I've always been partial to an apocalyptic dystopian novel so when I read about Joe Hill' s The Fireman I was instantly interested. The book has been out for just over a month with mixed reviews. Some thought it was wildly entertaining while others thought it as dull as dirt.  Here are three excerpts which sum up the different camps.

An old friend recently asked me if C.S. Lewis' Cosmic Trilogy (also know as the Space Trilogy ) would make it into my top 100 list.  My response was 'Yes, it would'. Masterpieces such as The Screwtape Letters , The Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity still stand as some of the best Christian writings since John wrapped up the book of Revelation. But nestled somewhere in Lewis’ back catalog are three books that remain somewhat obscure and are simply referred to as the ' Space Trilogy.' The result is a work that is much more complicated than a single reading can capture but also one that is rewarding beyond words for any reader willing to seek out these books. These books capture Lewis at the top of his creative game and his ability to distill his favorite themes and ideas into the universe. [1]

How Can A Snail Be Linked To An Unsolved Mystery? Over the time that I have been collecting interesting web articles I've come across several posts about the prevalence of snails fighting knights in the margins of illustrated medieval manuscripts.   What's that all about?  I hear you ask...  Well the simple answer is 'We don't know, it's a mystery' Leaveth mine own cabbages beyou foul beast from hell. Apparently it's very common to see images of armed knights fighting snails, especially in hand drawn margins.  Just because these doodles  can be found everywhere it doesn't mean that the experts have any idea what they mean.  Most of these images show the snails generally on the winning side and the knights who are facing them bewildered or scared. Those who comment on these images believe that it's some sort of private joke that has been lost over time.

If you've followed my blog for a while you'll know I enjoyed S. H. Jucha's The Silver Ships books.  You can see my post and vlog about the first book in this series here Two Space Operas Worth Reading .   If you like Melodramatic, Idealistic Sci-Fi with maybe a touch of Mills & Boon romance, then this is the series for you. I've recently been informed by the author that Book Five in the series is being released 1st July, 2016.  Follow the links below to get your copy.  And of course read through it with your favourite beverage nearby.  This story looks like it may need a pot of Russian Caravan tea Sol (The Silver Ships Book 5) by S. H. Jucha (Author) Sol’s warships paid the ultimate price for threatening the Haraken and New Terran worlds. Now, Haraken President Alex Racine and his Méridien partner, Renée de Guirnon, are engaged in a desperate gamble to stop a war between their worlds and United Earth’s (UE) massive forces before it starts. (I wond...

Is Science Fiction Past Its Sell-By Date? I would answer immediately with a definitive no. See what Ken MacLeod , author of the Engines of Light series has to say in the article below.  Also an article I found quite interesting about how others are ' stealing ' existing works and re-selling them as their own. One quote I found staggering was that self published authors need to churn out in up to of 18 books per year in order to survive. Anyway sit back with your favourite beverage and enjoy a good read this weekend.

Welcome to yet another curated edition of Random Articles across the Web. I really like the idea of the first article  Why Everyone Needs to Read (More) Science Fiction, however I felt that the author could have said more, but it's still a good discussion starter or way to kick off further thinking on the subject.  If you have some ideas on  Why Everyone Needs to Read (More) Science Fiction then please let me know, here in the comments or via Twitter, I'd be happy to hear them. Well sit back with your favourite beverage and enjoy reading this weekend.  Perhaps you want to try a NovelTea .... Don QuixoTea or my favourite The Picture of Earl Grey :)