Just Finished Reading: Burmese Days by George Orwell (FP: 1934) [300pp] 

Flory knew what they thought of him. Even the little he showed caused them to call him a Communist or worse. If only they knew the real him, rather than his poor attempt to ‘fit in’ with those in charge of the settlement. If only they knew how much he despised them all for their narrowmindedness, their casual racism, their clear disdain for the very people they were here to ‘manage’. Part of him, a small part, felt sorry for them. He pitied the fact that they couldn’t see the beauty all around them in the mountains, the jungle and the people. They couldn’t see, or more likely wouldn’t see, the magical energy of the bustling marketplace, the awesome power of the monsoon rain or the simple pleasures of a blossoming flower of such vibrancy that it hurt to look at. All they could see, and constantly complain about, was the heat, the humidity, the lack of ice in their drinks and a thousand other things. The only thing Flory really needed was someone, anyone, to share his love of the land with. His friend, the Indian Dr Veraswami, helped but he needed more. He needed someone to share his love and, importantly, be his love. In answer to his prayers enter Elizabeth, straight from England (via Paris) who seemed to fit the bill. Still skittish, still unsure of herself, she had possibilities once she got over her fear of the local wildlife and her ignorant disgust of the local people. Flory would work on her, it would be fine, she would come around. Wouldn’t she? 

I didn’t realise that this was Orwell’s first novel. I actually picked it out of a pile of ‘read soon’ books because it was based in Burma (now Myanmar) so I could add that country to my ongoing fictional world tour. But it turns out that this is a good place to start and I’ll endeavour to read the other novels in publication order. Obviously drawing on his experiences as an Imperial police officer in Burma in the 1920’s, you could feel the rain and smell the markets as he described them. It was also pretty obvious throughout that Flory was a semi-autobiographical stand-in for Orwell himself and most especially his ‘outsider’ status. Unlike others in the novel, Flory could speak Burmese (like Orwell himself) and knew something about their culture. Flory’s simmering hatred of the Imperial endeavour (again matching Orwell’s) is clear throughout as is his disdain for the arrogance and racism of the other British members of the local community – a total of SEVEN including Flory – and their laughable focus on the rather seedy ‘Club’ that is both the focus of British life and seemingly the last bastion of British power where ‘natives’ can only serve drinks.  

The most disturbing part of the book, and something exhibited from the first page to the last, was the amount of casual racism (at best) and the borderline xenophobic almost psychotic racism (at worst) voiced by the majority of the British. Flory is practically the only exception and even the next most even-handed member of ‘The Club’ made comments that would, at best, raise some serious eyebrows today. When pushed even they baulked at the idea of having a ‘native’ member anywhere near the ‘sacred’ Club. Even Flory had his moments and it's very clear how far we’ve come with such things (thankfully) in the 90 years that followed this publication. This is the thing I struggled with most. I don’t think it ever went so far that I would’ve DNFd it, but I can see that some readers might. I think it was there for two reasons – firstly to show an accurate depiction of what it was like in that place/time, and second the contrast Flory’s attitude with the rest of his fellow countrymen.  

On learning that this was Orwell’s first novel I couldn’t help but be surprised. Despite not aging well (I could see it easily being banned in today’s more sensitive times) this was a very well written tome and one that has stayed with me in the several weeks since I finished it. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from this iconic author and intend to read as much of his work as I can. Recommended with the above caveats about racism.  

An accident waiting to happen...............

Just Finished Reading: A Brief History of Misogyny – The World’s Oldest Prejudice by Jack Holland (FP: 2006) [291pp] 

I have never understood tarring a group, especially a large group, with the same brush and calling them, with high confidence indeed, either stupid, overly emotional, dangerous, weak or any other negative epithet. Anyone who knows members of any particular group – that would be pretty much all of us – knows for a fact that there is variation amongst them. The bigger the sample the bigger the variation – and that’s before we get Darwin involved. So, to get to my point, I have never understood the fact that women – HALF the human population no less – have, throughout history and across the world, generally been treated as second-class citizens AT BEST. This has always confounded me so I was hoping that this tome might either answer that question (spoiler alert: it didn’t) or at least point me in the right direction to look for more answers (which it partially did). 

The author was kind of stating the obvious when he stated that Misogyny has been around for a very long time – and certainly as long as writing has existed – and in all cultures. This is despite the reverence for the Female (or certain aspects of the female like purity, obedience and so on) at times bordering on the obsessive. Generally, women are seen as less, secondary, adjuncts to the more powerful, more relevant, more necessary, male. The female exists to help the male, to be his solace and, of course, to bare his children (preferably males at least to begin with). I can certainly understand the control (or attempted control) of women's sexuality by men. Knowing that you are, in fact, the father of a child has always been important in all kinds of societies from the very earliest days, especially where any kind of inheritance is involved. Of course, this has become a central focus of male anxiety which has fuelled the creation of laws, customs, art, literature and countless acts of violence. 

As the title suggests this is very much a HISTORY of a prejudice and looked at some origins (at least in the West) with Greek philosophy and early Christianity. Although the focus was mostly Western the author does touch on Eastern origins too, just not as deeply. The rest of the book is a rapid run through Ancient Rome, misogyny in the Christian church, in literature, Victorian England, the autocratic years in the 1930’s and 40’s and during the Sexual Revolution. The one thing the author doesn’t really cover, although he makes some attempt in the conclusion, is the central WHY of things. Sure, women have been discriminated against in a hundred ways for the last 10K years... But why? The author didn’t, in my opinion at least, make a very good stab at answering that which was more than a little disappointing. I can think of a few ideas that might address at least SOME of the reasons, but an overall overarching explanation that fits all cultures, and all times is beyond me. I thought this was a useful, if flawed, start at looking at this issue and I’ll continue to delve deeper. I don’t think I learned much that was new or surprising, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say this was a waste of my time. Reasonable. 

The Last 10 Books Tag 

I saw this over @ Reading Freely (go visit!) and couldn’t resist.... 

The Last Book I Didn’t Finish: ‘The China Clippers’ by Basil Lubbock (FP: 1914), which I was going to read as a ‘coupling’ with ‘For All the Tea in China – Espionage, Empire and the Secret Formula for the World’s Favourite Drink’ by Sarah Rose. Unfortunately, I think I was the wrong audience as it seemed to be directed at people with a LOT more interest into the minutia of ship design and usage. I only got a handful of pages in, so didn’t consider it a true DNF. 

The Last Book I Reread: ‘The Syndic’ by C M Kornbluth. I’m not a huge re-reader (I have SO many new books to read I sometimes surprise myself at re-reading ANYTHING at all). I do however have another re-read coming up shortly – although I haven’t started it yet – by William Gibson. The last time I read it (and indeed the trilogy of which it is the middle book) was around 40 years ago. 

The Last Book I Bought: ‘Wanderers - A History of Women Walking’ by Kerri Andrews. I picked this up in my local charity shop which is sweet for a number of reasons. Every time I go in there (roughly every 2 weeks) I’m more impressed by what the locals are reading. I’ve picked up some good quality books there to date. 

The Last Book I Said I Read and Didn’t Really: SO not my thing! I either read a book and am happy to say so, or I haven’t (or won’t) and an equally happy to say so. I can’t see the point in *pretending* to have read something. Plus, there’s ALWAYS the danger of being made to look foolish if someone who HAS read it wants to discuss it with you! 

The Last Book I Wrote in the Margins Of: Sorry.... What the WHAT now? What am I – a Philistine BARBARIAN? 

The Last Book I Had Signed: I do pick up a few signed copies of books randomly from time to time, but the last book I lined up for to be signed by the author was ‘Sharpe’s Trafalgar’ by Bernard Cornwell which he signed with a “Happy Birthday” message on my 40th birthday. Even after 25 years it still makes me smile that I own this copy. 

The Last Book I Lost: Not something I tend to do to be honest. There are a few that I couldn’t put my hand on at a moment's notice, but I don’t consider them ‘lost’. I just don’t know with 100% confidence where they are. 

The Last Book I Had to Replace: I recently read through the complete set of Sherlock Holmes books as part of a ‘buddy read’ with Marian H over at Classics Considered (go visit!) and discovered some gaps in my collection. I’m guessing that either some of my reads were library books (I read them originally in my teens before I could afford to buy/own whatever I wanted) or they’re wrongly stacked away from the others and will turn up eventually. The most recent one was ‘Count Zero’ by William Gibson that it likewise lost in the stacks somewhere. It was easier to just buy another copy than tear my house apart looking for the original. 

The Last Book I Had an Argument Over: Again, not something I normally do. I do remember a LONG time ago reading something about the 100 Years war, probably ‘Conquest – The English Kingdom of France in the Hundred Years War’ by Juliet Barker which I read 10 years ago – when one of the guys I worked with asked me what I was reading, so I told him. He was incredulous and said: “NO war lasted 100 years!”, so I explained that it actually lasted 116 years... I don’t think he believed me. 

The Last Book I Couldn’t Get A Hold Of: Probably too many to count. Of late though I’ve started looking at/acquiring and reading books from the Warhammer 40K series. Unfortunately, the earliest books in this set are LONG out of print and completely unavailable even at the stupid prices that some of them go for. I will continue picking up what I can, when I can.   

Happy Birthday: Stanley Kubrick (July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or short stories, spanning a number of genres and gaining recognition for their intense attention to detail, innovative cinematography, extensive set design, and dark humour.

Born in New York City, Kubrick taught himself film producing and directing after graduating from high school. After working as a photographer for Look magazine in the late 1940s and early 1950s, he began making low-budget short films and made his first major Hollywood film, The Killing, for United Artists in 1956. This was followed by two collaborations with Kirk Douglas: the anti-war film Paths of Glory (1957) and the historical epic film Spartacus (1960).

In 1961, Kubrick left the United States and settled in England. In 1978, he made his home at Childwickbury Manor with his wife Christiane, and it became his workplace where he centralized the writing, research, editing, and management of his productions. This permitted him almost complete artistic control over his films, with the rare advantage of financial support from major Hollywood studios. His first productions in England were two films with Peter Sellers: a 1962 film adaptation of Lolita and the Cold War black comedy Dr. Strangelove (1964).

The scientific realism and innovative special effects in his science fiction epic 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) were a first in cinema history; the film earned him his only Academy Award (for Best Visual Effects) and is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. While many of Kubrick's films were controversial and initially received mixed reviews upon release—particularly the brutal A Clockwork Orange (1971), which Kubrick withdrew from circulation in the UK following a media frenzy—most were nominated for Academy Awards, Golden Globes, or BAFTA Awards, and underwent critical re-evaluations. For the 18th-century period film Barry Lyndon (1975), Kubrick obtained lenses developed by Carl Zeiss for NASA to film scenes by candlelight. With the horror film The Shining (1980), he became one of the first directors to make use of a Steadicam for stabilized and fluid tracking shots, a technology vital to his Vietnam War film Full Metal Jacket (1987). A few days after hosting a screening for his family and the stars of his final film, the erotic drama Eyes Wide Shut (1999), he died at the age of 70.

Just Finished Reading: England Invaded edited by Michael Moorcock (FP: 1977) [245pp] 

I’ve had this collection on my shelves for years – decades even (although not since 1977!). I thought it was about high-time I actually read it. The first thing I found is that the title of the collection was more than a little misleading. I was expecting a collection of classic stories about, well, England being invaded. Surprisingly several stories didn’t even take place in England and only one, the last in the set, actually took place in an invaded England. 

The first story in the set ‘The Uses of Advertisement’ by Tristram Crutchley (1909) was reasonable and revolved around the military applications of heavier than air flying machines. By far the strangest tale was ‘The Monster of Lake Lametrie’ by Wardon Allan Curtis (1899) involving prehistoric monsters and radical brain surgery. By far the worst, which was to be honest barely a story, was ‘The abduction of Alexandra Seine’ by Fred C Smale. Things got better with ‘When the New Zealander Comes’ by Prof Blyde Muddersnook (1911) (hopefully that was a PEN name!) which told of an expedition to the ruins of London in the far future after the Fall of the West.  

This was all very hit and miss, and to be honest mostly miss, until the last story in the set which was by FAR the longest (at 168pp) and by a LONG way the best of the bunch. This was ‘When William Came’ by H H Munro (aka Saki) (1913). It told the story of Murrey Yeovil, an adventurer and hunter who has returned to London after months of recovering from an illness abroad (in Siberia and then Finland to recover his strength) which nearly killed him. Out of the loop for a while he is returning to a country recently defeated in a lightening war by Germany and one undergoing a slow process of occupation and assimilation into the Greater German Empire. I’d heard of ‘Saki’ before but can’t remember reading much of anything by him. That will definitely be changing. His portrayal of a brooding resentful England was quite masterful. Told mostly from Murrey’s PoV (that and his wife's) in the solid upper Middle-Class it was a tale of people mostly keeping their heads down unwilling to rock the boat. There was a persistent feeling of needing to accept the fait accompli (a phrase repeated throughout the text) for everyone’s sake. Some of the characters tried to go on as if nothing had changed – despite the multi-lingual road signs and German newspapers, to say nothing of a creeping café culture – others actively collaborated for advantage, whilst many simply left to restart their lives elsewhere in the Empire. It was VERY well done indeed and must have been what it was like (at least to begin with) in countries actually occupied within a year or two of publication. As you might imagine this no doubt shook up British complacency as it was intended to. 

So, whilst I cannot recommend the book/collection as a whole I can most heartily recommend you read just about anything by H H Munro as I intend to do. Unfortunately, he died, age 45, on the Western Front at the Battle of Ancre. 

I'm positive that someone in the local Planning Department had a good laugh over that one....!

Just Finished Reading: For All the Tea in China – Espionage, Empire and the Secret Formula for the World’s Favourite Drink by Sarah Rose (FP: 2009) [275pp] 

In all my years of drinking the stuff (as I am right now) I’ve never really thought about where tea comes from or how it became THE drink of the English and much of the rest of the world. I knew of its association with China and, especially, India but had assumed that it simply grew in different areas – like other plants – and that was it. I had no idea that it was actively STOLEN from China in order to break China’s monopoly on the trade and, not incidentally, make the East India Company a great deal of money. At the centre of things was botanist Robert Fortune who was tasked to gain access to China’s interior (at that time out of bounds to Europeans), accumulate tea plants and seeds, discover the secrets of making tea – from plant to pot – and make it out alive to tell the tale. Needless to say, the attempt was not without considerable risk as China was largely terra incognita before its borders were forcibly opened, but the potential profit was likewise considerable. Nothing like it had been attempted before. It was going to be quite the adventure! 

Tea is so ubiquitous that its almost invisible here. A ‘cup of tea’ is, as often parodied (with a lot of truth) as the ‘answer to everything’. That’s not far wrong. I’m not exactly sure at what age I started drinking it (5 maybe?) but growing up it was a regular ritual throughout the day. I think we drank it at least 3 or 4 times (maybe more) each day at home. But, until very recently, I never even thought to ask what TYPE of tea it was – mostly ‘blended’ standard tea (AKA the cheap stuff) - or where it came from. On going to university in the early 80’s I ‘fell in with’ a group of HEAVY tea drinkers – probably 6-10 cups a day or more! – which was cool. Tea kept us up, focused and fun to be with. I’m sure that it helped with our studies too. 

After Uni and my move to London, I kept up the tea habit for a while, but it slowly seemed more of a drag making it for myself and I slowly lost the habit. Only after a break of years – if not decades – I started drinking it again (presently green tea with lemon & honey) and found that I really missed it. My daily cuppa – just the one – is something I look forward to with some anticipation. After reading this book I’ve decided to expand my range into other teas (I picked up a box of Assam today) and intend to try out as many as I can find. I think it’ll be fun experimenting with ‘real’ tea rather than the standard blends I’ve been used to my whole life. It might take me a while to move away from teabags though – but I DO have an unused pot that could be dusted off... and I’ve seen some really nice/cute diffusers...  

If you have any interest or curiosity about the world's favourite drink this will definitely fill in the gaps in your knowledge. A fascinating read of global industrial espionage that got me wondering about other food and drink we’ve stolen and transplanted around the world. More to come. Recommended. 

Not just Canadians..... 

An Education in Itself... 

MANY years ago, when I was still in harness as a wage-slave, one of the Senior people in our Organisation had a brainwave. It was decided that every grade of post should fit certain criteria so that like could be compared like to like for pay and other benefits. In other words, a cost cutting measure – but I digress. 

As part of the process, they got everyone to produce a (very) detailed review/explanation of everything they did in their position (obviously because their managers didn’t know that information). At that time my job covered quite a bit of ground, and I was often tasked with things that other people simply didn’t want to do. My BIG boss, who I had a lot of time and respect for, would give me fiddly or difficult tasks knowing that I both liked that sort of thing – anything out of the ordinary – and would accomplish them in the most efficient way possible (I also suspect that at least at times she didn’t think I had enough to do). 

One of those tasks was disposal of old IT that had been accumulated over the years and had either become obsolete or had broken and been replaced. The resulting junk had been stuffed in cabinets and forgotten about. We did, being a LARGE organisation, have procedures for such things but no one knew who to ask or what to do, so it was given to me to sort out. Of course, one of the first things I needed to do was find out the size of the problem (HUGE it turned out) by asking people what they had that needed disposing of. The e-mails I got back were, to be honest, a mess. It seemed that people didn’t actually know what IT meant, so I had a variety of other kit – from phones to fax machines to coffeemakers on the lists I received back. This meant, naturally, that I’d have to separate the information I wanted from the rest – to separate the ‘wheat from the chaff’. This process is called WINNOWING. So, to finally get to my point, I put on my job description that a part of what I did was.... winnowing. This caused a problem. 

When my immediate boss received my requested job details for upward transmission, they asked what winnowing meant, so I told her. She suggested that I remove the word ‘because no one would know what it meant’ and I refused stating that the word was *exactly* what I did. So, after a few huffs she sent it on. Not long after I received a visit from HER boss asking about the word ‘winnowing’. Again, I explained what it meant and again I was requested to remove it and again I refused, explaining (again) that it was *exactly* the process I used. After a few more huffs it was sent on and I forgot about it. Until... 

About 4-6 weeks later my BIG boss – the Section Head – asked me for a chat. She had just returned from a ‘conference’ of Section Heads (about 60 of them) from across the Organisation to discuss the new regularised job descriptions. This was run by the BIG BIG boss and a panel of the upper echelons of the Organisation, so it was a fairly big affair. She was sitting next to another Section Head (who I also knew) when the discussion up-front turned to ‘unusual’ or unexpected elements of people’s job descriptions. The word ‘winnowing’ came up as the most unheard of and reference was made to the fact that they had to ‘look it up’. At this point the BIG boss turned to her friend, the other Section Head, and quietly said “that was [real name redacted]”. When she told me this later, I was just SO amused as well as more than a little disappointed that so few people knew what it meant. I mean, don’t people read 19th century countryside novels anymore? But, as I’ve said on more than one occasion, just being physically near me for any length of time is an education in itself. 

In related (but not as funny) news, another of the BIG bosses (Section Heads) told me (something I was unaware of at the time) that the local Organisation – of about 350 people – had a hierarchy of educational attainment that went from Level 1 to Level 5 (with 5 being the highest). I was the only person who had reached Level 4... Twice. My actual position in the organisation, which had quite a few levels (30 at least I think) was TWO levels up from the bottom. I think they heard me laughing in the next building....   

Happy Birthday: Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. He has received various accolades, including a BAFTA TV Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurence Olivier Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and four Golden Globes. In 2014, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2015, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to performing arts and charity.

Cumberbatch studied drama at the Victoria University of Manchester and obtained a Master of Arts in classical acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He began acting in Shakespearean theatre productions before making his West End debut in Richard Eyre's revival of Hedda Gabler in 2005. Since then, he has starred in Royal National Theatre productions of After the Dance (2010) and Frankenstein (2011), winning the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for the latter. In 2015, he played the title role in Hamlet at the Barbican Theatre.

Cumberbatch's television work includes his performance as Stephen Hawking in the film Hawking (2004). He gained wide recognition for portraying Sherlock Holmes in the series Sherlock from 2010 to 2017, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor. For playing the title role in the miniseries Patrick Melrose (2018), he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor.

In films, Cumberbatch received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Alan Turing in The Imitation Game (2014) and a volatile rancher in The Power of the Dog (2021). He has acted in several period dramas, including Amazing Grace (2006), Atonement (2007), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), 12 Years a Slave (2013), The Current War (2017), 1917 (2019) and The Courier (2020). He has also starred in numerous blockbuster films portraying Smaug and Sauron in The Hobbit film series (2012–2014), Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), and Dr. Stephen Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including in the films Doctor Strange (2016) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).

Just Finished Reading: We Are What We Read – A Life Within and Without Books by Vybarr Cregan-Reid (FP: 2024) [271pp] 

After reading and enjoying a previous book by this author (on RUNNING indeed!) I snapped this up on a recent visit to my local Indie bookshop. The plus factor, I would’ve picked it up anyway, was the fact that it was on books and the importance of reading for personal growth. It turned out to be much more than that. 

Essentially the book was divided into three streams which met up, mixed and then separated throughout the text. The main thrust, as you might expect, was about books themselves and how reading them changes us in positive ways. The author pointed to several studies were reading serious (or ‘proper’) literature actually increased a person's empathy, not just at the time, not just for a short time afterwards, but (apparently) permanently by rewiring the brain itself. Presumably “Literature” was used, rather than ‘just’ standard novels because the tests would’ve been performed on Uni students and by educated and professional scientists who wouldn’t ‘stoop’ to using trashy novels that the rest of us read? [I think this is the only, very minor, irritation I had with the whole book – the emphasis on ‘literary’ novels rather than ‘popular’ (and, by implication, trash) ones. 

The vehicle used to showcase the power of books and reading, and their capacity to induce change, was the author’s own lived experience. Much like me, although he COULD read, he showed very little interest in reading until quite late in life. With me it was around the age of 14. With the author it was much later – in his 20’s - but it happened in much the same way. One day a friend (who worked at a publishing house) dropped a book in his lap and advised him to read it. Which he did – eventually – and it completely blew his mind. After that he was (again eventually) reading everything that author had produced, then similar things, then other things and on.... Eventually someone suggested he go to Uni and STUDY literature which, eventually he did, followed by a MA and a PhD and then a teaching job. 

The third, and probably least interesting, theme in the book was the LONG war by the UK government on the Humanities in general and English in particular because, supposedly, such studies are not ‘useful’ or ‘practical’. It always used to both annoy and amuse me whenever I was home that my mother would ask what I was doing my latest degree ‘for’, as if everything had to be work related or have immediate/practical application. Of course, Education in its broadest sense is MUCH more than that – and doubly so with the Humanities or English. 

Although this wasn’t QUITE what I was expecting – especially the author struggling with being a gay teenager in Britain in the 1980’s during the AIDS epidemic/panic - I still enjoyed it a great deal. It did twinge my deeply entrenched belief that I am nowhere near ‘well-read’ (whatever THAT means) a few times and prompt me to dig into my Classics pile looking for books he recommended, but I forgave him for that. Overall, this is a very personal ‘love-letter’ to books and reading as well as a plea for its continued place for study in the University. Recommended. 

Just Finished Reading: The Breakthrough by Daphne Du Maurier (FP: 1966) [58pp] 

It wasn’t a request he could easily turn down. Stephen Saunders enjoyed his job and wouldn’t do anything to jeopardise is position at the firm. Plus, it wasn’t all that onerous when you thought about it – a three-month assignment as an electronics engineer at an isolated research facility – it might even be interesting. Before he left, he’d discussed the (temporary) move with some friends. They’d heard of the director of the research lab – one James MacLean – and not all of it was positive. He was late on a government project and had apparently left his previous position under some kind of cloud. He was, one said, a known maverick and to be avoided. But he’d agreed to it now, there was no going back. On arrival a few days later Saunders was surprised, and not a little disappointed, to find the facility manned by a total of four people including the director. It quickly became obvious that the supposed government research was very much on the ‘back-burner’ and that MacLean was doing his own research with obsessive focus. He was, he said, on the verge of a breakthrough, something that would knock the whole scientific community off its feet. MacLean was looking into the process of death and in particular the bodily changes that occurred at the very moment of demise. But he needed an electronics expert to handle the bespoke machinery that would record everything... They already had a volunteer. One of the team had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. They only had to wait. It wouldn’t be long until they pushed scientific endeavour to breaking point. 

Dated as it was, this was an intriguing little tale from an author I’d heard a lot about but was new to me. Despite having a very 60’s ‘feel’ to it, this short tale of suspense had the right mix of realism and mystery/horror that gave it a definite edge. I’ve only recently discovered (in the last year or so) that the author penned ‘The Birds’ filmed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1963. This is one of my all-time favourite movies and I can see how the same mix of the mysterious and mundane worked its magic there too. This was an interesting example of a borderline scientific mystery/horror story (although much more creepy than horrific) that certainly made me want to read more by this author. The Penguin Modern Classics collection is definitely functioning as I’d hoped it would. More to come. Recommended. 

That was my VERY first question........

Happy Birthday: James Edwin Gunn (July 12, 1923 – December 23, 2020) was an American science fiction writer, editor, scholar, and anthologist. His work as an editor of anthologies includes the six-volume Road to Science Fiction series. He won the Hugo Award for "Best Related Work" in 1983 and he won or was nominated for several other awards for his non-fiction works in the field of science fiction studies. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America made him its 24th Grand Master in 2007, and he was inducted by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2015. His novel The Immortals was adapted into a 1970–71 TV series starring Christopher George.

Gunn was a professor emeritus of English and the founding director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, both at the University of Kansas.

Gunn became a professional writer in 1947 when he wrote a play produced by the University of Kansas, Thy Kingdom Come, then wrote newspaper articles and radio scripts. Although he considered moving to New York to become a playwright, he began his career as a science fiction writer in 1949, making his first short story sale to Thrilling Wonder Stories. He has had nearly 100 stories published in magazines and anthologies and has written 28 books and edited 10. Many of his stories and books have been reprinted around the world.

In 1948, Gunn wrote his first science fiction, ten short stories, and published nine from 1949 to 1952 as "Edwin James", a pseudonym derived from his full name James Edwin Gunn. The first two in print, "Communications" and "Paradox" (the first sale), were published in September and October 1949 by editor Sam Merwin in Startling Stories and Thrilling Wonder Stories respectively. Gunn's master's thesis, a critical analysis of the genre, was also published in a professional magazine. His novels were first published by Gnome Press in 1955, Star Bridge, written by Gunn and Jack Williamson, and This Fortress World.

Scribner's published Gunn's novel The Listeners in 1972 and it was runner-up for the first annual John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. Carl Sagan called it "one of the very best fictional portrayals of contact with extra-terrestrial intelligence ever written." According to the publisher of a 2004 edition, "this book predicted and inspired the creation of the Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence (SETI)—the organization dedicated to the search for extra-terrestrial life."

In 1996, Gunn wrote a Star Trek novel that was a novelization of "The Joy Machine", an unproduced episode of the first Star Trek series that was scripted by Theodore Sturgeon.