William's Book Blog
Mostly book reviews. Very rarely I'll allow William Campbell Powell (author) to write a blog entry on publishing activity, but he's under orders to keep that stuff over on his Facebook page and on http://williamcampbellpowell.com
Currently reading
Book haul at #LonCon3
Something from Ellen Klages, because I so enjoyed Wakulla Springs...
A Steampunk anthology, written by authors around Bristol, because I've read next to nothing in that genre.
Paradox - an anthology of stories on the Fermi paradox (why aren't there aliens?) by a collection of UK authors and scientists, from NewCon Press, a UK indie press.
The NewCon Press guy (Ian Whates) asked me which author(s) I liked. I mentioned Ray Bradbury and Clifford Simak. He suggested I try Strange Visitors, a collection of short stories by Eric Brown. From the tiny sample I read at the stand, it looks good.
The Rhymer is a novel written in rhyming prose, by a Glaswegian author. I visited the stand 3 times, intrigued. Each time I tried to get into the book, to get my head around its cadences, its rhythms. Twice I failed, because other people were yakking loudly, and I couldn't latch on. The third time, it was quieter, and suddenly it clicked and I could hear the rhythms in my head. It'll need quiet to read, and maybe I'll actually read some of it out aloud, when no-one can hear me, because it's crafted to be spoken aloud.
I also found two collections of short stories by William Tenn, that rare and wonderful author (only one of the books is here on booklikes, the other is "the human angle"). In the moment I wasn't entirely sure they weren't already in my collection, but at £4 each, it wasn't worth taking the chance. You don't come upon his books often enough to let one slip through your fingers.
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