So, without further ado, Ladies & Gentlemen may I present to you the fantastic, the fabulous the something else brilliant that begins with 'F' Mr Sam Enthoven... (cue applause) Who will now tell you all about his top five books... (more applause, and possibly cheering)
Enter Sam. He walks confidently to the centre stage. Takes a swig of water (without spilling any down his shirt) and begins....
PREACHER, by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, is a nine-volume comic about friendship, love and courage, encompassing a skewed but brilliant look at American history, righteous rage against religious dogma, vampires, drinking, cowboys, sex, swearing, violence, heart-stopping romance and swearing. It's a work of genius. And if the fact that it's nine volumes long means that technically PREACHER has to be all five of my favourite books plus another four, that's fine with me.
I read BILL, THE GALACTIC HERO by Harry Harrison when I was eleven. I'd picked it up hoping for a Star Wars-style romp full of spaceships and explosions. What I got was SF's answer to Catch-22: dazzlingly cynical, snortingly funny, Bill's story changed my outlook forever. I reread it again yesterday and it was every bit as terrific as the first time.
Lots of books try to scare you. SONG OF KALI by Dan Simmons reached into my mind and disturbed me. This book is haunting, horrifying, harrowing and utterly brilliant. Once you know about the Song, you'll never forget it.
We all have bad days. But if you read TOUCHING THE VOID by Joe Simpson not "only" will you have experienced a jaw-droppingly thrilling true story of grit and survival, you'll also – no matter how bad things ever get for you – be able to say to yourself: 'Well, at least I'm not desperately trying to make my way down one of the world's most dangerous mountains alone, with a broken leg, without food or water or shelter, with no hope of rescue because all my friends think I'm dead.' It's not a book for fans of Boney M, I guess. For everyone else I'd say it's essential.
STONE JUNCTION by Jim Dodge is a wonderful, warm-hearted, gleefully subversive epic of counterculture, chaos and magic. Every few years I find I miss the story and the people in it and I have to reread it again. I won't say more: I just urge you to discover it for yourself.
I'm Sam Enthoven. I write fantastical action thrillers for young people. If you'd like to find out more about me, check my homepage at http://www.samenthoven.com/
Happy reading and best wishes to all who read this –Sam
I read BILL, THE GALACTIC HERO by Harry Harrison when I was eleven. I'd picked it up hoping for a Star Wars-style romp full of spaceships and explosions. What I got was SF's answer to Catch-22: dazzlingly cynical, snortingly funny, Bill's story changed my outlook forever. I reread it again yesterday and it was every bit as terrific as the first time.
Lots of books try to scare you. SONG OF KALI by Dan Simmons reached into my mind and disturbed me. This book is haunting, horrifying, harrowing and utterly brilliant. Once you know about the Song, you'll never forget it.
We all have bad days. But if you read TOUCHING THE VOID by Joe Simpson not "only" will you have experienced a jaw-droppingly thrilling true story of grit and survival, you'll also – no matter how bad things ever get for you – be able to say to yourself: 'Well, at least I'm not desperately trying to make my way down one of the world's most dangerous mountains alone, with a broken leg, without food or water or shelter, with no hope of rescue because all my friends think I'm dead.' It's not a book for fans of Boney M, I guess. For everyone else I'd say it's essential.
STONE JUNCTION by Jim Dodge is a wonderful, warm-hearted, gleefully subversive epic of counterculture, chaos and magic. Every few years I find I miss the story and the people in it and I have to reread it again. I won't say more: I just urge you to discover it for yourself.
I'm Sam Enthoven. I write fantastical action thrillers for young people. If you'd like to find out more about me, check my homepage at http://www.samenthoven.com/
Happy reading and best wishes to all who read this –Sam
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