The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl & Cyril M. Kornbluth
This book is a gem. It was written over 50 years ago but deals with topics still relevant today. The story is about a star-class copysmith Mitch Courteney who works … Read More
Category: Books
Book reviews.
And Another Thing… by Eoin Colfer
Let me state this first: I am a massive Hitchhiker fan. Not to the point where it becomes sad-loner going to a convention level, but damn close – I’ll probably … Read More
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
I finished this a few days ago and have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It is just a shame that I don’t really think it is that … Read More
A Scanner Darkly by Philip K Dick
The story follows a group of drug users in California in the far-off year of 1994. Actually, the date doesn’t really matter, the book is barely science fiction. The futuristic … Read More
Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell
I love Bernard Cornwell’s books. People who know me frequently reel back in awe of my historical knowledge. At least I assume that’s what they’re reeling back from. This knowledge … Read More
Halting State by Charles Stross
Halting State is set in the not too distant future. Scotland has devolved (in a political not Darwinian sense), gained independence, and the world is even more saturated with information technology and computer nerdiness than ever before.
Ringworld by Larry Niven
Ringworld is superb. I often prefer pre-1980s Sci Fi as it tends to be more idea and philosophy based. The world itself is a very cool, very huge idea and the possibilities for it are almost endless.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
When Richard Mayhew rescues what seems to be a wounded homeless girl, he suddenly finds himself sucked into an alternate underground London.
Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
Don’t be put off by the fact that this book is a ‘Russian classic’, Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons is truly worth a read.
Welcome to Hell by Colin Martin
Colin Martin worked in construction, had his own small business, and was married with kids. An almost clichéd idyll that makes the subsequent fall all the more compelling.
A word about JG Ballard
JG Ballard died of cancer aged 78 on the 19th of April 2009. It is sad to think he will never release another book. He was usually labelled a Sci Fi writer but he frequently strayed from this label to write unique, often dystopian, scenarios that sort of/kind of/might just happen.