Not really SF but no idea how to classify it. I'm always wary of Connie Willis, having enjoyed several of her light comedies and then had my heart punNot really SF but no idea how to classify it. I'm always wary of Connie Willis, having enjoyed several of her light comedies and then had my heart punched out by The Doomsday Book. This one is safe, nobody will hurt you. It's a very entertaining, perhaps slightly picaresque account of a scientist who studies fads and the intersection of that with chaos theory, plus a bit of Robert Browning and a smidge of romance. Highly readable. ...more
I love the vibe of the Kyle Murchison Booth books. Elegantly created and written, though, as with her Katherine Addison books, I want more in the way I love the vibe of the Kyle Murchison Booth books. Elegantly created and written, though, as with her Katherine Addison books, I want more in the way of plot/narrative drive. However that's a me problem: this is super atmospheric and does exactly what it wants to do. ...more
Second in this outstanding pair of anthologies of post-war queer men in London up to the moment of legalisation of male homosexual behaviour. There's Second in this outstanding pair of anthologies of post-war queer men in London up to the moment of legalisation of male homosexual behaviour. There's a good balance between the utter hate-spewing awfulness of the Press and the politicians (then as now a twin pair of pustulent boils on the nation's arse) and the thoughtfulness, defiance, courage and joie de vivre of many individual lives in the face of everything thrown at them. Also some massive fuck ups, wild Establishment corruption, and the ever absurd censorship exercised over plays. A really involving slice of history. ...more
A short sweet queer fantasy romance, very slow burn due to misunderstanding, which isn't my favourite, but they do start to talk. Cosy and autumnal inA short sweet queer fantasy romance, very slow burn due to misunderstanding, which isn't my favourite, but they do start to talk. Cosy and autumnal in feel. ...more
Absolutely glommed these delightful books set among a pack of lawyers. In this one the locus for trouble is the Woosterish Michael Cantrip, handicappeAbsolutely glommed these delightful books set among a pack of lawyers. In this one the locus for trouble is the Woosterish Michael Cantrip, handicapped as he is by his educational disadvantages (Cambridge rather than Oxford). Very very silly in an extremely clever way and purely enjoyable....more
Second instalment in this delightful series about a ridiculous pack of lawyers solving a murder. Very old fashioned Golden Age vibe while being radicaSecond instalment in this delightful series about a ridiculous pack of lawyers solving a murder. Very old fashioned Golden Age vibe while being radically queer and messing about with gender expectations. I wish there were a dozen of these: straight into the Favourites collection. ...more
An account of George Blake, largely based on a two-hour interview with him in his old age. It's really mostly worrying away at how and why. The authorAn account of George Blake, largely based on a two-hour interview with him in his old age. It's really mostly worrying away at how and why. The author struggles to reconcile the two sides of Blake--a nice old man, genuine believer that Communism could have made the world better, non violent, whose actions directly and deliberately led to the killing of at least forty British agents at the hands of the KGB and Stasi. It pretty much sounds like Blake simply decided not to see those consequences.
In the end it feels sordid, futile, and kind of depressing. Not the book, which is well written and thoughtful, but the whole damn thing. ...more
Purely delightful murder mystery set among Oxbridge barristers and academics of the most absurd kind. It's set in 1977 (the bread strike) but the feelPurely delightful murder mystery set among Oxbridge barristers and academics of the most absurd kind. It's set in 1977 (the bread strike) but the feel is somewhere between Wimseycal golden age and 1950s/60s screwball comedy, with a touch of 1970s sex comedy (it's broad and there's a couple of eyebrow-raisers, be warned). Plenty of queerness taken as read, loads of hilarious snobbery, beautifully phrased, an absolute joy. Also the solution is absolutely impossible, while still being totally fair with loads of clear clues.
A total pleasure. I bought the next two immediately. ...more
Thoroughly engaging romance about runaway bride Yvonne, who legs it from her own wedding and chooses the groom's cousin as her getaway driver. Leo hasThoroughly engaging romance about runaway bride Yvonne, who legs it from her own wedding and chooses the groom's cousin as her getaway driver. Leo has had a crush on Yvonne forever, but struggles with high reserve and low self esteem (which he doesn't make other people's problem. We like Leo.)
It's mostly about Yvonne's slow realisation that she's lived most of her life attempting to fulfil everyone else's expectations--domineering father and nagging mother who can barely be placated by perfection, then a fiance with very little interest in her as a person. The abusive family dynamics are pretty painful, and it's not something that gets fixed over a week of hot sex, but we see Yvonne blossom with the support of loving and unjudgemental people (nit just Leo, but friends and family), and it's lovely. ...more
The extraordinary story of a German Jewish woman who became a Soviet spy and eventually Klaus Fuchs' handler, passing the atomic bomb secrets to StaliThe extraordinary story of a German Jewish woman who became a Soviet spy and eventually Klaus Fuchs' handler, passing the atomic bomb secrets to Stalin, while finding time for two marriages, several lovers, and three kids. And then became a successful children's writer, as you do.
It's a fascinating story, well told, with a good line in making complex stuff and a lot of history clear.
It's very domestic focused, with a lot on her relationship with her nanny, who she was in love with, her feelings about the kids etc. I get that part of her success was down to the 'housewife' cover and the era's general sexism, and that it was super important to her. I just can't help noticing I've read a lot of Ben Macintyre books about male spies where we barely hear a word about their domestic arrangements, what school their kids went to, their private concerns about balancing domestic life and espionage, etc. Maybe that simply tells us something about male spies, or about (a lot of) men (of the era), but it grated. ...more
A 1930s mystery that turns pretty much every convention of the genre on its head. We see the murder, we know who did it, and the plot is basically theA 1930s mystery that turns pretty much every convention of the genre on its head. We see the murder, we know who did it, and the plot is basically the Great Detective deciding the victim deserved it and doing his best to obstruct the police investigation, while finding out who did it for his own satisfaction. Plot twist: He is terrible at both.
It's hard not to conclude that in this, the ninth Roger Sheringham outing, the author had come to loathe his smug twat detective as much as any reader will. That said, it's written in an entertainingly breezy manner. You might also think the entire 'bitch had it coming' storyline was an exercise in misogyny, though it does have an excellent supporting cast of women, and the real villain (as so often in books of this period) is the divorce laws.
A weird but entertaining read. Roger Sheringham is still the most loathsome of all Golden Age tecs and it's nice to see him fail. ...more
The memoir of SOE's head of codes. Marks was 22, spoiled rotten, bursting with attitude, and a genius cryptographer. I'm not a zillion per cent sure IThe memoir of SOE's head of codes. Marks was 22, spoiled rotten, bursting with attitude, and a genius cryptographer. I'm not a zillion per cent sure I believe everything in this book (it's big on detailed recollections of conversations, poems, clothing, movements etc from fifty years ago) but in the round it's a remarkable read. The author's frequent expressions of humility and self doubt in no way disguise that he is massively full of himself, but then, he deserves to be. And what rings absolutely true is his feelings about being a 'backroom boy' while others went off to face appalling physical danger, the horror of watching them go, the greater horror of realising the backroom was failing them. Well written and fascinating....more
Office novel set during the Blitz. It's about a group of women translators, mostly a pack of silly biddies, focusing on the upper-middle country type Office novel set during the Blitz. It's about a group of women translators, mostly a pack of silly biddies, focusing on the upper-middle country type Anne (young, pretty, nice, deserves happiness) and the lower-middle self-made working woman Elsie (unattractive, embittered, sour, repressed lesbian, common, bad mannered, and every possible stereotype of a woman nobody wants).
It is not, frankly, a terribly pleasant book what with the massive misogyny and classism masquerading as observation. Interesting in the depiction of life in the Blitz. ...more
A collection of stories aimed at decolonising Kipling's Just So Stories. Kipling is always a fascinating one: steeped in Empire and white supremacy, yA collection of stories aimed at decolonising Kipling's Just So Stories. Kipling is always a fascinating one: steeped in Empire and white supremacy, yet constantly yearning for the country and cultures he is fully behind the pillaging of. There is so much to find loathsome about Kipling and yet at his best you can see the brilliant, sensitive writer he could be. And boy could he make phrases. 'The white man's burden' (of bringing his culture and supremacy to everyone else like it or not); 'the female of the species is more deadly than the male'. These concepts get a hell of a workout in this excellent collection. And if you don't really understand what 'decolonising Kipling' means: don't worry, you'll get it.
The collection kicks off with one of the best stories in it: Cassandra Khaw's 'How The Spider Got Her Legs', a depiction of how the spider goes from a creature very like a worm that turns to reinvent herself as a lethal monster in vengeance for the death of her children. Khaw is a genius horror writer and this was very much the point I decided this was in no way a collection for children because the ending is hide-behind-the-sofa horrific.
Some of the stories are direct riffs on Kipling down to the descriptions of the pictures: either new stories in his style like the Khaw or the charming paean to inclusive storytelling "How the Simurgh Won Her Tail" by Ali Nouraei, or retellings of actual Just Sos (eg the fantastic, savage feminist roar of rage 'The Cat Who Walked By Herself' by Achala Upendran). Others are more loosely related, reminding me much more of Plain Tales from the Hills and/or Kipling's ghost stories than the Just So Stories. Pretty much all of them are about power and its abuse--male power, white supremacy, colonialism, slavery. "How the Ants Got Their Queen" by Stewart Hotston is an excoriating fable about the aftereffects of colonialism and the recent history of the Indian subcontinent in particular. The collection ends with the hilarious "How the Camel Got Her Paid Time Off" by Paul Krueger, which is about unionising and capitalism and office culture, and works perfectly with the theme.
Overall this is really excellent. Thought-provoking in multiple directions, blood-boiling, great writing, diverse casts, and there's not a dud in the collection. Highly recommended.
Merged review:
A collection of stories aimed at decolonising Kipling's Just So Stories. Kipling is always a fascinating one: steeped in Empire and white supremacy, yet constantly yearning for the country and cultures he is fully behind the pillaging of. There is so much to find loathsome about Kipling and yet at his best you can see the brilliant, sensitive writer he could be. And boy could he make phrases. 'The white man's burden' (of bringing his culture and supremacy to everyone else like it or not); 'the female of the species is more deadly than the male'. These concepts get a hell of a workout in this excellent collection. And if you don't really understand what 'decolonising Kipling' means: don't worry, you'll get it.
The collection kicks off with one of the best stories in it: Cassandra Khaw's 'How The Spider Got Her Legs', a depiction of how the spider goes from a creature very like a worm that turns to reinvent herself as a lethal monster in vengeance for the death of her children. Khaw is a genius horror writer and this was very much the point I decided this was in no way a collection for children because the ending is hide-behind-the-sofa horrific.
Some of the stories are direct riffs on Kipling down to the descriptions of the pictures: either new stories in his style like the Khaw or the charming paean to inclusive storytelling "How the Simurgh Won Her Tail" by Ali Nouraei, or retellings of actual Just Sos (eg the fantastic, savage feminist roar of rage 'The Cat Who Walked By Herself' by Achala Upendran). Others are more loosely related, reminding me much more of Plain Tales from the Hills and/or Kipling's ghost stories than the Just So Stories. Pretty much all of them are about power and its abuse--male power, white supremacy, colonialism, slavery. "How the Ants Got Their Queen" by Stewart Hotston is an excoriating fable about the aftereffects of colonialism and the recent history of the Indian subcontinent in particular. The collection ends with the hilarious "How the Camel Got Her Paid Time Off" by Paul Krueger, which is about unionising and capitalism and office culture, and works perfectly with the theme.
Overall this is really excellent. Thought-provoking in multiple directions, blood-boiling, great writing, diverse casts, and there's not a dud in the collection. Highly recommended....more
An entertaining squib written by an obviously incredibly erudite author to basically take the mickey out of medieval monasticism. In particular the inAn entertaining squib written by an obviously incredibly erudite author to basically take the mickey out of medieval monasticism. In particular the incredibly long and detailed Lists Of Things which were a medieval speciality (lists of animals, lists of saints, lists of jewels, lists of sins and heresies, lists of meanings of numbers, et al ad infinitum). No wonder everyone died young, I was losing the will to live myself. The murder mystery is fun largely because of how it plays into the lists obsession. It's full of meta ness (the Holmes character is William of Baskerville, very good, and one of the monks is 'Jorge of Borges', etc). There is a lot of nitpicking heresy nonsense (very medieval), and a lot of semiotics (not). It's super clever in a very conscious way. If you don't see the setpiece ending coming a mile off, you might need to watch more gothic movies.
TBH the plots (murder and hidden book) are baggy in the extreme and very much just the vehicle for the author to play around, which he does with glee. I don't suppose anyone was more surprised than him when this "estimated sales of 2000, mostly to people with PhDs" book became one of the bestselling novels of all time. This is why publishers drink.
I will say the misogyny leaves a bad taste. Not the conscious misogyny of the medieval monks, which is pretty much a given and we see William (whose attitudes are impeccably modern) disapprove, but rather the entire premise of the simgle female character who exists only to fuck Monk Watson in a single scene, and doesn't even get a lead-in, a line of dialogue, any reason at all why a starving woman being sexually exploited by monks for food would abandon food because this one particular monk was just so hot. She exists so Eco can make a point about sex, and that is not the same thing as writing a character. ...more
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