First published 1974. Penguin, paperback, 1976, pp 288, c.110,000 words. Condon was a hugely successful writer, and quite a few films have been made from his books, notably at least two versions of The Manchurian Candidate. His books are unashamedly pieces of Americana. This book is a riff on the Kennedy assassination, and it throws […]
Winter Kills — Richard Condon Read More »
First published 2020. David Fickling, paperback, 2021, pp 212, c.40,000 words. Nurse says that this is a question that has been asked from the dawn of time, and today there is no standard definition. The book is an attempt to lay out an answer even if it leaves some loose ends. Nurse has spent his
What is Life? — Paul Nurse Read More »
First published 2010. Corsair, paperback, 2011, pp 336, c.80,000 words. Nice title, but what does it mean? I had visions of someone powerful who had become upset and has sent his goons round to teach the miscreant a lesson. Wrong. Some way into this book it is explained that ‘time is a goon’ [p127]. Then
Visit from the Goon Squad, A — Jennifer Egan Read More »
First published 2021. Hodder, paperback, 2022, pp 290, c.100,000 words. When I first saw the title of this book I had no trouble naming considerably more than nine metals. In the story it is explained that this new comet-born substance is a noble metal. However there is no clear definition of a noble metal, with
Ninth Metal, The — Benjamin Percy Read More »
First published 1985. Fontana, paperback, 1986, pp 320, c.105,000 words. This is a classic Desmond Bagley thriller. It was nearly completed in 1970, immediately after Running Blind, however Bagley seems to have felt that he had written himself into a corner and couldn’t immediately find a suitable ending. He put the manuscript aside with the
Juggernaut — Desmond Bagley Read More »
First published 1993. Harper Collins, paperback, 1993, pp 253, c.90,000 words. Duncan Kyle’s thrillers involve some high-octane plot which often use Russians as the bad guys and the fate of the world lying in the hands of some everyman. Exit follows this simple formular. It was the last thriller he wrote, and was published some
Exit — Duncan Kyle Read More »
First published 1994. Minerva, paperback, 1994, pp 211, c.70,000 words. I’m not a fan of ghost stories, but I do love Alison Lurie’s writing, and as this is the only fiction of hers I haven’t read… well it was time. There are ten unconnected stories in this collection, and they average about twenty pages apiece.
Women and Ghosts — Alison Lurie Read More »
First published 1974. Pan Books, paperback, 2019, pp 482, c.175,000 words. Collins was the member of the crew of Apollo 11 that didn’t walk on the moon. This is his autobiography, written by himself. Collins devotes only the first ten percent of the book to describing his life and career before joining NASA. He describes
Carrying the Fire — Michael Collins Read More »
First published 2015. Schocken Books, hardback, 2015, pp 305, c.85,000 words. Sacks was a senior orthodox Rabbi and prolific communicator on radio, in lectures and with many books. In this book, he makes the case against religious justification for violence. Unfortunately he doesn’t succeed. He is concerned with the monotheistic Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity
Not In God’s Name — Jonathan Sacks Read More »
