David Olusoga, Black and British

This is a hefty block of a book, but with the subtitle of 'A Forgotten History', it ought to be. It was written for the 2016 TV series, which is now almost out of watching time (maybe the BBC will let it be seen again soon), and occasionally the writing does betray the cadences of … Continue reading David Olusoga, Black and British →

Karel Čapek’s War With the Newts

I needed to read Karel Čapek’s RUR, his 1920 play in which he invents the robot, so I bought it in the SF Masterworks edition. The other half of this edition is an extraordinary novel called War With the Newts, which was an unexpected pleasure. It was almost the last thing Čapek published, in 1936, … Continue reading Karel Čapek’s War With the Newts →

Now posting on Vulpes Libris: Laila Lalami’s The Moor’s Account

Last week, I had the pleasure of reading a book before it was announced as a Man Booker longlistee: that doesn't often happen! I do not have a high opinion of past winners of the Booker. Those that I've tried have been severely disappointing, dreary or plain irritating. I obviously don't read what the judges think I … Continue reading Now posting on Vulpes Libris: Laila Lalami’s The Moor’s Account →