I adore Ted Sturgeon. He is my favorite writer of all time. Not only is his writing beautiful and lyrical, but he comes at everything from an angle that no one else does or ever has.
My personal feeling is that Ted Sturgeon was one of, if not the, finest writer of short fiction in the 20th century. Although he was mostly known for fantasy and science fiction, because (like most writers of his time) he wrote a little bit of everything, there are things in this compilation I had never read before, in genres I would never have considered reading.
“A Saucer of Loneliness” and “The Silken-Swift” make me cry every time I read them, and I recommend them to anyone who is having a bad time in life. “A Saucer of Loneliness” got me through some horrible times in high school, and “The Silken-Swift,” one of the best unicorn stories ever, explores the difference between those who are blind and those who refuse to see.
One story started out as a Western and ended up as science fiction! Then there is “The World Well Lost,” an absolutely pioneering gay short story (although that’s not shown till the reveal) that nearly cost Ted his writing career. There are several stories that gave me chills, like “Bianca’s Hands.”
There is literally something for everyone in this collection, and you can pick up any of the books, open it at random and begin reading and you’ll be satisfied. I have this collection on my e-reader, and it is still my go-to whenever I don’t have something I am in the middle of reading, or I want a break from something I am reading, or I only have a short period of time to read. Every single story bears up under multiple re-readings.
A collection of the early works of Theodore Sturgeon, acclaimed Grand Master of Science Fiction—featuring forewords by Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke
Although Theodore Sturgeon's reach was limited to the lengths of the short story and novelette, his influence was strongly felt by even the most original science fiction stylists—including Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, and Gene Wolfe. Written from 1937 to 1940, the stories here showcase Sturgeon's masterful knack for clever, O. Henry-ish plot twists, sparkling character development, and almost archetypal, “Why didn't I think of that?” story ideas. Early Sturgeon masterpieces include “It,” a story about the…
Well, this is a little bit of a cheat because I re-read Gaudy Night every single fall—about the time I start to get nostalgic about going to college.
This is one of Dorothy Sayers’ “Peter Wimsey” mysteries, but it’s not centered on Lord Peter, it’s all from the viewpoint of Harriet Vane, his reluctant love-interest. She has a lot of reasons to be reluctant; a terrible experience with an ex-lover—ex, because he was murdered, and terrible because she was accused of the murder.
Reluctant because Lord Peter saved her, and she not only was not interested in having another man in her life, she felt both gratitude to him and irritation at having to feel gratitude toward him (and haven’t we all felt that when we were forced to be grateful for something?) She’s a very strong and independent woman, a mystery writer herself (so I identified with her immediately).
This book takes place several years after the murder, when Harriet, now quite successful, decides to go back to her college at Oxford to write an academic book about Sheridan Le Fanu (a mystery/fantasy writer of the 1800s) and gets embroiled in a mystery that could throw the entire women’s college into disgrace.
There is a lot to love about this book—Lord Peter is flawed but lovely, Harriet is my kind of gal, the setting is perfect, and even though this book was written in the 1935, it literally could have been written yesterday, given the topics it hits on, and the garbage women have to go through even today. It could easily be classed as “Dark Academia” nowadays. There are not a lot of books I reread, but this is at the top of the list.
The twelfth book in Dorothy L Sayers' classic Lord Peter Wimsey series, introduced by actress Dame Harriet Mary Walter, DBE - a must-read for fans of Agatha Christie's Poirot and Margery Allingham's Campion Mysteries.
'D. L. Sayers is one of the best detective story writers' Daily Telegraph
Harriet Vane has never dared to return to her old Oxford college. Now, despite her scandalous life, she has been summoned back . . .
At first she thinks her worst fears have been fulfilled, as she encounters obscene graffiti, poison pen letters and a disgusting effigy when she arrives at sedate Shrewsbury…
Oh God, how I love Terry Pratchett. Lots of people think they can write comedy. Very few actually manage, much less manage to write it well.
I came to Pratchett only very recently, and I am reading his books very slowly, because he is no longer with us, and once I read the last one, there will be no more new books by him for me, and I will cry. The book takes its name from a horribly misogynistic tract by the religious leader John Knox, The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women, and pretty much eviscerates said tract in the first chapter.
Don’t worry if you never read anything by Pratchett before this; although it does (presumably) take place in his Discworld ‘verse, there is nothing you need to know beforehand, and it’s quite standalone. Pratchett is well known for taking fantasy tropes and turning them into pretzels, and he doesn’t fail here.
If I go into any more details, they’ll be spoilers, so I’ll just say that I was by turns enraged (because so much of this book is Pratchett making furiously angry mockery of religious fanatics, warmongers, misogynists, and ‘phobes of all sorts), convulsed with laughter, terrified for the protagonists, and even weepy, especially at the end. But this book isn’t preachy, far from it.
All those were genuine emotions, evoked because, well, Pratchett at his height was a certified genius, as good a long-form writer as Sturgeon was short.
A new stage adaptation of one of Pratchett's best-selling novels The Monstrous Regiment in question is made up of a vampire (reformed and off the blood, thank you), a troll, Igor (who is only too happy to sew you a new leg if you aren't too particular about previous ownership), a collection of misfits and a young woman discovers that a pair of socks shoved down her pants is a good way to open up doors in a man's army."One of the funniest English authors alive" (Independent)
A high fantasy in the massive Valdemar series, the first of a trilogy. About Kelvren (the Brave) a very brave and self-doubting gryphon.
Kel has a habit of plunging straight into trouble without thinking much about the consequences to himself. He also second-guesses himself a lot. He thinks first about protecting his friends and allies before thinking about himself, but at the same time, longs for fame, like his idol, Skandranon, the legendary Black Gryphon.
As a consequence, the first thing he does in this book is bite off far more than he can chew, and gets himself made into an arrow-target as a consequence. And things just get more dangerous and complicated from there.
