THE TIME MACHINE AND THE WAR OF THE WORLDS By H G Wells

Published : 1895 & 1898
Pages : 274
Overall Mark : 7/10

A scientist creates a time machine so that he can see what the future holds in store for humankind, but finds himself in a strange world where humanity has been split into two camps; the utopian Eloi and the cannibalistic Morlocks. And a man runs for his life when Martian tripods land in England and begin to wipe out all humans with their deadly advanced weaponry.

In spite of being well ahead of their time, and paving the way for all science fiction literature in the years following, these stories aren't that impressively written and can at times get a little repetitive and boring. Despite this weakness Wells does still manage to drag out what could otherwise be a few pages of scenery into an entire novella and comes up with some ingenious visuals.

THE BOOK OF SKULLS By Robert Silverberg

Published : 1972
Pages : 222
Overall Mark : 7/10

Four students travel into the Arizona desert in search of a lost group of acolytes who possess the power of immortality, but in order to become immortal one of the four has to be killed by the others whilst another must volunteer to take their own life. As the group begin their training amongst the followers of The Book Of Skulls, they begin to decide who they think should die and which two should live forever.

Although this is an intersting book, I didn't like any of the characters and didn't think any of them deserved to live forever. However, this said, their avaricious tendencies and need for immortality to achieve all of their greedy goals soon proves to be something they may never achieve, even if they do become immortal. This is well worth reading, but be warned, there isn't anything redeaming about the characters therein.

HOW TO BE GOOD By Nick Hornby

Published : 2001
Pages : 244
Overall Mark : 8/10

When Katie Carr's husband David visits a spiritual healer named DJ Goodnews, he suddenly takes on a new leaf in life and becomes a good person. Gone are the days of swearing and arguing and being basically miserable, and now Katie is faced with a David who is giving away her children's things and inviting homeless people to come and stay in their home.

This is a witty novel that shows that, even when someone tries to do good they will innevitably end up causing bad things to happen. From thieving homeless people to divorcing parents, this book gives us a great insight into the life of the Carr's and how they deal with their drastic changes from the norm.