The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K Le Guin (My Goodreads Review)

The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book many years ago - either the late 70s or early 80s. Since reading it, I have seen a couple of movies where I thought they may have got ideas from this novel. (Avatar and The Return of the Jedi's Ewoks)

It is about a military human colony landing on this forest world. These small hairy biped creatures live within the forest. They love their world and seem docile to the disrespecting humans who are oblivious to the inhabitant's world and ways.

An incident occurs with one of the human militiamen. (I will not say what it is) One of the alien creatures goes into a frenzy and attacks the human who is much stronger than the forest creatures (I can't remember what they are called) Although the alien forest dweller is beaten to a pulp, the being keeps coming back at the human - reluctant to give in.

From this moment on tensions rise and we arrive at a very climatic end. I enjoyed the story - I remember that much and the ending was very good too. I recommend giving this a go. :D

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (My Goodreads Review)

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Britain in the Victorian age at the height of Empire. Then the whole show is reduced to an apocalyptic landscape as huge Martian tripods drop in to spoil the party. Giant tripods stalk the Earth killing and destroying everything in their paths. Is humanity doomed? It appears so as we follow the exploits of a journalist in one part of the story and his brother's report in another. Great story of its time and still able to delight to this day.

I enjoyed the way the author visualised the breakdown of civilisation as the mass exodus of humanity began to abandon London and make for the sea ports to escape the country. One part of the story depicts a paddle steamer packed with refugees trying to escape from Maldon in Essex. Three huge Martian tripods wade into the River Blackwater after the fleeing steamer. An ironclad close by sounds its klaxon and cruises towards the alien monstrosities and gets up close before blazing away with her guns.

Splendid stuff!

C.A. Powell
The Last Days of Thunder Child


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Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell (My Goodreads Review)

Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

George Orwell is an enigma to me - a very great one. I just get engrossed in anything he has written. He has the ability to be depressing, defeatist, morose - yet I can't put down anything he writes. I've never known anyone as compelling as this man was. This is another tale of his soul-searching exploits during the Spanish Civil War.

I think this is the pinnacle of his lifetime endeavour and real sacrifice for an alternative way of life via socialism. This is the journey, through his remarkable life, where I believe he realised equality can't work, especially trying to fight in the anarchist's brigade during this terrible civil war in Spain.

After this came Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Orwell's works are a stage through the journey of his deep thinking life. Sometimes via essays, biographical or fiction. This man is truly brilliant and you can see the development of his thinking if you read his publications in order. Homage to Catalonia is a very important book - a very important book indeed. I think it was the turning point in George Orwell's lifelong search for something better. I think he realised that he would never find an answer for Utopia after this experience and became resigned to why he could never find the answer with his two following stories - Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four.

C.A. Powell
The Last Days of Thunder Child





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The Skies Above Our Garden in the Fenland #UK

On St Georges Day, the sky above our house was clear and blue. A spitfire flew over to commemorate the day. What I love about my hamlet is that we always put a show on for England's patron saint day. The town had a fair with stalls selling all sorts of things. The day was a wonderful success and when I drove back to March from Chatteris after working my shift, I was surprised to see the hamlet of March still full of hustle and bustle due to the success of the St Georges Day celebrations.

The following Sunday, we saw this big balloon passing over. There always seems to be something happening in the sky at our hamlet of March. 

    

Baby Goldfinches Evicted from Nest by Sparrows.

In an earlier blog, I mentioned a male and female goldfinch that were building a nest in our magnolia tree.

All seemed to be going well and as the days progressed we realised that the goldfinch couple must have had fledgelings. They were coming backwards and forwards and we could hear the chirping birds as they were being fed.

Today my wife called me from the garden, instructing me to catch Bob, our big fat Ragdoll cat. He had reacted to a little fledgeling bird falling from the nest of the magnolia tree. I managed to rescue the bird as he dropped it when I scolded him. Then as we looked up into the tree, there was a commotion occurring with common sparrows attacking the goldfinch nest. More baby goldfinches started to fall through the leaves and branches of the tree. They seemed robust and fluttered to the grass. I say fluttered, but it was more a mishmash of falling while fluttering. Enough to lessen the impact upon the soil. 

We managed to rescue four out of five fledgelings. The fifth was dangling upside down and close to the nest. It was caught between the branches and had suffered an attack by the common sparrows. I got my ladders and tried to rescue it. However, the little goldfinch was already dead with blood about its head. I think it had been pecked to death. The other fledgelings had abandoned the nest - desperately throwing themselves from the nest.  

The four survivors have been put into a box with a towel and we have phoned the local wildlife sanctuary of the Fens to see if anyone can help. I got an answer and someone will phone back at around 9 am. 

Let's hope the poor little things can be saved. They seem rather traumatised and we have been told to keep them warm and in a dark place. Therefore, they are in this box awaiting attention from a wildlife rescue centre.

The Lazarus Succession by Ken Fry (My Goodreads Review)

The Lazarus Succession by Ken Fry

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Biblical and historical events and a long departed artist’s painting bring about a divine and then lost masterpiece. The search of which leads to a gripping celestial thriller in the present day. The lost picture is believed to have divine powers going back beyond the sixteenth century and to the time of Christ when the Lazarus miracle took place. There are flashbacks in time. We see how the much coveted and lost painting becomes a truly visionary work of art and why through the ages there are various depictions of the same biblical subject.

In this day, we follow a Spanish aristocratic lady who enlists the help of a ruthless and disgraced former British judge. Also, a dynamic duo of freelance treasure hunters who seek out lost masterpieces around the world. No one except the Spanish Condesa believes in the celestial power of the lost painting, but all are certain it has been hidden somewhere in secret by guardians of a lost and past order. As the thrilling search begins, the realisation of the lost picture’s divine power begins to unfold. The ruthless ex-judge will stop at nothing to gain wealth from such a find and soon we are treated to a fast-paced page-turner of cat and mouse intrigue. A very exciting story indeed, which kept me on my toes right up until the end with twists and turns all of the ways.

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The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carré (My Goodread Reviews)

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carré
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Our burnt out operative is called Alec Lemus and an unglamorous alcove of British intelligence wants him for a mission. In order to be convincing, he must sink low down in British society. A violent drunk sacked from employment and sent to the benefits office in search of a new job. This scruff is useless and on the scrap heap. This is just prep work. He drinks and attacks a store owner. It's still prep work. He befriends a librarian who is an idealistic young girl. It's just prep work. He is sent to prison for assault. It's all prep work.

Then from the shadows of the underworld, he hopes to lure communist field agents who come posing as social workers who care. Then the mission can really begin.

Set in 1964 during Britain's struggle with the communist bloc nations. This is not James Bond stuff. It's low down, seedy and dirty. Our hero is a burnt out field agent and his betters seem to operate out of seedy little office apartments in Oxford Circus. He knows the game and he thinks he's seen it all. Or has he?

Brilliant! Absolutely Brilliant!



C.A. Powell
The Black and Tan Summer: Ireland's Turbulent Year of 1920


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