Mark's books

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2023 -

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2022 -

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les misérables

2022 -

french lit
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read

	ancestral night 2022 - 2022 scifi
	beyond the hallowed sky 2022 - 2022 scifi
	why be happy when you could be normal? 2022 - 2022 a less fictionalised autobiography
	oranges are not the only fruit 2022 - 2022 a slightly fictionalised autobiography
	children of ruin 2022 - 2022 scifi
	children of time 2022 - 2022 scifi
	who needs men? 2022 - 2022 scifi
	shards of earth 2022 - 2022 scifi
1984	1984 2022 - 2022 politics
	pushing ice 2022 - 2022 scifi
	the reality dysfunction 2021 - 2022 scifi
	doomsday game 2021 - 2021 scifi
	survival game 2021 - 2021 scifi
	extinction game 2021 - 2021 scifi
	angel stations 2021 - 2021 scifi
	marauder 2021 - 2021 scifi
	fugitive telemetry 2021 - 2021 the 6th in the murderbot diaries series.
	empire of light 2021 - 2021 scifi
	nova war 2021 - 2021 scifi
	stealing light 2021 - 2021 scifi
	a haven in the stars 2020 - 2021 scifi
	city of dreams and dust 2020 - 2020 scifi
	october song 2020 - 2020 near future
	altered carbon 2020 - 2020 sci fi
	hyperion 2020 - 2020 sci fi
	the aeneid 2020 - 2020 after the trojan war.
	network effect 2020 - 2020 the 5th in the murderbot diaries series.
	the odyssey 2020 - 2020 after the trojan war.
	the iliad 2020 - 2020 the end of the trojan war.
	face it 2019 - 2020 The memoir of debbie harry.
	living like a runaway 2019 - 2019 The memoir of lita ford.
	ancillary justice 2019 - 2019 the 1st in the imperial radch series.
	hitch 22 2019 - 2019 The memoir of christopher hitchens.
	physics from the edge 2019 - 2019 Quantised inertia and its role in ridding us of dark matter.
	just kids 2018 - 2019 Memoirs of patti smith.
	exit strategy 2018 - 2018 the 4th in the murderbot diaries series.
	rogue protocol 2018 - 2018 the 3rd in the murderbot diaries series.
	artificial condition 2018 - 2018 the 2nd in the murderbot diaries series.
	all systems red 2018 - 2018 the 1st in the murderbot diaries series.
	mass 2018 - 2018 An up to date assessment of where we are with what stuff is. After seeing the youtube ri lecture about it.
	what is real? 2018 - 2018 An up to date assessment of the state of quantum mechanics and the flawed copenhagen interpretation.
	what do you care what other people think? 2018 - 2018 More anecdotes from feynman.
	to throw away unopened 2018 - 2018 viv albertine's memoir continues
	symmetry and the monster 2018 - 2018 Maths - group theory and the monster.
	american gods 2017 - 2017 The book before the tv series.
	leviathan wakes 2017 - 2017 Space opera - before the tv series
	7 brief lessons on physics 2016 - 2016 Concise summary of relatively recent physics. But very short.
	the algebraist 2015 - 2016 The last non culture novel. Read as an ebook.
	the ballad of halo jones 2016 - 2016
	theory of everything - explaining our world by quantum gravity 2016 - 2016 Why we need to abandon old paradigms and look for new physics. Read as a free ebook. Points out the inconsistent application of mathematics in the long broken standard model. Tries to suggest an alternative derivation, but doesn't get very far in generating something experimentally testable.
	feersum endjinn 2014 - 2015 The next non culture novel. Read as an ebook.
	reckless 2015 - 2015 chrissie hynde's memoir
	clothes music boys 2015 - 2015 viv albertine's memoir
	exeter college: the 1st 700 years 2014 - 2014 The story of exeter college. Interesting to read about the history of the buildings. Skipped all the stuff about sport, and the more tedious alumni. Nice to read about philip pullman, alan bennett, imogen stubbs (a contemporary). No mention of will self, or me.
	against a dark background 2013 - 2014 Missing the culture novels. I decided to go back and read his other sci fi. Read as an ebook. Slightly annoyed by the ebook conversion that left many words unnecessarily hyphenated. Still very good though. The adventures of lady sharrow.
	the hydrogen sonata 2012- 2013 The latest culture novel. And probably the last. Read as an ebook. Not the best, but still good.
	the book of universes 2012 - 2012 A look at the evolving view of the possibles that fit the observed facts. Lots of interesting stuff including simulations, boltzmann brains. It seems the best fit at the moment is a universe that began about 13.75 billion years ago, started accelerating expansion about 4.5 billion years ago, contains 23% dark matter and 72% dark energy. Remarkably, the value of the cosmological constant may be the same as the square of the ratio of the planck time to the current age of the universe.
	the player of games 2012 - 2012 Missing the culture novels, I went back to 1 I had skipped. Yes, it is largely about board games, but the elements of the culture are there, and it builds to an interesting ending.
	cycles of time 2012 - 2012 Latest look at science by roger penrose. The idea of conformal cyclic cosmology seems to be that the accelerating expanding universe eventually loses track of scale, after all massive particles have disappeared into black holes that have since evaporated, leaving only photons. At this point the crossover happens into a new aeon, starting with a new big bang. This does have the advantage of pushing the troublesome inflation/expansion phase back into the previous aeon. Towards the end of the book some observational predictions are made. These have not been seen.
	surely you're joking mr feynman 2012 - 2012 Stories from the life of richard feynman. Not nearly enough physics, but a bit of a look at what else he did.
	ragnarok 2012 - 2012 The end of the norse gods. Well, that was a bit of a waste of time.
	surface detail 2011 - 2011 The latest culture novel. Had to wait a long time for the paperback version.
	the state of the art 2010 2010 An earlier collection of short stories, some with culture connections. Nice to read of diziet sma again, but it is mostly a commentary on 70s society.
	the road to reality 2006 - 2011 By roger penrose. An ambitious summary of all of physics (and the necessary maths). Waited a long time for the paperback version. The size of a house brick (even in paperback), 1000+ pages, and the 1st 16 chapters (of 34) are pure maths that you need to follow the rest - hmmm. Of course, we still don't know how gravity and general relativity fit together with the standard model of quantum mechanics. He looks at most of the contenders, and doesn't have much time for the fashion of superstrings and extra dimensions. Hopeful that twistor theory may provide a way forward. Nice epilogue.
	look to windward 2010 - 2010 The next culture novel.
	inversions 2010 - 2010 Not actually a culture novel. But generally acknowledged as being in the culture universe, from the outside point of view. Medieval mode.
	excession 2010 - 2010 The next culture novel. It's complicated, with lots going on, and communications between ship minds taking up a lot of it - good though.
	use of weapons 2010 - 2010 Another culture novel. After matter I decided to go back and read some more, in chronological order, but player of games didn't sound very good, so straight to #3. Very good. Starts in the middle and works forward and back alternately into zakalwe's story. I had my doubts. but it works surprisingly well.
	matter 2009 - 2010 Another culture novel. A strange mix of medieval politics, shellworlds, high tech and space opera, but it works remarkably well.
	graffiti woman 2006 - 2009 graffiti and street art by women all over the world. Lots of photos of train and street art, but they are mostly very small. The names are not very interesting. Only a few of the works appealing, but that's true of most art galleries.
	god is not great 2008 - 2009 Another look at the inconsistencies and other problems of religions. Covers a lot of the same ground as the delusion book, but from a more philosophical viewpoint. At times an uncomfortable read, discussing lots of horrible stuff that happens. He lays the blame at religion's door, when probably it is only incidental.
	brideshead revisited 2008 - 2009 Time to read the book that was made into a good tv series, and a not so good film. A delightful read, with some nice use of language.
	not even wrong 2008 - 2008 A look at the failure of string theory to provide a theory of everything. Starts out refreshingly direct, with a mathematician's view of things. As is often the case, desperatley short of daigrams and mathematical statements. Summarises the development of the standard model and the various (super)string theories, then becomes very negative in criticising their inability to make any predictions. Quite right too. Also laments the internal mechanisms of science funding, leading to over cocentration on particular fields of study. Not very helpful in pointing out the alternative ways forward though - maybe loop quantum gravity and/or spinors. We really need more experimental observations at ever higher energy, but these are getting prohibitively expensive e.g. the lhc.
	almost like a whale 2008 - 2008 A retelling of darwin's theory of evolution with what we know now. Lots of good stuff in here, despite the annoying style of the "stamp collector" variety of scientist. Sometimes more about geology than evolution. Worth a read.
	the fabric of the cosmos. 2005 - 2008 A reasonably up to date (2004) look at what we know about the universe. Not bad, but it is frustrating that string theory has not progressed more in the last few years. We are still waiting for something that integrates spacetime, gravity and all of the sub atomic particles, force carriers etc.
	the god delusion - 2007 At last in paperback, and only £4.97 from tesco. Dawkins can be rather annoying, and this book is no exception, being rather rambling, with no proper beginning or end. Early on he tries to name drop, including einstein, who as far as I can tell, was a deist by his own definition. His attempt to disprove existence by showing that it is very unlikely misses the point. He himself seems to have a great faith in parts of science that he knows less about, trusting that it has all been rigorously proven. In fact there are lots of things which are still mysterious eg. quantum theory, gravity, dark matter etc. Even so there is lots of interesting stuff in there, and it seems well referenced.
	consider phlebas 2005 - 2006 I've not read any scifi for a long time. Recommended as the 1st of the culture books. A bit of our hero does space opera, but the plot whizzes about all over the place impressively, the ringworld scenery is nice, and the 1st person AI view of things is interesting. Ultimately all a bit pointless, but I guess that's the point.
	the saga of hawkwind. 2005 Some history of the characters behind the music. Misses some of the references in the music. Very little on captain lockheed. Otherwise very detailed and told with a nice style. Lots of peripheral characters get their life story told at the time they most impact the band, while others go right through. Lots of detail, but it gets a bit much later on. A lot of the 2nd half is just aruguing over money.
	wall and piece 2005 graffiti - see banksy.co.uk.
	herodotus - histories 2001 - 2005 The 1st real history book in the world, from about 450 BC, starting with the origins of the wars between the Greeks and the Persians. I get lost in all the names and geographical detail, but it is entertaining. In particular, the heroic stand of the spartans at thermopylae and the story of sea power being a key factor. Read it for free online (a different translation) here.
	the end of time 2004 - 2005 Time doesn't exist, or at least it doesn't flow. It's all out there at once, or something like that. Actually, all rather specualtive, with no testable predictions. Not convinced. Infuriating, especially the last chapter, which just waffles on about art.
	the da vinci code 2005 Great fun, and a nice ending, despite the endless conspiracy theories and weakly coded puzzles. Difficult to separate the fact from fiction. It is really a rather contrived action thriller plot allowing a quick tour around the various theories on its subject.
	galileo's finger - 2004 Not actually about galileo - I think that's just the marketing people. Anyway, 10 big ideas of science. This is such a good book, explained in an entertaining, clear concise way, leading to new insights into stuff that you thought you already knew about. If you only read 1 popular science book, go for this 1.
	about time 2004 What it says on the tin. A good round up of all the mysterious aspects of time. A bit suspect when it gets to human perception and observation, rather like roger penrose, whom it mentions quite a lot.
	durham red - the vermin stars 2004 Continues from The Scarlet Cantos. Similar excellent computer assisted artwork. Some big ideas, mixed with the usual fighting.
	wolverine snikt 2004 Logan gets dragged into the future to save the planet. Very japanese feel to it. Nice artwork. Not much of a plot.
	it must be beautiful 2003 - 2004 A look at some of the most elegant equations of science. A bit of a mixture, with several authors. Good bits on quantum particles and general relativity.
	joe bar team 5 2004 Latest of the comic strip about bikers centred on joe bar.
	witchblade - prevailing Ian has the witchblade, and Sara decides to take it back, but doesn't quite work out that way. Interesting switch to different artwork style in the middle section.
	witchblade - distinctions The story of the other bearers of the witchblade. Including the arrival of the witchblade. Some rather trivial, others rather good, with usual high standard of artwork.
	x-men the ultimate guide A useful tour of the x-men universe. Gives some background to the 2 films. It is very confusing, with alternative futures, pasts etc.
	scientific blunders How even distinguished/famous scientists can hold fast to outrageous ideas in the face of the evidence. In places it is badly/hastily written with some factual errors eg. at 1 point it says absolute zero is -275.15 degrees C. Still, I learned some new stuff.
	the book of nothing Nothing is important. The various aspects of nothing. Err... the language can't really cope. Very good. It deals with various mathematical aspects of zero, nothing, ending up with the quantum vacuum and the origin and fate of the universe.
	367>a history of britain The companion to Simon Schama's BBC TV series. Probably a bit too short for such a big subject, but it is nice to get an overview. More detail than the TV (mostly rather gory). All the history I did at school seemed to be done out of sequence.
	cor baby, that's really me ! John Otway's autobiography. Rock and Roll's greatest failure. Quite funny in places, but I find it hard to feel sorry for him. Nice to get some of the history behind the songs.
	witchblade deluxe collected The same stuff as in the Tomb Raider crossover.
	witchblade/darkness A crossover between Witchblade and Darkness. Plot's not up to much, but the artwork is cool as ever.
	galileo's daughter The follow up to Longitude. Finished at last. It's been a long job, sitting on my desk at work. The idea of using Suor Maria Celeste's letters to Galileo (without the opposite correspondence) seems a strange way of telling his story. The letters mostly go on about health and various small birds and material supplies. The best bits are the story of his work and persecution by the church. The last page contains a revelation that gives some meaning to the approach, though.
	witchblade cauldron Latest instalment of the Witchblade story, with a Tomb raider linkup tacked on.
	moab is my washpot Stephen Fry's autobiography. Finished this on the boat, on the way to Portugal. Rather difficult to know what to make of it, as bits are fictionalised to protect identities, and he admits to being a liar and a thief. Only actually goes as far as being accepted at university. Still waiting for the next 20 years.
	brave new world I had to read 1984 at school, but Aldous Huxley's warning of the future didn't make the syllabus. Like many books and films set in the future, it really says far more about the time that it was written. It was a bit slow until the savage came on the scene. I couldn't quite work out whether Huxley was for or against all the social engineering. I thought the whole thing was run without money for most of the book, but it suddenly got mentioned near the end. From today's point of view, the technology is laughable.
	eric The Pratchett version of Faust. A pretty thin and poor effort, as they go. At 1 point he criticises books that have the author's name in raised gold letters on the cover, bigger than the title. Yes - you've guessed it.
	taking wing The story of the discovery and interpretation of the Archaeopteryx fossils. The style is a bit tedious, as the author adopts a scientific approach and insists on using the "proper" scientific terms for things. Most of the book is history (pun intended), and the most interesting bits are in the last few chapters which discuss pterosaurs and bats, and the latest discoveries of "feathered" dinosaurs (without wings) in China. Still, worth the effort. Some decent photos of the fossils would help.
	moving pictures The 9th Discworld novel from Terry Pratchett. Not bad. I'm getting a bit fed up with Terry Pratchett. Having said that, I have bought Eric.
	pyramids The 7th Discworld novel from Terry Pratchett. I read Guards! Guards! and Hogfather out of sequence, but I've now gone back and started from the beginning.
	sophie's world Basically a whistle stop tour of all philosophy ever, wrapped up in thin but mysterious story about Sophie. The lack of depth to the philosophy is annoying. The understanding of physics around the big bang and celestial mechanics is weak. The unlikely events of the story are explained (sort of). 1 of the characters reads the book that they are in - very recursive!. Gets a bit silly towards the end, then just stops - a bit like real life I suppose.
	durham red - the scarlet cantos The Strontium Bitch herself. A collection of the 2000AD story. sci fi Vampire babe in red and black.
	witchblade ceremony Next instalment of the Witchblade story, with a Tomb raider linkup tacked on. No sign of what comes next...
	under the tuscan sun A pair of rich American academics buy a bit of Italia and do it up. A summer house for 3 months off a year. It's a hard life. The endless food details are tedious. The local detail about somewhere that I've been is interesting.
	witchblade covenant Despite the Tomb Raider linkup, which I think is basically a marketing exercise, this mainly covers the start of the Witchblade story ie. how Sara Pezzini acquired the Witchblade. Gorgeous artwork. There seems to be quite a lot going on in the story. To be continued in October.
	impossibility Another popular science book that I bought to take on holiday (Crete). Finally finished reading it. It's a bit out of date as it doesn't mention the recent surprise discovery that the rate of expansion of the universe is accelerating. However, it has some good stuff in it that I didn't know before eg. even a totally deterministic system like a computer can not predict its future.

abandoned

	the soldier 2021 - scifi
	the castle 2019 - Supposed to be a classic, but found the tedium too much at about 48%.
	3 moments of an explosion 2016 - Collection of short stories. Wanted some science fiction, but gave up after the 1st few were just not interesting.
	motorcycle dynamics 2012 - How motorcycles move and why. Sometimes interesting, but mostly a bit boring. Eventually skipped to the front swing arm section, which did not answer the questions I had. Gave up.
	io 2005 - An autoscatto (autobiography?) by gianna nannini. My italiano is just not up to reading this live. Constantly having to look words up was just too slow. Gave up.