Simply Dickens

Oliver Twist. A Christmas Carol. David Copperfield. Bleak House. A Tale of Two Cities. Great Expectations. The novels of Charles Dickens (1812–1870) read like a “Who’s Who” of canonical works. Yet, less well known is the fact that Dickens himself was something of a created character, a larger-than-life figure who lived through his art and pursued his many passions with a theatrical zeal that could have belonged to one of his famous protagonists

Life in the West

Inventive, worldly, moving and important - such words have characterized the work of Brian Aldiss consistently during the past three decades. With this new novel, Aldiss continues to explore new territories and further his reputation for trenchant and powerful works of realistic fiction. Remembrance Day revolves around a terrorist bombing in a small hotel in a British coastal town. The people involved are not larger-than-life figures whose feats of derring-do will change the fate of humanity forever; rather, they are Ray, Dominic, Ruby, and Petrik, honest people grappling with the day-to-day issues of modern life.