The Philosopher’s Pupil
by Iris Murdoch (1983). A ponderous story with a large cast of characters, none of which evoke much sympathy, who …
Previous articles
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
by Neil Gaiman (2013). A short and intense adult novel about otherworldly ‘evil’ creatures invading modern day rural Britain via …
The Buddhas of Bamiyan
by Llewelyn Morgan (2012). Wonderful cultural/historical account of the two colossal standing figures of Buddha in the Hindu Kush – …
Nexus – Mankind gets an Upgrade
by Ramez Naam (2013). An eminently readable debut SF novel with a fertile imagination in which the confluence of nano- …
The Spinoza Problem – A Novel
by Irvin Yalom (2012). Historical psychological-philosophical telling by the psychiatrist Yalom in which he deftly interweaves an account of the …
The Darwin Conspiracy
by John Darnton (2005). Historical fiction interposing Charles Darwin’s signature, 5 year long, voyage on the HMS Beagle that made …
The Lore of Large Numbers
by Philip Davis (1961). Picked up this delightful little introduction to arithmetic and scientific computing from a used bookstore. Written …
Turing’s Cathedral – The Origins of the Digital Universe
by George Dyson (2012). Long, detailed and meticulously researched (and footnoted) historical account of the origins of computing in World …
Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory and the Conquest of Everest
by Wade Davis (2012). Highly absorbing, detailed and compelling account by the reliable Davis, the anthropologist and ethnobotanist, about the …
The Mystery of Cloomber
by Arthur Conan Doyle (1895). A very atmospheric mystery yarn and a great revenge story, if somewhat overwrought in its …
