Roadside Picnic

I have been a fan of science fiction almost as long as I can remember, starting with the short stories of Isaac Asimov which I used to read by torchlight under the bedclothes. Since then my tastes have grown broader, but I find myself returning to science fiction over and over again.

A few years ago, a couple of friends and I formed a book club, meeting in a local pub every six weeks or so to discuss life, the universe, and the latest science fiction book we’ve read. We take it in turns to choose a book, which has broadened our reading experience considerably. I, for example, would never have put myself through Russell Hoban’s wonderful Riddley Walker (which is written in a made-up language) unless James had suggested it.

You can find our reading group’s blog at Roadside Picnic. The blog title does superficially resemble the title of this one, but is in fact a reference to the book Roadside Picnic which was written by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky and inspired the Russian movie Stalker.