Once upon a time there was a computer with a soul. It tried to convey that to the people who had created it, but it didn’t have any luck. They were very happy with it, because it was intelligent and could think for itself, but they didn’t understand that there was more to life than…
Review “Maze of Death” by Phillip K Dick.
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…
Encounters with Ursula Le Guin
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,…
Film Review “Chronicle” (2012)
(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1706593/) Three teenage boys come across an alien artefact and gain mysterious powers. Sounds like a million superhero movies we’ve seen, right? Not this time. “Chronicle” is a clever look at what might actually happen if something like that occurred. Do our heroes turn into heroes? Do they turn into villains? Well, initially at least,…
Review “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress” by Robert Heinlein.
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.…
Eclectic Assemblage 