Hornby) -Mikey Isitt

Tonight I’ll be Reading: Fever Pitch

(Nick Hornby)

mikey isitt

By pure chance, little Nick Hornby’s father takes him to an Arsenal game, and a lifelong obsession is born. Fever Pitch is the memoir of Hornby’s life set alongside Arsenal football club, chronicling his ups and downs ‘game-by-game.’ The author finds meaning in unconditionally loving his (mostly disappointing) team, and has important things to say about sport culture, hooliganism, and middle-class life in general.

Fever Pitch is like a nice chat with a mate.

It’s an easy-to-read exploration of a sport fan’s mind. Why are we so invested in something we have no control over? Why do we let these games have a say in our emotions, our thoughts, and our social lives? Why do we idolise athletes who’re just getting a pay check? These are questions every fanatic with two brain cells asks themselves at some point.

As an Arsenal fan, I enjoyed relating to the disappointment, the pain, the depression ‘the Gunners’ have caused over the years. It’s like they said in the movie Two Hands: when a writer describes the exact same shit you’re going through, it’s a nice feeling. Hornby says towards the end “I have begun to relish the misery that football provides,” because it makes the good times that much sweeter.

Although Hornby’s constant self-deprecating style is tiresome at points, he gives sobering reflections about hooliganism and England’s similar drinking culture to Australia. He recalls times he’s tried to act tough; a time he got jumped after a game; and a time he looked at the TV in shame during a disaster in Belgium, in which English hooligans caused the deaths of thirty-eight people.

Escapism, one of the key benefits of sports, is a central theme of the book. Escapism is normally something I’m wary of. We need to focus on the real world, the things that really matter, but indulging in a little bit of fantasy is fair enough. If I had to live in England, I’d need a distraction too.

Fever Pitch is required reading for any sport fanatic, and non-sport lovers – who might have a partner who can’t shut up about the cricket, or a family who shout at the telly – should find it educational.

Why 2021 is the best time to read Frank Herbert’s Dune

raChel denham-white

“ARRAkIS – DUNE – DESERT PLANET.”

an iConiC line From an iConiC book.

Frank Herbert’s Dune, written in 1965, is a sprawling science fiction story set on the planet Arrakis, an arid desert world also known as ‘Dune’. The planet is the sole source of ‘The Spice,’ a drug secreted by giant sandworms, which causes long life, prophetic visions, superhuman intelligence, and is the main resource for interstellar travel. It is the most valuable substance in the entire galactic empire. Above all things, ‘The Spice’ must flow.

Dune is a series that spans six main instalments, myriad prequels, sequels, graphic novels and film adaptations, but it’s always the first book that I keep returning to. What makes this book so enduring? And why is 2021 the perfect time to take a step into the world of Arrakis? Here come some mild spoilers.

Well, for obvious reasons, ‘cause there’s a film adaptation on the way! Originally intended to come out in 2020, but delayed due to Covid, Denis Villeneuve’s take on Dune remains my most anticipated movie of 2021. Villeneuve has already proved he can handle a big blockbuster adaptation, as Blade Runner 2049 captured the true spirit of the original and was a beautiful looking film to boot. I can already predict this movie will be a hit thanks to its all-star cast, (including Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya), but it’s always a good idea to get a handle on the story before going to see a movie adaptation.

My stance on the original book has always been, ‘if Star Wars is a Broadway musical, Dune is the Wagner opera.’ This is some seriously hard sci-fi. The story spans many thousands of

years and involves a complicated hierarchy of great houses. Herbert pulls my favourite trope in literature, and uses a combination of invented and Arabic words to create a whole new language within the book. What makes the story even harder to follow is that not only do some characters live for many hundreds of years, the in-universe world has perfected cloning, so a lot of the same characters turn up throughout the series. After they’ve already died. Sometimes multiple times.

When looking back on the first Dune novel, it’s truly astonishing how much this book has contributed to science fiction literature. Fans of The Wheel of Time series will notice similarities, and George Lucas borrowed a lot from Herbert when creating the Star Wars universe. By the same token, Game of Thrones can definitely be called a ‘medieval fantasy version’ of Dune, with its sweeping prophecies, Machiavellian characters and complex feudal system.

But what makes 2021 a particularly apt year to read Dune? Well, after a tumultuous 2020, which many of us may consider the most divisive and unpleasant year in living memory, it’s even more apparent that the themes in Dune are just as important today. With a limited supply of spice fuelling the universe and the importance of water in the ruthless desert environment, Dune paints the picture of a looming climate crisis.

One of the book’s main themes is the danger of following charismatic leaders, as Paul’s reign starts a vicious jihad that spreads throughout the galaxy. After four years of Trump, and the unbelievable division of the 2020 election, we’ve been witnessing for ourselves how charismatic leaders and devoted followers can cause upheaval and devastation.

Or take my favourite subplot in Dune, how Paul becomes the messianic “Muad’Dib” thanks to an ancient prophecy. The catch? The prophecy was seeded on Arrakis thousands of years before, as Paul’s rise to power was planned from the start.

The story deals with the way information can be planted and interpreted, the way ideas can change over time until no one really knows or questions how the idea originated. Considering how fast information travels online and how easy it is to spread misinformation in our modern world, this sinister subplot always feels disturbingly relevant whenever I read the book. Dune is a novel that almost prophetically captures the upheaval, uncertainty and divided nature of our modern world.

It’s no secret that Dune is a challenging read. You’ll have to battle with Taoist philosophy, questions of free will, religion, destiny, prophecy and betrayal before you can get to the swordfights and giant sandworms. But no matter how dense this sci-fi doorstopper is, Dune endures for its creativity, its relevance, its timelessness and its pure innovation. For any fans of the genre or those who want to explore a new series in 2021, I couldn’t recommend it more.

But good luck with the pronunciation. Kwisatz Haderach is still giving me one hell of a headache.