tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29742681714499923862024-03-13T18:51:06.903+00:00Shiny Shortssharing the love of short fictionJenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-29263654193418922972013-06-18T09:41:00.000+01:002013-06-18T09:41:34.671+01:00Getting Your Fix #1 - Online MagazinesFrom time to time it is said that short fiction is a dying form and that
publishers just aren’t publishing it any more. To that I say:
bollocks! Short fiction has never been healthier and more available
than it is now. There are more anthologies than you can shake a stick
at, e-book shorts are sold for the device of your choice via assorted
retailers, authors post free online fiction on their websites and then
there’s the crown jewel of the short fiction world – online magazines.<br />
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To the surprise of no-one who knows me, I love online magazines. (Check out the <a href="http://bradanpress.blogspot.co.uk/p/shiny-stuff.html">Shiny Stuff</a>
section for links to my favourite stories!) And really, what’s not to
love. So long as you have an internet connection and some kind of tech
to read on, you have easy access to a vast quantity of free fiction. If
you don’t like reading on a computer screen, then you can throw a few
quid the magazine’s way and subscribe to get the e-book versions
delivered to your preferred reading device, and many magazines do
podcast versions of their stories and dead-tree versions as either
individual issues or end of year anthologies.<br />
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But me, I read on screens. (Laptops, unlimited broadband and wifi – the
three best inventions in the universe, I tell you true. Kindles and
iPads come a close second.) I slush for <a href="http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/">Lightspeed</a>,
so would, of course, highly recommend anyone taking a shuftie at it.
They publish some awesome fantasy and science fiction, along with author
interviews (and they’re reopening for subs on 20th June, if you’re that
way inclined!) Lightspeed also has a sister magazine – <a href="http://nightmare-magazine.com/">Nightmare</a> - for the horror aficionados, though I’ll confess to not having read much of that as yet. (Bad Jen, no cookie.)<br />
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<a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/">Strange Horizons</a> is
another firm favourite and has my highest stories-I-like hit rate of all
the magazines I read, and always gives fascinating non-fiction. <a href="http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/">Beneath Ceaseless Skies</a> is another top one, and is great for thoughtful secondary world fiction, as well as some gorgeous cover artwork. <a href="http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/"> Clarkesworld</a>
completes the top tier online magazine roster, and another one with
gorgeous cover artwork, however I find them a little bit highbrow at
times so can be something of an acquired taste. Always worth a read
though.<br />
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<a href="http://crossedgenres.com/">Crossed Genres</a> can always be
counted on for fiction that pushes at the traditional boundaries and has
a specific interest for stories about under-represented people. (They
also do some cracking anthologies, but anthologies are for another
post!) <a href="http://expandedhorizons.net/magazine/">Expanded Horizons</a> is another great magazine pushing for more diversity in the field and publishes some truly breathtaking stuff.<br />
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In the department of ‘does what it says on the tin’, there’s <a href="http://www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com/">Heroic Fantasy Quarterly</a> and <a href="http://althistfiction.com/">Alt Hist</a>,
which, no surprise, do heroic fantasy and historical/alternate
historical stories, so if that’s your thing, that’s where you want to
go. If you like longer short fiction, then may I point you at <a href="http://giganotosaurus.org/">GigaNotoSaurus</a> for all your novella pleasures. If you prefer much shorter short fiction, than <a href="http://dailysciencefiction.com/">Daily Science Fiction</a> does flash fiction five days a week (and free subscription if you want the stories delivered via email.)<br />
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Other fab free online mags include <a href="http://www.abyssapexzine.com/">Abyss & Apex</a>, <a href="http://indiansf.in/">Indian SF</a>, <a href="http://subterraneanpress.com/magazine">Subterranean Magazine</a>, <a href="http://www.apex-magazine.com/">Apex Magazine</a>, <a href="http://www.philippinegenrestories.com/">Philippine Genre Stories</a> and <a href="http://www.ideomancer.com/">Ideomancer</a>,
and if you get a taste for any of them, don’t forget to donate a couple
of quid to show your appreciation and generally keep them going.<br />
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Lastly we have the hybrid online magazines – those that exist in both
dead-tree and electronic formats and include, but are not limited to,
things like: <a href="http://www.albedo1.com/">Albedo One</a>, who sell PDF versions of their magazines, <a href="http://www.somethingwicked.co.za/">Something Wicked</a> has moved to an annual anthology but back issues are still free on their site, <a href="http://www.shimmerzine.com/">Shimmer</a> has some of their content free online while selling the full issues in print and multiple digital formats, and fans of the <a href="http://ttapress.com/">TTA Press </a>range of mags can easily buy DRM-free digital copies of Crimewave, Interzone and Black Static from <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ttapress">Smashwords</a>.<br />
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So, yeah, no-one’s publishing short fiction at all. ;-)<br />
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(Crossposted from jennybarber.co.uk) Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-78388959562210444202013-02-23T14:51:00.002+00:002013-02-23T14:51:52.977+00:00The Crimson Kestrel<div class="post_title" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/the-crimson-kestrel/">The Crimson Kestrel</a> by Leslianne Wilder</div>
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Reviewed by Jenny Barber</div>
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Found in Issue #114 of the ever-fabulous <a href="http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/">Beneath Ceaseless Skies</a>, The Crimson Kestrel is a fun swashbuckling tale that's part Scarlet Pimpernel and part Three Musketeers with daring acrobatics and adventure, hidden identitites and just the slightest touch of romance. </div>
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By day, Mademoiselle Ivette du Brielle is just one more pampered socialite fluttering around the imperial court of L’Echelle; night, however, is another thing altogether as she launches herself from the balconies and into the streets below to serve a little justice to the local thugs while taking full enjoyment in the thrill of the hunt. And it's this joie de vivre that elevates her as a character as her own enthusiasm for her adventures is infectious and hooks the reader quite firmly. (Though one does wonder how she can fit quite so many gadgets and weapons under her fashionably generous skirts and still manage to walk without clinking... :-P )</div>
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There's intrigue and amusement to be had from the mysterious stranger who she rescues and combined with a wonderful depth to the world behind the story, creates an appeal that makes the reader want more adventures both in the setting and with the characters. Great stuff!</div>
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Read <a href="http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/the-crimson-kestrel/">The Crimson Kestrel here</a>. More about author Leslianne Wilder can be found on <a href="http://lesliannewilder.blogspot.com./">her website here</a>.Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-78201490575024739202013-01-05T12:04:00.000+00:002013-01-05T12:15:10.882+00:00Indian SFNew on the online magazine scene is the juicy looking Indian SF which we hope to be reviewing soon... in the meantime, you can <a href="http://indiansf.wordpress.com/">get your free copy from here</a>. Available to read online or download in a variety of formats!<br />
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<u>Contents: </u><br />
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<b>Flash Fiction: </b><br />
X Marks the Spot by Kat Otis <br />
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<b>Short Stories: </b><br />
Staying Behind by Ken Liu<br />
The Boy Who Cried Wolf by Ram V<br />
Goddess by Lavanya Karthik<br />
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Plus there's artwork from Stephan Hurlmann,
reviews and interview to chew on. Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-1878952216831198212012-10-26T10:19:00.001+01:002012-10-26T10:19:29.097+01:00Strange Horizons Fund DriveIf you love <a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/">Strange Horizons</a> (and we very much do) then now is the time to show your support by donating a little to their fund drive. Over on their blog they've got <a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/blog/2012/10/10_days_to_go_and_10_reasons_t.shtml">a lovely list of reasons</a> why you should support them, including a few nifty prizes for donators... Books! Art! Tarot Readings! Tax relief! (er, what?) <br />
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All of which are very good reasons, however the best and foremost one should be this: <a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/">Strange Horizons</a> is one of the best magazines out there. Not just for the fiction - which, it has to be said, is almost uniformly excellent. We've reviewed <a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/2012/20120116/gabe-f.shtml">Recognizing Gabe: <span style="font-style: italic;">un cuento de hadas</span> by Alberto Yáñez</a> (Jan 2012) and <a href="http://shinyshortfic.blogspot.com/2012/02/tornados-siren.html">Tornado's Siren</a> by Brooke Bolander (Feb 2012), and further recommend Feed Me the Bones of our Saints <a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/2012/20120709/saints-f.shtml">(part 1)</a> <a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/2012/20120716/saints-f.shtml">(part 2)</a> by Alex Dally MacFarlane (July 2012),
<a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/2012/20120521/tiger-f.shtml">Tiger Stripes</a> by Nghi Vo (May 2012), Pataki <a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/2011/20110404/pataki-f.shtml">(Part 1)</a>&<a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/2011/20110411/pataki-f.shtml">(Part 2)</a> by Nisi Shawl (2011),
<a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/2011/20110321/lion-f.shtml">起狮,行礼 (Rising Lion—The Lion Bows)</a> by Zen Cho (2011),
<a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/2011/20110221/yew-f.shtml">The Yew’s Embrace</a> by Francesca Forrest (2011), & <a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/2010/20101011/monsters-f.shtml" target="_blank">Last Of The Monsters</a> by Emil Skaftun (2010).<br />
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But! Also! Their non-fiction is also brilliant. Always fascinating articles and some extremely juicy in-depth reviews that should not be missed. <br />
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Share the love and keep them going strong by <a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/fund_drives/2012/main.shtml">donating here!</a><br />
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And if you're curious, here's how the fund drive is going so far:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="390px" scrolling="no" src="http://strangehorizons.com/fund_drives/progress/iframe_progress.html" style="display: block; margin: auto;" width="120px"> </iframe>Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-16005703859064300862012-10-24T18:48:00.000+01:002012-10-24T18:56:22.390+01:00Bitesize Recs of the WeekWhile the Shiny Shorts team get their heads around longer reviews again, here's some bitesize recommendations...<br />
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<a href="http://dailysciencefiction.com/fantasy/Monsters/k-c-shaw/blood-oranges">Blood Oranges by K.C. Shaw</a> - Daily SF.
A fun flash tale about a vampire wanting to share his hobby with his beloved.<br />
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Fire Exit by Mhari Simpson - Tales of the Nun & Dragon (from <a href="http://www.foxspirit.co.uk/">Fox Spirit</a>)
Another fun tale, this one about an inn beset by dragons and the girl who wants to escape it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/cursed-motives/">Cursed Motives</a> by Marissa Lingen - Beneath Ceaseless Skies #105
A young imperial princess with a knack for casting a curse stops an invasion and rescues her ship with a couple of well placed curses. An enchanting and highly readable story.<br />
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<a href="http://dailysciencefiction.com/fantasy/religious/p-djeli-clark/what-the-sea-wants">What the Sea Wants</a>
by P. Djeli Clark - Daily SF. A haunting story of the perils of going away with merfolk and then leaving them to return to land.Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-79749778940766865882012-07-10T09:30:00.000+01:002012-07-10T09:30:01.785+01:00The Barricade<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The Barricade by Nina Allan</b></div>
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Reviewed by Jenny Barber</div>
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Found in the <b>Dark Currents</b> anthology, <b>The Barricade</b> is a peculiar tale, running slow as it carefully builds up to the faltering of a marriage due to apathy and the discoveries of escaping wife Christine during a visit to the coastal town of her birth.<br />
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The catalyst for eveything is the painting Christine finds in a gallery while holidaying with her stolid husband. Her growing fascination with it, and the memories triggered by locals who keep claiming to know her lead her to certain realisations about the state of her marriage while also reawakening things about herself she'd thought she'd forgotten.<br />
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The soon-to-be ex-husband is a thoroughly unlikeable chap, and one wonders why Christine took so long to ditch him, or at the very least, let him get away with so much without argument, and it's in such in-depth characterisation that Allan excels. Each carefully constructed layer builds until you're left with a fully encompassing story that wraps you up in the mundane details and makes the dénouement satisfying with the hints of things to come. The elements of the fantastic are subtle to the point of barely noticeable, and can be seen from a mile off but Allan has crafted a beautiful tale that, while not a new twist on selkie mythology, is a solid addition to the genre.<br />
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More about <a href="http://www.ninaallan.co.uk/">Nina Allan</a> can be found here, and more on Dark Currents (edited by Ian Whates) can be found on the <a href="http://newconpress.co.uk/">Newcon website</a> here.Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-34837928904029466462012-07-08T08:09:00.000+01:002012-07-29T06:44:38.798+01:00Frightfully Cosy and Mild Stories for Nervous Types<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Frightfully Cosy and Mild Stories for Nervous Types by Johnny Mains</b><br />
Reviewed by Mario Guslandi
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In addition to his unrelenting activity as an editor and promoter of horror fiction, Johnny Mains also writes dark stories, a first cluster of which has been collected in “ With Deepest Sympathy”, published in 2010 by Obverse Books. </div>
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The present volume assembles a further dozen of tales, none of which can be defined as outstanding, none as a misfire. Mains provides consistently good material, enjoyable and entertaining, which won’t spellbind nor disappoint horror readers. This is probably what Mains means to say when he calls himself “a minor writer”, that he’s the king of fictional aurea mediocritas ( but aurea,after all, means golden, not a minor achievement).</div>
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The topics addressed by the stories featured in the volume are rather diverse.</div>
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In <b>The Cure</b> a cancer patient follows un unusual, unorthodox treatment, while in <b>Head</b> a horror fan finally meets in person, but only fleetingly, his favourite writer.</div>
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<b>Dead Forest Air</b> is a well conceived story taking place in Dachau, in which the horrors of the past blend with those of the present time.</div>
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<b>The Jacket</b> revolves around a bomber jacket endowed with peculiar properties , while <b>Aldeburgh</b> featuring the great MR James, discloses the source of inspiration for one of the author’s most famous tales.</div>
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<b>Prim Suspect</b> is a delightful noir where two murders (one fictional, one occurring in real life) nicely intertwine.</div>
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My favourite story is <b>The Were-Dwarf</b>, an original piece with a good characterization, hilarious and horrific at the same time, a fine example of Mains’ potential as an author. Hopefully he will provide many more stories like that in the near future.</div>
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Published by Shadow Publishing - more information and ordering details can be found on their <a href="http://www.shadowpublishing.webeasysite.co.uk/">website here.</a> </div>
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</div>Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-6555594425102268062012-05-29T08:51:00.001+01:002012-05-29T08:51:32.107+01:00Shimmer #14<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Shimmer #14</span><br />
Reviewed by Jennifer Rickard</div>
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Shimmer is a very rewarding magazine to read because it always contains a real mixture of different genres, worlds and characters within it, and issue #14 is no different, with a range of different stories and different talents within it.<br />
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<b>Food My Father Feeds Me, Love My Husband Shows Me</b> by A.A. Balaskovits is the first story in the issue and is definitely one of the best. The story follows the daughter of a ‘great man of meat’, who is then married off to a vegetarian, thus forced to live a vegetarian lifestyle. Her obsession with the blood and meat she misses so much leads her to make a terrible discovery and terrible choice. This story is such a gem because the descriptions of blood and gore are utterly striking and vivid, staying inside the reader’s head for a long time after they have finished the story. There is also a real sense of foreboding inside this story which really keeps you reading. Perhaps the ending is a little rushed and unclear, but this does not do much to tarnish the shine of this otherwise excellent tale.<br />
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<b>Chinvat</b> by Sunny Moraine is in comparison a slightly weaker story, slightly outshone by the one that comes before it, which is a shame as it does have some good elements to it. The narrative follows a journalist who decides to shadow Denn, an old man who stops and helps the suicidal trying to jump off the Golden Gate bridge. The protagonist’s personal experiences and past intertwine neatly with what happens in the story and the setting is well described, but the plot feels rather aimless and wandering, and the back-story of what has happened to the world is not explained fully enough to be properly satisfying.<br />
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<b>Made of Mud</b> by Ari B. Goelman is a rather charming little tale, well executed. It follows a young boy’s experiences with the mudlings, small creatures who dig themselves pits in the soil and turn into mud if you try to separate them from these pits. The use of a young boy’s voice in this story is very effective and well written, and the idea of the mudlings is an intriguing one, though more back-story to these creatures would have made this better.<br />
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<b>This House was Never a Castle</b> by Aaron Polson is another striking story with good imagery. The story is about a boy and his two sisters who are living and hiding inside a magical house while what can only be described as a ‘plague war’ goes on outside the walls. The sense of entrapment, of a tentative peace which does not last, is palpable in this story, and although not everything is explained, the writer gives you enough hints for you to put the story together yourself.<br />
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<b>Minnow</b> by Carlea Holl-Jensen is a very short story, reminiscent of a dream where nothing makes sense. Whilst the descriptions are interesting and engaging, they are also ambiguous to the point of confusion.<br />
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<b>Trashman</b> by A.C. Wise is a story with excellent characterisation. It follows a young man’s experience with the trashman - part human, part something else entirely - who reads the lives of people by what they put in their trash. The protagonist’s struggle between his unwillingness to talk to the trashman and his desperate need for the man’s help is wonderfully portrayed, and the trashman himself is thrillingly creepy.<br />
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<b>We Make Tea</b> by Meryl Ferguson is another brilliant story in the magazine, following a futuristic group of robots on a plantation, who, after being abandoned for many years, are finally visited by a lost and distraught human. This story is fantastically imaginative and clearly well thought through, the dialogue is spot-on and the characterisation of the different robots very enjoyable. I feel that the ending is especially good in this story.<br />
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<b>Bad Moon Risen</b> by Eric Del Carlo is rather a generic idea, describing a post-apocalyptic world haunted by humans who have been changed into wild beasts. Whilst the action in the story is gripping and well written, the characters and plot line have been written many times before, and as such the story is not a particularly memorable one.<br />
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<b>Some Letters for Ove Lindström</b> by Karin Tidbeck has an lovely aura of mystery and suspense about it. The story is in the form of a collection of letters our character writes to their dead father, concerning their life and their mother. There is a real sense of the character waiting for something to happen and losing time as they switch from their past to their present.<br />
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<b>Gödel Apparition Fugue</b> by Craig DeLancey is a quasi biographical account of the scientist Gödel and his relationship with those around him, especially Einstein. This rather short account of his life is nonetheless compelling and reveals a very human side to this scientist.<br />
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Reviewer Sam Tomaino of <a href="http://www.sfrevu.com/">SF Revu</a> says that the stories in this issue of Shimmer ‘are like pieces of rich fudge, all very different but quite delicious’, and this is an opinion I definitely agree with, as there is something in this magazine for everyone, whether it be cannibals, robots or even just normal men. Well worth a read but be warned - it’ll make you want to subscribe to Shimmer!
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To get your hands on a copy of Shimmer, check out their <a href="http://www.shimmerzine.com/">website here</a>.<br />
<br />Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-25012638246405863272012-05-23T06:06:00.000+01:002012-05-23T06:08:29.405+01:00The Female of the Species<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The Female of the Species and Other Tales of Terror by Richard Davis</b> </div>
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Reviewed by Mario Guslandi </div>
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Mostly known as an editor of horror fiction (for instance, the celebrated Year’s Best Horror Stories anthologies) and of TV horror productions (e.g. BBC’s Late Night Horror series) Richard Davis (1935-2005) has also been the author of a handful of short stories, appeared in various renowned anthologies in the UK, but never before collected in a single volume. Praise then to Shadow Publishing for assembling Davis’ horror tales in a long overdue collection, enriched by two rare essays of the author about horror genre.<br />
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The eleven stories featured in the present book portray a writer well trained in the genre’s canons and literary tricks, providing many entertaining and pleasantly disquieting, shivering moments to the reader.<br />
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The title story, rather predictable but very enjoyable, tells how a man, after his wife’s death, discovers unpleasant secrets about her and about the she-cat he has recently accommodated in the house.<br />
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<b>Elsie and Agnes</b> is a delightful tale about sisterly hate, with a nice twist in the tail, whereas <b>Day Out</b> is an excellent, tongue-in-cheek ghost story.<br />
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In <b>The Clump Caribbean </b>horrors take hold of two American tourist, saving, at the same time, the life of their wife and mother, while in <b>Nondescript</b> we make the acquaintance of an evil and powerful creature in the shape of a repulsive, bizarre artifact.<br />
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The splendid <b>The Lady by the Stream</b> portrays a lonely spinster and her odd affection for a young boy, while the strong, compelling <b>The Inmate</b> features a woman obsessed with a gorilla belonging to his wealthy husband’s personal menagerie. In both cases the women’s passions will lead to tragic consequences.<br />
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<b>The Sick Room</b>, a quite horrific story, told in a restrained narrative style, revolves around a peculiarly haunted room while the long, well crafted <b>Guy Fawkes Night</b> puts together the pieces of a past, unsolved puzzle, the explanation of which was lost in a bonfire.<br />
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Davis’ stories are well worth reading and it was high time to pay homage to an unprolific writer whose talent was unjustly put in the shade by his editorial activities.<br />
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Published by <a href="http://www.shadowpublishing.webeasysite.co.uk/">Shadow Publishing</a>, 2012 at £ 7.99Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-82117098817383551902012-04-26T13:35:00.002+01:002012-04-26T13:51:23.041+01:00Mammoth Book of Body Horror<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">The Mammoth Book of Body Horror</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Edited by Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan<br />
Reviewed by Jenny Barber</div>
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T7ELcgO63zs/T262m7CJuQI/AAAAAAAAAlw/hFyT89mLxYU/s1600/mammothbodyhorror.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723712956232481026" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T7ELcgO63zs/T262m7CJuQI/AAAAAAAAAlw/hFyT89mLxYU/s320/mammothbodyhorror.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 210px;" /></a>With a name like <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mammoth Book of Body Horror</span>, you can reasonably expect a high proportion of gruesome to be contained within - and yes, there is, but where this anthology really excels is the variety of horror tales presented - from classics by Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft to more modern fare from the likes of David Moody, Michael Marshall Smith and Nancy A. Collins.<br />
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While some of the stories were a bit of a trial to read - John Campbell's <span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Goes There</span> runs to an insane length and Lovecraft's <span style="font-weight: bold;">Herbert West - Reanimator</span> would also have benefited from getting to the point a lot quicker - for the main, the collected stories make for a compelling read, ranging from out and out gross to fascinating dark satire.<br />
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<b>The Body Politic</b> by Clive Barker delivers a concept that is both creepy and just a bit clever. It tells the tale of what happens when hands develop independent thinking and stage a revolution against their body oppressors. The thought of all those hands scuttling around is likely to stick with you long after you've finished reading and Barker's delivery manages to make you side with the hands against the unpleasant protagonist.<br />
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In <b>Fruiting Bodies</b> by Brian Lumley we've got an enjoyably creepy story where an exotic kind of dry rot has overtaken the remains of a village abandoned due to cliff erosion. While the tentacles of fungus that work their way into everything, including the remains of the graveyard, would be more than enough to feed nightmares, it's their interaction with the last living inhabitants - one man and his dog - that really hammer home the horror of it all. Where this story really scores is in its easy readable style that is reminiscent of classic King stories and it keeps your interest with relateable characters in a setting rife with possibilities. <br />
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Hitting the classics is <b>The Fly</b> by George Langelaan which is quite an intriguing yarn that was also the basis for the films of the same name. (Which I didn't know beforehand.) The basis of the tale, therefore, should need little introduction - take one mad scientist fiddling about with teleportation, add in the unfortunate results of extra test subjects sneaking into the teleport process and merging on rematerialisation with the aforementioned scientist, and you've got a recipe for a classic mutation story. All of which is fine enough but with such a pompous narrator opening things up the story runs the risk of crashing to a halt quite early. Luckily, this isn't his story, as once the narration moves to the mad scientist's wife and her version of events, things pick up beautifully.<br />
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<b>Butterfly</b> by Axelle Carolyn is a bit of a mood piece - a short reflective story about a coma victim's transformation which has a definite aww factor to it while <b>Tis the Season to be Jelly</b> by Richard Matheson took me a moment or two to get into the hang of the slang but it's got a fun ending with a killer last line.<br />
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One of the stories I've definitely read before is <b>The Look</b> by Christopher Fowler, which first saw the light in the <b>Urban Gothic</b> anthology from Telos Publishing. It hasn’t lost any of its appeal since then. In it you get a quite fascinating and very disturbing commentary on the modelling industry as you follow a couple of wannabes sneaking in to see a fashion designer in the hopes of the protagonist being picked to be the star model for the coming year. Except it's her friend who gets picked instead and the current star model decides to enlighten the protag as to just what nastiness her friend is going to be in for. <br />
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Whether you're new to the horror genre or not as well read as you'd like to be, this is definitely a good anthology to dip into as it has a good balance of classic reprints and shiny new stories that showcase a wide range of horror styles and authors. Cracking stuff.<br />
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Find out more about the editors on their websites here - <a href="http://www.marieoregan.net/">Marie O'Regan</a> & <a href="http://www.shadow-writer.co.uk/">Paul Kane</a>.<br />
<br />Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-41578918735236350782012-04-20T06:44:00.004+01:002012-04-20T06:50:19.832+01:00The Satyr's Head: Tales of Terror<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Satyr’s Head: Tales of Terror</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Edited by David Sutton</span><br />Reviewed by Peter Coleborn<br /></div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9cnYoN2vx24/T5D48j1EexI/AAAAAAAAAp0/m9oOdmtayos/s1600/SatyrsHeadnew.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9cnYoN2vx24/T5D48j1EexI/AAAAAAAAAp0/m9oOdmtayos/s320/SatyrsHeadnew.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733356044936313618" border="0" /></a>In 1975 a slim paperback boasting a fabulous cover by Patrick Woodroffe and bearing the title <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Satyr’s Head and Other Tales of Terror </span>was published by Corgi. And now, 37 years later the editor David Sutton has reissued the anthology on his own Shadow Publishing imprint, but with the subtly altered title to <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Satyr’s Head: Tales of Terror</span>. This time the equally striking cover comes from Steve Upham.<br /><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Satyr’s Head</span> includes ten stories by Ramsey Campbell, Brian Lumley, Joseph Payne Brennan, David Riley (who wrote the “title” story) and others. I don’t know if the editor deliberately chose stories on a theme, but the prevailing one is of angst, of guilt. And of people receiving their just, or unjust, reward from something supernatural and/or evil (but fortunately steering away from the worse excesses of some of the stories in the Pan Book of Horror Stories). As such, reading all these tales in one go may come across as somewhat downbeat and depressing. As with many other anthologies you may do best by dipping into it now and again.<br /><br />I read this book in the early 1980s, a few years after initial publication when it was already difficult to buy. Therefore Sutton’s reprinting of it is very welcome. But my tastes have moved on and I didn’t get the same frisson on re-reading these tales now. The story that worked best for me this time round was Lumley’s <span style="font-weight: bold;">Aunt Hester</span>, which felt as fresh as it did then (even though poor Aunt Hester’s fate doesn’t come as much of a surprise). The stories are obviously of their era. Having said that, this anthology is a must; it should be bought and read by all fans of horror tales, particularly the younger ones who missed out on <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Satyr’s Head</span> and its contemporaries when they first appeared.<br /><br />A few years before <span style="font-weight: bold;">Satyr’s Head</span>, David Sutton edited two volumes of <span style="font-weight: bold;">New Writings in Horror and the Supernatural</span>. I’d like to see these reprinted (unless they have been and I missed them). Sutton’s Shadow Publishing has a number of titles lined up, including <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Female of the Species and Other Terror Tales</span> by Richard Davis. Let’s hope the imprint grows from strength to strength.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Satyr's Head</span> is £5.99 from the <a href="http://www.shadowpublishing.webeasysite.co.uk/index.html">Shadow Publishing website here</a>.Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-74886179895800949462012-04-09T17:36:00.004+01:002012-04-09T17:42:11.162+01:00Julian - A Christmas Story<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Julian – A Christmas Story by Robert Charles Wilson</span><br />Reviewed by Peter Coleborn<br /></div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5h7tVMcgfLg/T4MQ4Hs3GvI/AAAAAAAAAno/J4VJ8SbpgfE/s1600/julian.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 224px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5h7tVMcgfLg/T4MQ4Hs3GvI/AAAAAAAAAno/J4VJ8SbpgfE/s320/julian.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729441707271330546" border="0" /></a>The Dealers’ Room at Eastercon 2012 was a dangerous place, financially speaking. I bought a load of books, including a number of older PS Publishing titles, such as <span style="font-weight: bold;">Julian</span> by Robert Charles Wilson. I missed this book when it was published back in 2006; I am very happy to have rectified that omission.<br /><br />The cover is an atmospheric painting by Edward Miller which, although not quite depicting a scene in the story, complements the feel of the tale to perfection. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Julian</span> is a novella (approx 80 pages), a story set in the year 2172, a post apocalyptic America. The oil has all gone, diseases have ravaged the population, technology has gone backwards, the country had fought a war against Brazil and is at war once more, now against the Dutch in Labrador. All very 1984-ish; all reminiscent of other tales such as Earth Abides and A Canticle for Leibowitz. But there is no all seeing Big Brother. There is a President, though, due to run again in an election with just one candidate.<br /><br />In the village of Williams Ford, Julian Comstock and Adam Hazzard are 17 year old boys and best friends – although etiquette should have kept them separated. Julian is an aristo, Adam a leaser’s son, a class well below. There are other differences but these are nothing compared to their sense of wonder, their love of books (the rare artefacts left over from by-gone days).<br /><br />Then the Reservists – a sort of militia – arrives, to take the vote and to begin the draft. The war against the Dutch is faring badly, it seems. Adam is prepared to do his duty for America – it’s what he’s been brought up for. But Julian sees other motives. After all, he is a nephew of the President; his father was hung for treason; and Julian fears the worse. And so the boys seek to escape…<br /><br />I haven’t read anything by Robert Charles Wilson before; at least not knowingly – maybe a short story here or there. I will keep an eye out for his work in the future. In his introduction, Robert J Sawyer says that Wilson is an excellent writer. Based on this evidence, I agree. The narrative flows seamlessly. The prose is perfect, with no meandering off topic; it is always precise, crisp. The characters, particularly Adam (the narrator), come across as real, with fears and concerns we all recognise. And the milieu is captured to a T – Wilson doesn’t need a hundred-thousand words to create his world, although I can see the story of Adam and Julian continuing in further stories, novellas or novels. Recommended.<br /><br />(Note: Just checked online and indeed the story has been continued: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Julian Comstock</span> was published in 2010 by Tor books).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Julian</span> can be bought from the <a href="http://www.pspublishing.co.uk/">PS Publishing website here</a> and more about Robert Charles Wilson can be found on <a href="http://www.robertcharleswilson.com/">his website here.</a>Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-31566220909032853342012-04-05T07:11:00.003+01:002012-04-05T07:16:13.570+01:00Something Wicked #19<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Something Wicked Issue #19</span><br />Reviewed by Jennifer Rickard<br /></div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o-CmPKPZI4M/T304i8g2hNI/AAAAAAAAAnc/sP7LkDQV5pw/s1600/CoverIssue19Kindle.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o-CmPKPZI4M/T304i8g2hNI/AAAAAAAAAnc/sP7LkDQV5pw/s320/CoverIssue19Kindle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727796474095764690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Something Wicked #19</span> is a real eclectic mix of stories all inspired by different subjects - a writer, a band, a past, a profession - and as such, it is extremely difficult to compare one against another as a means of gleaning which is more expertly told, as each has their good parts and their weak parts.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It Pays To Read The Safety Cards</span> is a sci-fi short story by R.W.W. Greene, who was inspired by his work as a high-school teacher. The tale is told from the point of view of a young girl whose family is joining a group of colonists on their exodus from a stricken Earth to Proxima Centauri, four light years away. However, the expedition is sabotaged almost as soon as it begins by a group of religious terrorists who believe that everyone should remain on Earth to face the repercussions of what they have done to the planet. Greene’s narrator means that the story is told from an interesting perspective, from one who has not got the grasp of all the facts, but as the writer himself is a middle-aged man, his voice as a young girl seems at times forced and generic. The world which Greene creates is an interesting and imaginative one but the plot is rather predictable in its execution.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stained</span>, by Chris Stevens and inspired by his life, has a real sense of atmosphere to it - the title on its own is excellent because the story itself covers almost all the meanings of the word. The story follows Colin in his attempt to resurrect his dead grandfather using dark magic, and it is well worth reading this piece for the twist at the end alone. Although a great ambience is set up by the narrative it does feel a little stilted at the beginning, but the subtle characterisation easily overcomes this.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ghost Love Score</span>, by Peter Damien, is strongly influenced by the symphonic metal band Nightwish and one of their songs is taken as the title. A fan of the band myself, I listened to the song and found it fascinating as to how he had incorporated the lyrics into his own story and then had developed it from there. The story itself concerns a young woman, Charlotte, who has been abducted by a serial killer and is now being driven back to his hometown. Damien sets up a good feeling of Charlotte’s delirium, of the shift between her meditations back into reality, and you do get a real sense of the character slipping away. The encroaching sense of something supernatural is also subtly and cleverly put into play, but I feel that the ending is too ambiguous to work with the rest of the story and as such leaves it on a rather weak note.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Book of Love</span>, a Lovecraftian style piece written by Nick Scorza, is possibly my favourite of them all. Scorza has really got into the writing style of Lovecraft or Machen but he brings his own style to the characters, making you really feel for them. The story concerns an antique dealer, married to a woman who does not love him back, who becomes influenced by a strange book. The plot behind this story could easily fill a novel and as such the writer does not go into as much detail as you would like him to, but the unnerving idea of possession, of love being dangerous and the overarching sense of ‘be careful what you wish for’, makes this an enchanting read.<br /><br />As well as the short stories, this issue of Something Wicked also features <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sixth Sense of Humour: Twisted Sinister</span>, by Mark Sykes, who explores the idea of plot twists in short stories and explains how Roald Dahl does the short story so well, a book review of Stephen King’s time-travel novel 11.22.63 by Deon van Heerden, which was so enthusiastic that it now makes me want to track the book down and read it, and a thorough, spirited and informative interview with Brandon Auret by Joe Vaz.<br /><br />All in all, this issue of Something Wicked is an diverse and interesting mix, and is well worth a read.<br /><br />Something Wicked can be read for <a href="http://www.somethingwicked.co.za/">free online or bought as an ebook edition here.</a>Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-3819025485500201582012-04-02T08:32:00.000+01:002012-04-02T08:32:00.213+01:00Coming Soon: Saving for a Sunny Day<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XLIzxMRxIqA/T3FuRj0iJeI/AAAAAAAAAmg/FQ-GShMlMUQ/s1600/sunnyjacket3-front-740x1024.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 231px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XLIzxMRxIqA/T3FuRj0iJeI/AAAAAAAAAmg/FQ-GShMlMUQ/s320/sunnyjacket3-front-740x1024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724477849317025250" border="0" /></a>Another <a href="http://newconpress.co.uk/">NewCon Press</a> title being released at Eastercon this year is <a href="http://www.ianwatson.info/">Ian Watson</a>'s new collection - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Saving for a Sunny Day</span>.<br /><br />Available in both paperback and special signed limited hardback editions from <a href="http://newconpress.co.uk/books/saving-for-a-sunny-day/">the NewCon Press website here</a>, the collection brings together fifteen previously uncollected stories with comments on their inspiration, plus an introduction from Adam Roberts..<br /><br />Eastercon attendees can drop by the official launch on Friday 6th April to buy a copy and get it signed live by the author - which sounds like a good deal to us. :-)Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-3601832880073919042012-04-01T12:06:00.001+01:002012-04-01T12:27:17.937+01:00Rough Music<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rough Music by Simon Kurt Unsworth</span><br />Reviewed by Mario Guslandi<br /></div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pcX-e05S-ig/T3g7AfBnIUI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/xDQRQjv8HD4/s1600/rough-music-front-cover1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 299px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pcX-e05S-ig/T3g7AfBnIUI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/xDQRQjv8HD4/s320/rough-music-front-cover1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5726391805715882306" border="0" /></a>If this novelette (or longish short story) were appearing in a mass market anthology instead of being published as a chapbook with a limited print run (Spectral Press) I’m sure it would already be considered as a little literary classic, a modern apologue about sin, guilt and punishment.<br /><br />Cornish, a man who has been recently cheating on his wife, keeps waking up in the middle of the night because of the noise made by a masked individual beating on a pan. The noise, that nobody else seems to hear, becomes increasingly loud as the masked man is joined by a whole group of people. Little by little some of the mysterious performers disclose their true identities , so much so that it becomes apparent that Cornish is the target of the night racket.<br /><br />Unsworth’s narrative style is allusive but solid, as shown by the excellent initial description of the sensations elicited by waking up around 3 a.m., an experience we are all familiar with.<br /><br />Imbued with a strong symbolism and seasoned with a touch of old fashioned moralism, the story confirms once again what various masters of dark fiction have been teaching us in their work, namely that the truest, scariest horror in life lies within us, at the very depth of our soul.<br /><br />Rough Music is available from <a href="http://spectralpress.wordpress.com/">Spectral Press here</a>. More information about Simon Kurt Unsworth can be found on his <a href="http://simonkurtunsworth.wordpress.com/">blog here</a>.Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-11119884201510836972012-03-27T18:03:00.004+01:002012-03-27T18:11:40.952+01:00New Releases: ArmoredAnother one for the SF fans - released today from Baen Books is <span style="font-weight: bold;">Armored, </span>a new anthology from editor John Joseph Adams.<br /><br />The blurb:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">SUIT UP. POWER ON. LOCK & LOAD.</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><br style="font-style: italic;"><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WtuDPqJSDq4/T3Hz4zxSaCI/AAAAAAAAAnE/J49JGH3on0o/s1600/Armored-MM.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 198px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WtuDPqJSDq4/T3Hz4zxSaCI/AAAAAAAAAnE/J49JGH3on0o/s320/Armored-MM.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724624758659770402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Decades ago, Starship Troopers captivated readers with its vision of a future war in which power armored soldiers battled giant insects on hostile alien planets. Today, with the success of Iron Man, Halo, and Mechwarrior—and with real robotic exoskeletons just around the corner—the idea of super-powered combat armor and giant mecha has never been more exciting and relevant.</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Now acclaimed editor John Joseph Adams brings you the first-ever original anthology of power armor fiction. Join leading SF authors Jack Campbell, Brandon Sanderson, Tanya Huff, Daniel H. Wilson, Alastair Reynolds, Carrie Vaughn, and others as they explore the limits of what a soldier of the future might become—with the aid of the right equipment.</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Imagine power armored warriors battling at the bottom of the sea, or on nightmarish alien worlds, or in the darkest depths of space. Imagine armor that’s as smart as you are, armor that might keep on fighting even after you’re no longer willing … or able.</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The possibilities are endless, but some facts remain constant: The soldier of the future will be fast. The soldier of the future will be deadly. The soldier of the future will be ARMORED.</span><br style="font-style: italic;"></blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Armored</span> can be had from all traditional and online bookstores, and for some extra book related goodies, check out the <a href="http://www.johnjosephadams.com/armored/">Armored site here!</a>Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-51302289233207024592012-03-27T10:48:00.004+01:002012-03-27T11:04:07.314+01:00New Releases: A Few Further Tales of EinarinnHot off the e-press today - a spanky new e-book collection from <a href="http://www.julietemckenna.com/">Juliet E. McKenna</a>! Published by <a href="http://www.wizardstowerbooks.com/">Wizard's Tower Press</a>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">A Few Further Tales of Einarinn</span> collects together five stories from McKenna's excellent Einarinn fantasy series - from the blurb:<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OdRKK_nKSZ4/T3GP11wDreI/AAAAAAAAAm4/l9SVH5czxEo/s1600/mckenna.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 223px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OdRKK_nKSZ4/T3GP11wDreI/AAAAAAAAAm4/l9SVH5czxEo/s320/mckenna.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724514756489096674" border="0" /></a><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Win Some, Lose Some</span> tells the story of that first encounter with Arle Cordainer which Livak mentions from time to time in the Tales. Find out why she’s intent on revenge.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Spark in the Darkness</span> sees Halice, Livak, Sorgrad and Gren coping with Halice’s injury between The Thief’s Gamble and The Swordsman’s Oath – tricky, when someone wants them all dead.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Absent Friends </span>details Livak’s first introduction to Ryshad’s family, and what followed<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why the Pied Crow Always Sounds Disappointed</span> explains why Sorgrad and Gren were in Solura before <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Assassin’s Edge</span> – and why leaving them to their own devices is seldom a good idea.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Wedding Gift</span> sees Livak and Halice looking forward to the future, just as long as they can tidy up a few loose ends from their old lives. </blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Few Further Tales of Einarinn</span> is available in epub & mobi formats, and can be had for £2.99 from <a href="http://www.wizardstowerbooks.com/products/a-few-further-tales-of-einarinn">Wizard's Tower Press here</a>.Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-34507795825532422672012-03-26T12:58:00.005+01:002012-03-26T13:18:58.786+01:00Coming Soon: Dark Currents<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vIqgkR2CbOA/T3BbBn6ZXvI/AAAAAAAAAmI/nRg2TEoVdp8/s1600/Darkcurrentsfront2-710x1024.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vIqgkR2CbOA/T3BbBn6ZXvI/AAAAAAAAAmI/nRg2TEoVdp8/s320/Darkcurrentsfront2-710x1024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724175209839812338" border="0" /></a>Launching at <a href="http://www.olympus2012.org">Eastercon</a> this year is <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dark Currents</span> from <a href="http://newconpress.co.uk/books/dark-currents/">NewCon Press</a>.<br /><br />With fiction from: Adrian Tchaikovsky, Adam Nevill, Tricia Sullivan, Rod Rees, Nina Allan, Andrew Hook, Finn Clarke, Lavie Tidhar, Jan Edwards, Emma Coleman, Rebecca J Payne, Sophia McDougall, Una McCormack, Neil Williamson, Aliette de Bodard and V.C. Linde; the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dark Currents </span>blurb says:<br /><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">... an exciting blend of science fiction, fantasy, dark fantasy and horror; a set of stories that traverses genre boundaries, linked only by their common source of inspiration. Contributors were given just those two words: ‘Dark Currents’ and then asked to write whatever story the phrase inspired. The result is a dazzling blend of exciting fictions, from haunted seascapes to distant starscapes, from reality-hopping soldiers in a surreal war to naval battles in the ether, from the deeply poignant to breathless excitement and back again, delving into the very undercurrents of life… </blockquote><p>Looks funky! We're hoping to get our hands on a copy soon... It'll be available in paperback and limited signed hardback editions and can be purchased from the <a href="http://newconpress.co.uk/books/dark-currents/">NewCon Press website here</a>.<br /></p> <p><br /></p>Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-46829742812283637882012-03-26T11:38:00.004+01:002012-03-26T11:46:25.170+01:00Recent Releases: Robots<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G1Oxjdflawo/T3BIlGNhqMI/AAAAAAAAAl8/gGGZS-x03Ig/s1600/robots.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G1Oxjdflawo/T3BIlGNhqMI/AAAAAAAAAl8/gGGZS-x03Ig/s320/robots.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724154928547604674" border="0" /></a>One for the SF fans -recently released from <a href="http://www.prime-books.com/shop/print-books/robots-the-recent-a-i-edited-by-sean-wallace/">Prime Books</a> - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Robots: The Recent A.I.</span> edited by Rich Horton & Sean Wallace<br /><br />The blurb:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">From Karel Čapek’s biotech machines of R.U.R....to Henry Kuttner & C.L. Moore’s “The Proud Robot”...to Isaac Asimov’s positronic robots...to the many stories, films, cartoons, and games that have come since featuring cybertronic sex toys, robotic rebels, grandmothers with artificial intelligence, automatons, bots, droids, and so many other variations—these machines have represented our dreams as well as our anxieties. We love these literary creations but fear them as well. Stories from the last decade by top science fiction authors representing the many facets of robots in the twenty-first century: beautiful, hideous, and everything in between.</blockquote>Robots has fiction from: Elizabeth Bear, Tobias S. Buckell, James Cambias, Benjamin Crowell, Aliette De Bodard, Cory Doctorow, Mary Robinette Kowal, Ken Liu, Rochita Loenen-Ruiz, Ian McDonald, Mark Pantoja, Tim Pratt, Robert Reed, Benjamin Rosenbaum, Rachel Swirsky, Lavie Tidhar, Catherynne M.Valente and Genevieve Valentine.<br /><br />Available from <a href="http://www.prime-books.com/shop/print-books/robots-the-recent-a-i-edited-by-sean-wallace/">Prime Books here.</a>Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-80847088474425449452012-03-25T04:50:00.001+01:002012-03-25T04:58:42.737+01:00Prudence and the Dragon<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://worldsf.wordpress.com/2012/03/20/tuesday-fiction-prudence-and-the-dragon-by-zen-cho/">Prudence and the Dragon </a>by Zen Cho<br />Reviewed by Jenny Barber<br /><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">Because Prudence Ong never read newspapers or watched British TV, she maintained a spotlessly pure ignorance of the dragon throughout. She encountered the dragon in a rather more traditional setting. She met him down the pub.</blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">Originally appearing in <a href="http://crossedgenres.com/titles/crossed-genres-quarterly-1/">Crossed Genres Quarterly #1</a> and currently up on the <a href="http://worldsf.wordpress.com/2012/03/20/tuesday-fiction-prudence-and-the-dragon-by-zen-cho/">World SF Blog</a>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Prudence and the Dragon</span> is an enjoyable story that manages to be both sweet and beautifully humorous.<br /><br />A dragon comes to town, and titular heroine Prudence manages to remain blissfully, almost deliberately, unaware of it for a good part of the tale. The dragon, meanwhile, is in town to secure himself a maiden and is quite relentless in his pursuit of Prudence. This does come off more than a tad stalkery as the dragon manages to blag his way into her home as a permanent houseguest despite Prudence's initial reactions of throwing things at him and threatening him with the police. Fortunately, Prudence remains quite sensible about his attempts at courtship. <br /><br /><p></p><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><p>“Come away with me,” said Zheng Yi. “I will show you sorcerous wonders the likes of which you have never imagined. You will learn how to put your hand into fire and grasp its beating heart. You will speak to fairies, and they will speak back if they know what’s good for them. I will teach you the secrets of the moon and the language of the stars.”</p> <p>Prudence threw the hairdryer at him.</p> </blockquote><p></p>There are all kinds of nice touches in the story, weaving the fantastical with the mundane - like the dragon's arrival bringing statues to life and having the pigeons get jobs in the City (more efficient as they don't use Facebook!) and the cooking -<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">With a supernatural effort at politeness, Angela said, “Oh, that smells delicious. What is it?” <p>“Potatoes, carrots, swede, some grated apple for sweetness, fairies for protein. But only non-sentient ones,” said Zheng Yi reassuringly. “Fairies are terribly good for you.”</p> <p>They were also quite crunchy, and froze well.</p></blockquote><p></p>The interactions between Prudence and best friend Angela are fun, and also a little heartbreaking when the dragon's glamour causes a temporary rift; and while the dragon throwing his glamour around to impress Prudence could be a slightly problematic twist, it is implied that Prudence is unaffected by it and develops a fondness for the dragon based on deeper virtues than the image he's attempting to project.<br /><br />Zen Cho weaves a wonderful setting with some easily relatable characters and has created a very entertaining story that is a definite must-read.<br /><br />Check out the <a href="http://worldsf.wordpress.com/">World SF blog here</a>, where Zen Cho was <a href="http://worldsf.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/interview-with-zen-cho/">interviewed here</a>. More about Zen Cho can be found on her <a href="http://qian.livejournal.com/">livejournal here</a> and if you fancy reading more of her excellent fiction, try out the highly recommended <a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/2011/20110321/lion-f.shtml">起狮,行礼 (Rising Lion—The Lion Bows)</a> in Strange Horizons.</div></div>Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-55753828941628442682012-03-24T09:41:00.006+00:002012-03-24T09:56:49.687+00:00Recent Releases: WitchesRecently released from <a href="http://www.prime-books.com/shop/print-books/witches-wicked-wild-wonderful-edited-by-paula-guran/">Prime Books</a> is the fab looking <span style="font-weight: bold;">Witches: Wicked, Wild & Wonderful </span>edited by Paula Guran.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nn7BEXgYO_o/T22Z43r5DoI/AAAAAAAAAkc/mqQ48uAmAuk/s1600/witches3c2-682x1024.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nn7BEXgYO_o/T22Z43r5DoI/AAAAAAAAAkc/mqQ48uAmAuk/s200/witches3c2-682x1024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723399903757536898" border="0" /></a><br />The blurb:<br /><blockquote><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Surrounded by the aura of magic, witches have captured our imaginations for millennia and fascinate us now more than ever.<br /><br />"No longer confined to the image of a hexing old crone, witches can be kindly healers and protectors, tough modern urban heroines, holders of forbidden knowledge, sweetly domestic spellcasters, darkly domineering, sexy enchantresses, ancient sorceresses, modern Wiccans, empowered or persecuted, possessors of supernatural abilities that can be used for good or evil—or perhaps only perceived as such.<br /><br />"Welcome to the world of witchery in many guises: wicked, wild, and wonderful. Includes two original, never-published stories.</span>"</blockquote><br style="font-style: italic;">With stories from: Elizabeth Bear, Lean Bobet, Neil Gaiman, Theodora Goss, Nancy Holder, Ellen Klages, Mercedes Lackey, Ursula K. Le Guin, Margo Lanagan, Tanith Lee, Madeleine L’Engle, Kelly Link, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Andre Norton, Richard Parks, T.A. Pratt, Linda Robertson, Delia Sherman, Cory Skerry, Cynthia Ward, Don Webb, Leslie What & Jane Yolen.<br /><br />Definitely one to go on the read pile so watch out for the review!Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-29430320422560420512012-03-18T14:49:00.004+00:002012-03-18T20:40:48.331+00:00The Hounds of Tindalos<div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Hounds of Tindalos by Frank Belknap Long</span><br /><span lang="EN-GB">Reviewed by Peter Coleborn</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wakgXfZSpBQ/T2X2AXhtasI/AAAAAAAAAvU/QbUd_nxUY5k/s1600/tindalos+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wakgXfZSpBQ/T2X2AXhtasI/AAAAAAAAAvU/QbUd_nxUY5k/s1600/tindalos+02.jpg" border="0" /></a></div>For want of something to read last night before falling asleep, I browsed my bookshelves and chanced upon the collection <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Hounds of Tindalos</span> by Frank Belknap Long. This slim book – less than 180 pages – originally appeared as an Arkham House edition in, I believe, 1946. My paperback version was published by Belmont in 1963. But sadly, I gather that this book does not include the same content as the Arkham House original.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Back to last night’s reading. I was pretty tired and so only read one of the tales, the title story. It’s clear from the start that this is a Mythos yarn – Long and Lovecraft were contemporaries.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Chalmers summons his friend Frank to witness and record a time travel experiment. Chalmers is convinced that time can be bypassed via the fourth dimension, using a mix of mathematical formulae and mind-enhancing drugs. Of course, Frank is sceptical of all this but agrees to write down everything that Chalmers describes as he travels back, far back to the very beginning. But things go wrong for Chalmers. He travels to an era of angular rather than curved time. And there are beings inhabiting that place, creatures that hound him back as he returns to the twentieth century. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Frank agrees to help Chalmers fortify his rooms, to eliminate all the corners, all the angles of his apartment. Yet later, the dismembered body of Chalmers is discovered, covered in a protoplasmic gloop. And, of course, his diary is discovered, which details his final days.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Despite this story being over 60 years old, I found the writing quite invigorating, and was swept along with the tale. And it had its bleak touches of humour, too. Chalmers wrote in his diary: </span><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><span lang="EN-GB">“They are breaking through! Smoke is pouring from the corners of the wall. Their tongues— ahhhh—” </span></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">I always had to smile at these passages; I read a lot of this when I was much younger. Still, that aside, this is a fine story of paranoia, and a warning against searching for the darkest secrets. Man’s hubris can get him into a lot of trouble.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Note: Back in 1997 I produced on behalf of the BFS a chapbook, <i>Long Memories: Recollections of Frank Belknap Long</i> by Peter Cannon. This is an affectionate reminiscence of Long by Peter Cannon; Ramsey Campbell provided the afterword – who also met Long before the latter’s death in 1994. I’m not sure if copies still remain. Contact the BFS stockholder via the <a href="http://www.britishfantasysociety.co.uk/about-the-bfs/contact-the-bfs/" target="_blank">BFS website.</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>Alchemy Press/ Peter Colebornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-45088293221015913892012-02-23T10:48:00.005+00:002012-03-18T20:43:45.116+00:00Tornado's Siren<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/2012/20120220/tornado-f.shtml">Tornado's Siren</a> by Brooke Bolander</span><br />(From Strange Horizons/20th February 2012)<br />Reviewed by Jenny Barber<br /></div><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">"Rhea is nine years old when she first meets the tornado that will fall in love with her."</blockquote>As first lines go, that's a doozy and sets up a beautifully surreal story that has the tornado stalking our heroine, sending her valentines and crashing her wedding. Because what else would a lovesick tornado do? Naturally the course of tornado love doesn't run smooth and while Rhea's first instinct is to reject the tornado's advances, she experiences a shift in attitude as she grows older and discovers that a traditional life really isn't what she wants after all.<br /><br />This is both fabulous fun and quite moving while effortlessly making you root for the unconventional couple. Somehow the tornado's actions are completely logical and Rhea makes for an appealing heroine who deals with the weirdness affecting her life in a believable manner. Excellent stuff.<br /><br />Strange Horizons is <a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/index.shtml">available for free here</a> and more about about Brooke Bolander can be found on her <a href="http://www.brookebolander.com/">website here</a>. <a href="http://albertoyanez.com/"></a> Also, check out her story <span style="font-weight: bold;">Her Words Like Hunting Vixens Spring</span> on <a href="http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/her-words-like-hunting-vixens-spring/">Lightspeed here.</a>Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-43596990619332785312012-02-22T10:34:00.008+00:002012-03-18T14:51:41.560+00:00Rumours of the Marvellous by Peter Atkins<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711909737215065138" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_yVMufzlJ1o/T0THpJvMfDI/AAAAAAAAAgg/AxM_2U73JvQ/s320/RumoursoftheMarvellous1.jpg" style="float: left; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; width: 230px;" /><div style="text-align: left;">Book review by Jim McLeod</div></div><div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">It's been a while since I last read anything by Peter Atkins; it must be something like 15 years since I read <span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Thunder</span>. A lot can happen in 15 years; what you liked then may well not be the same as what you like now. Hell, just looking back at some of the music I used to listen to then is embarrassing. So 15 years down the line I picked up his collection of short stories and poetry: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rumours of the Marvellous</span> published by <a href="http://alchemypress.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="blocked::http://alchemypress.blogspot.com/p/rumours-of-marvellous-by-peter-atkins_03.html">Alchemy Press</a>, in a rather fetching limited hardback edition, with an introduction by Glen Hirshberg. Thankfully these 15 years have been kind on my love for Peter's writing. The main reason for this is that Peter's writing is indeed rather marvellous. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Before I talk about my favourite stories in the collection, I have to admit, that I completely skipped over <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dr Arcadia</span> a poem that gives <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tam O'Shanter</span> run for its money in terms of length. I have never been able to get into poetry, and even though I started to read this poem, I just couldn't get into it. I'm not saying it's poorly written; all I am saying is I can't make judgement on it. Poetry is as baffling to me as the female mind.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">I'll admit I was hard pushed to single out the best stories in this collection, the quality within the book is exceptional, truly exceptional. However, <span style="font-weight: bold;">King of Outer Space</span> is a moving tale about love conquering the vast distances of Space, or so it seems. The twist ending to this tale is a stroke of genius. It also has one of my favourite lines from the book:<br />
</span><br />
<blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><span lang="EN-GB">"Flames shimmer from its boosters, their majestic roar telling the laws of physics to go fuck themselves."</span></blockquote><span lang="EN-GB">That sentence alone sums up, for me, an underlying tongue-in-cheek element to the stories presented here. I may be wrong, but it felt that there was a very subtle line of humour, a sly wink to the camera, nothing to make you laugh out loud. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stacy and Her Idiot</span> mixes drugs, severed fingers, some Lovecraftian monsters and a scorned woman on a mission of revenge. This is a hugely fun read, with an ending that makes me hope we will be hearing more from this plucky heroine (we do in the final story of this collection).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Cubist's Attorney</span> is an odd tale indeed, full of very odd characters coming together for a reading of a will. A will that has some truly odd bequeathals. Again, Peter pulls the rug from under the reader's feet with the ending of this tale.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rumours of the Marvellous </span>is a brilliant collection. Sometimes single author collections can drag a bit -- not so the case here. Peter Atkins has such a varied style that it keeps the collection fresh, right up to the last page. A marvellous collection from a master story teller.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">You can purchase the book <a href="http://alchemypress.blogspot.com/p/rumours-of-marvellous-by-peter-atkins_03.html" target="_blank">by clicking this link</a> (also available via Amazon). And you should. Aside from the great stories, this is another example of a small press producing an excellent looking book for a price that is remarkable. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
More about Peter Atkins can be found on <a href="http://peteratkins.blogspot.com/">his blog here</a>.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 85%;">(This review originally appeared on the <a href="http://thegingernutcase.blogspot.com/2012/02/rumours-of-marvellous-by-peter-atkins.html" target="_blank">Ginger Nuts of Horror</a> reprinted with permission.)</span></div></div>Alchemy Press/ Peter Colebornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974268171449992386.post-44931708006260228712012-02-16T12:17:00.000+00:002012-02-16T12:17:00.764+00:00Greyglass<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Greyglass by Tanith Lee</span><br />Reviewed by Peter Coleborn<br /></div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uh0YMyWqBys/TyRbDfkOycI/AAAAAAAAAew/c6DskSH-nYY/s1600/book_greyglass_small.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 142px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uh0YMyWqBys/TyRbDfkOycI/AAAAAAAAAew/c6DskSH-nYY/s200/book_greyglass_small.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702783143729088962" border="0" /></a>This is a strange little book (just 190 pages). It begins with a visit to Susan’s creepy Grandmother’s creepy house – the vegetable house because it seems to grow rooms, and is surrounded by a mass of verdant plant life. Ergo, it’s going to be a supernatural story – oh, good! But as one reads the book, and as Susan grows from child to young woman to adult, it seems to abandon the paranormal…<br /><br /> Susan’s mother, Anne, meets a man called Wizz, runs off to the USA with him, and then rarely sees her daughter – just a few flying visits back to the UK. When we first meet Wizz he comes across as a dodgy character. A bit of a wide boy.<br /><br /> As Susan grows she goes to college, meets men, has sex, moves home several times, and eventually ends up living in a flat next to Crissie, a prostitute. With each change in her life it seems as if the story veers off at an unexpected angle. And just when I thought, despite the subtle hints Tanith Lee drops into the narrative, the supernatural element was just wistful thinking … Ms Lee ties up most of the loose ends just about perfectly. (Most, because this book does leave tantalising elements dangling – characters disappearing from Susan’s life; resolving her mother’s problems…)<br /><br /> I have to say, Greyglass is a quirky read. It’s as if Tanith Lee plays with syntax, repeating phrases, leaving half-finished thoughts. I am sure this is all deliberate, to mirror Susan’s disjointed life. Once you get into the swing, it’s a fast and enjoyable read (yes, okay, with a nice supernatural dénouement). Recommended.<br /><br /><br />Greyglass is published by Immanion Press and is available from their <a href="http://www.immanion-press.com/info/book.asp?id=407&referer=Catalogue">website here.</a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Originally published on the <a href="http://www.britishfantasysociety.co.u/">BFS website</a>, reprinted with permission of Peter Coleborn)</span>Jenny Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10285846941184945840noreply@blogger.com0