I'm going to be honest from the outset: while I have once again neglected this blog like some Dickensian street urchin for most of 2018, I'm going to smugly state that I believe I more than make up for it with this year's reading list, because - BRACE YOURSELVES - I read an astonishing number of books this year. I thought I did well with 60 last year, but quite frankly, 2018 makes 2017 look like that kid we all knew at school who sat there with his tongue poking out the side of his mouth while still making his way through a Meg and Mog book long after the rest of us had moved onto Willard Price novels (if you've never read a Willard Price novel, GET IN THE BIN).
As always, I'm donning my glasses (which I only need for working on the computer, but they make me look intelligent and 'speccsy') as well as my well-worn, trusty tweed jacket with the leather elbow patches, and will be assigning each and every book a grade, from D- (you're blocked and unfollowed) to A+ (feel free to slide into my DMs). And for those that are wondering, yes, I'm really wearing the jacket; nothing else, just the jacket.
Now, as long time readers will know (I'm just gonna assume I still have some of those), I usually provide links to each book so you can toddle off and buy your own copy should the fancy take you. This year, however, I'm not going to because quite frankly I read over 90 books and I don't really feel inclined to paste in 90+ links. Honestly, I think we all know how the internet works now, so just cut and paste the title into Google, hit return and - gee whiz it's like witchcraft - you'll find somewhere to treat yo' self. Any books listed below as Kindle were obviously bought from that gargantuan behemoth-like beast beginning with 'A'. As a general rule of thumb, any books I do choose to buy as a physical, you-can-hold-it-in-your-hands, dead tree edition I do make the effort to buy from an actual bookshop, because they're precious and we should treasure them. Waterstones is lovely, and their click and collect option is a treat. Buy from them. Or an independent bookshop - if you've got one of those near you give it all the business you can afford to.
Anyway, lecture over: TO THE BOOKS!
(And you at the back, stop picturing me in just my tweed jacket like the literary equivalent of Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct)
01. Star Trek: Boldly Go Vol. 2 - The second collected edition of comic book stories post-Star Trek Beyond deal’s with the fallout of Starfleet’s encounter with the Borg, reimagines Garth of Izar for the Kelvin Timeline, and gives us a short tale with a small alien called Kevin. Great fun: A
02. Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View - A wonderful collection of short stories that retell the events of A New Hope from the perspective of other characters. As with all short story collections, some tales are better than others, but for the most part this is a great anthology that puts a fresh and unique spin on familiar territory: A
03. The Twilight Zone adapted by Anne Washburn - Script book of the play that debuted at the Almeida Theatre in late 2017, based on episodes of the classic TV show. The play was wonderful, ands reading the original script only enriches it further: A
04. The Moomins and the Great Flood by Tove Jansson - A lovely hardback edition of the very first Moomins story, in which Moomintroll and Moominmamma try to find the missing Moominpappa. A quick and easy read, endlessly inventive and utterly charming: A+
05. Heart-shaped Box by Joe Hill - The story of an ageing rock star who buys a ghost, only to find it – and his own past – coming back to haunt him. I really wanted to enjoy this, and for the most part did, but it felt overly long, and I couldn’t help feeling it would’ve made a much stronger novella: B-
06. The Cardiff Christmas Club by Nick Frampton (Kindle) - A festive tale of a woman named Katy returning to Cardiff after a year travelling, only to find her life complicated by the affections of two different men. An utterly charming novel that I thoroughly enjoyed: A
07. The Silence of Ghosts by Jonathan Aycliffe (Kindle) - Another spooky tale from one of my favourite authors of recent times. This book sees an injured World War II naval officer return to his family’s old home in the Lake District only to find its not quite as empty as he had first thought. An effective ghost story: A
08. The Talisman by Jonathan Aycliffe (Kindle) - This master of horror stories turns his hand to a story that (by his own admission) bears some resemblance to The Exorcist. This tale of demonic possession nevertheless has its own flavour and is a riveting read I devoured in just a couple of days: A
09. Star Trek: Discovery - Drastic Measures by Dayton Ward (Kindle) - The second tie-in novel to the latest Star Trek series is a prequel in which younger versions of Georgiou and Lorca find themselves involved in the events of the massacre at Tarsus IV, as first mentioned in the TOS episode The Conscience of the King. It’s a great concept, but this book dragged somewhat around the middle third. Solid conclusion though, and worth a read if you go in with moderate expectations: B-
10. Comics Dementia by Gilbert Hernandez - A collection of some of Beto’s lesser seen work. Hit and miss in places, but still wonderful enjoyable: B+
11. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'engle (Kindle) - Thought is read the original novel of this classic before the film hits cinemas and… I was disappointed. It’s a reasonably fun story of three kids skipping across the universe in search of their missing father, but it’s a slight tale and I fail to understand why it’s so highly praised: B
12. Dick Tracy by Max Allen Collins - After getting my hands on Collins’ sequel novels last year, I had to complete the trilogy (having thrown out my original edition years ago) and managed to find a brand new copy of this nearly 30 year old book! A terrific novelisation of the 1990 film that adds layers of detail not seen in the big screen version: A
13. Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (Kindle) - This young adult novel tells the story of Simon, who is coming to terms with his sexuality, and the online friendship he strikes up with another closeted gay teen. A very enjoyable, quick read: A-
14. Don’t Skip Out on Me by Willy Vlautin (Kindle) - Just as he did with his stunning novel Lean on Pete, Vlautin takes another subject I have little interest in - in this instance boxing - and crafts a truly remarkable story around it. A real slow burner that’s vividly brought to life by Vlautin’s sparse prose. I loved this book: A
15. Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - The third and final part of the story that began with Illuminae and continued through Gemina. This book picks up with the characters we met in the previous two, and sets them back on course for the planet they had previously fled. Packed full of incredibly designed pages, and inventive storytelling, this is a fitting conclusion for these wonderful characters, and for this trilogy, which I rank as among the best sci-fi I’ve ever read: A+
16. All the Dirty Parts by Daniel Handler (Kindle) - A short novel that delves into the filthiest aspects of a horny teenager. Fun, filthy and doesn’t outstay its welcome - you even grow to like the protagonist: B+
17. No Good Brother by Tyler Keevil (Kindle) - Two brothers steal a race horse and smuggle it from Canada to the United States - where things just get worse for them. There’s more to this novel than that brief summary; it starts slow and builds so you really get to know and understand the narrator and his brother, their motivations and how down-trodden life has become for them. It’s a great tale, and one I enjoyed more and more as it went on: A
18. The Hunger by Alma Katsu (Kindle) - A stunning novel based on the true story of the The Donner Party, a wagon train that became snowed in during their trek to the American West Coast in the 1840s. Katsu gives the events a terrifying, almost supernatural spin to explain what happened on the fateful journey, and in the process weaves a gripping tale I couldn’t put down: A
19. Groo: Fray of the Gods by Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier - The hapless hero returns, this time finding himself caught between two kings, one of which is trying to gather followers for a new God. Another fun adventure for Groo: A
20. Groo: Play of the Gods by Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier - Groo is shipped off to a foreign land along with an invading force intent on forcing the natives to worship their own god. Needless to say, with Groo involved it all goes wrong. Another strong Groo adventure: A
21. Star Trek: The Motion Picture by Gene Roddenberry - Filling a gap in my collection of Star Trek movie novelisations, I found this pristine copy on eBay… And it’s a great read. The only published Star Trek novel that Roddenberry wrote brings an added dimension to the events of the slow-paced movie, making this a thoroughly decent novelisation: A
22. Star Trek: Discovery Annual - OK, so this is essentially just a slightly bigger comic book, but it has a spine and will sit on my bookshelf, so it counts as a book! This Discovery annual provides a compelling backstory for the character of Lt. Paul Stamets, and reveals more about the U.S.S. Discovery’s revolutionary spore drive. A quick read, but worthy for Discovery fans: B+
23. Doctor Who: Rose by Russell T. Davis - Admission: I was sent this book by the author, but regardless, this novelisation of the Ninth Doctor’s first television episode is a lot of fun, and adds more layers, depth and detail to the story on which it is based: A
24. Star Trek: The Next Generation - Mirror Broken - A well-crafted graphic novel that gives us a glimpse into The Next Generation crew’s Mirror Universe counterparts. It’s a good read, with plenty of scope for further adventures for this motley crew of 24th century scoundrels: B+
25. Lost Mars edited by Mike Ashley - A wonderful collection of vintage science-fiction stories focusing on the red planet. My sole complaint is that the tales within have clearly been scanned in using an OCR scanner and some words have gotten confused in the process; not enough to ruin this book, but enough to make it noticeable. Still, a wonderful read: A
26. Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification by Jeri Taylor - I found a new copy of this novelisation of the two-part TNG story on Amazon for 70p and it was well worth buying! Taylor’s book adds extra nuances not only to the meeting of Spock and Picard, but also to the mission of the Enterprise crew that acts as the episode’s B-plot, helping to add greater clarity and detail to the events of the storyline. Well worth reading for Star Trek fans: A
27. Moonrise edited by Mike Ashley - A companion volume to the Lost Mars collection of short stories, this time focusing on vintage tales of the moon. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories contained within, although a number of small typographical errors slipped through as with the Lost Mars collection - but not enough to spoil it. Highly recommended: A
28. Jack the Ripper: Case Closed by Gyles Brandreth - An enjoyable novel in which Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle are set the task of discovering the true identity of the infamous Whitechapel murderer. Well written, with a plausible conclusion given that the ripper was never truly identified: A-
29. Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel (Kindle) - The third and final part of the trilogy that began with Sleeping Giants and continued in Waking Gods. This book picks up the ongoing threads from its two predecessors to close out the story of giant metal robots appearing on Earth. It’s a worthy climax, but one that lacked some of the thrills and excitement of the two previous books: B-
30. Dick Tracy: The Collins Casefiles, Vol. 3 by Max Allan Collins - A collection of Collins’ Tracy strips from the early 1980s, which returned Chester Gould’s iconic detective to the more gritty storytelling he was famed for in the 30s and 40s. Great stories and striking artwork made this a fun read. It’s just a shame the fourth and final volume in the series was never published to round out Collins’ time on the strip: A
31. Out There Volume One: The Enemy Within by Humberto Ramos and Brian Augustyn - I first read Out There as individual comic books years ago, but this story of four teenagers fighting against a demon’s attempts to take over th Earth has long remained with me as one of my favourite comics series. This first volume contains the first six issues, and it’s every bit as enjoyable as I remember it being - brilliantly written and beautifully illustrated. A rare comics treat: A+
32. Out There Volume Two: Out of this World by Humberto Ramos and Brian Augustyn - The second volume of Out There marks the first time these issues have been collected in book form, and pick up the story from where it left off at the end of the first volume. A great continuation that sees the teenaged heroes continuing their battle to reclaim their town: A+
33. Out There Volume Three: Reunion by Humberto Ramos and Brian Augustyn - The final volume of Out There sees the kids in their final battle with the demon who seized their town. A brilliant conclusion to the series, but still one that ends on a final page that offers so much more ahead. A new epilogue gives a little closure to the series, but still… that chapter 18 cliffhanger…! A+
34. Whirlaway by Poe Ballantine (Kindle) - This new novel by one of my favourite writers tells the tale of Eddie Plum, who escapes from a psychiatric hospital and attempts to get his life back on track. I was initially a little underwhelmed by this book, but the closer I got to the end the more I came to enjoy it. Perhaps not the finest example of Ballantine’s work, but a great read nonetheless: A-
35. Star Trek: Boldly Go Vol. 3 - The third and final volume of the Kelvinverse comic book brings the adventures of Captain Kirk and his crew post-Star Trek Beyond to a close with a story that sees multiple Kirks facing one of their oldest friends in an epic battle. On all honesty, not my favourite collection of the new Star Trek comics, but this series has been consistently high quality, and this is by no means a bad tale to leave us with until the next big screen adventure of the Starship Enterprise: B+
36. The Vanishment by Jonathan Aycliffe (Kindle) - Another cracking horror tale from one of my favourite authors. A man’s life is thrown into turmoil when a summer get away with his wife leads to her disappearance and the secrets of an old house are finally brought to the fore. Thoroughly enjoyable and quietly spooky: A
37. Naomi’s Room by Jonathan Aycliffe (Kindle) - A genuinely chilling read in which a man’s life takes a terrifying turn after his young daughter goes missing. A brilliant, haunting page turner: A
38. The Twilight Children by Gilbert Hernandez and Darwyn Cooke - A collected edition of a four issue miniseries by Love and Rockets’ Beto and the late creator of DC: The New Frontier. This tale tells the story of a small town that is visited by mysterious orbs and a strange white-haired woman, and feels much like Beto’s Palomar stories with a little sci-fi twist and stunning artwork by Cooke. A quick, fun read: A-
39. Whispers in the Dark by Jonathan Aycliffe (Kindle) - A chilling tale about a young woman in the early 1900s whose well to do family falls on hard times. After a period in a workhouse, she subsequently finds herself living with rich cousins in an isolated Manor House where spooky goings on begin to manifest. Slower paced than Aycliffe’s other tales (the first hint of something haunting doesn’t really appear until a third of the way through the book), but that’s not a complaint; indeed, it helps the set the story up and make the rising evil even more of a mystery: A
40. Angels and Magpies by Jaime Hernandez - The latest book in the Love and Rockets library collection brings Jaime’s God and Science and The Love Bunglers together in one volume. Both stories are worth the price of the book alone, but The Love Bunglers in particular is a sublime, heart wrenching piece of art that ranks as one of the finest graphic novels I’ve ever read: A+
41. Grip: The Strange World of Men by Gilbert Hernandez - A collected edition of Beto’s four issue miniseries focusing on the mystery of a strange man who appears with seemingly no idea of his identity. A surreal adventure that’s nevertheless quite in: B+
42. Avengers of the Moon by Allen Steele - A wonderful pulp sci-fi novel that revives the 1940s Captain Future character for the modern age. Great characters and a strong story - in which the titular captain finds himself infiltrating a conspiracy to destabilise the solar system’s government - make this a thrilling read: A
43. Moominsummer Madness by Tove Jansson - The latest book in the new series of collectors edition hardbacks sees the Moomins’ home valley flooded, and them escaping by jumping aboard a theatre adrift in the water. Another joyful Moomins tale, and a beautiful little book: A
44. Moominpappa at Sea by Tove Jansson - Another in the new hardback collectors series. In this volume, Moominpappa feels the need to uproot his family and move to an island in order to live in an abandoned lighthouse. Its a noticeably more somber, mature and melancholy tale than Jansson’s previous books, but nevertheless retains the considerable charms of this remarkable series: A
45. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson - This adult novel from the creator of the Moomins tells the tale of a young girl named Sophia, and her exploits and adventures on an island she shares with her Grandmother. Written in the form of short vignettes, this book is a beautiful, reflective work that I devoured in a day; it will remain with me much longer: A+
46. A Garden Lost in Time by Jonathan Aycliffe - A novel by my favourite horror writer that’s not on kindle and out of print, so I had to track a copy down on eBay. This story is about a young boy who is sent to live with well to do relatives in Cornwall during the First World War, only to find that the Manor House in which they love is home to ghosts and an old evil. Not my favourite of Aycliffe’s novels - not helped by some typos and instances of character’s names being swapped around - but still an effective read that I thoroughly enjoyed: A-
47. Moomin: The Deluxe Anniversary Edition by Tove Jansson - A huge slipcased book featuring all of Jansson’s Moomins comic strips from the fifties and sixties. Although the stories are more comical than Jansson’s Moomin novels, the same charm is there. The stories, artwork and roster of crazy characters make this book a pure joy: A
48. A Winter Book by Tove Jansson - A collection of beautiful short stories from the creator of the Moomins that run the full breadth of human experience from youth to old age. Wonderful tales with a unique charm and a wickedly dry sense of humour: A
49. Star Trek: The Newspaper Comics Vol. 1 - An oversized collection of the newspaper strips that picked up the voyages of the Starship Enterprise after the end of The Motion Picture. Markedly better than it has any right to be, there are some genuinely great stories with beautiful illustrations in this volume: A
50. Star Trek: The Newspaper Comics Vol. 2 - The second and final volume of the Enterprise’s newspaper voyages is more of a mixed bag than the first. The stories are less compelling (aside from one that foreshadows the Borg on TNG) and the artwork becomes noticeably less accomplished as the strip nears its conclusion. There is nevertheless considerable charm to be found in this book: B
51. Awakened by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth (Kindle) - A brand new underground network opens in New York, but with it comes the discovery of terrifying creatures living under the city and a global conspiracy led by a shadowy figure. I’d read good things about this book but after reading it I was a little bit underwhelmed. It so very much wants to be Aliens, but I just found much of the book lacking. A reasonable conclusion though, so I’d be tempted to pick up the next two novels when they’re released to see where the story goes: B-
52. Star Trek: Discovery - Fear Itself by James Swallow (Kindle) - The latest Star Trek: Discovery novel takes us back to a mission involving the U.S.S. Shenzhou, and Saru becoming involved in the forced relocation of alien refugees. It’s a good read, well-written and with the characters feeling much like their televisual selves. Of the three Discovery novels, this is probably the one I enjoyed most: B+
53. Four-Sided Triangle by William F. Temple - The latest book in the gorgeous series of British Library science fiction classics, following on from Lost Mars and Moonrise. This tale is something of a science fiction romance, with two young scientists creating a device that can replicate anything perfectly - even the beautiful woman they both adore. I thoroughly enjoyed this book: A-
54. The Matrix by Jonathan Aycliffe (Kindle) - The final book of Ayecliffe’s that I’d not read sees a university lecturer becoming entangled in a strange cult that seeks to raise the dead. In my opinion this is the least successful of Ayecliffe’s books, but having said that, it’s still an effective horror that stands out from the crowd with moments of chilling suspense: B+
55. Star Trek: The Entropy Effect by Vonda N. McIntyre - A classic Star Trek novel from the early 1980s in which Spock must travel back in time to prevent Captain Kirk from being murdered on the bridge of the Enterprise. A solid read, but in a Star Trek universe that has filled out more coherently in the intervening decades, there are some strange anachronisms in this book that was published a year before The Wrath of Khan was released: B
56. Star Trek: Ishmael by Barbara Hambly (Kindle) - Another classic Star Trek novel, and another that sees Spock traveling back in time. I was intrigued by the premise of this book being, as it is, effectively a crossover with an old Western TV show called Here Comes the Brides, and the suggestion that facsimiles of other famous genre characters pop up along the way, and, against all the odd… it works. Brilliantly so, in fact. This is a riveting tale - one of the most unusual and effective Trek novels I’ve ever read: A
57. How Much For Just the Planet by John M. Ford - Another old Star Trek novel, this time sourced secondhand from Amazon, and another slightly kookier adventure for Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise as they descend on a planet to negotiate dilithium mining rights opposite a Klingon crew. This tale is farcical, broad comedy with, would you believe it, shades of musical theatre… and like Ishmael, it does work. It’s bonkers - but brilliant: A
58. Star Trek: Demons by J.M. Dillard - Another older Star Trek novel, this time by the author of some of the Star Trek movie novelisations. In this book the crew of the Enterprise and the people of the planet Vulcan are possessed by alien life forms that turn them into crazed murders, and only Spock, McCoy and a woman with extraordinary psychic abilities can stop them. It’s a fun read, and rather dark for a Trek novel: A-
59. Star Trek: Mindshadow by J.M. Dillard - In this older Star Trek novel Spock suffers a serious injury while trying to protect a planet from aggressive pirates, and the amnesia he subsequently experiences prevents him from warning the crew of the Enterprise about Romulan involvement in the plot. Not one of the better Trek books I’ve read recently, but a decent Trek read nevertheless: B+
60. Star Trek: Discovery - The Light of Kahless - This graphic novel tying into the new Star Trek series details the rise to prominence of the Klingon T’Kvuma. It’s a solid read that adds detail to the show’s backstory and the Klingon culture of Discovery’s era: B+
61. Dick Tracy: Volume 2 by Chester Gould - The second volume collecting newspaper strips dating back to 1933-1935. Gould’s work becomes more assured in this book, his stories more involved and his artwork more confident. Like the first volume, the best Tracy stories are not to be found here, but they’re still engrossing tales: A
62. Star Trek: Bloodthirst by J.M. Dillard - Effectively a vampire story set aboard the Enterprise, this is the least satisfying of the three novels by Dillard that I’ve read recently. The tone of the characters feels a little off, and the plot spread a little too thinly. It’s still entertaining enough, if not terribly memorable: B
63. Star Trek: The Lost Year’s by J.M. Dillard (Kindle) - A novel that reveals what happened following the Enterprise’s five year mission. A bit of an odd Star Trek book. The characters seem barely recognisable from the ones we see in the show - as if they’re being forced into the way they’re seen in The Motion Picture simply to create connective tissue - and the plot seems to want to focus more on the supporting characters; Uhura and Sarek are present, for example, but for no real reason. Combined with several not terribly interesting plot strands, The Lost Years left me somewhat cold: C+
64. The Predator: Hunters and Hunted by James A. Moore - A prequel novel to the new Predator movie, telling the story of group of soldiers specially trained to battle the deadly aliens. This book knows exactly what its purpose is - adding a little extra detail to the events of the movie and telling a decent if not wholly original Predator story. And this it does very well. A brisk read and and entertaining tale: A-
65. Shoot for the Moon by William F. Temple - The latest in the British Library classic sci-fi series is a 1960s novel detailing the events of the first British mission to the moon in an atomic-powered spacecraft, and the murders that subsequently take place on the lunar surface. A great read with a surprisingly rich humorous thread running through it. Thoroughly enjoyable: A
66. Captain Future and the Space Emperor by Edmund Hamilton (Kindle) - After reading Allen Steele’s Avengers of the Moon I thought I’d go back and read the original Captain Future novel - and I wasn’t disappointed. In this book, Captain Future travels to Jupiter to discover how a new villain is transforming ordinary men into dangerous beasts. A fun, pulpy sci-fi romp: A
67. Garfield: Complete Works Vol. 1 - 1978 & 1979 by Jim Davis - A new collection bringing all the Garfield newspaper strips together in beautiful hardback books. I loved rediscovering so many classic strips, discovering ones I’d never read before, and seeing the origins of these classic characters in this first book of the series, and can’t wait for future volumes: A+
68. The Predator by Christopher Golden and Mark Morris - This novelisation of the recent Predator movie is a solid read - brisk and entertaining, and yet the one thing that struck me upon finishing it is how it lacks a significant part of the movie’s storyline - the notion that the Predators are increasing their visits to Earth as a result of global warming, and the rogue Predator bringing something to help humanity fight his people - as well as *that* ending. Worth a read if you’re a fan, though: B+
69. Star Trek: Final Frontier by Diane Carey - One of the older ‘giant’ Star Trek novels, this one tells the story of Captain Kirk’s father George being called on to join a mission with Captain Robert April aboard the starship that will eventually become the Enterprise - a mission that takes an unexpected detour to Romulan space. A cracking adventure that I thoroughly enjoyed! A
70. Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky. Chambers (Kindle) - The third instalment of the Wayfarers series. This tale features a number of interwoven storylines and Chambers’ trademark quality storytelling, and yet I felt it took a while to actually get going and for the most part seemed like just a glimpse into the future human society the author has created. Eventually a plot point occurs that draws the storylines together and then it gets interesting... A decent read, but the previous books in the series are stronger: B+
71. Star Trek: Best Destiny by Diane Carey (Kindle) - A semi-sequel to Final Frontier, this book features a storyline in which George Kirk takes his teenage son Jimmy into space, bookended by events that take place after the film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. I thought this was a good read, if not quite as strong as its predecessor: A-
72. Dick Tracy Volume 3 by Chester Gould - The third collection in this series sees Tracy fighting more 1930s gangsters, and hints of some of the more outlandish characters and plot lines that will become Gould’s trademark in later years beginning to seep in. Great stuff: A-
73. Moominvalley in November by Tove Jansson - The final Moomins novel sees a number of different characters visit Moominvalley in search of the friendly Moomins, but they are no longer there. Like the previous book in the series, Moominpappa at Sea, there’s a melancholy feel to this book but one that’s tinged with hope. It’s a delicate read with crisp prose and gentle humour and I loved every page: A+
74. Tales from Moominvalley by Tove Jansson - Closing out Sort Of Books’ series of Moomins collector’s editions hardbacks is this gorgeous collection of short stories. Imbued with a sharp wit and not afraid to stray into darker territory, each and every tale is a delight, and I’m delighted to add this volume to my collection. I’m sure I’ll be revisiting all Jansson’s Moomin books again in the years ahead: A
75. Slender Man (author unknown) - A surprisingly chilling tale, told in the form of text messages, emails and journal entries about a missing girl and the efforts of her friend to locate her, all while the legend of the Slender Man grows ever more present... Against my expectations, this was a decent little ghoulish tale: B+
76. Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge (Kindle) - In contrast to the above, this spooky novel (which has been highly praised) proved something of a disappointment. Every Halloween in a small American town, a creature known as October Boy rises from the cornfields and races into town, where it is summarily slaughtered by the town’s teenage males. For me, too much insight was given to the October Boy, stripping him of mystery and a degree of threat, and I found the main protagonist somewhat unlikeable. It’s a decent read, but for me, one that failed to live up to its potential: B-
77. Unexplained by Richard MacLean Smith (Kindle) - A book based on the Unexplained podcast I had begun binging on just prior to reading it. The book, and indeed the podcast, explore the interesting stories across such strange phenomena as UFOs to ghosts and everything in between, and this prose version provides the author with space to delve more deeply into 10 unsettling encounters. I thoroughly enjoyed this exploration of the unknown. Recommended: A
78. Help the Witch by Tom Cox (Kindle) - A cracking collection of short stories, some ghostly, some a little more experimental and out there, but all evoking a sense of the unusual. I very much enjoyed this book: A
79. Ultimate Invincible Vol. 12 - The final hardback collection of the Invincible superhero comic book. While I feel the last few volumes have lost a little of the momentum built by the earlier books in the series, this is still a great read and one of the most enjoyable superhero books of recent years. While it doesn’t quite recapture the feel of Invincible’s best stories, it does manage to wrap the series up in a more than satisfactory way: A-
80. A Map of Days by Ransom Rigg - The fourth book in the Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children series begins a new trilogy of stories featuring Jacob Portman and his gifted friends. This book starts slowly as it reintroduces readers to the Peculiar world and felt like it probably could’ve been edited a bit more thoroughly, but once it gets going (admittedly after about 120 pages) things pick up steam and it becomes quite a page-turner. Ends on a decent cliffhanger that left me looking forward to seeing where the story goes in the next book: A-
81. Star Trek: The Art of John Eaves by John Eaves and Joe Nazzaro - A lavish coffee table book full of Eaves’ stunning illustrations, and telling the story of his association with the Star Trek franchise from Star Trek V to the latest series, Discovery. It’s a beautiful book, spoilt only by captions that barely give any detail to what they’re describing and a rather high number of typos. Ignore those and just enjoy the artwork, though: A
82. The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson - Another adult novel from the creator of the Moomins. In this tale, a brother and sister worm their way into the life of an elderly artist, in the process having a profound effect on the life of the other. Beautifully crisp and precise in its writing, with not a word being wasted, this is a gentle story of how intersecting lives can influence one another: A
83. Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar (Kindle) - A riveting exploration of the unsolved mystery that claimed the lives of nine Russian hikers in early 1959. A thought-provoking and absorbing book that does a good job of considering and dismissing various theories from escaped prisoners to UFOs, before presenting a sound idea of what exactly may have taken place. Utterly fascinating, while at the same time respectful of those that died: A
84. Mr Godley’s Phantom by Mal Peet - A young man comes back from war and accepts a job working for an old man at a secluded country home. And then the old man goes missing... Part ghost story, part detective tale, I loved this book: A+
85. Three Sisters by Gilbert Hernandez - The latest collection of Beto’s Love and Rockets work delves into the lives of the three sisters Luba, Petra and Fritz, along with the giant cast of familiar recurring characters. A solid collection of what remains my favourite comic book: B+
86. Spirits of the Season edited by Tanya Kirk - I wanted a collection of Christmas ghost stories and this British Library volume of vintage spooky tales more than ticked the box. I thoroughly enjoyed every story in this book and devoured it in a matter of days: A
87. Glimpses of the Unknown edited by Mike Ashley - Another British Library collection of spooky tales, this volume featuring mostly unknown or forgotten authors. I found this collection somewhat more of a mixed bag than Spirits of the Season, but for the most part enjoyed the tales within: B+
88. Mortal Echoes edited by Greg Buzwell - Another British Library collection of spooky tales, this one focusing on encounters with the end. There’s some real gems included in this collection, but also some that didn’t hold my attention so well. Still, a good read nevertheless: B-
89. Star Trek: The Next Generation - Through the Mirror - A great graphic novel follow-up to the earlier TNG Mirror Universe story in which the alternate universe Enterprise-D crew begin their infiltration of the Federation. Great fun: A
90. Star Trek: Discovery - Succession - A cracking graphic novel that picks up the story of the Mirror Universe Discovery characters after the events of the show’s first season. Strong art and some good twists and turns, plus an ending that leaves plenty of scope for future stories: A
91. The Adventures of Tintin: Vol. 1 by Herge - The first book in a beautiful boxset featuring all the Tintin adventures includes Tintin in the Land of the Soviets and Tintin in America. The first tale is one of the earliest stories, but although feeling a little like a work in progress, it remains an enjoyable read: B-
Tintin in America is more like the familiar stories of the young reporter, albeit without the much-loved supporting cast we come to meet in later books, as Tintin tracks gangsters across the United States: B+
92. The Adventures of Tintin: Vol. 2 by Herge - The second book includes:
Cigars of the Pharaoh in which Tintin finds himself on the trail of opium smugglers (B+), The Blue Lotus, which continues the story as Tintin travels to China (B), and The Broken Ear in which Tintin and Snowy track a stolen statue (B-). All are good stories, though the first was the most compelling of the three in this volume.
There we have it then, 92 books! Although depending on whether you want to count the Tintin books as their original album format rather than these collected editions, it could be 95. However you look at it, though, it's a helluva lorra books - GOLD STAR FOR ME!
All that's left now is for me to make my usual hollow promise to blog more in 2019:
Hey, maybe I'll actually get back to writing this blog in the coming 12 months!
And to wish you a Happy New Year:
Hope you all have a healthy, happy and brilliant New Year!
Monday, December 31, 2018
Wednesday, January 03, 2018
L'il Granny
When my Grandad died in 2008 I wrote a post where I shared some fond memories and talked about the wonderful man he was. I don't think I ever really planned to write it at the time as it seemed very final to be saying it, but something made me feel as if I needed to, to preserve something of who he was, if only for me.
I feel the need to write something similar today, because a couple of days ago my Nan passed away.
It was expected and we were all probably as ready as we could've been, but the finality of that phone call where I was told the news still took the wind out of my sails.
This hasn't been the easiest thing to write, and I'm sure I'm missing so many little things that I'll kick myself for forgetting when I remember them later, but I just needed to write this.
So let me tell you about Stella.
She was brilliant, let's say that straight off. Of all my grandparents, she was the one I spent most time with, not only because she was the longest lived of them, but because as kids Mum used to take my brother and I over to spend time with her during summer holidays. Every Friday we'd get the bus over to her house in St. Margarets. If she was working we'd watch TV before racing off to meet her when she finished work at midday; if she wasn't, or after she'd retired, we'd all take a morning stroll down the river to Richmond for a bite to eat in the cafe in Dickens and Jones department store followed by a bit of shopping. Occasionally my brother and I would stay overnight - it always feeling like a treat to get to spend more time with them so we'd be on our best behaviour. Nan and Grandad had a VHS player long before we did, and they'd taped Raiders of the Lost Ark - complete with adverts - off the TV. My brother and I watched it on a weekly basis to the point we knew every line of dialogue inside out.
She cooked the best dinners - incredible roast potatoes - and always catered to my fussy tastes without quibble. Pudding was always a chocolate gateaux that she served on a proper cake stand and cut with a proper cake knife (and she'd always let me have seconds). It became a recurring joke amongst us that not long after dinner when we were sat with full bellies she'd ask if anyone wanted a packet of crisps or a banana. She was for a long time the only person I'd allow to call me Timmy. She was always generous with the pocket money she gave us.
She'd tell us stories about the war, about how she'd cycle home from the factory she worked at in pitch black, and how one night she got caught out when the air raid sirens went off and she had to make a mad dash for a shelter in Richmond where a man tried to barge her out of the way to get in first and she gave him a piece of her mind. She talked about sitting under the stairs during the blitz, and how thunder and lightening would remind her of it so much so that she would get out of bed and sit there by Grandad's little bar when there was a storm. In later years, she even bought some heavy duty ear defenders like workmen use when they're drilling in the street to wear during storms - the idea of her sitting under the stairs wrapped in her dressing gown and wearing her ear defenders never failed to raise a smile; even she thought it was funny.
When they came over to visit my brother and I would run up the road to meet them; when Dad took them home we'd run up the road trying to keep pace with the car. As the years went by I got more protective of my grandparents, always offering to pick them up and drive them home when I got my first car so they didn't have to get public transport. Nan would sit in the back, waving like the Queen as we set off. And then, when Grandad passed I got more protective still. Together they had been the perfect team - she helping him with everyday tasks when his arthritis took hold, he holding her arm in the crook of his when they went out in case she should be a little unsteady on her feet. Alone, she seemed to me a little lost, rattling around the home they had shared for 60 years, half of an unbeatable duo waiting for the other to one day return. I wanted to wrap her in cotton wool and keep her safe.
I nevertheless shared some great times with my Nan over the next couple of years. Every Tuesday I'd stop in for dinner with her on my way home from work - always chicken and chips because she knew that was my favourite - then we'd watch a bit of TV and have a cuppa before I went out for a run. However long I was out running, when I got back to my car she would always be standing in the porch waving me off and blowing kisses.
I remember in August 2008, a few months after Grandad had died she asked me if I'd take her shopping so she could buy something for Mum's birthday. I'd already picked up a few gifts on her behalf, but she wanted to choose something special herself – and she wanted to go out exactly as Mum and I did when we went on our shopping trips. So one sunny day I picked her up. She was ready and waiting, immaculately turned out in a smart pink jacket and pretty skirt. We went to Kingston, because that's where Mum and I always went. And because Mum and I always started our shopping days with a Starbucks, she wanted to go to Starbucks too. After a few hours of shopping - during which she almost smacked someone in the face with her walking stick as she lifted it up to point it in the direction we were going - she asked that I take her to Nando's, because that's what Mum and I did - so I took my then-84 year old Nan for her first Nando's. She had a quarter chicken (lemon and herb) and chips, and she thoroughly enjoyed it.
A few years later she broke her arm and not long after that she decided that she couldn't stay in the house on her own anymore. She moved into a lovely top floor room in a retirement home not too far from where I live and furnished it with a few things to make it feel like home. She took part in the arts and crafts they offered on a weekly basis, painting a mug in broad lilac stripes one time, a ceramic cupcake jar in bright colours another. She made a little drinks coaster, and a mirror with blue and green tiles that I had no idea she'd made until Mum told me yesterday, it looking like it could've been bought in a shop. When they were given to her after they'd dried she didn't seem too bothered by them, but they remained in her room nevertheless.
As the years passed she got a little frailer, giving up her walking stick for a stroller, then giving that up for a wheelchair, but whenever I visited her mind was still sharp as a tack. She was always interested in what we were up to with our lives, with our work and whether we'd done anything exciting. She'd always ask me if I'd been shopping recently and whether I'd bought anything. She supported me when I headed to Los Angeles for my Yoga training in 2012, and kept a framed copy of my graduation photo in her room.
She had the most beautiful handwriting; I envied it from a young age as it looped across everything from birthday and Christmas cards to shopping lists. Even though she struggled to write in recent years, it still looked a hundred times better than my scrawl. She had a lovely smile and a great sense of humour - I have the most brilliant photo of her holding a vase of fake flowers upside down, a broad smile on her face as she saw our reactions thinking it was real. And she always dressed so prettily, whether she was going to the shops, out to dinner or coming over to spend time with us. Even in her retirement home she was very particular about her appearance, wearing lovely knitted jumpers and patterned skirts, having her nails painted and her hair styled regularly. We called her our Glamorous Granny.
In October she turned 93, an age even she seemed surprised to have reached. My brother and I bought her a perfume she loved and a basket of flowers. She sprayed the perfume liberally and admired the flowers, telling us which varieties she could see and remarking how beautiful they were.
Not long after that she was taken ill. She was defiant, a spark of determination blossoming as she said she was going to get better. But eventually we were told to say our goodbyes and I did that at least three times because, bless her, she couldn't have been quite ready to go. The last time I saw her was when my brother and I visited on Christmas Eve. She was peaceful in her bed in the room that had been her home for seven years, surrounded by her photos and trinkets and flowers.
A little over a week later she passed away, with as my brother put it, immaculate timing, seeing in the New Year and then slipping away a few short hours later.
Over the years, she was known variously as Nana Spong, then Nana, then Nan when we reached that age where we didn't think it was cool to call her Nana. As we grew and began to tower over her she became L'il Granny, and then most recently because my brother can be a ridiculous person when the fancy takes him, G-Ma. Whatever name we gave her, I'll never forget her. I loved her to bits. She was the absolute best.
I'll miss you, Nana.
I feel the need to write something similar today, because a couple of days ago my Nan passed away.
It was expected and we were all probably as ready as we could've been, but the finality of that phone call where I was told the news still took the wind out of my sails.
This hasn't been the easiest thing to write, and I'm sure I'm missing so many little things that I'll kick myself for forgetting when I remember them later, but I just needed to write this.
So let me tell you about Stella.
She was brilliant, let's say that straight off. Of all my grandparents, she was the one I spent most time with, not only because she was the longest lived of them, but because as kids Mum used to take my brother and I over to spend time with her during summer holidays. Every Friday we'd get the bus over to her house in St. Margarets. If she was working we'd watch TV before racing off to meet her when she finished work at midday; if she wasn't, or after she'd retired, we'd all take a morning stroll down the river to Richmond for a bite to eat in the cafe in Dickens and Jones department store followed by a bit of shopping. Occasionally my brother and I would stay overnight - it always feeling like a treat to get to spend more time with them so we'd be on our best behaviour. Nan and Grandad had a VHS player long before we did, and they'd taped Raiders of the Lost Ark - complete with adverts - off the TV. My brother and I watched it on a weekly basis to the point we knew every line of dialogue inside out.
She cooked the best dinners - incredible roast potatoes - and always catered to my fussy tastes without quibble. Pudding was always a chocolate gateaux that she served on a proper cake stand and cut with a proper cake knife (and she'd always let me have seconds). It became a recurring joke amongst us that not long after dinner when we were sat with full bellies she'd ask if anyone wanted a packet of crisps or a banana. She was for a long time the only person I'd allow to call me Timmy. She was always generous with the pocket money she gave us.
She'd tell us stories about the war, about how she'd cycle home from the factory she worked at in pitch black, and how one night she got caught out when the air raid sirens went off and she had to make a mad dash for a shelter in Richmond where a man tried to barge her out of the way to get in first and she gave him a piece of her mind. She talked about sitting under the stairs during the blitz, and how thunder and lightening would remind her of it so much so that she would get out of bed and sit there by Grandad's little bar when there was a storm. In later years, she even bought some heavy duty ear defenders like workmen use when they're drilling in the street to wear during storms - the idea of her sitting under the stairs wrapped in her dressing gown and wearing her ear defenders never failed to raise a smile; even she thought it was funny.
When they came over to visit my brother and I would run up the road to meet them; when Dad took them home we'd run up the road trying to keep pace with the car. As the years went by I got more protective of my grandparents, always offering to pick them up and drive them home when I got my first car so they didn't have to get public transport. Nan would sit in the back, waving like the Queen as we set off. And then, when Grandad passed I got more protective still. Together they had been the perfect team - she helping him with everyday tasks when his arthritis took hold, he holding her arm in the crook of his when they went out in case she should be a little unsteady on her feet. Alone, she seemed to me a little lost, rattling around the home they had shared for 60 years, half of an unbeatable duo waiting for the other to one day return. I wanted to wrap her in cotton wool and keep her safe.
I nevertheless shared some great times with my Nan over the next couple of years. Every Tuesday I'd stop in for dinner with her on my way home from work - always chicken and chips because she knew that was my favourite - then we'd watch a bit of TV and have a cuppa before I went out for a run. However long I was out running, when I got back to my car she would always be standing in the porch waving me off and blowing kisses.
I remember in August 2008, a few months after Grandad had died she asked me if I'd take her shopping so she could buy something for Mum's birthday. I'd already picked up a few gifts on her behalf, but she wanted to choose something special herself – and she wanted to go out exactly as Mum and I did when we went on our shopping trips. So one sunny day I picked her up. She was ready and waiting, immaculately turned out in a smart pink jacket and pretty skirt. We went to Kingston, because that's where Mum and I always went. And because Mum and I always started our shopping days with a Starbucks, she wanted to go to Starbucks too. After a few hours of shopping - during which she almost smacked someone in the face with her walking stick as she lifted it up to point it in the direction we were going - she asked that I take her to Nando's, because that's what Mum and I did - so I took my then-84 year old Nan for her first Nando's. She had a quarter chicken (lemon and herb) and chips, and she thoroughly enjoyed it.
A few years later she broke her arm and not long after that she decided that she couldn't stay in the house on her own anymore. She moved into a lovely top floor room in a retirement home not too far from where I live and furnished it with a few things to make it feel like home. She took part in the arts and crafts they offered on a weekly basis, painting a mug in broad lilac stripes one time, a ceramic cupcake jar in bright colours another. She made a little drinks coaster, and a mirror with blue and green tiles that I had no idea she'd made until Mum told me yesterday, it looking like it could've been bought in a shop. When they were given to her after they'd dried she didn't seem too bothered by them, but they remained in her room nevertheless.
As the years passed she got a little frailer, giving up her walking stick for a stroller, then giving that up for a wheelchair, but whenever I visited her mind was still sharp as a tack. She was always interested in what we were up to with our lives, with our work and whether we'd done anything exciting. She'd always ask me if I'd been shopping recently and whether I'd bought anything. She supported me when I headed to Los Angeles for my Yoga training in 2012, and kept a framed copy of my graduation photo in her room.
She had the most beautiful handwriting; I envied it from a young age as it looped across everything from birthday and Christmas cards to shopping lists. Even though she struggled to write in recent years, it still looked a hundred times better than my scrawl. She had a lovely smile and a great sense of humour - I have the most brilliant photo of her holding a vase of fake flowers upside down, a broad smile on her face as she saw our reactions thinking it was real. And she always dressed so prettily, whether she was going to the shops, out to dinner or coming over to spend time with us. Even in her retirement home she was very particular about her appearance, wearing lovely knitted jumpers and patterned skirts, having her nails painted and her hair styled regularly. We called her our Glamorous Granny.
In October she turned 93, an age even she seemed surprised to have reached. My brother and I bought her a perfume she loved and a basket of flowers. She sprayed the perfume liberally and admired the flowers, telling us which varieties she could see and remarking how beautiful they were.
Not long after that she was taken ill. She was defiant, a spark of determination blossoming as she said she was going to get better. But eventually we were told to say our goodbyes and I did that at least three times because, bless her, she couldn't have been quite ready to go. The last time I saw her was when my brother and I visited on Christmas Eve. She was peaceful in her bed in the room that had been her home for seven years, surrounded by her photos and trinkets and flowers.
A little over a week later she passed away, with as my brother put it, immaculate timing, seeing in the New Year and then slipping away a few short hours later.
Over the years, she was known variously as Nana Spong, then Nana, then Nan when we reached that age where we didn't think it was cool to call her Nana. As we grew and began to tower over her she became L'il Granny, and then most recently because my brother can be a ridiculous person when the fancy takes him, G-Ma. Whatever name we gave her, I'll never forget her. I loved her to bits. She was the absolute best.
I'll miss you, Nana.
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Reading list 2017
It's that time of year when I defend myself once again for not blogging more consistently, or indeed, at all post all the books I've read throughout the year! And OH MY, what a year it's been. I think this has been the most books I've ever read in a single year since I started writing this dear old blog back in 2006, and I guess it pretty much explains why I've not blogged: basically, it would seem I've spent the entire year reading.
Anyway, I'll make my annual hollow promise to start blogging again in the coming year (who knows, this might be the one I actually follow through with it!) before digging out my dusty old jacket with the worn leather elbow patches, nudge my glasses up my nose (true story: I actually got some this year, but only for working on my computer, sadly not to look sexily intelligent as I'm sipping a latte in Starbucks) in order to run through the books of 2017 and give them an appropriate grade, from D- (you're trash) to A+ (I get a tingle in my special place). As usual I'll provide links where possible so you can purchase your own copy if you should so like, but honestly, do try and buy from an actual bookshop rather than the giant corporation I'm linking to; I only link to them because I'm impossibly lazy (hence no blogging).
Onwards?
01. Fight Club 2 by Chuck Palahniuk, illustrated by Cameron Stewart - A graphic novel sequel to Palahniuk's acclaimed novel and the film it spawned. This book picks up the thread of the narrator now married to Marla with a child, but it's not long before Tyler Durden resurfaces. It's a worthy and for the most part enjoyable follow up to the original, but one that is neither as clever nor as shocking: B
02. The Complete Peanuts 1950-2000 by Charles Schultz - The final volume in Fantagraphics Books' wonderful complete Peanuts collection looks back at all the bonus material, original art and other extras that Schultz created outside of the daily strips. It's a fitting conclusion to a beautiful series of books: A+
03. The Jekyll Revelation by Robert Masello (Kindle) - An enjoyable tale with two parallel storylines, one featuring Jekyll and Hyde author Robert Louis Stevenson in Victorian London amidst the horrors of the Jack the Ripper murders and the other focusing on a conservationist in contemporary California who finds Stevenson's diary. It's a fun, easy read, and one that's rather enjoyable as long as you surrender to the historical inaccuracies and liberties within: B
04. Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs - A companion volume to Riggs' acclaimed Miss Peregrine trilogy, this beautifully presented tome contains a number of short stories – best described as peculiar fairy tales – that were referred to throughout the author’s earlier books. An enjoyable read that adds an extra layer of detail to Riggs’ peculiar universe. I enjoyed it a lot: A-
05. How to Archer by Sterling Archer - No, seriously, the animated star of the TV show Archer is listed as the author. Regardless of who wrote it - and I veer strongly towards it actually being Sterling Archer because his voice comes across so well in the writing - this is an amusing guide to how to be the words greatest secret agent. Made me chuckle a lot: B+
06. John Carter: World of Mars by Peter David, art by Luke Ross - A collected edition that gathers together the four issue prequel comic book series to the 2012 movie. It's a fun story that unites characters from the film and gives a bit of backstory to them and their motivations prior to Carter's arrival on Barsoom: B+
07. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole - A reread of one of my favourite books in a fancy new cloth bound hardback edition. Toole's farcical tale of the outlandish Ignatious J. Reilly's misadventures remains as hysterically funny as it was when I first read it almost 20 years ago. A genuinely brilliant read filled with colourful, memorable characters. I adore this book: A+
08. Star Wars: Catalyst - A Rogue One Novel by James Luceno (Kindle) - A prequel to the 2016 standalone movie Rogue One, Catalyst tells the story of Galen Erso's friendship with Orsen Krennic, the development of what will ultimately become the Death Star, and ultimately the manipulation that leads Erso and his family to escape into hiding before Krennic tracks the down at the beginning of the film. A solid read that adds some welcome backstory to the events of the movie: B+
09. The Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Kindle) - From the creator of Tarzan and John Carter of Mars, this story tells the tale of Julian 9th, an oppressed young man living in a time when Earth has been conquered by invaders from the moon. A quick read, and one that’s enjoyable enough but not quite as enthralling as the author’s Barsoom stories: B-
10. Pirates of Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Kindle) - The first book in the author's Amtor series sees Earth man Carson Napier aim for Mars but end up on Venus, where he discovers a world full of strange creatures and adventure. A really fun, easy to read pulp novel that has similarities to Burroughs' John Carter stories: A-
11. Lost on Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Kindle) - Book two of the Amtor series picks right up from the end of the first, with Carson Napier thrust into more peril and new adventures on the planet Venus. As fun as the first book: A-
12. Carson of Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Kindle) - Carson’s story picks up in the third of Burroughs’ Venus books. In this adventure, Carson Napier finds himself once more separated from his beloved princess Duare, and caught in a war against the fascist Zanis. Another enjoyable tale of daring-do and fantastic adventure, but probably my least favourite of the series so far: B+
13. Escape on Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Kindle) - The fourth Amtor novel sees Carson and his beloved Duare caught up in yet more adventures on Venus, from being captured by amphibian warriors to amoeba-type humanoids who want to keep them as exhibits in a museum. There's a lovely line of humour running throughout this book that was absent from the previous ones, and it helped this enjoyable tale take a step on from the set formula established in books 1-3: A
14. The Wizard of Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Kindle) - A short novella rounds off Burroughs' Amtor series, with Carson of Venus and his friend Ero Shan finding themselves in a valley where a wizard is said to turn people into the Venusian equivalent of pigs. It's a slight tale, and maybe not quite a fitting send off for the series, but enjoyable nonetheless: B+
15. John Carter: A Princess of Mars - A very enjoyable collected edition of the comic book adaptation of Burroughs' first Barsoom tale. The artwork is striking if somewhat dark in places, and the tale rattles along at a fair old pace. Very enjoyable: A-
16. John Carter: The Gods of Mars - The second book in Burrough’s Barsoom series receives a graphic novel adaptation. The art isn’t as stylised as that of the previous book, but this makes it arguably easier to read if not quite as nice to look at. I did have some issues with the way some of the individual panels flowed on certain pages, but on the whole this was an enjoyable and easy read that captured the essence of the original book well: A-
17. Star Trek: Voyager - Full Circle by Kirsten Beyer (Kindle) - I decided to give Beyer’s first Voyager relaunch novel a go based on the fact she’s working on Star Trek: Discovery. It’s a good, solid tale that covers a lot of ground, from B’Elanna Torres dealing with an ancient Klingon order out to get her daughter to - SPOILER ALERT! - the death of Kathryn Janeway and the effect it has on Chakotay. I enjoyed, but don’t know yet whether I’ll race to read the next book and find out what happens during Voyager’s return to the Delta Quadrant…: B
18. Alien 3 by Alan Dean Foster - I threw out a copy of this book when I moved years ago and for some reason came to regret that decision in the years that followed. Fortunately, I found another copy and thoroughly enjoyed Foster’s novelisation of what I believe is a hugely underrated film: A
19. Aliens - The Original Comics Series: Nightmare Asylum and Earth War by Mark Verheiden - The second volume in Dark Horse’s beautiful series of oversized hardbacks repackaging the original comics that followed on from the 1986 movie Aliens. The stories in this edition see Newt and Hicks fall into the hands of a crazed military officer who believes the Aliens can be trained, and tell the tale of what Ripley has been up to in the intervening years: A
20. Star Trek: The Abode of Life by Lee Correy (Kindle) - An appalling Star Trek novel from the 1980s. The Enterprise is damaged and finds itself in orbit of a planet whose inhabitants think they’re the only life in the universe. A dull story, far too much exposition about how the alien civilisation works, and characters that don’t read like their namesakes. One of the very worst Trek novels I’ve ever read: C-
21. Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (Kindle) - A brilliantly told story about a small town in North East America that has been held under the curse of a witch for over 300 hundred years. The witch appears throughout the town and is monitored by an agency called Hex. But things start to go badly wrong when the town’s youths rebel against the edict to leave the witch alone… One of the best horrors I’ve read in years: A+
22. The Lost City of Z by David Grann - I was intrigued by the true story of experienced Amazon explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett going missing while searching for a mythical city he believed existed in the middle of the dense jungle, but hesitated as I’m not a big fan of non-fiction. I needn’t have worried: this book is a superb exploration of Fawcett’s life and passion, and the author’s own fascination with the story is imbued in every page. Wonderful: A+
23. Summer Morning, Summer Night by Ray Bradbury - A collection of some of Bradbury’s short stories. This was my first exposure to the author’s work and while it was a reasonably charming and quick read, I don’t necessarily feel the need to delve further into his back catalogue: B-
24. Alien Covenant by Alan Dean Foster – A decent, well-written novelisation of the most recent Alien film. There's nothing beyond what you saw on cinema screens, but it's a good story, realised well here in prose. Basically, if you enjoyed the film I imagine you'll enjoy the book: B+
25. Invincible Ultimate Collection Vol. 11 by Robert Kirkman - Volume 11 sees Mark having hung up his Invincible costume and retired to a planet with his wife and child - but of course trouble finds him, most notably here when an alien transports him to a time just prior to him becoming Invincible. A decent enough read, but the series has taking a notable downturn in quality over the last couple of volumes from the fresh and exciting stories it used to tell: B-
26. The Fisherman by John Langan - A beautifully told horror novel split into two parts, one in a contemporary setting, the other a hundred years earlier. Truly unsettling in places and vividly realised, this is a brilliant book: A
27. Aliens: Bug Hunt (Kindle) - A short story collection focusing on the colonial marines from the Alien films. There's a couple of gems hidden in this book, but for the most part I found the stories here poorly written and underwhelming: C
28. Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade by Frank Miller and Brian Azarrillo; art by John Romita Jr - A prequel to Miller's legendary Dark Knight Returns, this tale tells the story of what caused Batman to retire, and what happened to the last Robin at the hands of the Joker. It's a slight tale, which is a shame as there's so much more story here to be told, but there's just about enough to keep you enthralled across its all too brief length: B
29. Hekla's Children by James Brogden (Kindle) - Four kids go missing during a school trip to a country park, and only one is found, leading to a mystery that involves passage to another world and an ancient demon out for revenge. A good, solid read that kept me engrossed throughout: B
30. Dick Tracy Goes to War by Max Allan Collins - I’ve long wanted to read this book sequel to the 1990 movie, and after hunting down a secondhand copy I’m pleased to say it didn’t disappoint, with the famous detective hunting down a Nazi gang who’ve infiltrated his home city. A cracking crime read: A+
31. Dick Tracy Movie Adaptation (graphic novel) - At the time the movie came out 27 years ago three graphic novels: two prequels and an adaptation of the film, the latter of which I never got to read. All these years later I finally get my hands on it and… it’s a perfectly serviceable comic book version of the film, but nothing more: B-
32. Star Trek: Boldly Go Vol. 1 - The first volume of the post-Star Trek Beyond adventures of the Enterprise crew. It’s a fantastic start with the crew encountering the Borg – a storyline that could’ve been cliched but turns out remarkably well in the hands of the series’ creative team: A
33. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs - The classic tale of the English lord brought up in the jungles of Africa by apes. It’s a really rather fun story, dramatic, engaging and much darker than the hundreds of television and film adaptations over the years would have us believe: A-
34. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets by Christie Golden - Novel adaptation of the recent Luc Besson film, itself based on a series of classic French comic albums. It’s a solid read and one that has made me want to catch the movie, but I can’t help feeling some sequences were dragged out far too long simply to pad out a somewhat slight storyline: B-
35. Star Trek: Discovery – Desperate Hours by David Mack - The first novel focusing on characters from the latest Star Trek television series goes back to a time before the series’ first episode to show the crew of the U.S.S. Shenzhou dealing with a planetary threat alongside the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise under Captain Pike’s command. A great start for Discovery in print: A
36. Dick Tracy Meets his Match by Max Allen Collins - The third and final of Collins’ Dick Tracy novel trilogy after the movie novelisation and Dick Tracy Goes to War. This tale sees the famed detective trying to marry his beloved Tess Trueheart on a live TV show, only for a sniper’s bullet to throw things into disarray and lead to a web of intrigue and murder. It took me a long time to track down a copy of this book at a reasonable price, but it was well worth it – I devoured it in a day, and can only hope that the fourth book hinted at in the author’s foreword might still some day make it into print: A+
37. Alien Covenant: Origins by Alan Dean Foster - A prequel novel to the recent movie (and Foster’s novelisation); the events of the book take place before the launch of the Covenant, meaning there are no actual aliens in the book. Instead, the antagonist is a group of humans intent on preventing the launch of the colony ship for fear it will lead to ‘demons’ finding their way back to Earth. An enjoyable enough read, but one that feels rather slight in story and overly long in places: B-
38. John Carter: The End - A graphic novel that is basically the John Carter equivalent of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. Here we find an elderly Carter dragged back into action one last time to save his beloved Barsoom. A solid read, although I found the art a little confusing in places: B+
39. The Hangman, the Hound and Other Hauntings by Thomas Corum Caldas - A book detailing real life haunted locations throughout Wales. There were a few typos and errors throughout that could’ve been avoided with a good run through by an editor, and some sections were rather poorly written, but overall this is a charming little book that I devoured in a just a few days: B+
40. The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard by David A. Goodman (Kindle) - Following on from the author’s bio of Captain Kirk, this book uses an identical format to delve into the life of The Next Generation’s iconic captain. It’s a very enjoyable book, but I was surprised to find the events of the series and the TNG movies that followed were crammed into the last quarter; Insurrection, for example, doesn’t even warrant a mention. Overall, though, this is a treat for TNG fans, and Picard’s voice is reflected clearly in Goodman’s words: A-
41. Shadow on the Wall by Jonathan Aycliffe (Kindle) - A wonderful, haunting tale of an ancient evil that is reawakened during restoration work in an isolated church. There’s no sudden scares in this book, just a disquieting sense of growing malevolence that builds from page to page. I thoroughly enjoyed this perfect spooky tale: A
42. The Lost Village by Neil Spring (Kindle) - A follow-up to Spring’s debut novel, The Ghost Hunters, featuring the return of Harry Price and his former assistant, Sarah Grey. An enjoyable read with some spooky moments as Price and Grey investigate the possible haunting of a ruined village, but not quite as chilling as the author’s last book, The Watchers. That said, it’s still an effective page-turner: B+
43. The Lost by Jonathan Aycliffe (Kindle) - Something of a modern take on the Dracula take but with its own unique spin that makes it standout from Stoker’s classic tale. Like Shadow on the Wall, this is a story that steadily builds with malevolence page by page until the true horror is revealed: A-
44. The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter (Kindle) - Baxter’s authorised sequel to the classic H.G. Wells novel War of the Worlds is, for the most part, a cracking tale of a second Martian invasion – this time taking place across the planet Earth rather than being confined to England. There were some instances where I felt the narrator’s tale dragged slightly, but on the whole this was a thrilling read that compliments the original admirably: A-
45. Groo: Friends and Foes, Vol. 3 by Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier - Third and final book in the Friend and Foes saga sees the witless warrior finally aid a young girl in tracking down her missing father, with plenty of frays and fun along the way. A fitting conclusion: A
46. Batman: The Dark Knight - Master Race - The second sequel to Frank Miller’s classic Dark Knight Returns sees the legendary creator team with a number of other acclaimed comic writers and artists to pit the ageing Batman against a new Kryptonian threat. Better than The Dark Knight Strikes Again, but falling short of the giddy heights of storytelling success achieved by the original. Enjoyable enough, but I’d hope this is the last Dark Knight story: B-
47. Predator: The 30th Anniversary Collection by Mark Verheiden - A weighty deluxe hardcover collection made to stand alongside the Dark Horse Aliens volumes. This book contains the trilogy of stories that find a New York detective drawn into conflict with the titular Predator as he attempts to find out what happened to his brother Dutch (yes, the Arnie character from the first movie): A
48. Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson - A beautiful new edition of the first Moomin novel. A whimsical, joyous tale that was as enchanting for this grown-up reader as it has been to generations of children: A
49. Dick Tracy Vol 1: 1932-1933 by Chester Gould - A wonderful first volume of Gould’s earliest Dick Tracy newspaper strips. Not the famed detective’s best stories, but a fascinating insight into his formative years: A
50. Asterix and the Chariot Race by Ferri and Conrad - The first Asterix book I’ve read from the new creative team and it’s... fine? This latest album has a decent enough story, is illustrated well and the gags are still there, but it’s lacking a certain charm that the older Asterix books had in abundance: B-
51. Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson - the second of Sort Of Books beautiful new Collectors’ Edition Moomins hardcovers reveals what happens when the Moomins discover the magical hobgoblin’s hat. Utterly charming: A+
52. The Memoirs of Moominpappa by Tove Jansson - another wonderful Moomins Collectors’ Edition, which tells the backstory of the Moomin patriarch. Not my favourite of the Moomin stories, but still a wonderful story: A
53. Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson - Moon adventures in the depths of a cold winter as Moomintroll unexpectedly wakes up from hibernation and has to contend with his first snow and the arrival of many guests to Moominvalley. Another charming tale - with some surprisingly adult themes - from this master storyteller: A+
54. Two Moomin Stories by Tove Jansson - A delightful little book containing the Moomin tales The Invisible Child and The Fir Tree, with proceeds from its sale going to Oxfam in support of empowering women and young girls. A wonderful book for various reasons, then: A
55. Behind You by Brian Coldrick - Wonderful collection of ‘one-shot horror stories’ featuring spooky illustrations and one simple line of text to accompany them. Effective, chilling and beautifully done: A
56. Star Trek: Waypoint - A great graphic novel collection of short stories set in the various eras of the Star Trek universe. Thoroughly enjoyed all the tales contained within, especially the Star Trek Phase II story that rounds off the book: A
57. Roughneck by Jeff Lemire - A brilliantly told and beautifully illustrated graphic novel in which a shamed former hockey player finds himself reunited with his sister who is fleeing from an abusive partner. The story is well told, the artwork never anything less than stunning, with its sparse use of colour being particularly effective: A
58. The Terminator: Tempest and One Shot - Great oversized hardcover that fits in perfectly with Dark Horse’s earlier Alien and Predator volumes, and which contains comic stories devised before the Terminator 2 movie. A fun read: B+
59. The Art of Star Trek: The Kelvin Timeline by Jeff Bond - A lush oversized hardback featuring beautiful concept art from the three latest Star Trek movies. The text is slight but the images talk for themselves. An essential purchase for fans: A
60. Eight Ghosts - A wonderful collection of short stories by various authors, all of which tell ghost tales set at real locations maintained by English Heritage. And as if the stories themselves aren't haunting enough, the book also features a section that lists real ghostly experiences at some of English Heritage's locations around the country: A
There we go then - 60 books on the head! If only I'd read a little quicker and added another nine on top we could've all rounded off the year sniggering at 69. Infantile? Perhaps. Maybe next year?
Have a happy, healthy and wondrous 2018. Maybe, just maaaaaaybe, I'll see you back around here a little sooner than next December 31st…
Anyway, I'll make my annual hollow promise to start blogging again in the coming year (who knows, this might be the one I actually follow through with it!) before digging out my dusty old jacket with the worn leather elbow patches, nudge my glasses up my nose (true story: I actually got some this year, but only for working on my computer, sadly not to look sexily intelligent as I'm sipping a latte in Starbucks) in order to run through the books of 2017 and give them an appropriate grade, from D- (you're trash) to A+ (I get a tingle in my special place). As usual I'll provide links where possible so you can purchase your own copy if you should so like, but honestly, do try and buy from an actual bookshop rather than the giant corporation I'm linking to; I only link to them because I'm impossibly lazy (hence no blogging).
Onwards?
01. Fight Club 2 by Chuck Palahniuk, illustrated by Cameron Stewart - A graphic novel sequel to Palahniuk's acclaimed novel and the film it spawned. This book picks up the thread of the narrator now married to Marla with a child, but it's not long before Tyler Durden resurfaces. It's a worthy and for the most part enjoyable follow up to the original, but one that is neither as clever nor as shocking: B
02. The Complete Peanuts 1950-2000 by Charles Schultz - The final volume in Fantagraphics Books' wonderful complete Peanuts collection looks back at all the bonus material, original art and other extras that Schultz created outside of the daily strips. It's a fitting conclusion to a beautiful series of books: A+
03. The Jekyll Revelation by Robert Masello (Kindle) - An enjoyable tale with two parallel storylines, one featuring Jekyll and Hyde author Robert Louis Stevenson in Victorian London amidst the horrors of the Jack the Ripper murders and the other focusing on a conservationist in contemporary California who finds Stevenson's diary. It's a fun, easy read, and one that's rather enjoyable as long as you surrender to the historical inaccuracies and liberties within: B
04. Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs - A companion volume to Riggs' acclaimed Miss Peregrine trilogy, this beautifully presented tome contains a number of short stories – best described as peculiar fairy tales – that were referred to throughout the author’s earlier books. An enjoyable read that adds an extra layer of detail to Riggs’ peculiar universe. I enjoyed it a lot: A-
05. How to Archer by Sterling Archer - No, seriously, the animated star of the TV show Archer is listed as the author. Regardless of who wrote it - and I veer strongly towards it actually being Sterling Archer because his voice comes across so well in the writing - this is an amusing guide to how to be the words greatest secret agent. Made me chuckle a lot: B+
06. John Carter: World of Mars by Peter David, art by Luke Ross - A collected edition that gathers together the four issue prequel comic book series to the 2012 movie. It's a fun story that unites characters from the film and gives a bit of backstory to them and their motivations prior to Carter's arrival on Barsoom: B+
07. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole - A reread of one of my favourite books in a fancy new cloth bound hardback edition. Toole's farcical tale of the outlandish Ignatious J. Reilly's misadventures remains as hysterically funny as it was when I first read it almost 20 years ago. A genuinely brilliant read filled with colourful, memorable characters. I adore this book: A+
08. Star Wars: Catalyst - A Rogue One Novel by James Luceno (Kindle) - A prequel to the 2016 standalone movie Rogue One, Catalyst tells the story of Galen Erso's friendship with Orsen Krennic, the development of what will ultimately become the Death Star, and ultimately the manipulation that leads Erso and his family to escape into hiding before Krennic tracks the down at the beginning of the film. A solid read that adds some welcome backstory to the events of the movie: B+
09. The Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Kindle) - From the creator of Tarzan and John Carter of Mars, this story tells the tale of Julian 9th, an oppressed young man living in a time when Earth has been conquered by invaders from the moon. A quick read, and one that’s enjoyable enough but not quite as enthralling as the author’s Barsoom stories: B-
10. Pirates of Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Kindle) - The first book in the author's Amtor series sees Earth man Carson Napier aim for Mars but end up on Venus, where he discovers a world full of strange creatures and adventure. A really fun, easy to read pulp novel that has similarities to Burroughs' John Carter stories: A-
11. Lost on Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Kindle) - Book two of the Amtor series picks right up from the end of the first, with Carson Napier thrust into more peril and new adventures on the planet Venus. As fun as the first book: A-
12. Carson of Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Kindle) - Carson’s story picks up in the third of Burroughs’ Venus books. In this adventure, Carson Napier finds himself once more separated from his beloved princess Duare, and caught in a war against the fascist Zanis. Another enjoyable tale of daring-do and fantastic adventure, but probably my least favourite of the series so far: B+
13. Escape on Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Kindle) - The fourth Amtor novel sees Carson and his beloved Duare caught up in yet more adventures on Venus, from being captured by amphibian warriors to amoeba-type humanoids who want to keep them as exhibits in a museum. There's a lovely line of humour running throughout this book that was absent from the previous ones, and it helped this enjoyable tale take a step on from the set formula established in books 1-3: A
14. The Wizard of Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Kindle) - A short novella rounds off Burroughs' Amtor series, with Carson of Venus and his friend Ero Shan finding themselves in a valley where a wizard is said to turn people into the Venusian equivalent of pigs. It's a slight tale, and maybe not quite a fitting send off for the series, but enjoyable nonetheless: B+
15. John Carter: A Princess of Mars - A very enjoyable collected edition of the comic book adaptation of Burroughs' first Barsoom tale. The artwork is striking if somewhat dark in places, and the tale rattles along at a fair old pace. Very enjoyable: A-
16. John Carter: The Gods of Mars - The second book in Burrough’s Barsoom series receives a graphic novel adaptation. The art isn’t as stylised as that of the previous book, but this makes it arguably easier to read if not quite as nice to look at. I did have some issues with the way some of the individual panels flowed on certain pages, but on the whole this was an enjoyable and easy read that captured the essence of the original book well: A-
17. Star Trek: Voyager - Full Circle by Kirsten Beyer (Kindle) - I decided to give Beyer’s first Voyager relaunch novel a go based on the fact she’s working on Star Trek: Discovery. It’s a good, solid tale that covers a lot of ground, from B’Elanna Torres dealing with an ancient Klingon order out to get her daughter to - SPOILER ALERT! - the death of Kathryn Janeway and the effect it has on Chakotay. I enjoyed, but don’t know yet whether I’ll race to read the next book and find out what happens during Voyager’s return to the Delta Quadrant…: B
18. Alien 3 by Alan Dean Foster - I threw out a copy of this book when I moved years ago and for some reason came to regret that decision in the years that followed. Fortunately, I found another copy and thoroughly enjoyed Foster’s novelisation of what I believe is a hugely underrated film: A
19. Aliens - The Original Comics Series: Nightmare Asylum and Earth War by Mark Verheiden - The second volume in Dark Horse’s beautiful series of oversized hardbacks repackaging the original comics that followed on from the 1986 movie Aliens. The stories in this edition see Newt and Hicks fall into the hands of a crazed military officer who believes the Aliens can be trained, and tell the tale of what Ripley has been up to in the intervening years: A
20. Star Trek: The Abode of Life by Lee Correy (Kindle) - An appalling Star Trek novel from the 1980s. The Enterprise is damaged and finds itself in orbit of a planet whose inhabitants think they’re the only life in the universe. A dull story, far too much exposition about how the alien civilisation works, and characters that don’t read like their namesakes. One of the very worst Trek novels I’ve ever read: C-
21. Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (Kindle) - A brilliantly told story about a small town in North East America that has been held under the curse of a witch for over 300 hundred years. The witch appears throughout the town and is monitored by an agency called Hex. But things start to go badly wrong when the town’s youths rebel against the edict to leave the witch alone… One of the best horrors I’ve read in years: A+
22. The Lost City of Z by David Grann - I was intrigued by the true story of experienced Amazon explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett going missing while searching for a mythical city he believed existed in the middle of the dense jungle, but hesitated as I’m not a big fan of non-fiction. I needn’t have worried: this book is a superb exploration of Fawcett’s life and passion, and the author’s own fascination with the story is imbued in every page. Wonderful: A+
23. Summer Morning, Summer Night by Ray Bradbury - A collection of some of Bradbury’s short stories. This was my first exposure to the author’s work and while it was a reasonably charming and quick read, I don’t necessarily feel the need to delve further into his back catalogue: B-
24. Alien Covenant by Alan Dean Foster – A decent, well-written novelisation of the most recent Alien film. There's nothing beyond what you saw on cinema screens, but it's a good story, realised well here in prose. Basically, if you enjoyed the film I imagine you'll enjoy the book: B+
25. Invincible Ultimate Collection Vol. 11 by Robert Kirkman - Volume 11 sees Mark having hung up his Invincible costume and retired to a planet with his wife and child - but of course trouble finds him, most notably here when an alien transports him to a time just prior to him becoming Invincible. A decent enough read, but the series has taking a notable downturn in quality over the last couple of volumes from the fresh and exciting stories it used to tell: B-
26. The Fisherman by John Langan - A beautifully told horror novel split into two parts, one in a contemporary setting, the other a hundred years earlier. Truly unsettling in places and vividly realised, this is a brilliant book: A
27. Aliens: Bug Hunt (Kindle) - A short story collection focusing on the colonial marines from the Alien films. There's a couple of gems hidden in this book, but for the most part I found the stories here poorly written and underwhelming: C
28. Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade by Frank Miller and Brian Azarrillo; art by John Romita Jr - A prequel to Miller's legendary Dark Knight Returns, this tale tells the story of what caused Batman to retire, and what happened to the last Robin at the hands of the Joker. It's a slight tale, which is a shame as there's so much more story here to be told, but there's just about enough to keep you enthralled across its all too brief length: B
29. Hekla's Children by James Brogden (Kindle) - Four kids go missing during a school trip to a country park, and only one is found, leading to a mystery that involves passage to another world and an ancient demon out for revenge. A good, solid read that kept me engrossed throughout: B
30. Dick Tracy Goes to War by Max Allan Collins - I’ve long wanted to read this book sequel to the 1990 movie, and after hunting down a secondhand copy I’m pleased to say it didn’t disappoint, with the famous detective hunting down a Nazi gang who’ve infiltrated his home city. A cracking crime read: A+
31. Dick Tracy Movie Adaptation (graphic novel) - At the time the movie came out 27 years ago three graphic novels: two prequels and an adaptation of the film, the latter of which I never got to read. All these years later I finally get my hands on it and… it’s a perfectly serviceable comic book version of the film, but nothing more: B-
32. Star Trek: Boldly Go Vol. 1 - The first volume of the post-Star Trek Beyond adventures of the Enterprise crew. It’s a fantastic start with the crew encountering the Borg – a storyline that could’ve been cliched but turns out remarkably well in the hands of the series’ creative team: A
33. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs - The classic tale of the English lord brought up in the jungles of Africa by apes. It’s a really rather fun story, dramatic, engaging and much darker than the hundreds of television and film adaptations over the years would have us believe: A-
34. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets by Christie Golden - Novel adaptation of the recent Luc Besson film, itself based on a series of classic French comic albums. It’s a solid read and one that has made me want to catch the movie, but I can’t help feeling some sequences were dragged out far too long simply to pad out a somewhat slight storyline: B-
35. Star Trek: Discovery – Desperate Hours by David Mack - The first novel focusing on characters from the latest Star Trek television series goes back to a time before the series’ first episode to show the crew of the U.S.S. Shenzhou dealing with a planetary threat alongside the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise under Captain Pike’s command. A great start for Discovery in print: A
36. Dick Tracy Meets his Match by Max Allen Collins - The third and final of Collins’ Dick Tracy novel trilogy after the movie novelisation and Dick Tracy Goes to War. This tale sees the famed detective trying to marry his beloved Tess Trueheart on a live TV show, only for a sniper’s bullet to throw things into disarray and lead to a web of intrigue and murder. It took me a long time to track down a copy of this book at a reasonable price, but it was well worth it – I devoured it in a day, and can only hope that the fourth book hinted at in the author’s foreword might still some day make it into print: A+
37. Alien Covenant: Origins by Alan Dean Foster - A prequel novel to the recent movie (and Foster’s novelisation); the events of the book take place before the launch of the Covenant, meaning there are no actual aliens in the book. Instead, the antagonist is a group of humans intent on preventing the launch of the colony ship for fear it will lead to ‘demons’ finding their way back to Earth. An enjoyable enough read, but one that feels rather slight in story and overly long in places: B-
38. John Carter: The End - A graphic novel that is basically the John Carter equivalent of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. Here we find an elderly Carter dragged back into action one last time to save his beloved Barsoom. A solid read, although I found the art a little confusing in places: B+
39. The Hangman, the Hound and Other Hauntings by Thomas Corum Caldas - A book detailing real life haunted locations throughout Wales. There were a few typos and errors throughout that could’ve been avoided with a good run through by an editor, and some sections were rather poorly written, but overall this is a charming little book that I devoured in a just a few days: B+
40. The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard by David A. Goodman (Kindle) - Following on from the author’s bio of Captain Kirk, this book uses an identical format to delve into the life of The Next Generation’s iconic captain. It’s a very enjoyable book, but I was surprised to find the events of the series and the TNG movies that followed were crammed into the last quarter; Insurrection, for example, doesn’t even warrant a mention. Overall, though, this is a treat for TNG fans, and Picard’s voice is reflected clearly in Goodman’s words: A-
41. Shadow on the Wall by Jonathan Aycliffe (Kindle) - A wonderful, haunting tale of an ancient evil that is reawakened during restoration work in an isolated church. There’s no sudden scares in this book, just a disquieting sense of growing malevolence that builds from page to page. I thoroughly enjoyed this perfect spooky tale: A
42. The Lost Village by Neil Spring (Kindle) - A follow-up to Spring’s debut novel, The Ghost Hunters, featuring the return of Harry Price and his former assistant, Sarah Grey. An enjoyable read with some spooky moments as Price and Grey investigate the possible haunting of a ruined village, but not quite as chilling as the author’s last book, The Watchers. That said, it’s still an effective page-turner: B+
43. The Lost by Jonathan Aycliffe (Kindle) - Something of a modern take on the Dracula take but with its own unique spin that makes it standout from Stoker’s classic tale. Like Shadow on the Wall, this is a story that steadily builds with malevolence page by page until the true horror is revealed: A-
44. The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter (Kindle) - Baxter’s authorised sequel to the classic H.G. Wells novel War of the Worlds is, for the most part, a cracking tale of a second Martian invasion – this time taking place across the planet Earth rather than being confined to England. There were some instances where I felt the narrator’s tale dragged slightly, but on the whole this was a thrilling read that compliments the original admirably: A-
45. Groo: Friends and Foes, Vol. 3 by Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier - Third and final book in the Friend and Foes saga sees the witless warrior finally aid a young girl in tracking down her missing father, with plenty of frays and fun along the way. A fitting conclusion: A
46. Batman: The Dark Knight - Master Race - The second sequel to Frank Miller’s classic Dark Knight Returns sees the legendary creator team with a number of other acclaimed comic writers and artists to pit the ageing Batman against a new Kryptonian threat. Better than The Dark Knight Strikes Again, but falling short of the giddy heights of storytelling success achieved by the original. Enjoyable enough, but I’d hope this is the last Dark Knight story: B-
47. Predator: The 30th Anniversary Collection by Mark Verheiden - A weighty deluxe hardcover collection made to stand alongside the Dark Horse Aliens volumes. This book contains the trilogy of stories that find a New York detective drawn into conflict with the titular Predator as he attempts to find out what happened to his brother Dutch (yes, the Arnie character from the first movie): A
48. Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson - A beautiful new edition of the first Moomin novel. A whimsical, joyous tale that was as enchanting for this grown-up reader as it has been to generations of children: A
49. Dick Tracy Vol 1: 1932-1933 by Chester Gould - A wonderful first volume of Gould’s earliest Dick Tracy newspaper strips. Not the famed detective’s best stories, but a fascinating insight into his formative years: A
50. Asterix and the Chariot Race by Ferri and Conrad - The first Asterix book I’ve read from the new creative team and it’s... fine? This latest album has a decent enough story, is illustrated well and the gags are still there, but it’s lacking a certain charm that the older Asterix books had in abundance: B-
51. Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson - the second of Sort Of Books beautiful new Collectors’ Edition Moomins hardcovers reveals what happens when the Moomins discover the magical hobgoblin’s hat. Utterly charming: A+
52. The Memoirs of Moominpappa by Tove Jansson - another wonderful Moomins Collectors’ Edition, which tells the backstory of the Moomin patriarch. Not my favourite of the Moomin stories, but still a wonderful story: A
53. Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson - Moon adventures in the depths of a cold winter as Moomintroll unexpectedly wakes up from hibernation and has to contend with his first snow and the arrival of many guests to Moominvalley. Another charming tale - with some surprisingly adult themes - from this master storyteller: A+
54. Two Moomin Stories by Tove Jansson - A delightful little book containing the Moomin tales The Invisible Child and The Fir Tree, with proceeds from its sale going to Oxfam in support of empowering women and young girls. A wonderful book for various reasons, then: A
55. Behind You by Brian Coldrick - Wonderful collection of ‘one-shot horror stories’ featuring spooky illustrations and one simple line of text to accompany them. Effective, chilling and beautifully done: A
56. Star Trek: Waypoint - A great graphic novel collection of short stories set in the various eras of the Star Trek universe. Thoroughly enjoyed all the tales contained within, especially the Star Trek Phase II story that rounds off the book: A
57. Roughneck by Jeff Lemire - A brilliantly told and beautifully illustrated graphic novel in which a shamed former hockey player finds himself reunited with his sister who is fleeing from an abusive partner. The story is well told, the artwork never anything less than stunning, with its sparse use of colour being particularly effective: A
58. The Terminator: Tempest and One Shot - Great oversized hardcover that fits in perfectly with Dark Horse’s earlier Alien and Predator volumes, and which contains comic stories devised before the Terminator 2 movie. A fun read: B+
59. The Art of Star Trek: The Kelvin Timeline by Jeff Bond - A lush oversized hardback featuring beautiful concept art from the three latest Star Trek movies. The text is slight but the images talk for themselves. An essential purchase for fans: A
60. Eight Ghosts - A wonderful collection of short stories by various authors, all of which tell ghost tales set at real locations maintained by English Heritage. And as if the stories themselves aren't haunting enough, the book also features a section that lists real ghostly experiences at some of English Heritage's locations around the country: A
There we go then - 60 books on the head! If only I'd read a little quicker and added another nine on top we could've all rounded off the year sniggering at 69. Infantile? Perhaps. Maybe next year?
Have a happy, healthy and wondrous 2018. Maybe, just maaaaaaybe, I'll see you back around here a little sooner than next December 31st…
Wednesday, February 01, 2017
The tooth, the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth
Last week I was strolling around Waitrose and I decided I fancied some camembert; fancy as in I wanted to eat some, not that I became strangely romantically entangled with a piece of cheese. So I picked some up, popped it in my basket and a few minutes later I'd bought it.
The next day I decided that I quite liked the idea of having some of the camembert for lunch so I took the packet out of the fridge - noting at the time a rather distinct aroma - opened it, carved a bit off, lit a candle because this stuff REEKS, and began eating.
I mean, seriously, every time I open the fridge I have to spark some incense or something because this stuff is aggressive.
Anyway, that's not what this tale is about. Because a couple of minutes after eating the cheese I noticed a tooth at the back of my mouth felt a bit… weird.
Now, strictly speaking I should blame the Kitkat I had after the cheese because that's way harder than camembert, but I love Kitkats, don't want to blame them for any of the world's troubles, and the cheese just smells.
So I sit there for a few seconds running my tongue around the back of my mouth thinking that it's just food wedged down in the tooth and I can probably pry it off if I really go at it like a high-schooler furiously making out behind the bike sheds, but after a while I start to get that mounting sensation of dread - so much so that I had to pause the episode of Supernatural I was watching and peg it upstairs to the bathroom. There I start brushing my teeth, certain that in a few seconds I'll have dislodged the offending mass and everything will be fine.
Everything was not fine.
Opening my mouth I look back and see and big old lump of tooth has just, like, gone.
Gone as in it's no longer anywhere in my mouth, which means I've swallowed it.
At this point I start fretting and here's why: I *hate* dentists.
Seriously. Pretty much from the moment I was old enough to make the decision myself I've not been. Which is weird, because when I was a kid I had the loveliest dentist and never needed any working doing. That said, he used to have a load of those little furry clip-on toys that used to be everywhere in the eighties attached to his lamp and I always worried one would fall off, straight into my mouth and I'd choke, so I guess there's a reason for my paranoia.
Anyway, at this point, even though the tooth doesn't hurt and I can stab it with my tongue and drink tea and eat and it only feels weird when I do touch it I decide there's two courses of action:
1. Leave it and hope it gets better.
2. Go to a dentist.
I know I'm grown up now because I actually decide on option 2, even though option 1 was mightily appealing.
Finding a dentist on a Friday afternoon when you've not had a dentist in years is a fraught experience, reader. Especially so when you're trying to find an NHS one and the closest appointment they can give you is in April. And this is why I ended up going to a private dentist, because not only were they reasonably affordable, but they were just a short walk from Sparky Towers and had a rather nice, professional looking logo so I reasoned they must be good.
So at an ungodly hour on Monday morning I rock up to the dentist and fill in a registration form; under the section asking 'do you have any medical conditions we should know about' I write 'I'm absolutely terrified of dentists (sorry).'
A short time later a lovely lady approaches me and introduces herself. We'll call her Susan. "Nice to meet you Susan," I say. She smiles and replies "you don't really mean that, do you?"
Susan leads me to her chamber of horrors and asks me to perch on the seat. I explain what's happened and she doesn't chastise me for not going to a dentist in 847 years. Then she asks me to swing my feet up and she begins to lower the chair. At this point I go rigid with fear because the sensation of the chair tilting makes me feel like I'm going to be waterboarded, or simply slide off the chair and shatter into a thousand tiny pieces on the floor. Above me is a flatscreen television showing a piece on BBC Breakfast about Brexit, as if I wasn't already terrified enough.
After a quick look in my gob Susan says I've done remarkably well for someone who's neglected their dental health for such an obscenely long time. Then she pulls out a wand with a camera attached and, replacing the BBC Breakfast Brexit piece on the television begins to take me on a guided tour of my mouth. If it wasn't for the fact she had two fingers and a camera in my mouth I would've asked if she could change the channel back to the Brexit piece and as lovely as this all was, could she just fix what needs fixing and leave me feeling blissfully ignorant.
Susan says the damaged tooth just needs a filling and I almost explode. I've never had a filling in my life and I suddenly feel a sense of unexpected shame. Then Susan injects me and half my face goes numb.
"If at any point you want me to stop," she says, "just raise your hand."
I raise my hand.
"I haven't started yet," she says.
I then decide to sit on my hands because otherwise she'll be stop-starting more than a worn out 1984 Ford Escort.
At this point I'm just one big massive rigid piece of man-shaped tension, which is ironic given that I'm always telling people in yoga classes to let the tension go and relax. I try practicing what I preach, but I just start vibrating.
Anyway, Susan goes about doing her thing and I'm a very brave little boy until that moment right at the end where the woman holding the suction thing turns away for a second and my mouth fills up with water and I choke a bit.
"Oh, looks like we hit your gag reflex there," says Susan smiling.
I BEG YOUR PARDON SUSAN I telepathically convey because my mouth is otherwise occupied and my face half numb.
Susan then announces we're done and asks if I want to see what she's done. I don't, and tell her I'll review her handiwork later at my leisure, once the trauma (and the anaesthetic) has worn off. Part of me is hoping that she's going to give me a lollipop for being so brave, but I guess that goes against the whole trying to avoid getting any cavities thing.
So there we have it. I now have my first filling. And it's all because of some stinky camembert and definitely not because of a Kitkat. Bloody cheese. Oh, and Big Bro just keeps asking me if I've poo'd out the offending shard that snapped off. So far the answer is no, but now I'm terrified it's going to lacerate my bottom when it finally does depart. Such trauma.
-----
EPILOGUE
I took me 24 hours to summon up the courage to check out Susan's work and the woman is a genius. She's the Michelangelo of dentistry. I'd take a photo but I've got an iPhone Plus and I can't fit it in my mouth.
The next day I decided that I quite liked the idea of having some of the camembert for lunch so I took the packet out of the fridge - noting at the time a rather distinct aroma - opened it, carved a bit off, lit a candle because this stuff REEKS, and began eating.
I mean, seriously, every time I open the fridge I have to spark some incense or something because this stuff is aggressive.
Anyway, that's not what this tale is about. Because a couple of minutes after eating the cheese I noticed a tooth at the back of my mouth felt a bit… weird.
Now, strictly speaking I should blame the Kitkat I had after the cheese because that's way harder than camembert, but I love Kitkats, don't want to blame them for any of the world's troubles, and the cheese just smells.
So I sit there for a few seconds running my tongue around the back of my mouth thinking that it's just food wedged down in the tooth and I can probably pry it off if I really go at it like a high-schooler furiously making out behind the bike sheds, but after a while I start to get that mounting sensation of dread - so much so that I had to pause the episode of Supernatural I was watching and peg it upstairs to the bathroom. There I start brushing my teeth, certain that in a few seconds I'll have dislodged the offending mass and everything will be fine.
Everything was not fine.
Opening my mouth I look back and see and big old lump of tooth has just, like, gone.
Gone as in it's no longer anywhere in my mouth, which means I've swallowed it.
At this point I start fretting and here's why: I *hate* dentists.
Seriously. Pretty much from the moment I was old enough to make the decision myself I've not been. Which is weird, because when I was a kid I had the loveliest dentist and never needed any working doing. That said, he used to have a load of those little furry clip-on toys that used to be everywhere in the eighties attached to his lamp and I always worried one would fall off, straight into my mouth and I'd choke, so I guess there's a reason for my paranoia.
Anyway, at this point, even though the tooth doesn't hurt and I can stab it with my tongue and drink tea and eat and it only feels weird when I do touch it I decide there's two courses of action:
1. Leave it and hope it gets better.
2. Go to a dentist.
I know I'm grown up now because I actually decide on option 2, even though option 1 was mightily appealing.
Finding a dentist on a Friday afternoon when you've not had a dentist in years is a fraught experience, reader. Especially so when you're trying to find an NHS one and the closest appointment they can give you is in April. And this is why I ended up going to a private dentist, because not only were they reasonably affordable, but they were just a short walk from Sparky Towers and had a rather nice, professional looking logo so I reasoned they must be good.
So at an ungodly hour on Monday morning I rock up to the dentist and fill in a registration form; under the section asking 'do you have any medical conditions we should know about' I write 'I'm absolutely terrified of dentists (sorry).'
A short time later a lovely lady approaches me and introduces herself. We'll call her Susan. "Nice to meet you Susan," I say. She smiles and replies "you don't really mean that, do you?"
Susan leads me to her chamber of horrors and asks me to perch on the seat. I explain what's happened and she doesn't chastise me for not going to a dentist in 847 years. Then she asks me to swing my feet up and she begins to lower the chair. At this point I go rigid with fear because the sensation of the chair tilting makes me feel like I'm going to be waterboarded, or simply slide off the chair and shatter into a thousand tiny pieces on the floor. Above me is a flatscreen television showing a piece on BBC Breakfast about Brexit, as if I wasn't already terrified enough.
After a quick look in my gob Susan says I've done remarkably well for someone who's neglected their dental health for such an obscenely long time. Then she pulls out a wand with a camera attached and, replacing the BBC Breakfast Brexit piece on the television begins to take me on a guided tour of my mouth. If it wasn't for the fact she had two fingers and a camera in my mouth I would've asked if she could change the channel back to the Brexit piece and as lovely as this all was, could she just fix what needs fixing and leave me feeling blissfully ignorant.
Susan says the damaged tooth just needs a filling and I almost explode. I've never had a filling in my life and I suddenly feel a sense of unexpected shame. Then Susan injects me and half my face goes numb.
"If at any point you want me to stop," she says, "just raise your hand."
I raise my hand.
"I haven't started yet," she says.
I then decide to sit on my hands because otherwise she'll be stop-starting more than a worn out 1984 Ford Escort.
At this point I'm just one big massive rigid piece of man-shaped tension, which is ironic given that I'm always telling people in yoga classes to let the tension go and relax. I try practicing what I preach, but I just start vibrating.
Anyway, Susan goes about doing her thing and I'm a very brave little boy until that moment right at the end where the woman holding the suction thing turns away for a second and my mouth fills up with water and I choke a bit.
"Oh, looks like we hit your gag reflex there," says Susan smiling.
I BEG YOUR PARDON SUSAN I telepathically convey because my mouth is otherwise occupied and my face half numb.
Susan then announces we're done and asks if I want to see what she's done. I don't, and tell her I'll review her handiwork later at my leisure, once the trauma (and the anaesthetic) has worn off. Part of me is hoping that she's going to give me a lollipop for being so brave, but I guess that goes against the whole trying to avoid getting any cavities thing.
So there we have it. I now have my first filling. And it's all because of some stinky camembert and definitely not because of a Kitkat. Bloody cheese. Oh, and Big Bro just keeps asking me if I've poo'd out the offending shard that snapped off. So far the answer is no, but now I'm terrified it's going to lacerate my bottom when it finally does depart. Such trauma.
-----
EPILOGUE
I took me 24 hours to summon up the courage to check out Susan's work and the woman is a genius. She's the Michelangelo of dentistry. I'd take a photo but I've got an iPhone Plus and I can't fit it in my mouth.
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Reading list 2016
I'm baaaaaaack! OK, so my blog reboot fizzled a bit earlier in the year after that REALLY TRYING DAY when I tried to see 10 Cloverfield Lane, but I've been busy since then as well which is why I've not had time to hurl myself back into writing here as much as I would've liked to.
Why am I defending myself? God, shut up!
Anyway, that's not why I'm here today – because today, it's time for my annual reading list! Woo-hoo! I know you're all excited about this one because a) why wouldn't you be, but also b) these posts are as much for me as they are for telling you what I've been reading because I've gotten particularly OCD about keeping track of the books I read. I know. Shut up.
So while I may have been busy with other things, I've still been reading. Which is a good thing. Kids, you should all be reading more.
Where were we? Oh yes. The reading list. So as always the usual things apply: I'm dusting off my tweed jacket with the worn leather elbow pads and grading all the books I've read based on a scale that goes from A+ (for those that gave me a little thrill in my downstairs area) to D- and beyond (for those that made me go to a chemist for a special cream for my downstairs area). I'm also providing links to a well know online store whose digital service I've used to read some on my Kindle, but if any of these books take your fancy and you want to pick up an actual physical dead tree copy of your own, I'd urge you to go to a lovely bookshop such as Waterstones or Foyles, or if you have one nearby a little independent shop. Honestly, they're brilliant and I'm sure they'd love to have you browsing their shelves.
Let's begin…
01. Figure Fantasy by Daniel Picard - a stunning collection of the author's photography featuring life-like action figures taken from films and comic books and placed in unusual, every day situations: B+
02. Invincible: Ultimate Collection Volume 10 by Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley - The latest addition to the series of hardcover collections of this ongoing superhero comic book series. I can't help feel that Invincible has lost a little of the creativity that once made it so uniquely enjoyable, but it's still a fun read, highly entertaining and worth checking out: B+
03. Joyland by Stephen King - A coming of age tale more akin to King's Stand By Me than his more terrifying works of horror, this book tells the story of a young man's time spent working at a fading theme park. Although there are touches of the author's trademark supernatural flourishes throughout, this book is finely honed portrait of someone at a turning point in their life. It's beautifully written, by turn both heart wrenching and heart stopping, and gripping throughout. I loved it: A
04. The Complete Peanuts 1995-1996 by Charles Schulz - Nearing the end of this incredible collection (only three more volumes to go) and Schulz's comic strip masterpiece is still as insightful and brilliant as ever: A
05. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - Brilliantly told fantasy tale about a teenage boy who discovers the outlandish tales of children with incredible abilities told to him by his grandfather are true: A
06. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs - The sequel to the above title, and the middle tale of the Miss Peregrine's trilogy, is a thoroughly enjoyable story that picks up immediately where the previous book left off. It suffers just a little bit in places from being the second story of a trilogy, but on the whole it's great fun and the conclusion leaves you waiting for the final book: A-
07. Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs - The third and final book in the Miss Peregrine's series sees Jacob and Emma separated from their peculiar friends and with no choice but to take the fight to the Wights who threaten to destroy Peculiardom. A rousing finale for a wonderful series: A-
08. Love and Rockets New Stories 8 by The Hernandez Brothers - A new selection of stories from Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez. I didn't feel this volume was quite up to the standards of previous ones, but the Hernandez Brothers' work nevertheless remains head and shoulders above other comic books: B+
09. Illuminae by Jay Kristof and Amie Kaufman - A young adult novel told primarily in the form of various communiques between two teenage lovers, Kady and Ezra, following an attack on the planet they’re living on and their subsequent escape aboard a fleet of ships. A brilliantly told story that is by turns gripping, heart-wrenching and thrilling; the book is beautifully designed and packaged too with wonderfully illustrated pages that need to be seen to fully appreciate. Simply one of the most original and engaging books I’ve read in a long time: A+
10. Prometheus: The Complete Fire and Stone - An immense graphic novel collection drawing together stories from the Prometheus, Aliens, AvP and Predator comics to tell one epic story. It starts brilliantly - the Prometheus and Aliens entries telling wonderful stories that promise much - but the AvP and Predator tales prove to be little more than competent all out slug fests, while the final chapter, Prometheus: Omega, appears to get things back on track before trailing off with the most ridiculously open ended conclusion that fails to wrap up any of the ongoing plot threads. That said, for the most part I enjoyed this a rather a lot: B
11. Leonard: My Fifty Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man by William Shatner with David Fisher (Kindle) - A touching and insightful memoir of Shatner's near 50 year friendship with Leonard Nimoy. Yes, many of the Star Trek anecdotes here have been told elsewhere, but there's enough fascinating new details about both these remarkable men to warrant giving this a read, and both their voices shine throughout: A-
12. Star Trek Volume 11 by Mike Johnson - The latest graphical novel collection of Kelvin Timeline Star Trek comics collects stories detailing an encounter with the Tholians, Sulu's first landing party mission, and a special that draws the doctors of the five Star Trek series together to solve a mysterious virus that threatens the Federation. Entertaining enough, but not the series' finest collection: B
13. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (Kindle) - Cracking story about the crew of a spaceship that creates tunnels through space. There’s a hint of galactic politics and a larger story bubbling under throughout the book, but its main focus is on the individual members of the ship’s crew and this it does marvellously - with Chambers crafting a wonderful array of characters you really care for. Loved this: A
14. Leviathan Wakes by James S A Corey (Kindle) - After reading good things about the television show based on The Expanse series of books I thought I'd give the first novel a go. It's a great read, very entertaining and with some good characters and interesting story threads. However, it didn't quite make me want to jump straight into the second book right away, although I'm sure I will plough on with the series at some point (on a side note, the TV series is worth a bash): B
15. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel (Kindle) - A good read that tells the story of the discovery of a giant robot hidden in pieces across the globe and reconstructed by a secret government agency. Using emails and journal entries to tell the tale makes this an interesting and quick read, but I did feel I was missing certain parts of the story along the way. Still, I’m intrigued enough to be looking forward to the already announced sequel, and wondering where the story will go next: B
16. They All Love Jack: Busting the Ripper by Bruce Robinson (Kindle) - A comprehensively researched and brilliantly written exploration of the Victorian serial killer. Robinson delves deep into not only the legend of the ripper but also Victorian society to reveal the identity of who he believes truly was the infamous Whitechapel murderer. He makes a compelling case, and this is a stunning read: A
17. Archie Vs. Predator - Fantastically fun collected edition of the four issue comic book series that brings the fun-loving characters of the Archie comic book series together with the murderous alien Predator. It shouldn’t work – yet somehow it does, and it’s a joyous thing! A
18. Aliens: The Original Comic Series 30th Anniversary by Mark Verheidan, illustrated by Mark A. Nelson - A beautifully designed oversized hardback collecting the 1980s comics that continued the story of Hicks and Newt after the events of the movie Aliens (and before Alien 3 rendered it all moot). It’s a good read that has some interesting twists and turns, and a unique take on where the Aliens franchise could have gone: B+
19. A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay - An enjoyable novel about the effects a teenage girl’s apparent possession has on her family, particularly her young sister whose eyes the story is told through. It’s an effective tale, but I found it somewhat lacking in chills: B+
20. Arkwright by Allen Steele - A simply brilliant novel that tells the story of Humanity’s first interstellar starship, spanning the generations from the project’s very beginnings in the 20th century through to the ship’s arrival at a distant planet centuries later. I loved this book (so much so that I’ll just about forgive it for the very noticeable typos that cropped up a bit too frequently) - one of the very best sci-fi tales I’ve read in a long time: A
21. Star Trek Volume 12 by Mike Johnson - The latest collected edition of stories from the Star Trek comics line sees Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise meet their Mirror Universe counterparts, while a second tale explores the backstory of the Orion character Gaila. The Mirror Universe story is a particular highlight of the run so far, and a thoroughly enjoyable read: B+
22. Star Trek: Manifest Destiny by Mike Johnson - The crew of the Kelvin Timeline Enterprise (that’s the JJ Abrams universe if you didn’t know) come into conflict with a group of rogue Klingons who seize the ship as part of a plan to take control of the Empire. A decent Star Trek graphic novel: B
23. Return to Tomorrow - The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture by Preston Neal Jones - A massively comprehensive tome detailing the troubled production of the first Star Trek movie. This remarkable time capsule gives an incredible insight into the film and its many issues, and includes some startlingly honest opinions from the 70+ members of the cast and crew who are interviewed. A fascinating read for Trek fans and those interested in film production: A
24. Guidelines for Mountain Lion Safety by Poe Ballantine (Kindle) - The latest collection of one of my favourite author’s writings contains more stories of Poe’s time spent traveling across the U.S. in his earlier years, along with contemporary tales of his new life as a husband and father. Joyous, honest, and in places heart wrenching: A
25. The Butcher of Anderson Station by James S. A. Corey (Kindle) - A short novella from the universe of The Expanse. This story details what led to the character Fred from Leviathan Wakes being given the name ‘the Butcher of Anderson Station.’ A quick read, and entertaining enough: B
26. We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson - Thoroughly enjoyable story of a teenage boy who, when presented with the option of saving the world from destruction by aliens he calls the Sluggers, has to consider whether he actually wants to save humanity. The second young adult book I read this year, and one of my favourite reads of 2016: A
27. Spock Must Die! by James Blish - The first ever Star Trek novel is something of a curiosity as obviously it was written without knowledge of the countless hours of television and film to come. In this tale, the Klingons go to war against the Federation after somehow neutralising the Organian race who had forced peace upon the Empire and the Federation in the television episode Errand of Mercy, while at the same time the efforts of the crew of the Enterprise to learn what has taken place results in the creation of a duplicate Spock. There’s a few character quirks throughout that make the characterisations of the Enterprise crew a little ‘off’ but this is still a fun read: B+
28. Star Trek: The Fifty Year Mission – The First 25 Years by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman (Kindle) - A fantastic book detailing the origins of Star Trek and the production of the original series TV show and movies. The book takes the form of an oral history, collecting snippets of interviews from those involved in the series, and revealing information that even I, a seasoned Trek fan, was unaware of: A+
29. Star Trek: The Fifty Year Mission – From Next Generation to J.J. Abrams by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman (Kindle) - Continuing on from where the first book left off, the second volume of this series delves into the creation and production of the modern Trek series, with plenty of discussion and commentary on the politics and strife that went on behind the scenes, and information about Trek projects that were never realised. Both volumes are an essential read for Star Trek fans: A+
30. Star Trek: The Classic Episodes by James Blish - A beautifully put together collection of some of Blish's TOS novelisations in one giant leather bound volume. Wonderfully written versions of some of the original Star Trek's best episodes which often expand upon or differ from the source material, making them a unique read: A
31. A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (Kindle) - The second book in Chambers' Wayfarers series is markedly different from the first, picking up on threads left dangling from the events of the first story but with the focus shifting to the characters of Pepper and Sidra, the former AI of the Wayfarer. While this is an unexpected shift, the story is nevertheless a great one with two strong female protagonists: A
32. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy by Mike Johnson - This Star Trek graphic novel introduces a group of new young characters and ties their story into one featuring the cast of the Kelvin Timeline Enterprise crew during their time at Starfleet Academy. It's a good read, and one that surprised me with its quality: A
33. Bone: Coda by Jeff Smith - A wonderful final chapter in Smith's Bone saga. It's slight and not strictly speaking necessary addition to the Bone legacy, but it's a joy to see the Bone cousins back in action once again. Also contains the Bone Companion detailing Smith's effort to get his masterpiece into print: A
34. Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - Second book in the trilogy that began with Illuminae; Gemini starts as its own story set along similar lines to Illuminae with two new teenaged protagonists finding themselves facing an armed takeover of a space station, before picking up the threads of the first book and weaving them deftly into one tale. A great story and like its predecessor, a visual treat: A+
35. Lazarus by David Bowie and Enda Walsh - The book of the musical telling the tale of what happens to the alien Thomas Jerome Newton after the events of The Man Who Fell to Earth. I loved the stage show, and reading this script helped bring greater clarity to moments I missed when I saw it performed: B+
36. My Neighbour Totoro by Tsugiko Kubo - A beautifully packaged and wonderfully told novelisation of the acclaimed Studio Ghibli film, telling the story of a young girl’s move to the countryside and their discovery of a strange creature living in the nearby woods. A delightful tale: A
37. The Voyage of the Space Beagle by A. E. Van Vogt - A classic sci-fi novel that was among the inspirations for the original Star Trek television show. The book is told in an episodic fashion, effectively as three interlinked novellas detailing not only the crew of the Space Beagle’s interactions with alien life forms, but also the politics they face among themselves during their long voyage. A fun read: A
38. The Complete Peanuts 1997-1998 by Charles Schultz - Another collection of Schultz’s masterpiece as the series draws towards its final years; even after so many years, Schultz’s humour and penmanship remained first class well into their fifth decade: A
39. The Complete Peanuts 1999-2000 by Charles Schultz - The final volume of daily and Sunday strips sees Peanuts draw to a close after almost 50 years, and an emotional goodbye in Schultz’s very last panel. This collection also features the complete L’il Folks, Schultz’s precursor to Peanuts, a fun addition that provides glimpses of how Snoopy and the gang ultimately came to fruition: A+
40. Ofelia by Gilbert Hernandez - Another Love and Rockets collection that features the ongoing misadventures of Beto’s cast of characters including, among others, Luba, Pipo, Fritz, Doralis and of course, Ofelia. Always a great read: B+
41. Star Trek Volume 13 by Mike Johnson - The final volume in the ongoing Star Trek series set in the Kelvin Timeline features two of its finest stories; the first is a fitting farewell to Leonard Nimoy’s elder Spock that details his attempts to aid the Vulcans of this timeline in finding a new home, while the second sees a crossover that could only happen in the comics as the crew of the original series encounter their Kelvin Timeline alter egos. A treat for Trekkies: A+
42 Groo: Friends and Foes Volume 2 by Sergio Aragones - The second book in the Friends and Foes miniseries sees Aragones’ warrior meet more familiar faces and cause increasing amounts of chaos along the way! A fun-filled read: B+
That's yer lot then. At 42, I managed a smidgeon less books this year purely because, I'm guessing, some of the ones I read (I'm looking at you, Star Trek: The Classic Episodes and Return to Tomorrow) were huge and very heavy and would cut off the supply of blood to my legs if I didn't ration the time I spent reading them. As is often the case though, after Christmas I have a lovely stack of new books ready to get stuck into in the New Year, so hurrah for reading!
Right, whatever you're doing I hope you have a very happy and healthy New Year, and maybe - just maybe - I'll be back here soon…
Why am I defending myself? God, shut up!
Anyway, that's not why I'm here today – because today, it's time for my annual reading list! Woo-hoo! I know you're all excited about this one because a) why wouldn't you be, but also b) these posts are as much for me as they are for telling you what I've been reading because I've gotten particularly OCD about keeping track of the books I read. I know. Shut up.
So while I may have been busy with other things, I've still been reading. Which is a good thing. Kids, you should all be reading more.
Where were we? Oh yes. The reading list. So as always the usual things apply: I'm dusting off my tweed jacket with the worn leather elbow pads and grading all the books I've read based on a scale that goes from A+ (for those that gave me a little thrill in my downstairs area) to D- and beyond (for those that made me go to a chemist for a special cream for my downstairs area). I'm also providing links to a well know online store whose digital service I've used to read some on my Kindle, but if any of these books take your fancy and you want to pick up an actual physical dead tree copy of your own, I'd urge you to go to a lovely bookshop such as Waterstones or Foyles, or if you have one nearby a little independent shop. Honestly, they're brilliant and I'm sure they'd love to have you browsing their shelves.
Let's begin…
01. Figure Fantasy by Daniel Picard - a stunning collection of the author's photography featuring life-like action figures taken from films and comic books and placed in unusual, every day situations: B+
02. Invincible: Ultimate Collection Volume 10 by Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley - The latest addition to the series of hardcover collections of this ongoing superhero comic book series. I can't help feel that Invincible has lost a little of the creativity that once made it so uniquely enjoyable, but it's still a fun read, highly entertaining and worth checking out: B+
03. Joyland by Stephen King - A coming of age tale more akin to King's Stand By Me than his more terrifying works of horror, this book tells the story of a young man's time spent working at a fading theme park. Although there are touches of the author's trademark supernatural flourishes throughout, this book is finely honed portrait of someone at a turning point in their life. It's beautifully written, by turn both heart wrenching and heart stopping, and gripping throughout. I loved it: A
04. The Complete Peanuts 1995-1996 by Charles Schulz - Nearing the end of this incredible collection (only three more volumes to go) and Schulz's comic strip masterpiece is still as insightful and brilliant as ever: A
05. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - Brilliantly told fantasy tale about a teenage boy who discovers the outlandish tales of children with incredible abilities told to him by his grandfather are true: A
06. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs - The sequel to the above title, and the middle tale of the Miss Peregrine's trilogy, is a thoroughly enjoyable story that picks up immediately where the previous book left off. It suffers just a little bit in places from being the second story of a trilogy, but on the whole it's great fun and the conclusion leaves you waiting for the final book: A-
07. Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs - The third and final book in the Miss Peregrine's series sees Jacob and Emma separated from their peculiar friends and with no choice but to take the fight to the Wights who threaten to destroy Peculiardom. A rousing finale for a wonderful series: A-
08. Love and Rockets New Stories 8 by The Hernandez Brothers - A new selection of stories from Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez. I didn't feel this volume was quite up to the standards of previous ones, but the Hernandez Brothers' work nevertheless remains head and shoulders above other comic books: B+
09. Illuminae by Jay Kristof and Amie Kaufman - A young adult novel told primarily in the form of various communiques between two teenage lovers, Kady and Ezra, following an attack on the planet they’re living on and their subsequent escape aboard a fleet of ships. A brilliantly told story that is by turns gripping, heart-wrenching and thrilling; the book is beautifully designed and packaged too with wonderfully illustrated pages that need to be seen to fully appreciate. Simply one of the most original and engaging books I’ve read in a long time: A+
10. Prometheus: The Complete Fire and Stone - An immense graphic novel collection drawing together stories from the Prometheus, Aliens, AvP and Predator comics to tell one epic story. It starts brilliantly - the Prometheus and Aliens entries telling wonderful stories that promise much - but the AvP and Predator tales prove to be little more than competent all out slug fests, while the final chapter, Prometheus: Omega, appears to get things back on track before trailing off with the most ridiculously open ended conclusion that fails to wrap up any of the ongoing plot threads. That said, for the most part I enjoyed this a rather a lot: B
11. Leonard: My Fifty Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man by William Shatner with David Fisher (Kindle) - A touching and insightful memoir of Shatner's near 50 year friendship with Leonard Nimoy. Yes, many of the Star Trek anecdotes here have been told elsewhere, but there's enough fascinating new details about both these remarkable men to warrant giving this a read, and both their voices shine throughout: A-
12. Star Trek Volume 11 by Mike Johnson - The latest graphical novel collection of Kelvin Timeline Star Trek comics collects stories detailing an encounter with the Tholians, Sulu's first landing party mission, and a special that draws the doctors of the five Star Trek series together to solve a mysterious virus that threatens the Federation. Entertaining enough, but not the series' finest collection: B
13. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (Kindle) - Cracking story about the crew of a spaceship that creates tunnels through space. There’s a hint of galactic politics and a larger story bubbling under throughout the book, but its main focus is on the individual members of the ship’s crew and this it does marvellously - with Chambers crafting a wonderful array of characters you really care for. Loved this: A
14. Leviathan Wakes by James S A Corey (Kindle) - After reading good things about the television show based on The Expanse series of books I thought I'd give the first novel a go. It's a great read, very entertaining and with some good characters and interesting story threads. However, it didn't quite make me want to jump straight into the second book right away, although I'm sure I will plough on with the series at some point (on a side note, the TV series is worth a bash): B
15. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel (Kindle) - A good read that tells the story of the discovery of a giant robot hidden in pieces across the globe and reconstructed by a secret government agency. Using emails and journal entries to tell the tale makes this an interesting and quick read, but I did feel I was missing certain parts of the story along the way. Still, I’m intrigued enough to be looking forward to the already announced sequel, and wondering where the story will go next: B
16. They All Love Jack: Busting the Ripper by Bruce Robinson (Kindle) - A comprehensively researched and brilliantly written exploration of the Victorian serial killer. Robinson delves deep into not only the legend of the ripper but also Victorian society to reveal the identity of who he believes truly was the infamous Whitechapel murderer. He makes a compelling case, and this is a stunning read: A
17. Archie Vs. Predator - Fantastically fun collected edition of the four issue comic book series that brings the fun-loving characters of the Archie comic book series together with the murderous alien Predator. It shouldn’t work – yet somehow it does, and it’s a joyous thing! A
18. Aliens: The Original Comic Series 30th Anniversary by Mark Verheidan, illustrated by Mark A. Nelson - A beautifully designed oversized hardback collecting the 1980s comics that continued the story of Hicks and Newt after the events of the movie Aliens (and before Alien 3 rendered it all moot). It’s a good read that has some interesting twists and turns, and a unique take on where the Aliens franchise could have gone: B+
19. A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay - An enjoyable novel about the effects a teenage girl’s apparent possession has on her family, particularly her young sister whose eyes the story is told through. It’s an effective tale, but I found it somewhat lacking in chills: B+
20. Arkwright by Allen Steele - A simply brilliant novel that tells the story of Humanity’s first interstellar starship, spanning the generations from the project’s very beginnings in the 20th century through to the ship’s arrival at a distant planet centuries later. I loved this book (so much so that I’ll just about forgive it for the very noticeable typos that cropped up a bit too frequently) - one of the very best sci-fi tales I’ve read in a long time: A
21. Star Trek Volume 12 by Mike Johnson - The latest collected edition of stories from the Star Trek comics line sees Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise meet their Mirror Universe counterparts, while a second tale explores the backstory of the Orion character Gaila. The Mirror Universe story is a particular highlight of the run so far, and a thoroughly enjoyable read: B+
22. Star Trek: Manifest Destiny by Mike Johnson - The crew of the Kelvin Timeline Enterprise (that’s the JJ Abrams universe if you didn’t know) come into conflict with a group of rogue Klingons who seize the ship as part of a plan to take control of the Empire. A decent Star Trek graphic novel: B
23. Return to Tomorrow - The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture by Preston Neal Jones - A massively comprehensive tome detailing the troubled production of the first Star Trek movie. This remarkable time capsule gives an incredible insight into the film and its many issues, and includes some startlingly honest opinions from the 70+ members of the cast and crew who are interviewed. A fascinating read for Trek fans and those interested in film production: A
24. Guidelines for Mountain Lion Safety by Poe Ballantine (Kindle) - The latest collection of one of my favourite author’s writings contains more stories of Poe’s time spent traveling across the U.S. in his earlier years, along with contemporary tales of his new life as a husband and father. Joyous, honest, and in places heart wrenching: A
25. The Butcher of Anderson Station by James S. A. Corey (Kindle) - A short novella from the universe of The Expanse. This story details what led to the character Fred from Leviathan Wakes being given the name ‘the Butcher of Anderson Station.’ A quick read, and entertaining enough: B
26. We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson - Thoroughly enjoyable story of a teenage boy who, when presented with the option of saving the world from destruction by aliens he calls the Sluggers, has to consider whether he actually wants to save humanity. The second young adult book I read this year, and one of my favourite reads of 2016: A
27. Spock Must Die! by James Blish - The first ever Star Trek novel is something of a curiosity as obviously it was written without knowledge of the countless hours of television and film to come. In this tale, the Klingons go to war against the Federation after somehow neutralising the Organian race who had forced peace upon the Empire and the Federation in the television episode Errand of Mercy, while at the same time the efforts of the crew of the Enterprise to learn what has taken place results in the creation of a duplicate Spock. There’s a few character quirks throughout that make the characterisations of the Enterprise crew a little ‘off’ but this is still a fun read: B+
28. Star Trek: The Fifty Year Mission – The First 25 Years by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman (Kindle) - A fantastic book detailing the origins of Star Trek and the production of the original series TV show and movies. The book takes the form of an oral history, collecting snippets of interviews from those involved in the series, and revealing information that even I, a seasoned Trek fan, was unaware of: A+
29. Star Trek: The Fifty Year Mission – From Next Generation to J.J. Abrams by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman (Kindle) - Continuing on from where the first book left off, the second volume of this series delves into the creation and production of the modern Trek series, with plenty of discussion and commentary on the politics and strife that went on behind the scenes, and information about Trek projects that were never realised. Both volumes are an essential read for Star Trek fans: A+
30. Star Trek: The Classic Episodes by James Blish - A beautifully put together collection of some of Blish's TOS novelisations in one giant leather bound volume. Wonderfully written versions of some of the original Star Trek's best episodes which often expand upon or differ from the source material, making them a unique read: A
31. A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (Kindle) - The second book in Chambers' Wayfarers series is markedly different from the first, picking up on threads left dangling from the events of the first story but with the focus shifting to the characters of Pepper and Sidra, the former AI of the Wayfarer. While this is an unexpected shift, the story is nevertheless a great one with two strong female protagonists: A
32. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy by Mike Johnson - This Star Trek graphic novel introduces a group of new young characters and ties their story into one featuring the cast of the Kelvin Timeline Enterprise crew during their time at Starfleet Academy. It's a good read, and one that surprised me with its quality: A
33. Bone: Coda by Jeff Smith - A wonderful final chapter in Smith's Bone saga. It's slight and not strictly speaking necessary addition to the Bone legacy, but it's a joy to see the Bone cousins back in action once again. Also contains the Bone Companion detailing Smith's effort to get his masterpiece into print: A
34. Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - Second book in the trilogy that began with Illuminae; Gemini starts as its own story set along similar lines to Illuminae with two new teenaged protagonists finding themselves facing an armed takeover of a space station, before picking up the threads of the first book and weaving them deftly into one tale. A great story and like its predecessor, a visual treat: A+
35. Lazarus by David Bowie and Enda Walsh - The book of the musical telling the tale of what happens to the alien Thomas Jerome Newton after the events of The Man Who Fell to Earth. I loved the stage show, and reading this script helped bring greater clarity to moments I missed when I saw it performed: B+
36. My Neighbour Totoro by Tsugiko Kubo - A beautifully packaged and wonderfully told novelisation of the acclaimed Studio Ghibli film, telling the story of a young girl’s move to the countryside and their discovery of a strange creature living in the nearby woods. A delightful tale: A
37. The Voyage of the Space Beagle by A. E. Van Vogt - A classic sci-fi novel that was among the inspirations for the original Star Trek television show. The book is told in an episodic fashion, effectively as three interlinked novellas detailing not only the crew of the Space Beagle’s interactions with alien life forms, but also the politics they face among themselves during their long voyage. A fun read: A
38. The Complete Peanuts 1997-1998 by Charles Schultz - Another collection of Schultz’s masterpiece as the series draws towards its final years; even after so many years, Schultz’s humour and penmanship remained first class well into their fifth decade: A
39. The Complete Peanuts 1999-2000 by Charles Schultz - The final volume of daily and Sunday strips sees Peanuts draw to a close after almost 50 years, and an emotional goodbye in Schultz’s very last panel. This collection also features the complete L’il Folks, Schultz’s precursor to Peanuts, a fun addition that provides glimpses of how Snoopy and the gang ultimately came to fruition: A+
40. Ofelia by Gilbert Hernandez - Another Love and Rockets collection that features the ongoing misadventures of Beto’s cast of characters including, among others, Luba, Pipo, Fritz, Doralis and of course, Ofelia. Always a great read: B+
41. Star Trek Volume 13 by Mike Johnson - The final volume in the ongoing Star Trek series set in the Kelvin Timeline features two of its finest stories; the first is a fitting farewell to Leonard Nimoy’s elder Spock that details his attempts to aid the Vulcans of this timeline in finding a new home, while the second sees a crossover that could only happen in the comics as the crew of the original series encounter their Kelvin Timeline alter egos. A treat for Trekkies: A+
42 Groo: Friends and Foes Volume 2 by Sergio Aragones - The second book in the Friends and Foes miniseries sees Aragones’ warrior meet more familiar faces and cause increasing amounts of chaos along the way! A fun-filled read: B+
That's yer lot then. At 42, I managed a smidgeon less books this year purely because, I'm guessing, some of the ones I read (I'm looking at you, Star Trek: The Classic Episodes and Return to Tomorrow) were huge and very heavy and would cut off the supply of blood to my legs if I didn't ration the time I spent reading them. As is often the case though, after Christmas I have a lovely stack of new books ready to get stuck into in the New Year, so hurrah for reading!
Right, whatever you're doing I hope you have a very happy and healthy New Year, and maybe - just maybe - I'll be back here soon…
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