Publication date Thursday, April 25, 2024 Price £20.00 EAN\ISBN-13 9781800961760
Description
How do you see Britain?
That might depend on your point of view, and as long time British foreign correspondent, Michael Peel has come to understand, it can look very different from outside. It’s tempting to think of the UK as a fundamentally stable and successful nation. But events of the past few years, from Brexit to exposés of imperial history, have begun to spark fierce public debates about whether that is true. Is Britain, just a marginal northern European island nation, marked by injustices, corruption and with a bloody history of slavery, repression and looting?
And yet UK politics, media, and public opinion live constantly in the shadow of old myths, Second World War era nostalgia, and a belief in supposedly core British values of tolerance, decency and fair play. British politicians regularly exploit a damaging complacency that holds that everything will turn out okay, because, in Britain, it always does.
In WHAT EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT BRITAIN, Michael Peel digs into the national consciousness with the perspective of distance to pull apart the ways in which we British have become unmoored from crucial truths about ourselves. He shows us that from many perspectives we are no different from other countries whose own national delusions have seen them succumb to abuses of power, increased poverty and divisive conflict. The battle over Britain’s narrative is the struggle for its future and its place in the world.
So, how do we escape the trick mirror – and see ourselves as we really are?
Ninety per cent of electors want political reform. But how to escape the mess? Britain should adopt a federal structure with a written constitution and an elected apolitical People’s Council replacing autocratic and ineffective bodies.
Reinventing Democracy grew out of a series of private meetings involving the author, a respected investment manager, notably one that exposed the hidden costs of the Private Finance Initiative in 2002, an examination of federalism in 2015, and an investigation into Brexit paralysis in 2017.
Growing concern about the relative economic deterioration of the United Kingdom led David to the realisation that the system of political governance is probably an unrecognised cause of British decline. Events over the last few years have provided a fertile supply of examples. All that was needed was some original thought, but nobody seemed to be facing facts. Hence the book.
At the centre of these ideas lie four major concepts:
The People’s Council to replace the Privy Council, House of Lords, and some scrutiny functions of the present House of Commons.
A federal structure, with sovereignty defined as sovereignty of the people of each nation instead of the Crown in parliament.
Representation in United Kingdom-wide bodies to be determined according to the Fibonacci series, so that England can be outvoted by Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland combined, thereby preventing England treating the other nations as colonies.
The book includes a draft written constitution, with the aim of putting citizens in control of government. There is much more waiting for you to discover.
Tor 8 March 2024 9781035013746 400 pages Audiobook narrated by Ben Allen
Synopsis
They travelled into the unknown and left themselves behind . . .
On the distant world of Kiln lie the ruins of an alien civilization. It’s the greatest discovery in humanity’s spacefaring history – yet who were its builders and where did they go?
Professor Arton Daghdev had always wanted to study alien life up close. Then his wishes become a reality in the worst way. His political activism sees him exiled from Earth to Kiln’s extrasolar labour camp. There, he’s condemned to work under an alien sky until he dies.
Kiln boasts a ravenous, chaotic ecosystem like nothing seen on Earth. The monstrous alien life interacts in surprising, sometimes shocking ways with the human body, so Arton will risk death on a daily basis. However, the camp’s oppressive regime might just kill him first. If Arton can somehow escape both fates, the world of Kiln holds a wondrous, terrible secret. It will redefine life and intelligence as he knows it, and might just set him free . . .
My Review
I ordered a hardback copy of this book from The Broken Binding and the audiobook from Audible. I started reading this book earlier in the week, after I finished reading Lords of Uncreation and decided I need some more SF. I should have been reading one of my blog tour books, but I’ll finish that tomorrow. I happened to need something to listen to on Wednesday because I wanted to go out and swim after I had to spend Tuesday at the hospital. I read the first 23 chapters of the hardback book on Monday, on Wednesday I picked up from the right point in the audiobook and listened to all but the last 23 minutes of it while I was out all afternoon. I listened to the rest when I went out today. So yeah, I binged the book slightly.
I’ve read eight of Tchaikovsky’s books now, six are from space opera trilogies, while two, including Alien Clay, are stand alone novels. I enjoy both types. There’s always strong worldbuilding and interesting characters. Alien Clay is no different, the world of Kiln is very deeply imagined and the main character, Arton Daghdev, is an acerbic bitch; he made me laugh so much.
Kiln puzzles the scientists bound by Mandate orthodoxy; Arton Daghdev and his fellow condemned are heterodox, rebels against the Mandate, or common criminals who happened to end up on Kiln as part of their punishment. Daghdev was an academic, skating the edge of orthodoxy, a xenobiologist, and a member of several revolutionary sub-committees, until purges put him on a ship to Kiln, a one-way trip.
On Kiln, he is welcomed by the very orthodox commandant who hopes Daghdev can be turned to orthodoxy. He’s put on the Science Support team, along with a friend from home, Ilmus, a former colleague and ‘disciple’ who was picked up by the police, tortured and exiled to Kiln a year before Daghdev. The team work with ‘the Science’ – professionals, paid to work on Kiln, to prove the Mandate’s anthropocentric orthodoxy.
Life on Kiln is rampant, even in an apparently cooler, drier period, and it evolves in a vary different way to Earth life. Each creature is a symbiotic community, carrying multiple species in many combinations. But ruins suggest there was once a sentient species on the planet, and it’s the job of the Science (and the prisoners sent to die there) to discover as much as possible and confirm the Mandate orthodox belief that the purpose of the universe is humanity.
After a failed coup, Daghdev, Ilmus and the former head of Science (who had a one night stand with Daghdev and is therefore assumed to have known about the rebellion), among others, are punished by being sent to Excursions. Where they are not popular, because changing the teams means changing the decontamination schedules, risking people’s lives.
Excursions are not a popular assignment, because they are the only people who go outside of the domed camp. Outside the camp, Kiln life tries to take hold immediately. Luckily, life is so different on Earth, that it takes Kiln life a while to work it out and a good decontamination can deal with that. It’s all well and good, until Daghdev’s team, led by an old shop steward, and longest living Kiln survivor, Keev, lose their transport to a creature called ‘the Elephant’s Dad’ and are forced to walk back to the camp.
Out in the Kiln environment, pretty much unprotected from the symbiotic life forms, they change. By the time they return, they are themselves and yet, more than that. Kiln has found the keys to unlock Earth biology. The planet has found a new mind that it can use. Slowly, the survivors spread their change across the rest of the prisoners, until they can work in unity while being still individuals. It’s a new revolution.
Tchaikovsky’s work has always had a political edge, if you know where to look, and he usually has a point to make. The point made in Alien Clay might piss off people who read sci fi because they like it when things get blown up in space and evil empires are replaced by less evil empires. Replacing one with t’other doesn’t work; you need a complete change of system. Replacing the Mandate with a revolution wouldn’t work – revolutions tend to get taken over by people who want power and will lie, murder, and steal to get it. The Russian Revolution is an excellent example of that. The impetus came from grass roots organisations to improve the lives of peasants and workers (the SRs and anarchists), and it was taken over by middle class idealogues who were interested in power – Lenin, Trotsky, and eventually the Bolsheviks under Stalin – and murdered their way through their former allies. Yes, life was probably better than under the Tsars for many people, but it was still shit, because power was still centralised under a ‘big man’ and small group of sycophants. Decentralised, local organisation, directly elected councils that can be recalled and replaced if they piss off the people, a lack of hierarchy, worked in some places for several years at a time, until Stalin and his collection of nut bags decided murder and invasion were better. The Red Army only won the Russian Civil War because of the Anarchist Army (the Red and Black) which voted for their officers. I’ve been listening to Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff, who are part way through a 6-part series on the Kronstadt rebellion, and Behind the Bastards, that’s just done a 4-parter on Stalin’s chief of secret police. Lots of cross-over there. I highly recommend both podcasts, by the way.
Reading Alien Clay when I’ve been listening to Behind the Bastards and Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff probably influenced my interpretation of the message of this book. It appeals to my socialist heart. Authoritarian regimes love a scientist or artist that’ll support their orthodoxy, because they need them to prop up their nonsense, but hates scientists and artists that use their intelligence and skills to point out the lies of the regime.
I love that Adrian Tchaikovsky has included an important, although secondary, character who is non-binary and probably Autistic in Ilmus. They’re the first to join the planet on the march back to the camp, the first to open themselves up completely to the whole. The tension between Daghdev and Ilmus, as they fear each other was the one who turned them in, and betrayed the rebellion at the camp, and the force of their friendship that helps them bridge the tension, is an emotional counterpoint to the humorous narrative of pain and confusion Daghdev feels on Kiln before the changes Kiln makes to them all.
The beings that live on Kiln are absolutely terrifying. I have a really strange phobia of parasites; the idea of things growing on me or taking up residence in me, and sprouting, absolutely terrifies me. That scene in Hannibal series 1 where they find bodies with mushrooms growing out of them, and one of the victims is alive with mushrooms sprouting from them, still horrifies me. So, I can’t say the species on Kiln don’t freak me out, but at the same time, it’s a really cool idea! Instead of the popular science understanding of competitive evolution, there’s a a species that specialises in one thing and will build a communal life with other species so that everyone gets their needs met. I love the way Tchaikovsky has his narrator describe the life on Kiln and events. It’s by turns lyrical, sarcastic and humorous. The stone crab that helps the marching Excursionistas get back to the camp is probably my favourite species.
The narrator of the audiobook was really good; I enjoyed the intonation and rhythm of the narration. At the end of the audiobook, there’s an interview between Adrian Tchaikovsky and Ben Allen, which covers Tchaikovsky’s influences and research. He originally studied zoology and then law, so Tchaikovsky has a background in science, among other areas; when he’s making up xenospecies it’s usually based in proper science. Which I appreciate.
I need to go to bed now, so I’m going to stop rambling and tell you to go buy Alien Clay.
Published in paperback by Tor 11 April 2024 9781529052008 624 pages
Synopsis
From Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time and winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, Lords of Uncreation is the final high-octane instalment in the Final Architecture space opera trilogy.
He’s found a way to end their war, but will humanity survive to see it?
Idris Telemmier has uncovered a secret that changes everything – the Architects’ greatest weakness. A shadowy cartel scrambles to turn his discovery into a weapon against these alien destroyers of worlds. But between them and victory stands self-interest. The galaxy’s great powers would rather pursue their own agendas than stand together against this shared terror.
Human and inhuman interests wrestle to control Idris’ discovery, as the galaxy erupts into a mutually destructive and self-defeating war. The other great obstacle to striking against their alien threat is Idris himself. He knows that the Architects, despite their power, are merely tools of a higher intelligence.
Deep within unspace, where time moves differently, and reality isn’t quite what it seems, their masters are the true threat. Masters who are just becoming aware of humanity’s daring – and taking steps to exterminate this annoyance forever.
Enter the circus at your own risk… and discover the greatest show on earth in this explosive
and darkly magical fantasy novel.
For humans, the circus is a place filled with wonder and amazement. For Harrow, it’s a place to hide
from those who slaughtered her entire clan. Disguising her abilities as part of her act has kept her
true identity safe for years.
Until he arrives.
A strange new attraction with no name, no memory of who – or even what – he is, let alone an explanation for his odd yet deadly powers. But beneath the layers of anger and isolation, one
glimpse into his inky eyes reveals a soul that calls out to the loneliness in her own. And so, she chooses him.
Harrow is drawn to the darkness, to her insatiable need to soothe the beast who threatens their very existence. But with every secret she unlocks from his past, another from hers is revealed – luring
enemies who will stop at nothing to get their final revenge on Harrow. And she’s afraid she’s given
them the perfect weapon against her because he’s not what he seems.
But maybe it’s time they finally learn neither is she…
Publication date November 2023 Price £9.99 ISBN-13 978178842459
Description The adventures of a group of friends, pre-war, with far too much time on their hands. The Rabbits, as they call themselves, are Archie Mannering, his sister Myra, Samuel Simpson, Thomas of the Admiralty, Dahlia Blair and the narrator, with occasional guests. Their conversation is almost entirely frivolous, their activity vacillates between immensely energetic and happily lazy, and their social mores are surprisingly progressive.
Originally published as sketches in Punch, the Rabbits’ escapades are a charming portrait of middle-class antics on the brink of being shattered by World War I, and fail entirely to take themselves seriously.
Publication date Thursday, March 28, 2024 Price £18.99 EAN\ISBN-13 9781800961395 Hardback 288 pages
Description
To the outside world, Emily looks like a typical girl, with a normal family, living an ordinary life. But inside, Emily does not feel typical, and the older she gets, the more she realises that she is different. As she finally discovers when she is 16, Emily is autistic. Girl Unmasked is the extraordinary story of how she got there – and how she very nearly didn’t.
Still only 21, Emily writes with startling candour about the years leading up to her diagnosis. How books and imagination became her refuge as she sought to escape the increasing anxiety and unbearable stresses of school life; how her OCD almost destroyed her; how a system which did not understand autism let her down; and how she came so close to the edge that she and her family thought she would never survive.
In this simple but powerful memoir, we see how family and friends became her lifeline and how, post-diagnosis, Emily came to understand her authentic self and begin to turn her life around, eventually becoming a mental health nurse with a desire to help others where she herself had once been failed.
Ultimately uplifting, Girl Unmasked is a remarkable insight into what it can be like to be autistic – and shows us that through understanding and embracing difference we can all find ways to thrive.
Formats available: Paperback First published: 01/04/24 Series:A Flea in History ISBN: 9780993338237
Description
King Henry VIII’s favourite ship, the Mary Rose, is sailing to Portsmouth to stop a French invasion. This should be the easy part of the journey, but for Captain Vlad flea and his crew of rats, the humans and their pets create dangers on every deck.
Join Vlad and Roxton rat as they work out how to avoid Hatch the dog and the Captain Carew’s hawk.
This book has been written and illustrated using the artefacts, research and knowledge of the experts of the Mary Rose Trust. It is a fun way to find out about Tudor ships and what it was like to live on board one of Henry’s fleet.
Publisher : Penguin Life (14 Mar. 2024) Language : English Paperback : 272 pages ISBN-10 : 0241588227 ISBN-13 : 978-0241588222
Are carbs the enemy? Am I getting enough protein? Should I worry about inflammation? Do calories count? And do any diets really work?
We are constantly bombarded with advice on how to live a ‘healthier’ life. From the benefits of intermittent fasting and the keto diet, to the growth of veganism and the dangers of inflammation, poor-quality, dubiously sourced information on how we can live and feel better is everywhere. But where should we turn for advice we can trust?
Dr Idrees Mughal (Dr Idz), an NHS doctor with a masters in nutritional research and a board certification in lifestyle medicine, has made it his mission to educate, inspire and empower the public when it comes to diet and lifestyle. His signature videos have attracted millions of followers online, and now he’s collected this wealth of information in his first book, Saturated Facts – your science-backed guide to living better.
Whether you’re looking to lose weight, sleep better, avoid disease or just have more energy as you go about your day, Saturated Facts is the comprehensive guide you need to make smarter decisions about your health.
My Review
This book arrived on publication day. I spent a couple of days reading and digesting it. There was a lot to think about. I’m interested in nutrition science, I’ve read a few other books on the subject, and I’ve even done a couple of level 2 nutrition courses. I like the science. The human body and how it processes food is fascinating and not generally as simple as people believe. It really is more complicated than individual nutrients and calories in-calories out.
I really liked the structure of this book, the references to specific studies and scientific consensus, and all the sources are listed at the back. There should always be sources! It made my brain happy to read this book. Dr Mughal makes the scientific papers legible to the non-specialist and lay reader (I did chemistry, biochemistry and geology, and I understand autism paper, everything else I need translating). I appreciate the effort. I also appreciate the author’s debunkings of myths.
A lot of the information wasn’t new to me, but the level of detail was, and I found that satisfying. The nutrition advice is sound, as far as I know and I generally eat quite well roughly following the advice, something I learnt years ago. I think this book would be really useful for people needing a clear explanation, backed up by named sources, before they engage in a change in diet.
I read a couple of statements in the book, also ostensibly supported by scientific sources, but which are actually a bit dodgy. In fact I found some of them rather upsetting and ignorant.
The first is a reference to Autistic people and faecal transplants, and how after a faecal transplant Autistic children showed ‘less autistic symptoms’. For a start that paper you referenced, Dr Idz, was from October 2005 and has already been debunked by better people than me. Common criticisms include: the children weren’t asked if it helped, their parents were asked for their subjective observations; the language used by the researchers was prejudicial and biased – comparing autistic children vs ‘healthy’ children; the researchers failed to consider the fact that autistic people often have gastric difficulties and limited diets due to sensory sensitivities so it’s hard for us to get balanced diets when we need our safe foods. If children are forced to eat food that upsets them either digestively or sensorily, they will have ‘more autistic symptoms’, because they’re in pain! Strangely enough, you’d probably be grumpy if you can’t eat something because it makes you want to vomit from the texture/taste/smell/sight (baked beans, mushy peas, avocado, I’m looking at you, or not actually because bleurgh) or because your belly hurts because you’re having a response to the food. Children don’t have the words, often, to specifically describe their pain or to work out the cause. This is especially true of those with other complex conditions or who struggle with verbal speech. Instead of giving us faecal transplants, try working out what’s causing the problems in the first place?
If you use a paper that’s so thoroughly wrong to make a point, why should I trust you’re other citations? I know about autism. I don’t know as much about nutrition, you could be bullshitting me and passing it off as scientific consensus. Also, the phrase ‘in mice’ is important in some of the cited papers about helping fat people be less fat.
On to the second one. Doctors and health care professionals generally engage in a lot of anti-fat bullying. I generally get nurses, for some reason, telling me I need to lose all the weight or I’ll get a horrible illness and die. Completely ignoring my genetics, my actual lifestyle, my medical conditions and neurotype. Doctors get funny when I need procedures that require anaesthetic (if you can mutilate healthy stomachs in the name of weight loss, you can do a fucking colposcopy under anaesthetic, stop being a dick about it). Doctor Mughal does in fact acknowledge the anti-fat biases of his colleagues but moves on extremely quickly and seems to push it off as a minor issue. On the subject of fatness he’s quite contradictory – it’s a disease that needs treatment, but also fat people are responsible for being fat, fat people are treated badly by doctors but doctors can’t help their biases.
And Dr Idz is no better than the rest of them on that count. He doesn’t question statements about fat people being more anxious (what do you think happens when people are bullied all their lives?) and doesn’t question the cause and effect of fatness and type-2 diabetes, even though genetics has been shown to be more of an influence than body size.
I’m fat so of course I must live on take aways and sit around all day. Who can afford to live on takeaways? Plus they upset my digestion. I probably have some sort of irritable bowel conditions (or as I call it ‘the anxiety shits’) and I have a hiatus hernia. Also, autistic food pickiness. I know what I can and can’t eat. But still, I like learning more about this stuff as a science-minded person. Don’t be too shocked, will you?
He also misunderstands the purpose of fat activism – it’s a movement for equality. Even if fat people lost that magical 10% of their starting weight, there would still be lots of fat people in the world, and we shouldn’t be excluded from participating in life, shouldn’t be denied healthcare and employment, and we shouldn’t be bullied because of ignorance and prejudices. That’s it. It’s not a difficult concept.
So, over all, watch it if you’re fat and kinda sensitive about stuff, because this book repeats a lot of the biased bollocks we already hear from HCPs, but when he sticks strictly to nutritional advice, Dr Idz really does a good job of explaining the science in an easily understandable way, with citations, mostly from the last decade, with a small number of exceptions (yes, I looked). I like citations, have I mentioned that.
I gave this book a 3/5 on GoodReads purely for the autism bollocks he repeated without question. I’d have got a 4 or 5 if he’d refrained from that and I hadn’t started questioning his sources.
Format: 304 pages, Hardcover Published: March 21, 2024 by Hodderscape ISBN:9781529390582 (ISBN10: 1529390583) Language: English
Description
Welcome to the Grand Abeona Hotel: home of the finest food, the sweetest service, and the very best views the galaxy has to offer. Year round it moves from planet to planet, system to system, pampering guests across the furthest reaches of the milky way. The last word in sub-orbital luxury – and a magnet for intrigue. Intrigues such as:
Why are there love poems in the lobby intray?
How many Imperial spies are currently on board?
What is the true purpose of the Problem Solver’s conference?
And perhaps most pertinently – who is driving the ship?
At the centre of these mysteries stands Carl, one time stowaway, longtime manager, devoted caretaker to the hotel. It’s the love of his life and the only place he’s ever called home. But as forces beyond Carl’s comprehension converge on the Abeona, he has to face one final question: when is it time to let go?
Everything Is Better With Dragons 