Call of the Shrike

If while trundling down some Victorian rails at half the speed of the Victorians, on First Great Western trains or some other fascist transport structure run by the UK state's hapless Department of Transport, you come across any pools of free time, I must recommend a recent favorite read of mine, Hyperion, by Dan Simmons, a novel itself based upon pools of free time.



As a sort of space age Canterbury Tales, it is fairly horrific, with plenty of blood and gore delivered by the Sauronesque Lord of Pain, but remains a fascinating read nevertheless. Obviously as an Austrian I couldn't help but notice the parallels between the odious "Hegemony of Humanity" and the imperial "United States Government", but if you've read all the Neal Stephenson or Bernard Cornwell novels available at your local bookshop, then look no further for future entertainment than Mr. Simmons (though do also buy Fall of Hyperion too, as one book requires the other). Happy shriking!