Author Archives: Lee J. Russell

Book review: “Ringworld” by Larry Niven…

First published in the United States by Ballantine Books in 1970, Ringworld by Larry Niven is often listed as one of the “must read” SF books. It won the 1970 Nebula Award, as well as both Hugo and Locus awards in 1971. The book immediately captured the imagination of readers and critics alike because ofContinue reading “Book review: “Ringworld” by Larry Niven…”

I just completed making the 14″ MPC model of an Eagle Transporter from the TV show “Space 1999″…

I had a lot of fun making this model and thought it would be good to share some pictures of my final build. There are a few errors (that most people will not notice), but overall I am very pleased with how this came out. The model is painted and decorated in my own takeContinue reading “I just completed making the 14″ MPC model of an Eagle Transporter from the TV show “Space 1999″…”

Book review: “Colony Mars” by Gerald M. Kilby and “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel…

I recently finished listening to the first 3 books in Gerald M. Kilby’s “Colony Mars” series, and reading “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel in paperback. The stories are quite different… however, I found both to be engaging in some ways, sometimes exciting, but also with irritations that I noticed as I progressed with them. Here’sContinue reading “Book review: “Colony Mars” by Gerald M. Kilby and “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel…”

Book Review: “The Windup Girl” by Paolo Bacigalupi

Originally published in 2009, I was gifted a copy of “The Windup Girl” a couple of years ago and have just gotten around to reading it. WOW! What a fantastic story!And what a perfectly executed piece of writing! On the front cover of my copy there is a quote from Time Magazine claiming that ‘BacigalupiContinue reading “Book Review: “The Windup Girl” by Paolo Bacigalupi”

“Signal 238” – a Lovecraftian horror story set in the New Cold War…

I’ve just published my latest short story, ‘Signal 238’… Set on a Royal Navy nuclear ballistic missile submarine, the crew unexpectedly discover the resting place of one of the ancient rulers of the Earth, the ‘Great Old Ones’… … but when K-Thalassa is disturbed, they expose their boat, its nuclear weapons and their very livesContinue reading ““Signal 238” – a Lovecraftian horror story set in the New Cold War…”

All of my books can now be downloaded from my website for free…

It’s 10 months since I left the ‘gulag’ of full time employment and became a real person. I’m now enjoying life properly, as it’s meant to be lived, and feeling grateful every day for having retired. One decision I’ve made is to carry on writing, but to share my work for free. This gives meContinue reading “All of my books can now be downloaded from my website for free…”

Yet Another UK Government Nuclear Cover-Up…

In a 7th April ’25 email, CND has reported on their discovery that successive UK governments have exempted US armed forces from the “Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017” (ref https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/1075/contents ). This means that US forces are exempt from any UK enforcement of safety standards, including the safety of their radioactive materials and weapons. It alsoContinue reading “Yet Another UK Government Nuclear Cover-Up…”

Partial solar eclipse – 29/3/25…

Building on the technique I developed last summer for observing the Sun (see “Sept ’24 – Solar Observations from Summer ’24…” from 25/9/24 on my blog), I was well-placed to observe today’s partial solar eclipse. Here is an image I took, showing both the Moon passing between Earth and the Sun, and a few sunspots:Continue reading “Partial solar eclipse – 29/3/25…”