Books

A Bite of Stars, a Slug of Time, and Thou - Episode 4

Martin Skidmore joins Mark Sinker and Elisha Sessions to discuss the first space-travel story of the series, and the first truly obscure find, “Beyond the Reach of Storms” by Donald Malcolm. As always, Elisha reads excerpts at the front of the programme. Music includes “Firekeeper” by Red Planet.

Next - “The Red Brain” by Donald Wandrei

A Bite of Stars, a Slug of Time, and Thou - Episode 3

Alan Trewartha joins Mark Sinker and Elisha Sessions to discuss “Segregationist”, one of Isaac Asimov’s famous robot stories from 1967. Music includes “Nobody Loves a Computer Because a Computer Does Not Dance”, by Computer. Elisha reads from the story in case you haven’t.

Next week - “Beyond the Reach of Storms” by Donald Malcolm

Our Year Of Agatha Christie Covers: 6: Partners In Crime

Two this week as last weeks as missed out as I wasn’t here (well I wasn’t on FT much, I was at work). And since we went from terrible late doors Tommy and Tuppence, lets try an old edition of one of their first outings - a short story collection no less called Partners In Crime. I believe there was a whole series of eighties TV T&T adaptations which used that title which you can stumble upon ITV3 every now and then.

… read on …

A Bite of Stars, a Slug of Time, and Thou - Episode 2

Tom Ewing joins Mark Sinker and Elisha Sessions to discuss Fritz Leiber’s “A Pail of Air”, written in 1951. It’s a short story about a kid, some rugs, and an Earth so cold that helium crawls. Will it crawl onto YOU? Elisha reads from the story in case you haven’t.

Next week: Isaac Asimov - “Segregationist”

Our Year Of Agatha Christie Covers: 5: Postern Of Fate

So we move into month two, with whatever a hastily cobbled together google search can find me. And can we spell the word Austerity (ans. yes, after a quick spellcheck). There is something awesomely dull about this Christie cover for Postern Of Fate, in the same way there is something awesomely dull about the phrase “Postern of Fate”.
… read on …

Our Year Of Agatha Christie Covers: 4: Dix Petits Nègres

Sort of a cheat this, but if you’re going to cheat, that’s the title I want to cheat with. This is not just a cover of a French Agatha Christie novel whose title has been changed a few times in the English. It is the cover of a Bande Dessinée adaptation.

Nice 3D name logo which contrasts nicely with the deliberately 2D artwork on the cover. You get the feel of the artwork and the mysterious house aspect of one of Agatha’s most (in) famous mysteries. … read on …

Our Year Of Agatha Christie Covers: 3: Towards Zero

Now here is a jacket to bring back memories. Photo-art covers on Pan books. I know little, as usual, about Towards Zero, except it has a very sci-fi name for a Christie. What does this cover tell me about the book. Next to nothing, except there may be game of tennis involved (I am sure the Lex can confirm or deny, he being a Christie and tennis lover).

… read on …

QUIZ: kidlit is a genre dead as dead can be!

Alicia in Terra Mirabili
Aliciae Per Speculum Transitus (Quaeque Ibi Invenit)
Cattus Petasatus
Ferdinandus Taurus
Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis
Ieremia Piscatore
Maria Poppina
Pinoculus
Quomodo Invidiosulus Nomine Grinchus Christi Natalem Abrogaverit
Virent Ova! Viret Perna!!
Regulus
Tela Charlottae
Walter Canis Inflatus
Winnie Ille Pu

(there are 31 titles listed on amazon in this subsection: i left out all the asterixes as they don’t count) (most of the above are fairly easily guessable — one requires actual real latin vocab and a bit of gumption)

Our Year Of Agatha Christie Covers: 2: The Body In The Library

After last weeks high concept high art piece, lets go back a bit to a time when book jackets were not all airbrushed wasps and TV-Tie-ins. This cover to The Body In The Library is still pretty high concept, and designed nicely without a computer in sight. Indeed its “letters as book jackets” conceit is perhaps a little too successful, giving the actual book title and slightly unreadable font to fit in with the conceit.

… read on …

Our Year Of Agatha Christie Covers: 1: Death In The Clouds

A brand new series in the grand tradition of the Top 100 Singles, the Periodic Table Of Pop and the Top 25 Brands. But this one doesn’t require much in the way of writing, and a pace of one a week should be simple. And we should be able to rustle up fifty two of them. In honour of Starry Sarah’s Fontana edition of Destination Unknown, with the most psychedelic cover of a book I have seen in years. Well I haven’t scanned it yet, and can’t find it on the web - but I did find this one for Death in the Sky.

Which you have to admit is pretty scary (click thru for abject terror).

… read on …