Unlike movies, I get through books achingly slow. I tend to read seven or eight titles a year, depending on the kind of book and how busy life gets for me. Here's what I managed to read in 2017:
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick
Now that Amazon have produced a TV series based on the book, its source material has been eclipsed by its flashier, more in-depth screen version. I've only caught a few shows from the first series, but from what I have seen, Amazon have created an impressive show that explores the concepts in Dick's book with tremendous attention to detail.
Clearly, the book was written before the fad for 'world building', franchises and 'cinematic universes', as it is surprisingly brief and leaves you longing for more. Even so, Dick's writing is masterful enough to convey all that comes with the premise of an America defeated by its Axis enemies during World War Two, and the ongoing struggle to resist against a formidable German Reich and a not-so-formidable-yet-victorious Japanese Empire.
Its brevity disappoints in that there is no real satisfactory conclusion and leaves many questions unanswered, but then maybe that's the point.
Besides, if you really want to, you can turn to Amazon for more.
Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets
It's hard for me to critique such a book as this without sounding like a heretic, and yet there are some important spiritual truths within. This is despite its heavy charismatic leanings that make me feel slightly uncomfortable and wary. To sum up, it's vital for Christians to pray for all occasions and in all circumstances - and to do so on a regular, fervent basis. I couldn't agree more, so let's leave it at that shall we?
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne
Unsurprisingly influential, this book is an important commentary on man, technology, politics and ecology. Three men find themselves aboard a myterious submarine that has become a menace to shipping across the oceans. They come to know its owner, Captain Nemo, and voyage under the seas exploring all manner of watery wonders. Nemo's sinister motivations, however, soon become clear and his guests endeavour to escape their aquatic prison.
What is remarkable is how this book was written in 1870, when things were so different to present day. There had been no world wars yet, electricity was in its infancy and the political map was very different. Verne's writing is scarily prophetic, mainly when it comes to the workings of Nemo's underwater vessel marvel, the Nautilus. Because of this, '20,000 Leagues' is still relatable and relevant today and continues to be an inspiration to many science fiction and adventure writers.
The Time Machine by HG Wells
Like Verne, Wells is superior in his writing and understanding of technology, science and the human condition, despite coming from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Although his grasp of space-time physics may be a little primitive (not that we're all experts in this day and age, of course), the story of a man who builds a time machine (probably the first incident of a time travel vehicle being committed to fiction) and propels himself thousands of years into the future is not just an exciting adventure yarn but full of social commentary as well. An astonishing piece of fiction for all sorts of reasons.
Red Moon Rising
Telling the story of the 24/7 prayer movement, this is one of those books that gives you an incredible sense of awe about fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who risk it all for God's calling. Not only that, it's the amazament that God continually uses the insecure, doubtful and broken to fulfil his mission on Earth. On the flip size, the stories in Red Moon Rising make one feel just a bit left out and inadequate. Of course, not everyone is called to mission in such ways, and the book often points out that with every success (or vistory), there are copious amounts of failure, disappointment and grief - which is kind of reassuring. Still, inspirational about prayer and perseverance.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R R Martin
I've deliberately steered well clear of the Game of Thrones books because of the hype but got this book when I needed something to read (and there wasn't much else to choose from). A prequel to the immensly popular fantasty books, I was pretty much hooked from the start, and may well end up reading the others (although there are a lot of them - it's quite a commitment). It balances fantasy with historical fiction really well. There are only hints of magic, sorcery etc. and the real focus is on the realtionship between a hedge knight (the lowest rank of knight) and his squire (who just happens to be a prince in disguise) as they try and make ends meet in the cruel and merciless world of Westeros.
Metroland by Julian Barnes
A sort of English version of Catcher in the Rye, Metroland contains musings on life and philosophy from the point of view of a man at three stages in his life: adolescence, early adulthood and middle age. A lot of the observations are about sex and relationships with a typical 60s sexist slant. Well-written and interesting, but very much a window into a different age rather than anything insightful for the 21st century.
The Grandfather Invasion by John Peel and The Forgotten Son by Andy Frankham-Allen
Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart is a much-loved character from Doctor Who and Candy Jar Books has produced a series of licenced novels about the Brigadier which sees him fighting off all sorts of weird and wonderful baddies. I've read two of them so far, and you can read my fuller review of the Grandfather Infestation here and The Forgotten Son here.
Now that Amazon have produced a TV series based on the book, its source material has been eclipsed by its flashier, more in-depth screen version. I've only caught a few shows from the first series, but from what I have seen, Amazon have created an impressive show that explores the concepts in Dick's book with tremendous attention to detail.
Clearly, the book was written before the fad for 'world building', franchises and 'cinematic universes', as it is surprisingly brief and leaves you longing for more. Even so, Dick's writing is masterful enough to convey all that comes with the premise of an America defeated by its Axis enemies during World War Two, and the ongoing struggle to resist against a formidable German Reich and a not-so-formidable-yet-victorious Japanese Empire.
Its brevity disappoints in that there is no real satisfactory conclusion and leaves many questions unanswered, but then maybe that's the point.
Besides, if you really want to, you can turn to Amazon for more.
It's hard for me to critique such a book as this without sounding like a heretic, and yet there are some important spiritual truths within. This is despite its heavy charismatic leanings that make me feel slightly uncomfortable and wary. To sum up, it's vital for Christians to pray for all occasions and in all circumstances - and to do so on a regular, fervent basis. I couldn't agree more, so let's leave it at that shall we?
Unsurprisingly influential, this book is an important commentary on man, technology, politics and ecology. Three men find themselves aboard a myterious submarine that has become a menace to shipping across the oceans. They come to know its owner, Captain Nemo, and voyage under the seas exploring all manner of watery wonders. Nemo's sinister motivations, however, soon become clear and his guests endeavour to escape their aquatic prison.
What is remarkable is how this book was written in 1870, when things were so different to present day. There had been no world wars yet, electricity was in its infancy and the political map was very different. Verne's writing is scarily prophetic, mainly when it comes to the workings of Nemo's underwater vessel marvel, the Nautilus. Because of this, '20,000 Leagues' is still relatable and relevant today and continues to be an inspiration to many science fiction and adventure writers.
Like Verne, Wells is superior in his writing and understanding of technology, science and the human condition, despite coming from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Although his grasp of space-time physics may be a little primitive (not that we're all experts in this day and age, of course), the story of a man who builds a time machine (probably the first incident of a time travel vehicle being committed to fiction) and propels himself thousands of years into the future is not just an exciting adventure yarn but full of social commentary as well. An astonishing piece of fiction for all sorts of reasons.
Telling the story of the 24/7 prayer movement, this is one of those books that gives you an incredible sense of awe about fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who risk it all for God's calling. Not only that, it's the amazament that God continually uses the insecure, doubtful and broken to fulfil his mission on Earth. On the flip size, the stories in Red Moon Rising make one feel just a bit left out and inadequate. Of course, not everyone is called to mission in such ways, and the book often points out that with every success (or vistory), there are copious amounts of failure, disappointment and grief - which is kind of reassuring. Still, inspirational about prayer and perseverance.
I've deliberately steered well clear of the Game of Thrones books because of the hype but got this book when I needed something to read (and there wasn't much else to choose from). A prequel to the immensly popular fantasty books, I was pretty much hooked from the start, and may well end up reading the others (although there are a lot of them - it's quite a commitment). It balances fantasy with historical fiction really well. There are only hints of magic, sorcery etc. and the real focus is on the realtionship between a hedge knight (the lowest rank of knight) and his squire (who just happens to be a prince in disguise) as they try and make ends meet in the cruel and merciless world of Westeros.
A sort of English version of Catcher in the Rye, Metroland contains musings on life and philosophy from the point of view of a man at three stages in his life: adolescence, early adulthood and middle age. A lot of the observations are about sex and relationships with a typical 60s sexist slant. Well-written and interesting, but very much a window into a different age rather than anything insightful for the 21st century.
Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart is a much-loved character from Doctor Who and Candy Jar Books has produced a series of licenced novels about the Brigadier which sees him fighting off all sorts of weird and wonderful baddies. I've read two of them so far, and you can read my fuller review of the Grandfather Infestation here and The Forgotten Son here.
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