EUROPE CENTRAL - WILLIAM T. VOLLMAN

This an absolute brute of book about a brutal war. 750 odd pages of well researched, ambitious and well crafted fiction set during the Second World War. The book is told from the point of view of a multitude of characters based in either Germany or The Soviet Union and includes many real life characters although clearly the author has used his poetic license with some these in depth scenarios. They are handled extremely well these vignettes, and really capture the difficult decisons made by many on both sides during this brutal conflict. I particularly enjoyed the section about the greman general and later field marshall, Paulus, who recounts his side of the battle of Stalingrad. This is not for the faint hearted due to scope and depth as much as anything else. personally I really enjoyed researching a lot of what was mentioned and the characters involved. This is worth your patience, not all books have to be "easy reads", and is ultimately a rewarding read. I really liked the way this book was printed as well, just little things like every time the SS were mentioned they used the insignia.

A VOYAGE TO ARCTURUS - DAVID LINDSAY

An interesting early sci-fi novel. The novel largely follows the journey of Maskull on a distant planet after he meets two odd characters in seemingly bizarre circumstances at a gathering. He faces many perils across surreal terrain and meets many fantastical inhabitants who exhibit odd features and extra limbs and organs. These meetings often take on philosophical slants as he discusses his motives and thoughts as well as explaining his morals and views on life. The novel builds nicely to a multi-layered ending. Good read, feel the dirge.