Read Me!
Let me tell you a story …
I have always loved books – stories, I suppose – and unsurprisingly my favourite place when I was a youngster was Southwick Library. My folks were happy to see me reading a lot and, happily for me, took zero interest in what I was reading. That meant, and this was especially handy after I got my tickets for the senior library, the world was my unsupervised, uncensored oyster.
I’ve always enjoyed crime – I started out with The Famous Five, The Adventure Series, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators, all good stuff.
When I got into the higher stacks I discovered science fiction and fantasy. I loved the Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series, Robert A. Heinlein taught me a mnemonic (in Have Spacesuit – Will Travel) I still use to this day to remember the order of the planets from the sun, and Roger Zelazny made me question the nature of reality.
I reread the first half dozen or so of the Chronicles of Amber not so long back and they have lost none of their power or appeal.
There was a ton more, of course, including Kurt Vonnegut, Tolkien, and Edmund Cooper’s Kronk – which features a statue of ‘Sir’ Michael Jagger, something that no doubt seemed hilariously unthinkable in 1970, when it was first published.
I love a good scare, too, from classic ghost stories (headless horseman, anyone?) to Dean Koontz and Stephen King.
I could list so many more, but I thought instead I’d share some of the things I’ve read this year.
As the year started, I was partway through the brilliant Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Ruin, the second in the epic Children of Time series. I more recently read Children of Memory and can confirm this is a series that is excellent from start to finish. The first book of his that I read was Dogs of War, and it’s probably one of the best books I’ve ever read.
More sci-fi was enjoyed, naturally, Robert A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, and a reread of Roger Zelazny’s Damnation Alley – a perennial favourite – among them.
Horror fans, have you read Thomas Olde Heuvelt yet? I read Hex last year and it knocked my socks off. This year I read Echo and it’s every bit as good (and as weird!). You might also enjoy Nicholas Binge’s Ascension – it’s scary, unsettling and extremely good.
Crime reads have included Patricia Highsmith’s classic Strangers on a Train, dark and brooding, disturbing in a good way, and L.J. Ross’s Angel, book four in the DCI Ryan series. I’m also catching up on Keith Nixon’s Solomon Gray series.
In an earlier newsletter I mentioned that the most recent book in that series, A Last Lonely Breath, had been released. I really enjoy Keith’s books but, when I checked, I saw there was a wee pile of them in the middle of the Gray series that I hadn’t read. Naturally that had to be remedied and I have so far polished off Beg for Mercy and got busy with Bury the Bodies. As expected, they’re excellent – great character stuff, high-stakes drama, and some truly chilling moments.
FYI, I picked up most of the books listed here (the ones I didn’t cadge – ta, Keith!) during promotions as 99p e-books – definitely worth keeping an eye on what’s up for grabs!
More stuff to read
If you are looking for something to read, on here you’ll find a variety of short stories and flash fiction pieces, plus three novellas, that you can read for free. Below, I’ve linked to the first instalment of each novella:
There are also books available on Amazon, including this year’s two new titles, Debt of Honour and Flesh and Blood.
I hope you enjoyed today’s newsletter. If you did, please spread the word.
Thanks for reading and see you next time.
Bad Intent is free to read, but if you wish you can pop a coin in the tip jar. Thank you!
