Category: Fiction

A Gentleman in Moscow

Sublime, in terms of writing and characters. When Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is sentenced to house arrest (“house” here being the Hotel Metropol) on 21st June 1922, it’s difficult to imagine the remaining 400+ pages being anything other than depressing. But the Count is probably a living embodiment of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, and the story that follows shows “that by the smallest of one’s actions one can restore some sense of order to the world.” An absolutely wonderful read, and in my list of all-time favourites.

It Can’t Happen Here

A political novel written in 1935 that’s prescient about how an authoritarian regime could actually take power in the United States. Though it begins with a democratic victory, it soon becomes a “corporatist” regime with its own paramilitary force called Minute Men. Through the struggles of Doremus Jessup, a liberal, we see the journey downhill. The references to real life personalities might require some research, but a great read nevertheless.

The Book of M

What starts out as a curiosity – a man losing a shadow – turns into a contagion when people realise that they are losing their memories along with their shadows. The premise is interesting – what does this do to a sense of self, and identity? But the pace slackens in the middle, and there are some rough edges in the narrative.

The Big Book of Science Fiction

An absolute treasure if you’re even remotely interested in science fiction. The stated objective of the book is diversity, and it does justice to it on many fronts – non-English writings, the setting in terms of geography, gender, sub-genres – dystopian, alien encounters, space operas, post-apocalypse, and even satire. 105 stories spanning 1160 pages, this book definitely needs to be on your shelf!