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XXIX: Clifford D. Simak, The Visitors (1980)
Reread. I have a softspot for this alien invasion novel. Strange black boxes appear in orbit, and land on Earth, consuming trees. When they breed, it is in the shape of cars and houses - and on the one hand seems to promise utopia, on the other economic meltdown.
XXX: John Baxter, The Fall of Hermes (1978)
Australian film critic tries to channel Michael Crichton in meteor heading for Earth disaster scenario. Paperthin and forgettable - I've just struggled for ten minutes to remember this even. Superior to the film Meteor, of which more anon.
I've saved this up to discuss all of these at once - a month back I read Kit Reed for the first time, and was blown away by her short stories. So I went away and ordered three of her novels published during the 1970s.
XXXI: Kit Reed, The Killer Mice (1976)
Astounding collection of short stories, which overlaps with Other Stories... and The Attack of the Giant Baby (1981), in which titular story a baby grows to absurd size. In a nutshell she is JG Ballard written by Angela Carter - on the one hand some clearly feminist stories about gendered assumptions on dumb blondes, on the other a salutary tale about when separatism goes wrong (and I think you'd read it differently if you'd read Kit as a Christopher). It's the kind of collection you want to go around pushing on everyone...
XXXII: Kit Reed, Tiger Rag (1973)
The story of a weakening marriage in which the main character's former best friend from school has been killed, set against the context of something horrible having happened to them as kids. Rather murky, and not for me more than the sum of its parts. Not of genre interest.
XXXIII: Kit Reed, The Ballad of T. Rantula (1979)
A year in the life of a teen, as his parents' marriage falters due to his mother's feminism and his father's infidelity. T. Rantula is his imagined Bowie-like rock star alter ego superhero who might be able to save him - except the book does go into fantasy (phantasy?) as much as that might suggest. Disappointing but readable.
XXXIV: Kit Reed, Magic Time (1980)
More homage to Crichton - this time Westworld. Bourne Castle is making a documentary about Fenton, a millionaire, when their plane crashes into a jungle and they have to struggle to survive. But it soon becomes apparent that this is not a real environment, and they are part of somebody else's reality programme. Too many viewpoint characters, and not as interesting as it sounds. I fear Reed is not a great novelist.
Reread. I have a softspot for this alien invasion novel. Strange black boxes appear in orbit, and land on Earth, consuming trees. When they breed, it is in the shape of cars and houses - and on the one hand seems to promise utopia, on the other economic meltdown.
XXX: John Baxter, The Fall of Hermes (1978)
Australian film critic tries to channel Michael Crichton in meteor heading for Earth disaster scenario. Paperthin and forgettable - I've just struggled for ten minutes to remember this even. Superior to the film Meteor, of which more anon.
I've saved this up to discuss all of these at once - a month back I read Kit Reed for the first time, and was blown away by her short stories. So I went away and ordered three of her novels published during the 1970s.
XXXI: Kit Reed, The Killer Mice (1976)
Astounding collection of short stories, which overlaps with Other Stories... and The Attack of the Giant Baby (1981), in which titular story a baby grows to absurd size. In a nutshell she is JG Ballard written by Angela Carter - on the one hand some clearly feminist stories about gendered assumptions on dumb blondes, on the other a salutary tale about when separatism goes wrong (and I think you'd read it differently if you'd read Kit as a Christopher). It's the kind of collection you want to go around pushing on everyone...
XXXII: Kit Reed, Tiger Rag (1973)
The story of a weakening marriage in which the main character's former best friend from school has been killed, set against the context of something horrible having happened to them as kids. Rather murky, and not for me more than the sum of its parts. Not of genre interest.
XXXIII: Kit Reed, The Ballad of T. Rantula (1979)
A year in the life of a teen, as his parents' marriage falters due to his mother's feminism and his father's infidelity. T. Rantula is his imagined Bowie-like rock star alter ego superhero who might be able to save him - except the book does go into fantasy (phantasy?) as much as that might suggest. Disappointing but readable.
XXXIV: Kit Reed, Magic Time (1980)
More homage to Crichton - this time Westworld. Bourne Castle is making a documentary about Fenton, a millionaire, when their plane crashes into a jungle and they have to struggle to survive. But it soon becomes apparent that this is not a real environment, and they are part of somebody else's reality programme. Too many viewpoint characters, and not as interesting as it sounds. I fear Reed is not a great novelist.
