Space - The Final Frontier

Originally published to accompany the BBC series first shown in 2001 and now republished in large format paperback, this book is both a delight to look at and a great read.

Broken down into bitesize chunks and covering everything from the birth of stars to cosmic coincidences, I found it especially interesting as I can be a little 'hard of thinking' when it comes to areas such as this.

How can some planets have days that are longer than their years? Who measured the distance from Earth to Mars and did they have to make sure the tape measure was rigid?

The mixture of diagrams, photos and images neatly explain why there are two types of planet within our solar system and there is a picture of Sergeant Bilko on page 155. Does this book want for nothing?

Antony Silson

China Lake

The USA comes under threat from religious fundamentalists in this fast-moving debut thriller from Meg Gardiner.

But it isn't the usual suspects: these are Christians who have decided to give the Apocalypse a helping hand.

The narrator is a young lawyer whose nephew becomes the focus of a religious cult's obsession

Several deaths and kidnap attempts later she realises young Luke plays just one part in their frightening plot.

China Lake begins dramatically and it's twist-packed plot and disturbing premise makes for riveting reading .

But the story comes unstuck, holes replacing twists, and the interchangeable characters and repetitive action scenes become tiresome.

It's still worth reading, though and I for one look forward to Gardiner's follow-up novel Mission Canyon this July.

David Knights