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11. The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson (1954). I studied a little Viking history at university, so I've read a couple of the sagas (albeit a few years ago now). It strikes me that, though they've been a great source of inspiration to fantasy writers, they aren't particularly good stylistic models for modern literature -- stories that try too hard to sound like the sagas can fall a bit flat. But Poul Anderson gets it right in The Broken Sword, which reads to me like a Norse saga (with added fantasy -- I don't know how much of the story is drawn from Viking mythology, and how much is Anderson's own invention) imbued with modern literary colour -- which makes this book feel fresher in places than a good number of fantasies written in the fifty years since its publication!

The story: England's elves are at war with the trolls; the elves' greatest champion is Skafloc, a human prince swapped at birth with a changeling, Valgard, who now fights for the trolls. As the situation grows ever more desperate, the elves' only hope is for Skafloc to have the cursed sword Tyrfing reforged -- but Tyrfing demands blood whenever it is drawn; so, as you may expect, all ends in tragedy. I was flagging a bit from about halfway (as I tend to with any book written an archaic style, regardless of when it was written -- but that's my problem, not the book's), but The Broken Sword is still as good a book of its type as I've read.

12. Black Static, issue 2 (2007). There used to be a magazine called The Third Alternative, which published dark 'slipstream' fiction. After its publishers took over the science fiction magazine Interzone, they decided to relaunch TTA without any SF-flavoured stories (which, they felt, would now be better served by Interzone. The result was Black Static.

It's a long time since I read an issue of The Third Alternative in full (and not just becuase it's a long time since there was one to read!), buton this, my first encounter, Black Static was instantly familiar -- which is both a good thing and a bad thing. The stories are good, don't get me wrong; but, at the same time, there's nothing in the magazine that truly sparkles for me, because nothing in it truly surprised me. Things would surely be different if I had never read TTA; but, since I had, the lost souls and displaced realities of these tales covered old ground. I'd say my favourite story was 'Holding Pattern' by Andrew Humphrey, about who finds reality 'failing' around him -- except, that is, when he wants it to most. I single out this one because I feel it's the most effective at tying its fantasy elements to its emotional story; but, even so. it is good rather than great.

Black Static also has a substantial number of non-fiction colums which, similar to the fiction, I found interesting but not truly thought-provoking (though the reviews gave me a couple of leads I want to follow up). My pick of these would be Christopher Fowler's piece, which puts a different slant on the 'independent vs mainstream' debate -- though he seemed to be talking about something different at the end from what he was at the beginning, so I'm not sure what to think about it.

Reading this back, I think it comes across as harsher than I intended. Certainly, if none of the names or titles I've mentioned here mean anything to you, this issue of Black Static is a good place to start. But it's not as good as I'd hoped.

A while ago, I found Roger Ebert's website, and I've discovered that he's my kind of critic. Which is not to say that I'd always agree with him, but that I like his approach: he's wide ranging, cares deeply about his subject, and writes both intelligently and entertainingly. His recommendation was a key reason I went to see No Country for Old Men; and the same goes for Juno which, to be honest, isn't the sort of film I would normally choose to see. But Ebert thinks this comedy about an unplanned teen pregnancy is exceptional; other reviews I checked said the same; and it's always good to step outside your comfort zone sometimes -- so I gave it a go.

I would not be as enthusiastic about the movie as Ebert is, but it's certainly very good. It wasn't as laugh-out-loud funny as I'd expected (though it is that in places); but it's all there in the glances and expressions. The lead performances are all excellent. Ellen Page plays 16-year-old Juno, a precociously articulate (but never unlikeable) girl who decides to have sex with a friend, gets pregnant; and, put off after visiting an abortion clinic, decides to put the baby up for adoption. Juno's words and gags are her armour, and she's thrown by her pregnancy; Page gives a marvellously nuanced performance as the girl trying to deal with the events of the movie. Michael Cera is also great as Bleeker, the other participant in Juno's sexual experiment. Bleeker is a runner (the film is punctuated with regular appearances by his team), a good-natured lad who, you sense, would like to express his feelings more, but words don't come naturally to him as they do to Juno. Only at the end do they find the perfect way to communicate with each other on an equal level, by sitting down with their guitars and duetting.

Then there is the couple who agree to adopt Juno's child. They appear to be perfect -- glamorous and living in a beautiful house -- though cracks eventually begin to show. Jennifer Garner portrays Vanessa, who desperately wants to be a mother, but thinks the essence of parenting lies in books and classes. Jason Bateman is equally good as Mark, Vanessa's husband, the composer of advertising jingles who would've liked to have been a rock star. During Juno's trips to visit him [*}, they find enough shared interests that -- the poignant realisation grows -- they could be perfect for each other, if only circumstances (and generations) were different. But, as it is, Juno and Mark don't go down that road; there's just an unspoken acknowledgement of what might have been, and a resignation that it cannot be. That's just one example of the great emotional complexity and subtlety to be found in Juno amid the laughs.

I could go on -- I haven't even touched on the characters of Juno's parents for one thing -- but I think I've made my point. If you haven't seen Juno, I heartily recommend it; even -- perhaps especially -- if you think it might not be your sort of thing.

* I was surprised to see Juno driving alone, but checked and found that, in some US states, the legal driving age is indeed lower than here in the UK.