Few days late, these, but the accessions department is running at reduced capacity due to annual leave.

Doom Patrol because I’ve known of it for years, but never read it. New Nina Allan because new Nina Allan. The Rankin-Gee because I read the blurb and was reminded almost instantly of half a dozen unfinished stories from the imagined future Portsmouth that gave its name to this blog, and I guess I needed to see how a contemporary author is treating the drowned city trope, as it’s still an image I’m drawn to as reader and writer alike.

And the Ada Palmer because yes ok I think it’s time to concede that there’s very obviously something about these books that is catnippy to me yes and well maybe things will be written about those things, but vaguely threatening to commit Content on a sporadic if venerable blog is a cliche both universal and specific and let’s not imagine this is in any way a commitment to anything other than—

BANG

Ahem. Yes. Meanwhile Being Human during Covid-19 (out now from BUP!) is another contributor copy which, courtesy Swedish import taxes (and the handling fees for such, which are frequently the greater part of the total) cost me not far off its cover price to collect… ah, well. The trophy shelf demands its sacrifices.

It’s Friday, the sun is out, and Leftfield’s Leftism still sounds head and shoulders beyond not just other records of its time, but also almost everything released in the same generic niche in the years since.

Hello.