Unspoken Water 4 out now
Ian Hunter’s Unspoken Water 4 is now available.
Contains new stories from Mike Chinn, Marion Pitman, Lee Clark Zumpe, Derek Muk, Rebekah Memel Brown, Brian M. Milton, Richard King Perkins ll and Andrew Hook. Oh, and me.
Only a fiver in the UK.
Podcast on The Book Of The New Sun
An interesting insight into Gene Wolfe’s Book Of The New Sun – a podcast by American lecturer of English Kate Macdonald.
Iain Banks in 1993
Twenty years ago a very good friend of mine, George Cairns (now a noted 3D and computer artist), made a short film about the book launch of Complicity by Iain Banks. With the recent sad news about Iain I thought I’d revisit it. Having transferred the video to a computer file, and with a little post-production, I’d like to present it to you now. The film includes interviews with the people working around Iain at the time, the great man himself, and a charming glimpse of his parents – also interviewed at the Edinburgh book launch. Hope you enjoy this insight into the Iain Banks of 1993.
New interview with Wolfean artist Bruce Pennington
Like many British fans of SF Grand Master, semantic labyrinth designer and all round top author Gene Wolfe, I discovered the Book Of The New Sun as illustrated by Bruce Pennington. The Arrow paperback edition of Wolfe’s masterpiece emerged in the early ‘eighties with four stunning jackets painted by Bruce Pennington, an artist already known for his SF book covers (eg beautiful ones for the New English Library edition of the first three Dune novels).
Now Ultan’s Library is delighted to present a brief interview with Bruce Pennington conducted by Jonathan Laidlow and myself. Hope you enjoy it.
The Claw Of The Conciliator by Bruce Pennington
Thatcher
So, Thatcher is dead. She was one of a kind who I hope we shall never see again. As a man who grew up in the ‘seventies and went to university in the ‘eighties, I suppose I am one of those changed by her. I am glad she is gone and I rejoice at her death. I see no reason to accord her respect merely because she has died. Thatcher was not merely inhumane, she took her inhumanity to a new level – not merely cruel, not callous, nor simply brutal. Nor even banal, though she was that too. Her inhumanity passed into the realm of the mathematical, the computational. Though she denied the quote later, she will be remembered for “There is no such thing as society.” That is her legacy to Britain, facilitating the appearance of a society described by economics, by consuming, by selfishness, by fragmentation, by money. Loadsamoney. Much has been made of her status as Britain’s only woman prime minister – she herself described feminism as “poison.” And she did not take on the characteristics of men to get where she did – her outlook was that of the child, black-and-white, with no hint of grey. “Strong” is not unbending, “strong” is not tough and “strong” is not bullying. Thatcher had no interest in understanding the country the leadership of which she inherited, her desire, as with all narcissists, was to impose her outlook on everybody else regardless of the consequences. The vegetables will have the same as she has. We human beings meanwhile will move on without her. So, farewell Thatcher – destroyer, narcissist, hag.
Symbiotic Planet by Lynn Margulis
Symbiotic Planet by Lynn Margulis
Superb book by an acknowledged inspiration and authority in the field. I wasn’t disappointed by this. It’s short and succinct. It’s readable, fascinating, and makes you think. Highly recommended, and not only for “future of life” types like me.
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
Made me even more angry than I was already about what Americans have done to the people of this planet, and to this planet as a whole. As many on GoodReads have pointed out, all Americans should read this; but maybe just “everybody” should read it, not least as an illustration of why, to take just one example, voting in general elections for “leaders” is a complete waste of time.
Just to add, the British are almost as bad.
