Author:Hugh McIlvanney,H McIlvanney
Hugh McIlvanney is a living legend in sports journalism. A regular winner of the fiercely contested UK Sports Writer of the Year award, he also has the unique distinction of being the only sports writer to have been voted Journalist of the Year. He is respected for his incisive commentaries and perceptive analyses of football and racing, but this collection contains the best of his writing on his first great passion, boxing. The book features in-depth analysis of the build-up, climax and aftermath of over 25 showdowns including: Muhammad Ali vs. Henry Cooper (1966) Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali (1971) George Foreman vs. Ken Norton (1974) Eusibio Pedvoza vs. Barry McGuigan (1985) Lloyd Honeyghan vs. Marlon Starling (1989) Mike Tyson vs. Frank Bruno (1989) An essential read for boxing lovers of all ages with writing so vivid that readers will feel like they have a ringside seat.
After this book, nothing will seem the same again ... beautifully written and illustrated ... dazzling ... reveals a world that's both more extraordinary and more delicate than could be imagined
—— Mail on SundayRiveting and surprising at every turn ... A sensory as well as an intellectual pleasure
—— New StatesmanWondrous ... Humans should consider fungi among the greatest of earth's marvels
—— Time, Books of the YearMind-boggling ... It's tempting ... to see fungi as the biological model for a better world
—— TelegraphTruly astounding ... An engrossing, captivating journey
—— SpectatorGorgeous, intelligent, utterly absorbing ... it expands our world, and makes us look up from the page with renewed wonder
—— Irish TimesOne of those rare books that can truly change the way you see the world around you ... revelatory ... astounding ... and brimming with infectious joy
—— HELEN MACDONALD, author of H is for HawkA true masterpiece, a thrilling and fascinating insight into the living world ... I hope and trust that it will become an instant classic
—— GEORGE MONBIOTBlew my mind ... Essential reading. Go and get swept up in a new world
—— ANDREA WULF, author of The Invention of NatureAstonishing ... it's impossible to finish this book without feeling awestruck
—— ANDREW MOTION, TLS Books of the YearDelightful to read but also grand and dizzying in how thoroughly it recalibrates our understanding of the natural world
—— ED YONG, author of An Immense WorldSentence after sentence stopped me short. I ended it wonderstruck at the fungal world - the secrets of which modern science is only now beginning to fathom - and the earth-shaking, hierarchy-breaking implications of Sheldrake's argument. A remarkable work by a remarkable writer
—— ROBERT MACFARLANE, author of UnderlandA revelation ... Changes the way we need to look at life, the planet and ourselves
—— ISABELLA TREE, author of WildingWonderfully written ... surprising ... The best science writing invites people to view the world around them in a new way, and Entangled Life is a perfect example
—— BRIAN COXThis is a book that, by virtue of the power of its writing, shifts your sense of the human ... It will inspire a generation
—— Michael Pollan (Bay Area Book Festival, 2020)I have been working on and reading and writing about fungi for a decade. And yet, nearly every page of this book contained either an observation so interesting or a turn of phrase so lovely that I was moved to slow down, stop, and reread ... This book rocked me into remembering that nature, especially fungal nature, is big and encompassing and creative and destructive. It reminded me that fungi are, like the universe, sublime
—— Rob Dunne, ScienceA magical journey deep into the root of nature by an expert storyteller ... a must-read for citizen scientists hoping to make a positive difference on this sacred planet we share
—— PAUL STAMETS, author of Mycelium RunningReading this book, I felt surrounded by a web of wonder. The natural world is more fantastic than any fantasy, so long as you have the means to perceive it. This book provides the means
—— JARON LANIER, author of Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right NowYou may never look at fungi in the same way ... an eye-opening exploration of this mysterious taxonomic kingdom ... a journey into an untapped world. It is both a wonderful collection of fungal feats ... and a personal account of Sheldrake's experiences with these miraculous organisms
—— New ScientistBrilliant ... entrancing ... when we look closely [at fungi], we meet large, unsettling questions ... Merlin Sheldrake ... carries us easily into these questions with ebullience and precision ... challenging some of our deepest assumptions
—— GuardianA joy ... a captivating trip into the weird and wonderful mycorrhizal world around us - and inside us ... full of startling revelations
—— Daily MailThe oddest and most uplifting book ... It is, to say the least, rare to find such a vast area of life on earth - fungi - about which one knows almost nothing, and which gives promise of being so important to human life during our next century
—— ANDREW MARR, New Statesman Books of the YearIf you had told me a book about fungi would be both enthralling and completely mind-blowing, I wouldn't have believed you. And yet. Dazzlingly good
—— INDIA KNIGHT, Sunday TimesA triumph and a thing of vast beauty
—— TOM HODGKINSON, The IdlerFungi are everywhere, and Merlin Sheldrake is an ideal guide to their mysteries. He's passionate, deeply knowledgeable and a wonderful writer
—— ELIZABETH KOLBERT, author of Under a White SkyDeeply engaging and constantly surprising ... the magic of mushrooms is not merely mind-expanding ... it might expand the very concept of the mind
—— PHILIP BALL, ProspectAs hard to put down as a thrilling detective novel, and one of the best works of popular science writing that I have enjoyed in years
—— DENNIS MCKENNA, author (with Terence McKenna) of Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower's GuideIt is impossible to put this book down. Entangled Life provides a window into the mind-boggling biology and fascinating cultures surrounding fungal life, as well as fungi's innumerable uses in materials, medicine and ecology. Sheldrake asks us to consider a life-form that is radically alien to ours, yet vibrant and lively underfoot
—— HANS ULRICH OBRISTThis is not just for mushroom-heads - it is science at its most uplifting
—— JEANETTE WINTERSON, The TimesPlayful, strange, intensely philosophical ... Until very recently, human knowledge of this most mysterious life-form, neither plant nor animal, has been extremely limited. This is astounding, given ... their seismic impact on life on earth ... [Sheldrake's] central vision of the interconnectedness of all life-forms feels shiveringly prescient
—— TelegraphStunning... Sheldrake's passion and knowledge leaps off every spread. From the microscopic to the majestic, the colour images create an entertaining and enchanting experience.
—— New Scientist, *2023 Best Photobooks*An artfully balanced novel - charming but never saccharine. The world Zevin has created is textured, expansive and, just like those built by her characters, playful
—— Pippa Bailey , ObserverThis book is impossibly good-one of the best books I've ever read in my entire life. I press it into people's hands with a demented kind of urgency. 'Yeah, yeah, I don't care about video games either. I promise you'll love it.' And everybody does. How did Gabrielle Zevin write such a perfect novel about friendship? I mean, really. How? In any case, she did, and it's a treasure
—— CATHERINE NEWMANTremendous new novel about art, friendship and gaming . . . a literary blockbuster destined to be filed in the Great American Novel category
—— Helen Brown , Independent"Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" is actually a novel about friendship . . . a creative partnership as intense as a marriage . . . draws any curious reader into the pioneering days of a vast entertainment industry too often scorned by bookworms. And with the depth and sensitivity of a fine fiction writer, Zevin argues for the abiding appeal of the flickering screen
—— Ron Charles , Washington PostA brilliant story about life's most challenging puzzles: friendship, family, love, loss. By turns funny, poignant, wistful, and occasionally devastating
—— NATHAN HILL, author of THE NIXThe sort of book that comes around once in a decade - a magnificent feat of storytelling. It is a book about the intersection between love and friendship, work and vocation, and the impossible and relentless pull of our own west-bound destinies
—— REBECCA SERLE, author of In Five YearsSam and Sadie's relationship is pure wizardry; it's deep and complex, transcending anything we might call a love story. Whether you care about video games or not is beside the point. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is the novel you've been waiting to read
—— Book Page, Chika GujarathiI feel completely changed by this book from Gabrielle Zevin. It's a book about love - about friendship, but really it transcends the borders of storytelling. My heart ached when I finished it. Truly unforgettable
—— CATHERINE CHO, author of InfernoThe perfect engrossing holiday read...beautiful and heartbreaking
—— The Times, *Summer Reads of 2023*Zevin's delight in her characters, their qualities, and their projects sprinkles a layer of fairy dust over the whole enterprise. Sure to enchant even those who have never played a video game in their lives, with instant cult status for those who have.
—— KirkusA one-of-a-kind achievement
—— Publishers WeeklyA particularly memorable and compelling kind of love story... [a] nuanced depiction of human connection over 30 years that will have you blinking back tears behind your sunglasses
—— Culture Whisper, *Summer Reads of 2022*dazzling and intricately imagined
—— B&N ReadsZevin's writing is like being put under a spell. She's kind of magical.
—— Liberty Hardy , WBEZSure to enchant even those who have never played a video game in their lives, with instant cult status for those who have.
—— Kirkusexhilarating
—— Smithsonianengrossing
—— Wall Street Journaldelightful and absorbing . . . expansive and entertaining
—— Tom Bissell , New York TimesThe go-to for your next hit of Nineties nostalgia; if you ever spent too long playing Donkey Kong, this one's for you
—— Evening Standard, *Summer Reads of 2022*This is a boy meets girl story that is never a romance - though it is romantic . . . Their relationship is a joining of minds and of worlds that is both purer and sweeter than any base physical attraction
—— Pippa Bailey , ObserverBig-hearted, generous, intelligent and open to the complexities of life
—— Irish IndependentA novel that treasures the act of play and holds it sacred . . . the world of video games and video game development is just the landscape in which life plays out . . . Tomorrow is about love, above all things
—— Sarah Maria Griffin , GuardianDelightful and absorbing
—— Tom Bissell , International New York TimesTeenagers of the 21st century are as likely to bond over video games as they are rock music or movies. Gabrielle Zevin's exhilarating, timely and emotive book is perhaps the first novel to truly get to grips with what this means
—— GuardianExhilarating... this is refreshingly original
—— PsychologiesIt is the imaginary world of a game, a world Zevin describes with the addict's ardour, which forms a universe even the sturdiest parent or antediluvian book-lover will be enticed into.
—— Big IssueFriendship, love, loyalty, violence in America and the magic of invented worlds. Gorgeous
—— PeopleTomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a special book -- one that transports readers fully, as games do their players, into its immaculately crafted world
—— The TimesWoven throughout are meditations on originality, appropriation, the similarities between video games and other forms of art, the liberating possibilities of inhabiting a virtual world, and the ways in which platonic love can be deeper and more rewarding - especially in the context of a creative partnership - than romance.
—— New YorkerZevin probes at many of the themes that energize video games as a medium: their narrative depth, their therapeutic value, their casual violence, their toxic industry. And the possibility of living a better life in a virtual world
—— WiredZevin has the ability to make you care about her creations within paragraphs of meeting them... whose fates I consistently worried about when I occasionally had to put the book aside.
—— Financial Times[An] engrossing, delightful novel... Zevin has the ability to make you care about her creations within paragraphs of meeting them... [Tomorrow] is rich with characters whose intertwined fates power the narrative
—— Financial TimesThis book, with its respect for craft-the craft of love and games, or loving games-will remind you of how abundant one life is, how lucky we are to keep each other in our memories forever.
—— Kotaku[I] raced through this pure wonder of a book in a few days
—— NINA MINGYA POWLES, author of Small Bodies of WaterA 2022 book that everyone should read
—— Pandora Sykes , Stylist LIVEA must-read
—— Neil DruckmannAnyone who reads Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow can't stop talking about it
—— StylistUtterly beautiful and endlessly hopeful, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a love letter to life, friendship, and creativity
—— The Skinny, *Books of 2022*[The] 2022 book that everyone should read
—— Pandora Sykes , Stylist LiveMy #1 book to recommend . . . incredible, like The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon meets The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. It's about love and friendship and video games
—— Emma StraubIt feels right that the best video game novel out there is by a woman. Her story about the decades-long friendship and partnership between video game designers Sam and Sadie gets at so much about work, love and storytelling. It's a book that spawns great conversations.
—— Irenosen Okojie, author of NudibranchIn following Sam and Sadie's journey from Massachusetts to California and into the imagined worlds of their games, Zevin writes the most precious kind of love story
—— Time Magazine, Best Novel of the YearZevin's writing is poetic, the plot is entertaining, moving and gripping and the nods to real life video games make it all feel incredibly real
—— Skinny, *Books of the Year*Reading this is almost like an invitation from Zevin to enter a game...with every scene and moment so carefully constructed. Just brilliant
—— Skinny, *Books of the Year*I loved it
—— Sarah KeyworthA hugely enjoyable novel about lives and loves mediated by technology
—— Guardian, *Summer Reads of 2023*This playful, accomplished novel is a poignant celebration of friendship, love - and gaming
—— Daily MailAn engrossing coming-of-age story
—— Sunday Times, *Books of the Year*Epic in scale, with unforgettable characters, it breaks you heart and puts it back together
—— Daily Express, *Books of the Year*