This is an interesting book; it’s a novel set after the Rapture, but because it was published in 1970, it’s got some funny ideas about how the author thought contemporary culture would be like in the 21st century. Mr Kirban makes a lot of use of the ‘picture phone’ which is like the iconic 1970s plastic telephone but with a video screen; even he couldn’t have envisaged ‘facetime’. He also uses ‘heliojets’ to get around, and ‘seahouses’ is not the name of a Northumberland town, but rather a collection of massive semi-submarine ships built to accommodate the world’s excessive population. My favourite bit was when the locust demons were released from the abyss – with jetpacks on! Hurrah! Brilliantly entertaining book, there’s nothing quite like it.
Tag Archives: novel
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
Wonderful book, I think this is the fourth time I’ve read it, and I’d forgotten what a well-rounded, well-written book it is. It’s a longish book, so it’s perfect for a holiday, or a time when you’re able to spend hours devouring it.
The characters are well drawn, Mr Rochester is tremendous and multi-dimensional, and what I noticed this time round was that Miss Brontë writes an accurate account of what it’s like to be ‘zapped’ by the Holy Spirit. Interesting, although it shouldn’t be surprising, that people were familiar with it then too.
An truly amazing work of literature.
Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand
This is a strange book. It’s unusual that you can read a book that’s over 1100 pages long, and yet still feel you haven’t quite got the measure of the author yet. It deals with the extremes of capitalism and socialism; frankly, I find both of them scary. About two thirds of the way through there’s a surprising turn in the story; it comes just at the right time, when you’re starting to flag a little bit. The characters are well-drawn, not entirely realistic – they kind of remain ‘characters’ rather than ‘people’. However, it’s an immensely interesting and thought-provoking book.
