More of wot I have read…

Heroes Die by Matthew Stover

I am not sure about this book. It is in a very macho style with excessive focus on prolonged and graphically violent fight scenes interspersed with chauvinistic male/female interaction and little character or background development. If you like your action hard and fast without any guilt then this could be for you. Personally I would have liked to know more about the technology, sociological background and motivation that leads up to this novel.

‘Renowned throughout the land of Ankhana as the Blade of Tyshalle, Caine has killed his share of monarchs and commoners, villains and heroes. He is relentless, unstoppable; simply the best there is at what he does.At home on Earth, Caine is Hari Michaelson, a superstar whose adventures in Ankhana command an audience of billions. Yet he is shackled by a rigid caste society, bound to ignore the grim fact that he kills men on a far-off world for the entertainment of his own planet--and bound to keep his rage in check.But now Michaelson has crossed the line. His estranged wife, Pallas Rill, has mysteriously disappeared in the slums of Ankhana. To save her, he must confront the greatest challenge of his life: a lethal game of cat and mouse with the most treacherous rulers of two worlds…’


Supermen Isaac Asimov collection of sci-fi short stories

An interesting read of some quite different and variable stories. It has been a long time since I have read short stories and I enjoyed the different style and pace that is a necessary part to them.

‘The unique and sometimes powerful stories included in this multi-authored collection of short stories are, as the title suggests, tales of men that could be considered to be supermen. This anthology contains a number of good stories and some excellent ones about human beings that are in some way superior to ourselves. There are 12 tales from some of today’s better known science fiction writers.

'What Rough Beast' by Damon Knight is an excellent story about a man who can twist time and events. He can create wealth, heal the sick, and change the world in an infinite number of ways. This was a very entertaining story with an intriguing concept.

'Worlds To Kill' by Harlan Ellison is a very good story about a man who destroys entire worlds for a living.

'In The Bone' by Gordon R. Dickson tells the intriguing tale of one man searching for new worlds and equipped with the best technology that man can provide. He begins to feel godlike until he meets a technology just little better.

Larry Niven, Poul Anderson, Dean R. Koontz, A. E. van Vogt, Roger Zelazny and Robert Silverberg are some of the other writers that contributed to this above average collection of short stories. I first bought this collection back in the eighties. It sat, for some unknown reason, on my bookshelf collecting dust. Finally, craving some short science fiction stories, I read this book. I found it to be a very enjoyable book. Like any short story collection certain stories are better than others. However, there are enough varied ideas and concepts that everyone should find something that they like in this book. Amazon Reviewer’


The Universe Maker by A.E. Van Vogt

This is another book that I am in two minds about. I found it difficult to have sympathy for Cargill, who seems self serving and chauvinistic (this might be a product of the time when it was written – 1950’s). It also seems that the author skips a little lightly over some of the more complex and far fetched concepts leaving me unsatisfied with his explanations. Nevertheless it is quite an original story line and for that it is worth the effort.

‘Morton Cargill is about to die for a crime he committed 400 yrs. ago. Lieutenant Morton Cargill was brought from the past to be punished for his crime, an accidental murder that took place centuries before. Now he is in a world ruled by the Shadows, an evil people who can pass through solid walls & remain untouched by weapons. But the Shadows are being threatened by the Planiacs, a celestial race that lives high above the earth & to whom the preservation of Cargill's life means their own existence. Now Cargill is hunted by one race, held captive by the other, caught in a deadly clash of minds & machines - in a terrifying world where he doesn't know the rules!’