B()()KS

Emergency World ( 'ongress to discuss the world-wide collapse of Socialism.

Those who know their socialist history will get far more from this polemic than I did yet despite the intense debate running through the novel. it is also both extremely funny and occasionally surreal. as w iih Ilo.

Ezra's one-week-old child. predicting

the future of‘only one single political force Social Democracy”. much lo Ezra‘s despair. From his years on the conference circuit. Iariq Ali has createda hugelyenjoyablepolitical satire. ‘()ur century is ending with an ironic crescendo.’ comments Philippe: Ali explores these ironies with both wit and intelligence. (Richard (ioslan)

OLD FLAMES

I Carol Patricia I lighsinith (Bloomsbury £13.99) Originally published. pseudonymously but successfully. four decades ago. ( (II‘U/ documents the absorbing. lopsided and liberating affair between the blond. sophisticated. rich and elegant customer and the young. impoverished. aspiring stage designer who serves her during the Christmas rush at Frankenburg‘s store. New York.

Carol is in the midst ofdivoreing her conventional. wealthy husband and disputing custody of their daughter. For her the affair is

peripheral. flattering. a diversion and '

a tonic. while for her lover it is central. a revelation and the key to a new and confident way of life. Together they head off across the States by car. seeking distraction from litigation and release from old partnerships.

Thus far the stuffof romance. But indiscretion is not invisible; their idy II is' overshadowed by a private dick. and Carol loses custody of her child. Steadily the relationship develops; the differing needs of both emerge. conflict and come together again. Character. place and tension are clearly conveyed. and the end. despite obstacles. is optimistic. The legal outcome. though. is unavoidable. for this is 1951) and both these people are women. (Sally lvlacpherson)

NON-FICTION §

LEVIN ON A JET PLANE

I NOW Read On Bernard Levin (Jonathan Cape £12.99) This is the sixth volume ofselected journalism from the Times columnist. who.

despite perhaps being best known for

his disappointing Channel 4 programmes. is a witty and original article-writer. From a previous

anthology. his critique of Das- Kupirul

has stayed with me: ‘No one could possibly finish it. not even Marx. who gave up. bored insensible by his own rubbish. after the first volume.’

BOOKS

I le can be slightly tedious when banging on about the Nanny State. btit l.ey in cannot be dismissed as a right-wing poleinicist. Ilisarticle on the way IS and [Is tabloids differ in their treatment of AIDS and homosexuality (our rags being titteringly coarse and homophobic) shows him to hay e at least one set of opinions that would get him booed offthc 'l'ory l’arty conference platform.

Although he is more than a little pompous and pedantic w hen thundering against "recreational drugs‘ and ‘totalitarianism‘. his great strength is his humour. IIis ‘Intiinations()f Immortality" piece of August .35. WSS‘ is representative of his oeuvre: ‘I had little interest in .Iohn l.ennon w hen he was alive. and I have somewhat less now that he is deadf IIe describes(‘apital Radio's (iraliam I)ene (who makes Dougie Donnelly sound like .lean-l’atil Sartre) as "l‘he Man Who Ilad No Idea ()I' What Acid House .Nlcant. And 'I'husil lad l Iis Career Limited‘. If you can at lord to spend this much on middle-brow bedtime reading. buy it. (David .\I. Bennie)

NOT SO WILD BILL

I Stone Alone Bill \Vy man with Ray Coleman (Viking £15.90) I’oor old Bill. light years' work distilling 35 trunkloads of material into a mere (will) pages coy ei'ing one decade of the Stones story. and the prevailing mood isone of resentment. ()r sour grapes. \Vynian declares the other Stones 'were not the soil ol blokes I‘d have chosen as mates ii I hadn‘t joined them in a group'. and from the start it is apparent that \\ ynian really is a ‘Stone Alone'.

I le complains about ('hai'lic Watts and himself not getting the credit for being the crucial backbone ol the band. (‘Il( ‘hai'lie and I hadn‘t been so understanding. fergiying. conscientious and tolerant. the Stones wouldn‘t haye e\istcd for more than liy e y earsf). that he didn't get the recognition desei‘y ed for his recent multiple sclerosis charity work. and that lie was ignored w hen he w at'lietl lltc‘ Hillel‘s about lIic’ dangersol' Allen Klein‘s dodgy management deal. Along with some stomach-chtirning ‘l-told-you-so' sinugness. his favourite recurring phrase? I\ ’I \Hts the Ilisl .SlUtlc' lo. . and he can‘t resist reminding tis that the dcplorable ‘lSi Si) .le suis tiii Rock Star' is to date the biggest-selling solo single oliaiiy Stone.

Besides his oby'iotts tilttlit'age. the story of the group in the (ills is both amusingand meticulouslydetailed. Ile throws in some risque anecdotes for good measure; I thought the "l‘oothpaste 'I'rick“ sounded quite interesting. (Did it not sting. Bill'.’) In this attempt to put the record straight. though. he declares ‘Right throuin the history of the Stones. it was always Wyman who told them.‘ He’s still doing it. and probablystill being ignored. (Richard(ioslati)

PATRICK TILLEY

Author of

will be signing the final volume

"EARTH THUNDER"

on Thursday 8th November

From 1.00 - 2.00pm at FORBIDDEN

PLANET

108 BUCHANAN STREET GLASGOW 041 331 1215

From 5.00 - 6.00pm at the SCIENCE FICTION BOOKSHOP

17 WEST CROSSCAUSEWAY EDINBURGH 031 667 0426

THE ULTIMATE COMICS, SCIENCE FICTION FANTASY AND HORROR BOOKSHOPS

Also TERRY PRA TCHETT Science Fiction Bookshop - 24/11/90 - 12 - 1.00pm

i l l l

23"“

a»;

AS PART OF SCOTTISH BOOK FORTNIGHT

IAIN BANKS

will be reading from his latest book

USE OF WEAPONS

WEDNESAY 31sTOBER at 7.00pm

Wine will be served 132 UNION ST. GLASGOW G1 (041) 221 0890

ml

'I'hc List In ( )ctober S .\'o\ einbei' I‘Nll83