LAST AND FIRST MEN By Olaf Stapledon

Published : 1930
Pages : 307
Overall Mark : 6/10

Mankind is coming to an end, and the last of them have decided to send a message back through time to warn us, the First Men, of what is yet to come. Through a conduit who is inspired to write down their words, the Last Men invite us to witness a future where man is continually brought to the brink of extinction before resurfacing in a similar, yet distinctly dissimilar way.

This book reads more as a history of the future than an actual novel. Fans of science fiction may not enjoy it, but those who enjoy the works of AJP Taylor will find it insightful and filled with interesting theories on the future. Although the writing is imaginative, it can get repetitive and become boring at points, but toward the end things speed up and it becomes a far more enjoyable read.

DEATH DU JOUR By Kathy Reichs

Published : 1999
Pages : 436
Overall Mark : 8/10

When Dr Temperance Brennan is called upon to help investigate a crime scene where a suspected arson attack has killed a young couple and their children, she finds connections to a strange and nameless cult lead by the mysterious Dom Owens. On further investigation she discovers that her own sister, Harry, has gone missing and might be in danger from the self same cult, who are far more far reaching than Temperance first suspected.

Although the connections between the various events involved by Temperance in this novel did seem a little convoluted and simply constructed to further the narrative, the story was still thoroughly engaging and kept me interested right up until the final page. This is a great edition to the series of novels and, although I’ve only read the first two, I look forward to continuing with the series to the end.

THE REDISCOVERY OF MAN By Cordwainer Smith

Published : 1975
Pages : 377
Overall Mark : 8/10

The Instrumentality, the central government of humanity, have created a form of human called Scanners, who for most of the time are without emotion and can feel no pain, their primary use being to pilot ships through interstellar space. As the years go by, the Instrumentality decides to also utilise animals – mixed with human DNA – to further their works in space to an exponential degree.

In this series of short stories, loosely held together through a future where humans have been split into subgroups, partly made up from genetically engineered animals, an incredibly descriptive future landscape has been designed which is rich in character and design. Every story herein can be read on its own, but it makes for a great read to go through each one and experience the vast parabola of characters and situations that unfold.

A LONG WAY DOWN By Nick Hornby

Published : 2005
Pages : 257
Overall Mark : 8/10

Martin, Maureen, Jess and JJ have nothing in common, except they all tried to commit suicide at the same time in the same place on New Year’s Eve. When they all decide not to kill themselves, but instead stay alive until Valentine’s Day to see if anything gets better, their lives become irrevocably intertwined to the point that they slowly and grudgingly become friends. The question is; will their friendship last past February 14th?

Considering the subject matter, this was a very entertaining and very amusing novel. As usual Hornby has the right level of comedy and pathos and combines them in such a way that they sneak up on you in the narrative. The characters are unique from each other which furthers the story greatly, and the notion of telling the story from each of their perspectives in alternating chapters gives us a better insight into what each character is thinking.

GATEWAY By Frederik Pohl

Published : 1976
Pages : 313
Overall Mark : 9/10

Bob Broadhead is lucky enough to win the lottery, and he uses his winnings to buy a one-way ticket to Gateway, a spaceport where people can take salvaged vessels from the mysterious alien race known as the Heechee and take risks in using them to travel through space in search of wealth. Following one disastrous journey, Bob finds himself talking over the events with an artificial psychiatrist, feeling responsible for the events that transpired on the trip.

This is one of the better science fiction novels I’ve read of late, with Robinette "Bob" Broadhead portrayed as possibly one of the most complex characters I’ve ever seen in fiction. He is neither heroic in his actions, nor actually evil in any way, but his endeavours and his attitude towards them make for a great read.

MAKING MONEY By Terry Pratchett

Published : 2007
Pages : 474
Overall Mark : 9/10

Moist von Lipwig, only having just got used to changing from a life of crime to being in charge of the Ankh-Morpork Post Office, now finds himself the inheritor of a controlling claim in the Ankh-Morpork mint. Now, using the popularity of his stamps, and their increased use as legal tender, Moist decides to convert Ankh-Morpork onto paper money, an idea which makes him a target of the Lavish family, who had only recently been expecting to run the mint!

Pratchett does it again with another tightly woven tale about Moist von Lipwig. Every moment in Pratchett’s books are there for a reason, and always lead to a satisfying ending which brings all the trails together and wraps them up into its wonderful completion. I look forward to seeing what Pratchett has in store next with the publication of his first non-Discworld novel in years, Nation.

THE FIFTH HEAD OF CERBERUS By Gene Wolfe

Published : 1972
Pages : 252
Overall Mark : 8/10

A young boy, the narrator, whose name is not known has been brought up in relative seclusion with his younger brother David. Together they have been treated to a barrage of psychological tests by their father for reasons they do not know, and the narrator is given the new name of Number 5. He later breaks into a slave trader’s warehouse where he finds a mutated slave who looks like his father, and from there he starts to question his very existence.

This is a fascinating story, which takes the idea that humans are an alien race that have invaded another species world and makes it into something truly remarkable. The other stories in the book, telling a tale of the original planets inhabitants and what happened to them, as well as a story of the consequences met by the anthropolgist from the first story, John Marsch, are not quite as good but are still well worth reading and lend a lot of substance to the original tale.