purplecthulhu

( Previously... )

The Moon of Gomrath Alan Garner

A re-read from my childhood. I think I read this when I was 12. It's great fun, and a throwback to the days when you could have elvish cavalry romping around the Cheshire countryside without someone calling the police. This is the sequal to The Weirdstone of Brisingamen which I re-read a couple of years ago. At the age of 12 I think I preferred TMoG, I think because of the monster, the Brollachan. The adult me sees TWoB as the better book, though. I think it's better constructed and there are no specific scenes in TMoG as powerful as the claustrophobia of the mines in TWoB, writing that is so powerful it's almost overwhealming to an adult. Still, TMoG is an excellent book and I can recommend it to any of you who might not have already read it.

As an interesting sidenote, the Wikipedia entry on the books quotes Garner as saying that a third book was never intended. As a child I know I dearly wanted to read more in this setting, but I now have to agree that leaving things here was better.

( Previously... )

The Moon of Gomrath Alan Garner

A re-read from my childhood. I think I read this when I was 12. It's great fun, and a throwback to the days when you could have elvish cavalry romping around the Cheshire countryside without someone calling the police. This is the sequal to The Weirdstone of Brisingamen which I re-read a couple of years ago. At the age of 12 I think I preferred TMoG, I think because of the monster, the Brollachan. The adult me sees TWoB as the better book, though. I think it's better constructed and there are no specific scenes in TMoG as powerful as the claustrophobia of the mines in TWoB, writing that is so powerful it's almost overwhealming to an adult. Still, TMoG is an excellent book and I can recommend it to any of you who might not have already read it.

As an interesting sidenote, the Wikipedia entry on the books quotes Garner as saying that a third book was never intended. As a child I know I dearly wanted to read more in this setting, but I now have to agree that leaving things here was better.

Back on the bike after what feels like ages, thanks to trips abroad, meetings and that kind of thing.

Time in, 55 minutes, time back about 40 minutes. Very good this evening - I think I had a tail wind - but this morning was a real mess of traffic and queues. I ended up having to walk most of the length of The Strand as it was by far the fastest way to travel. I was rewarded by cycling past the guards as they were riding to Buck House to change.

Amazingly I managed to miss the occasional torrential downpour, so survived without the drowned rat look.

Back on the bike after what feels like ages, thanks to trips abroad, meetings and that kind of thing.

Time in, 55 minutes, time back about 40 minutes. Very good this evening - I think I had a tail wind - but this morning was a real mess of traffic and queues. I ended up having to walk most of the length of The Strand as it was by far the fastest way to travel. I was rewarded by cycling past the guards as they were riding to Buck House to change.

Amazingly I managed to miss the occasional torrential downpour, so survived without the drowned rat look.