Someone opened Stellaris and you know where that tends to go.
So many films, books and games ... so little time ! I think I'd reached the ends of my reserves over the last week or so and was really glad of a chance to sleep in and switch off thoughts of responsibility today. My background stuff has been the cricket channel showing reruns from the summer and it's very nicely chill.
To the books !
Something I grew up with was a series called Robin of Sherwood. It had a wonderful soundtrack by Clannad which perfectly fit the setting. Here's a link to the title theme but I think Together We is a special highlight. The album is called Legend and it's an excellent one.
The book closely resembled the series and the series had a lot of fun in it. I can't remember too much of it (this was over 30 years ago !) but I thought the main star, Michael Praed and the rest of the cast were stunning.
Next up is something new, it's Excession by Iain M. Banks. I think this is the best of the Culture novels. It starts steady but quite soon in, a calamity occurs where an extra-dimensional / extra-galactic invader appears that is of equal or even better technology compared to the dominant Culture.
It's described in the book as an Outside Context Problem where something comes along that is so off the board, so unexpected, that there is no defense against it.
Must read this one again soon and I'd thoroughly recommend it to people interested in Iain M. Banks' Culture universe. Although I'd advice reading Consider Phlebas first as an introduction. The drama runs all the way through this book and the sense of The Culture Will Win In The End is thoroughly shaken up.
I wonder if the Nomnivorian Raveners will face an Outside Context Problem. Here's the situation at the moment :
(They will face an Outside Context Problem. Google will tell me the console commands to summon one, two or even them all at the same time ....)
Last book for today is an older Robert Heinlein book called Sixth Column. This one was from 1941 and was first published as a novel in 1949. You'll be well aware of what was happening in the world at that time and this book borrows heavily from that.
It's set in the future (probably a bit ahead of today still). The PanAsians have steadily been taking over the world and enforcing a brutal regime on their subjects. America has just surrendered except for ... a lone outpost of 6 scientists who have just invented something amazing.
Can they survive ? What will their future be ?
Can they thrive ... can they take the battle to the enemy. And what will the cost be as the brutal PanAsian regime exacts a terrible revenge as reprisals against rebellion.
Oh and the Steam Xmas sale may have started. What shall appear ?
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