A Poem Ian Likes: Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold

The sea is calm tonight. The tide is full, the moon lies fair Upon the straits; - on the French coast the light Gleams and is gone: the cliffs of England stand, Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay. These are the first lines of Matthew Arnold’s (1822 – 1888) most famous poem, “Dover … Continue reading A Poem Ian Likes: Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold →

The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 9: Eric

So after eight books, it was pretty apparent that Terry Pratchett and Discworld were becoming a major success. And Josh Kirby’s fabulous covers did play a sizeable part in that success. So let’s go back in time to an age when cover illustrations were a pretty big deal. For a lot of people, the front … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 9: Eric →

The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 8: Guards! Guards!

For new readers this is a great jumping-on point because the world is quite well-established (it’s the eighth book) but we aren’t presented with anything that requires a big load of exposition as to what has gone before. It’s also the longest novel in the series so far, with a lot of near-future volumes finding … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 8: Guards! Guards! →