The Grain Kings

A book of short stories by the wonderfully descriptive Keith Roberts. If I had to nail Roberts it would be that as a writer he is very easy to enjoy, for when at his best, see Pavane, he is very poetical and descriptive. He is not though a great story teller as such. Be that as it may this is a very worthy read at times.

Weihnachtsabend. (1972). An alternative history in that the UK made peace with Nazi Germany with a senior civil servant and a love interest along with a manhunt being of chief concern. Not a bad story.

The White Boat (1966). This is a fantastic piece of writing. The White Boat is in the superb Pavane and it is found here as a short story. I read it through again and came out the other end knowing that it deserved a third read and so have. I love the descriptive beauty of the prose, the way it drags me in and has me hanging off every word. It is a tale of hope and fear and even fulfilling your dreams. It has qualities of redemption. It is about not understanding a changing world. The most gorgeous 22 page story I have ever read.

The Passing of the Dragons (1972). The exploitation of an alien species leads to their demise. Not a bad tale and again Roberts descriptive writing makes a fairly shallow story come to life.

The Trustie Tree (1973). A crash victim on another world is taken by boat via canal system by an indgenious man. Descriptive prose of the man's delirium is the main reason to enjoy this tale.

The Lake of Tuonela (1973). The same planet many years later and a well meaning human takes along a local indigenous guide to assist him in taking a boat along long lost canal waterways. I enjoyed this tale. Again beautiful prose. What I found interesting was the modern take on Manifest Destiny.

The Grain Kings (1972). Very dated. Giant city like grain harvesters from the USA and the USSR charge across the Alaskan plains feeding the world. Cold war feel that seemed a touch irrelevant. Truly average love scene as well.

I Lose Medea (1972). I enjoyed this odd short story about a man who took his girlfriend camping and they had to put up with ghosts and things that go bump in the night. Well kind of. Roberts descriptive prose just dragged me along but I have to admit I have no idea what it is about. But I enjoyed it and that is what counts.