If you haven’t already - have a read of Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower and the two follow ups Parable of the Talents and Kindred.
Absolutely brilliant early/mid 90s dystopian science fiction about surviving in a post-apocalyptic event (not zombies). Set in a future US but starting to feel all too realistic in Trumpland.
Much appreciated. I’ve ordered the Hiromi Kawakami one, but got a break away in Feb with the gf, and she’s applying to the film festival circuit for her short film ( looking for nice places for long weekend breaks) so the more the better.
That’s looks a good recommendation for me, will be getting
Cheers for that, I don’t read much fiction at all I would like to get engrossed in some. Dystopian appeals to me, but zombies or any of that carry on just ain’t me. So anything you can recommend in a similar vein is welcome.
Off the top of my head if you’ve not read China Mieville, especially the city and the city or Dave Hutchinson’s Europe in Autumn (dystopian near future in a post-EU europe and a crime thriller that’s totally under selling it) are both excellent.
Friend sent me this article from the FT of all places.
Great that
I managed to catch the In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats VR experience while it was up in Leeds. It was absolutely incredible, Really puts you in the moment
San Sebastien have a great Film festival, food is pretty good too, similarly Sitges…
Completely agree Joe. Went to the Barbican one out of curiosity. Was completely blown away. Massively exceeded expectations. My one and only VR experience.
I read that today too. Was thinking about the fine line between fitting in well to this thing we call “life” and being somewhat outside of it all. It doesn’t take much… a slight intellectual disability, a neurodivergence, an illness that gets in the way of a necessary development. Sounds like Craig was right on the edge of things, in that “almost” zone.
Yep, poor guy, one of those people who just couldn’t deal with everyday life for whatever reason, no real family support & unable to help himself.
A sad story all around.
The past and current abuse of children in the care and youth detention system is this country’s national disgrace. I can’t believe our institutions have not stopped it happening and not been held accountable. Cu*ts.
Geoff Barrow and his new film
I love Portishead. Mad how he mentioned this in that interview as one of the best intros and you’re like ‘oh there’s the DNA’…
Was listening to that in the car just the other night trying to “educate” my daughter and I think I agree with him. A blistering opener
There’s been nobody like The Bomb Squad before or since.
*** Shameless self-promotion alert ***
So…the book.
This is what it looks like:
This is the blurb:
Richard Whitecross sells gadgets on Amazon. He’s done so for years. He might not be rolling in cash but he’s done ok. He and his family are comfortable. But there’s just one problem: his products are…well, they’re crap.
When finally forced to confront this fact, Richard invents what he thinks is a piece of world-changing technology. But when the software malfunctions and he becomes the target of a social media pile-on, it becomes clear that he’s as much the problem as his products.
Can Richard accept all the facts of his situation, not just the convenient ones? Will he make his business work? Can he salvage the family that is so important to him? Most importantly: is Richard the asshole?
Contrary to the “promo only” hand-stamp, there are some for sale. If you fancy grabbing a half-price copy, here’s a link. Shipping options are limited to UK and US at the moment. If you’re elsewhere - or you’re in London and want to save on shipping - drop me a DM and I’ll set something up.
Thanks for reading.
As you were!
Awesome. Was going to buy but shipping is £24 
In the UK, does that make a difference?
