Articles written by Alex Cull - Page 4

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What is Helium

About me - Alex Cull

A student, an English language teacher, a clerical worker, a volunteer counsellor, a husband, a reader of books, a player of computer games and a friend to cats.

I have been all these things, but at the same time I have always been a writer.

One of my first + more bio information

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Arts & Humanities > Fantasy & Science Fiction Fantasy book reviews: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke: 2 of 3
Coming to the end of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, I felt as if I was completing the final stage of a very interesting, leisurely, but sometimes exceedingly slow grand tour of some exotic foreign place. One reason it took me a while was that I found it difficult to read for more than a few chapters at a time - this is p... More..
Food & Drink > Coffee Is coffee a health benefit or a health risk?: 11 of 16
I love my coffee. The first thing I do when I get up (well, actually the second thing after feeding the cats) is make a cup of strong filter coffee - it tastes great, stimulates me and sets me up for the day. I'll have a second cup some time during the morning, but usually no more than that, except when I'm driving long dist... More..
Arts & Humanities > Horror, Mystery & Suspense Book reviews: Carrie, by Stephen King: 4 of 5
Who could ever forget the excellent 1976 movie version of Stephen King's novel Carrie, with Sissy Spacek at her wide-eyed best as the eponymous Carrie and John Travolta as the thuggish Billy Nolan. With its great casting, script and music, Brian de Palma's Carrie remains one of the better screen adaptations of a Stephen King... More..
Jobs & Careers > Getting Ahead How to succeed at any job by understanding you are always self-employed: 17 of 19
"We are each of us self-employed." This is the sort of statement that can kindle an initial spark of interest but then tends to be just as quickly dismissed. It is on a par with "We are all in the business of sales", meaning that whatever our role at work might be, we are selling our services in some way or other. On hearing... More..
Arts & Humanities > Fantasy & Science Fiction Book reviews: Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis: 3 of 3
Out of the Silent Planet is on one level a voyage to another world, and C.S. Lewis was going in 1938 where authors such as H.G. Wells and Jules Verne had already ventured. The hard science part is barely there; for instance the space ship, into which Ransom is bundled by his kidnappers Weston and Devine, and which transports... More..
Arts & Humanities > British Literature Book reviews: The Salmon of Doubt, by Douglas Adams: 2 of 2
In 2001, when I heard that Douglas Adams had just died at the age of 49, I remember feeling an acute sense of loss. This was not only because I was, and still am, a fan of his, and not only because he was dead and at a relatively young age. Quite a few of my favourite SF writers have died during my lifetime, including Isaac ... More..
Arts & Humanities > International Writers & Literature Book reviews: The Night Watch, by Sergei Lukyanenko: 2 of 2
Sergei Lukyanenko's novel Night Watch is based on the intriguing premise that the forces of Good and Evil (or Light and Dark), rather than engaging in all-out conflict, are held in an uneasy peace (or cold war), each side bound by protocol and agreeing to limit their operations. The main players in this constantly shifting s... More..