Book Review – Masaryk Station by David Downing
Masaryk Station by David Downing My rating: 4 of 5 stars A very satisfying end to the series, although still leaving me with a wish for a more detailed epilogue that told us more about the rest of the cast's lives. As with the others there is a lot of history being told here, Downing does his research and then puts it on the page. Although one obvious lack was the bit about copying a film where the story goes straight from copying to playback without going through the development process. This is in an era where chemical processing was needed to view pictures on film after they'd been shot. Given the rest of the research I'd have thought that was known to Downing. I did enjoy this though, and there were a number of different angles. Logo of the…
Author Interview – Kevin McLeod
Kevin McLeod is the author of the Viking's Apprentice series, award winning children's adventure stories. How long have you been writing for and what made you start writing? I've been writing stories since I was in primary school. I really started to get properly interested in writing after reading The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King. It's a brilliant story written for his children. Do you write for a living, or do you also do other work? I gave up my day job on my 39th birthday as a present to myself for the success of The Viking's Apprentice. I used to work for the Civil service. I've never looked back. How did you get into being a professional writer, and how much effort did it take to be able to write full time? I always enjoyed writing and I…
Leadership Values – How do they develop?
I'm currently in the midst of the HR component of my current Open University module (B203). It got me thinking about my leadership values and how they developed from my experiences as a leader. Young Leader My introduction to leadership came at the age of 16. As part of my Venture Scout activities I helped out with the 1st Glen Lusset cub scouts. This involved running activities for 7-10 year old boys, including teaching them how to start fires. I then went to university and became a Territorial Army Officer Cadet (at 17 and a half). My first formal leadership training was from the British Army. This training was backed up with practical experience, leading scouts and soldiers (similar outlooks, soldiers are older and have guns). This strongly shaped my leadership values. Civil Service Leadership I joined the civil service from university (after a six month…
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Book Review – Lehrter Station by David Downing
Lehrter Station by David Downing My rating: 4 of 5 stars With the fifth in the series we're in the immediate post-war period, six months after Berlin fell to the Soviets John & Effi are back. Having escaped to London with the surviving family members John is blackmailed by the Soviets into returning in the guise of a double agent. As with the previous books the real central character is Berlin and its people. The theme is one of devastation, both human and physical. John & Effi both get involved in finding out what happened to people they knew, and the friends of the survivors. It's mainly upbeat, although sprinkled with tragedy as one would expect. The book evokes the chaos following the end of the war very well, and the overturning of tables. The 'victims of fascism' are exalted…
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RIP Pterry
Terry Pratchett enjoying a Guinness at honorary degree ceremony at Trinity College Dublin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Like many others I am mourning the passing of a genius from the world. I have been a fan of Terry Pratchett all my adult life and as well as enjoying his works I thought he made a lot of sense when he spoke on other issues, most notably living with his illness and impending death. I cannot think of another author that I have enjoyed so much that was so prolific. For a long period Terry was producing two novels a year, and they were all packed with humour, obscure references and wry observation of human nature. Although ostensibly set in a fantasy environment the books were all about people, they are just packed with social commentary, albeit hidden in an imaginary universe.…