Future Revisitations

Currently watching ‘The 10th Victim’ from 1965, based on Robert Sheckley’s 1953 tale ‘The Seventh Victim’. Gloriously over-the-top, with eye-catching Op Art production design & quirky Bond-esque action that whips by at a frantic pace. Hard to keep track of at times, but I’m having fun trying… 🙂

Hi Folks, new video 🎥! I compare and contrast the book and the movie based upon it. Check it out 👀! #scifibooks #sciencefiction #booktube #theprestige youtu.be/dzOy25dl_js

On to my fourth Christopher Priest novel. Barely a few chapters in and I‘m already completely immersed. With so much to read, ‘The Prestige’ has been waiting patiently on my shelves for a few months now. Some things in life are well worth waiting for… #booksky

The 3rd Annual SciFiScavenger Viewer Survey is OPEN! Tell me your favourite science fiction books of all time, and this year for the first time, also tell me your Top 5 science fiction movies! The link for the survey response is here: forms.gle/fAV4WaKRg3MZ... Open till end of October.

As one reviewer from The Times economically put it: “To be read again and again”. Celebrating the enduring legacy of Ursula K. Le Guin, born on this day 1929. A sample here of some of her most acclaimed stories - I’ll know I’ll be revisiting all of these in the years ahead… #booksky

Today’s very welcome acquisition. Until recently I confess I hadn’t realised this fine collection existed - an absolute treasure trove of short stories spanning M. John Harrison’s career to date. So much to choose from, but I’ll probably begin with the beautifully eerie ‘The Incalling’... #booksky

Just finished Sheckley’s ‘The Status Civilisation‘, a brief but very smartly presented satire. Its central conceit involves a world in which social standing depends on breaking the law AND successfully getting away with it. A gem of novel that doesn’t shirk from taking a very dark turn too. #booksky

Back to classic PKD today with the 1953 novelette ‘Paycheck’. Wiped memories, sinister organisations, pursuit by the ‘secret police’, an ambiguous collection of seemingly meaningless artefacts, all pacily set against a far-future dystopian backdrop. Ah yes, definitely in PKD territory… 🙂 #booksky

On to this next, as always he's a joy to read. Breakdown, memory, reality, dreams, obsession are all in the first couple of dozen pages. #scifibooks #sciencefiction #nowreading

On to the wonderfully eerie ‘Now Wakes The Sea’, the latest in my chronological readthrough of Ballard‘s short fiction. The descriptions of a strange nocturnal sea which regularly inundates our protagonist‘s suburban neighbourhood are beautifully conveyed. Illustration by Ed Emshwiller. #booksky

This has been an absolute pleasure to encounter - easily one of the best SF novels I’ve read this year. Written in 1974, but it has so much to say about the dark underbelly of so-called reality TV. Sadly, nothing else of D.G. Compton’s work remains in print. This though, is a masterpiece. #booksky

It’s a sobering thought when, having enjoyed a collection so much, you realise you’re down to the final stories. This tale, hauntingly depicting a boat trip down a disused canal on an alien world, is sometimes denoted as one of Keith Roberts’s ‘minor’ stories. Hah, there is no such thing…🙂 #booksky

OTD 1966. The 2nd season of the BBC’s SF anthology series ‘Out of the Unknown’ begins with an outstanding adaptation of E.M. Forster’s remarkably prescient ‘The Machine Stops’. This shot was just one of the many remarkable directorial flourishes Philip Saville brought to this ambitious production.

Absolute gem of an interview with Michael Moorcock here from 2024. Amongst other things, many fascinating reflections on the trials and tribulations of editing New Worlds magazine in the 60s. Recommended 👍 podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/t...

OTD 1965. The opening episode of ‘Out of the Unknown’, still one of the best SF anthology shows made for television. Despite the era’s inevitable budgetary & technical limitations, the ambitious remit to bring the likes of Wyndham, Pohl & Ballard to the small screen often met with stunning success.

Visiting #4 child in Bristol, did a bit of bookshopping. Found a rare copy of Booker contender Mike Harrison’s first novel in the paperback first edition. VG condition. This is a book you grab when you see it (almost) regardless of cost and condition. #scifibooks #sciencefiction #bookcollecting

An light-hearted story by Christopher Priest, written for a BBC Radio 4 series in 2009. A very playful take on time travel paradoxes (meeting your other self - 5 seconds into the future!), it nicely echoes the offbeat tales of David I. Masson, a huge influence on Priest in the 60s. #booksky

Another welcome acquisition. The quirky irony of the title has always raised a smile - no wonder it’s been lodged in the memory for years. Read the title story today - and then happily reread, knowing I’d missed a few things first time around… And of course, it’s all beautifully written. #booksky

Revisited Bradbury’s ‘Mars is Heaven’ today. Although I generally recollected where the story was heading, this familiarity still didn’t blunt the impact of that ending. Superbly crafted. And that’s why I love Bradbury - a sense of horror created purely by suggestion & oblique description. #booksky

My sequential sojourn through Aldiss’s ‘Barefoot in the Head’ tales has brought me to ‘Multi-Value Motorway’. Certainly challenging given the wealth of playful wordplay, but entirely engaging when read in context, with imagery as striking as the accompanying 1967 illustration in New Worlds👇 #booksky

Finished Wolfe’s ‘The Sword of the Lictor’ today. Captivating and satisfyingly unpredictable, in a way that sometimes brought to mind what someone once described as the ‘unhinged theatrical nightmare’ of John Boorman’s splendid ‘Zardoz’. And yes, I’m a long term admirer of the latter too 🙂 #booksky

John Brunner, born OTD 1934. Would love to see more of his extensive output in print. Now and again though, it’s heartening to find nice vintage items like this Fontana paperback in the wild, virtually unread judging by the condition. Beautiful cover by Peter Goodfellow too. #booksky

Currently halfway into the 3rd book of Wolfe’s ‘Book of the New Sun’ series. I feared I’d be flagging a little at this point, but there’s a fine momentum to the narrative that still has me entirely involved. And this one in particular boasts some gripping ‘edge-of-your-seat’ set-pieces… #booksky

Celebrating the enduring legacy of H.G. Wells, born OTD 1866. Every time I discover or revisit the likes of The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau or The War of the Worlds, I’m truly astonished at the fact that they were written at the turn of the 19th century. Simply timeless works. #booksky

Celebrated author Keith Roberts was born OTD 1935. Still best known for his superb alternative history novel ‘Pavane‘ - although I was delighted to discover that there’s a whole body of work that‘s equally captivating. One of the few authors to have ignited the ‘completist’ gene in me.📚📖📚🙂 #booksky

(Broke my current rule as a reread) . #booksky #SF An utterly wonderful book, one of his best, his elegant style of writing makes a multi-layered complex story about identity, memories and illness, so easy to read, and a real joy to do so.

My chronological readthrough of J.G. Ballard has brought me to 1963’s ‘The Time-Tombs’. One of the few stories to be set on another planet, it plays effectively with those tropes immortalised by Tomb-raiding adventure tales. Virgil Finlay’s striking cover certainly ramps up the drama too. #booksky

The latest pick from the Selected Stories tome was one of Philip K. Dick’s last tales, ‘I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon’ from 1980. A sombre affair involving the attempts of a computer to preserve a man’s sanity, when he is accidentally awoken from cryogenic sleep during an interstellar voyage. #booksky

I found this fascinating - an exceptionally well informed commentary on the 1966 film adaptation of Bradbury’s ‘Fahrenheit 451’. A real treasure trove of information courtesy of Bradbury Scholar Phil Nichols. Easy to follow too, even if you haven’t seen the film 👍 podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/b...

Rarely discussed nowadays, but I’ve a soft spot for the playfulness of David I. Masson’s mind-bending tales. This 1974 story centres on a means of ‘hopping’ between parallel Earths, allowing travellers to meet their doppleganger counterparts. Frequently off-the-wall, I’m delighted to say 🙂 #booksky

Noted that Norman Spinrad is 86 today. So an apt time to revisit his 1969 tale ‘The Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde’, one of the best stories to utilise Michael Moorcock’s ubiquitous anti-hero Jerry Cornelius. Striking Mal Dean cover here for the story’s first appearance in New Worlds. #booksky

On to this fine short tale from 1967. Pohl’s breezy conversational style always draws me in & this unpredictable story will resonate with anyone who has felt that the best laid plans *never* truly work out as anticipated. There are hints that the causes may be ‘otherworldly’ after all… 🙂 #booksky

Finished ’The Island of Doctor Moreau’ today. An extraordinary novel - horrific in ways that still took me by surprise (despite a loose familiarity with its overall theme & setting) & brilliantly staged throughout. Even the narrator‘s darker philosophical musings are beautifully written! #booksky

After over 60 years, still one of the finest and most thought-provoking ‘first contact’ novels. Celebrating Stanislaw Lem, born OTD 1921. #booksky

I love a film that respects its source material… Noted that celebrated director Robert Wise was born OTD 1914. Multiple credits to his name of course, but for this viewer he’s principally remembered for the astonishingly effective 1963 adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Haunting of Hill House’.

Back to 1896 now and immersing myself in an absolute classic piece of work. There’s always a vibrancy about H.G. Wells‘s writing that makes me forget I’m reading something that was written some 130 years ago… And these Penguin editions are an absolute goldmine of biographical and background info 👍

This one next, a collection of his writings on various topics including one on the making of the movie adaptation of his book The Prestige, and another on the New Wave. #scifibooks #sciencefiction #nowreading

21st century Hells-Angels riding ‘Pteracycles’… Yes, Delany’s 1968 novella certainly delivers a few surprises. The dense, baroque style sometimes takes a little getting used to, but after a few pages I’m always happily immersed in the story. And how could I resist such a striking title? #booksky

Finally caught up with this superb short tale from 1969. Having never seen Spielberg’s ‘A.I’, I’ve little idea what elements were retained or expanded upon, but suffice to say the little twist at the end of Aldiss’s original tale caught me nicely by surprise. Thoroughly deserves its reputation.

Listened to so many good podcasts this week. Another find was this fine interview with Nina Allan, who provides a fascinating insight into the co-authoring of the J. G. Ballard biography ‘The Illuminated Man’ with her late husband Christopher Priest. Recommended 👍 podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/h...

With the Booker Prize being announced later this month, I thought I’d go right back to the beginning of M. John Harrison’s career & revisit ‘The Bait Principle’ from 1970, his surreal take on ailurophobia - a pathological fear of felines. Wonderful ‘New Worlds’ illustration here by Ivor Latto.

At the halfway mark in Ballard’s ‘Concrete Island’. The premise of a man ‘marooned’ on a traffic island has intrigued me for years & suffice to say our protagonist’s attempts to escape his predicament are by turns gripping & harrowing. And just now things have taken an unexpected turn… Captivating.

This one first out the gate for September. Strong start, some phenomenal world building in the first two pages, achieved solely by listing the notables attending the state funeral of the King of England. Think I'm going to like this. #scifibooks #sciencefiction #nowreading

Caught up with this fine podcast interview with M. John Harrison today - some wonderful observations on his current Booker-nominated ‘The End of Everything’, along with reflections on three influential works by J.G. Ballard, John Wyndham & Robert Aickman. Perfect 🙂

Keith Roberts' cover art detail for SF Impulse (September 1966) #scifi #sciencefiction

A rather good radio adaptation of Christopher Priest’s The Glamour (done by the author) www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Well this tale was my favourite of the ‘Warm Worlds and Otherwise’ collection to date. Such an intriguing premise as the survivors of a light plane crash on a remote Mexican coast take stock of their surroundings, and a central mystery that takes completely unexpected turns. Absolute page-turner.

My staggered trawl through the ‘sprawl’ stories in Gibson’s ‘Burning Chrome’ collection has brought me to the quite fabulous ‘New Rose Hotel’. Another winner - feels like an entire novel economically realised in the space of barely 15 pages. Marvellous painting by ‘Hideki’ for OMNI magazine too.

There are several tales which I find wonderfully inexplicable - I’ve no idea what they ‘mean’ but I’m so caught up in the quality of the writing that it ceases to matter. A case in point is Keith Roberts’ enigmatic ‘I Lose Medea’, in which a couple’s camping trip is beset by several bizarre events…

Just read Robert Sheckley’s ‘Warm’, which was today’s pick from this 1954 collection. It’s an exemplar of how to articulate a complex idea (the nature of human perception) with unforced humour, whilst eliciting sympathy for its bewildered protagonist, all in the space of a few pages. Masterful. 🙂