I like books. Fiction and non-fiction. I guess if there is a genre that I tend to gravitate towards it’s science fiction. In particular, I like;
Larry Niven, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, E E Doc Smith, James Blish, Ian M Banks, Gordon R. Dickson.
Larry Nivens tales of known spaces are brilliant, including novles like Ringworld and Ringworld Engineers, and outside that universe, I’m currently re-reading Footfall and will probably line up a re-read of another classic Lucifers Hammer.
I love Asimov’s Robots short stories and the foundation series, although I have tried reading Greg Bears extension to that, and I just can’t get in to it – I keep forcing myself to pick the book up, but I’m reaching the stage now, where I really don’t want to.
E E Doc Smiths Space Operas The Lensman, Skylark, D’Alembert series were all absorbed as quickly as I could, and have been re-read.
I think my love of SF probably began when I read a book that my sister had in her book case. I’ve been trying to find it ever since, trouble is I can describe the story, but I can’t remember the title or the author – I think I must have been about 10 when I read it. In Swanage one day, I walked in to a book shop (again, I must have been about 10) and found a Tom Swift Book by Victor Appleton, it was a hardback – I never saw them in paperback. I think there were a series of about 18 of them, they were all listed on the back of each book. I had them all. Then one day at school, I found a Tom Swift Book in the library at school that wasn’t on the list, and on the back had a list of books none of which I recognised.
I m afraid I still hark back to the old books mostly. The Culture series by Ian M. Banks are all an excellent read. A lot of the books nowadays seem to be fantasy, and that doesn’t grab me I’m afraid, although I did like the Dragons of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. They did though have a basis in science.
James Blish’s Cities in Flight is brilliant, a really good read. Arthur C. Clarke is of course remembered for 2001 A Space Odyssey, but Childhoods End and the Rama series along with his short stories are brilliant.
With Dickson, it’s the Dorsai series. Especially Tactics of Mistake and Soldier Ask Not that I thoroughly enjoyed.
For non-SF, I’m quiter happy to admit that I like Jeffrey Archer, His Kane & Abel, and the Prodigal Daughter are excellent books.
As far as non-fiction is concerned, I’ll leave that for another post.
Here are some random picture s of London, the last two are taken from the Observation Deck at the Shard.
Bills Posts 