[Boredboy]

 

I always forget about Climbers. What a great read, halcyon days.....

[psychomansam]

Can anyone recommend any sci fi with a  political/philosophical bent? Apart from the culture (rip) or Alastair thingy?

Duma suggested Le Guin - I remember the Dispossessed in particular being pretty good.

Cheers, I think I'll read the left hand of darkness or this next. Thanks all for the advice, will work my way through some. Have read Dune (v. topical with so much Islam in the news) and most of Foundation. Currently finishing off androids/dream/sheep - I'm about to study some philosophy of mind, so it was topical for that

p.s. With regards to Alastair 'thingy' Reynolds, I can particularly recommend The Prefect as a good one politically. House of Suns is also a great read.

[jwi]

Left hand of Darkness is excellent. So is The Dispossessed. To me LHOD was slightly stronger (but I was much younger when I read it too). Le Guin has written the best social sci-fi I've read (but I am far from an expert on the genre).

[moose]

Can anyone recommend any sci fi with a  political/philosophical bent? Apart from the culture (rip) or Alastair thingy?

China Miéville? The City and the City is quite political / philosphical - paired interpenetrating realities used as a metaphor for our ability to willfully ignore what doesn't suit us.  Supposedly Embassytown is very good too - exploration of language and thought.

[psychomansam]

have read the city and the city - excellent, and perdido street station, an interesting ride. Hadn't seen embassy town - will add to the list!

By the way, looking up his bio on wiki was quite interesting. A university lecturer and a socialist, and one with more tatts and piercings than the average

[Falling Down]

Philip Hoare's "The Sea Inside". A sort of follow up to Leviathan, but about our relationship with the sea.  Very broad, taking diversions into the arts, philolosphy, history and full of surprising nuggets.  I really like his style.

[Johnny Brown]

Will check that out. Enjoyed Leviathan although it is more about Moby Dick than it is about whales. Such literary obsessions seem to be a common theme amongst the 'new nature writers'...

[DaveC]

I'll second 'The Sea Inside'. The mrs and I have both read it this last week and thoroughly recommend it.

A couple of other non-fiction things i've really liked lately are:

Written in Stone - Brian Switek. Takes a look at how fossil discoveries over the years have changed how we see the evolution of life. This is a field I've studied a bit in the distant past and this really is an excellent layman's introduction to the subject.

The People's Tragedy - Orlando Figes. Probably the finest narrative history of the Russian Revolution yet written, a huge masterpiece.

[Dave Flanagan]

I always forget about Climbers. What a great read, halcyon days.....

I think this has just been re-issued. I saw it on the new titles shelf in the library. And borrowed it on, solely because of it's title. What a sad bastard. Good book though.

[Jaspersharpe]

Read no decent novels for ages then two arrive in quick succession. Just finished John Lanchester's Capital, a big fat satire on modern London life set around 2008. My start position with the book was "oh no, yet another clueless writer moralising about the financial crisis" but John Lanchester has done his research and the book is anyway about much more: how Britain deals with asylum seekers and terrorist suspects, conceptual art, east european builders and nannies, atomised families, money-vs-happiness and much more. The character treated least sympathetically is a banker's stay-at-home wife with a monstrous entitlement complex ... I've observed a lot of these down the years and the stereotype is nailed perfectly.

Just read this while on holiday. Fantastic.

[lagerstarfish]

Can anyone recommend any sci fi with a  political/philosophical bent? Apart from the culture (rip) or Alastair thingy?

Heinlein's stuff?

on checking for titles I found this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_ideas_in_science_fiction

[andy popp]

The People's Tragedy - Orlando Figes. Probably the finest narrative history of the Russian Revolution yet written, a huge masterpiece.

I've not read this but have already recommended (probably more than once) the same author's The Whisperers and Just Send me Word, both about the reality of living in Stalin's Russia.

[DaveC]

I've not read this but have already recommended (probably more than once) the same author's The Whisperers and Just Send me Word, both about the reality of living in Stalin's Russia.

I'll chase up those two, cheers. I've just picked up his history of the Crimean War as well but with my unread book stack now reaching epic proportions I may not get to it for a while.

[mini]

Just ordered Paradoxical Undressing by Kristin Hersch (Throwing Muses) following a recommend on Radio 6.

Super SYKED for this - one of my all time favourite singer\songwriters........

Great recommendation Butters, really enjoyed reading this.

[Falling Down]

A really great piece by philosopher and critic John Gray on M John Harrison in the New Statesman.

http://www.newstatesman.com/2013/10/future-without-nostalgia

I can't stress how good "Light" is....

Nearly finished Paul Morley's 'North' which should be required reading for anyone raised in Manchester and interested in history, literature and life in general.  It's really good.

Also worthwhile is Joe Carducci's Rock and the Pop Narcotic.  Carducci was the boss of SST records during it's heyday and this is a really sharp, sometimes vitriolic set of essays on rock music.  Hard going at times, but worthwhile.  Especially if you're into Husker Du, Black Flag, Wurm etc.  It's left me with a massive list of records to listen to that i'd never heard of.

Got a really cool book called 'Branding Terror', an illustrated study on the branding (colours, typeface, iconography) of the world's terrorist organisations.  You can get it in Magma (I think it's called) the graphic design/art shop on Tibbs St in Manchester.

I've spent the weekend on the sofa reading Clive James' new translation of Dante's 'Divine Comedy', a bit brave of me as I've never read anything that old and I know fuck all about the greek classics but it's ace.  I'm on my tod so I can read it aloud which is always better with poetry.  Listen to Thomas Tallis or William Lawes whilst reading it helps too.

[psychomansam]

re: my earlier post about political sci-fi
http://www.courtneybrown.com/classes/podcasts.html
Scroll down slightly to see the relevant lecture series. Not listened yet as I've got other lecture series on the go. Looks interesting though.
 

[Richie Crouch]

I can't believe I've only just read it but I popped into oxfam yesterday and purchased fever pitch by nick hornby for a bargainous £2. I then read it cover to cover without pause. What a fantastically enjoyable book!

[Johnny Brown]

Read Morrissey's book over the weekend. Don't bother. Disappointing.

[fried]

Did he manage the whole book without mentioning Johnny Marr?

[Johnny Brown]

He manages to be pretty kind about Johnny, which is remarkable given the treatment he gives everyone else. I wouldn't hold your breath for a reunion though, Joyce comes in for some stick. The digested version is bang on.

[fried]

 

[Fiend]

HORROR

Anyone got any good recommendations for modern horror??

Particularly stuff where the environment / scenario / world-view is dark, fucked up and evil.

I do NOT like stuff where it all boils down to someone vaguely humanoid offing people in a cliched serial killer type way. I don't like vintage / classic horror with archaic writing.

Must have good, clear, snappy writing. NOT Stephen King (dull as fuck) nor Dean Koontz (lightweight as fuck) style.

Here's a few I've read recently with varying degrees of enjoyment:

Adam Nevill - Last Days - probably the best I've read, first 2/3 is great and genuinely creepy, last 1/3 both a bit long-winded and Hollywood-y but still good overall.

Dan Simmons - The Terror - lengthy but still quite gripping, gruelling setting and intriguing mythology.

FG Cottam - Dark Echo - can't remember much but it was spooky and the obsession of the characters in the mystery was good.

Michelle Paver - Dark Matter - great setting and initially intruiging although fades out at end.

Adam Nevill - The Ritual - pretty good, classic lost in the woods style to start and then goes into odder and less rewarding territory.

Dean Koontz - Phantoms - cliched characters and interactions but quite a good set-up.

Stephen Laws - Chasm - ditto! cool set-up but the epic potential a bit wasted with bland interactions.

Joe Hill - Horns - interesting idea but didn't really capitalise on it.

Dean Koontz - Hideaway - the Radio 1 of horror, yes that bland and lightweight.

 

[SA Chris]

Have you tried any Clive Barker? I read a load of his stiff, so much so I can't remember one from the other, but I seem to remember the 3 books of the Art being good reading - The great and secret show, Everville and possibly a third one. I think you can get all 3 in one volume.

I read a load of Peter Straub at one point too, remember Koko being pretty good. And really liked his collaboartions with Stephen King; The Talisman and Black House, but the Stephen King part might put you off.

[Fiend]

Sorry should have mentioned, yes I'd read all of Barker's stuff up until Sacrament, I did quite like the scale and the dark fantasy elements, esp in the Arts, Weaveworld, and Imajica. Will look into Straub.

[SA Chris]

Sorry should have mentioned, yes I'd read all of Barker's stuff up until Sacrament, I did quite like the scale and the dark fantasy elements, esp in the Arts, Weaveworld, and Imajica.

Bugger. Thought it sounded right up your street