Book lover living in North West Wales, but originally from Birmingham. Enjoys politics, folklore, history, sci-fi, fantasy, etc.
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I picked this up when I visited Samye Ling Monastery recently. This is genuine a really fantastic autobiography reflecting on Lama Yeshe's escape from Tibet, his excesses in the West and his eventual reconciliation to Tibetan Buddhism. Really well written and just a fascinating life, and well worth a read whether you've an interest in Buddhism or not.
The ' (1970–2004), by science fiction author Larry Niven, is a part of his Known Space set of stories. Its …
Jurassic Park is a 1990 science fiction novel written by Michael Crichton. A cautionary tale about genetic engineering, it presents …
The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War, and Everest is a 2020 book by Ed Caesar …
The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War, and Everest is a …
Really interesting read. Maurice Wilson was a fascinating, complex character and this biography does a good, if imperfect, job of trying to understand him. Worth it for anyone with an interest in adventure, mountain climbing, or simply eccentric Yorkshiremen.
As the Angostin battle hordes surge over the Southern Borders of the Highlands, the bandit, …
Always strange going back to books you read a decade or more ago. It's great to remind yourself of why you enjoyed them so much, but it's difficult not to pick out their flaws when you've got so much more reading under your belt.
I definitely think more could have been done with some of the characters and some of the story could have done with being expanded on. Another hundred pages could have really helped.
Still, an enjoyable read and a fun wander down memory lane!
Timothy Buchannan buys an abandoned house on the edge of an isolated village on the …
An intriguing, thoughful read filled with loss, though it may take me some time to wrap my head around it to review!
A devil run amok on a ship filled with some of the worst rogues around - what's not to love? This was a real pleasure to read, mixing murder mystery, historical fiction, fantasy, and a touch of horror. Stuart Turton didn't get bogged down with a hundred pages of character introductions before the story gets started. Instead this starts with a bang, finishes with a bang, and is full of bangs throughout, all while making you love, loathe, and constantly question the motives of his varied cast of characters. I'm excited for what he writes next. Highly recommended.
Edgar Allan Poe is not only the finest, most terrifying writer of Gothic horror tales …
I had never read any of Poe's short stories until now, but having done so, I can understand the influence that he has had on so much subsequent fiction, and not only on horror.
With a few exceptions, the stories here were gripping and often horrifying, showing the enduring power of his gothic writing. In 'The Tell-Tale Heart', 'Berenice' and 'William Wilson', he manages to show moral decay, obsession and madness in a way which can be disturbing to read even now.
Though he may best be known for his gothic horror, it is important to recognise the influence of 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' and 'The Purloined Letter', which may have invented the detective story as we know it. They were an enjoyable and intriguing read, even if they were not as well developed as later detective stories like those of Sherlock Holmes.
While some of the stories …
I had never read any of Poe's short stories until now, but having done so, I can understand the influence that he has had on so much subsequent fiction, and not only on horror.
With a few exceptions, the stories here were gripping and often horrifying, showing the enduring power of his gothic writing. In 'The Tell-Tale Heart', 'Berenice' and 'William Wilson', he manages to show moral decay, obsession and madness in a way which can be disturbing to read even now.
Though he may best be known for his gothic horror, it is important to recognise the influence of 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' and 'The Purloined Letter', which may have invented the detective story as we know it. They were an enjoyable and intriguing read, even if they were not as well developed as later detective stories like those of Sherlock Holmes.
While some of the stories hold up better than others, and some of his characters, especially the women, are paper-thin, this is a worthwhile collection for any fiction reader who wants to understand the influence Edgar Allan Poe has had on fiction writing, or who just wants an enjoyable collection of stories to horrify and intrigue them.
Edgar Allan Poe is not only the finest, most terrifying writer of Gothic horror tales …
Looking forward to finally reading some Poe beyond The Raven.
"Could extinct species like mammoths and passenger pigeons be brought back to life? The science says yes. In [this book], …
Richard Hannay is now in his fifties but once more must throw himself into an adventure to uphold a an …
The Godfather is a crime novel by American author Mario Puzo. Originally published in 1969 by G. P. Putnam's Sons, …
