IN TRUE book club fashion, I thought I’d try something out of my comfort zone and read some science fiction.

Brian Aldiss is a huge hero in the world of SF and his library of work is huge. I found him fascinating on a Desert Island Discs podcast from 2007 where I learnt his story “Super-Toys Last All Summer Long” was turned into a Steven Spielberg film “A.I.”.

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be sent his latest book - called Comfort Zone - and thought I’d give it a whirl. However, this is one of his books that is not science fiction (so any other good SF recommendations will be welcome in the shop for a future read).

Comfort Zone is about the residents of Old Headington, a leafy suburb of Oxford. When they learn that a local pub is being knocked down to make room for a mosque, they find their normal liberal views overthrown by deep seated prejudices. Looking on with great interest is Justin Haddock, a retired academic in his eighties. Inspired by these developments, Haddock begins work on a new thesis about the dangers of religion and the roll of chance in society – only to have both subjects start to impact on his own life more closely than he could have expected.

Having got over the disappointment of it not being a science fiction book, I found it a real pot boiler of a novel full of brilliance and wit and it proves that even after sixty years of writing, Brian Aldiss is still fresh and relevant. I will be delving into his vast back catalogue with relish in the New Year.