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Ordered Lake of Darkness on your recommendation then got a little bit worried when I saw some unfavourable reviews on Goodreads mentioning themes of religion and the paranormal. This could be a deal-breaker for my enjoyment as I hate religion and woo woo.

Great recommendation Steve - thanks. Tho' DNF'd (the indignity!) at 3:01 for fear of spoilers!

Terrific review and overview of Adam Robert's work - he's so so good and as you say wildly underrated. Lots I've not read from the first half of his career (I started with The Thing Itself), clearly. I would put a shout out (for those who want to dive into his work a bit further) for his "History of SF", from which I learned a huge amount about the genre and found some gems I'd never heard of (like McAuley's Confluence books). And also "Sibilant Fricative" his collection of critical essays, which is full of zingers. His sisyphean, masochistic read through of the Wheel of Time is very funny (uness you're a Jordan fan, I suppose)

Thanks for these videos, very helpful for orientation in the genre

Good video, I hope you can touch on Jean Genet again sometime.

Oh my, what do I read when I've finished Rule Britannia (DdM) Maybe Adam Roberts. I have yet to read his work. Where to start, where oh where?

I really enjoyed your carefully thought through review of the book. Not even half a day up and 900 views and over 30 comments. Soon you wont hear me over the din! I'm not saying anything bad, but I'm a little gun-shy seeing so many pun based titles. I don't do cutesy or humorous SF well: is there any AR I should steer clear of?

DAmn! You FIRED UP! Are you printing that review somewhere as well? I have yet to read Roberts (he does NOT appear in the churn over here) and yet I'm trying to figure what I can afford to buy! Awww, what *AM* I on about? Your collection looks so good it makes me want to go hardback happy & I still haven't read him! This is clearly a "Me" problem.

Hello again Stephen. I was truly floored by this episode. I should probably be embarrassed that I'd never been aware of Adam Roberts until recently when I followed up another of your episodes by reading The Thing As It Is. I'm still evaluating what I just experienced in reading it. I enjoyed the read not knowing what to expect. I think you'll agree, he can be a bit hard to follow if you've not been exposed. At first I was almost angry with Adam thinking "WTF Roberts!" I've decided I need to reread the last third of the book then come to a conclusion but I know I'm gonna like Roberts works generally. I was astounded at the breadth and the various themes of the books you exposed me to in this episode. I cannot decide which book to read next. So I went from never having heard of Robert's to now having a lengthy list of what will probably be must reads. Salaam my friend!

Interesting, the idea of humans, or humanoids, being able to synthesize food from sunlight, like algae, was used in Gene Wolfe's BOTNS series, maybe the second book? and in Geoff Ryman's The Child Garden, if I remember corectly. Will definitely check out By Light Alone. The only Adams I've read, Stone, was imaginatively impressive - remeinded me a little of Ian M. Banks in its wild, improbable but thrilling ideas - but not a patch, from a literary standpoint, on John M Harrison, but then who in contemporary SF is? Hopefully it's not his best book and I have wonders to discover. His books are nearly always superbly produced and your collection is a marvel to behold, and your summaries perfectly pitched to intrigue. Consider me intrigued!

Just out of interest you wouldn't rate Adrian Tchaikovsky as one of the best under 60 British SF writers? I have only read Bete by Adam Roberts and videos like this remind me I really have to read more of his stuff, I have The This waiting on my kindle so I'll read that next!

Great. This (and writer) is going on my to be read list.

Thanks again Andrew, I've enjoyed many of your recommendations. At 11:41 you mention a shelf of "interesting books", do we get a look at it sometime?

I do have a trade pb of Splinter, looks like same cover, also from Solaris, also from 2007.

One would think you are in a village of mad fowls. The background animal and nature sounds around these great old stone buildings builds the atmosphere.

Going to try and find some Adam Roberts' books! Great review as always

Wha..What is this sorcery, Twenty Trillion Leagues Under the Sea sounds like a book that was written for me specifically. Grew up reading Verne among others. This book sounds like it ticks all the boxes. I am holding you personally responsible sir, for the ever increasing inflation of my to read pile! Keep doing it please =] I was not aware of this author, now I am extremely intrigued.

I added this one to my wish list. I really like this channel and your recommendations man! I'm from Argentina and from my country I strongly suggest you ti read a sci-fi graphic novel called The Eternaut, maybe the best that came out from Latin America. It is about an alien invation happening in Buenos Aires but I can tell you that is nothing like you ever read before. Greetings!

Are there any good occult SF writers? I read Dennis Wheatley " The Devil Rides Out" which was somewhat entertaining - nothing mind blowing. I read Moonchild and Diary of a Drug Fiend which neither blew my mind in any way but were somewhat interesting for me. I can see how they inspired Kenneth Anger films. I was inspired by Maya Deren's Divine Horsement: The Living God of Haiti and retro lounge culture to create a board a few years back ( Swinging Jivecat Voodoo Lounge - JG Ballard Vermillion Sands mid century aesthetic ) . I just find occult symbolism fascinating when it is in art work or in stories (if done properly) Anyways, I digress ... Maybe the writers who surrounded John Parsons . Lucius Shepard alludes to some occultist ideas in Life During Wartime (in the little I have read so far - I am chugging away at your reading lists). Anyways, it would be interesting to learn about occultism in SF. I am grasping at straws here to tie a bunch of my ADHD affected ideas together.

Just to nit pick a bit, Jack Glass won BSFA award not Clarke. Adam was shortlisted for Clarke a few times but never won. By the way, where is Haven, his sequel to Dave Hutchinson's Sanctuary? I'm pretty sure you won't agree, but in my opinion Roberts was in part influenced by Stephen Baxter's work. Not when it comes to style, but by the way his ideas and narrative reveal tend to generate great sense of wonder, just like Baxter's. Adam often highly praises Stephen's work, he wrote the introduction to his Mayflower II, and the two are good friends. But that's just my theory based on the Adam's novels that I have read. So I could be wrong.

I don't read enough current SF. But I know where to get the good recs. This sounds great.

This review was absolutely astounding in detail and although I do own a large number of Adam's books I will now endeavour to obtain all that I am missing.

Having just read land of the headless as a first read of adam roberts , I would like to add my praise to his work , strange and disturbing images of headless criminals and unusual military forever war feel in parts. Really enjoyed it ,so much so I’ve pick up the thing itself ,Snow and On. . I feel this is an author who I may well end up reading through a lot of his work . Many of these titles such as the this and stone will be acquired and read in the not to distant future . The thing it’s self will be top of the list . Great stuff as ever steve👍🏻

hard? literary? sounds like the kind of book i have been waiting for this year. hopefully it will be available here in the united states. i love, love, love that it's a singleton! i've read a few of his novels and enjoyed them. now, of course, i want to read more. as always, thanks, steve!

Matthew Hughes is coming out with a new Dying Earth novel titled Margolyam.

I'm glad to hear this meets AR's usual high standards. We can only hope he has his breakthrough moment soon, like Tchaikovsky did a few years ago. AR is criminally underrated, and no one else is doing anything similar at such a high level.

Alastair Reynolds (under 60) and Peter F. Hamilton (just over) are two British writers, who are still producers of great Sci-Fi.

Goes on sale tomorrow here but there is an Audible and Kindle today. Sounds great for a hardcover

The Stranglers are pure brilliance. I never did a serious deep dive into their history or evolution. Some of their songs reminded me of the doors especially the keyboard solo in Walk on By cover, that reminded me of Ray Manzarek playing. Dave Greenfield's playing sounds a bit more grittier in general - his synth parts were somewhat of an assualt to the senses in a true New Wave style - Something Has to Change has a blasting sound that I love. Another amazing keyboard player is Jerry Dammers from the Specials who really defined the sound with a retro-vintage lounge sound makes me think of JG Ballard Vermilion Sands landscape especially in the 2nd album More Specials. Its fascinating to track down what creates that unique sound that cropped up in a certain locations such as UK with its literature and music.

I think his 3 nonfiction books are terrific too. He is one of my favorite writers.

You are the master! - you can drink coffee, eat biscuits, wear any shirt and I will hang on all your words (even if I have to wait between sips - lol). Your channel is second to none - by far the best SF channel on youtube! (I don't mean to fawn but I have been searching for the soul in popular culture and you seem to be the last bastion of it in contemporary society especially on social media - like the crumbling paperbacks with the awe inspiring imaginative cover art of the 60s and 70s (and the celestial seasoning art work of the 80s lol) - there was magic there fading away - waiting for a new life).

useless info alert... There is a film called Zeroville (2019), based on the novel of the same name... feature and directed by James Franco, stars include; Jackie Weaver, Megan Fox and Danny McBride

Being a bit of a book collector myself, albeit on a less significant level as those on the 'Tube of Books', I consider myself a little bit mad (perhaps very.), as does my partner, no less. One must be somewhat off kilter to make a life of collecting books.

it's the dirty story of a dirty man, and his clinging wife doesn't understand...

The Beast That Shouted Love at The Heart of The World

I love Bob Shaw. I'm really struggling to find good copies though. it's what it is. There must be some in ex libris in mint condition somewhere, or another BS lover holding onto their hoard... who knows eh?

A lot of respect that you do not use a smartphone. I firmly believe it is one source of many of our ills. (Maybe mine anyway) still catching up, great video, and delayed best wishes for the next stage in your channels journey

I found Atomised by Michel Houellebecq the blurb on the back sound intriguing, so I might start with that one while I track down others in his canon. Great recommendations. Ta

Oh just a quick addition in response to @6:45 - the world could be like the Ballard short story, Billennium... a story we read way back doing our A Levels

I really enjoyed everything about this piece. Absolutely beautiful. Thanks!

Interesting, JC wrote The Death of Grass and Cliff Simak wrote, All Flesh Is Grass... ibwonder if there is / was an allusion to the bible verse; Isaiah 6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: 7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. 8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Wow! That cover on The Secret People. Love it.

I read a fair amount of scifi, all of Gibson, my favorite scifi author, Daniel Suarez, another favorite, and some other things here and there. Recently, I found "Recursion" by Blake Crouch, and now I have a new favorite scifi novel. It's IMO perfect and so very highly recommended. I subsequently read "Upgrade" and "Dark Matter" by the same author. They're very intelligent and well-written, engaging and thought-provoking, but there can only be one best. By the way, apropos of this discussion, on the basis of a recommendation I bought "The Gamesman" by Barry Malzberg in a Kindle version. It was the only one of his novels I could find on Kindle. I haven't read it yet, because I just started Asimov's "Foundation". You didn't mention it sadly. All the best.

I can't remember if you mentioned it in a previous video but I picked up their Daphne du Maurier short story collection last year and really enjoyed it.

That Cover on Moderan is just fantastic...

After watching some of your other videos I've decided on reading 'the soft machine', first. I'm not sure if that's a good start, but if not someone do, let me know.

I remember going into the local John Menzies back in the early 70s with £1.00 and coming out with four SF books. I was well chuffed.

I like the phrase, "vanilla SF readers", I'm going to try and work that into conversations. I love Sheckley, but I think he's a bit uneven. The collection Untouched by Human Hands is great, as is the Penguin Robert Sheckley Omnibus and the novella The Status Civilisation.

Glad I have my original U.S. hardcovers. I’ll take some page browning... I’m wondering, did the drawings carry over as well?