REAMDE by Neal Stephenson

REAMDE Neal Stephenson (www.nealstephenson.com) Atlantic Books (www.atlantic-books.co.uk) £18.99 I first became acquainted with the work of Neal Stephenson when, in 1999, I discovered his massive novel, Cryptonomicon, in the “New Books” section of my local Waterstone’s. The blurb appealed to the nerd in me, and my internal masochist fancied the challenge of reading such a […]

THE DEMI-MONDE: WINTER by Rod Rees

The Demi-Monde: Winter Rod Rees Quercus (www.quercusbooks.co.uk) £16.99 The Demi-Monde in the title of Rod Rees’ new novel – a novel that forms the first part of a quadrilogy – refers to an advanced virtual reality environment commissioned by the US government to simulate so-called “Asymmetric Warfare Environments” – places like Iraq and Afghanistan, where […]

THE BREACH by Patrick Lee

The Breach Patrick Lee (www.patrickleefiction.com) HarperCollins (www.harpercollins.com) £6.99 There are authors I read because I thoroughly enjoy their work, and they provide me with meaty substance that keeps me reading for days or weeks. There are other authors whose work I enjoy, but for an entirely different reason: they give me a sense of escapism, […]

THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS by John Wyndham

The Day of the Triffids John Wyndham Penguin Modern Classics (www.penguinclassics.co.uk) £8.99 John Wyndham’s classic, post-apocalyptic novel turns 60 this year. I first read it maybe 20 years ago, because it seemed to fit in the same category as books like Robert C. O’Brien’s Z FOR ZACHARIAH and William Golding’s LORD OF THE FLIES, […]