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Mark’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Mark’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Mark Speed’s Followers (83)
203,259 books
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815 friends
1,529 books
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349 friends
6,994 books
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144 friends
72 books
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249 friends
4,294 books
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853 friends
1,303 books
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259 friends
587 books
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401 friends
5,240 books
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136 friends
More friends…
Mark Speed
Goodreads Author
Born
in Scotland, The United Kingdom
Website
Twitter
Genre
Member Since
August 2013
URL
https://www.goodreads.com/markspeed
More books by Mark Speed…
Doctor How and the Illegal Aliens audio samples
These are the first audio samples from Doctor How and the Illegal Aliens
http://markspeed.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/DH1-01.mp3 http://markspeed.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/DH1-02.mp3 http://markspeed.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/DH1-03.mp3 Read more of this blog post »
Mark’s Recent Updates
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Mark Speed
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| Not a return to theme, but a return to structure - the same one that Atonement used. A tale of two halves. Some fairly unlikeable characters in 2014 investigated by academics from 100 years in the future. I wasn't entirely convinced. ...more | |
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Mark Speed
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| The usual suspects. As ever, Herron isn't scared of being merciless with characters. I did find it a bit overwritten, though the humour kept me going. Over-reliant on making fun of 'the Rodster'. ...more | |
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Mark Speed
rated a book liked it
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| Not my genre at all but even allowing for that it didn't engage me. Sorry. The writing style was really quite clumsy and could have done with better editing. "She recognised many ash, beech and oak trees" was what they call in the trade 'a howler'. ...more | |
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Mark Speed
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Mark Speed
is currently reading
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Mark Speed
rated a book really liked it
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| An okay novel. Not as heart-tugging or humorous as his other novels, but a good setup. | |
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Mark Speed
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Mark Speed
rated a book liked it
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| A short story from an author who usually writes doorstops. It was okay. Trademark short sentences. Long moments. A twist. Another twist. The protagonist turns the tables. Walks away. | |
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Mark Speed
rated a book it was amazing
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| A lot of work went into researching and writing this. It's a big book and needs a fair bit of work to read it, but it's worth it. A really clever world-building and two societies pitched perfectly against each other. A similar ending to one of his ot ...more | |
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Mark Speed
rated a book really liked it
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| As some of the blurb says: a thriller with a social conscience. The author seems to acknowledge that the cast of characters is way too large because there's a dramatis personae at the start of the novel. I'm not sure I'd have read it if I'd read a sa ...more | |
“But Time Lords always travel in the T – in their Spectrels, don't they?"
"Only if absolutely necessary."
"You what?"
"It's another myth put about by those scoundrels. Dramatic effect and all that. It's all his fault."
"What do you mean?"
"Who's fault."
"No, I asked you first."
"No, you clot. It's Who's fault – Dr bloody Who. That's who!"
"Why?"
"No, not Why. I said it's Who's fault."
"Whose fault?"
"Yes. Who."
"What?"
"No! Listen, damn you. Don't bring Why or What into it. It's nothing to do with them. It's Who's fault."
"That's what I'm trying to establish, Doctor. Whose fault is it?"
"Yes. It's Who's fault; now, can we just bloody get on with it and stop arguing the toss and bringing the others into it?”
― Doctor How and the Illegal Aliens
"Only if absolutely necessary."
"You what?"
"It's another myth put about by those scoundrels. Dramatic effect and all that. It's all his fault."
"What do you mean?"
"Who's fault."
"No, I asked you first."
"No, you clot. It's Who's fault – Dr bloody Who. That's who!"
"Why?"
"No, not Why. I said it's Who's fault."
"Whose fault?"
"Yes. Who."
"What?"
"No! Listen, damn you. Don't bring Why or What into it. It's nothing to do with them. It's Who's fault."
"That's what I'm trying to establish, Doctor. Whose fault is it?"
"Yes. It's Who's fault; now, can we just bloody get on with it and stop arguing the toss and bringing the others into it?”
― Doctor How and the Illegal Aliens
“You said these guys are your cousins? Is that, like, for real? It's, like, not a turn of phrase?"
"What on earth do you mean?"
"Well, I refer to my bluds as cuz, sometimes. Is it like that, or is they real blood relatives?"
"Yes, four of them are cousins. One of them is my twin brother. I'm sure you can guess who."
"Who?"
"Yes."
"No, who?"
"Exactly." The Doctor's gaze was in some far-off place, his voice low and monotone. "He was always the troublesome one. He instigated the rift, cemented the separation. Blabbed to the Beeb. I can never forgive him for that. Never.”
― Doctor How and the Illegal Aliens
"What on earth do you mean?"
"Well, I refer to my bluds as cuz, sometimes. Is it like that, or is they real blood relatives?"
"Yes, four of them are cousins. One of them is my twin brother. I'm sure you can guess who."
"Who?"
"Yes."
"No, who?"
"Exactly." The Doctor's gaze was in some far-off place, his voice low and monotone. "He was always the troublesome one. He instigated the rift, cemented the separation. Blabbed to the Beeb. I can never forgive him for that. Never.”
― Doctor How and the Illegal Aliens
“Then after a while I realised that if there’s one person I’d arrest, it would be Miss Marple herself.” Bunce paused for effect. “She’s a one-woman crime wave, if you think about it. Everywhere this interfering old bag goes, people get murdered.”
― Doctor How and the Big Finish: Book 5
― Doctor How and the Big Finish: Book 5
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| Time Travel: March and April 2015: Book Club Nominations - Nominations & Poll Closed | 28 | 109 | Mar 16, 2015 01:55PM | |
| Sci-Fi, fantasy a...: Your invitation to the party! Online Multi-Author Giveaway Event | 1 | 7 | Jul 06, 2016 07:37AM | |
| Time Travel: Join the Time Travel Party! Launch for The Day After Never | 5 | 29 | Jul 09, 2016 12:01PM | |
| What's the Name o...: Sci-Fi Adventure novel. Opens with a Dr. Who's twin brother vanished working for the government and entered a portal discovered at the ruins of Atlantis. Portals lead to other galaxies where the "aliens" are the gods from our history. Read in 2019. | 2 | 25 | Jun 29, 2023 02:29PM |
“The story so far:
In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”
― The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”
― The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
―
―
“To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.”
― Life of Pi
― Life of Pi
“If we, citizens, do not support our artists, then we sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality and we end up believing in nothing and having worthless dreams.”
― Life of Pi
― Life of Pi
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David wrote: "Not sure if I thank you for being a friend, Mark. No copy of my message came up. Thank you.David"
I didn't get a message from you - just a friend request. You're up in Durham, I seem to recall. I lived in Newcastle for many years. It's actually quite good that the rest of the UK doesn't realise how gorgeous the NE of England is, or it'd be spoilt!
Not sure if I thank you for being a friend, Mark. No copy of my message came up. Thank you.David
