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[ComicMike]

I teach English as a second language, and some students think that their language is much more complex than English, so I always wanted to take the class to see a performance of Shakespeare.

[ComicMike]

I'm currently reading my latest purchases:

Two great graphic novels by two outstanding European comic artists:


François Bourgeon
Les Compagnons du crépuscule (The Companions of the Dusk)
1. Le sortilège du bois des brumes (1983)
2. Les yeux d'étain de la ville glauque (1986)
3. Le dernier chant des Malaterre (1990)

Unfortunately, I don't know whether there is an English translation of these books.


Enki Bilal
The Alexander Nikopol Trilogy:
1. La Foire aux immortels (1980, Dargaud; The Carnival of Immortals)
2. La Femme piège (1986, Dargaud; The Woman Trap)
3. Froid Équateur (1992, Les Humanoïdes Associés; Cold Equator)

Publisher Humanoids Publishing
Date 1999 (English edition of the full trilogy)


I bought this comic in the form of six large format hardcover books, used but in very good condition, for a reasonable price.   

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Francois Bourgeon - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Bourgeon 

Enki Bilal - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enki_Bilal 
                  The Nikopol Trilogy - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nikopol_Trilogy

[The Australian Panther]

I work voluntarily in a Salvation Army shop which means I come in contact with a lot of second-hand books.
So this one. Got it today, haven't  yet read it.
REDSHIRTS by John Scali.
This guy was unknown to me even though he has been quite the prolific writer. I used to be heavily into Science Fiction but haven't been so for a few decades now.  (When you are my age you can write things like that]
But I read the blurb on the back and knew I have to read this.
Here we go!

Awards Hugo Best Novel
Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It's a prestige posting,and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship's Xenobiology laboratory.

Life couldn't be better.until Andrew begins to pick up on the fact that
(1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces,
(2) the ship's captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations,
and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.

Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy below decks is expended on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission.Then Andrew stumbles on information that completely transforms his and his colleagues' understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is.and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives.

At the end of the book, in his acknowledgements, which I skipped to, Scali has this to say,

"I wrote this novel in the wake of having worked on a televisioin science fiction show, so before I do anything else let me make the  following disclaimer: REDSHIRTS is not even remotely based on the television show, STARGATE:UNIVERSE. Anyone hoping this is a thinly veiled satire of that particular experience of mine is going to he disappointed. " 

   
This guy has his tongue so far in his cheek, it's a wonder he can still breathe!
Looking forward to reading it, hope it lives up to the hype!