So out of my utter annoyance from not being able to find Station Eleven in the science fiction section of a bookstore, I decided that I wouldn’t read any science fiction or fantasy novels in 2016 that were written by white men. That meant that I could read any books by women, or books by … Continue reading
Latest Entries
Giving up on The Luminaries
I stopped reading this ‘for a break’ after finishing part one but I’m not going to kid myself, I’m not going to read the rest. There are many things I don’t like about it. I think historical novels are fine but I think there’s just a bit too much casual racism and sexism for me … Continue reading
Book reviews / Comics / History / Non fiction
Book review: Supergods
I think I picked up this book by Grant Morrison at the comics exhibition at the British Museum. I have read a few comics by Morrison, like Joe the Barbarian and All Star Superman. I enjoyed both. So in the post-script to the paperback edition, he describes Supergods as a subjective history. Ah ha ha … Continue reading
Book review: The Summer Book
I bought this book while I’m Finland, it was written by Tove Jansson of Moomin fame. It is hailed as a modern classic in Scandinavia, reads the jacket. There isn’t really a linear story, it is a series of events that happen on island. The two main characters are a young child, Sophia, and her … Continue reading
Book review: The Ends of the Earth
The ends of the earth is the smooshing together of two anthologies about the arctic and antarctic. It’s a mixture of both the best fiction and non-fiction stories about these two interesting places. I think I preferred the old journals of the first explorers and the science excerpts more than any of the non-fiction prose. … Continue reading
Book review: Edge of Tomorrow
Or the original title, All you need is kill. So, if you’ve seen the film, this has the same basic premise. Alien invaders, leads to massive war, but killing one weird type of alien puts the main character, Keiji, in a time loop. In the movie, Keiji is of course, played by Tom Cruise. In … Continue reading
Book review: Austerity ecology and the collapse-porn addicts
This was fun! I think it is my first book review of someone I actually know – having met Leigh Phillips randomly on a Eurostar to Brussels one terribly early morning a few years ago. Leigh’s book is a no-holds barred assault on de-growth, small is beautiful, return to the land ideologies. It is a … Continue reading
Book review: Annihilation (Southern Reach trilogy)
This is a short, creepy and compelling read. Just shy of 200 pages, you follow a woman’s experience in Area X. We only know what the Biologist knows (no one is given a name, only referred to by their titles) and nothing more. We have her theories, distrust and compulsion to go by to figure … Continue reading
Book review: SPQR
My classics knowledge is about 12 years old now, and only a first year undergraduate class at that, so it nice to read about it once again. Mary Beard’s book is excellent in a many ways. Here are a few of my highlights. Firstly, despite all the history, latin and complicated life and law of … Continue reading
Book review: Ancillary Mercy
So this is the third in the series, following Ancillary Justice and Ancillary Sword and it is as excellent and delightful as the other two in the series. It takes place in the same space station as Ancillary Sword but with a whole host of additional problems (including a showdown with Anaander Mianaai who is … Continue reading
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