Library
Tom Phippen
Collection Total:
2065 Items
Last Updated:
Apr 19, 2014
Quicksilver
Neal Stephenson Quicksilver is a massive, exuberant and wildly ambitious historical novel that's also Neal Stephenson's eagerly awaited prequel to Cryptonomicon—his pyrotechnic reworking of the 20th century, from World War II codebreaking and disinformation to the latest issues of Internet data privacy.

Quicksilver, "Volume One of the Baroque Cycle", backtracks to another time of high intellectual ferment: the late 17th century, with the natural philosophers of England's newly formed Royal Society questioning the universe and dissecting everything that moves. One founding member, the Rev John Wilkins, really did write science fiction and a book on cryptography—but this isn't history as we know it, for here his code book is called not Mercury but Cryptonomicon. And although the key political schemers of Charles II's government still have initials spelling the word CABAL, their names are all different...

While towering geniuses like Newton and Leibniz decode nature itself, bizarre adventures (merely beginning with the Great Plague and Great Fire) happen to the fictional Royal Society member Daniel Waterhouse, who knows everyone but isn't quite bright enough for cutting-edge science. Two generations of Daniel's family appear in Cryptonomicon, as does a descendant of the Shaftoes who here are soldiers and vagabonds. Other links include the island realm of Qwghlm with its impossible language and the mysterious, seemingly ageless alchemist Enoch Root.

As the reign of Charles II gives way to that of James II and then William of Orange, Stephenson traces the complex lines of finance and power that form the 17th-century Internet. Gold and silver, lead and (repeatedly) mercury or quicksilver flow in glittering patterns between centres of marketing and intrigue in England, Germany, France and Holland. Paper flows as well: stocks, shares, scams and letters holding layers of concealed code messages. Binary code? Yes, even that had already been invented and described by Francis Bacon.

Quicksilver is crammed with unexpected incidents, fascinating digressions and deep-laid plots. Who'd believe that Eliza, a Qwghlmian slave girl liberated from a Turkish harem by mad Jack Shaftoe (King of the Vagabonds) could become a major player in European finance and politics? Still less believable, but all too historically authentic, are the appalling medical procedures of the time—about which we learn a lot. There are frequent passages of high comedy, like the lengthy description of a foppish earl's costume which memorably explains that someone seemed to have been painted in glue before "shaking and rolling him in a bin containing thousands of black silk doilies".

This is a huge, exhausting read, full of rewards and quirky insights that no other author could have created. Fantastic or farcical episodes sometimes clash strangely with the deep cruelty and suffering of 17th-century realism. Recommended, though not to the faint-hearted. —David Langford
Ape and Essence
Aldous Huxley
Interface
Neal Stephenson, Frederick George
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Mary Wollstonecraft
The Big U
Neal Stephenson
Conspiracy of Paper
David Liss
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak was the best-selling debut literary novel of the year 2007, selling over 400,000 copies. The author is a prize-winning writer of children's books, and this, his first novel for adults, proved to be a triumphant success. The book is extraordinary on many levels: moving, yet restrained, angry yet balanced — and written with the kind of elegance found all too rarely in fiction these days. The book's narrator is nothing less than Death itself, regaling us with a remarkable tale of book burnings, treachery and theft. The book never forgets the primary purpose of compelling the reader's attention, yet which nevertheless is able to impart a cogent message about the importance of words, particularly in those societies which regard the word as dangerous (the book is set during the Nazi regime, but this message is all too relevant in many places in the world today).

Nine-year-old Liesel lives with her foster family on Himmel Street during the dark days of the Third Reich. Her Communist parents have been transported to a concentration camp, and during the funeral for her brother, she manages to steal a macabre book: it is, in fact, a gravediggers’ instruction manual. This is the first of many books which will pass through her hands as the carnage of the Second World War begins to hungrily claim lives. Both Liesel and her fellow inhabitants of Himmel Street will find themselves changed by both words on the printed page and the horrendous events happening around them.

Despite its grim narrator, The Book Thief is, in fact, a life-affirming book, celebrating the power of words and their ability to provide sustenance to the soul. Interestingly, the Second World War setting of the novel does not limit its relevance: in the 20th century, totalitarian censorship throughout the world is as keen as ever at suppressing books (notably in countries where the suppression of human beings is also par for the course) and that other assault on words represented by the increasing dumbing-down of Western society as cheap celebrity replaces the appeal of books for many people, ensures that the message of Marcus Zusak’s book could not be more timely. It is, in fact, required reading — or should be in any civilised country. —Barry Forshaw
Death of the Scharnhorst
John Winton
The White Rabbit: The Secret Agent the Gestapo Could Not Crack
Bruce Marshall The White Rabbit’ was the code name of Wing Commander F.F.E. Yeo-Thomas when he parachuted into France in 1942 as a member of the Special Operations Executive with the Resistance. For the next eighteen months he was responsible for organising all the separate factions of the French Resistance into one combined ‘secret army’. On three separate missions into occupied France he met with the heads of Resistance movements all over the country, and he spoke personally with Winston Churchill in order to ensure they were properly supplied. His capture by the Gestapo in March 1944 was therefore a terrible blow for the Resistance movement. For months he was submitted to the most horrific torture in an attempt to get him to spill his unparalleled knowledge of the Resistance, but he refused to crack. Finally he was sentenced to death, and sent to Buchenwald, one of the most infamous German concentration camps. The story of his endurance, and survival, is an inspiring study in the triumph of the human spirit over the most terrible adversity
Futurama - Into The Wild Green Yonder [DVD] [2008]
David X. Cohen The last of the four commission direct-to-DVD spin-off movies for Futurama, Into The Wild Green Yonder fortunately leaves us salivating for more. Will we get them? Possibly, but for now, it’s perhaps wiser to deal with what we’ve got.

Into The Wild Green Yonder continues the environmental theme that has underpinned many of the specials, with the plan this time surrounding Amy’s dad, Leo Wong, and his desire to sweep away part of the galaxy so that he can build a golf course (the biggest of its type in the universe, naturally). As this plan unfolds, Fry manages to pick up some mind-reading abilities and Bender embarks on an affair, amongst other events. And while Into The Wild Green Yonder does focus tightly on a handful of characters, leaving some of the others a little short-changed, the star attractions here all get plenty of time.

And that’s been one of the strengths of these DVD spin-offs. Running to the best part of 90 minutes, they’ve taken their time to set things up, and made the most of the extended running time. Into The Wild Green Yonder is no different, and really benefits—albeit at the cost of one or two slower moments—from having a bit more space. The end result is a very funny, enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes, and one of the best of the spin-off movies, too. Here’s hoping though that for Futurama, this isn’t actually the end… —Jon Foster
Brief Candles.
Aldous Huxley
Fallen Dragon
Peter F. Hamilton The acclaimed Peter Hamilton's standalone SF adventure Fallen Dragon sees him taking a breather after the immense, galaxy-spanning Night's Dawn trilogy, with a tauter story of future skirmishing in a mere few solar systems.

Centuries hence, despite faster-than-light travel, human interstellar exploration is stagnating. There's not enough money in it for the vast controlling companies such as Zantiu-Braun, now reduced to extracting profits via "asset realisation"—plundering established colonies that can't withstand Earth's superior weapons tech.

Lawrence Newton's childhood dreams were all about space exploration. Now he's just another Z-B squaddie, trained to use the feared, half-alive "Skin" combat biosuits, which offer super-muscles, armour and massive firepower, all queasily hooked into the wearer's bloodstream and nervous system. Commanding a platoon in Z-B's raid on planet Thallspring, Lawrence has secret plans to make off with a rumoured alien treasure.

But Thallspring resistance is unexpectedly tough, thanks to locals such as Denise Ebourn who have mysterious access to neuro-electronic subversion gear far subtler and perhaps more dangerous than Skin. Meanwhile, how fictional are the stories Denise tells her school pupils, about a fabled Empire that ruled our galaxy for a million years before becoming... something else?

Hamilton excels at violent action, but not with the dreadful simplicity of space opera. Despite his role in the explosive Thallspring situation, Lawrence genuinely hopes to avoid bloodshed—while Denise's lofty idealism results in chilling atrocities, and even Z-B may be less cruel and monolithic than it seems.

A breakneck interstellar chase leads to a satisfying finale and an unexpected romantic twist. This is solid, meaty SF entertainment. —David Langford
Generation Kill - Complete HBO Series [DVD] [2008]
Alexander Skarsgård, James Ransone Generation Kill is a miniseries, based on the book by Evan Wright, that’s initial key selling point is a very, very compelling one. The very fact that it’s the latest project from the creators of The Wire, quite possibly the best American television series of the past decade or so, should alone be enough for people to sit up and take notice. Fortunately, the show itself has plenty of merits of its own to stand up on its own two feet.

Generation Kill, spread over seven episodes, follows the opening 40 days of the Iraq war, as viewed through the eyes of Marines’ First Recon Batallion. From there, the show pans out to give a snapshot of the horrors, dramas and sheer brutality of war. It does it though with genuinely three-dimensional characters, who have frailties, moments of humour, friendships and backgrounds. And the show allows space to genuine explore these, much to its credit.

Much like The Wire, Generation Kill doesn’t concern itself with cliffhangers, big action sequences or gimmicks. This is solid, grown-up drama, that treats its viewers as adults and is all the better for it. Granted, it’s not going to be to some tastes, and there are periods of inactivity that may test the patience of some viewers, but this is just the kind of television that people tend to complain that companies don’t make enough of. Well, they just have, and Generation Kill very much deserves success as a result. —Jon Foster
Earth Vs. Everybody
John Swartzwelder One of a series of comedy science fiction novels featuring slow-witted detective Frank Burly. By John Swartzwelder, the writer of 59 episodes of The Simpsons.
The Iron Heel
Jack London
Shakespeare Wrote for Money
Nick Hornby
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance-now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!
Jane Austen, Seth Grahame-Smith
Modern Classics The Death Of Grass
John Christopher
Playing Hard Ball: County Cricket and Big League Baseball
E.T. Smith
The Terror
Dan Simmons
Dead Set [DVD] [2008]
Jaime Winstone, Andy Nyman, Chris Wyatt, Yann Demange Starring Jaime Winstone (Donkey Punch, Kidulthood), Dead Set is E4's new horror series in which the dead are returning to life and attacking the living. Curiously there are a few people left in Britain who aren't worried about any of this - that's because they're the remaining contestants in Big Brother. Cocooned in the safety of the Big Brother house, they're blissfully unaware of the horrific events unfolding in the outside world. Until an eviction night when all hell breaks loose. Kelly (Winstone), a production runner working on a fictional series of Big Brother, finds herself trying to fend off the walking dead alongside her producer boss Patrick (Andy Nyman, Severance), boyfriend Riq (Riz Ahmed, Britz) and the remaining Big Brother housemates. Featuring cameos from Davina McCall and several former housemates, this is a cruel and twisted take on one of TV's biggest game shows. Dead Set was created and written by Charlie Brooker (Nathan Barley co-creator and Guardian writer).
Monty Python's Flying Circus - The Complete Boxset [DVD] [1969]
Monty Python's Flying Circus, Graham Chapman, John Cleese
What Sport Tells Us About Life
Ed Smith
What Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character
Richard P Feynman
Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
Rivers Cuomo Rivers Cuomo, Weezer's front-man & song-writer, released some of his home recordings earlier in 2008. The release was so successful that he has decided to release even more. Includes demo tracks written from 1992-2007, a cover of the Beach Boys' song "Don't Worry Baby", & the three song mini suite from the highly sought after "Songs from the Black Hole". Great addition to any Weezer fan's collection.
The Resistance
Muse Following seven years of near solid touring, Muse escalated from being the biggest band in Teignmouth in 1997 to one of the biggest bands in Europe by 2004. With each successive album, they pushed the musical envelope with a fusion of progressive rock, electronica, and Radiohead-influenced experimentation, creating an emotive, passionate sound. Muse's reputation as one of the best live rock bands in the world is well deserved with their exhilirating live performances drewing critical acclaim, industry buzz, and a loyal and rabid fan base.
Greatest Show on Earth
Richard Dawkins
Retribution
Shadows Fall
Juliet, Naked
Nick Hornby
Generation Kill
Evan Wright
Hoggy: Welcome to My World: The Peculiar World of Matthew Hoggard
Matthew Hoggard
Pavilion to Crease... and Back
Mark Wagh
Wii Sports Resort (Wii) with Wii MotionPlus Accessory
Nintendo Wii Sports Resort is a new collection of fun sports games that anyone can pick up and play.

This sequel to the popular Wii Sports makes use of the Wii Motion Plus accessory, which gives players the most responsive and realistic experience possible. The Wii Motion Plus accessory, which is included with Wii Sports Resort, plugs into the base of the Wii Remote controller and, combined with the accelerometer and sensor bar, provides an experience that gives players an even greater sense of immersion.

Just as with Wii Sports, people will love competing against friends and family. As the competition heats up, Wii Sports Resort is as much fun to watch as it is to play. First-time players will find it easy to pick up a Wii Remote and jump into the action.

Wii Sports Resort takes place on the tropical island of Wuhu. This great new game will whisk players away to a resort thats full of action, offering more than 12 sports to participate in from, Archery to Frisbee, basketball, cycling, canoeing, Power Cruising, Table Tennis, Air Sports, Swordplay, Bowling, Golf and wakeboarding.

Wii Sports Resort takes the inclusive fun and intuitive controls of the original Wii Sports to the next level, offering a beach resort environment and many more sports to get to grips all using Wii MotionPlus. Wii Sports resort is easy to pick up and play, but comes coupled with deeper levels of play that are sure to challenge even the most experienced gamer.

The inclusion of Wii motion plus in this game will guarantee, that veteran Wii users and newcomers alike can enjoy unprecedented gaming precision as they cruise on a water scooter, duel with swords, toss a flying disc and much more.

Wii Sports Resort takes the inclusive fun and intuitive controls of the original Wii Sports to the next levelA whole new set of entertaining and physically immersive activities includi
Spitfire: The Illustrated Biography
Jonathan Glancey
The Iron Giant
Brad Bird
Yellow Blue Tibia: A Novel
Adam Roberts
The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-city Neighbourhood
David Simon, Edward Burns
Simpsons - Season 11 - Complete [DVD]
David Silverman, Steven Dean Moore, Mark Kirkland, Bob Anderson, Mike B. Anderson
The Inbetweeners - Series 1-2 - Complete [DVD] [2008]
Joe Thomas, Simon Bird, Gordon Anderson