Hello readers! A few days ago I watched Tenet, a 2020 science fiction thriller from Christopher Nolan. If you made the perfectly reasonable decision to avoid cinemas that year, there’s a chance you haven’t heard of it. Tenet didn’t flop, but it didn’t make much of a splash, and although its ripples were scrutinised by … Continue reading Film review: Tenet
Free book weekend: 9th-10th September
Hello readers! It's time for another free book weekend. From the 9th-10th September, all my books will be FREE on Amazon (find them here). I have two series on offer: the first is The Starlit Ship, a science fiction thriller that explores the environmental and political fallout after a giant ship arrives unexpectedly in the … Continue reading Free book weekend: 9th-10th September
Clayton goes to the Peak District
Hello readers! Last weekend was surprisingly sunny for September, and I made the most of this by taking a day out to the Peak District. I walked up to Kinder Scout, a moorland plateau housing the highest point in the national park. The journey begins I started my walk in Edale, a quiet little village … Continue reading Clayton goes to the Peak District
Clayton Calculates: Ice Magic
Hello readers! Today we’re taking an analytical dive into the feasibility of ‘ice magic’, which I am defining as the ability to conjure solid ice out of thin air. This frosty power is found in traditional fantasy and in superhero genres, from Elsa in Frozen, to Todoroki in My Hero Academia, to Frozone in The … Continue reading Clayton Calculates: Ice Magic
Free book weekend: 26th-28th August
Hello readers! This weekend, all my books will be FREE on Amazon (find them here). My first trilogy, The Starlit Ship, is a science fiction thriller that explores the environmental and political fallout after a giant ship arrives unexpectedly in the upper atmosphere. The first two books of my second series, Highmoor, will also be … Continue reading Free book weekend: 26th-28th August
Film review: Annihilation
Hello readers! Last week I watched Annihilation (2018), a science fiction film that received widespread critical acclaim. As with my previous review of Arrival, I will respect the integrity of this film by splitting my review into two parts: the first will contain only minor spoilers, aimed towards people who haven’t seen the film but … Continue reading Film review: Annihilation
Six-minute summary: Sophie Germain
Hello readers! Today we’re taking a look at the life of Sophie Germain, a French mathematician. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d never heard of her, and by the end of this summary, I hope you’ll agree that this is a terrible shame. Childhood Sophie Germain was born in Paris in 1776, with the full … Continue reading Six-minute summary: Sophie Germain
Film review: Arrival
Hello readers! This week, I rewatched Arrival (2016). Not quite sure what prompted me to do so: maybe it was the bizarre US Congress hearing, where ex-military personnel attested to seeing UFOs? Maybe it was the fact that Netflix has been pushing me to watch this film since I added it to my list a … Continue reading Film review: Arrival
Clayton gets a pet rock
Hello readers! Last weekend I received the most astonishing gift: a huge lump of polished stone, perfectly cylindrical and shiny, with a conspicuous hole drilled into the top. This is a curling stone, used in the strange, slippery sport of curling – a sort of halfway house between ice hockey and pétanque. The history of … Continue reading Clayton gets a pet rock
Six-minute summary: Tycho Brahe
Hello readers! It’s time for another six-minute summary. This week, we’re discussing Tycho Brahe, a 16th century Danish astronomer who revolutionised the collection of astronomical data. Wikipedia describes him as “the last major astronomer before the invention of the telescope” – and yet Brahe could have lived just long enough to see this paradigm shift … Continue reading Six-minute summary: Tycho Brahe
C. W. Clayton 