Tamed, by Alice Roberts: #BookReview.

On 19/05/2022 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Nature, Reading, Review2 Comments

368 pagesEvolutionary Psychology, Philosophy of Physics Subtitled ‘Ten Species the Changed Our World’, this book is a tremendous work of scholarship, intelligence, insight, and sheer common sense. Professor Roberts, the history and science buff often seen leading BBC TV documentaries, has pressed into service all her wide knowledge into describing how ten of the crops …

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Futuristic Fiction: #Research for #Writers, Part 16, Climate.

On 10/03/202112/03/2021 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Nature, politics, question16 Comments

The introduction to this series is here. This post looks at Climate. For most writers of future fiction, this is a no-brainer. We’ve made ourselves familiar with the science, understand the realities, know the world is utterly unprepared to deal with what is now correctly termed a ‘climate emergency’. We know governments, Big Business, led …

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Our Future Earth, by Curt Stager: #BookReview.

On 30/12/2020 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Nature, opinion, Reading, Review11 Comments

320 pagesGlobal Warming and Ecology/Ecological Pollution/Higher Education in Geography. Subtitled, The Next 100,000 Years of Life on the Planet, this book takes the view of that future as seen through the eyes of a paleoecologist, a term so new it doesn’t even appear in my edition of my usual go-to dictionary, the SOED. It describes …

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The Blind Watchmaker, by Richard Dawkins: #BookReview.

On 30/09/2020 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Nature, opinion, Reading, Review3 Comments

340 pagesBiological Evolution/Biology/Higher Education of Biological Sciences I came late to this seminal work, published 1986; a somewhat turbulent and formative period in my life. Wishing I’d read it at the time is pointless but nevertheless the case. It requires a special type of academic brilliance, combined with a good deal of experience, to tackle …

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What If?, by Randall Munroe: #BookReview.

On 14/01/2020 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Reading, Review2 Comments

304 pages Comic Strips/Physical Chemistry/Web Graphics and Animation Subtitled ‘Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions’, this book is as entertaining as it is informative. The author is at pains to inform readers that, although he has a degree in physics, he works as the owner/creator of a webcomic, XKCD, he also warns that he …

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Venus, by The Science Geek: #Book Review.

On 17/09/2019 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Reading, Review4 Comments

This short volume is packed full of facts about our nearest planetary neighbour. The author is a scientist who studied Maths and Astronomy at Warwick University and gained a PhD in Astronomy through Manchester University. He writes a popular science blog – http://www.thesciencegeek.org, recently renamed as http://www.explainingscience.org – which is well worth visiting for anyone …

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Fundamental #ClimateEmergency Action

On 16/05/2019 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, opinion, politics, question5 Comments

This post will raise many concerns, objections and even outrage in some readers. Be warned. Most of the world is now, at last, aware of the dangers we face from climate change. Some refuse to accept we, the human race, are the major contributor to the looming disaster. Some doubters, like Donald Trump, are in …

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Another 5 Star, Well, 5 Shrimp, Review!

On 17/10/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading, Review

It's always great to receive a positive review. This one is quite short, but says the things an author loves to hear. You can find the original here. # Ten Tales for Tomorrow Stuart Aken Rating: 5 Shrimps! Stuart Aken’s short story compendium Ten Tales for Tomorrow explores several possible futures. Speculative fiction often has …

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Futurology or Science Fiction?

On 03/10/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress, Review2 Comments

Is my fiction futurolgy or science fiction? Judge for yourself with a click here.

Progress, or a Pause?

On 12/09/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress, Review4 Comments

A break from the relentless imperative of the internet is calling. It refreshes the spirit and reclaims sanity. I’ve produced posts to fill the gaps while I’m away: scheduling is such a useful device! So, before I go I’m indulging in some unapologetic promotion of my books. The best people to comment on books are …

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Entangled Earth, by David Lea: #BookReview.

On 10/09/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading, Review

183 pps Science Fiction/Post Apocalyptic Many readers make it a point of pride to express their dislike of science fiction. These same people probably proudly state their love of historical, romantic, thriller, literary, sensual, spy, legal, or indeed any other type of fiction. So, why the dislike of a genre that offers so much? I …

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Launching the Latest #Book

On 05/09/201808/09/2018 By stuartakenIn Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

Return to Dust stood proudly racked with the other books my publisher, Fantastic Books Publishing was launching at Fantasticon 2018. I entered the big arena, the sports hall at Cleethorpes Leisure Centre, on Saturday morning before the public were given access. The whole place was an exciting hive of activity. But I get ahead of …

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The #Writing’s Done. What Now?

On 15/08/201817/08/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress3 Comments

I’ve spent the better part of three years on a project, writing a novel each year, and found the void at the end of that process strangely debilitating. So, what do I do know? Fantastic Books Publishing launched Blood Red Dust, book 1 of the Generation Mars series, on 18th October 2016. War Over Dust, …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 08/08/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress4 Comments

It’s done! It’s out! It’s available to buy (and review)! Right now! Okay, so an overindulgence in apostrophes. I’m excited. Delighted. Eager. The book is no longer a Work In Progress, so this is the last post in this series. There’ll be more on the book, of course: I’d like everyone to read it, after …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 25/07/201825/07/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

As there's still nothing new to report re the WIP, and therefore no true progress on the book, I thought I’d continue along the lines of last week’s post. This time, I’m looking at the content; in particular, the inclusion of sex and nudity in my work. So, if you’re at all prudish, narrowminded, easily …

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