Have you been reading anything good recently??

I’ve been doing a lot of writing recently and so I have not been able to read as much as I would like. I’m making some more time!

Is there anything outstanding that you’ve found to read??

This is what I’ve been reading recently:

263.The BackpackerJohn Harris
264. Sleeping BeautiesStephen and Owen king
265. The Dying AnimalPhilip Roth
266. My Childhood as I remember itTess Tackett
267. The TestamentsMargaret Atwood
268. the unlikely adventures of the Shergill sistersBalli Kaur Jaswal
269. Clara and the SunKasuo Ishiguro
270. Swann’s Way – In Search of Lost TimeMarcel Proust
271. ArchangelRobert Harris
272. I wanna be YoursJohn Cooper Clarke
273. Lunar NotesZoot Horn Roll
274. Speaks volumesJeremy Hardy
275. The Music of Captain BeefheartChris Wade
276. Billy SummersStephen King
277. First Person SingularHaruki Murakami
288. Captain BeefheartMike Barnes
289. Lost in a good bookJasper Fforde
290. I married a communistPhilip Roth
291. The Well of Lost PlotsJasper Fforde
293. Something RottenJasper Fforde

A mixture of light and dark..

Quantum Fever

Quantum Fever

The System is made up of thousands of planets housing trillions of people in tiny doms arranged in tiers.

The Consortium are a group of wealthy capitalists who live above the metropolis in floating mansions. The name of the game is expansion and profit.

The Quships cross quantum space in search of planets to either colonise or plunder for resources in order to maintain the system.

Quantum Fever is a disease that affects people who jump the weird reaches of quantum space.

Was Tahsin Roeg suffering from Quantum Fever or were the Consortium seeking to control her?

What of the alien planet she discovers?

Were the Primitives going to achieve their dream?

Extract

Chapter 1

I hate every minute of being in such an elite club. I play the game and I know I do it well but it really is not me. Inside I am still Tahsin Roeg, the ordinary girl from the deeper beltways of Haven.

Having this rare ability has been my ticket out of the lower tiers. At first, I revelled in it. Who would not feel good about being able to do something that so few other people could do? For someone like me, now in my middle age, short, rather dumpy and plain looking and possessing a phobia about Nano surgical recontouring, it surely proved a lifeline for my ego.

Who would not feel great about being made to feel so special, or having the potential to be elevated into such a high position in society? That skill provided me with a status that was otherwise unattainable.

My rare ability transformed the future for my entire family and gave me a pass to a life, that as an otherwise rather average girl, I could only have imagined – attaining that place in the sky we all dream of.

The skill made me wealthy and famous, but it had not made me happy and now I was finding that it was not at all fulfilling either.

Disillusionment leaves a rancid taste.

I began to see it for what it was – emptiness – sheer emptiness – all sham, all front.

We thought we were part of their club but we really were not. All we Quship Skippers were being used. We were expendable. They, ‘The Consortium’, exploited our talent, paid us handsomely but would discard us as soon as we were of no further use to them. We moved in their world but we were not part of it.

Worse than that – they thought they possessed the right to control us.

There was an epiphany when I woke up to what the Consortium was really doing. For some reason I had shut my mind to it. Now my eyes were opened. I could clearly see what game they were playing. It was so obvious.

No matter how much I tried to kid myself that I was doing a good job and bringing back the resources that everyone needed, I knew I was really working for a bunch of crooks who I did not think were very nice. They certainly were not doing it for the people – that was for sure. The whole business made me feel used and grubby. Somehow, despite all my best intentions, I had lost contact with the friends I used to have in the lower tiers. Looking back now I can see that the moment I left to start the intensive training was when I subconsciously broke away from my roots. I severed that umbilicus. It was something I was now regretting. I was starting to wonder what had become of my friends. We had shared so much. They must have felt abandoned, betrayed.

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Opher Goodwin – My books and writing

Opher Goodwin – My books and writing

My writing career began in 1971 with over 70 books produced so far.

Because I have largely been an indie writer I have not had any constraints and so my writing covers a lot of different genres. I write what I like and how I feel. I write for fun without regard to markets or marketing.

My favourite two genres are Rock Music and Science Fiction (I also write wacky fiction, biographical tomes, and books about the environment, antitheism and art as well as anecdotes and reams of what I loosely call poetry).

My books have been published with Oxford University Press and I currently have a publishing contract with Sonicbond publishing.

Presently I am editing my book on Captain Beefheart which is due to be published this summer.

My Science Fiction is under the name of Ron Forsythe. A blog of my Sci-fi books can be viewed here: Ron Forsythe – Science Fiction Author (wordpress.com)

Below is a brief introduction to a selection of my work:

TitleIntroductionLink
Roy Harper: Every Album, Every Song (On Track)Roy Harper must be one of Britain s most undervalued rock musicians and songwriters. For over fifty years he has produced a series of innovative albums of consistently outstanding quality. He puts poetry and social commentary to music in a way that extends the boundaries of rock music. His 22 studio albums 16 live albums, made up of 250 songs, have created a unique body of work. Roy is a musician s musician. He is lauded by the likes of Dave Gilmour, Ian Anderson, Jimmy Page, Pete Townsend, Joanna Newsom, Fleet Foxes and Kate Bush. Who else could boast that he has had Keith Moon, Jimmy Page, Dave Gilmour, John Paul Jones, Ronnie Lane, Chris Spedding, Bill Bruford and Steve Broughton in his backing band? Notable albums include Stormcock, HQ and Bullinamingvase. Opher Goodwin, Roy s friend and a fan, guides the reader through every album and song, providing insight into the recording of the songs as well the times in which they were recorded. As his loyal and often fanatical fans will attest, Roy has produced a series of epic songs and he remains a raging, uncompromising individual.Roy Harper: Every Album, Every Song (On Track): Amazon.co.uk: Opher Goodwin: 9781789521306: Books
Nick Harper – The Wilderness YearsI first met Nick when he was a young child and over the years he has become a close friend. This book illuminates the genius that I feel is Nick Harper and is designed to accompany ‘The Wilderness Years’, a trilogy of vinyl albums. Nick talks candidly about many aspects of his music and career. I include, with Nick’s permission, the lyrics of all the songs featured in the trilogy. There are also many photos dating from his childhood to the present day.Nick Harper: The Wilderness Years: Amazon.co.uk: Goodwin, Opher: 9781678850661: Books
In Search Of Captain BeefheartThe sixties raged. I was young, crazy, full of hormones and wanting to snatch life by the balls. There was a life out there for the grabbing and it had to be wrestled into submission. There was a society full of boring amoral crap and a life to be had in the face of the boring, comforting vision of slow death on offer. Rock music vented all that passion. This book is a memoir of a life spent immersed in Rock Music. I was born in 1949 and so lived through the whole gamut of Rock. Rock music formed the background to momentous world events – the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War, Iraq war, Watergate, the miners’ strike and Thatcher years, CND, the Green Movement, Mao and the Cultural Revolution, Women’s Liberation and the Cold War. I see this as the Rock Era. I was immersed in Rock music. It was fused into my personality. It informed me, transformed me and inspired me. My heroes were musicians. I am who I am because of them. Without Rock Music I would not have the same sensibilities, optimism or ideals. They woke me up! This tells that story.In Search of Captain Beefheart: Amazon.co.uk: Goodwin, Opher: 9781502820457: Books
God’s BoltHelen Southcote is looking for a purpose to life through her Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence work on the United Nations Space Station when she watches the Earth destroyed by an asteroid. What can she do next?God’s Bolt: Amazon.co.uk: Forsythe, Ron: 9781092713597: Books
The Pornography WarsThe Pornography Wars takes political satire and social comment (with a liberal dash of humour) into a new dimension.
Sex is the essence of everything.
Is human history contrived by aliens?
Are we in a film set for an alien pornographic soap opera?
Is all human culture nothing more than an alien psych-master’s program?
What happens when the aliens argue over the future of pornography on their tridee sets?
What is going to happen to the future of human beings?
The Pornography Wars: Amazon.co.uk: Forsythe, Ron: 9798511727530: Books
ConexionIn the future it is still all about power. General Secretary Rheen holds the reins but does he hold the power? What about the shadowy Consortium who supply the money to get him elected? The separatists who are prepared to use violence? The Unification Movement who would bring the opposition together? Or the people who democratically vote? What of the stranded Starship? And what of the new drug Conexion that opens genetic memories to unlock an unexpected past? The new Gaia religion? Or the three massive spherical objects heading for earth? How will it all come to a conclusion 

Thanks for looking!!  Thank you for all your likes, purchases and especially those fabulous comments and reviews!

You give me energy!!

PS.

The books are available through your local amazon. If you contact me I can provide you with a signed copy!

Poetry – A repository

A repository

Containing all our wisdom,

The full gamut of emotion,

Every tale we’ve told,

Love, hate and intrigue,

Why not take a look?

It can make you laugh

It can make you cry

Or simply stop and wonder why.

It catches you with its hook.

All of life, all of death,

Every thought and dream,

Knowledge and act

Captured within a book.

Opher – 21.10.2019

Those who do not read live only one life but for those of us who do we live thousands.

Imagination is released. The mind is freed. We experience emotions of people we have come to know but have never met. Our empathy soars.

We travel to the future, the past and places we could never go.

Without books we languish in poverty. Our minds are stunted. Our lives are without colour.

I pity those who do not read. Their lives are pale shadows.

I have all of humanity at my fingertips.

My Science Fiction Novels Under the name of Ron Forsythe

I put out my best Sci-fi under the name Ron Forsythe.

I would love it is you were to check out my Blog and website!

All comments are welcome!

Your Site ‹ Ron Forsythe — WordPress.com

Perhaps you would like to check out my books and purchase one or two?

This is my UK Amazon site.

Amazon.co.uk : Ron Forsythe

Thank you for leaving likes and comments and thank you for your reviews!

Conversations with the dead

Conversations with the dead

Today I was looking at my rows of shelves

Where I still have conversations with the dead.

Yesterday I was sharing a joke with Vonnegut and laughing silly,

Having sex in the woodshed with Lawrence,

Getting high with Kerouac in a Mexican Brothel

And shooting at fascists with Hemingway.

I speak to them through the years

And they communicate with me.

Their immortality speaks volumes.

Their words never die.

Their thoughts and dreams are precious.

Today I was looking at the rows of lives that line my mind and rooms,

That shared their imaginations with me,

Who advise me still, inspire and enthrall.

My life would be so much the paler without their words in my head.

I learn so much, am so moved, by my conversations with the dead.

Opher 27.4.2018

A stacked bookshelf is a sign of intelligent life. I do not know where I’d be without reading. Certainly my life would be impoverished.

That bookshelf contains a million lives, millions of experiences, thoughts, people and friends. I find out how they think and feel and share a segment of their lives and they enrich mine.

There is something archaically wonderful about books. Telling stories is one of the oldest traditions of human beings. It is hardwired into our hearts. Those authors may be no longer with us but their genius still rings true. They converse with us from the grave. Their spirit will always live.

The books I have read recently

I started keeping a record of the books I have been reading. I like a range. Some I read for light entertainment and some for deeper enjoyment and insight.

Reading is one of the greatest delights for. The whole of humankinds imagination and knowledge, insight and drama is available to experience.

A person who reads lives a thousand lives.

So true.

The only thing that surpasses the enjoyment of reading is writing.

245. Consider PhlebasIain M Banks
246. The Player of GamesIain M Banks
247. BecomingMichelle Obama
248. CockroachIan McEwan
249. Ham and RyeBukowski
250. Woody Guthrie’s Modern World BluesWill Kaufman
251. First Men Last MenOlaf Stapledon
252. Brief answers to the Big questionsStephen Hawking
253. If it BleedsStephen King
254. HumankindRutger Bregman
255.the boyNikki Mountain
256. Fairport Convention on track – every album every songKevan Furbank
257. Machines like meIan McEwan
258. Jackson C Frank – the clear hard light of GeniusJim Abbott
259. A life on our planetDavid Attenborough
260. The InstituteStephen King
261. 21 Lessons for the 21st CenturyYuval Noah Harari
262.The Carpet PeopleTerry Pratchett
263.The BackpackerJohn Harris
264. Sleeping BeautiesStephen and Owen king
265. The Dying AnimalPhilip Roth
266. My Childhood as I remember itTess Tackett
267. The TestamentsMargaret Atwood
268. the unlikely adventures of the shergill sistersBalli Kaur Jaswal

Roy Harper books available soon. Photos required!

You wait for fifty-five years for one and then two come along at the same time!

I’ve finally completed my two books on Roy Harper.

A songwriter and performer of his stature should have a number of books about him. He deserves to be lauded and cherished for the brilliant work he has consistently produced in the course of a fifty-five-year career.

It’s a travesty that I aim to put right.

The first of my books are already up on Amazon for preorder. It is due to be released on June 22nd.

The things I need to complete the two books are photos – particularly of his early years. If anybody has any copyright-free photos they would like to donate to a worthy cause then please send them through.

My email is Opher@hotmail.co.uk.I will obviously give credit in the books to the photographers concerned.

Thanks for your help!

The Books I have been reading recently

I’ve always got a few books on the go at any time. I like to have variety. I read for enjoyment and mental stimulation.

This is what I have been reading recently. What have you all found enjoyable?

228. A Week in DecemberSebastian Faulks
229. Bowie & HutchJohn ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson
230. The girl who takes an eye for an eyeDavid Lagercrantz
231. The Country’s favourite comic poemsCompendium
232.The three dimensions of freedomBilly Bragg
233. ConclaveRobert Harris
234. Imperial AmbitionsNoam Chomsky
235. Men without WomenHaruki Murakami
236. Killing CommentadoreHaruki Murakami
237. From the insideNick Mason
238. Levels of lifeJulian Barnes
239. The Fear IndexRobert Harris
240. My Purple Scented NovelIan McEwan
241. An Officer and the SpyRobert Harris
242. NutshellIan McEwan
243. The Human StainSebastian Faulks
244. Pigs Might Fly (Pink Floyd)Mark Blake
245. Consider PhlebasIain M Banks
246. The Game Player of TitanIain M Banks
247. BecomingMichelle Obama
248. CockroachIan McEwan
249. Ham and RyeBukowski
250. Woody Guthrie’s Modern World BluesWill Kaufman
251. First Men Last MenOlaf Stapledon
252. Brief answers to the Big questionsStephen Hawking
253. If it BleedsStephen King
254. HumankindRutger Bregman
255.the boyNikki Mountain
256. Fairport Convention on track – every album every songKevan Furbank
257. Machines like meIan McEwan
258. Jackson C Frank – the clear hard light of GeniusJim Abbott
259. A life on our planetDavid Attenborough
260. The InstituteStephen King
261. 21 Lessons for the 21st CenturyYuval Noah Harari
262.The carpet peopleTerry Pratchett
263.The BackpackerJohn Harris