I'm back, baby!

Mes Amis

Since you been gone... Woah-woah-woah-oh, Woah-woah-woah-oh! Ahem, anyway, yes I'm back, baby. I ain't getting kicked off the front page for no one. I have, of course, been very busy of late (see my adventures over at These Aye Mean Streets if you need an explanation) and so feel like I've left Becs to play alone. But no more.

The Good Book... Have I ever mentioned how much I love Philip K Dick? I mean, not literally, but the man was a God to me when I first discovered proper growed-up type fiction. His SF was weird, wonderful and more mature in its dealings with humanity than much of the pap that followed it. And then there are the mainstream novels... They were all rejected one day in the sixties, slamming through his postbox with a note attached saying how no one wanted them. Dick's dreams of being taken seriously were crushed. Only one (the amazing Confessions of a Crap Artist) was published during his lifetime, but they are still vibrant, beautiful works. Like the one I just read: In Milton Lumky Territory. Don't you just wanna read a book with a title like that? Despite the strangeness of the title, the book is a 1960's love story in its own twisted way. Bruce, a sales rep, meets the woman of his dreams and promptly marries her. Trouble is, she's ten years older than he was and was his high school teacher. As their odd relationship plays out, we explore Dick's constant fascinations with mental health, the true meaning of communication between beings and empathy. It sounds heavy stuff, and some of it is, but Dick has a great narrative voice and his characters are so fragile that you can't help but love them. The Milton Lumky of the title, by the way, is a newspaper salesman who may just understand more about the lovers than they could ever understand themselves.

Its Russel's literary pick of the month. In fact, any book by PKD (With the possible exception of the Zap Gun) would be Russel's literary pick of the month.

Speaking of Literary... Gonzo's gone, baby, Gonzo's really gone.

Anyway, mes amis, I shall return soon

Till then

Au revoir

Russel