First published in 1956, “The Shrinking Man” is a story that reflects its time. It’s a story about fear and powerlessness, undercurrents of Cold War era America. The title is the plot – a man begins to shrink. The cause is a mixture of chemicals and radiation, another nod to the fears of the time,…
The release of the movie made me want to revisit this book which I have not read since I was a child. This trip down memory lane was fun, though with the eyes of an adult I can see flaws I would not have seen as a child. The main theme is the tried and…
Terry Pratchett looked at the world in a way that was true, relentless, cynical, and yet hilariously funny. “The Light Fantastic” is the second in his fantasy Discworld series, and it continues the story of the failed wizard Rincewind and his reluctant adventures. The Discworld is a flat world, which rests on the back of…
A group of people in an isolated place start dying one by one, which immediately sounds like a cliché. The story is full of unpleasant people being unpleasant to each other. It doesn’t sound good, does it? And yet, somehow, it is. The extreme neuroticism of most of the characters becomes weirdly fascinating. It is…
This is the first of a series of books called The Dresden Files, about Harry Dresden, a professional wizard in modern day Chicago who has a business helping people with magic-related issues, and who also consults for the police. I found this book to be great fun. The protagonist, Harry Dresden, is a world-weary, private…
The end of the world is nigh. The antichrist is born, and promptly mislaid. An angel and a demon, who have gone native, decide they really don’t want the world to be destroyed as they quite like it. This is a very funny read. It takes a poke at religion, concepts of heaven and hell,…
This week the author Ursula Le Guin passed away at the age of 88. As one of my favourite authors from a very young age, I wanted to write a tribute to her work, and how it has impacted me over the years. Unlike many fans, my first encounter was not with the Earthsea trilogy,…
This book is considered as one of the classics of science fiction. I enjoyed it immensely. There are two stories going on in this book – one is a revolution, as the people in the moon colony, most of whom were sent as convicts, have decided they have had enough and wish to gain independence.…
HG Wells is of course known as a pioneer in the field of science fiction, with such works as ‘War of the Worlds’ and ‘The Invisible Man’ being most well-known. However he did write some mainstream fiction, such as ‘Love and Mr Lewisham’. The plot is as follows - boy meets girl, falls for her,…
Though I have certainly heard the name many times over the years, it is only recently that I have finally picked up and read the poems of Emily Dickinson. I found the experience well worth it. I have selected three poems that particularly spoke to me in order to illustrate how much I appreciated this…
Eclectic Assemblage 