Three books this month. I was planning on reading more, including some westerns for June on the Range, but I fell into a real reading slump towards the end of the month. I think a combination of the summer heat and some long hours at work did me in.
The Conquering Sword of Conan by Robert E. Howard (Ballantine Books, 2005)
This third volume of Del Rey’s Conan the Barbarian series collects Robert E. Howard’s final Conan stories as well as a number of extras. While two of the stories came across as standard Conan sword & sorcery tales, Howard tried new things with the other three after becoming influenced by stories of the American frontier. As with the previous volumes I liked some stories more than others but the collection as a whole is outstanding.
Doctor Who and An Unearthly Child by Terrance Dicks (Target Books, 1981)
Watching the new season of Doctor Who got me in the mood to read some of the Target novelizations which I have fond memories of.
This one written by the prolific Terrance Dicks, is of the very first serial from 1963, but not published until 1981. School teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright follow their mysterious student Susan to a junkyard. There they wind up meeting The Doctor, entering the TARDIS, and they all travel back in time to the stone age.
The Doctor isn’t as likable as he becomes in later stories and the adventure involving cave people isn’t as compelling as later stories, but it was interesting reading such an early adventure from when they were still developing the character. Written in a simple style, it was a quick, light, and fun read. I was also going to read The Pyramids of Mars, but that will have to wait until next month. (Update: I didn't get to it.)
Non-fiction
The Celts: A Very Short Introduction by Barry Cunliffe (Oxford University Press, 2003)
After reading Song for a Dark Queen by Rosemary Sutcliff last month I became interested in learning more about The Celts. I had heard good things about the Very Short Introduction series of books so thought I would start with this. I enjoyed some of the chapters but most of the book was a slog. It felt like three books in one. I found the middle chapters titled “Gauls and Romans,” “Britons and Romans,” and “Interlude: the story so far,” as well as the final summary chapter, the most interesting. The first half was written in a style that was too academic and dry for me and the last few chapters on what “Celtic” means today didn’t hold my interest. The Further Reading section at the end looks useful though.
Here's hoping I can get back into a reading groove next month.
