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Methuselah's Children
Robert Heinlein 1958 (Pan 1966)



"Lazarus Long, member of a select group bred for generations to live far beyond normal human lifespans, helps his kind escape persecution after word leaks out and angry crowds accuse them of withholding the “secret” of longevity. Lazarus and his companions set out on an interstellar journey and face many trials and strange cultures, like a futuristic Odysseus and his crew, before returning to Earth. This classic novel, set in Robert A. Heinlein’s Future History universe, introduces the author’s most beloved and widely quoted character" (fandom.com)

Originally serialised in a pulp mag in 1941 but not published in book form until 1958. I read a couple of Heinleins (The Puppet Masters and Starship Troopers) a long time ago and enjoyed them but they were written 10-20 years after this one and the age difference shows. The 22nd century is just like 1940s America but with spaceships. Conversational infodumps occur at regular intervals and when the oldies have to escape the pogroms they can just hijack a starship and embark 100,000 people. Pass me a slide rule buddie, I want to plot a course for Alpha Centauri.
Still a fun read as long as you don't try to take it seriously.

William II
John Gillingham 2015 (Penguin 2019)



"William II (1087-1100), or William Rufus, will always be most famous for his death: killed by an arrow while out hunting, perhaps through accident or perhaps murder. But, as John Gillingham makes clear in this elegant book, as the son and successor to William the Conqueror it was William Rufus who had to establish permanent Norman rule. A ruthless, irascible man, he frequently argued acrimoniously with his older brother Robert over their father's inheritance - but he also handed out effective justice, leaving as his legacy one of the most extraordinary of all medieval buildings, Westminster Hall." (blurb)

One of the kings about which there is not all that many primary sources for the historians to work with but still more than enough for a slim book like this. Two royal princes called William and Henry at war with each other - that seems to ring a bell. Throw in the older brother Robert and there's ample scope for a "Game of Thrones".
William's legacy is pretty thin. Aside from Westminster Hall he's also responsible for England's cricket World Cup wins. If he hadn't annexed Cumbria, Ben Stokes would be playing for Scotland.

The Past Through Tomorrow
Robert A. Heinlein 1967 (Gollancz 2014)



"This one-volume omnibus of Heinlein's famous 'Future History' timeline, contains all of the stories, novellas and novels that make up one of the richest coherent narratives in all of science fiction literature. The collections and novels comprising THE PAST THROUGH TOMORROW are THE MAN WHO SOLD THE MOON, THE GREEN HILLS OF EARTH, REVOLT IN 2100, METHUSELAH'S CHILDREN and ORPHANS OF THE SKY." (blurb)

Heinlein was a massively influential figure in American science fiction and some of his stuff from the 1950s and 60s can still provide an entertaining read but these future history stories from the 1940s seem very dated. The "future" often seems a lot like New York in 1940 with people jumping in a rocket ship for a trip to Venus or commuting to the office on a 100 mph conveyor belt. None of the characters actually says "gee that's swell" but you get the picture. Some people still love these stories but personally I couldn't believe in, or lose myself in them the way that I do with a good book. Still worth reading though if you are interested in the history of the genre.

The Road to Infinity
Isaac Asimov 1979 (Avon 1981)



Seventeen essays published in F&SF 1977-79. Another excellent entry in this series. Logarithms, the quest for absolute zero, exploration of the poles, the moons of mars, planetary rings, our nearest star and could the sun have a similar companion, why haven't we detected any other civilisations in the universe. This book is even better than the others as he doesn't bang on about overpopulation or any of his other political prejudices.
Eight more books to go in this series.

Great Science Fiction Stories of 1940
Isaac Asimov & Martin H. Greenberg (editors) 1979 (Dorset Press 2002)



I enjoyed these pulp magazine yarns more than I was expecting. They are dated, not just because their future is now our past, but stylistically as well. They sometimes read like they were written by sixteen year olds and to be read by twelve year olds, which probably isn't far from the mark in some cases. One story is particularly stupid; the ancient greeks proved that there are an infinite number of prime numbers but nobody seems to have informed A.E. van Vogt. On the whole though a fun read.
The introductions to three Heinlein stories are included even though they were not able to get the rights to publish the stories themselves. All three are in the recently read The Past Through Tomorrow

Kaiserschlacht 1918
Randal Gray 1991 (Osprey 1991)



"The entry of the USA into World War I spelt disaster for Imperial Germany. The massive superiority in men and materials which the Americans could provide meant that if Germany had any chance of winning the war she must do so quickly. Randal Gray describes how, using special 'Stormtrooper' units and high-mobility tactics, the Germans came within a hair's breadth of winning the war, providing a blow by blow account of the daily events of the battle. Although at first glance the Kaiserschlacht was Germany's greatest success of the First World War, in fact its ultimate failure consigned Germany to inevitable defeat."

There's no definitive name for this battle which is why most people have never heard of it. Germany's last attempt to win the war in the 1918 Spring offensive against the junction of the British and French armies either side of the Somme - I think that's a snappier title.
They gained up to 30 miles of territory, which was further than the front line had moved since 1914, but it was ultimately futile. A few months later the yanks arrived in force and the gains were lost and eight months later they surrendered.
Another good entry in this series.

From Last to First
Charlie Spedding 2009 (Aurum Press 2014)



"Charlie Spedding describes himself as ‘not particularly talented’ – at least, compared to the group of people he had chosen to find himself among. These were the athletes in the Olympic marathon. So how did he end up with a bronze medal? How did he win the London Marathon? And why does he still hold the English record for the distance?" (blurb)

I've never read a sporting biography that I didn't enjoy and this is no exception. Training run mileages? Achilles tendinopathies? I love it all.
Mo Farah now hold the English record but Spedding's time from the London Marathon in 1985 leaves him still fourth on the GB all time list. We won many more medals than usual at the '84 Games because of the communist boycott but the marathon wasn't weakened much, in the way that a lot of events were, so Charlie's run was all the more impressive. That's still the last Olympic marathon medal won by a British runner.

Fantasia Mathematica
Clifton Fadiman (editor) 1958 (Copernicus 1997)



"Clifton Fadiman's classic collection of mathematical stories, essays and anecdotes is now back in print. Humorous, mysterious, always entertaining selections by Aldous Huxley, H.G. Wells, Martin Gardner, Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, and many others."

A mixed bag but mostly entertaining. It's odd how the post war science fiction stories somehow seem more dated than the older stuff by mainstream writers.
The best was "Young Archimedes" by Aldous Huxley - "The deeply moving classic about an Italian peasant boy who might have been a mathematical genius"

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Susanna Clarke 2004 (Bloomsbury 2005)



"The year is 1806. England is beleaguered by the long war with Napoleon, and centuries have passed since practical magicians faded into the nation’s past. But scholars of this glorious history discover that one remains: the reclusive Mr Norrell whose displays of magic send a thrill through the country. Proceeding to London, he raises a beautiful woman from the dead and summons an army of ghostly ships to terrify the French. Yet the cautious, fussy Norrell is challenged by the emergence of another magician: the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange. Young, handsome and daring, Strange is the very opposite of Norrell. So begins a dangerous battle between these two great men which overwhelms the one between England and France. And their own obsessions and secret dabblings with the dark arts are going to cause more trouble than they can imagine."

A breeze block of a book; the postman had to bang on the door as it wouldn't squeeze through the letterbox. Novels this big always induce flashbacks to Clive Barker's "Imajica" but even though it was a slow read there was never any danger that I would bale out on it - I'd describe it as impressive more than loveable.
It was interesting that Clarke didn't portray charcters like Liverpool and Wellington as evil war-mongering proto-fascists which must have disappointed the BBC. If they were making it today Wellington would probably be played by an asian woman with cerebral palsy.
The latest entry in "100 Must-Read Fantasy Novels".

The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 9
Brian Aldiss and Harry Harrison (editors) 1976 (Orbit 1976)



The last one in this series covering the year 1975. They're all slim volumes at about 200 pages and this one contains ten stories (plus an introduction, afterword and the obligatory crap poetry). My favourite was "The Custodians" by John Cowper. The worst was a smartarsed metafiction by Barry Malzberg - typical new wave tripe.
I've now read all nine of these anthologies - it's always nice to complete a full set.