Bleak Seasons — Glen Cook
The sixth book in the Black Company and the first to star Murgen rather than Croaker or the Lady. Grim and gritty in a good way.
The Road to Verdun — Ian Ousby
I hadn’t heard of the author before, but this turned to be an immensily interesting book on not just the military history that led to the battle of Verdun in World War I, but which also explains the cultural and historucal background of this battle, of how the War of 1870 was echoed in Verdun.
Voice of the Whirlwind — Walter Jon Williams
Not his most famous cyberpunk novel (that’s Hardwired but still an excellent example of a second generation cyberpunk novel.
The Situation — Jeff Vandermeer
This was given away as a free e-book by Wired and PS Publishing. I had heard of Vandermeer but not yet read anything by him and this was a good introduction, as it was a chapbook less then fifty pages long. A fairy tale of office politics and the post-singulary (I think).
Kingtiger Heavy Tank 1942 – 1945 — Tom Jentz, Hilary Doyle, Peter Sarson
The first entry in Osprey’s New Vanguard series of short books aimed at serious tankheads. A reasonable overview of the development history of this tanl, but with little attention paid to the operational history. Yes, this is me indulging my war nerd side.
Driftglass — Samuel R. Delany
I’ve been looking for this collection of short stories for a long time. Delany isn’t much of a short story writer, more a novelist and hasn’t written many; the ones here were all written between 1965 and 1968. Reading them in sequence gives a good overview of recurrent themes and images in his work.
Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks — Christopher Brookmyre
If Richard Dawkins wrote thrillers and had a sense of humour this would be the book he’d write. Brookmyre’s hero Jack Parlabane gets involved in a suppsoedly scientific experiment to prove the psychic powers of an American medium, only to get involved in a much larger complot. Religion and mysticism do not quite get a fair hearing here.
Plagues and Peoples — William H. McNeill
Here’s a book written some two decades before Jared Diamond’s Gun, Germs and Steel which covers much of the same terrain: the way in which diseases and plagues shaped human history.
H-Bomb Girl — Stephen Baxter
I’m not a great Stephen Baxter fan, but this was quite good. Written as a young adult novel, this will give some bright twelve year old nightmares for years –in a good way.
Cry of the Newborn — James Barclay
It was only because Steve Erickson provided the cover blurb that I picked this book up. Unfortunately it turned out to be just another middle of the road epic fantasy. What’s more, I found the side the author wants us to cheer for — the hegemonising faux-Roman Empire attempting to conquer the world to bring peace and prosperity — morally repulsive.
Kingdom of Shadows — Alan Furst
Alan Furst specialises in writing interbellum thrillers, set in the late thirties with world War II looming in the background. Even when his protagonists win their battles, you know their victories are ultimately futile when Europe gets swept up in a new world war. It makes for sombre, slightly depressing reading which works well in small doses.
Peace & its Discontents — Edward W. Said
A collection of Said’s columns written during 1993-1995 for various Arabic newspapers, explaining how the Oslo peace process had let down the Palestinian people.
Life on a Young Planet — Andrew H. Knoll
Excellent overview of what we know of what life looked like and evolved in the billions of years before the socalled Cambrian Explosion.
Hons and Rebels — Jessica Mitford
An autobiography of the communist member of the Mitford sisters. Understated humour.
Have Space Suit – Will Travel — Robert A. Heinlein
Another of Heinlein’s juveniles ticked off. Good entertainment as always, but better read if you’re twelve.