Category Archives: Article

Game of Thrones? No thanks…

Yesterday I wrote a blog inspired by the upcoming release of books by Ben Aaronovitch and Patrick Rothfuss, in which I talked about the problem with books in series, and how I often have to keep re-reading them to remember what happened each time a new book is released. I briefly mentioned George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series, and I thought I ought to expand upon the mention I made. So the thing is, I have to admit it…I’ve not read any of them. Not one. Or watched the TV show. I know, I know…call myself a fantasy fan! I can hear the sharpening of knives from the GoT fanboys already, but before anyone ‘accidentally’ bumps me off like one of George’s characters, let me explain…

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Reading Series, or I Can’t Remember What Happened in the Last One…

As a fan of science fiction and fantasy I’m no stranger to the series; from the 40 books of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld to the 14-strong Wheel of Time saga, from Black Library’s ever-growing Horus Heresy series to Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series, I’ve read and enjoyed a great many books that live within wider ranges. I only really draw the line at Michael Moorcock (I read most, if not all of the Elric series then baulked at the dozens upon dozens of linked books) and George R.R. Martin (I know, I know. I have my reasons…).

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Echoes of War – a Space Marine audio drama collection

As the Echoes of War fade (see what I did there?!), the Space Marines hang up their armour and the dreadnoughts are shuffled back into their long slumbers, it feels worth recapping on a week of excellent audio dramas from Black Library. For me, this collection came at a perfect time; the week before I had been digging around on my PC and found Hunter’s Moon and Thief of Revelations, neither of which I had previously listened to. Having devoured those in short order, it was with a sense of delightful serendipity that I saw Echoes of War listed on the Black Library website, and I didn’t need much persuading to get involved.

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Books Or Films First?

Recently I signed up to a free one-month trial of Netflix, the online film and TV streaming service. My main motivation for this was so that I could binge my way through several seasons of Battlestar Galactica without having to buy them on DVD, which I did in shamefully short order. Having greedily plowed through Battlestar and two seasons of Heroes, I began to explore more of what Netflix had to offer. For those who haven’t used Netflix before, while you can search through to see what takes your fancy, you are also given a number of recommendations by Netflix based on what you have watched so far. Unsurprisingly I was recommended all sorts of sci-fi and fantasy films and TV shows, but one in particular kept popping up, which was one of the Hunger Games films.

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The Ideas Book

On a mid-morning visit to the Horniman Gardens in Forest Hill, I stumbled upon a child’s exercise book abandoned on a wall, its bright blue cover incongruous against the grey stone. Imagine my delight when, upon closer inspection, this turned out to be not a Geography book or a History book but an Ideas book! What a wonderful concept, a book purely for the purpose of recording ideas. Surely it must have been full to brimming, for there are few places as fertile as a child’s imagination.

Ideas Book

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Why Books Make the Best Presents

I’m a serial book buyer, both for myself and as gifts for friends and family. The vast majority of presents I give, for birthdays or Christmas, include at least one book. One Christmas I was working at a (now-defunct) book shop – never before has a staff discount been so thoroughly utilised!

There’s something lovely about receiving a book as a present; a real, physical, dead-tree book. I’m all for e-books, they’re incredibly practical, but I still much prefer reading an actual analogue book. One particular friend of mine reads everything on her Kindle now, to the point that she replies in percentage terms when asked where she’s up to in a book! I take great pleasure in buying her physical books as presents, if nothing else just so that she has to put her Kindle down once in a while.

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