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the shrinking man - richard matheson

only in science fiction does a hero’s exposure to radiation result in bizarre human mutation and not plain old cancer like it would for the rest of us. as you may have guessed from the title, when this happens to scott carey he steadily begins to get shorter by a seventh of an inch everyday until he believes he will disappear into nothing. although the premise might be typical b-movie fodder, the novel itself is in a league of storytelling that transcends the limitations of the genre and would appeal to anyone who likes a good read. from the initial health worries of the accident, the eventual destruction of his family life to miniature battles with a relentless spider, this is a survival story with unexpected emotional depth and insight.

I thought it was a damn good read as well Fez. It's a pity that Matheson didn't write more.

The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

When Winston Niles Rumfoord flies his spaceship into a chrono-synclastic infundibulum he is converted into pure energy and only materializes when his waveforms intercept Earth or some other planet. As a result, he only gets home to Newport, Rhode Island, once every fifty-nine days and then only for an hour. But at least, as a consolation, he now knows everything that has ever happened and everything that ever will be.

The best bit about this book for me was the unravelling of the plot and the way it makes you change your opinion of characters as the novel goes on. The style of writing is spot-on and you can actually find moments both empathetic and hilarious depending on which character's point of view you are looking at.

and a half. It's not the greatest story but the way the plot is unravelled makes it worth reading and very difficult to put down.

Andy wrote:...flies his spaceship into a chrono-synclastic infundibulum...

i always hate it when that happens

man heartbreak time of travelling

That post makes me feel like I've just read a weirdly-translated fortune cookie. I can guess what you're on about though...

GOD KNOWS - joseph heller

in his decling years, king david of israel contemplates his life from lowly shepard to peerless biblical personality with the great wit and intelligence ive come to expect from everything heller wrote. covering every aspect of the story, from the slaying of goliath, uniting the jews into an uneasy nation, to the intrigue and wounded pride that put his son solomon on the throne, this is what spike milligan's retelling of the bible should have been.