Miranda Kate's Blog, page 42

The A-Z Blog Challenge, Letter W

Letter WThree authors - three genresCrime Thriller, Horror & Psychological Fiction
I had a lot of books vying for this letter, which is why I ended up with three.

The first one is, Willow Walk, by SJI Holliday. Here's the blurb:

When the past catches up, do you run and hide or stand and fight?

When a woman is brutally attacked on a lonely country road by an escaped inmate from a nearby psychiatric hospital, Sergeant Davie Gray must track him down before he strikes again. But Gray is already facing a series of deaths connected to legal highs and a local fairground, as well as dealing with his girlfriend Marie's bizarre behaviour. As Gray investigates the crimes, he suspects a horrifying link between Marie and the man on the run - but how can he confront her when she's pushing him away? As a terrified Marie is pulled back into a violent past she thought she'd escaped, she makes an irrevocable decision. And when events come to a head at a house party on Willow Walk, can Gray piece together the puzzle in time to stop the sleepy town of Banktoun being rocked by tragedy once more?

I am a little bias with this writer, as Susi is also a personal friend. I met her a couple of years before she had the well deserved success she has now, and I love her writing. This is the second novel in a series of Crime Thriller novels, and my favourite of the three. Susi spins a dark, creepy atmosphere and lots of suspense in this novel, and I found it captivating. The killer is exceptionally dark and disturbing, keeping the reader on edge.

Susi has also branched out into a ghost story, with her novel The Lingering, which is also worth checking out. I have no doubt there will be more favourites for me with her novels.


***

The second one is Weaveworld, by Clive Barker. Here's the blurb:

WEAVEWORLD is an epic adventure of the imagination. It begins with a carpet in which a world of rapture and enchantment is hiding; a world which comes to life, alerting the dark forces and beginning a desperate battle to preserve the last vestiges of magic which Humankind still has access to.

WEAVEWORLD is a book of visions and horrors, a story of quest, titanic struggles, of love and of hope. It is a triumph of imagination and storytelling, an adventure, a nightmare, a promise…


If anyone asks me where to start with Clive Barker, or my ultimate favourite of his, this is it. This book is perfect in its balance of other worldly and darkness. It encompasses concepts of magic and fairy tales, and brings the horror in, in original ways. He creates something so almost believable it is palpable. He has such fantastic descriptive powers, and like some of the creatures in this book, is able to enchant his reader with them.

Clive Barker is also a visual artist and you can find many illustrations on his website. He's also involved in making many of his films into video games too, due to the popularity of Hellraiser and the characters he created in that.


***

The third one is, We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver. Here's the blurb:
Eva never really wanted to be a mother; certainly not the mother of the unlovable boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker and a teacher who tried to befriend him. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, parenthood and Kevin's horrific rampage in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her absent husband, Franklyn. Uneasy with the sacrifices and social demotion of motherhood from the start, Eva fears that her alarming dislike for her own son may be responsible for driving him so nihilistically off the rails.
I read this book for a bookclub I attended over a decade ago. I was also a new mother, which seemed to make this book more poignant. I would stand at the side of my son's cot many evenings and think about what I had read and how I was responsible for shaping his future mind and behaviour. I think any parent reading this book would be left with a feeling of uneasy and be provoked to think about how they influence their child. 
This book is full of shocking twists and turns, and leaves little to the imagination. It is blatant and honest, and direct. It leaves nothing to the imagination. And in a world where school shootings and killings are taking place on a more and more regular basis, parenthood is something that should come under scrutiny or at the very least something that is taught.

This book has never really left me. And whether it is really a 'favourite' - much like 1984 - it is a book that has had an impact and I would encourage others to read. 

Mid-Week Flash Challenge - Week 104

This week's picture prompt was originally created by Zummerfish on Deviant Art, but they no longer appear to be active. They called this: "See No Evil"

Normally I find steampunk quite a struggle, but this story got away from me and, despite editing it down, it is still way over. And I could continue it too. Another one that one day I might carry on with.

The General Guidelines can be found here.

How to create a clickable link in Blogger comments can be found on lasts week's post here.

There is also a Facebook group for Mid-Week Flash, if you fancy getting the prompt there.




Brain Waves
Finally.  It had come.
He mused over it as he ate his breakfast. The delicately fashioned card with its fine bevelled edging, it was all the rage. But it was the small piece of artwork that captivated him: A woman’s face blindfolded by a new-age metal gadget, with a galaxy trapped in a sphere in the palm of her hand.
He’d been keeping his eye on this particular group, keeping up with their advancements in the technology of the future. Extracting information from the brain had become more technical than mere hypnosis; they were using some kind of headgear, encompassing the newly discovered steam energy. He was fascinated and repulsed at the same time.
The idea that you could extract information about the future from someone’s mind was outrageous, and yet here was their card: their invitation for him to come and meet with them. How did they know about his interest? The mind boggled – or steamed if they were to have their way.
He sniggered at his own joke, sipping his tea. What would they make of him? A man of hard science not fanciful ideas. But it niggled him: How had they known? He’d told no one.
When he arrived at the address on the card, it was nothing but a metal door in a side alley. Red brick and smog surrounded it, but the insignia of cogs engraved on it made it the right place.
He rapped on the door with his walking stick. A tiny click was heard and the door swung inward. There was no one to greet him. He stepped into a bright cavernous room, like a warehouse but with a wrought iron staircase leading up to a balcony that ran round the inside of it.
“Do come up!”
He looked up to see a woman leaning over the balcony above him. He climbed the stairs and walked towards her.
As he approached she put out her hand, “Doctor Peter Radcliffe, how nice of you to join us.”
He took the proffered hand. “And you are?” 
“Doctor Angela Makin, pleased to meet you.”
She swept out her arm, indicating for him to step into a room behind her. He did so cautiously.
It was a laboratory of some kind, with high ceilings and long wooden benches which ran in rows. They were covered in a variety of small gadgets, and jars were scattered among them, glowing with some kind of bright liquid. At the end were several reclining chairs.
“Feel free to browse while we wait for my colleague.”
“And who might that be?”
“Doctor Barnett.”
Of the group, he hadn’t expected the women to greet him.
“Not  Doctor Johanson or Doctor Privet?”
“Oh no, they don’t deal with clients, they only work on the products.”
He raised an eyebrow. This group really was different.
Doctor Makin walked with him along the tables, pointing out various objects until they reached the chairs.
“You’re welcome to take a seat; Doctor Barnett shouldn’t be much longer. I can show you how we link people up if you like.”
“That would be interesting.”
He lay back in the chair and Angela wheeled over a tray with helmets on it, similar to the ones in the artwork.
“Tell me, how is it you knew I was interested in your little group?”
She smiled. “Oh we know about all sorts of things, it’s not that difficult once you tap into it.”
“Tap into what?”
“The energy waves.” She placed the helmet over his head. It was musty inside and dark.
“What are energy waves?”
“Just a moment and you will see for yourself.”
He heard a door open.
“Ah, I see he’s already here and ready to go,” said a lady’s voice he presumed was Doctor Barnett.
“Yes, he’s been very pliant.”
That word made Peter suddenly feel very vulnerable. What were they planning?
“Are you ready to switch on?”
“Yes.”
“This should be interesting; very keen to capture this one.”
“Here I–” But his words were cut off as a bright light appeared inside the helmet on the eyeshield. It pulsed and swirled and he felt drawn into it. Then he was gone, he was flying free. 
 He could see everything and everyone but nothing was real; it was like watching a puppet show. The truth was the light surrounding them, which emitted information about who they were, what they liked, their past and their probable future. It was all there to be absorbed. He thought of someone and saw them, knowing instantly all about them. He went from one to another, taking in more and more.
Then, as though on a leash, he was pulled back and sucked back into the helmet, everything he’d learnt gone.
He blinked as the helmet raised, two women were standing there, one with a jar of glowing liquid in one hand.
“Thank you,” she said. “You’re free to go now.”
He couldn’t quite think why he was there, although there was a familiarity about the place. He got up and took up his hat and cane.
“Do pardon me ladies, I must be going.”
“That’s quite alright, Doctor Radcliffe. It was nice meeting you,” said the empty handed lady.
He gave her a half smile as he passed, keen to leave. She knew his name so he must know hers but he couldn’t bring it forward. He felt completely out of sorts, he needed to get home.
By the time he reached it, he was no longer sure where he’d been. He decided he must be overtired and chose to retire to his bed early. 

The A-Z Blog Challenge, Letter V

Letter VTwo authors - two genresPolitical Fiction/Dystopian & Sci-Fi

The second letter I don't have any titles for, so here are some more significant favourites with numbers for titles.

The first is 1984, by George Orwell. Here's the blurb:

Hidden away in the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith skilfully rewrites the past to suit the needs of the Party. Yet he inwardly rebels against the totalitarian world he lives in, which demands absolute obedience and controls him through the all-seeing telescreens and the watchful eye of Big Brother, symbolic head of the Party. In his longing for truth and liberty, Smith begins a secret love affair with a fellow-worker Julia, but soon discovers the true price of freedom is betrayal. 

This might be a classic but it's one I've only read recently, and after reading the heavily political Animal Farm by George Orwell, I wasn't expecting much. Plus having read other classics, The Handmaid's Tale and Lord of the Flies, and been extremely disappointed by the dreadful writing and storylines in those, I expected this to be another one of those 'read it for prosperity and not for enjoyment' kind of books. But man was I wrong, so very wrong!

It is political fiction and dystopian, and reading it in present times (it was published in 1949) it's like he could predict the future with how global politics are currently, but this is also a novel of horror - not just because of the torture scenes, but because of how it finishes. I kept waiting for there to be some kind of breakthrough; the hope that is built through the first two thirds of the book to come to something, but I will say - and maybe it's a bit of a spoiler - but it's destroyed, completely crushed and devastated. I was left with nothing but deep foreboding and powerlessness.

I haven't actually seen the film with John Hurt, and I can because it is there on Netflix waiting for me, but I am not sure I can put myself through that again. I mean, why would I want to?

It leaves an imprint and gives a perspective on the world that shouldn't be missed.


***

The second is 3001, by Arthur C Clarke. Here's the blurb: 

The body of Frank Poole, lost for a thousand years since the computer HAL caused his death en route to Jupiter, is retrieved, revived - and enhanced. In the most eagerly awaited sequel of all time, the terrifying truth of the Monolith's mission is a mystery only Poole can resolve. 

This is the fourth and last of the Odyssey series of books. This series was made famous by the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, which for some reason was hugely popular and been lorded as iconic and amazing, but which I personally found extremely boring. However I didn't find any of the books boring, I enjoyed them all: 2001, 2010 and 2060. But 3001 is my absolutely favourite. 

As is often the case in science fiction books set in a specific year in the future, the world they describe is always far in advance of how that actual world is when that year comes round. We were no where near 2001 or 2010 in our advancements by the time the years came to pass, and probably won't be in 2060. I have no idea if we will be in 3001, but what amazing advancements they would be if we were! Towers built right up through the atmosphere of our planet into space so we can build craft up there; using our minds directly to communicate, including things like sending email, and through this process being able to identify the psychopaths & killers among us, and neutralise them, using them as servants. It would be a true feat. 

As always Clarke offers fantastic ideas and imagery, and also plausibility to all his concept. I love his books.

 

The A-Z Blog Challenge, Letter U

Letter UTwo authors - two genres Self-Help & Sci-fi/Horror




The first is, Unlimited Power, by Tony Robbins. Here's the blurb:

If you have ever dreamed of a better life, Unlimited Power will show you how to achieve the extraordinary quality of life you desire and deserve. Anthony Robbins has proven to millions through his books, tapes and seminars that by harnessing the power of your mind you can do, have, achieve and create anything you want for your life. Unlimited Power is a revolutionary fitness book for the mind. It will show you, step by step, how to perform at your peak while gaining emotional and financial freedom, attaining leadership and self-confidence and winning the co-operation of others. Unlimited Power is a guidebook to superior performance in an age of success. 

Now this book is the first to represent one of my guilty pleasures: self-help books. I love them and read a lot of them. Having had an abusive and traumatic childhood they've helped me a great deal, and really been the backbone of my healing.

Writers and readers alike scoff at them, thus they are something to be consumed in secret and not spoken about as many think it is all 'guff' and sneer at it, or argue its benefits. Personally that's for each individual to decide, but for me they have made the world of difference - especially this author, Tony Robbins.

For me, he is the top of all of them, mainly because he is all about helping people find the tools to help themselves, explaining how it's possible to change thinking and become successful in the ways they wish to become successful in life (not strictly material, but it can help). And this book is a great starting point and one of my top recommends for anyone asking where to start in this area.

It covers mostly NLP - Neuro Linguistic Programming, and is great for the layman, which was Tony's intention when he wrote it. It helps the reader understand how the mind works, how people communicate, and how to understand and communicate better yourself. It's a toolbox. And although Tony does huge workshops and events globally, which are off the scale in terms of cost for someone like myself, he wanted people to be able to access the same information at an affordable price. He succeeds with this one.

This is not a fast read, it is one to read and process over time or keep returning to - as I feel most self-help books are. Unlike fiction they are not stories to be read from cover to cover, they are toolboxes, to dip into. I usually read them over several months, and then return to them for refreshers on areas that I want to understand better.

No matter your personal take on these sorts of books or on self-help in general, there is plenty to learn in this book, which contains proven, science based information. You won't find any Law of Attraction stuff here.


***

The second is UR, by Stephen King. Here's the blurb:

Reeling from a painful break-up, English instructor and avid book lover Wesley Smith is haunted by his ex-girlfriend's parting shot: "Why can't you just read off the computer like everyone else?" He buys an e-book reader out of spite, but soon finds he can use the device to glimpse realities he had never before imagined, discovering literary riches beyond his wildest dreams...and all-too-human tragedies that surpass his most terrible nightmares. 

This is another short of Stephen King's, and another one of his forages into producing just ebooks - he wrote this one exclusively for kindle. And the amusing thing about that is the twist in the story itself, which is about an ebook and one that offers more than your average book.

I have a love and fascination for the surreal and the concepts of other dimensions and parallel universes, which my writing attests to, so this one was an immediate hit for me. 

Another Stephen King anecdote: I met him at a book signing in London in 2006, it was for the release of Lisey's Story. I started queuing at 9am - he was due to arrive at 1pm - I was No.100 in the queue (yes we were all given numbers). I had no idea what to say to him I was so nervous, so I ended up with the cheesy line of 'Thank you for all your writing' and he seemed surprised by me saying that and thanked me. I was totally star struck and delighted that one of my lifetime dreams had come true.  
 

The A-Z Blog Challenge, Letter T

Letter TThree authors, three genresFantasy, Sci-fi and ... Alien Abuduction

The first one is The Talisman, by Stephen King. Here's the blurb:

On a brisk autumn day, a twelve-year-old boy stands on the shores of the gray Atlantic, near a silent amusement park and a fading ocean resort called the Alhambra. The past has driven Jack Sawyer here: his father is gone, his mother is dying, and the world no longer makes sense. But for Jack everything is about to change. For he has been chosen to make a journey back across America--and into another realm.

One of the most influential and heralded works of fantasy ever written, The Talisman is an extraordinary novel of loyalty, awakening, terror, and mystery. Jack Sawyer, on a desperate quest to save his mother's life, must search for a prize across an epic landscape of innocents and monsters, of incredible dangers and even more incredible truths. The prize is essential, but the journey means even more. Let the quest begin ...


If anyone asks me, what's your No.1 book by Stephen King? This is it. Hands down. And this is not really a book of horror, although it has plenty of dark edges. It is more a work of fantasy, of parallel universes and a boy called Jack trying to save his mother's life.

This novel has a sequel, The Black House, a book which ties directly into the Dark Tower series, so by association this book does too, as Jack has a lot more to find out than just how to try and save his mother.

For me this book offers the best character yet: Wolf. He befriends Jack in the other realm and is his companion and is absolutely beguiling. I loved him.

If you don't know where to start with Stephen King books, this is a great place. It shows you exactly how Stephen King captures his readers imaginations, and why he crosses genres with a lot of his writing. It's not to be missed.

Did you know that Stephen King was almost killed in a car accident back in 1999? The paramedic said there was an angel sitting on his shoulder, because he shouldn't have survived with all his injuries. He said it was like something out of one of his own books: when he came to, the guy who had hit him with the van was just sitting a rock nearby watching him, with his dog sitting next to him, calm as you like, and just tells him help is on his way. You can read more about it in his non-fiction book On Writing, which is mostly about the craft or writing, but he adds it in at the end.


***


The second is Transformation, by Whitley Strieber. Here's the blurb:

According to bestselling author Whitley Strieber, his contact with strange aliens did not end with the release of his controversial book, Communion. Instead, the "visitors" kept coming. In Transformation, Strieber challenges his own fear for a triumphant breakthrough in understanding.

This one has a tricky genre. I found it in the 'mythology' section of my book shop! It is not really fiction as it is Whitley Strieber's account of being 'visited' by alien life forms since he was small.

The first novel Communion, which this is sort of the sequel to, is an account of how he uncovered these visits, through a series of hypnosis sessions, and debates all the possibilities, including losing his mind and even having a medical problem.

Transformation was written and released about a year or  so later, and was sort of the outcome of the publication of Communion: all the people that had contacted him, including his siblings since its release, and how the aliens themselves had made themselves more known since his coming out about them. But also his upset and frustration that they were visiting his young son, and he was powerless to stop it. He also talks about being taught about astral projection by them, and the electric soul of all living things.

I found both books fascinating, and the jury is out for me as to whether he is spinning a tale or whether this is true. I have no reason not to believe it. But at the same time, unless it happens to you how can you conceive of such a thing? But I liked these books enough to keep them in my collection. And Whitley Strieber already being an author, has written them well - they are far from incoherent ramblings.


***


The third one is, Truckers by Terry Pratchett. Here's the blurb:

'Outside! What's it like?'
Masklin looked blank.
'Well,' he said. 'It's sort of big -'

To the thousands of tiny nomes who live under the floorboards of a large department store, there is no Outside. Things like Day and Night, Sun and Rain are just daft old legends.

Then a devastating piece of news shatters their existence: the Store - their whole world - is to be demolished. And it's up to Masklin, one of the last nomes to come into the Store, to mastermind an unbelievable escape plan that will take all the nomes into the dangers of the great Outside...  

 I couldn't pass the letter T without mentioning Truckers, which is the first part of a series called the Bromeliad Triology. 

You could say this is Terry Pratchett's spin on The Borrowers, as the characters are little gnomes or 'nomes' as he calls them, living under the floorboards of a department story. But I felt these little tales were far more colourful and fun and full of humour than that book. 

I recently read all three to my eldest son and we thoroughly enjoyed them. Again they can be seen as Terry Pratchett's children's book, but the humour in them is for all ages. If you don't fancy the discworld, these are worth a look.

 

The A-Z Blog Challenge, Letter S

Letter SThree authors, two genreHorror & Surreal Sci-Fi



The first one is The Stand, by Stephen King. Here's the blurb:


This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death.

And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides or are chosen. A world in which good rides on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abigail and the worst nightmares of evil are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the dark man.

 
This book is one of my top three Stephen King books. I have read both the cut and uncut version - the uncut being around 700 pages longer! I personally didn't notice, as the story is all encompassing. This one is where we really get to know who Randall Flagg is, the mysterious character who gets mentioned in many books and stories and insinuated in many others, coming under many different guises. It is also the first main book to cross over into the Dark Tower series. Many have since been connected, but this really was the first, I have always believed.

An apocalyptic horror about what would happen if a virus killed off the majority of the population, which then goes on to be separated in those that will follow the Good (Mother Abigail) and those that will follow the Bad (Randall Flagg). The character development in this is immense and you get to really feel a part of the people living thought this.

There was a six part TV mini-series made back in 1994, with Molly Ringwald and Rob Lowe, and I hear that a new one is now in the worlds as well. This is one of the few Stephen King adaptions I honestly enjoyed and that didn't ruin the book for me - I even own the DVD box set!

Another Stephen King tidbit: Did you know his son, Joe Hill is a prolific author? He has a lot of books out, also dark fantasy stories. They are already being adapted for the screen. Like father, like son.


***


The second is The Secret of Crickley Hall, by James Herbert. Here's the blurb: 

The Caleighs have had a terrible year... They need time and space, while they await the news they dread. Gabe has brought his wife, Eve, and daughters, Loren and Cally, down to Devon, to the peaceful seaside village of Hollow Bay. He can work and Eve and the kids can have some peace and quiet and perhaps they can try, as a family, to come to terms with what’s happened to them...

Crickley Hall is an unusually large house on the outskirts of the village at the bottom of Devil's Cleave, a massive tree-lined gorge - the stuff of local legend. A river flows past the front garden. It's perfect for them... if a bit gloomy. 

And Chester, their dog, seems really spooked at being away from home. And old houses do make sounds. And it's constantly cold. And even though they shut the cellar door every night, it’s always open again in morning…

James Herbert does dark, disturbing and scary very well, and this book is a perfect example of that. It is also a book that leaves a lingering sense of darkness as some of its contents are so disturbing - just as much as those in Others, which I talked about in my Letter O post, but differnt.

A family live in a haunted house, but it's who they are haunted by and what why they are still haunting the house that is the disturbing part. Definitely a book to read with the lights on, and maybe not last thing at night. I read it while on holiday in Italy and it has never left me. Typical Herbert classic horror. A must-read for any horror lover.


***


 The third is another by Me!! - I couldn't resist the opportunity of adding my own in here, too!

The third is Slipping Through, by Miranda Kate. Here's the blurb:

Logan and Elise discover a place where the dominant species isn’t human, but will they be able to return to their own dimension?

The Professor hopes Vladimir has unlocked the secret to a parallel universe, but is it what it seems?

David wants to get back home, but will enlisting Rob’s help trap them in the Jester’s game and slipping through forever?

The answers can be found in this extraordinary collection of science fiction tales, a glimpse into surreal worlds and the possibilities that lie in the cracks between.

This book contains two short stories and a novella - I am currently in the throws of finishing the sequel to the novella.

Each chapter in the short stories was written separately and to a picture prompt, so sometimes it was a stretch to make them connect. The novella was also used in this way, but it was drawn from a novel I had written years before but shelved as it needed a lot of work. Reviving the characters and finally sending them out into the world has been very rewarding and I am so happy with how they have been received.

Surreal, time-traveling, dimension jumping and parallel universe exploring, these tales also have a dark edge - as much of what I write does.

The A-Z Blog Challenge, Letter R

Letter RTwo authors, two genresMedieval Mystery and Sci-fi


The first is, The Raven's Wing, by Indie author Michael Wombat. Here's the blurb: 

They say you should follow your dreams. They never tell you what to do when the dreams start following you.

The year is 1322. Minstrel John has enough on his plate with his wife's funeral. He could do without the naked woman who keeps forcing her way into his dreams, the angel dropping skulls in the village church, the stranger that attacks him for no reason, and the sexy, one-eyed, fire-dancer who is after only one thing - his music. Then there are the voices in his head, compelling him to investigate a mystery that just keeps on growing.

Based on a true story, this is not history, this is the 14th century as experienced by those who lived there, and who saw it as the leading edge of time. As John discovers, demons and magic can be very real.

I have read several of Michael's books and they are all brilliantly written, fast paced, with lots of action and unexpected twists. None of them slot easily into a particular genre.

The Raven's Wing is a murder mystery of sorts, set in the medieval times, and actually based on a true story, which the author has researched in painstaking detail. The story contains true elements of witchcraft - and what it was in that time. It also includes magic, elaborating on it in a fictitious sense to add to the story, which doesn't stop twisting and turning, enthralling you to the very end, and leaving you wanting more.

I marvel at Wombat's ability to write so concisely and describe things using words I can barely conceive of. He throws in Gaelic and lots of other words and terms from the time period - all beautifully indexed for the reader's reference. I have even cooked up the medieval recipes from this book - the Waffres are amazing and worth the price of the book alone. This is a book to enjoy and savour.


***

The second is, Rendezvous with Rama, by Arthur C Clarke. Here's the blurb:

At first, only a few things are known about the celestial object that astronomers dub Rama. It is huge, weighing more than ten trillion tons. And it is hurtling through the solar system at an inconceivable speed. Then a space probe confirms the unthinkable: Rama is no natural object. It is, incredibly, an interstellar spacecraft. Space explorers and planet-bound scientists alike prepare for mankind's first encounter with alien intelligence. It will kindle their wildest dreams... and fan their darkest fears. For no one knows who the Ramans are or why they have come. And now the moment of rendezvous awaits — just behind a Raman airlock door.


This book - and series - is a complete contrast to the first book mentioned. A pure science fiction novel. Rendezvous With Rama is the start of a series of four books, called the Rama Series. 

The story is about about a space ship that comes into our solar system on a regular basis so a rocket is organised and they meet this ship to try and discover what is inside. The series develops into one where they actually send up a colony of people to live inside the space ship when it comes back round again and it is about what goes on in that society.

Being Arthur C Clarke, a man devoted to astronomy and science, you get a sense that the ideas in the book are actually plausible. What I loved about these books is the possibilities it offers and also how it depicts the human race and our society, as well as how we might interact with an alien species. 

If it interests you and you like science fiction, these are definitely worth a read.








 

The A-Z Blog Challenge, Letter Q

Letter QTwo authors - two genresMurder Mystery and Horror
This is the first letter I don't have a title for, so I'm taking the opportunity to use titles that have numbers. There are a few in my collection.

The first, 4.50 From Paddington, by Agatha Christie. Here's the blurb:

For an instant the two trains ran together, side by side. In that frozen moment, Elspeth witnessed a murder. Helplessly, she stared out of her carriage window as a man remorselessly tightened his grip around a woman’s throat. The body crumpled. Then the other train drew away.

But who, apart from Miss Marple, would take her story seriously? After all, there were no suspects, no other witnesses… and no corpse.


Yet another representation of the master that is/was Agatha Christie. I always think I know who killer is, but never do until it's revealed. She really is the master of plotting incredible stories.

This is another great tale unearthing a rich family's secrets. I think that's one of the things I love the most about her tales, they are set round the rich aristocracy. It's like getting a glimpse into another world or society and how it functions. To us every day folk it's another form of escapism, and also to see that they are not as squeaky clean as they like to think.

Christie was always very good at providing characters that in some ways were classless, despite their financial status. After reading her biography I think that she honestly never really saw class, and money was simply a means to an end - that end being to enjoy life, and do and learn as much as you can in the time you have.


 ***

The second is, '48, by James Herbert. Here's the blurb:

In 1945, Hitler unleashed the Blood Death on Britain as his final act of vengeance.

Those who died at once were the lucky ones. The really unfortunate took years. The survivors - people like me, who had the blood group that kept us safe from the disease - were now targets for those who believed our blood could save them.

I survived for three years. I lived alone, spending my days avoiding the fascist Blackshirts who wanted my blood for their dying leader. Then I met the others - and life got complicated all over again . . .

The reason this story really imprinted on me is not just because its post apocalyptic storyline about someone trying to survive amongst people who are literally after their blood is exception, but because of its setting and location.

At the time of reading this, I worked just off the Strand on Villiers street, sandwiched between Charing Cross Station and Embankment tube station. A two minute walk from Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery, where a lot of the action is this book takes place - and also a short walk to The Ritz hotel where the main character hides out.

Every day I came out of work at lunchtime, I was in the book's setting, walking round the very places he was writing about. It felt almost surreal at times, to imagine what the area would look like empty and devoid of people, with only handful scuttling about.

This is another gripping horror of Herbert's, and is definitely a favourite. It's written in first person, something he does very well, bringing you right into the events as they play out for the main character.

The A-Z Blog Challenge, Letter P

Letter PTwo authors - One genreHorror, but two very different styles 


The first, Perfume, by German author, Partick Suskind. Here's the blurb:

In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift—an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille's genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass doorknobs and fresh-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the "ultimate perfume"—the scent of a beautiful young virgin. Told with dazzling narrative brilliance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.

I had expectation of this book when I read it and I was amazed at it's literary style along with the detail of the main character's ability to smell. It's described in such a way that you can all but smell what the character can smell. It made me really think about my sense of smell. And this is then combined with what is really a horror story as it is indeed the story of a murderer, who kills for a particular scent so he can gain power. Despite it being an incredible concept - to gain power using a particular scent - it is written in a way that makes it perfectly plausible.

It's the type of story and book that lingers. You don't have to be a horror reader to enjoy this book as it doesn't really fit into the horror genre in that way. It is far more of a literary book. Worth a read.


***


The second, The Plant, by Stephen King. Here's the blurb:
 

The Plant is an unfinished serial novel published in 2000 as an e-book by American author Stephen King.

The novel is about an editor in a paperback publishing house who gets a manuscript from what appears to be a crackpot. The manuscript is about magic, but it also contains photographs that seem very real. The editor writes the author a rejection slip, but because of the photographs, he also notifies the police where the author lives. This enrages the author, who sends a mysterious plant to the editor's office.

The story is told in epistolary format, consisting entirely of letters, memos and correspondence.

Yes, we are back to Stephen King. Sorry, couldn't stay away for long.

The Plant was King's debut or trail run with ebooks. He gave this one away for free in a serial format. Sadly though has, as yet, to finish the story. I really hope he does as it really is worth it. I really want to know what happens with the planet that is taking over the office!

Here's a Stephen King tidbit - or anecdote:

When his children were small and he took them to the cinema, they wanted to sit down the front every time, which he didn't like, so he told that that the reason they couldn't sit down the front was because they would fall into the movie and not be able to get out again. He supported the possibility of this by pointing out the people in the background of movies and saying "See all those people? You don't think they pay all those people, do you? Those are people that sat down the front and fell into the movie and can never get out again!"

Mid-Week Flash Challenge - Week 103

This week's picture prompt is from German Photo artist Veronika Pinke.  She calls this one Magic.
This picture speaks of so much more than just a piece of flash. It has the feel of an epic fantasy story. Mine began like that, but then it turned into something else.

The General Guidelines can be found here.
How to create a clickable link in Blogger comments can be found on lasts week's post here.

There is also a Facebook group for Mid-Week Flash, if you fancy getting the prompt there.




Ritual
It was the fourth night and he could no longer tell if he was getting any closer. He’d thought it’d been a myth that you had to keep your back to the trees or you’d never reach them; some kind of tale twisted up from ancient times that was really about something else. But by the end of the second day it was as though he had covered no ground, even though he’d trudged through the arctic landscape from day break to nightfall following the compass point.
So he’d pulled the mirror out of his bag – Hettie having insisted that he take it with him – and turned his back on the distant collection of trees, moving in an awkward reverse motion until finally, by the end of the third day, they’d appeared closer in the hand-held glass. And tonight when he’d stopped to make camp, they loomed large in the reflection. He was almost there.It was crazy, and if that was true then what other things did he have to look forward to? Would they really whisper to him when he reached them, like living beings? Would he have to pack his ears with cotton to stop their voices sending him insane? Would they move with him if he didn’t keep a watchful eye on the path? And would they change direction to try and confuse him? He was beginning to wonder if this journey had been such a good idea now.
He considered skirting the copse, but rumour had it if you did that you’d never find the Cabin of Entry, the trees would deliberately obscure it. It was another myth he’d thought was made up, now he wasn’t so sure.
Others said that if you couldn’t get through the copse you weren’t ready for the Cabin of Entry. But he was ready, more than ready. It was his time and his turn.
When Callum had gone through they’d all praised him, but when he hadn’t made it back his name had died.
Now it was Tallis’ turn. His name would be the talk of the people for decades to come. He’d make it back.
Tallis paused in his thoughts. Had Callum even made it to the Cabin? No one knew. Maybe he had never made it to the copse. The wind out here was fierce and there was little to protect you. Anything could have happened.
Tallis’ excitement quelled as he thought of all the possibilities. He had never contemplated why Callum hadn’t returned before – many people didn’t, in fact he couldn't remember one that had, but it was part of the ritual, one hadn't pondered until now.
After he made his bed for the night, Tallis fell into a fitful sleep. When the sun rose behind the copse, he looked with bleary eyes into the mirror; the trees were almost close enough to touch. He’d reach them today.
Once packed he staggered on, keeping his face turned into the wind, the trees behind him. The wind seemed to push him backwards in the direction he was going, eager for him to reach them.
He watched the last few metres of his journey in the mirror, and as his heel reached the outer perimeter the light changed. There were no trees, there was no copse; there was only a reflection of his back, which he passed through into nothing.