My Weekly Book

When you hear the term ‘science fiction’, what do you think about? Is it Golden Age stuff from the 50s set in a shiny spaceport somewhere in an imaginary solar system? Do you see the shadow of huge, city-sized spacecraft crossing the sky?

This is speculative fiction of the very finest sort – an extremely well-informed ‘what if’ written by one of the most respected astronomers and scientific communicators of his generation, a man that can also be credited with making the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence (SETI) a credible possiblity, as well as inspiring almost single-handed the current movement towards scepticism and critical thinking.

The premise of this book is both simple and seductive. What would be the fate of the planet if humanity simply ceased to exist?

Having read Daphne du Maurier’s The House on the Strand. I must say, it’s excellent, if a little different from some of the earlier work – I think it was one of the last full-length novels she wrote.

The task of summing up my reaction to the whole of the ‘His Dark Materials‘ trilogy is somewhat daunting, and I am coming to the conclusion that one read is simply not enough.

Having finished Ursula le Guin’s The Other Wind I would say that my overwhelming impression is interest in the insight it gives into the creative process.

I have always suspected the Archbishop of Canterbury of being a reasonably intelligent man, and here is some proof from The Guardian.

I think I’ve put my finger on what it is about Philip Pullman’s The Subtle Knife that left me feeling a just a little bit underwhelmed. All the reviews I’ve dug up say it either suffers from or succeeds in spite of something they call ‘middle book syndrome’ and I think that is spot on.