Doris Lessing’s “Marriages Between Zones” and the world today
How many books you read recently have been recommended by someone close to you? I have discovered most of my recent sci-fi reads through my…
Love lessons – a post Valentine’s Day special
If anybody asked you “how do you love?”, what would you say? You could answer pragmatically or poetically, with humour or with sarcasm or both.…
2019 retrospective – a year rated 9 out of 10
Just this Sunday past, end of January 2020, we’ve visited some friends for dinner, wine and a catch up. We spiced it all up with…
Incursion into the origins of American Gothic and crime fiction
Romantic, alcoholic, interested in crime and the supernatural, makes a (poor) living out of writing – do you recognise the character? After decades, I rediscovered…
Atwood’s “Hag-seed” creates a storm of emotions for her readers
I was three quarters of the way through Hag-seed, when I realized that I was not particularly enjoying it. The realization surprised me a lot.…
“No Map Could Show Them” by Helen Mort
When he read my recent review on Fitzgerald’s Tender is the night, John Mills (photo below) said he would like to write a review piece himself. As…
The Culture messes up your mind – with kindness – in “Use of Weapons”
You ride the wind with Zakalwe – across galaxies. And you almost die with him every time. It’s difficult to keep count how…
How Fitzgerald’s second American dream ends in middle age crisis
Over dinner on offer at Cafe Rouge a few weeks ago, I was talking to my poet friend John Mills about the book I had…
Star Trek – Next Generation, the saga of humans in service to science & society
If I were to choose one thing to define Star Trek – Next Generation by, I wouldn’t hesitate. What, or better said, who else could…
How my sci-fi history started in early childhood… with a book
Do you remember your favourite book character as a toddler? And what genre the book was? Even children’s books go by genres, and mine was…