Crid's Favourite Reading Material
Last updated: 22nd September 2001
Fiction
War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
Definitely top of my list. Originally published in 1898, War of the Worlds was an up-to-date science fiction book at the time. Although it is now a period piece, it's still an amazing work. Forget the film set in 1950's America, this is the definitive work. The musical version by Jeff Wayne is closer to the original than the film ever was, but even Jeff Wayne made certain changes.

I hope one day someone makes a film that follows the book faithfully. I'd watch it over and over again.

The Door into Summer by Robert Heinlein
I first read this book when I was about 14. It was my first Heinlein book, and still my favourite. I particularly enjoy books with a time travel aspect to them (especially when they involve possible paradoxes), and this is one such book.  Unlike a lot of the science fiction books I have read, this one doesn't seem to suffer from a weak ending.

The Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison
Humorous science fiction that shouldn't be taken too seriously. The first books were released in the early 1960's. A really enjoyable read. Fun too!

Caves of Steel and The Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov
One of the things I like about Asimov's robots is that they follow very strict rules. Many science fiction authors have to resort to equipment failure to make their stories work, but Asimov manages to create these situations by using the rules he has created. Very well thought out, with lots of surprises for the reader.

The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Another book mixing science fiction and humour. Hitch-hiker started life as a BBC radio play. While the books are very good (certainly much better than the TV series ever was), the radio format is still the best. The plot is slightly different in each format - just to confuse people further.

Eye in the Sky by Philip K Dick
I'm not sure what lead me to buy this book. I guess it's because two Philip K Dick books have been made into hugely successful films. (Blade Runner and Total Recall). Eye in the Sky puts several very different characters into a world that seems normal at first - but soon turns out to have its own set of rules. A very clever book, let down by a slightly weak ending.

Non-Fiction
The Code Book by Simon Singh
Ever since I was a child, I have been interested in codes and ciphers.  Simon Singh's book is not just about codes - it's also about the history of code breaking, which is just as important.  The book contains explanations of how various ciphers work and how some of them were subsequently cracked.  The cracking of ciphers has often changed the course of history, and the author gives several examples of this.

Private Eye magazine
I have a very cynical sense of humour, and Private Eye reflects this quite well.  The magazine is a mix of biting satire and serious reporting.  Private Eye was the magazine that was successfully sued by Robert Maxwell after they claimed that he had been dipping into his employees' pension fund.  After his death, it was discovered that Private Eye's claims were actually true.