some thougtful reading

Land of the Headless by Adam Roberts.

Set in a future where IslamBibliq, is the religious
government that governs all.

Strict laws are applied in this society, the
story is narrated by a man who was sentenced
to headlessness because he protected the
morality of the women he was having an
affair with - big no-no.

The sentence is:
headlessness - the head is lopped off and replaced
with a square bin to which technology can be
added if the headless can afford it.

So the headless are like the lepers of old, walking
around with metalbins for heads, they are
recruited into the army, where they are used
as cannonfodder to clear the ground for troops
with heads.

The narration is somewhat philosophical and intellectual
and brings to the fore the question: which punishment
fits which crime.

The Sprinbokke won the world cup

I listened to the game on streaming audio and kept my eye on the All Blacks text updates, it was good, not a great "rugby rugby" game, but the boks played to win and did so with kicks !

The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross

It took me a long time to read this book, perhaps because I still find the fusion of science fiction with magic, difficult to enjoy, but I'm getting there.

This is a story about a detective and the many levels of shit he finds himself in.

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

Aaaaaah yes, a brilliant book. I read it in one fell swoop, and will read it again soon.

Strong and beautiful characters, believable settings and excellent science fiction.

Read this book, you'll love it...can't wait for Axis.

A very grim book

I read Icarus by Roger Levy. At first I was shocked at the author's insight into domestic violence and sexual abuse, I almost put the book down as the author manages to provoke strong emotional feelings from me, the reader.

The story is one of the ultimate betrayel - and I mean ultimate !

Follow the actions of a charismatic evangelist/healer and watch how he descends into insanity step by step.

The story starts on earth and ends on another planet.

Lovely strong characters, strange locations and the slow awakening of a people who have been hoodwinked in the most astonishing and cruel way.

I am not going to give the story away, read it yourself and lament !

This is a very good book and readers should take heed of the underlying message.