The UK Babe Channels Forum

Rex Milligan Raises the Roof
Anthony Buckeridge 1955 (Green Dragon 1968)



"The hilarious adventures of R. Milligan continue. The rivalry between Sheldrake Grammar and the Secondary Tech ends in a full scale battle, "infantry" attacking on the heels of "armour" - soap-boxes on wheels and acient prams! But before that there is adventure galore, taking in a cycle speedway track on an old bomb site with danger lurking below the surface.
Rex Milligan at his best." (publisher's blurb)

I've now read the first two Milligan books and they don't have the magic of the Jennings series. Unlike the Jennings books they are narrated in the first person by Rex and he comes over as just a little bit self satisfied. They're still readable though and there's only five in total so I'll probably read them all.

Taming the Infinite
Ian Stewart 2008 (Quercus 2009)



"From ancient Babylon to the last great unsolved problems, Ian Stewart brings us his definitive history of mathematics. In his famous straightforward style, Professor Stewart explains each major development--from the first number systems to chaos theory--and considers how each affected society and changed everyday life forever.
Maintaining a personal touch, he introduces all of the outstanding mathematicians of history, from the key Babylonians, Greeks and Egyptians, via Newton and Descartes, to Fermat, Babbage and Godel, and demystifies math's key concepts without recourse to complicated formulae. Written to provide a captivating historic narrative for the non-mathematician, Taming the Infinite is packed with fascinating nuggets and quirky asides, and contains 100 illustrations and diagrams to illuminate and aid understanding of a subject many dread, but which has made our world what it is today." (from Raru)

If you have A-Level Maths you should be able to grasp the basic concepts in the first half of this book. It's when you hit the nineteenth century and get into non-euclidean geometry, analysis, groups. topology etc then the ordinary punter could hit the buffers. I've read explanations of what group theory is a few times but I'm still non the wiser. It's not Stewart's fault, the subject matter is just intrinsically difficult. Given this difficulty he does a decent job of giving the reader at least a feel of what it's all about. He writes in an informal, easy to read style and each chapter has interesting biographies of famous mathematicians and how each field is relevant to science, technology and society as a whole. I enjoyed reading it even when I didn't understand it.

Blood Price
Tanya Huff 1991 (DAW 1991)



"Blood Price is the first book in Tanya Huff's Vicki Nelson series. Vicki is an ex-cop turned private investigator who is having a hard time cutting her ties to the police department. She loved her job, and she was good at, but she has a rare disorder where she is slowly losing her vision. She doesn't let this slow her down, however. When she hears a strange scream in the subway, she immediately runs to help and finds a young man with his throat torn out. He is the latest victim in a series of similar crimes and the newspapers start screaming about a killer vampire on the loose. While she is investigating, she finds a vampire - the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII, romance writer Henry Fitzroy. Together they track down the killer... " (from AllReaders.com)

V.I. Warshawski meets Dracula meets Mills & Boon. Even dafter than the Anne Rice vampire book I read a while back and full of hard boiled private detective cliches, I kind of enjoyed it anyway but not so much that I'd read the other five books in the series.
It was fifth in the 1992 Locus Reader's poll for Best Horror/Dark Fantasy novel. It's not even the worst of the top five as in second place was Clive Barker's Imajica which has the distinction of being the first novel ever that I started and didn't finish. I got halfway in and realised there was another 400 pages of drivel to wade through and baled out. Sorry Clive.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
C.S.Lewis 1950 (Fontana 1985)



"Although metaphysical rumblings may disturb adults, this wily symbolism-studded fantasy should appeal to children of an imaginative turn. While exploring an old English mansion, the four children—Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy—discover through passing into a wardrobe, the strange land of Narnia, where it is winter without ever becoming Christmas. The children soon are swept up in the terror of the rule of the White Witch, fighting with the other subjects—all animals—and the glorious Lion, Asian, who brings spring and hope with him. In spite of the White Witch's terrific enslavement of Edmund, her horrid power, which changes living things to stone, and the sacrificial death of Aslan, the forces of light win, the children are made kings and queens, and Asian returns to life. The plot thickens to a pretty heavy pudding at the end, but the prose is witty and the novel action is fast-moving. Not recommended for adults!"

When I was about eight a student teacher took us for a term and for the last hour of the day we put away the sums and the joined up writing and he read a book to us. The two books that he read were "The Hobbit" and this one. I loved both and although I've read The Hobbit a couple of times since I've not revisited Narnia. I enjoyed it and was surprised at how much of it I remembered. Some members of the literati like the loathsome Philip Pullman whinge about it for being some sort of Christian propaganda but for the young (and old) Volatile it was just an exciting fantasy adventure.
I could say that those two books instilled a lifelong love of fantasy fiction or at least until it was knocked out of me by Clive Barker's "Imajica". Cheers Clive.

Mathematical Circus
Martin Gardner 1979 (Pelican 1987)



Another twenty articles originally published monthly as "Mathematical Games" in Scientific American between 1968 and 1971 and updated for book publication. I love these books but you can't whizz through them quickly. I find that I have to read them in short bursts because of the concentration required to be able to absorb the concepts. The first three chapters give a flavour of the range of subjects covered. Chapter one is about optical illusions. Chapter two is tricks and puzzles with matchsticks and chapter three is about packing of spheres and hyperspheres in as many as nine dimensions.
I bought it online in very good condition for £2.28 (how do they make a profit?) and found the original receipt of purchase inside. It was bought on the 3rd April 1989 from Thorne's Students' Bookshop in Newcastle for £4.95.
Six more in this series to go.

Dracula
Bram Stoker 1897 (Penguin 2003)



It starts well in Castle Drac but then the titular haematophage announces that after five hundred years kicking around the Carpathians that he fancies a change of scenery and, being a big fan of the darts, he wants to buy a house in.......Purfleet! Frimley Green being too expensive. The plot is then driven by ridiculous coincidences which would make Malcolm Saville blush. Another problem is that too much time is spent with the hunters and not enough with Drac and the vampire babes who are genuinely scary creations. The whole thing is told in diary entries and letters which the Victorians seemed to love but which I'm not too fond of. It definitely has its moments though and I'm pleased I read it
This edition is annotated with a decent introduction which is something I like for any book which is iconic, classic or just old. There are also appendices including one which is an account by Stoker's mother of the cholera pandemic which swept through Ireland in 1832. This half dozen pages are probably the most disturbing in the whole book. Much, much scarier than covid-19.

Thanks to Jennings
Anthony Buckeridge 1957 (Collins 1969)



"Darbishire patents his method of removing heads from park railings with the aid of Jack Carr's car jack. Jennings finds and loses FJ Saunders, Atkinson's guinea pig; uncovers a case of suspected furtive feasting amongst the masters; and saves the day when a Ministry of Schools inspector visits Old Wilkie's history class." (from wikipedia)

I'm kind of reluctant to read each new Jennings book because every one brings me nearer to the end of the series and that will be a sad day. I might have to spread them out a bit more to prolong the pleasure.
As a punishment Old Wilkie makes Jennings learn to recite a few pages from his history book so we also receive a wizard lesson on the reign of Edward I. That's saved me a few quid as I won't need the Penguin Monarchs book now.

The World of Cycling According to G
Geraint Thomas 2015 (Quercus 2016)



"The World According to G is like no other cycling book, from no other rider: a thrilling group ride through the secret stories and clandestine codes, the great names and small details, the insider tactics, pivotal races and essential etiquette.
Charming and informative, diverting and droll, this is the perfect companion for anyone who has ever hugged the drops of a racing bike or relished the pro's daring deeds. Because G treats the sport just as the rest of us see it: not as a job, but an escape and an adventure, something that puts a grin on your face and fire in the legs like nothing else." (publisher's blurb)

The publication information page says 2016 but the cover shows that it was reissued unchanged in 2018 to cash in on his Tour win.
This is essentially an autobiography arranged by theme rather than chronologically. The ghost writer (not named) does a decent job of putting across Thomas' wry personality and dry humour. If like me you like watching cycling then you will enjoy this book: a nice easy read that doesn't tax the grey matter.
Thomas released another book focussing on his Tour win in 2018 which I'll keep an eye out for on in the charity shops.

The Count of Eleven
Ramsey Campbell 1991 (Warner 1992)



"Horror veteran Campbell offers an intriguing blend of his usual scary story with a Peter DeVries/Kingsley Amis-style comedy-of-no-manners-at-all. Jack Orchard is not only a clumsy oaf with a genius for the ill-timed and inappropriate joke but also the victim of a stretch of very bad luck. He decides his ill fortune is caused by those who failed to pass on the chain letter he sent them--so he kills them with a blowtorch. Comedy alternates with horror as Jack's personality becomes increasingly split between his own bumbling self and his efficiently murderous alter ego, the Count of Eleven. This novel will appeal to a broad group of readers beyond Campbell's horror-fan base; buy it for general fiction collections." (from Amazon)

On the shelf for thirty years and finally got around to it. I'd read Campbell's previous novel Midnight Sun and enjoyed it but this was a disappointment. There's not really any supernatural element just an unconvincing account of a man who has a run of bad luck which pushes him over the edge and turns him into a numerology obsessed, blowtorch wielding maniac who terrorises The Wirral. None of it rang true, the story is depressing and the protagonist is an annoying character. I thought about baling out on a couple of occasions but managed to stay the course as I wanted to see how he ended it.
It won the 1991 British Fantasy Award for best novel which is strange as it didn't appear to have any fantasy elements.

Edward VIII
Piers Brendon 2016 (Penguin 2018)



"'After my death', George V said of his eldest son and heir, 'the boy will ruin himself in 12 months'. From the death of his father in 1936 to the constitutional crisis provoked by his proposal to the then-married American socialite Wallis Simpson and his subsequent abdication, Edward VIII reigned for less than year. In choosing the woman he loved over his royal birthright, Edward fulfilled his father's prophecy and instigated the monarchy's most significant upheaval of the twentieth century. Retitled 'Duke of Windsor' and essentially exiled, Edward has remained a controversial figure ever since. Through his correspondence with, amongst other confidants, Winston Churchill, Piers Brendon traces Edward's tumultuous life in this superb, pacey biography." (publisher's blurb)

An interesting read. Brendon mentions Edward's role leading up to the second world war. He was given a job liaising with the French and He wrote a report on the state of the French defences and the weak spots in the Maginot line. Brendon says that the report was quite a shrewd appraisal but that the authorities weren't really interested because the whole thing was just a way of keeping Edward out of mischief and to make him feel that he was doing something useful. Apparently there's a new tv documentary which claims that the Duke's nazi sympathies were so strong that he arranged for the report to be passed to the germans. In other words an act of treason.
Next up George V.