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Redshirts
Redshirts by John Scalzi Published: 2012 Narrated by: Wil Wheaton Andrew Dahl is a new ensign aboard the starship Intrepid, but something strikes him as bizarre during his first week. The other crew members act strangely dramatic at times, senior officers seem to heal a little too fast, junior officers are killed off on away missions a little too often, and the laws of physics don’t seem to be as strict as they really should be. The characters eventually begin to understand the narrative that is driving their universe, and the story turns into the most meta thing ever written. It’s essentially a rant on sloppy science fiction writing with…
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The Hobbit
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Published: 1937 With the movie coming out, I figured I should give The Hobbit another read. It’s my favourite book, more for sentimental reasons than technical, and this is my fourth or fifth time through it. The book has its flaws, but I find them easy to overlook. Some of my earliest memories are of my dad reading this to me as a child. I remember lying in bed every night excited to get back to the adventure. He’d even do the voices and terrify me with Gollum’s riddles. I found out recently that my mom used to stand and listen to him read from…
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The Lost World
The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle Published: 1912 Narrated by: Glen McCready I’ve really enjoyed Arthur Conan Doyle’s writing in the Sherlock novels, and I love a good old-fashioned adventure story, so I’m surprised it took me this long to end up at The Lost World. The story begins with Edward Malone, a young reporter, being friend-zoned by his love interest Gladys Hungerton. In order to win her heart, he must do something great with his life. So when the opportunity presents itself to join an expedition to a hidden land in South America, he doesn’t hesitate. Gladys is mainly a framing device and isn’t much part of the…
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Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy by Isaac Asimov Published: 1993 Every now and then I get a hankering to write some fiction, but writing is hard, so I usually just read a book about writing instead. I have a whole shelf of them, and this time I came across Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy while thumbing through. I bought and read this over ten years ago, but I couldn’t remember a damn thing about it. This is a collection of essays on different aspects of writing, from the fundamentals of plotting and dialogue right up to submitting manuscripts and dealing with editors. Isaac Asimov is listed as the author, but…
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Truth in Fiction
Salman Rushdie on why we shouldn’t write off science fiction and fantasy when looking for stories with an insight into human nature.
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The Book Thief
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Published: 2005 Narrated by: Allan Corduner Liesel Meminger’s mother left her to foster parents in an attempt to separate her from any Communist ties. We hear the story of her life, narrated by Death, as she grows up in the fictional German town of Molching amidst the Second World War. It’s a story about war and the Holocaust, about growing up bewildered in a world gone mad, but it’s also a story about a young girl finding solace and hope in books while learning to read. I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right. I…
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Astonishing X-Men, Volume 5: Ghost Box
Astonishing X-Men, Volume 5: Ghost Box by Warren Ellis Illustrator: Simone Bianchi Format: Premiere Hardcover Comic Published: 2008 Publisher: Marvel Comics Collects: #25-30 Joss Whedon wrote the first 25 issues of Astonishing X-Men, which is really what got me on the series initially. The fact that Warren Ellis, a favourite comic writer of mine, took over for a period after that was another nice little surprise. I was just getting back into comics when I read the Whedon run of this, so I wasn’t sure if it was me adjusting to the comic format or the comic itself that left me a bit bewildered. There were a lot of moments…
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Gaiman and Pratchett
On the back of my father’s copy of Good Omens was this photo. I read it in the mid-nineties and remember thinking how perfect it was for the book, how hilariously rock star they looked, and how I needed to grow Pratchett’s beard someday. Neil Gaiman wrote this about it: It was taken in Kensal Green Cemetery in February. Terry borrowed the white jacket from our editor, Malcolm Edwards, and grumbled that it did nothing to keep him warm on a very cold day. “Sometimes you have to be cold to look cool,” I told him. “It’s all right for you,” he said. “You’re wearing a leather jacket.” “You could…
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If Only We Had Taller Been
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The Old Man and the Sea
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway Published: 1952 Somehow I went thirty years before I read Hemingway. That is just not right. I’ve been itching to read A Moveable Feast for some time now but figured I should have at least one of his fictional works under my belt before tackling his memoirs, so I picked up what is said to be one of his most loved stories. You did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for food, he thought. You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman. You loved him when he was alive and you loved him…