Filth by Irvine Welsh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have never been so glad to finish a book.

Great writer, and I found bits of it funny, but my overriding impression of the whole experience of reading it, was one of deep depression!

I am glad to say that I will never have to do that again!!!

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Architect Journey Back Book 2

Have a look at a preview of the second installment of Architect tell me what you think.

Old Man's War by John Scalzi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I would like to get to 75 and like to be given the chance at starting again even if it meant going to war.

This is what I would call a neat book. Things have away of working out for the lead, not in a smug way but more in a thought out logical way.

I am going to have a go at the second in the series to see if there is more to add to general story.

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Graphic Novels I have read

Nemesis by Mark Millar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Effective tale told with speed and vigor. Its been done before and I am sure it will get done again, but so what, it was a very enjoyable read and I enjoyed the ride while it lasted!!!!

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Who Needs The Man Bat!!!!!!

Joker by Brian Azzarello
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Joker is not the funny haa haa from the TV show, but the funny haa haa from Bedlam Asylum. He is a crime boss, who scares the Be-Jesus out his minions.

If your looking for the man bat to appear anytime soon, kind of forget it because in this story, he is a bit part player to the main act.

The Joker is no joke as he attempts to re-establish himself, and take back what is his.

The comic book character is stripped away and what you get is a hyped up totally deranged nutter to the umpteenth degree!!!!!

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Architect by Steven Stennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Taken from a review on Amazon Kindle UK

4.0 out of 5 stars A highly individual first science fiction novel
31 Mar 2012
By Samd
Format:Kindle Edition

In 'Architect' Steve Stennett takes the reader into a technologically advanced dystopian universe where man and technology are no longer clearly delineated. A trans-galactic chase is underway and the reader is lead on a disorientating journey.

Most impressive is the author's description of the technology of this bleak future universe. Sometimes, no detail is too much, creating a heady sense of being overwhelmed by jargon. As a layman, I found myself, at times, confused by the accounts of interactions of software, programmes and hardware, adorning humans, androids, planets and spacecraft. Yet, though alienating, I found the information overload to be a strangely effective way of writing about a futuristic universe.

I got the sense it wasn't just me that was disorientated, so was the humanity of the story, having been hi-jacked by technological advances and society desolated as a result. The idea of two beings assualting each other with computer viruses, for example, is an example of the writer forcing us to consider where technology is taking the race.

If you approach "Architect" with an open-mind, there is much to admire and learn from an ambitious and different type of science fiction novel.


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Embedded by Dan Abnett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good book. The end, a little too simply rounded up. I enjoyed it the most when perception was derived through the soldier’s eyes.

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Graphic Novels I have read

Superman: Red Son by Mark Millar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this, very Watchman like in the tone, the Russian Batman was the dogs bol@cks. Tough and not very happy with the man of steel; It worked so well slanting the original story the way it did. It makes so much sense, he could of landed anywhere on earth, not just in the USA. Depending on the country he potentially ended up in his perspective would always have been different, taking into consideration different cultures and customs. A class graphic novel that should be in the top fifty best graphic novels easily!

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Books I have read

Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Incredibly strong Science fiction, with a murder mystery, aliens, worm wholes, all solidly grounded around a detective with a standard family set in the north of England. One of the best books I have read in a long time. A page turner that keeps on giving with over a thousand pages of text. I wish I could erase my memory so that I could read it all over again. This kind of book makes you appreciate the craftsman of a writer which is Hamilton and hope that someday you might be able to right prose so effortlessly, so expansive while not losing the reader in the wealth of story!

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I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was one of the books that turned me on to science fiction. It made me want to write.!!

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Filth by Irvine Welsh




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Jupiter War by Neal Asher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great third installment dear I say the end leaves an option for further tails.

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Zero Point by Neal Asher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved it pure pleasure in a book form, for somebody who lives and breaths science fiction this was an ongoing treat that I am looking to continue with the next installment.

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The Departure by Neal Asher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this, a page turner without trying to do anything to flashy. It turned into a very pleasant weeks worth of reading. No new real new ideas but this allowed for the story to move along at a good rate, without the story being submerged under an over convoluted grand idea, that sometimes plague modern science fiction.

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Christina's review Of Architect by S Stennett from Amazon and Goodreads 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this and was super bummed when it was over so soon!! I wanted more, I tell you, MORE!! Now, I have to wait for the next instalment!! It was full of twists and turns, & was never the typical sci-fi story which is why I think I enjoyed it so much.

That said, the book did suffer from some editing issues. There were several times when the wrong characters' names were used in a scene. ( This has now been corrected. 15.03.2014)

It was obvious that it was simply an oops and we were still following said character, but something that could be confusing maybe to a younger reader? Also, there were a few times where punctuation was missing so it wasn't clear if we were still following dialogue or if this was narration. ( Corrected 15.03.2014)

I won't get into the nitty gritty but generally speaking, with a great editor & some more fleshing out of the final scene, as I wanted more :D , this would very likely have earned at the very least another half star or more from me!! I can't wait to read more in this series!!

http://www.amazon.com/Architect-Steven-Stennett-ebook/dp/B004JHYMJK

Across a Billion Years by Robert Silverberg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Love the book simple by today's standards but I have to say it captivated me at the time.

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2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is beautiful science fiction, I am not even sure if you can actually refer to science fiction in this way, but to me the book is a thing of beauty. What I am trying to say is that everything fits together to produce a completely satisfying piece of writing that I am able to read again again. It’s like a painting or a sculpture that your are able to revisit and still derive the same pleasure from viewing it one to a million times. The film is just as emotionally charged for me invoking the same set of emotions. It is near to impossible to produce a timeless piece of science fiction. Concepts and ideas date badly in the genre leaving you with a flawed ill-conceived idea that was ground breaking and brilliant at the time, but on further analysis proves to be completely wrong. The moon being made of cheeses a flippant analogy but one I hope shows my point. 2001 is timeless and that if nothing else should hold it in good stead until the end of time! (How Corny was that!!!!)

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