Stuff Ian Likes

John Christopher’s 1977 children’s novel about the end of the world is as grim as anything on a similar theme that he wrote for adults, just toned down for language and “themes.” In this episode I take a closer look at what it’s all about and why it enjoyed a bit of a renaissance just a few years ago.

A wonderfully bookish biography of a bookish person by another bookish person. This book is a delight for those who are fans of Lewis or even if you re not. Wilson is a fabulously erudite reteller of Lewis’s life and inspirations.

Galaxy Quest is a 1999 science fiction comedy starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman. It’s an utter delight and a favourite of mine. Riffing more than slightly off the real-life experiences of the actors in Star Trek, it’s a hilarious trip across the galaxy with a wonderful heart.

Collaborations aren’t normally something that I enjoy but when they work they are an absolute delight (see episode 1 of this series for more proof). This 1980s classic by two giants of the field is a fantastic depiction of a manned expedition to explore Halley’s Comet. Full of adventure and tragedy and wonderful science-y ideas, it’s a thumping good tale.

Episode 25: Illusion by Paula Volsky Illusion is a brilliant novel that tells a fantasy version of the French Revolution. It’s a delight to read despite covering fairly grim material and I absolutely love it.

Helene Hanff rose to international prominence with 84, Charing Cross Road, but she had been a writer all her life. This frequently hilarious memoir details how that writing life began…

James Bolivar diGriz is a career criminal in a universe that barely acknowledges his existence. He is also the hero of a series spanning 50 years of the life of Harry Harrison. Funny, smart and exciting, this is a set of adventures that I’ve enjoyed for most of my life.

Arthurian literature has fallen off my radar a little in recent years, pretty much because of real world issues influencing how I feel about it. Beloved Exile is, however, a genuinely superb novel about what happens after Arthur dies…

The story of Reyhnard, Prince turned itinerant labourer, is a wonderfully grim tale about the son of a brutally pragmatic king and how his life turns out. It’s a superb meditation on power and who deserves to hold on to it. Published when the author was only 24 it’s a much more polished novel than experienced writers can dream of and a wondrous experience to read. Find out more at Stuffianlikes.co...

Susan Townsend chronicled life in the late 20th/early 21st Centuries hilariously in the Adrian Mole books. Funny and touching, they are a wonderful look at how we all changed during that time.

We visit the very far future and a quite degenerate Earth in this month’s episode. We also look at what sort of choices are made when dividing up a long book into smaller chunks for publication.

The Rocketeer started life as a serialised comic before become a bestselling graphic novel before becoming a fun movie. There have been other incarnations of the story but these are the two I love the most. Find out why in this month’s episode.

Iain Banks’s fifth novel is one of my favourites by him, with or without the M. It’s a witty, clever and utterly charming story of a guy who decides to use music as a way of fitting in to his life and succeeds beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.

Stephen Baxter’s 1997 novel Titan is occasionally eerily prophetic, sometimes quite depressing, but always a great read. I love it for his incredible near-misses on what the future looked,like and for the amazing story it tells.

The Fey was one of the last multi-volume fantasy epics that I managed to successfully engage with until the conclusion. It’s also a wonderful fantasy soap opera that succeeds in ways that so many others fail. Like a lot of 90s fantasies it tries for a sense of realpolitik rather than inspiring awe and wonder, but it manages to invite you into its world nonetheless. And, violent and grim though it...

Spotswood is a 1991 movie starring Anthony Hopkins, Ben Mendelsohn, Tony Collette and Russell Crowe. It’s a charming, clever, touching film about helping other people.

I only read it for the first time in 2021 but it’s been one of my favourite stories for many more years than that due to an excellent BBC adaptation that I had on video… although without the title sequence. Some notes… Saturday Night Clive was a magazine-style show hosted by Clive James… Tom Chabon was in the excellent Blakes 7 episode Countdown, where he played the brother of Avon’s dead girlfrie...

This quartet of fantasy novels appeared during the 1980s and has been begging for a sequel ever since. It’s witty and gripping, making it a perfect piece of entertainment for me. You’ll also have to excuse my voice in this episode as I was grappling with a dose of flu making me sound like The Hoarse Lord #sorrynotsorry

Nancy Springer and R. A. MacAvoy are names that aren’t spoken about these days as much as I wish they were. They produced many wonderful books and I take a look at two of them here.

Michael’s Shea’s 1982 World Fantasy Award-winning novel is an absolute gem. It’s funny, grim, scary and horrific - frequently all in the same sentence. It’s a brilliant look at eldritch horrors existing side-by-side in a richly-painted fantasy world.

Anne McCaffrey’s beloved SF series falls under our gaze this episode. If you haven’t experienced it, it’s a pretty fun set of books with an interesting premise. CW: there’s a little bit of talk about abusive relationships in this episode.

One of the groundbreaking classics of the 80s/90s boom in epic fantasy, this series is often overlooked when we talk about fantasy, although it’s good to see that it’s been getting some deserved recognition lately, now that the fuss over other, better-publicised series’ has begun to die down. I’m looking at what makes it so great and why it’s so special to me.

Fahrenheit 451 is a novel that has never not been relevant. Let’s look at what it means and how the themes stay constant no matter how society changes. CW: self-harm

These are two favourite books of mine. They were both first published in the early 1950s and don’t feature much in the way of plot. But they are still brilliant and we look at why this might be so.

We’re taking a look at a couple of movies in this episode: 1987’s The Princess Bride and 1989’s The Tall Guy. More information at Stuffianlikes.com and on instagram and Twitter with @stuffianlikes Have fun storming the castle!