The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

When I was a kid, I liked the old Sherlock Holmes movies featuring Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr Watson.  Bruce's Watson always seemed to be something of a dunderhead, but a lovable one.  In the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles, Watson is centre stage and he proves himself to be anything but a dunderhead.

A certain Dr James Mortimer comes to consult Holmes at his Baker St home.  He states that Sir Charles Baskerville, a minor aristocrat, has died from sheer terror on the grounds his Devonshire estate.  He suggests to Holmes that the death could have been caused by the appearance of an enormous phantom hound long associated with the Baskerville estate.  Dr Mortimer is worried that Sir Charles' heir Henry may be in grave danger.  Holmes takes the case but is unable to attend immediately because he is currently involved in solving another case.  He appoints to Watson to go to the Baskerville estate to protect Sir Henry and to conduct preliminary investigations. In Holmes absence, and its a prolonged absence, Watson has to demonstrate his competence as an investigator and protector.

The Hound of the Baskervilles is  both a detective novel and a gothic horror novel.  Much of the  action takes place on the wilds of Dartmoor, where the phantom hound can be heard howling in the mists at night. There are enough clues and red herrings to keep the armchair sleuth guessing, making for an exciting and satisfying reading experience. 

The Girl with a Symphony in Her Fingers by Michael Coney

The Girl with a Symphony in Her Fingers is an odd and angry book.  It has also been published under the title The Jaws that Bite, the Claws that Catch.

The story is set in a future where a large part of the west coast of North America has been destroyed in an event called the Western Seaboard Slide, leaving behind a fragment of land known as The Peninsula.  Traditional pets, such as cats and dogs, are noticeably absent on The Peninsula; instead, people use domesticated fish that can walk on land and breathe air with the aid of a mini-respirator for pets.  

Most disturbingly of all, a draconian penal system offers certain classes of prisoners the opportunity to enter into bondage: in return for a partial remission of their sentence, they agree to be organ and limb donors for their individual sponsors, should the need arise.  It is a voluntary arrangement, and there is good chance that the need for donation will never arise.  It is a gamble many are willing to take.

The plot centres on an eternal triangle between Joe Sagar, a freeman who runs an alien animal pelt business, Carioca Jones, a wealthy has-been movie star, and Joanne Shaw, Carioca's bondswoman.  A sizeable cast of subsidiary characters add complexity to the tale.  Carioca does something  completely legal but particularly abominable, and a chain of events of Shakespearean proportions is set in motion.

The main flaw of the book is that the male protagonist is unlikeable. Carioca is intentionally unlikeable, and both contrast with the gentle and stoic Joanne.  There seems to be a lot of repetition in the tale, but each episode actually lays down the conditions for the satisfying denouement on the final page.  Thematically, the book deals with the ethics of using prisoners as a cheap source of labour, and of a tacitly coercive legal organ and limb donation scheme.

Despite some whimsical sci-fi decorations, the tale is hard-going in some places and seemingly pointless in others; however, if you can get through this (and over the male protagonist), the finale makes it all worthwhile.

The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert

The Dosadi Experiment is a challenge to read but is worth the effort. 

Like its predecessor, Whipping Star, this novel is set in the ConSentiency universe and features Jorj X. McKie as its protagonist.  It can be read as a stand-alone story, although reading them in the order of their publication does aid in understanding the nuances of the tale.

In the far future, humans have moved out into the galaxy and entered into a federation of worlds with several other sentient alien species.  Courtesy of two of these species, instantaneous travel and communication between planets is possible.

McKie, a government agent, learns of a covert experiment being undertaken on the planet Dosadi, location unknown.  His brief is to find Dosadi and uncover its secrets.  What he discovers is a monstrous threat to future of the ConSentiency.

The Dosadi Experiment combines an action thriller with an in-depth exploration of the culture and politics of one of the alien species, the Gowachin. The interplay between these two elements makes the novel a bit of a challenge to comprehend - there are so many details and concepts to keep in mind - but perseverance pays dividends in the end.  Thematically, there are echoes between the ethics of the experiment on Dosadi and of the Nazi experiments on humans during the Second World War.

Herbert is a natural storyteller. His combination of complex ideas and narrative tension make for a compelling and worthwhile reading experience.

John Burnet of Barns by John Buchan

Get ready to swash your buckle, because John Buchan is taking us back to 17th century Scotland.

Set during the final years of the reign of James VII of Scotland (James II of England), most of the action takes place in the valleys of the rivers Tweed and Clyde.  The tale is about two noble cousins feuding over pride and a pretty girl.

Buchan is hardly breaking new ground, as this story has strong echoes of R.D. Blackmore's Lorna Doone, a far superior work. It may be, this being only his second novel,  Buchan was still finding his feet as an author.  Be that as it may, what he did possess even at this early stage of his career was a fluent and effortless talent for describing the natural world - something I have always admired about his writing. 

There is plenty of action and plenty of climaxes too, but it did get a bit repetitious.  The characterisation is a bit black and white, but what would a historical romance be without some melodrama?  The manservant Nicol  is likeable and wily whereas his master John Burnet is raw and headstrong, and the baddie is cunning and most certainly dangerous.

Not the best book in the world.  I enjoyed reading it despite its flaws.  If you want some period derring-do in the Scottish lowlands, John Burnet of Barns will provide.

The Martian (2015) Starring Matt Damon

What an enjoyable and engaging movie.  It manages to achieve that most difficult of knacks: to make you care about the characters.

Something happens on Mars, and an American scientific expedition have to hurriedly blast-off from the planet, leaving behind one their number, presumed dead.  But he (Damon) isn't dead, and he is faced with the dilemma of how to stay alive alone on Mars with the barest of hopes that those back on Earth will realise the truth and mount a rescue mission.  But time is against him: it will be at least four years before a spacecraft can get from Earth to Mars.

The action divides itself between Damon on Mars, the administrative and scientific folk back on Earth, and the homeward bound team on the spaceship.  Problems are defined, solutions are proposed, developments aid or thwart resolution.  A gripping tension is maintained throughout the film, but it nicely counterpointed with warm and welcome doses of humour.

All the actors contribute stalwart performances, aided by an intelligent script (Drew Goddard) and skillful directing (Ridley Scott).  Matt Damon is solid as the Martian Robinson Crusoe, and he delivers a believable portrayal of a complex and resourceful man dealing with an intolerable situation.  Also of note is Michael Peña, who delivers another likeable performance (we have seen him before in Ant-Man), this time as Damon's verbal sparring partner.

Well worth the time and money.