While tanks are obviously a hugely important (and entertaining) part of the Imperial Guard, a book solely about a tank is perhaps not the most exciting prospect. Thankfully then, Guy Haley’s Baneblade – despite the title – is very much a human story. Yes, in true 40k style we get to see a bit of the tank’s personality in terms of its machine spirit, but this is really a story about two men’s different viewpoints on and relationships with the tank.
Imagine if Google could provide all of your online needs – social media, communication, banking, entertainment, all in one place. No need for multiple passwords and user names, no need in fact to log in at all – your identity is linked indelibly with Google. Doesn’t that sound so much simpler and more convenient than what we have at the moment? Scale that up – think about global tracking to keep track of where your children are, or permanently-on video cameras keeping an eye on your house, your family, the things most previous to you. Sounds ideal, right?
For many of us the thought of suffering from any type of neurological disorder is enough to fill us with dread. Any loss of memory, mental facilities or awareness can be a terrifying prospect for ourselves, and heartbreaking to see in a loved one. Over many years of work, Dr Oliver Sacks has worked with patients suffering from a dizzying array of afflictions, from phantom limbs to Tourette’s, from visions and psychoses to autism and Parkinson’s. In this book from 1985 he tells the stories of a number of these patients in clear, human detail.
While Ed Catmull may not be a household name, chances are most of us will be familiar with the companies he runs. As co-founder of Pixar and president of both Pixar and Disney he provides the leadership for two of the most exciting, inspirational companies that exist today and is uniquely placed to give an insider’s insight into how these creative powerhouses tick. Creativity, Inc. draws upon his experiences with both of these companies to provide a fascinating, thought-provoking read that’s equal parts autobiography, history of Pixar and management bible.
Like the ‘difficult second album’ effect that plagues so many successful bands, some authors face a tricky decision when writing their second novel – do they branch out and try something totally different from their successful first novel, or try to recapture what worked so well and stick to formula? In his follow up to the hugely successful ‘The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared’, Swedish author Jonas Jonasson has stuck pretty close to the formula that resulted in the delightfully absurd ‘Hundred Year Old Man…’ but just about manages not to simply repeat himself.
Released at the 2014 Horus Heresy Weekender as an event-exclusive anthology, Sedition’s Gate collects together short stories from five Black Library authors in a format to match the limited-edition Horus Heresy novellas. There is no overarching theme for these stories, so instead they each focus on a different snapshot of the Heresy, some focusing on familiar characters and others on brand new characters and story lines.
As the seventh limited edition novella in the Horus Heresy range, the release of Gav Thorpe’s Ravenlord will no doubt prove a ripe topic for conversation among Black Library fans regarding cost versus value. Irrespective of price however, the great thing about the Horus Heresy novellas is that they bridge the gap between short stories and full novels, allowing authors to go into more detail on specific characters or engagements than they would be able to otherwise. With Ravenlord we get a second novella featuring Corvus Corax (after Corax : Soulforge), this time focusing on the Raven Guard’s assault on the prison planet of Carandiru.
The clue is in the title really – ‘Damnation of Pythos’. Not salvation, damnation. Given David Annandale’s love of horror films and monsters it should come as no surprise to find that his first novel in the Horus Heresy series is somewhat on the bleak side. For the 30th novel in this every-growing series we find ourselves back with the Iron Hands in the aftermath of Isstvan V and the Dropsite Massacre, with the loss of Ferrus Manus still fresh and raw in their minds.
What connects Deal or No Deal, Stanley Kubrick, and real-life superheroes? To most of us the answer would be ‘not very much’, but to Jon Ronson they’re all sources of fascinating stories that shine a light on some of the weird and wonderful lives that people lead. Collecting together various articles previously published in magazines and newspapers, Lost at Sea offers a look at the world through Ronson’s eyes as he meets people living in and dealing with all sorts of situations from the bizarre to the traumatising.
While some authors churn books out in quick succession, releasing one or two a year, others make us wait longer for our fix. When it comes to Donna Tartt, we have to wait so long between books that the only feasible approach when she releases a new novel is to savour it, to resist the urge to fly through and finish it as quickly as possible. The Goldfinch is her third book in 22 years, coming 11 years after 2002’s The Little Friend, and after such a long wait it comes with a heavy weight of expectation attached.