A compelling new chapter for the Fens

Fit for a king: the new departures concourse at
King's Cross railway station

I used to read at least one book a week commuting to London on the days I didn't need to drive. The afternoon railway journey into the capital allowed me an hour's reading time while the tedious trip home on the last train from King's Cross in the early hours gave me a further 20 minutes.
Thankfully, I am now spared that debilitating routine.
No more trips from Platform 9B at about 1.40am on the Vomit Comet, a somewhat inaccurate label from passengers since it was - and presumably still is - a train which takes in so many stations as it heads slowly to Peterborough. Nothing like a comet, but the vomit part was often correct. The journey could be a real sickener. Ugh. Too much information.

Say Cheese: the cover of a menu at
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in Fleet Street

The downside is that book reading has suffered at the expense of a less stressful lifestyle. Up until a few days ago, I have been dipping in and out of the odd novel. Not so much a reflection of the author's talent as my ability to be easily distracted. There's always something else to do.
London now calls just once a week, although I did travel in by train a few days ago to meet up with former colleagues at the [Ye Olde] Cheshire Cheese in Fleet Street.
The pub, which was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1666 and rebuilt the following year, has been frequented by many famous people - I'm not referring to Piers Morgan here - such as Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Dr Samuel Johnson and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Last week, however, the famous establishment, with its dark wooden panels, open fires and sawdust-covered stone ground floor, had to make do with a bunch of ne'er-do-wells. It was a enjoyable to have a good chinwag with some good pals, and to take the compulsory trip down Memory Lane. It was also a great opportunity to begin reading a book on the train.

Fleeting glimpse: St Paul's Cathedral dominates the view from
Fleet Street looking across Ludgate Circus

Unlike many of my fellow passengers, I opted for the orginal, a Kindle Mk I, which was a good old-fashioned paperback. I've nothing against Kindles, a great piece of kit, but I felt the need for a real book on this occasion. One with pages of paper. Remember them?
And my choice of author? Well, I decided it was high time I actually started something written by a highly commended local author, so I chose Jim Kelly, whose blog can be found on this link: http://www.jim-kelly.co.uk/.
What a great choice. I raced through The Water Clock, following the escapades of journalist Philip Dryden against the backdrop of my very own Fens. I am now hooked on the novels of this compelling writer and I am just about to embark on another Dryden tale, The Moon Tunnel.
I am pleased to say that my enthusiasm for the talent of Ely-based Mr Kelly is shared by others far more qualified to pass judgment. Here is just one of many tributes that sums it up for me:

Cover of The Water Clock

"Kelly's evocation of the bleak and watery landscapes provide a powerful backdrop to a wonderful cast of characters . . ."

Praise indeed.

And here's Fenman's contribution:

"A big thank-you to Jim Kelly. It's about bloody time I started reading books again."