Chris Long
@plotmonkey.bsky.social
I keep nearly deleting this photo & then stopping myself.
I wanted to get the arch and the view, only someone stepped into the shot at the last second.
There's something in their headless pose & gesture that feels strange enough to keep.
I wanted to get the arch and the view, only someone stepped into the shot at the last second.
There's something in their headless pose & gesture that feels strange enough to keep.
November 9, 2025 at 11:26 AM
I keep nearly deleting this photo & then stopping myself.
I wanted to get the arch and the view, only someone stepped into the shot at the last second.
There's something in their headless pose & gesture that feels strange enough to keep.
I wanted to get the arch and the view, only someone stepped into the shot at the last second.
There's something in their headless pose & gesture that feels strange enough to keep.
I finished House of Open Wounds this week. City of Last Chances was brilliant. This book is something else. The battlefield & the hospital tents push the story into a whole new dimension.
This wasn't just a great read. I think it might've jumped into my top ten list of favourite books of all time.
This wasn't just a great read. I think it might've jumped into my top ten list of favourite books of all time.
November 9, 2025 at 9:51 AM
I finished House of Open Wounds this week. City of Last Chances was brilliant. This book is something else. The battlefield & the hospital tents push the story into a whole new dimension.
This wasn't just a great read. I think it might've jumped into my top ten list of favourite books of all time.
This wasn't just a great read. I think it might've jumped into my top ten list of favourite books of all time.
I've spent the week reading my 1st Gervase Fen. Judging by The Moving Toyshop, Edmund Crispin's mysteries are sparkling little treasures.
Baffling, strange crimes. Tangled, unwitting, unwilling characters. A detective who very occasionally breaks the 4th wall&wears an indescribable hat.
I'm hooked.
Baffling, strange crimes. Tangled, unwitting, unwilling characters. A detective who very occasionally breaks the 4th wall&wears an indescribable hat.
I'm hooked.
November 2, 2025 at 9:15 AM
I've spent the week reading my 1st Gervase Fen. Judging by The Moving Toyshop, Edmund Crispin's mysteries are sparkling little treasures.
Baffling, strange crimes. Tangled, unwitting, unwilling characters. A detective who very occasionally breaks the 4th wall&wears an indescribable hat.
I'm hooked.
Baffling, strange crimes. Tangled, unwitting, unwilling characters. A detective who very occasionally breaks the 4th wall&wears an indescribable hat.
I'm hooked.
Finally read PD James' The Children of Men. It's a very English apocalypse, with roots of Wyndham&Orwell.
It's blindingly good. The pace lulls you a false sense of apathy before the madness&bleak destiny start to creep in.
If the movie was Blade Runner, this is a book about electric sheep.
Stunning.
It's blindingly good. The pace lulls you a false sense of apathy before the madness&bleak destiny start to creep in.
If the movie was Blade Runner, this is a book about electric sheep.
Stunning.
October 26, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Finally read PD James' The Children of Men. It's a very English apocalypse, with roots of Wyndham&Orwell.
It's blindingly good. The pace lulls you a false sense of apathy before the madness&bleak destiny start to creep in.
If the movie was Blade Runner, this is a book about electric sheep.
Stunning.
It's blindingly good. The pace lulls you a false sense of apathy before the madness&bleak destiny start to creep in.
If the movie was Blade Runner, this is a book about electric sheep.
Stunning.
On a lot of recommendations, I read Samantha Harvey's Orbital.
It's a puzzle of a book. Max Porter short, nearly plot free, but in places beautifully written.
The changes in scale from one person's thoughts to the history of the planet can be a bit awkward.
It definitely feels like a Booker winner.
It's a puzzle of a book. Max Porter short, nearly plot free, but in places beautifully written.
The changes in scale from one person's thoughts to the history of the planet can be a bit awkward.
It definitely feels like a Booker winner.
October 19, 2025 at 8:03 AM
On a lot of recommendations, I read Samantha Harvey's Orbital.
It's a puzzle of a book. Max Porter short, nearly plot free, but in places beautifully written.
The changes in scale from one person's thoughts to the history of the planet can be a bit awkward.
It definitely feels like a Booker winner.
It's a puzzle of a book. Max Porter short, nearly plot free, but in places beautifully written.
The changes in scale from one person's thoughts to the history of the planet can be a bit awkward.
It definitely feels like a Booker winner.
My holiday read was Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man. It wasn't what I was expecting.
The twist on a futuristic murder mystery is one thing, but it splinters into psychic society, strange science & all manner of weirdness & prophecy. The plot actually vanishes under the strangeness at points.
The twist on a futuristic murder mystery is one thing, but it splinters into psychic society, strange science & all manner of weirdness & prophecy. The plot actually vanishes under the strangeness at points.
October 5, 2025 at 9:32 AM
My holiday read was Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man. It wasn't what I was expecting.
The twist on a futuristic murder mystery is one thing, but it splinters into psychic society, strange science & all manner of weirdness & prophecy. The plot actually vanishes under the strangeness at points.
The twist on a futuristic murder mystery is one thing, but it splinters into psychic society, strange science & all manner of weirdness & prophecy. The plot actually vanishes under the strangeness at points.
Just finished The Life & Death of Peter Sellers. It's a Faberge brick of a book which leaves you feeling like you've been beaten around the head with Peter Sellers (& many, many Shakespeare quotes).
It reminded me of reading Tolkien's Silmarillion. A labour of love that'll need further exploration.
It reminded me of reading Tolkien's Silmarillion. A labour of love that'll need further exploration.
September 14, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Just finished The Life & Death of Peter Sellers. It's a Faberge brick of a book which leaves you feeling like you've been beaten around the head with Peter Sellers (& many, many Shakespeare quotes).
It reminded me of reading Tolkien's Silmarillion. A labour of love that'll need further exploration.
It reminded me of reading Tolkien's Silmarillion. A labour of love that'll need further exploration.
THIS is your life
This IS your life
This is YOUR life
This is your LIFE
There are so many ways of bringing back that show (with just a tiny hint of spite).
This IS your life
This is YOUR life
This is your LIFE
There are so many ways of bringing back that show (with just a tiny hint of spite).
August 31, 2025 at 9:44 AM
THIS is your life
This IS your life
This is YOUR life
This is your LIFE
There are so many ways of bringing back that show (with just a tiny hint of spite).
This IS your life
This is YOUR life
This is your LIFE
There are so many ways of bringing back that show (with just a tiny hint of spite).
Spent the week dipping into Spike Milligan's brain.
I won't lie, not all of it has aged particularly well, but when he's on form there's something dazzling in just how far he'll bend conventions to hone a joke.
And when you're reading it as a novel it can feel like your own personal firework show.
I won't lie, not all of it has aged particularly well, but when he's on form there's something dazzling in just how far he'll bend conventions to hone a joke.
And when you're reading it as a novel it can feel like your own personal firework show.
August 31, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Spent the week dipping into Spike Milligan's brain.
I won't lie, not all of it has aged particularly well, but when he's on form there's something dazzling in just how far he'll bend conventions to hone a joke.
And when you're reading it as a novel it can feel like your own personal firework show.
I won't lie, not all of it has aged particularly well, but when he's on form there's something dazzling in just how far he'll bend conventions to hone a joke.
And when you're reading it as a novel it can feel like your own personal firework show.
Another Bryant & May this week. I'd forgotten how great The Water Room is. It builds on the foundations of the 1st story, gives us more characters in the Peculiar Crimes Unit&hints at the wild, weird histories of London. All done through a suburban riddle of a mystery.
Another fantastic Fowler read.
Another fantastic Fowler read.
August 24, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Another Bryant & May this week. I'd forgotten how great The Water Room is. It builds on the foundations of the 1st story, gives us more characters in the Peculiar Crimes Unit&hints at the wild, weird histories of London. All done through a suburban riddle of a mystery.
Another fantastic Fowler read.
Another fantastic Fowler read.
What else do you watch on a Sunday night?
August 17, 2025 at 7:58 PM
What else do you watch on a Sunday night?
I decided it was time to revisit Christopher Fowler's Bryant & May. I love this series. Peculiar crimes. Fantastic characters. Plots like fun house mirror reflections of a corkscrew. And Full Dark House starts strong.
There's no sense of Fowler finding his feet. It's blinding from the beginning.
There's no sense of Fowler finding his feet. It's blinding from the beginning.
August 17, 2025 at 8:32 AM
I decided it was time to revisit Christopher Fowler's Bryant & May. I love this series. Peculiar crimes. Fantastic characters. Plots like fun house mirror reflections of a corkscrew. And Full Dark House starts strong.
There's no sense of Fowler finding his feet. It's blinding from the beginning.
There's no sense of Fowler finding his feet. It's blinding from the beginning.
I've spent the last couple of weeks delving into Rob Young's The Magic Box. It's a fascinating exploration of the English subconscious through the history of TV.
It's brilliantly written, although it can be a dangerous books if your weaknesses are nostalgia & recommendations for deep cut pop culture
It's brilliantly written, although it can be a dangerous books if your weaknesses are nostalgia & recommendations for deep cut pop culture
August 10, 2025 at 8:12 AM
I've spent the last couple of weeks delving into Rob Young's The Magic Box. It's a fascinating exploration of the English subconscious through the history of TV.
It's brilliantly written, although it can be a dangerous books if your weaknesses are nostalgia & recommendations for deep cut pop culture
It's brilliantly written, although it can be a dangerous books if your weaknesses are nostalgia & recommendations for deep cut pop culture
I've been reading Max Evry's A Masterpiece in Disarray.
It's a brilliantly curated trip though the tangled maze of creative endeavour in a very different era of Hollywood.
Seeing the sheer amount of stress & pain Lynch's Dune went through is startling.
(And it's a pretty damn gorgeous book too.)
It's a brilliantly curated trip though the tangled maze of creative endeavour in a very different era of Hollywood.
Seeing the sheer amount of stress & pain Lynch's Dune went through is startling.
(And it's a pretty damn gorgeous book too.)
July 27, 2025 at 8:36 AM
I've been reading Max Evry's A Masterpiece in Disarray.
It's a brilliantly curated trip though the tangled maze of creative endeavour in a very different era of Hollywood.
Seeing the sheer amount of stress & pain Lynch's Dune went through is startling.
(And it's a pretty damn gorgeous book too.)
It's a brilliantly curated trip though the tangled maze of creative endeavour in a very different era of Hollywood.
Seeing the sheer amount of stress & pain Lynch's Dune went through is startling.
(And it's a pretty damn gorgeous book too.)
After trying to savour it, I've finally finished Akira.
True, I spent some time saying 'that's not like the movie', but the sheer level of epic storytelling & the blistering, page turning plot soon stopped that.
It's always a good thing when a classic turns out to be a classic for a reason.
Wow.
True, I spent some time saying 'that's not like the movie', but the sheer level of epic storytelling & the blistering, page turning plot soon stopped that.
It's always a good thing when a classic turns out to be a classic for a reason.
Wow.
July 20, 2025 at 8:28 AM
After trying to savour it, I've finally finished Akira.
True, I spent some time saying 'that's not like the movie', but the sheer level of epic storytelling & the blistering, page turning plot soon stopped that.
It's always a good thing when a classic turns out to be a classic for a reason.
Wow.
True, I spent some time saying 'that's not like the movie', but the sheer level of epic storytelling & the blistering, page turning plot soon stopped that.
It's always a good thing when a classic turns out to be a classic for a reason.
Wow.
This is the sort of thing that gives birth to a ghost story.
July 14, 2025 at 10:05 PM
This is the sort of thing that gives birth to a ghost story.
I've been reading B Catling's Hollow. It's a hallucinatory journey across a Hieronymus Bosch mutating world bordering on apocalypse.
The characters & the fable are engaging enough that you can feel them putting deep roots, but it's a maze with too many dead ends.
An interesting, if flawed experiment
The characters & the fable are engaging enough that you can feel them putting deep roots, but it's a maze with too many dead ends.
An interesting, if flawed experiment
July 13, 2025 at 8:33 AM
I've been reading B Catling's Hollow. It's a hallucinatory journey across a Hieronymus Bosch mutating world bordering on apocalypse.
The characters & the fable are engaging enough that you can feel them putting deep roots, but it's a maze with too many dead ends.
An interesting, if flawed experiment
The characters & the fable are engaging enough that you can feel them putting deep roots, but it's a maze with too many dead ends.
An interesting, if flawed experiment
Went back to Mick Herron's Slough House. I've only read two so far, but these books are proving to be a fast paced combination of sleight of hand & juggling.
Strong archetype characters. A smart use of the genre that allows for mistakes. Great twists. It all keeps you reading.
Roll on book 3.
Strong archetype characters. A smart use of the genre that allows for mistakes. Great twists. It all keeps you reading.
Roll on book 3.
July 6, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Went back to Mick Herron's Slough House. I've only read two so far, but these books are proving to be a fast paced combination of sleight of hand & juggling.
Strong archetype characters. A smart use of the genre that allows for mistakes. Great twists. It all keeps you reading.
Roll on book 3.
Strong archetype characters. A smart use of the genre that allows for mistakes. Great twists. It all keeps you reading.
Roll on book 3.
It's been a weird couple of weeks, so I went back to the Discworld for a little comfort.
Lords & Ladies is actually better than I remembered. Pratchett is always so sharp when he takes on traditions. And he really toys with the established roles of the witches in this one.
He's always a joy to read.
Lords & Ladies is actually better than I remembered. Pratchett is always so sharp when he takes on traditions. And he really toys with the established roles of the witches in this one.
He's always a joy to read.
June 29, 2025 at 9:08 AM
It's been a weird couple of weeks, so I went back to the Discworld for a little comfort.
Lords & Ladies is actually better than I remembered. Pratchett is always so sharp when he takes on traditions. And he really toys with the established roles of the witches in this one.
He's always a joy to read.
Lords & Ladies is actually better than I remembered. Pratchett is always so sharp when he takes on traditions. And he really toys with the established roles of the witches in this one.
He's always a joy to read.
I read This is How You Lose the Time War & had to stop myself from reading it all over again.
The sheer level of imagination on display is fantastic. The characters are clear & relatable. And I've not come across a book with such a laser focused lyricism running through it.
Loved it.
The sheer level of imagination on display is fantastic. The characters are clear & relatable. And I've not come across a book with such a laser focused lyricism running through it.
Loved it.
June 8, 2025 at 9:09 AM
I read This is How You Lose the Time War & had to stop myself from reading it all over again.
The sheer level of imagination on display is fantastic. The characters are clear & relatable. And I've not come across a book with such a laser focused lyricism running through it.
Loved it.
The sheer level of imagination on display is fantastic. The characters are clear & relatable. And I've not come across a book with such a laser focused lyricism running through it.
Loved it.
Went back to Becky Chambers' Wayfarer series this week.
The 1st book took a while to hook me, but this one got me way quicker.
The characters are stronger than the plot again, but the pace & their stories are brilliantly realised.
Chambers is so smart at building realistic, relatable sci fi worlds.
The 1st book took a while to hook me, but this one got me way quicker.
The characters are stronger than the plot again, but the pace & their stories are brilliantly realised.
Chambers is so smart at building realistic, relatable sci fi worlds.
June 1, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Went back to Becky Chambers' Wayfarer series this week.
The 1st book took a while to hook me, but this one got me way quicker.
The characters are stronger than the plot again, but the pace & their stories are brilliantly realised.
Chambers is so smart at building realistic, relatable sci fi worlds.
The 1st book took a while to hook me, but this one got me way quicker.
The characters are stronger than the plot again, but the pace & their stories are brilliantly realised.
Chambers is so smart at building realistic, relatable sci fi worlds.
Been reading some Philip K Dick short stories this week.
His characters aren't always much more than plot cyphers, but some of his ideas feel smart enough to begin bending reality.
He could do things with paranoia & technology that are bordering on contagious.
His characters aren't always much more than plot cyphers, but some of his ideas feel smart enough to begin bending reality.
He could do things with paranoia & technology that are bordering on contagious.
May 25, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Been reading some Philip K Dick short stories this week.
His characters aren't always much more than plot cyphers, but some of his ideas feel smart enough to begin bending reality.
He could do things with paranoia & technology that are bordering on contagious.
His characters aren't always much more than plot cyphers, but some of his ideas feel smart enough to begin bending reality.
He could do things with paranoia & technology that are bordering on contagious.
I've just finished Christopher Fowler's last novel. It didn't hook me as fast as a Bryant & May, but it soon gets under your skin, with echoes of Mervyn Peake & Viv Stanshall.
Think Titus Rawlinson & you'll get a sense of the weird characters and unexpected, grotesque twists you've got in store.
Think Titus Rawlinson & you'll get a sense of the weird characters and unexpected, grotesque twists you've got in store.
May 18, 2025 at 8:48 AM
I've just finished Christopher Fowler's last novel. It didn't hook me as fast as a Bryant & May, but it soon gets under your skin, with echoes of Mervyn Peake & Viv Stanshall.
Think Titus Rawlinson & you'll get a sense of the weird characters and unexpected, grotesque twists you've got in store.
Think Titus Rawlinson & you'll get a sense of the weird characters and unexpected, grotesque twists you've got in store.
Folks, I think I'm in love with an art book.
May 16, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Folks, I think I'm in love with an art book.
I've spent the week giggling & cringing at the latest Alan Partridge.
They get the tone of these books so absolutely spot on. At some point, I'll try the audiobooks, but the writing is so clear that you've basically invited Alan into your head.
(Hopefully he won't try to fix it up while he's there.)
They get the tone of these books so absolutely spot on. At some point, I'll try the audiobooks, but the writing is so clear that you've basically invited Alan into your head.
(Hopefully he won't try to fix it up while he's there.)
May 11, 2025 at 9:22 AM
I've spent the week giggling & cringing at the latest Alan Partridge.
They get the tone of these books so absolutely spot on. At some point, I'll try the audiobooks, but the writing is so clear that you've basically invited Alan into your head.
(Hopefully he won't try to fix it up while he's there.)
They get the tone of these books so absolutely spot on. At some point, I'll try the audiobooks, but the writing is so clear that you've basically invited Alan into your head.
(Hopefully he won't try to fix it up while he's there.)