16th December 2002

The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin

I do need to add this gentleman to my list of favourite authors. Unfortunately, this is not one of his best stories, though the characters as usual are all if not exactly loveable, then charming in their own gormish way.

Set in a parallel universe to our own, our hero Jack is off to the city to seek his fortune. But what a city...he stumbles into the middle of Toy City where the architecture is of the building block style and toys are the majority citizens. Here Jack teams up with a detective bear (Eddie Teddy bear)to solve the murders of the City's 'Old Rich', the nursery rhyme characters.

I liked the premise for this story. As you follow Jack around town your questions are his questions, and as many of the questions are left hanging, you share in Jack's frustration.

7th February 2003

Night Watch by Terry Pratchett

The latest story in Terry Prachett's discworld series, Night Watch is a darker view than usual of life on the City Watch, in particular the night watch.

Commander Vimes, in trying to apprehend a highly dangerous criminal above the University Library when he and the criminal are transported 30 years back. Due to circumstances, he becomes the mentor to his younger self, a Lance-Corporal Vimes, green and impressionable.

The story is dark, always reminding the reader that the characters are moving towards the senseless death of many of the watch including that of John Keel, the man that Vimes has taken the place of.

Sounds confusing, time travel usually is and so I definately suggest you read this story. Being a fan of the Watch stories, this view of Vimes early life is enlightening and give a view of the Watch specifically and of Ankh-Morpork life in general that would be hard to convey in any other way.

It has inspired me to seek out the other "Watch" books and read them over again.

3rd April 2004

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and The Dark Beyond the Stars by Frank M. Robinson

For now I will be happy to write only their names here as I don't have the time to discuss these books at this present time. Besides both being science fiction, they both deal with human perception of themselves and of their surroundings.

Both these books have been inspirational to me in their time and I'm looking forward to writing a little about each here.