Thursday 27 November 2008

Books - the Sixth in an Occasional Series

Over the last few weeks, I has been mostly reading Asimov (and mostly eating roast chicken and mostly wearing Prada and watching old episodes of "The Fast Show"). I has also read:

1. "Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks" by Christopher Brookmyre, in which the git has killed of Jack Parlabane. If you are a fan, and didn't know this, this was not a spoiler. It's there on the blurb. The focus of bile on this occasion is dodgy mediums (of the 'knock if there's anybody there' variety as opposed to being an example of some size-ist venom from me) and right-wing Christian fundamentalists. It's very good.

2. "The Brightonomicon" by Robert Rankin is pants. Don't bother with it. It's rubbish. Actually the first half is ok and then it's as though he got bored with it. Don't know why I finished it.

3. "A History of Modern Britain" by Andrew Marr - I needed something to read something good after Mr Rankin's printed diarrhoea. This covers the history of Britain from WW2 to the present day and marvellous it is too - apparently Peter Mandelson's grandfather was as slippery as his grandson. And Manchester was where dog racing started. And "Passport to Pimlico" and "Whisky Galore!" are based on true stories.

4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Various "Foundation" volumes by Isaac Asimov - sci-fi, future, collapse of intergalatic civillisation and attempts to create a new Empire. Marvellous. But not a robot in sight, which was disappointing.

9. Back to Robert Rankin with "The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse" because the BF said it's good. And it is. Set in Toytown with Eddie Bear PI investigating the murders of Humpty Dumpty, Mother Goose and other Pre-Adolescent Poetic Personalities. So, good in fact, that I chanced the sequel:



10. "The Toyminator" wherein various toys get bumped off. Very good... until half way through, and the jokes become very old, very repetitive and make me want to gag. I'm off Rankin for a while. He's not as clever as Douglas Adams.

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