As a child, I loved science fiction. I was a nerd with terrible social skills so how could I not? As an eight-year-old in the early 80s, I became obsessed with Doctor Who just as it hit its least interesting creative period. In this pre-video world, I mostly experienced this series through novelisations (often adapted for book form by the prolific Terrance Dicks) and the monthly Doctor Who Magazine. I also liked Star Trek – again relying on the James Blish novelisations when the 60s originals weren’t being repeated. Somehow, I became aware of science fiction writers such as Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, Harry Harrison, Brian Aldiss, HG Wells, and John Wyndham – then the related comedies of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. I was not a particularly discerning reader – preferring to revel in these works rather than subject them to critical thought. My life was safe and secure and dull and embarrassing. Why not live in a world of spaceships and robots and aliens?
Thermians Ruined My Childhood
Thermians Ruined My Childhood
Thermians Ruined My Childhood
As a child, I loved science fiction. I was a nerd with terrible social skills so how could I not? As an eight-year-old in the early 80s, I became obsessed with Doctor Who just as it hit its least interesting creative period. In this pre-video world, I mostly experienced this series through novelisations (often adapted for book form by the prolific Terrance Dicks) and the monthly Doctor Who Magazine. I also liked Star Trek – again relying on the James Blish novelisations when the 60s originals weren’t being repeated. Somehow, I became aware of science fiction writers such as Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, Harry Harrison, Brian Aldiss, HG Wells, and John Wyndham – then the related comedies of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. I was not a particularly discerning reader – preferring to revel in these works rather than subject them to critical thought. My life was safe and secure and dull and embarrassing. Why not live in a world of spaceships and robots and aliens?