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
Category: Books
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!
A Novel Ian Likes: Small World by David Lodge
Persse McGarrigle is attending his first academic conference and is not enjoying it. Newly appointed to a tiny Irish university, he is keen to stretch his wings professionally and do some networking. But it all seems to be very disillusioning until he meets Angelica Pabst, a beautiful doctoral student, and is instantly smitten. However, the … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: Small World by David Lodge
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 7: Pyramids
In a lot of ways, Pyramids, the seventh Discworld novel, is a bold effort. It was the first book since Mort to introduce completely new characters without references to books gone by. We also get a closer look at the Assassin’s School, referenced in Wyrd Sisters, but given a life (ironically) of its own here. … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 7: Pyramids
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 6: Wyrd Sisters
While Sourcery saw the return of Rincewind to varying degrees of success, Wyrd Sisters sees the return of another established character, but with greater impact to the series as a whole. Granny Weatherwax had previously appeared in Equal Rites, third in the series, and was back for a second appearance. This time, though, she brought … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 6: Wyrd Sisters
A Novel Ian Likes: The Grey Horse by R. A. MacAvoy
Anrai O Reachtaire, a horse trainer who lives in the small Irish town of Carraroe, finds a stray pony on the moors overlooking the town. He attempts to ride it home but what he doesn’t realise until too late is that the grey horse is Ruairi MacEibhir, one of the fairy folk – a puca, … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: The Grey Horse by R. A. MacAvoy
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 4: Mort
We met Death in the three previous Discworld novels. In The Colour Of Magic, he (for want of a better pronoun) had seemed a somewhat quixotic individual, prone to fits of random destruction, while in The Light Fantastic, he was more introspective and humanlike, going so far as to have a house and an adopted … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 4: Mort
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 3: Equal Rites
This one came as a bit of a shock. There were no ties to either of the previous books – save a surname shared by a character in this and in The Light Fantastic – and there were fewer jokes, although it was still very funny. The story was quite different, too: the world was … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 3: Equal Rites
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 2: The Light Fantastic
When we left Twoflower and Rincewind at the end of The Colour Of Magic, they were plummeting to their doom off the edge of the Discworld. As endings go, that one felt pretty final. After all, it’s hard to survive falling off the side of a flat planet into space. However, the solution is pretty … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 2: The Light Fantastic
A Novel Ian Likes: The Hour Of The Dragon by Robert E. Howard
I normally open each column with a summary of the story or premise of whatever it is I like that month, but this time I’m jumping straight in with an extract, because it’s the only way to do The Hour Of The Dragon justice. Conan (of "The Barbarian" fame) is making his way home to … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: The Hour Of The Dragon by Robert E. Howard
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 1: The Colour Of Magic
This is where it all started, really. Sir Terry had written three novels and a ridiculous amount of short stories prior to this but it wasn’t until The Colour Of Magic came out on the 24th November 1983 that he finally achieved a significant measure of success. Like his previous novel, Strata (1981), this was … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 1: The Colour Of Magic
A Cultural Juggernaut Ian Likes: The Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
It’s one of the most famous stories in all of twentieth century literature: Frodo Baggins, a hobbit, is given a ring by his uncle Bilbo, who came by it during his adventuring days when he was younger. However, Frodo is informed by the wizard Gandalf that is in fact the Ring of Power, forged by … Continue reading A Cultural Juggernaut Ian Likes: The Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Great Discworld Retrospective: an introduction
Next month sees a significant anniversary of a beloved series. It has fans all around the world who love the amazing adventures that the characters have had in a variety of different settings. I am, of course, referring to Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. On the 24th of November (the day after that other DW-initialed series … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective: an introduction
A Novel Ian Likes: Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
Priscilla is struggling to make ends meet as a waitress while trying to create the perfect perfume in her spare time. Alobar has a problem: if he displays any signs of aging, his reign as king will come to an end. Pan, though, is coming to terms with the fact that nobody believes in him … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins