Books in the Post! ‘Random Purchase’ Edition


When things get a bit stressful, whether it’s work or anything else, I have a habit of going on Amazon and giving myself a little Seretonin buzz by buying a book or two (or more on the really bad days…) I should probably look at cheaper ways of getting that hit but that’s how I roll at the moment.

Yesterday wasn’t a bad day as such, just loads to do and not enough time to do it all in, not when you’ve got a six year old who really needs to do her reading comprehension but is doing anything she can not to (and she didn’t as it happens but that’s another story). No surprise then that I ordered myself a couple of books to read in a quiet moment (yeah right) but a bit more of a surprise when they showed up today. Hence the post…
Lets take a look shall we…




‘Elric of Melnibone and Other Stories’ – Michael Moorcock

Gollancz is very proud to present the author's definitive editions of the saga of Elric, the last emperor of Melniboné. Michael Moorcock and his long-time friend and bibliographer John Davey have collaborated to produce the most consistent and coherent narrative from the disparate novels, novellas, short stories and non-fiction about Elric. From his early life in Melniboné all the way through to his final days, these seven volumes will be the definitive telling of the albino prince's story.
Elric is one of the great creations of modern fantasy, and has inspired legions of imitators. If you know his story already, then this definitive edition will finally let you read the entire saga in the author's preferred order. If you've never experienced the chronicles of the albino with the soul-sucking sword, then this is the perfect place to start.

It's been a while (too long) since I’ve read any Michael Moorcock, even though I’ve been gradually buying his books again. The ‘Breakfast in the Ruins’ podcast pointed me in the direction of this book and I’ll be all over it in the next couple of days (I’ve got the small matter of a birthday, not mine, to attend to first). The fact that it’s a fairly slim volume is going to help, I’m really not good with the big books at the moment.




‘Chilling Effect’ – Valerie Valdes

A debut space opera that features an irresistible foul-mouthed captain and her misfit crew...
Captain Eva Innocente and the crew of La Sirena Negra cruise the galaxy delivering small cargo for even smaller profits. When her sister is kidnapped, Eva must undergo a series of dangerous missions to pay the ransom. But Eva may lose her mind before she can raise the money. The ship's hold is full of psychic cats, an amorous fish-faced emperor wants her dead, and her engineer is giving her a pesky case of feelings. The worse things get, the more she lies, raising suspicions and testing her loyalty to her found family.
To free her sister, Eva will risk everything: her crew, her ship, and the life she's built on the ashes of her past misdeeds. But when the dominoes start to fall and she finds the real threat is greater than she imagined, she must decide whether to play it cool or burn it all down.
I fancied reading something a little different (anything to get me out of my reading slump) and ‘Chilling Effect’ is not what I’d read normally so… An easy purchase! It’s also had a lot of good things said about it on the ol’ Twitter so I thought why not? I’m hoping for good things and I’ve got a good feeling that ‘Chilling Effect’ will deliver.


What about you guys though? How is your reading bearing up under Lockdown and if it’s not going well, how do you deal with that? Any advice would be gratefully received over here…

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