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White Fire
Malcolm Saville 1966 (Girls Gone By 2019)



This is the fourth of seven Marston Baine thrillers aimed at what's now called the YA market. Unlike the Lone Pine books which are all set in England, this series take place in Europe with Majorca being the location for the diamond smuggling plot in this installment. The plot, as is often the case with Saville, is a bit feeble and the characterisation and dialogue implausible but at about 180 pages I rattled through it before I had time to realise how daft it all was.
The GGB editions all have an annoying introduction by some joker who likes to list every example of what he sees as casual sexism, as if a writer born a month after the death of Queen Victoria, and writing in the 1960s, should be pandering to early 21st century sensibilities.

Olympic Obsession
Martin Cross 2001 (Breedon Books 2001)



"OLYMPIC OBSESSION brings to life the personalities behind British rowing’s incredible success story at the Sydney Games. Set to a compelling narrative, the book unfolds against the story of Martin Cross, himself an Olympic champion, turned BBC commentator. Cross’s unique relationship with the sport over the last 30 years allows him to take us under the skin of the likes of Sir Steven Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent, Greg and Jonny Searle and Miriam Batten." (publisher's blurb)

Cross won an olympic gold in the boat in which Steve Redgrave won his first of five. It's basically an autobiography but with each chapter also focussing on another rower. When the other rower is Regrave or Andy Holmes then it's interesting. When it's a reserve for the Canadian women's eight then not so much.
I think Cross wrote it himself and he's honest about his own weaknesses as a rower and a person and his mental health problems. I was a bit bored with some sections but on the whole a worthwhile read.
Elite rowing is a sport where they seem to compete maybe half a dozen times a year for about twenty minutes in total each time. For this they have to suffer a brutal and monotonous training programme. Even the carrot of Olympic glory hardly seems to be worth the punishment.

Marathon Man
William Goldman 1974 (Book Club Associates 1975)



"Tom "Babe" Levy is a runner in every sense: racing tirelessly toward his goals of athletic and academic excellence--and endlessly away from the specter of his famous father's scandal-driven suicide. But an unexpected visit from his beloved older brother will set in motion a chain of events that plunge Babe into a vortex of terror, treachery, and murder--and force him into a race for his life . . . and for the answer to the fateful question, "Is it safe?" (from Goodreads)

This is a good thriller in that it keeps you turning the pages without stopping to consider the implausibility of the plot. I do like a good torture scene and this has a corker along with a couple of plot twists which I didn't see coming. I've not seen the film as I've got an allergy to Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier was notorious for hamming it up in his later films.
Goldman had an incredible run of success in the late 60s and 70s. He won screenplay Oscars for "Butch Cassidy..." and "All the President's Men" and wrote this novel and "The Princess Bride". He was one of the richest writers in the world and lived to the age of 87 despite having a contract put on him by the British Dental Association.

Fantasy The 100 Best Books
James Cawthorn and Michael Moorcock 1988 (Xanadu 1988)



"In their 1988 book Fantasy: The 100 Best Books, James Cawthorn and Michael Moorcock present a wide-ranging cross-section of the fantasy genre, from its eighteenth century Gothic origins through nineteenth century literary classics, pulp-era weird fiction, and on to modern favorites. Recognized classics are accompanied by lesser-known works ripe for rediscovery, resulting in an interestingly idiosyncratic and uniquely valuable guide to two-and-a-half centuries of fantastic stories." (from worldswithoutend.com)

Xanadu published four books in this series in the 1980s: Science Fiction, Crime and Mystery, Horror and this one. Cawthorn did most of the work and his choices are as idiosyncratic as the description says. There's a lot of pulpy stuff from the 1920s and 30s and books that most people would not class as fantasy like "Wuthering Heights" and "Moby Dick". I've read 18 but there are dozens of books and even several writers that I've not heard of so it will be interesting to have a go at some of them. I suspect I'll find some of them unreadable in which case I'll not hesitate to Clive Barker them and banish them to the charity bin.

Stotty Cake Row
Scott Dobson 1971 (Frank Graham 1971)



The titular street in the fictional village of Clartybank Colliery is the setting for more jokes and tall tales in the Northumbrian vernacular by Scott Dobson in this slim volume which is No.7 in the Geordie Beuk series. Illustrated by the author in his distinctive style.

Britain's Paintings
Neil MacGregor 2003 (Cassell 2003)



"Britain has one of the world's finest collections of Western art. From Raphael to Reynolds, from Botticeill to Bacon, amazing paintings grace the walls of our galleries, museums, historic houses and palaces. Neil MacGregor has set out to demonstrate the richness of the paintings that this country enjoys. The book is arranged by theme as opposed to chronology, identifying the major themes that have inspired artists all over the world for many centuries. There is also a richly illustrated chronology of artists complete with biographical notes and where they can be seen in Britain as well as a comprehensive guide to the Galleries of England, Scotland and Wales."

Originally published as five weekly supplements in the Telegraph. I only had two for some reason so decided to get the book. I don't have much appreciation of art, particularly of the modern abstract variety, but I still find the subject interesting and I liked this book. The sections are short and provide a neat ten minute read every so often.
It's a big glossy hardback which sold for £25 but I got it in perfect condition for £4 including postage. The internet has its downsides but book buying isn't one of them.

The Last Planet
Andre Norton 1955 (Ace 1966)



"Star Rangers is set in the far distant future when civilization has exploded to the most remote corners of the galaxy.
Central Control, for years in supreme command of the first Galactic Empire, had fallen on corrupt and bitter days by 8054 A.D. And so, when the crew of the Patrol ship Starfire found themselves wrecked on an unknown planet without hope of rescue, it was up to the Rangers—those scouts whose business it was to explore and map new territory—to establish a way of life for the survivors. Led by Kartr, they left the wreckage of their spaceship and struck out across the desert for the green country beyond. There they found a deserted city in such a state of preservation that all its complex mechanized devices could be operated once again. How they battled almost to the death—using not only blasters but mind-control—With a Vice-Sector Lord who wished to rule as dictator on this forgotten planet makes a top-flight story of suspense." (Gollancz blurb)

I wanted the Gollancz edition with the original title "Star Rangers" and the distictive Alan Breese cover that I saw as a boy but at sixty quid it was too expensive. The cover of this Ace edition gives off a "Forbidden Planet" vibe and in my mind's eye I pictured the chief goody and baddy as Leslie Nielsen and Walter Pidgeon.
The actual novel is disappointing after the very good "Star Man's Son". The rangers are a mixture of clean cut American boys and a couple of reptilian and avian alien species who seem to be substitutes for dark skinned humans in that they suffer from speciesist prejudice. Black people in space must have been a step too far for fifties America and the women are only good for making sandwiches. Like the Malcolm Saville books it has been criticised by modern critics for the outdated social system. Unlike the Saville critics they do have point in that this book was set six thousand years in the future and the whole point of science fiction is to look at how society may evolve for better or worse. It will be interesting how she looks at this in her next novel "The Stars are Ours!" which is set three hundred years in the future.

The Hollow Man
Dan Simmons 1992 (Headline 1993)



"Hugo Award winner Simmons returns to science fiction after a pair of horror novels with this impressive and thoughtful novel about the pain and the power of telepathy. Jeremy and Gail were made sad and lonely by their ability to read others' minds, until they found each other. Married, they grew closer than any non-telepathic couple ever could. But when Gail dies, Jeremy goes over the edge. He finds himself inundated with "neurobabble'', unable to keep out the roaring ocean of other thoughts that surrounds him. Drowning in despair, he begins a journey meant to resemble that of Dante in his Divine Comedy - he flees his job, friends and home; runs afoul of gangsters in Florida; lives homeless in Denver; and uses his telepathy to win his way to wealth in Las Vegas. Simmons is at his best during Jeremy's descent into despair, searching for relief from the neurobabble and flirting with suicide. Blending chaos theory, quantum physics and neuroscience, Simmons constructs a vague but intriguing scientific explanation of telepathy. The power-of-love happy ending may leave some readers unsatisified, since it doesn't resolve some of the book's bleaker issues, but Simmons's novel remains an engrossing look at a well-worn concept. of telepathy." (from publishers weekly)

Generally regarded by Simmons fans as one of his lesser novels I found it quite bleak but very readable. The quantum mechanical explanations of human conciousness and reality are not convincing but Dan Simmons is a really good story teller and he carries you along with Jeremy on his road trip. The section with the serial killer seems like it's pasted in from another story but it's still very exciting.
Third in the 1993 Locus poll for Best SF Novel.

Ardennes 1944
James R. Arnold 1990 (Osprey 1994)



"The 'Battle of the Bulge' was the last major German offensive in the West. Three armies attacked through the Ardennes, the weakest point in the American lines - and almost broke through. This title describes the planning of the attack and the course of events, including the defence of Bastogne and the heroic delaying actions fought by GIs supposed to be in a 'quiet' sector of the front. In spite of serious American disadvantages Hitler's offensive was stopped. James Arnold explains exactly how this was achieved, and how Germany's last hopes of victory were finally put to rest."

Another good Osprey Campaign book. The maps show all the places and units mentioned in the text unlike some of the others in the series. Even if the operation had succeeded and the Germans had reached Antwerp it would have just prolonged the war, led to thousands of extra casualties and maybe led to the Russians capturing all of Germany so the losers have good cause to be grateful for their defeat.
As usual when reading about this theatre you find yourself sympathising with Eisenhower having to deal with the machinations of egomaniacs like Montgomery and Patton.
Unfortunately there's no picture of a disgruntled Telly Savalas with the turret of his Sherman blown off.

Jennings as Usual
Anthony Buckeridge 1959 (Collins 1968)



"In the Christmas term, Jennings has a short-lived and disastrous promotion to dorm monitor, sets his rubber alight in the classroom, risks Old Wilkie's wrath by drawing an unflattering caricature of him, and improves his piano playing with the aid of a gramophone record, before exchanging gifts and the comps of the season with Old Wilkie at the end-of-term party." (from wikipedia)

Another fun read with plenty of chuckles. This is number ten in the series and the quality is holding up well. It'll be interesting to read the later ones where Buckeridge apparently felt the need to move with the times. Looking forward to solvent abuse and shankings etc.