I’ve added some books promotion links etc to the links list on the left.

These companies are both the smaller promotion houses and the larger promotion companies.

Many of them support the smaller authors and do it yourself authors, in the UK and worldwide, are worth looking at. Either way, if a company is included in the list, it means they’re involved with a book and/or author promotion mentioned on here. So searching for the company name will show you what they’re involved in.

Support the books on demand and authors just getting started!

“A Dickianesque Look Into Philip K Dick’s Rollercoaster Life.”

Emmanuel Carrère’s brave biography traces the wonderful, yet sad life of author Philip K Dick. From the traumatic start, where his twin sister died in infancy, to his (some day lonely) death in 1982, including mystical visions, religious references, parallel presents, drug use in the sixties, paranoia of the FBI; his many wives, children and cats. Against this backdrop Carrère shows us how some of Dick’s most famous novels were created, including UBIK and Flow My Tears The Policeman Said.

This is an unconventional way of writing a biography, but it is pulled off very well. Carrère has adopted the mechanism of writing similarly to the way Dick did. This bring the question, how much of the biography is contrived or maybe boosted for artistic merit, to make the read more interesting and to fit into the overall biography. Some of the depth into which Carrère goes, is to me, a little too ‘personal’. A lot of the time, he doesn’t backup what he says with any sources. There are no footnotes and no index. The index and references/footnotes are the two main areas of a biography, allowing the reader to follow trains of thought as the biography is read. It allows further research.

To be fair, it is a well paced book showing how Dick gradually got into his groove with ‘What is real?’. It is a turbulent, scary, mesmerizing and enjoyable read, which any Philip K Dick fan (either his books or the more recent movies) should have on their shelf.

Emmanuel Carrère is French, and thus the book was originally written in his native language. On the sleeve it says that the biography was translated to English by Timothy Bent; I hope he is still sane.

Further books to compliment ‘I Am Alive And You Are Dead: A Journey Into The Mind Of Philip K Dick’ are What If Our World Is Their Heaven: The Final Conversations Of Philip K Dick, The Shifting Realities Of Philip K Dick: Selected Literary And Philosophical Writings and SciFi UK Review Items.

Editorial One: Celebrating SF.

It has certainly been a hectic month what with putting together this site, writing some reviews of our most favourite books and movies and catching up with some new releases. During this time I’ve reflected on a whole lifetime of SF stories.

It is a most pleasing exercise, going through all my old books and movies, finding suprises along the way. I had forgotten I had so many books and movies stacked in nooks and crannies, getting pushed onto the historical pile, not to be seen for years. I found quite a few back issues of Interzone (a British SF Magazine), and suddenly found myself rereading stories I hadn’t thought about for years.

I have also noted that, within myself, I have been reading and watching SF with a view to review, as opposed to just viewing for the view. And in fact I was doing that before I ever put this site together as a platform to air my thoughts. I am sure this is a positive change, as it allows me to ask questions as I am watching/reading, it almost forces me to think more about the story, how everything interacts and how I feel of the whole entity, rather than just maybe getting to the end and then not thinking too much about it.

The site itself has now been built up to a stage where we are happy with the design so we will be concentrating on the content, slowly building up a database of SF from our personal points of view.

If there is anything you would like to see, or have any comments, or wish to contribute, then please feel free to use the Contact Form, and we’ll respond to you personally.

Finally, we just want to say thank you for stopping by and hope you come back soon to catch up on our small part of the SF universe.

Q) I seem to remember back in the early 80s a programme which was based on a time travelling hotel. Each episode saw different things happening between the characters. I don’t remember if there were lasers, but it had weird scifi music, like a quantum bell going ding dong. It was very eerie, as if the cam shooting took place in a mist, which seemed to distort hair and clothes, making them very strange looking indeed. It is something which has stayed with me until this very day and I would be grateful if you can help me identify it.

A) It is called Crossroads.
It is not SF, SciFi or even Science Fiction. It was in the 80s, so the clothes and hairdos looked like that because that’s exactly what they looked like. Next question please. A Science Fiction question.

When Science Meets Mysticism, Creating Many Questions And Hopeful Answers.

I genuinely believe that if there is one DVD to be shown in all educational areas then What The Bleep Do We Know? is the one.

Part documentary, part narrative drama it is merged together in an almost hallucinogenic presentation. It delves into metaphysical realms rarely travelled in a movie; especially in this format. William Arntz, Betsey Chasse and Matthew Hoffman have come up with something extraordinary with their writing of this metaphysical wonder.

It blends interviews with scientists, quantum physicists, neurobiologists, and a 35,000 year old being; with impressive CGI; with a drama side in which Amanda (Marlee Matlin) a divorced and somewhat disgruntled photographer falls down the perennial rabbit hole. Through occurences in her daily life, she encounters and takes on a perception of reality which turns her life upside down. Intermixed with interviews with the scientists, the filmmakers explore the world of quantum physics (the physics of probabilities), starting with simple questions like ‘Why are we here?’, and extrapolating out to discussing the universe, galaxies, parallel time lines, back down to the mind, and what happens inside us.

It is very much a What if.. scenario, moving from one question to another, from one area to the next. When shown graphically using CGI, real actors, and in conjunction with the complementary music, it becomes a pleasure to watch.

Whether you like weird movies, movies which make you think, or just something which fits together perfectly, then this is the movie for you. It can at some points become a bit heavy, simply because there is so much going on. The voices of the scientists, the real life acting, and also the CGI of molecules make it at times a lot of imformation. You need to keep focused on the film so as not to miss anything which is later referred to. Flashbacks are common which in some ways keep the storyline coherent. Don’t blink, or you’ll miss an answer to one of the questions.

I liked this movie a lot, it was an unexpected pleasure. It will definiately be one which I will watch over and over, and I can imagine that there will always be something you missed the last time, which you’ll see on subsequent viewings. I hope that when you’ve watched it, you came away with as many unanswered questions as I did. That it gets you thinking outside the box. Don’t take reality for granted, explore and ask questions. And maybe, just maybe, answers will be forthcoming.

Overall:

“The year is 1987, and N.A.S.A. launches the last of America’s deep space probes. In a freak mishap Ranger 3 and it’s pilot Captain William ‘Buck’ Rogers are blown out of their trajectory into an orbit which freezes his life support systems, and returns Buck Rogers to Earth five-hundred years later.”

Based on a comic strip of the late 1920s this TV show one which is fondly remembered by hot blooded males simply for the appearance of Captain Wilma Deering. Well, ok, maybe not completely, but she had an uplifting role and let’s face it, if she wasn’t wearing those tight plasticy trousers with her hair up, or a semi see through dress with just a hint of underwear, with her hair flowing down, then it just wouldn’t have been the same.

One of the most striking images of the television show is the introduction, especially so in the Pilot Episode, as it is more elongated and kind of explains more.

Overall:

“Who is Number One?” “You are Number Six”

It’s easy to say that The Prisoner was ahead of its time. It is one of those rare prime time television shows that refuses to disappear in the mists of history. It was produced and released in the 60s, the same time as the Vietnam War, recreational drug use and turbulent times in the US. It is a most unusual on screen display synonym with being trapped, breaking from the norm and not following rules. An anti establishment icon.

The opening scene (especially in episode one - The Arrival) is memorable, showing The Secret Agent (Patrick McGoohan) angrily resigning from his job, then returning to his home to pack for what appears to be a trip. An image of The Agent is Xd out on a photo is shown, then it’s filed away by an electronic arm, into a filing cabinet. (It’s interesting to know that the actual picture used in this shot was the official press picture for Dangerman, Patrick McGoohan’s prior role - though it is unknown and unlikely there was any direct relationship between the two productions). The Agent is shadowed by sinister men dressed in black clothes who look like undertakers, who pump gas under the door and cause him to go unconscious. When The Agent awakes, he finds himself in a replica of his room, and it is only until he draws back the drapes that he sees he is somewhere unknown. Staring at him through the window is a panorama of a beautiful and yet bizarre Village, remeniscent of French architecture. As he wanders around, taking everything in, he sees that people are identified only by numbers. The Village leader is Number Two. The Agent is told by him that he is Number Six.

Most of the episodes see The Agent trying to dodge and outsmart the authorities. Only in a few episodes does he actually try to escape. He is also constantly trying to work out who is Number 1.

It was shot on location at Portmeirion in Wales, which is a beautiful and very real place. I walked round there was I was younger, and I still remember walking down small paths, with nooks and crannies all over, trees growing everywhere, with buildings of all different shapes and sizes hidden away. Water features, including rivers, waterfalls and streams can be seen. It is a most mesmerising place. The location was kept secret from the general public by way of not including the location where it was shot up until the very last episode. Prior to that it said Shot on location.

The Village itself is bizarre and picturesque at the same time. The Agent learns quickly that there are shops, taxis, places for recreation, and that the villagers look somewhat doped.

You can find more product information on this fascinating series here.

Overall: