C.S. Lewis
This is the first of Lewis’ space trilogy and introduces its hero, Dr. Ransom. Ransom is kidnapped by mercenary academics with a spaceship and brought to Mars (”Malacandra” in the book) where he discovers an unfallen planet. It’s more “speculative theology” than “speculative fiction”, and part of the fun is seeing how Lewis fictionally extends Christian theology without violating it.
Mark Coleman
In the forward, the author says that this book started as a history of the turntable. He should have stuck to his original plan. The sections on early recording are interesting, but most of the book is insubstantial; Coleman repeatedly makes statements that he’s going to tell us something, but then fails to deliver. I did like his history of the origins of hip hop, but aside from the occasional high point, the book is unsatisfying.
Cornwall brings his grail quest trilogy to a bloody but weak conclusion in this book, ending the story begun in “The Archer’s Tail”. It’s not surprising that this is more Sharpe-in-tights, but it is surprising that such a reliable (if predictable) author fails to deliver his trademark excitement. The book is marred by repeated attacks on the Church and by Cornwall’s failure to imagine that the “Age of Faith” might have been basted on sincere belief.
