First published 1984. Black Swan paperback, 2012, pp 395, c.90,000 words. This is an attempt to explain quantum mechanics to the layman. Gribbin has written other history of science books and he takes that approach here, giving us much detail on the people who worked in theoretical physics during the first half of the twentieth […]
In Search of Shrodinger’s Cat — John Gribbin Read More »
First published 2002. Picador paperback, 2020, pp 338, c.95,000 words. This is a collection of eight fantasy short stories. It includes Chiang’s first published story Tower of Babylon, Story of Your Life, which was adapted into the very successful film Arrival, starring Amy Adams, and Liking What You See: A Documentary for which Chiang tuned
Stories of Your Life and Others — Ted Chiang Read More »
First published 2020. Gollancz paperback, 2021, pp 373, c.110,000 words. Set in the near future, the world has taken a dystopian turn where the very wealthy are in constant fear of kidnap for ransom, and almost everyone else is left scrabbling around to get by using whatever means. A young man seeks to escape from
Gallowglass — S. J. Morden Read More »
First published 1999. Abacus paperback, 2002, pp 453, c.135,000 words. This story centres on a love affair. Unfortunately, I didn’t believe in it. Why would a thoroughly decent middle-aged doctor with an attractive and intelligent wife, a couple of children, a thriving practice, a respectable place in the community, and admired by his intelligent peers,
Fortune’s Rocks — Anita Shreve Read More »
First published 2012. Vintage paperback, 2013, pp 374, c.110,000 words. The protagonist in this novel wins a place at Cambridge University to study mathematics at the urging of her mother when she would have preferred to study English at a provincial university. While at Cambridge she does a minimum of maths but reads voraciously instead.
Sweet Tooth — Ian McEwan Read More »
First published 2019. Gollancz paperback, 2019, pp 372, c.120,000 words. This is the sequel to One Way, and while it could easily be read as a standalone story, much context would be missed without reading them in order. While One Way was a slow burner, this starts at a cracking pace and maintains it right
No Way — S. J. Morden Read More »
First published 2013. Abacus paperback, 2014, pp 374, c.115,000 words. A group of university friends gather at a house owned by one of them for a weekend reunion. The house is falling apart, and the house owner has a son ‘on the spectrum’, i.e. (mildly) autistic, and it is through his eyes we witness the
Quarry, The — Iain Banks Read More »
First published 2000. Orbit paperback, 2007, pp 403, c.130,000 words. This is a fantasy novel set in Banks’ ‘Culture’, a far-future where humans have spread out across a portion of the galaxy and live lives free of the need to work for a living. They inhabit artificial structures called Orbitals which provide all the inhabitants’
Look to Windward — Iain M Banks Read More »
First published 1935. Penguin paperback, 1973, pp 207, c.75,000 words. This felt surprisingly modern, particularly as it was first published eighty-eight years ago. With only a few very minor tweaks it could have been written last year. The main protagonist is a man who has failed to find a satisfying position in life. He is
England Made Me — Graham Greene Read More »
First published 1977. Harper paperback, 2009, pp 274, c.65,000 words. Everyone involved with this book should be embarrassed. Maclean usually writes to a much higher standard than this. The New York Times review said MacLean “stumbles badly”; how right. The plot is implausibly ludicrous, the characters a mess of cliches. My guess is that Maclean
Seawitch — Alistair Maclean Read More »