h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"neil gaiman anyone?"
Oh yes, please!
'Even Cowgirls Get the Blues'. Thats Tom (Tim?) Robbins, isn't it? Have you read 'Skinny legs and all'
I thought that one was very funny!

"neil gaiman anyone?"

I noticed that in the UK Neil Gaiman's new novel comes with an "As good as Stephen King or your money back" guarantee! How exactly are they going to measure that? And as good at what? Writing or starting fires? It's not a very impressive boast either is it "as good as" not better or p****s all over but as good - hmmnn. And all due respect to Mr King, but he's not Doestoyevskii or Kafka is he. It's a good job no-one ever takes these guarantees up that's all i can say.

I'm not a massive fan myself, i've bought almost everything he's done over the years, just because he wrote Don't Panic, a bit sad really. I loved the two Death mini series, and a lot of Sandman was really good, but a lot of it was shoddy too. And his prose i find really poor, no direction or substance.

Death though. Oh yes.

On an old tack now, i've just bought Bogombo Snuff Box and will begin reading it as soon as i finish:

"Stalin (pt 2)" by Trotskii and "Giesha" by Liza Dolby.

Stalin - i only have part two unfortunately, so i've missed his formative years, but have got the business end of his life, post revolution, showing how he went from being no-one to top banana* in a few short years, and how after the civil war he turned the party's aims back on itself and re-wrote himself into the history of the revolution! It's a very odd book indeed, not one that i thought would be interesting or a gripping read, but it is, it's a page turner.
It was also the manuscript to this book that Trotskii had just finished when he was murdered by Stalin's agents, literally just finished, it was on the desk in front of him and the manuscript is still stained with his blood and brains!

"Geisha" is really good too, but no-where near as good as the glowing report i gave for "Tale of Murasaki" a few posts back. It's half history half autobiography, and bizarrely the autobiographical stuff is really flat and pale, it's just not good. The history however really comes to life, and if like me you didn't know much of the detail of Japanese culture in the 1800's then it will come as quite a surprise!

So i recommend Stalin, but choose Murasaki (still 5 stars) over Geisha.


*Not Trotskii's phrase.

"neil gaiman anyone?"
Didn't he write a cute little book called Stardust or something? About some young fellow who ran away to fairyland looking for a star. Very lightweight to be sure but a sweet, readable prose style and a nice touch of gentle humour.

Greetings all - Just reviving the BooK NooK. The newest thread is here http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/F29359?thread=190127 Courtesy