Barry Richardson, musician
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K Dick
IT IS difficult to talk about Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? without comparing it to Ridley Scott’s film adaptation, Blade Runner.
As a movie fan, I try not to take the universal stance that “the book is always better” (are novelisations supposed to count? ), and in this case, the book wins for me.
Bounty hunter Rick Deckard takes on the task of tracking down and killing six androids who have escaped from Mars. On the way, he adopts a new sense of empathy for the machines that ultimately has him doubt his own humanity.
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Philip K Dick [pictured above] manages to strike a balance of creating a world full of the unfamiliar and making it seem familiar. The running theme of someone’s social status being judged by the type of animal they own (Deckard has a modest electric sheep ) feels oddly commonplace. The pendulum of hope and fear that makes any story great is put to masterful use as Deckard’s crisis of identity, and his navigation through the mysteries of humanity and status, pull the reader excitedly to an abstract, but shockingly satisfying reveal (beats the movie ending ).
Anyway, let’s just agree that the book has a better title.
Ken Bruen, author
The Green Platform by Declan Coyle
THE VIRUS we’ve endured, railed at, discussed ad nauseam, gave a fierce wallop to our mental health. Declan Coyle’s The Green Platform delivered me from depression, fear, despair.
Surely you say, "A mere book couldn’t deliver this". A book that is as beneficial as it is simple, it did indeed get me through those weeks when death statistics, dread, and hopelessness gripped the whole country.
Even better news is that Declan [pictured below] followed this up with Living The Green Platform. This is a collection of wondrous stories of people who have found 'the green platform'.
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The Green Platform is like The Road Less Travelled told in an Irish lilt. If you ever dreamt of walking the Camino, or visiting Medjugorje, or climbing Croagh Patrick, read The Green Platform and experience the wonder of the aforementioned without leaving your armchair.
Greeff’s book on the alchemy of reading and the magic of a book to change your very life could be interpreted as almost a prelude to Declan Coyle’s book.
Two authors you really would appreciate in these latter daze (sic ) of lockdown: Paulo Coehlo and Wayne Saalman, a thriller writer to have you roaring, perfect for those in Game of Thrones detox or for even the most demanding sci-fi fan. Call it serendipity, but those above titles are literally on The Green Platform in a fashion that are as mysterious as they are rewarding.
Mairead Farrell, Galway West Sinn Féin TD
Liam Mellows, Soldier of the Irish Republic - Selected Writings, 1914–1922 by Conor McNamara
THE NAME Liam Mellows is so much a part of Galway that I think McNamara’s book is a must read for all Galwegians. It is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Liam Mellows and the history of Galway.
Mellows had a close connection with Galway due to his role in training the IRA volunteers of the county in preparation for the 1916 Rising and leading them out on Easter Monday 1916. This publication collates the fascinating collection of writings and speeches by Mellows in his relatively short lifetime.
'Mellows’ execution at the hands of his former comrades in the Free State was a dreadful end for the life of such a vibrant thinker and activist'
Of particular interest to me were the writings and speeches relating to Mellows’ time in the USA where he was tasked with procuring arms for the IRA, but where he quickly became a significant public face for Irish Republicanism in America, helped by his election to Dáil Éireann in 1918 on behalf of the Galway and Meath constituencies.
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The writings relating to this period give us an insight into Mellows’ life that many will not have been aware of and which are crucial in forming a fuller understanding of this enigmatic figure. Perhaps the most powerful writing in the book are the speeches he delivered in the Dáil during the Treaty debate. His lucid analysis foretold the convergence of conservative forces in the emerging Free State.
Mellows’ execution at the hands of his former comrades in the Free State was a dreadful end for the life of such a vibrant and capable thinker and activist. Of course, it was for this very reason that his life was not spared.
