Cussedness
The natural cussedness of things in general.
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The Darkness of Wallis Simpson by Rose Tremain
These twelve short stories are as well written and entertaining as anything by Tremain, and skip easily between diverse locations and periods as convincingly as do her novels. So vividly realised and varied are these worlds that they often demand a considerable effort on the part of the reader in switching from one story to the next, and it is hard to see any clear theme linking the collection together beyond the author’s questioning need to explore her creations; thematic links are not in any way necessary, of course, and their absence does not detract from the enjoyment of reading each tale individually. The emotional range between and within the pieces is similarly wide, and Tremain is not afraid of exploring darker possibilities and scenarios, or, conversely, of writing a happy ending every so often. Good stuff.
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More H. G. Wells
Writing about In the Days of the Comet brought to mind The Truth About Pyecraft, a wonderful little story written by Wells, which was the first thing of his that I ever read, when I was about eight, in one of those anthologies of genre stories (you know, for kids). Marvellous stuff, read it.
In related news, Lee Evans is going to be playing Mr Polly on the telly. Alongside Trigger from Only Fools and Horses. Yikes.