First published 1986. Voyager, paperback, 1998, pp 238, c.75,000 words. According to a biography of Clarke, one of his jobs was a futurist, and it is in this that he really excels. He clearly had a keen interest in physics and followed and understood the latest developments in that field. In this book, for example, […]
Songs of Distant Earth, The — Arthur C Clarke Read More »
First published 1984. Abacus, paperback, 2013, pp 244, c.75,000 words. This was Banks’ first published novel, although he had written a number of unpublished science fiction books prior to this. He was then aged thirty and had spent much of the previous decade doing casual jobs which allowed him considerable time for writing. I had
Wasp Factory, The — Iain Banks Read More »
First published 1972. Harper Collins, paperback, 2020, pp 312, c.85,000 words. This is another ‘almost Bagley’. Along with Juggernaut and Night of Error, he didn’t publish this and it was only found in his document archive, held at the Boston University in the USA in 2017, by Philip Eastwood, a Bagley devotee. Along with a
Domino Island — Desmond Bagley Read More »
First published 1953. Pan, paperback, 1957, pp 192, c.75,000 words. This book provides a snapshot of how the West viewed the possibility of space travel in the early 1950s. Leonard had been Science Editor of Time magazine for ten years at the time this was written, and he had excellent access in the USA to
Flight Into Space — Jonathan Norton Leonard Read More »
First published 1968. Harcourt, paperback, 1990, translated by Louis Iribarne, 1979, pp 206, c,75,000 words. What a good writer Lem was. Here, there are some beautiful descriptive passages, original stories and an engaging hero who is neither a superman nor an idiot. The style is light hearted, but Lem explores some serious themes of space
Tales of Pirx the Pilot — Stanislaw Lem Read More »
First published 2019. Baen, paperback, 2019, pp 312, c.110,000 words. This book arose out of a symposium held by the Tennessee Valley Interstellar Workshop in 2016. It is a collection of science fiction stories and essays on aspects of interstellar travel relating to how humans might adapt to allow them to flourish more easily in
Stellaris – People of the Stars — Les Johnson and Robert E Hampson (editors) Read More »
First published c.29 B.C. Penguin, paperback, 2002, translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt, pp 488, c.155,000 words (main text). Roman historians of Livy’s period apparently valued literary style above historical accuracy, which may be just as well for the general reader because this makes, in the most part, for an excellent read. This volume is an
Early History of Rome, The — Livy Read More »
First published 1947. Fontana, paperback, 1988, pp 272, c.90,000 words. This story was originally written as a radio serial and later re-written into book form. It retains some of the distinctly episodic structure of the original which makes for a slightly uneven read. The plot starting point is full of promise and originality: Towards the
Maddon’s Rock — Hammond Innes Read More »
2nd edition first published 2015. Praxis Springer, paperback, 2015, pp 277, c.120,000 words (main text). Vulpetti seems to be the primary writer of this book, judging by the Italian-accented English. He seems to have spent his professional life studying the subject of using the pressure of light from the sun to propel spacecraft and is
Solar Sails — Giovanni Vulpetti, et al Read More »
First published 1965. Vintage, paperback, 2005, pp 275, c.70,000 words. This novel was a great success when first published, making Margaret Forster’s name, and was made into a successful film. The story is contemporary, and covers the transition that British society was going through from the class-based order of the old world to the youth
Georgy Girl — Margaret Forster Read More »