Book Review – Engines of Extinction (episode 1) by Chris Martin
Engines of Extinction: Episode I - The End & The Means by Chris Martin My rating: 4 of 5 stars Chris Martin has spent a lot of time with Special Forces soldiers writing about their exploits, and that shows with this work of fiction. The primary character, written in a first person epistolary format, is a former special forces operator who has got in too deep and regrets it. The setting and character is completely believable, there is a life story narrative for a chunk of the story as the narrator tries to establish enough bona fides for us to believe the story he wishes to leak. Being the first in a series the whole story isn't played out, there are clearly more parts to come and this is an excellent hook to get us interested and paint the scene.…
Author Interview – Andrew Buckley
This week's author being interviewed is Andrew Buckley, the man behind the audacious Read Around the World challenge that I took part in last year. Andrew has written several novels, the links are below. Here are his answers to my questions. How long have you been writing for and what made you start writing? My stock answer to this, which is true, is that I wrote a story about a big blue dinosaur when I was 4 in elementary school in the UK and got a gold star. If I look at it seriously, and I so rarely do, my love and talent for writing emerged from age 8-12. My teachers found that my quality of writing was well above my actual age and I spent most of my years in secondary school and college in the UK trying to…
Tactical Voting 101
Why you should consider tactical voting, and how to vote tactically. What is Tactical Voting? Share of the vote received by Conservatives (blue), Whigs/Liberals/Liberal Democrats (orange), Labour (red) and others (grey) in general elections since 1832. Table "Summary Results of General Elections 1832–2005 (UK)", British electoral facts, 1832–2006, by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher, 7th edition, 2007, ISBN 978-0-7546-2712-8, p. 59. Election 2010 Results, BBC News. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) This is nothing to do with military tactics, no need to dress in combat gear or sneak around. Tactical voting is about looking wider than just your own constituency and trying to understand the best outcome for the party that you believe supports you across the country. Why would I want to vote tactically? Mostly this comes about when the candidate that would best represent you is quite unlikely to win the seat…
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Book Review – The Middle Kingdom Ride by Ryan Pyle & Chris Pyle
The Middle Kingdom Ride: Two Brothers, Two Motorcycles, One Epic Journey Around China by Ryan Pyle My rating: 4 of 5 stars I enjoyed the book, and am looking forward to watching the accompanying DVD as well. It is an interesting book, both because of the travelogue and the epic nature of the journey and because it has two authors. Both brothers have written their own point of view, based on their contemporary video diaries recorded at the end of each of the 60 days that they spent on the road (and in some cases off it) on the way round China. The book is very much a narrative of the journey and the effect it has on the brothers. There are lots of unusual aspects pointed out, like the fact that no-one seems to have a proper motorbike in…
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Author Interview – Chris Martin
This week's author interview is with Chris Martin. He is a long-time journalist (specialising in motorcycle racing and special operations), he's currently working on a very grounded military science fiction episodic series titled Engines of Extinction. How long have you been writing for and what made you start writing? I actually started a website about World Superbike racing in the late '90s while still in college. I knew I wanted to get my foot in the door in motorcycle racing, and I saw an opportunity to do so in that way. I guess I figured the site needed content and somebody had to supply that, so I just kind of took on the bulk of the writing myself. The site filled a void and proved to be quite popular. Before long I had professional journalists and photographers from all over the globe volunteering their…