The British Fantasy Society Forum

[vivdunstan]

Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - 25th Anniversary Edition by Steven Levy - my favourite computing book ever...

Not seen that one. Why is it worth reading nowadays?

I think because a good story is still worth reading or rereading decades after the event. Just because it's telling an early history of popular computing doesn't make it any less interesting to read. And it's very well written, a real page-turner.

Levy's book focuses on the period from the late 1950s to the 1980s, so is pre Internet and Cyberspace as we know it today. I particularly like the early sections about the MIT programmers in the late 1950s and early 1960s. They might have been working with different technology, but the way they approached programming is recognisable to modern coders. It's also highly relevant to modern issues in computing such as open source software.

Thanks for your recommendations of related books. I will check them out.

[Stu]

Bad Boy. Written by Frank Miller, illustrated by Simon Bisley. A little boy tries to escape the clutches of the mad scientists who want to perform experimental brainwashing techniques on him. Not Miller's best work -- slick but insubstantial.

The Mirror of Love. Alan Moore's poem describing the history of homosexuality from ancient times up to the modern day, accompanied by Jose Villarrubia's photos.

Silverfish. Written and illustrated by David Lapham. Teenager Mia hates her new stepmother Suzanne and so rummages through her belongings to see if she can dig up any dirt from her past. But Mia gets more than she bargained for as she finds herself plunged into a nightmare of lies, larceny, fake identities and psychotic killers. Good fun with nicely built suspense and a few twists and turns to the plot. Although I thought the silverfish motif that gives the book its name didn't really work.

[David A. Riley]

Paul Finch's collection of novellas for Ash-Tree Press, Walkers in the Dark.

[benedictjjones]

trying to decide between an 'arty literary' french book i promised someone at work i'd read or 'Ripper!' - Michael Slade - i wonder what'll win out 

[Stu]

Been reading James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series. I tried them back in the '90s but couldn't get on with them but decided to give them another go and this time round I'm enjoying the hell out of them. Tore through the first seven titles in just over a fortnight and am just taking a quick breather before plunging into number eight.

Fore those of you who haven't read any of the books Robicheaux's an ex-alcoholic Louisiana cop who writhes in Catholic guilt while his DT's conjure up conversations with dead loved ones as he tries to track down various murderers, drug dealers and rogue CIA hitmen. The books also contain lyrical descriptions of Louisiana and New Orleans, meditations on morality and redemption, reminiscences of Robicheaux's tour of duty in Vietnam and the occasional burst of violent action. Cool titles too -- Black Cherry Blues, Dixie City Jam, Cadillac Jukebox etc. Right now he's my favourite new author.

Even if I did first read him over 10 years ago.

[David A. Riley]

Been reading James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series. I tried them back in the '90s but couldn't get on with them but decided to give them another go and this time round I'm enjoying the hell out of them. Tore through the first seven titles in just over a fortnight and am just taking a quick breather before plunging into number eight.

Fore those of you who haven't read any of the books Robicheaux's an ex-alcoholic Louisiana cop who writhes in Catholic guilt while his DT's conjure up conversations with dead loved ones as he tries to track down various murderers, drug dealers and rogue CIA hitmen. The books also contain lyrical descriptions of Louisiana and New Orleans, meditations on morality and redemption, reminiscences of Robicheaux's tour of duty in Vietnam and the occasional burst of violent action. Cool titles too -- Black Cherry Blues, Dixie City Jam, Cadillac Jukebox etc. Right now he's my favourite new author.

Even if I did first read him over 10 years ago.

These are amazing books, none of which has ever disappointed me. Fortunately our local library seems to get a good supply of these in as unabridged audio books on CD, which I listen to while in the car, usually to and from work. The man who normally narrates them has just the right voice.

They did do a film of one of the books starring Tommy Lee Jones, which was good but couldn't hope to match up to the novels.

[Stu]

Not tried the audiobooks. I'll keep an eye out.

Not seen the TLJ film but Alec Baldwin did a film of the second Robicheaux novel back in the '90s. Teri Hatcher did a nude scene. Don't know why that sticks in my memory.

[allybird]

Just starting THE MALTESE FALCON by Dashiell Hammett. Love his prose style.

[Stu]

Ally, I read The Maltese Falcon earlier this year. Good, innit?

[Mike Chinn]

Ally, I read The Maltese Falcon earlier this year. Good, innit?

And - if I recall correctly - has a lot more going on than they could put on film - even a decade later. Dashiell Hammett rules (well - alongside Chandler, Ross McDonald ... insert author of choice here [   ] ).

[Peter Coleborn]

The soon-to-be published crime anthology, The Dark End of the Street. Brilliant writing so far.

[allybird]

'Ally, I read The Maltese Falcon earlier this year. Good, innit?'

Stu and Mike...Indeed!

Joel had me wondering about it then I realised I had a copy.... 

 

[Ilan]

Hello to all. I'm currently flitting between 'Halting State' by Charles Stross, although am struggling with the 2nd person POV - and 'The Blue Mask' by Joel Lane, which I found for 50p in, of all places, a 2nd hand shop in Lochgilphead.

[David A. Riley]

Some time ago when Chris Barker was still on speaking terms with me - or as near to that as you can get on the internet, as we have never met face to face - he emailed me a copy of this long short story. For various reasons I never got round to reading it, even after I discovered it was to be included in his collection, Tenebrous Tales, published by ex-occidente press.

On an impulse, though, I decided a couple of days ago to read it.

I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised to find what a well written, fascinating story this is, with at least one scene which is efficiently and effectively creepy in a true Jamesian fashion. Based largely on the true life story of Nick Drake, Nicholas Parkes' life, which ended with suicide in the mid seventies, is looked back on in retrospect by his present day obsessive fan, who becomes increasingly enthralled by the dead singer-song writer's spirit. The story moves at a leisurely pace, but is so well written and full of such well portrayed scenes, that I found myself engrossed by it, complete with a very satisfying conclusion.

If the other stories in Tenebrous Tales are up to this standard, then it will be an excellent collection. Unfortunately, because so many people have been turned against Mr Barker by his online persona, it is all too likely far fewer people will read this book than should. Perhaps time will eventually prove in Chris Barker's favour, though, and when today's disputes and antagonisms have been long forgotten, the stories won't.

[Stu]

ust read Ramsey Campbell's The Doll Who Ate His Mother and The Parasite. Only read Campbell's short fiction up until now so I was curious to see how his novels would compare. Doll was interesting for the ambiguity of the supernatural element and the fact that the whole thing read more like a crime novel, with the intrepid gang of amateur sleuths out to catch the killer. Parasite meanwhile was interesting in the way the inventive prose was at odds with the commercial plotting. And after the multiple viewpoints in Doll it was interesting to compare the use of a single POV in Parasite. Also enjoyed the New Age/occult elements, with all the references to the Golden Dawn. I thought the story's pacing was a bit off but after reading the afterword it turned out that Campbell wrote the book at his agent's prompting in order to have a bestseller and so ignored a lot of his natural instincts as a writer then made a lot of cuts to try and salvage the story. Consequently he isn't happy with the way the novel turned out. Actually, he was more critical of it than I was.

Anyway, I enjoyed both books enough that I want to read some more of his novels.