'Dan is definitely the Man'

These days I am a terrible reader. I read books sporadically and in really small pieces. Its not that I don't enjoy it, I just never make the time and when I do I'm usually tired.

With this in mind you'll probably think that I should stick to novellas or short stories, but unfortunately, I have a prediliction for vast, sweeping, Wagner-esque, sci-fi fantasy space operas.

A few years back I raced through all of Iain M. Banks' work and wasn't sure if anything else could live up to it. Then about 2 years agoI found myself taking a lot of long train journeys, mainly from Glasgow to Elgin, and the necessity for something new to read was large.

So I did the only thing I could, and I judged a book by its cover. I think 'Illium' grabbed me because the cover was so simple, just a Trojan helmet illuminated by bright sunlight. And everything else fitted as well, it was a vast sprawling epic but it wasn't Iain M. Banks.

This book read fairly quickly and I was mightily impressed by the way Dan Simmons managed to weave Homer's Iliad, Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' and Marcel Proust into a fairly hardcore sci-fi novel. I also learnt a lot about the Trojan wars and Ancient Greek history into the bargain. The end just left me wanting more.

Unfortunately when 'Olympus' the sequel was released in june 2005 I had bought a car. Driving up the A9 is close enough to suicide, so I desisted from reading as well. This only left me about 5-10mins every night before my eyes clamped shut. Which is why i have only just finished it, almost a year later.

Of course, I didn't make life easier by also reading his 'Hyperion' dualogy and starting Peter F. Hamilton's 'Night's Dawn' trilogy. None of which fall below 1500 pages and can be considered a bit more challenging than Dan Brown.

It was all worthwhile.................(?)

Only another 3000 pages of Peter F. Hamilton to go which at 2 minutes per page = 100 hours.

100 hours in 7 minute bursts per day equals.................

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!