Book Reviews

First published 1902.  Penguin, paperback, 1980, pp 111, c.40,000 words. Is this the best novel ever written?  At least a contender in my book. A small ship is anchored in the Thames estuary, stemming the flood, awaiting the ebb, so its journey...

First published 1946.  Fontana paperback, 1975, pp158, c.50,000 words. This is the first post-war Innes and marks something of a transition work from his pre-war cheap shockers and his war novels, to his mature thrillers.  Here, there is much excellent...

First published 1991.  Picador paperback, 1992, pp431, c.140,000 words. For once, a quote on the back cover of this edition, from a review in Time Out, is a rather good summary: ‘Imagine Neighbours being taken over by the writing team of John Steinbeck...

First published 1979.  Fontana paperback, 1989, pp282, c.94,000 words. This is a classic 1970s’ thriller and one of Kyle’s best.  The hero, Jack Tunnicliffe, is typical of his type: an ex-soldier, who would rather not be ‘ex’.  He fought in...

First published 1973.  New English Library paperback, 1979, pp204, c.75,000 words. This book follows the same formular and is set in the same universe as Morressy’s Starbrat.  Indeed the main protagonists from the two books meet and travel together...

The War Against the Rull by A. E. van Vogt First published 1959.  Panther paperback, 1973, pp156, c.64,000 words. Surprisingly, there is very little shooting in this book, despite “war” being part of its title and the cover featuring spaceships...

First published 1940.  Pan paperback, 1962, pp240, c.72,000 words. This book was written in the early days of the second world war, and its story is contemporary.  The course and outcome of that war was unknown and there is a surprising air of...

First published 1966.  Grafton paperback, 1986, pp191, c.53,000 words. The story starts with an interesting SF premiss (and one occasionally explored by Hollywood) that one could swap minds with someone else.  Each person’s body would keep functioning...

First published 1972.  New English Library paperback, 1979, pp190, c.69,000 words. This is a picaresque tale of someone growing up while travelling around the galaxy which has been peopled with humans and aliens.  It could just as easily have been...

First published 1873.  Macmillan paperback, 1976, pp429, c.152,000 words (main text). Apparently this was the book of his that Hardy was most concerned with – he continued to revise it, not just after its transition from magazine to book, but long after...