Oct 28, 2010

Bartimaeus Sequence - Jonathan Stroud



Well, this one is sometimes clasified as adolescent literature. May be but The Amulet of Samarkand is also undoubtedly a superb novel of revenge and adventure with the most original central character for years and a huge, deep, funny, appealling, astonishing and hilarious sense of humour expressed with a masterful display of transversal thinking.

As described by John McLay:

Bartimaeus is a wisecracking Djinni (pronounced "Jinnee" we're reliably informed) unlike no other. Summoned from some otherworldly place to do the bidding of a pipsqueak trainee magician called Nathanial, he sets about his given task reluctantly but with aplomb. Nathanial is after revenge and that makes him dangerous. Previously humiliated by a powerful magician called Simon Lovelace in front of his impotent master, Nathanial has spent every waking hour for years cramming knowledge of the highest magic into his head so that he can exact his own special kind of vengeance.

Bartimaeus is charged to steal a precious and powerful object--the Amulet of Samarkand--from Lovelace's residence, which the Djinni achieves but not without angering a few old mates on the same astral plane and having to spend the night annoyingly disguised as a bird. Bartimaeus, despite being bound to Nathaniel, discovers the boy's real name--a tool he can use to his own advantage. But he is constantly outwitted. Then an overriding danger becomes apparent that threatens the whole fabric of society and they must work together to combat it.

Stroud's fantasy world is familiar, yet fascinatingly different. It's almost Victorian London, yet Magicians hold overall power and inhabit parliament. The writing is captivating, the story intelligent and mesmerising. It's difficult to imagine a more scintillating collection of characters and situations. Unmissable.

Oct 22, 2010

Philip K. Dick : tormented genius, lots of fun

Philip K Dick android missing head 
 Philip K. Dick android missing head in metro, by NikiSublime

Philip K. Dick. Greatest among the great. Biggest imagination ever, although he often drew upon his own life experiences and addressed the nature of drug abuse, paranoia and schizophrenia. Tormented writter often called "american Borges", obviously intended as a flattery. 44 published novels and 121 short stories, impossible to say which is the best: nevertheless those are the ones listed among Top 100 Sci-fi books in Sci-Fi Lists:

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Filmed as Blade Runner, this PKD classic has lost none of its appeal over the years. Bounty hunter Rick Deckard tracks down renegade 'replicants' - almost-faultlessly lifelike androids created to fill the void left by the devastating World War. As usual, Dick keeps us guessing - and the hunter becomes the hunted. Must read novel. Let's see some covers:




The Man in the High Castle.

In 1962 the few surviving Jews live in fear and slavery is legal - all because America lost World War II. The story of The Man in the High Castle is about daily life under totalitarian Fascist imperialism. The victorious Axis Powers — Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany — are conducting intrigues against each other in North America, specifically in the former U.S., which surrendered to them once they had conquered Eurasia and destroyed the populaces of Africa.




Despite his visions and general craziness, Dick married five times, I don't know what that says exactly about him :-P

His first wife was Jeanette Marlin. During May 1948, Dick married her, divorcing six months later; he never saw her again. I haven't found any photo of her.

This is Dick's second wife, Kleo Apostolides Dick Mini. Married June 14, 1950 – divorced 1959. Dick as in Philip K. Dick, his first husband and Mini as in Norman Mini, second husband who she met because Philip introduced them. You can find a very interesting interview to Anne Mini, Kleo's daughter here.


3rd: April 1, 1959 - 1965 Anne Williams Rubinstein.
Child Laura Archer born February 25, 1960


4th: July 6, 1966 - 1972 Nancy Hackett. Child: Isa, born March 15,1967
5th: April 18, 1973, to Leslie (Tessa) Busby – divorced 1977
child: Christopher Kenneth, born July 25, 1973

Curious facts of Dick's life:

Everything began in Chicago, on the 16th of December, 1928. Philip Kindred and Jane Kindred Dick cried and wept for the first time in their lives. Jane died after 41 days, because of the carelessness of their mother, Dorothy Grant Kindred (who didn't take her to the hospital at the proper time, a money matter). Since then, Phil had a unconscious culpability complex and we can understand perhaps a bit more why he felt anger toward his parents. Moreover, Jane would be found in many phildickian writings later on. Phil's dad, Joseph Edgar Dick, had a nice job indeed: cutting the throats of pigs as an employee of the government. His mother censored official texts of the government's spokesmen. Here again, what feelings went through the young Dick about his parents? Censorship is one of the
most important features in Philip K. Dick's writings: distinguishing truth from falsehood, the real from the imagined.

To learn more: you can find a fascinating interview with Tessa, Chris and Ranea Dick here

To be continued (because he wrote all this wonderful novels):


solar lottery   Solar Lottery
1955



the world jones made   The World Jones Made
1956



the man who japed   The Man Who Japed
1956



eye in the sky   Eye in the Sky
1957



the cosmic puppet   The Cosmic Puppets
1957



time out of joint   Time Out of Joint
1959



dr. futurity   Dr. Futurity
1960



vulcans hammer   Vulcan's Hammer
1960



man in the high castle   The Man in the High Castle
1962

1963 Hugo Award Winner for Best Science Fiction Novel



game players of titan   The Game-Players of Titan
1963



penultimate truth   The Penultimate Truth
1964



martian timeslip   Martian Time-Slip
1964



simulacra   The Simulacra
1964



clans of the alphane moon   Clans of the Alphane Moon
1964



three stigmata of palmer eldritch   The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
1965



dr. bloodmoney   Dr. Bloodmoney, or
How We Got Along after the Bomb

1965



now wait for last year   Now Wait for Last Year
1966



the crack in space   The Crack in Space
1966



unteleported man   The Unteleported Man
1966



zap gun   The Zap Gun
1967



counter-clock world   Counter-Clock World
1967



ganymede takeover   The Ganymede Takeover (with Ray Nelson)
1967



do android dream of electric sheep   Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
1968
Adapted for the motion picture, "Blade Runner."



galactic pot-healer   Galactic Pot-Healer
1969



ubik   Ubik
1969



a maze of death   A Maze of Death
1970



our friends from frolix 8   Our Friends from Frolix 8
1970



we can build you   We Can Build You
1972



flow my tears   Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
1974
1974 John W Campbell Memorial Award Winner



confessions of a crap artist   Confessions of a Crap Artist
1975



Deus Irae   Deus Irae (with Roger Zelazny)
1976



a scanner darkly   A Scanner Darkly
1977



VALIS   VALIS
1981



the divine invasion   The Divine Invasion
1981



transmigration of timothy archer   The Transmigration of Timothy Archer
1982



man whose teeth were all exactly alike   The Man Whose Teeth Were All Exactly Alike
1984



radio free albemuth   Radio Free Albemuth
1985



puttering around   Puttering About in a Small Land
1985



milton lumkey   In Milton Lumky Territory
1985



humpty dumpty   Humpty Dumpty in Oakland
1986



mary and the giant   Mary and the Giant
1987



the broken bubble   The Broken Bubble
1988



nick and the glimmung   Nick and the Glimmung
(a children's novel)
1988



gather yourselves together   Gather Yourselves Together
Written in 1950
(Published in 1994)



lies inc   Lies, Inc.
1964
(Published 2004)



Voices From The Street   Voices From the Street
Written 1953
(Published 2007)

Maybe you'll also like:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...