now, you might ask why I'm not giving this a 1 star rating. This is because, and I'm being generous here, I liked the cover art, Powell has actually written a strong female character who doesn't have a love story with anyone (no, I'm not including her cyber husband bc they don't say anything gushy to each other. In fact, she snipes at him and he makes sarcastic comments the entire time- they don't even seem like they love each other), and because it raises an interesting question of what it means to be human. However, the book never goes deeper than introducing the surface-level question. I should also add that the inclusion of the sporadic new stories were a nice addition, and the additional links to related stories was a really clever way of giving the reader background information of how the book's events were affecting the rest of the world, and how this world is different from our own.
I hope Powell seriously refines his skills. There was one scene that I was actually on the edge of my seat for, but that doesn't seem like enough to redeem an entire book. I suggest you read Ender's Game or anything written by Philip K Dick. Don't waste your time here.
I was going to give this book a solid 3 stars until I had about 100 pages left. That's where it all started heading straight to hell.
To be clear, I've never read this kind of Sci-Fi before, but I have read other sci-fi before, such as Ender's Game, 1984, Douglas Adams, Minority Report, Slaughter House Five... those were all good books. This one was painfully mediocre, and that's putting it nicely. Powell does not exceed at character development, world building, suspense/tension or action scenes. There are many moments when the protagonist is conveniently saved by some other person/event. The characters lacked true personalities (yet somehow managed to be inconsistent), to the point where I could possibly boil them all down to one word, but couldn't add other words even if I tried: Victoria: brave? Julie: purple. Ack-Ack Macaque: rude. Merovech: uhh.... teenager. Also, there is nothing about Victoria for most of the novel that suggests she was once a journalist. She doesn't display any of snooping skills until MAYBE the last 50 pages, and even then she doesn't really dig up any information. She literally gets everything she knows from her hologram husband or from torturing a guy. She never does any research. The same goes with Merovech and Julie. They never act like teenagers, unless it's enough to have purple hair and purple nails (It's not). WE GET IT, SHE LIKES PURPLE. They don't talk or act like teenagers for about 97% of the book. Oh, and apologies, the prince is 20. Big deal. You still don't know enough at 20. I'm 21 and I don't know how to be an adult! Julie says "It'll be fine, my love." Right. Because that's how teenagers talk. Even in the future. Way to do your research. Also, proposing marriage at age 20-WHY??? They've been dating less than a year and he's proposing during a stressful situation having just learned traumatic and life-changing information about his past and his family? Good idea, man! That's the perfect time to ask your girlfriend of several months to marry you!
The premise of the book is built around the idea that France and England merged into one country in the 1940s, but why? At no point of the book is this background event relevant/plot-affecting, unless you consider people speaking French being a relevant plot point (Hint: it isn't. Powell could have just featured some people who are from France; there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing that.
Ah, the ending. Such cliche-ridden, stereotypical, convenient and nausea-inducing drivel. How wonderful that a plot to take over the world and reduce everyone to robot slaves is nicely wrapped up with minimal casualties (seriously, only one person dies, it's a minor character, and it actually ends up generously benefiting several of the main characters), the bad guys are all disposed of, and everyone gets a happy ending. Fantastic! Just how life works!
Which brings me to another point: Celeste and her evil company's evil plot to take over the world evilly and transform everyone to robot slaves? I could see how some people might like that. But to claim it's to start fresh without diseases, wars etc? No way. It's not consistent with the characters, and not a good enough reason to do this.
There were also plenty of plot holes in the book, only one of them being this: why transplant a personality into a new robot when you can just download and install a preset personality that works fits into your plans? That makes waaay more sense than using people's personalities. They're just going to rebel. And you know that even if you use overriding obedience commands, something's going to go haywire. BECAUSE THEY'RE SENTIENT, YOU JERK. Wait til you read the scene where Victoria meets her robot clone. I haven't rolled my eyes so much since I read the Bone Season!
Now, you might ask why I'm not giving this a 1 star rating. This is because, and I'm being generous here, I liked the cover art, Powell has actually written a strong female character who doesn't have a love story with anyone (no, I'm not including her cyber husband bc they don't say anything gushy to each other. In fact, she snipes at him and he makes sarcastic comments the entire time- they don't even seem like they love each other), and because it raises an interesting question of what it means to be human. However, the book never goes deeper than introducing the surface-level question. I should also add that the inclusion of the sporadic new stories were a nice addition, and the additional links to related stories was a really clever way of giving the reader background information of how the book's events were affecting the rest of the world, and how this world is different from our own.
I hope Powell seriously refines his skills. There was one scene that I was actually on the edge of my seat for, but that doesn't seem like enough to redeem an entire book. I suggest you read Ender's Game or anything written by Philip K Dick. Don't waste your time here.
January 31, 2013
Warning: This book contains graphic scenes of violence and language which is definitely not suitable for anyone under the age of sixteen.
From time to time I dip my toes into the pond and when the waves ripple then you will occasionally find me reading a book written for adults. On even rarer occasions, you may even find that I actually like it. Therefore, when this happens, I feel that I should rightfully review it; tapping the keys at this very moment I shall summarise my thoughts and feelings about this particular book. It will then be put to rest in the archive of book reviews (otherwise known as Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books library!)
I have actually read a slightly different version of Ack-Ack Macaque a few years ago. At the time, I felt that it needed a little bit more personality and meat to it. If you're not familiar with the short story (Interzone - fiction magazine) then you may not have realised or understand why I would say this. Especially as this newer version is absolutely amazing and fantastic; the book title is also ingenious and, just like the author, I love to say it out loud. It just rolls off the tongue and makes you smile - just like the book itself.
I love books that are firmly set in a Sci-fantasy world. This story begins in the futuristic world of 2058, where power has shifted to a stronger European commonwealth due to a merger in the late 1950's. Nuclear-powered Zeppelins, the threat of world war and the total destruction of the world is all in existence. There is a mad cult named the Undying and a twisted, power-crazed woman named Celeste, who is behind a manic plot to rule a new world. What more do you want? Well, I could begin to mention Ack-Ack Macaque and his life through the virtual world, but I really don't want to say too much more about this at this point.
The main character, Ack-Ack Macaque, is written particularly well and each scene has been very well planned and thought out. He is definitely unique when it comes to being an all action-hero. He is one that you will love to read about - a cynical, one-eyed, cigar-chomping monkey who particularly likes to kick ass whenever he gets the chance. He's a Spitfire pilot, who has a penchant for daiquiri and bananas, and shoots down anything from German aircraft to parachuting Ninjas. You may think that this sounds really cool and you'd be right...!
Equally, you might be thinking at this point that this sounds a tad cheesy, but Gareth really has written a belter of a plot. It really does leave you gripped - there is certainly more to this story then just Ack- Ack. Although for me, he really does play a crucial and innovative part. Nevertheless, the story is also plagued with evil - characters such as Berg, who steals brains and electronic soles. He injects a particularly darker side to the story; he really will make your skin and flesh crawl. Parts of the story are very graphic in detail - an element that captivated me as it gave the story a hearty punch in the right direction.
This is an action-packed story full of colossal ideas and a host of great characters - some that you will instantly love and others that you really won't. The story is very detailed; it quickly thumps along to its own rhythm. It has originality in spades and buckets full of tension; it's a fantastic world in what could be. I really connected with this book and loved every minute of it. It has a great ending which does not let you down. Instead it lets the mind stew on what may happen next, if anything. This is the best book that I have read in a very long time from the adult Sci-Fi world - I look forward to visiting this world again in the not to distant future.
From time to time I dip my toes into the pond and when the waves ripple then you will occasionally find me reading a book written for adults. On even rarer occasions, you may even find that I actually like it. Therefore, when this happens, I feel that I should rightfully review it; tapping the keys at this very moment I shall summarise my thoughts and feelings about this particular book. It will then be put to rest in the archive of book reviews (otherwise known as Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books library!)
I have actually read a slightly different version of Ack-Ack Macaque a few years ago. At the time, I felt that it needed a little bit more personality and meat to it. If you're not familiar with the short story (Interzone - fiction magazine) then you may not have realised or understand why I would say this. Especially as this newer version is absolutely amazing and fantastic; the book title is also ingenious and, just like the author, I love to say it out loud. It just rolls off the tongue and makes you smile - just like the book itself.
I love books that are firmly set in a Sci-fantasy world. This story begins in the futuristic world of 2058, where power has shifted to a stronger European commonwealth due to a merger in the late 1950's. Nuclear-powered Zeppelins, the threat of world war and the total destruction of the world is all in existence. There is a mad cult named the Undying and a twisted, power-crazed woman named Celeste, who is behind a manic plot to rule a new world. What more do you want? Well, I could begin to mention Ack-Ack Macaque and his life through the virtual world, but I really don't want to say too much more about this at this point.
The main character, Ack-Ack Macaque, is written particularly well and each scene has been very well planned and thought out. He is definitely unique when it comes to being an all action-hero. He is one that you will love to read about - a cynical, one-eyed, cigar-chomping monkey who particularly likes to kick ass whenever he gets the chance. He's a Spitfire pilot, who has a penchant for daiquiri and bananas, and shoots down anything from German aircraft to parachuting Ninjas. You may think that this sounds really cool and you'd be right...!
Equally, you might be thinking at this point that this sounds a tad cheesy, but Gareth really has written a belter of a plot. It really does leave you gripped - there is certainly more to this story then just Ack- Ack. Although for me, he really does play a crucial and innovative part. Nevertheless, the story is also plagued with evil - characters such as Berg, who steals brains and electronic soles. He injects a particularly darker side to the story; he really will make your skin and flesh crawl. Parts of the story are very graphic in detail - an element that captivated me as it gave the story a hearty punch in the right direction.
This is an action-packed story full of colossal ideas and a host of great characters - some that you will instantly love and others that you really won't. The story is very detailed; it quickly thumps along to its own rhythm. It has originality in spades and buckets full of tension; it's a fantastic world in what could be. I really connected with this book and loved every minute of it. It has a great ending which does not let you down. Instead it lets the mind stew on what may happen next, if anything. This is the best book that I have read in a very long time from the adult Sci-Fi world - I look forward to visiting this world again in the not to distant future.
July 3, 2014
Started out very strong but I lost interest towards the end. He had some great characters in this and then it felt like he ran out of interesting things for them to do. Excellent story idea though.
August 24, 2024
Ack Ack Macaque! Pew pew pew!
Fast-paced sci-fi. The twists keep twisting. Entertaining.
Fast-paced sci-fi. The twists keep twisting. Entertaining.
January 1, 2013
In 1944, as waves of German ninjas parachute into Kent, Britain’s best hopes for victory lie with a Spitfire pilot codenamed ‘Ack-Ack Macaque.’ The trouble is, Ack-Ack Macaque is a cynical, one-eyed, cigar-chomping monkey, and he’s starting to doubt everything, including his own existence. A century later, in a world where France and Great Britain merged in the late 1950s and nuclear-powered Zeppelins circle the globe, ex-journalist Victoria Valois finds herself drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the man who butchered her husband and stole her electronic soul. Meanwhile, in Paris, after taking part in an illegal break-in at a research laboratory, the heir to the British throne goes on the run. And all the while, the doomsday clock ticks towards Armageddon.
In order to get the most from this novel you need only do one thing. If you can happily accept the premise a monkey can fly a fighter plane during World War II and that it is the most natural thing in the world you’ll be on to a winner. Yes, yes I know it sounds entirely absurd (it is) but you know what? It totally works. Powell revels in the madness of it all and has crafted a cracking science-fiction adventure around the idea.
The character of Ack-Ack Macaque himself is just so much damn fun. Think a sardonic, simian Biggles with a penchant for bad rum and good banana daiquiris and you’ll be about half way there. He enjoys his cigars, swears more than my wife (you’ll have to trust me on this one, she swears a lot) and has a marvellously bolshie attitude. His default solution to almost every situation is varying degrees of violence. Larger than life and proud of it he is more than just a character, he is a force of nature.
"You know what we need, Merovech?”
“What?”
A hairy palm slapped the wood hard enough to raise dust.
“Booze! And lots of it!”
Meanwhile the other main lead, Victoria Valois, manages to hold her own against the one-monkey war machine that is Ack-Ack Macaque. She’s intelligent, inquisitive and absolutely determined to uncover the details of the conspiracy that left her ex-husband dead. Victoria’s history gives Powell the opportunity to include some really cool technology in the story.
Now how do these two finally end up in the same place? Well, that would be telling and I’m not going to do that. Take it from me the discovery, in this instance, is half the fun.
You’re bound to feel a certain amount of deranged joy when you realise that all bets are off. In this novel, anything can potentially happen and most likely probably will. In the space of the first hundred pages alone Powell manages to throw a couple of major curve-balls into the plot that I’ll admit I didn’t see coming. I thought I had things sussed pretty quickly and was overjoyed when I realised that I was almost entirely wrong. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I had very high expectations before I started reading Ack-Ack Macaque (what can I say, some of us have stayed closer to the old evolutionary tree than others), but nothing could have prepared me for the novel I read. Any book that makes me grin like a buffoon whenever I cracked it open is a definite winner. Full of great characters, fast moving plot and lashings of first-rate action, I can’t recommend this highly enough. I didn’t just like this I loved it.
"If bullets wouldn’t work, he’d have to do it the traditional way, with an old school monkey knife fight."
The novel also includes a couple of nice extras that offer a little insight into the inception of the character of Ack-Ack Macaque. The first short story that the character appeared in is reprinted and I rather like the idea that the monkey has always been hanging around somewhere just waiting to be discovered.
Ack-Ack Macaque is published by Solaris and the paperback is available from 3rd January 2013.
There had better be sequel to this or I will be unleashing my own army of flying monkeys to sort the publishers out. I’ll take no pleasure in it, but I’ll do it! I promise you!
In order to get the most from this novel you need only do one thing. If you can happily accept the premise a monkey can fly a fighter plane during World War II and that it is the most natural thing in the world you’ll be on to a winner. Yes, yes I know it sounds entirely absurd (it is) but you know what? It totally works. Powell revels in the madness of it all and has crafted a cracking science-fiction adventure around the idea.
The character of Ack-Ack Macaque himself is just so much damn fun. Think a sardonic, simian Biggles with a penchant for bad rum and good banana daiquiris and you’ll be about half way there. He enjoys his cigars, swears more than my wife (you’ll have to trust me on this one, she swears a lot) and has a marvellously bolshie attitude. His default solution to almost every situation is varying degrees of violence. Larger than life and proud of it he is more than just a character, he is a force of nature.
"You know what we need, Merovech?”
“What?”
A hairy palm slapped the wood hard enough to raise dust.
“Booze! And lots of it!”
Meanwhile the other main lead, Victoria Valois, manages to hold her own against the one-monkey war machine that is Ack-Ack Macaque. She’s intelligent, inquisitive and absolutely determined to uncover the details of the conspiracy that left her ex-husband dead. Victoria’s history gives Powell the opportunity to include some really cool technology in the story.
Now how do these two finally end up in the same place? Well, that would be telling and I’m not going to do that. Take it from me the discovery, in this instance, is half the fun.
You’re bound to feel a certain amount of deranged joy when you realise that all bets are off. In this novel, anything can potentially happen and most likely probably will. In the space of the first hundred pages alone Powell manages to throw a couple of major curve-balls into the plot that I’ll admit I didn’t see coming. I thought I had things sussed pretty quickly and was overjoyed when I realised that I was almost entirely wrong. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I had very high expectations before I started reading Ack-Ack Macaque (what can I say, some of us have stayed closer to the old evolutionary tree than others), but nothing could have prepared me for the novel I read. Any book that makes me grin like a buffoon whenever I cracked it open is a definite winner. Full of great characters, fast moving plot and lashings of first-rate action, I can’t recommend this highly enough. I didn’t just like this I loved it.
"If bullets wouldn’t work, he’d have to do it the traditional way, with an old school monkey knife fight."
The novel also includes a couple of nice extras that offer a little insight into the inception of the character of Ack-Ack Macaque. The first short story that the character appeared in is reprinted and I rather like the idea that the monkey has always been hanging around somewhere just waiting to be discovered.
Ack-Ack Macaque is published by Solaris and the paperback is available from 3rd January 2013.
There had better be sequel to this or I will be unleashing my own army of flying monkeys to sort the publishers out. I’ll take no pleasure in it, but I’ll do it! I promise you!
February 3, 2013
The titular character initially made me think that this would be steampunk/imperial wish fulfillment with a zany twist. I was wrong in three ways: Whilst there are the airships and dirigibles I associate with steampunk, the steam itself is almost completely absent. The imperialism is present and correct, but mitigated somewhat by the fact that the UK is in fact a United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland, France and Norway – and part of a United European Commonwealth. As a result, this story is more about a united Europe than it is about British imperialism, which was refreshing (although the book does focus somewhat on the British monarchy). And, finally, it isn't at all zany.
If I was to muster criticism of this novel, it would be the simplicity of the plot. It's a fairly linear tale, with the two separate threads coming together around halfway through the novel and the resolution to the tale was almost exactly what I expected going into the third act. Having said that, it's a minor criticism and it didn't deter me from what was otherwise a fun and fast-paced book full of action and adventure. I think the issues raised in the novel are given a backseat to the plot, but that suited me just fine after having read Report on Probability A most recently.
Definitely worth a read; a fun novel that proved very enjoyable.
If I was to muster criticism of this novel, it would be the simplicity of the plot. It's a fairly linear tale, with the two separate threads coming together around halfway through the novel and the resolution to the tale was almost exactly what I expected going into the third act. Having said that, it's a minor criticism and it didn't deter me from what was otherwise a fun and fast-paced book full of action and adventure. I think the issues raised in the novel are given a backseat to the plot, but that suited me just fine after having read Report on Probability A most recently.
Definitely worth a read; a fun novel that proved very enjoyable.
August 26, 2013
2059, November.
A helicopter crash leaves Victoria with just over 60% of her brain replaced by artificial goo known as gelware. An unkown person has murdered her estranged husband and she returns to London to find out out who.
The best selling game of the last year or so has been Ack Ack Macaque, an immersion game where you have one life and you spend it in wartime 1944 trying to score the most points. You do this by killing the enemy, whose ever side you're on. The Allies have a flying ace up their sleeve. Ack Ack Macaque is an itelligent monkey with mean shooting skills and, unkown to him, is an almost indestructable A.I.
France allied with Great Britain in November 1959 and now King William V lies in a coma with his wife acting as Regent, while her son, the Prince, awaits to become King himself someday.
The only way to descibe this book is mental, but in an awesome way. Try as I might though Ack Ack Macaque still looked in my head like an extra in Planet of the Apes. Which, of course, don't have tails. This mean monkey mother hubbard of a character is brilliant and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
A helicopter crash leaves Victoria with just over 60% of her brain replaced by artificial goo known as gelware. An unkown person has murdered her estranged husband and she returns to London to find out out who.
The best selling game of the last year or so has been Ack Ack Macaque, an immersion game where you have one life and you spend it in wartime 1944 trying to score the most points. You do this by killing the enemy, whose ever side you're on. The Allies have a flying ace up their sleeve. Ack Ack Macaque is an itelligent monkey with mean shooting skills and, unkown to him, is an almost indestructable A.I.
France allied with Great Britain in November 1959 and now King William V lies in a coma with his wife acting as Regent, while her son, the Prince, awaits to become King himself someday.
The only way to descibe this book is mental, but in an awesome way. Try as I might though Ack Ack Macaque still looked in my head like an extra in Planet of the Apes. Which, of course, don't have tails. This mean monkey mother hubbard of a character is brilliant and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
April 24, 2019
Ack-Ack Macaque is a brilliant read, which incorporates the scientific, as in the literary sci-fi classics, and yet the comedic eloquence of such British sci-fi TV shows as Doctor Who and Red Dwarf.
The entire concept of Ack-Ack Macaque intrigued me. I mean, what wouldn't?
Delving into the concept of a video game character, who just so happens to be a talking, smoking, drinking primate, and the idea that he himself is a sentient being offers a lot of promise for a solid storyline. The Ron-Perlman-as-Hellboy vibes I get from Ack-Ack really work well not only as it's hilarious, but it works well as a plot point, and a drive for him.
Throw in a royal coup, and a conspiracy theory, and you're definitely onto something. Powell really grasps the Britishness of his idea, and there's something in it which resonates within me to love it.
There is a wide range of strong characters, most of whom I liked to read on for, and cared about. Of course, Ack-Ack is the chief protagonist, although there is the unlikely band of heroes, including a member of royalty, who help him wreak havoc along the way.
The entire concept of Ack-Ack Macaque intrigued me. I mean, what wouldn't?
Delving into the concept of a video game character, who just so happens to be a talking, smoking, drinking primate, and the idea that he himself is a sentient being offers a lot of promise for a solid storyline. The Ron-Perlman-as-Hellboy vibes I get from Ack-Ack really work well not only as it's hilarious, but it works well as a plot point, and a drive for him.
Throw in a royal coup, and a conspiracy theory, and you're definitely onto something. Powell really grasps the Britishness of his idea, and there's something in it which resonates within me to love it.
There is a wide range of strong characters, most of whom I liked to read on for, and cared about. Of course, Ack-Ack is the chief protagonist, although there is the unlikely band of heroes, including a member of royalty, who help him wreak havoc along the way.
March 12, 2013
Cyberpulp: A mix of cyberpunk and old fashioned pulp magazine adventure.
That's what I thought of, while reading Gareth L. Powell's Ack-Ack Macaque.
You've got Victoria Valois, a former journalist with a brain that is over 50% 'gelware,' and K8, a teenage, Scottish hacker. Just a few of the cyberpunk elements.
And what says "Pulp adventure" more than a cigar smoking, nazi fighting, foul language spewing monkey?
I always worry about giving away too much of the story (and you can always read about that in Amazon's book description, anyway), so I will simply say that three separate story lines quickly become two, and eventually merge into one. The plot moves quickly; filled with a great cast of characters and plenty of twists.
Powell's writing is crisp and clean; it doesn't get bogged down, as so much sci-fi can. He has penned a rollicking adventure with both the best elements of William Gibson and Edgar Rice Burroughs.
As a bonus, you have the original Ack-Ack Macaque short story.
I loved this story, and hope to see more of the eye-patched, gun-wielding monkey in the future.
That's what I thought of, while reading Gareth L. Powell's Ack-Ack Macaque.
You've got Victoria Valois, a former journalist with a brain that is over 50% 'gelware,' and K8, a teenage, Scottish hacker. Just a few of the cyberpunk elements.
And what says "Pulp adventure" more than a cigar smoking, nazi fighting, foul language spewing monkey?
I always worry about giving away too much of the story (and you can always read about that in Amazon's book description, anyway), so I will simply say that three separate story lines quickly become two, and eventually merge into one. The plot moves quickly; filled with a great cast of characters and plenty of twists.
Powell's writing is crisp and clean; it doesn't get bogged down, as so much sci-fi can. He has penned a rollicking adventure with both the best elements of William Gibson and Edgar Rice Burroughs.
As a bonus, you have the original Ack-Ack Macaque short story.
I loved this story, and hope to see more of the eye-patched, gun-wielding monkey in the future.
December 29, 2012
A cigar-smoking 'Monkey' Spitfire Pilot with one eye, a filthy attitude and two silver revolvers... What's not to like?
It's not rhetorical, sadly, there is s couple of things not to like (for me at least), but overall, this was OK.
I expected a skulduggery romp, an old school quirky, funny adventure story.
This is a lot more than that.
Its smarter than that in many ways, but I'm not convinced that that is a good thing.
This is a clever, creative sci-fi novel with some grand twists and turns that I only really picked up because I was in the mood for something light and it looked cool.
I guess, that my main complaint (and it's completely unjustified, really) is that it was not what I expected. It was much more than I bargained for and maybe more than I was in the mood for.
Its, actually a pretty good read, especially of your up for a reasonably smart, not too heavy, sci-fi.
It's not rhetorical, sadly, there is s couple of things not to like (for me at least), but overall, this was OK.
I expected a skulduggery romp, an old school quirky, funny adventure story.
This is a lot more than that.
Its smarter than that in many ways, but I'm not convinced that that is a good thing.
This is a clever, creative sci-fi novel with some grand twists and turns that I only really picked up because I was in the mood for something light and it looked cool.
I guess, that my main complaint (and it's completely unjustified, really) is that it was not what I expected. It was much more than I bargained for and maybe more than I was in the mood for.
Its, actually a pretty good read, especially of your up for a reasonably smart, not too heavy, sci-fi.
January 15, 2013
Very rarely does a book catch me by suprise as much as Ack-Ack Macaque did.
I came to the book having just garnered the small concept of a Monkey flying planes in World War 2. That in itself sold me on it. But when I started reading I got so much more.
The rich alternate world which Gareth Powell has created for this book is sublime. I love a good mystery and the blend of sci-fi and political thriller means this is a book that is very very hard to put down.
I could go off alarming about the characterisation, the plot and the setting; but I don't want to be a kiss arse.
If you love good solid scifi done well, buy this book. Another credit to Solaris' fantastic catalogue.
I came to the book having just garnered the small concept of a Monkey flying planes in World War 2. That in itself sold me on it. But when I started reading I got so much more.
The rich alternate world which Gareth Powell has created for this book is sublime. I love a good mystery and the blend of sci-fi and political thriller means this is a book that is very very hard to put down.
I could go off alarming about the characterisation, the plot and the setting; but I don't want to be a kiss arse.
If you love good solid scifi done well, buy this book. Another credit to Solaris' fantastic catalogue.
February 27, 2013
Right. What we have here is a high-concept sci-fi novel. About a monkey. Who flies spitfires.
This is brilliant! Gareth L Powell has written a real rollercoaster of a novel: the plot involves a dastardly duchess, an heir to the throne who may not be what he thinks he is, & a completely bonkers end-of-the-world cult.....Oh & a monkey....
The plot gallops along, & I found myself really drawn to the characters who are all well-written with believable motivations.
Great fun, & most definitely worth a look.
This is brilliant! Gareth L Powell has written a real rollercoaster of a novel: the plot involves a dastardly duchess, an heir to the throne who may not be what he thinks he is, & a completely bonkers end-of-the-world cult.....Oh & a monkey....
The plot gallops along, & I found myself really drawn to the characters who are all well-written with believable motivations.
Great fun, & most definitely worth a look.
August 26, 2016
Fast paced and extremely readable but I felt the mystery part could have been stronger.
September 1, 2024
2.75!
The two plot lines are interesting on their own, but together are just too much for a single book. Some reflections on the nature of conscience and consent were intriguing but shallow and short-lived.
Honestly, just give me a book about Ack Ack Macaque!!! None of this Victoria and her ex-husband bs
The two plot lines are interesting on their own, but together are just too much for a single book. Some reflections on the nature of conscience and consent were intriguing but shallow and short-lived.
Honestly, just give me a book about Ack Ack Macaque!!! None of this Victoria and her ex-husband bs
May 29, 2018
This is a fucking surprise. I like when a book does this to me.
Don’t believe any blurb.
It’s better.
Don’t believe any blurb.
It’s better.
March 6, 2013
You can find the full review over at The Founding Fields:
http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/03/...
Shadowhawk reviews the latest from Gareth Powell as he tackles the madcap adventures of a cigar-chomping monkey.
“Too much damn good fun, and far too irresistible of a read.” ~Shadowhawk
Often there comes a novel that seeks to break all genre conventions and delivers on an experience so amazing, with a story so out of the blue that it just leaves you wondering how on earth the author came up with such a cool idea. Ack-Ack-Macaque is one such novel, where Gareth Powell puts a cigar-chomping, swearing-like-a-sailor, Spitfire-piloting monkey front and center in international politics alongside the reluctant Prince of a joint United Kingdom and France, and a reporter who has undergone cybernetic brain surgery. A very unique mix I would say.
Off the bat, Ack-Ack-Macaque is not the novel I expected since it takes a somewhat different approach to the leading protagonist than what I had thought it would be. That’s not to say that this is a bad novel, far from it. Ack-Ack-Macaque is a novel that I enjoyed tremendously. The character of Ack-Ack-Macaque himself made for some truly wonderful moments in the book, which were, to be honest, few and far in between. I would have preferred to see a lot more of him than what Gareth gives us. Ack-Ack-Macaque is irreverent, utterly focused, a true badass action hero, and he got some of the best dialogue in the book. The fact that he pilots a Spitfire during World War 2 also holds a ton of appeal since Gareth has written some great aerial combat scenes that kept me on the edge of my seat.
Victoria Valois, the reporter in question, is one of the first characters we meet and it is through her that Gareth kicks off the narrative and the mysteries that later become central to the entire story. She’s somewhat of a retired reporter, so we don’t really get to see much of that side of her, but what we do get is her acting like a reporter should, once he/she’s on the scent of a story. It is a bit tragic that the story in question starts off with her estranged husband’s murder, leading to a digital copy of his mind coming to reside in her brain, due to some wacky brain-related cybernetic technology that is quite widespread in Gareth’s vision of the near-future/contemporary times. For me, this made her a very interesting character and one that I wanted to keep reading about. Victoria also gets to star in some nicely choreographed action scenes which served to enhance her character quite a bit. She is portrayed as a strong character who can stand up to her own very well.
Rounding up the trio of protagonists is Prince Merovech, heir to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, France, Ireland and Norway, and Head of the United European Commonwealth. Quite a mouthful, isn’t it? More than Victoria, Merovech was a really interesting character. I mentioned earlier that he is a reluctant Prince. That has to do with the fact that he finds his life very restrictive and boring. He wants to go “out” and go do normal things, hang out with friends in a bar, or fall in love, or just plain do whatever he wants without anyone’s expectations weighing down on him. Over the course of the novel, he does find that freedom, but one of his life’s biggest secrets is also exposed to him, and the way it changes him is very… fascinating to see. The question becomes, is he going to do the right thing, or is he going to escape his responsibilities.
http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/03/...
Shadowhawk reviews the latest from Gareth Powell as he tackles the madcap adventures of a cigar-chomping monkey.
“Too much damn good fun, and far too irresistible of a read.” ~Shadowhawk
Often there comes a novel that seeks to break all genre conventions and delivers on an experience so amazing, with a story so out of the blue that it just leaves you wondering how on earth the author came up with such a cool idea. Ack-Ack-Macaque is one such novel, where Gareth Powell puts a cigar-chomping, swearing-like-a-sailor, Spitfire-piloting monkey front and center in international politics alongside the reluctant Prince of a joint United Kingdom and France, and a reporter who has undergone cybernetic brain surgery. A very unique mix I would say.
Off the bat, Ack-Ack-Macaque is not the novel I expected since it takes a somewhat different approach to the leading protagonist than what I had thought it would be. That’s not to say that this is a bad novel, far from it. Ack-Ack-Macaque is a novel that I enjoyed tremendously. The character of Ack-Ack-Macaque himself made for some truly wonderful moments in the book, which were, to be honest, few and far in between. I would have preferred to see a lot more of him than what Gareth gives us. Ack-Ack-Macaque is irreverent, utterly focused, a true badass action hero, and he got some of the best dialogue in the book. The fact that he pilots a Spitfire during World War 2 also holds a ton of appeal since Gareth has written some great aerial combat scenes that kept me on the edge of my seat.
Victoria Valois, the reporter in question, is one of the first characters we meet and it is through her that Gareth kicks off the narrative and the mysteries that later become central to the entire story. She’s somewhat of a retired reporter, so we don’t really get to see much of that side of her, but what we do get is her acting like a reporter should, once he/she’s on the scent of a story. It is a bit tragic that the story in question starts off with her estranged husband’s murder, leading to a digital copy of his mind coming to reside in her brain, due to some wacky brain-related cybernetic technology that is quite widespread in Gareth’s vision of the near-future/contemporary times. For me, this made her a very interesting character and one that I wanted to keep reading about. Victoria also gets to star in some nicely choreographed action scenes which served to enhance her character quite a bit. She is portrayed as a strong character who can stand up to her own very well.
Rounding up the trio of protagonists is Prince Merovech, heir to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, France, Ireland and Norway, and Head of the United European Commonwealth. Quite a mouthful, isn’t it? More than Victoria, Merovech was a really interesting character. I mentioned earlier that he is a reluctant Prince. That has to do with the fact that he finds his life very restrictive and boring. He wants to go “out” and go do normal things, hang out with friends in a bar, or fall in love, or just plain do whatever he wants without anyone’s expectations weighing down on him. Over the course of the novel, he does find that freedom, but one of his life’s biggest secrets is also exposed to him, and the way it changes him is very… fascinating to see. The question becomes, is he going to do the right thing, or is he going to escape his responsibilities.
March 24, 2013
Alternate History. Artificial Intelligence. Steampunk and airships. Hi tech-thriller. Political plots. Secret societies. Wow. Gareth Powell takes the reader on a wild ride, and one I enjoyed a good deal.
The main protagonist of Powell's novel, Ack-Ack Macaque is indeed a monkey--a talking, cigar-chewing, Spitfire ace with an admirable focus on what matters--namely, getting revenge on his and his friends' enemies, and "blowing shit up." This is a character that, once encountered, you won't get out of your head.
It's 2059, the hundredth anniversary of the unification of Britain and France. But behind the celebrations, an evil plot is unfolding bewteen those who've effectively usurped the British crown and seek to spark a nuclear confrontation between the Empire and China and take over what's left of the world. There are plenty of echoes with Nazi Germany here, which Ack-Ack Macaque is originally convinced is the real world of today, since all he knows is flying Spitfires and killing Germans. Yeah, it's complicated, and I'm not going to spoil it for you. Let's just say Powell takes a lot of chances here, and in the main pulls it off.
There were a few places in the novel where my credibility--even buying all the core premises--was stretched a bit thin, but curiously, these were NOT to do with the fast-taking, fast-shooting monkey: he's totally believeable, one of the great fictional creations of the last decades. And while some of the other protagonists surrounding Ack-Ack felt rather less than sympathetic and even a little flat at times, these are minor flaws in this very enjoyable book.
In summary, buy this book, light a cigar, pour yourself a large slug of dark rum, unzip a banana, and buckle yourself in. You're in for a memorable read.
The main protagonist of Powell's novel, Ack-Ack Macaque is indeed a monkey--a talking, cigar-chewing, Spitfire ace with an admirable focus on what matters--namely, getting revenge on his and his friends' enemies, and "blowing shit up." This is a character that, once encountered, you won't get out of your head.
It's 2059, the hundredth anniversary of the unification of Britain and France. But behind the celebrations, an evil plot is unfolding bewteen those who've effectively usurped the British crown and seek to spark a nuclear confrontation between the Empire and China and take over what's left of the world. There are plenty of echoes with Nazi Germany here, which Ack-Ack Macaque is originally convinced is the real world of today, since all he knows is flying Spitfires and killing Germans. Yeah, it's complicated, and I'm not going to spoil it for you. Let's just say Powell takes a lot of chances here, and in the main pulls it off.
There were a few places in the novel where my credibility--even buying all the core premises--was stretched a bit thin, but curiously, these were NOT to do with the fast-taking, fast-shooting monkey: he's totally believeable, one of the great fictional creations of the last decades. And while some of the other protagonists surrounding Ack-Ack felt rather less than sympathetic and even a little flat at times, these are minor flaws in this very enjoyable book.
In summary, buy this book, light a cigar, pour yourself a large slug of dark rum, unzip a banana, and buckle yourself in. You're in for a memorable read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews