David's Updates

David added 'The Book of Forgotten Authors'

Sat, 03 May 2025 02:57:37 -0700

David gave 3 stars to The Book of Forgotten Authors (Hardcover) by Christopher Fowler
bookshelves: non-fiction
An enjoyable book about forgotten authors, read by the author himself for the audiobook.

99 short chapters cover a range of authors, from action and adventure to mystery to satanic horror! The vast majority I had never heard of, while a few were familiar to me (indeed I’d even read a couple!). In between there are essay chapters on various themes - Disney adaptations, authors deservedly forgotten, and so on - and Fowler does a good job tracking down these writers lost to the mists of time and the vagaries of fashion.

There’s at least a couple of authors who I’d be interested in reading from this collection, so I suppose it’s job done. A nice, easy, diverting read.

David is on page 169 of 252 of Inverted World

Sat, 03 May 2025 02:56:43 -0700

David is on page 169 of 252 of Inverted World.

David started reading 'Inverted World'

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 14:44:42 -0700

David started reading Inverted World by Christopher Priest

David added 'Hawkmoon'

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 14:02:45 -0700

David gave 4 stars to Hawkmoon (The Tale of the Eternal Champion, #3) by Michael Moorcock
bookshelves: fantasy, owned, michael-moorcock
The third volume of The Tale of the Eternal Champion, Hawkmoon, contains the novels The Jewel in the Skull, The Mad God’s Amulet, The Sword of the Dawn and The Runestaff. All written quickly between 1967 and 1969, these are fast moving fantasies set in a far future Earth where the Dark Empire of Granbretan has conquered most of Europe at the behest of the mad immortal Emporer Huon.

Moorcock has fun making what is essentially an analog for the British Empire (although a depraved, violent, psychopathic version) the villains, while his hero, Hawkmoon, is a German. Defeated and captured, Hawkmoon has a black jewel implanted in his forehead so that Baron Meliadus of Granbretan can control him while he infiltrates the last territory that holds out against their might - the Kamarg, home of Count Brass.

With the Count’s help Hawkmoon is freed from the jewel’s influence and over the course of the next three books he manages to gather various items of power to aid in his fight against the Dark Empire - the red amulet, the Sword of The Dawn and the Runestaff itself, whom Hawkmoon has been an unwilling, or at least reluctant, servant of.

Aided along the way by the mysterious Warrior in Jet and Gold, as well as the turncoat mercenary Huillam D’Averc our hero travel the globe in the quest to defeat Meliadus and the Dark Empire. The battles are bloody, the body count enormous.

Moorcock is a good writer and keeps things moving quickly and these are fun novels to read. They are fairly straightforward fantasy adventures, with a little satire thrown in, but he does introduce core elements of the Eternal Champion tales such as the Runestaff. Good stuff.

David started reading 'The Book of Forgotten Authors'

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 00:01:59 -0700

David started reading The Book of Forgotten Authors by Christopher Fowler

David added 'Goth: A History'

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 14:07:25 -0700

David gave 3 stars to Goth: A History (Kindle Edition) by Lol Tolhurst
bookshelves: music, autobiography
Audiobook.

Tolhurst’s history of Goth is an enjoyable enough listen, read by the author himself. As he says himself, he didn’t want to write a dry, dull textbook on Goth and its influences and nuances. What we get instead is an extended potted history that is scattershot in approach, mixed with autobiography.

As someone who was there at the birth of the musical movement, as a member of the Cure, Tolhurst is obviously knowledgeable and connected. He interviews some interesting players and gives us a good grounding in the major acts like Bauhaus, Joy Division and The Banshees.

A good enjoyable book which will make you want to listen to the music he describes, whether as a fan or a newbie.

David wants to read 'Atonement'

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 08:47:45 -0700

David wants to read Atonement by Ian McEwan

David wants to read 'The Sense of an Ending'

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 08:46:35 -0700

David wants to read The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

David wants to read 'The Unconsoled'

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 06:00:28 -0700

David wants to read The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro

David wants to read 'When We Were Orphans'

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 05:58:36 -0700

David wants to read When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro