The IBIC Guide to Books By Dick Francis
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October 4, 1994
WILD HORSES by Dick Francis (G.P. Putnam's Sons) is at the level
with the author's best work. In fact, I don't think Francis has
ever written a bad or uninspired book. That's pretty good for a
guy who's written 34 novels as a second career.
It's
interesting: Francis always delivers. What he delivers varies
from book to book, but there's always a substantial theme at the
heart of each book. For example, many of his novels have
explored variations on themes of physical courage and endurance.
The theme of this book is of a different nature, but it is as compelling as usual.
The protagonist, Thomas Lyon, is a film director who's making a
movie about a long-buried racing scandal. The best part of this
book is the eventual revelation of the secret at the heart of the
scandal. I found it a genuinely surprising mystery twist which
made complete and sad sense in terms of human nature. Highly
recommended.
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Editor's Recommendations, Summer 1996
In this inaugural edition of IBIC's Featured Books, I'd like to
draw your attention to several titles which have helped to shape my life
and thinking.
- When I was around fifteen, I came across Larry Niven and
Jerry Pournelle's science fiction novel, INFERNO. This '70s remake of Dante's
classic describes science fiction writer Allen Carpentier's
descent into Hell. It's still a very fresh, accessible take on
the classic. What a great movie it would make!
- The Niven/Pournelle INFERNO
immediately inspired me to read the original Divine Comedy.
I've read a number of translations over the years, but my
favorite is the one by Dorothy Sayers (INFERNO;
PURGATORY;
PARADISE). The notes
are excellent, and Sayers had such a knowledgeable and witty mind that reading
her prose is a pleasure in itself. (For those interested in a more contemporary translation, I should mention that Robert Pinsky received excellent notices for his 1995 THE
INFERNO OF DANTE : A NEW VERSE TRANSLATION; it's a very handsome book.)
- I also want to tell you about the late Henry Fairlie's THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS TODAY,
which probably did more than any other single book to galvanize me into a lifetime interest
in Christianity that led me, eventually, to faith. Ironic, because Fairlie was a self-proclaimed agnostic socialist! But
reading between the lines of this insightful and deeply feeling book, one realizes
that the love of God cannot have been far from Fairlie's heart.
- Finally, I should draw to your attention a more recent
acquisition, the very handsome NIV
STUDY BIBLE (10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION) from Zondervan, indexed and bonded in leather in
IBIC's theme color, burgundy (black
and brown
are also available). The notes to this Bible are amazing. They
appear to provide you with a very substantial portion of what you need to
know to have an intelligent layman's appreciation of the
linguistic and historical issues involved in understanding
Scripture.
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