Happy Xmas, Pagan Pissup, Festivus, New Year or Whatever!
Merry Xmas, Pagan Winter Celebration, Festivus for the Rest of Us, or whatever you enjoy this time of year from all of us here at Scifi Ward Towers. Plus, happy boxing day and anything else going on. It is a busy time of year.
Now is that glorious period when you get to look at the booty of Christmas. And I mean ‘booty’ as a pirate would say it, not a gangster. Up to you, I guess. I got a few games, t-shirts, comics and some booze. All of which are great.
I also got a small collection of books, which I am really looking forward to. It is hard to buy for a dedicated science fiction and fantasy fan who has huge bookcases and a vast Kindle library. Even I have to check what books I have when out shopping. So these are all requested, which feels like I am cheating somehow.
Xmas Books
Dune Messiah – by Frank Herbert
After the classic and self contained genius of Dune, Frank Herbert wrote a sequel called Dune Messiah. Then a ton of others. I’ve read Dune as a kid and again more recently (my review), and I thought it was time to finally check out more of the story. I have heard the sequel is great, so I’m looking forward to it.
Make Room! Make Room! By Harry Harrison
I first read Make Room! Make Room! when I was a teenager. So, I vaguely remember what happened. I have also seen Soylent Green a couple of times, so remember the twist. But I have forgotten nearly everything else. Still, I love Harry Harrison and think he is a highly underrated author. I feel a reread of Stainless Steel Rat, Bill the Galactic Hero (although just read book one), Deathworld (superb trilogy), and the Eden series coming on.
Conan – Blood of the Serpent – by S. M. Stirling
I have mentioned many times that I am a HUGE Conan fan, so when I saw Conan – Blood of the Serpent sitting on the shelf, I eagerly seized a copy. I don’t know if this is a new series of Conan books coming out, but if they are thinking about it, I want to show support. I still have a pile of original paperbacks by Robert E. Howard, and they are superb. But I think the Conan books by authors like L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter, Karl Edward Wagner, Andrew J Offut, and Robert Jordan (pre-Wheel of Time), were all great additions. So bring on more Conan!
I’ll admit, I was sucked in by the cover of The Mantis by Kotaro Isaka. It looks like a cheesy sci-fi where a giant Mantis is attacking a city. It is actually not a science fiction book, but it is about an assassin trying to get out of the game. Which I am sure I have read several times before. This, however, is a Japanese take, and it is by the guy who also wrote Bullet Train, which had a fun film based on it. We’ll see.
So I will end there and enjoy my Xmas goodies. Lots of lovely reading ahead.
Have a great festive season!