Write Out Loud (Reviews and Writing)

Welcome to our fourth outing for this podcast! Today, Nick and I discuss two very different books –

The first is a well-known classic in the sci-fi world: Solaris by Stanislaw Lem. Nick argues that the influence of this book goes far beyond the reach of nerdy sci-fi readers and has influenced culture much more than you might expect.

The second is an indie-published book that I’ve reviewed before and has a most wonderful title: The Spittle of Zimolax by Kirk Parsons.

Along the way, we discuss the nature and importance of science fiction and urge listeners not to dismiss the gems you can find in the indie-published world.

Apologies in advance for the odd glitch or two!

Some of the books mentioned in the review are:

• Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
• The Spittle of Zimolax by Kirk Parsons (you can ready my review of this book here)
• The Consul from Tunis by Nicholas Foster (you can read my review of the original version of this book here)
• The Judas Case by Nicholas Graham

Nicholas Graham is the author of historical detective fiction ‘The Judas Case’ which won a Northern Writers Awards New Fiction Bursary, and is currently working on its sequel, ‘Solomon’s Vineyard’. He was a member of the Sidney Sussex College Cambridge team that won BBC2’s University Challenge – Reunited series. He lives with his partner in a remote coastal village close to a decommissioned nuclear power station, a location he regards as being at the heart of the realities of the age. Follow him on Twitter @ThatNickGraham and via www.thejudascase.com.

Social Entrepreneur, educationalist, bestselling author and journalist, D K Powell is the author of the bestselling collection of literary short stories “The Old Man on the Beach“. His first book, ‘Sonali’ is a photo-memoir journal of life in Bangladesh and has been highly praised by the Bangladeshi diaspora worldwide. Students learning the Bengali language have also valued the English/Bengali translations on every page. His third book is ‘Try not to Laugh’ and is a guide to memorising, revising and passing exams for students.

Both ‘The Old Man on the Beach’ and ‘Sonali’ are available on Amazon for kindle and paperback. Published by Shopno Sriti Media. The novel,’The Pukur’, was published by Histria Books in 2022.

D K Powell is available to speak at events (see his TEDx talk here) and can be contacted at dkpowell.contact@gmail.com. Alternatively, he is available for one-to-one mentoring and runs a course on the psychology of writing. Listen to his life story in interview with the BBC here.

Ken writes for a number of publications around the world. Past reviewer for Paste magazine, The Doughnut, E2D and United Airways and Lancashire Life magazine. Currently reviews for Northern Arts Review. His reviews have been read more than 7.9 million times.

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