tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51462887054712081602012-01-27T12:06:03.370-05:00Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.comBlogger1281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-49407035341939010292012-01-25T10:11:00.000-05:002012-01-25T10:11:07.626-05:00

Sam S. Kepfield, Pygmalion Unbound. Musa Publishing, 2011. Pp 96. ISBN 978-1-61937-098-2. $2.99 (e-book).Reviewed by Kate Onyett Before any review can continue on this one, the simply delectable title just begs to be unpacked. As a basis for a first impression, for anyone with half an eye to cross-textual referencing (which I would like to think an intelligent reader interested in this genre of

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-21958209148569217962012-01-22T08:01:00.001-05:002012-01-22T08:01:00.187-05:00

Kay T. Holt & Bart R. Leib (ed.), Fat Girl in a Strange Land. Crossed Genres Publications, 2012. Pp. 125. ISBN 978-0615569710. $11.95.Reviewed by Peter Damien The premise of this anthology of short stories is very simple and is laid plainly in its title: stories about women who have some weight on them (varying from obese, to merely heavy, or solid) put into stories of speculative fiction where,

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-47766663818999361252012-01-21T11:29:00.004-05:002012-01-26T17:52:39.579-05:00

Stephen O’Rourke, Pieces & Stems: Stories by Stephen O’Rourke. Stephen O’Rourke, 2011. Pp. 303. ISBN 978-0-615-54300-0. $11.95 print / $7.20 Kindle.Reviewed by Brian Eisley Over the last forty years, the postmodern trend in literature has upended long-standing notions about the basic assumptions of the writing process itself, such as the boundaries between author and reader, between reality and

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-74321216662608632012012-01-11T18:07:00.000-05:002012-01-11T18:07:22.935-05:00

Tim Maughan, Paintwork. Amazon/Smashwords, 2011. Pp. 103. ISBN 978-1463570460 / ASIN B0058IY35M. £3.87 print / £2.99 e-book.Reviewed by Johann Carlisle Paintwork is a self-published chapbook containing three fairly substantial cyberpunk-themed, near-future short stories by Bristol-based Tim Maughan. The production values are very high: the cover design, showing a grey tower-block on a digital

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-79498135081442283582012-01-05T18:05:00.002-05:002012-01-06T12:01:00.282-05:00

Jason Jahns, Kodachrome. North Star Books, 2011. Pp. 352. ISBN 978-0984749102. $12.99.Reviewed by Jessica Nelson A global revolution against capitalism... definitely good subject matter for the times. Kodachrome is a story of just such a revolution, its key players, and how all of their lives intertwine, even though most of them never meet. It is a story of human relations and love found in

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-68407202673733955442012-01-01T15:11:00.001-05:002012-01-01T15:21:15.290-05:00

Maureen F. McHugh, After the Apocalypse. Small Beer Press, 2011. Pp. 200. ISBN 978-1-931520-29-4. $16.00.Reviewed by Georgina Bruce Small Beer Press have made a name for themselves by steadily putting out titles by talented and original authors, on the literary side of genre writing. The latest collection by Hugo and Tiptree winning author Maureen McHugh is no exception. The short stories in

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-10740323012507485302011-12-01T16:19:00.001-05:002011-12-03T06:51:00.305-05:00

Karen Heuler, The Made-Up Man. Livingston Press, 2011. Pp. 284. ISBN 9 78-1-60489-080-8. $21.00.Reviewed by Nick Jackson Karen Heuler’s novel begins with a cautionary statement for the post-feminist: “There are three things a woman should take for granted: looks will fade, men will stray, and wishes are worthless without actions.”Alyson, a thirty five year old editorial assistant, is on the cusp

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-20502567061481199832011-11-13T18:14:00.001-05:002011-11-13T18:14:00.214-05:00

Ben Jeapes, Jeapes Japes. Wizard’s Tower Press, 2011. ISBN 9781908039057. £4.99.Reviewed by Paul Wilks Jeapes Japes is a diverse collection of short stories from author Ben Jeapes and published via Wizard’s Tower Press. The narratives range from horror and fantasy to deep-space science fiction, and further interweave the author’s humour with canny story-telling and imaginative plot-lines. There

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-757647843885897202011-11-11T18:29:00.000-05:002011-11-11T18:29:40.973-05:00

Rachel Cotterill, Rebellion. Independently published, 2010. Pp. 418. ISBN 978-1452846323. $14.99 paperback / $0.99 e-book.Reviewed by Kate Onyett Rebellion. A strong, stirring title; grand yet also with a sense of serious intent rather than just outrageous impetuousness. It brings to mind great, stirring images of conflict and change, thesis crashing into antithesis, producing a new synthesis.

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-58862222041999984812011-10-30T12:17:00.006-04:002011-10-30T12:17:00.676-04:00

Rio Youers, End Times. PS Publishing, 2010. Pp. 235. ISBN 978-1-848631-00-7. £20.00 / $31.00.Reviewed by Nathan Lea End Times, published by PS Publishing, is the first novel by Amersham-born Rio Youers, the author of several short stories (including ‘The Ghost of Lillian Bliss’ published in The New and Perfect Man and ‘Quoth the Rock Star’ published in Required Reading Remixed Volume 1), and two

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-13763849935898564402011-10-29T08:43:00.002-04:002011-10-29T15:55:42.412-04:00

RJ Astruc, Harmonica & Gig. Dragonfall Press, 2011. Pp. 371. ISBN 978-0-9806341-4-3. $2.99 AUD (+ suggested $2 contribution).Reviewed by Jessica Nelson “Arnold Lee is found in a pool of his own blood with seventeen silver-steel knives sticking out of his body. Door unlocked, no signs of a struggle, naked except for a neurocap and bodysuit. Best case scenario the forensics can come up with is

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-8863357578549287962011-09-24T12:06:00.000-04:002011-09-24T12:06:31.125-04:00

Rhys Hughes, The Brothel Creeper. Gray Friar Press, 2011. Pp. 230. ISBN 978-1906331221. $16.00/£8.99.Reviewed by Kate Onyett Rhys Hughes: a name to conjure with. Already a solid presence in speculative and fantastical fiction for his outrageously weird and wonderful storytelling, he has turned out this collection of his short (tall) tales; some reprinted from magazine sources, others new, with

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-28656203622557944042011-09-01T15:59:00.001-04:002011-09-01T16:00:08.830-04:00

Andrew Hook, Ponthe Oldenguine. Atomic Fez Publishing, 2010. Pp. 176. ISBN 9780981159782. $16.99 / £9.99.Reviewed by Terry Grimwood (allegedly) What is the truth? Is there any such thing? Is the truth what we make it ourselves, is it a constant or does it shape itself to fit whatever reality we want to believe in? This is one of the questions posed by the outlandish, funny and original novella,

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-22186928517249374412011-08-17T18:04:00.001-04:002011-08-18T07:25:32.839-04:00

Barry Napier, A Mouth for Picket Fences. Needfire Poetry, 2010. Pp. 88. ISBN 9781926912066. $9.99 print / $2.99 e-book.Reviewed by Christopher Michaels How do you review poetry? It’s such a subjective art, both in the writing and the reading. This wasn’t always true. Poetry was the primary form of stylised speaking and writing, as a performance art in the past; now, apart from its role in song,

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-24824488297443847912011-08-11T17:06:00.000-04:002011-08-11T17:06:30.604-04:00

Henry Baum, The American Book of the Dead. Backword Books, 2009. Pp. 248. ISBN 978-0578026930. $13.95.Reviewed by Don Campbell A simple cover, featuring a series of stylized cartoonish scenes, white on black, belies a complex tale of humanity’s ability to be both rational and stark raving mad. Baum, who is at work on a follow up story set in the same universe, makes this novel available for free

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-4440613751251342602011-08-07T06:38:00.000-04:002011-08-07T06:38:08.423-04:00

Zoe E. Whitten, The Life and Death of a Sex Doll. Belfire Press. 2011. Pp. 178. ISBN 978-1-926912-37-0. $11.99.Reviewed by Kate Onyett The time: the future; the place: not so different from our own. Zoe Whitten’s vision in The Life and Death of a Sex Doll contains very recognisable social features including malls, blocks of flats, grumbles and gossip at work—but with very much cooler gadgets (

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-88626889638249702822011-08-05T10:12:00.000-04:002011-08-05T10:12:30.395-04:00

Mark Lund, First World: Covenant. The Ashton Times, 2011. ISBN 9780615491752. $0.99 Kindle.Reviewed by Jonathan Cullen Any significant historical event is inevitably paired with its ugly sister: the conspiracy theory. There was no bigger historical event of the 20th century, and perhaps in human history, than the 1969 Apollo Moon landing. A shockingly pervasive minority maintain that this event

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-74486911567059251812011-07-30T10:32:00.000-04:002011-07-30T10:32:54.863-04:00

A. J. French (ed.), Monk Punk. Static Movement, 2011. Pp. 214. ISBN 978-1617061165. $15.99.Reviewed by Kate Onyett Before considering the stories in this anthology, questions loom large, prompted by the audaciousness of the book’s title: Monk Punk. What is it meant to be, and does the book achieve it? Editor A. J. French wants to introduce a new sub-genre, to add to the list of mixed and matched

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-8177902849488393802011-07-23T13:04:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.583-04:00

Jet McDonald, Automatic Safe Dog. Eibonvale Press, 2011. Pp. 270. ISBN 978-1-908125-01-9. $13.75.Reviewed by Jessica Nelson Automatic Safe Dog is the debut novel from musician Jet McDonald. In it, we are introduced to a strange man by the assumed name of Terribly Velour... ‘Telby’ or ‘T’ for short. Working as a dog comber for Pet Furnishings, Telby meets and is instantly taken with a woman by

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-54517547127981614032011-07-17T09:17:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.584-04:00

Simon Ings, Dead Water. Corvus Books, 2011. Pp. 343. ISBN 978-1-84887-888-4. £16.99Reviewed by Johann Carlisle Dead Water is Simon Ings’s seventh novel, and the second published by Atlantic Books. Although published by Corvus, the relatively young genre imprint of Atlantic, this novel is neither quite a thriller nor historical fiction nor science fiction, although it owes aspects of mood and

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-23639412064590484142011-07-07T17:54:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.585-04:00

Ian Whates (ed.), Fables from the Fountain. NewCon Press, 2011. Pp. 252. ISBN 978-0-907069-24-6. £9.99.Reviewed by Steven Pirie Don’t go traipsing London’s streets looking for The Fountain pub. You might find the Old Fountain, on Baldwin Street, but that’s never the Fountain. “The Fountain is in Holborn… It nestles on one of the network of little lanes that leads eventually to the broader

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-50405417985033818182011-07-05T18:13:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.586-04:00

JoSelle Vanderhooft (ed), Steam-Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories. Torquere Press, 2011. Pp. 378. ISBN 978-1610401500. £8.69.Reviewed by Aishwarya Subramanian Steampunk is often associated with nineteenth-century Europe, implying a world the majority of whose population is under colonial rule, and where gender roles are still strictly segregated. This is, of course, a very narrow definition of

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-53472754412831885482011-07-03T18:28:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.587-04:00

Musharraf Ali Farooqi, The Jinn Darazgosh. Amazon Media, 2011. 3500 words. ASIN B00546MF7G. $1.13 / £0.69.Reviewed by Paul Wilks First in a series entitled ‘The Scandals of Creation’ published through Amazon Media, The Jinn Darazgosh is a supernatural fable which crafts a tale loosely around the familiar notion that ‘curiosity kills the cat’. The ‘cat’ here is the character Darazgosh, whose

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-74885729663066008042011-06-20T10:47:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.588-04:00

Terry Grimwood, Bloody War. Eibonvale Press, 2011. Pp. 276. ISBN 978-1-908125-03-3. £8.99/$15.00.Reviewed by Paul Wilks Bloody War is a new novel by Terry Grimwood and published by Eibonvale Press. Set in the not-too-distant future, the book is a dystopic vision of a gritty modern-day London caught in the middle of a brutal war. The aggressors are the unseen and unidentified Enemies of Democracy

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-29884212522581486592011-06-18T12:28:00.002-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.589-04:00

Magnificent Monsters: Sein und Werden #7.2, April 2011. Pp. 64. ISSN 2046-8601 (print) / ISSN 2046-8598 (web). £4.50.Reviewed by Nick Jackson Magnificent Monsters is a slim home-made volume, only 64 pages, but packed with stories and poems from the comic to the sinister. This issue has a striking cover illustration by Dan Cvammen and is printed on lurid green, rather thick paper—so thick in fact

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-58186782915869878342011-06-17T10:43:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.589-04:00

Tony Rauch, Laredo. Eraserhead Press, 2008. Pp. 201. ISBN 1-933929-72-3. $10.95.Reviewed by Terry Grimwood A lot of fiction is described, with varying degrees of accuracy, as dreamlike. In this case, however, dreamlike is a very accurate description indeed. Laredo is a bizarre, surreal but often highly funny and entertaining work. There is seldom any sense or logic, sometimes no coherence, yet

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-9963070072464462202011-06-14T16:42:00.001-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.590-04:00

Catherine Lundoff and JoSelle Vanderhooft, Hellebore and Rue: Tales of Queer Women and Magic. Lethe Press, 2011. Pp. 238. ISBN 978-1590213773. $15.00.Reviewed by Carey Gates From a servant girl with healing powers to a witch detective who uses demons instead of a computer to solve cases, the stories in Hellebore and Rue have a nice range of settings from medieval through modern. There is also a

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-22608722205585199212011-06-11T13:45:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.591-04:00

Andrez Bergen, Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat. Another Sky Press, 2011. Pp. 236. ISBN 9780984559701. $4.74.Reviewed by Jessica Nelson Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat follows a man named Floyd through his daily life in the last city left on earth, Melbourne, Australia. Sure, other cities still exist, but you wouldn’t find anything alive in them. Every single living being left on the planet after a

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-58702395431564718212011-05-28T17:38:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.592-04:00

Caroline Dombrowski (ed.), Growing Dread: Biopunk Visions. Timid Pirate Publishing, 2011. Pp. 150. ISBN 978-0983098744. $12.95/£8.00.Reviewed by Kate Onyett I have of late had something of a renaissance over my enjoyment of the short story. And it is primarily thanks to this collection of intriguing bio-punk stories. I hope to show what lively interest and thought processes the stories sparked,

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-78146609885179606302011-05-24T00:06:00.002-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.593-04:00

Charles Yu, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe. Corvus Books, 2010. Pp. 256. ISBN 9781848876828. £7.99.Reviewed by Sam Kelly This book contains itself. Which is to say, this book exists inside this book, just as Charles Yu exists inside this book. The inescapable corollary of this is that this book exists outside this book, or—to put it another way—this book exists without this

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-28326122209924142342011-05-22T11:57:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.594-04:00

Kit Reed, What Wolves Know. PS Publishing, 2011. Pp. 230. ISBN 978-1-84863-134-2. £19.99.Reviewed by Sarah Ann Watts This collection of stories by Kit Reed from PS Publishing contains 13 stories and also an essay: ‘What she thought she was doing: The fictions of Kit Reed’ by Joseph Reed. This gives an overview of her work and a bibliography of her titles. Coming new to Reed’s work as I did, I

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-35774535782269728852011-05-21T12:41:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.595-04:00

Gordon Van Gelder, Welcome to the Greenhouse. OR Books, 2011. Pp. 336. ISBN 978-1-935928-27-0. $17.00.Reviewed by Eric Gregory There’s a strange detachment to Welcome to the Greenhouse. The book, edited by Gordon Van Gelder, features sixteen original short stories by an impressive roster of writers including Brian Aldiss, Bruce Sterling, Alan Dean Foster, and M.J. Locke. The table of contents is

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-89679035662635212272011-05-19T17:28:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.596-04:00

Phamacopoeia, Sein und Werden #7.1, Jan 2011. Pp. 44. £4.50/$8.50/€6.50.Reviewed by Sheri White Sein und Werden is a small-press magazine published in Manchester, England by ISMs Press. Editor Rachel Kendall, in her manifesto on the magazine’s website, states that “the goal of Sein und Werden is to present works that evoke the spirit of the Expressionist, Existentialist and Surrealist movements

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-81926914286419117612011-05-14T10:33:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.596-04:00

Alain Gomez, Celebrity Space. Amazon Digital Services, 2010. 3,000 words. ASIN B004HD66P4. $0.99.Reviewed by Kate Onyett This is a short, nifty little sci-fi piece. While not too demanding, nor heavily esoteric, it is engaging and well written. The story shamelessly taps into both the threatening alien and the shock-ending genres; the latter requiring a build-up and immediate release. In the

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-21644813811293471262011-05-08T11:38:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.599-04:00

Zoe E. Whitten, Confessions of a Zombie Lover. Aphotic Thought Press, 2011. 27,000 words. ASIN B004SIR300. $1.99.Reviewed by Don Campbell I was initially wary about this book; for one thing, I was coming to the second book of a larger story without having read the first, which is something I never like to do. For another, the cover art did not thrill me. Oh, the image itself was fine, and it

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-9452864803532685632011-05-02T06:09:00.001-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.600-04:00

Richard Parks, The Heavenly Fox. PS Publishing, 2011. Pp. 73. ISBN 978-1848631502. £11.99.Reviewed by Regina de Búrca I feel I've lost out because the review copy of this novella was in PDF format—since the cover art is so striking, I would have liked to have seen it rendered in print. I approached this book with great interest as I find the early Chinese folktales and Taoist / Buddhist

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-87255883995894300622011-04-20T17:43:00.001-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.601-04:00

Sarah Ann Watts, Heart of the Kingdom. Silver Publishing, 2011. 5000 words. ASIN B004MDLLZ4. £1.44 / $2.28.Reviewed by Regina de Búrca The cover art for ‘Heart of the Kingdom’ made me want to swap this magical fantasy romance for something on the review list with subterranean journeys instead. I wondered whether the Fabio-lookalike on the cover was asleep or simply dreaming! But I was raised not

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-34828877524109213952011-04-14T13:08:00.001-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.602-04:00

Fred Nath, The Cyclist. Fingerpress, 2010. Pp. 304. ISBN 978-0956492517. £12.99 / $19.99 / €15.99.Reviewed by Jerome Kemp The Cyclist is the debut novel by Fred Nath, a neurosurgeon from the North East of England, and it is published by Fingerpress, an independent, London-based publisher, who claim on their website to publish non-fiction and “top-quality fiction across a range of genres.” The

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-77602442867692539992011-04-12T18:37:00.001-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.603-04:00

Professor Solomon, Visitors to the Inner Earth. Top Hat Press, 2011. Pp. 314. ISBN 978-0912509105. $16.00.Reviewed by Terry Grimwood At first glance Visitors to the Inner Earth by Professor Solomon looks a bit like one of Terry Deary’s Horrible Histories. The photo of the author on the back cover, preparing to enter a cave and wearing a tool vest, hard hat and dapper shirt and tie as well as the

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-10106804077238733832011-04-09T09:06:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.604-04:00

Cameron Stracher, The Water Wars. Sourcebooks, 2011. Pp. 256. ISBN 978-1-4022-4369-1. $16.99.Reviewed by Regina de Búrca Cameron Stracher’s The Water Wars is a YA dystopian novel set in a world where water is a rare and precious commodity. The countries in the novel’s world are in conflict as they try to gain control of the little drinkable water that is left. 15 year-old Vera narrates the story

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-64340916177071252602011-04-07T18:13:00.001-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.605-04:00

Marc Lowe, A Tour of Beaujardin (or, The Derelicts). ISMs Press, 2010. Pp. 48. £3.00/$4.50.Reviewed by Kate Onyett ISMs is a Manchester-based independent press, producing chapbooks and e-books, that specialises in edge fiction: odds and sods, curios and, in their own words “to promote the best of the darkest, quirkiest, most surreal new writers in town.” Also a publisher of an e-zine, Sein und

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-82048231500238663322011-04-06T17:53:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.606-04:00

M. Christian, Love without Gun Control. Futures-Past Editions, 2010. Pp. 162. ISBN 9781615082162. $15.99.Reviewed by Jaym Gates I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect when Love Without Gun Control showed up to be reviewed. The cover is very retro-pulp-comic, a scene on Mars, all bright colors and simple lines, misleading as to the content. It seems more like a graphic-novel cover, or a series of

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-13025989678625211622011-04-03T16:50:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:03.607-04:00

Michael Hultquist, Off Track. Belfire Press, 2011. Pp. 244. ISBN 978-1-926912-25-7. $12.99.Reviewed by Johann Carlisle Off Track is the powerful third novel by horror writer and screenwriter Michael Hultquist, from small, independent publisher Belfire Press. Targeted at a young adult readership, this is the story of an abused boy after a stint in juvenile detention, fostered by a couple with

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-46814059283135879622011-03-31T17:42:00.002-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.837-04:00

John Trevillian, The A-Men. Matador, 2010. Pp. 410. ISBN 978-1848763432. £18.99 / $24.95 and The A-Men Return. Matador, 2011. Pp. 400. ISBN 978-1848766198. £18.99 / $24.95.Reviewed by Paul Wilks The A-Men and The A-Men Return are the first two parts of an anti-utopian trilogy, written by John Trevillian and published by Matador. The final part of the trilogy, Forever A-Men, is not yet released.

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-89933913040026020452011-03-28T18:17:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.838-04:00

Crossed Genres Quarterly #1 (January 2011). Pp. 114. ISBN 978-0615443713. $11.99.Reviewed by Keith Lawrence Crossed Genres, a monthly speculative fiction magazine, spells out in its name its unique premise—although I think a strong argument can be made that it does not necessarily spell it correctly. Each issue of the magazine collects stories that combine the month’s “Current Genre” with

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-23377754703082582922011-03-27T13:51:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.839-04:00

Danielle Bourdon, Cemetery Psalms. Wildbloom Press, 2011. Pp 34. ISBN 978-0982831755. $0.99.Reviewed by Sheri White Cemetery Psalms is an e-book collection of five stories that take people from everyday life and throw them into unusual and sometime horrific situations. The author, Texas-based Danielle Bourdon, is the author of two novels, Dreoteth and Bound by Blood (both 2010); a third, Sin and

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-50592059139815716632011-03-24T17:15:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.840-04:00

Fantastique Unfettered #1 (December 2010). Pp. 144. ISBN 978-0983170914. $9.95.Reviewed by Nader Elhefnawy M-Brane Press, the publisher of small press science fiction magazine M-Brane SF, launched a fantasy counterpart to that publication last year, Fantastique Unfettered (or FU). Under the editorship of Brandon H. Bell, FU has as its stated purpose the publication of ‘well-written, compellingly

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-265123862731426332011-03-12T09:40:00.001-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.841-04:00

Theaker's Quarterly Fiction #35 (Winter 2011). Pp. 80. ISSN 1746-6083. £3.99.Reviewed by Nick Jackson Theaker's Quarterly Fiction, edited by Stephen Theaker and John Greenwood, started out in 2004. The magazine aims to publish stories with an element of the fantastic, defined as: hard sf, soft sf, fantasy, heroic fantasy, dark fantasy, humorous fantasy, slipstream, magic realism, horror and

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-69967623846784900662011-03-02T15:50:00.003-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.842-04:00

M. Christian, The Bachelor Machine. Circlet Press, 2010 (2nd ed.). Pp. 200. (ASIN B003Y8XUK2.) $7.99 e-book.Reviewed by Johann Carlisle This collection of erotic science fiction short stories (first published in 2003 by Green Candy Press), is re-released now in e-book format by Circlet Press, publishers of erotic romance with “a sex-positive outlook” (12). The PDF reviewed here was a little

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-71148100761769995522011-02-28T03:59:00.002-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.842-04:00

Ian Struckhoff et al, The Deathlings: Anne’s Story no. 1.Black Label Comics, 2010. Pp. 28. ISBN 1396402418. $5.99.Ian Struckhoff et al, Black Label Comics (anthology) no.1. Black Label Comics, 2010. Pp. 44. ISBN 1396402433. $8.00.Reviewed by Kate Onyett I hold up my hand: I am not a big comic buff. I cannot reel off data regarding writers, artists and movers and shakers in the industry (my one

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-61007385218356245572011-02-27T12:17:00.000-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.843-04:00

Ryan North, Matthew Bennadro & David Malki (edd.), Machine of Death: A Collection of Stories About People Who Know How They Will Die. Bearstache Books, 2010. Pp 452. ISBN 9780982167120. $17.95.Reviewed by Sheri White If you had the opportunity to find out the manner of your death, would you take it? That’s the shared theme of the stories in Machine of Death. All it takes is a drop of blood, and

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-72068151513057942012011-02-21T18:32:00.001-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.844-04:00

Marie Bilodeau, Destiny’s Blood. Dragon Moon Press, 2010. Pp. 308. ISBN 978-1-897492-11-6. $19.95.Reviewed by Regina de Búrca I was intrigued by the Dragon Moon Press blurb for Marie Bilodeau’s Destiny’s Blood: “To save the withering First Star, will Layela sacrifice her sister... or herself?” Being interested in both female familial relationships and the concept of ‘fate’ in fiction, I had a

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-53600069420710296492011-02-16T17:22:00.000-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.845-04:00

Steven Pirie, Burying Brian. Immanion Press, 2010. Pp 260. ISBN 978-1-904853-71-8. £12.99.Reviewed by Carey Gates Belial has hoodwinked God into going down to earth again—and now God is trapped in Mrs. Tippings head, while Belial starts The Judgment of the World. And it’s up to Brian—and the Gravediggers of Mudcaster, to save mankind dead and alive from hell. Because of course, Belial doesn’t

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-54830184636152989522011-02-11T06:04:00.000-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.846-04:00

Aaron Polson, Loathsome, Dark and Deep. Belfire Press, 2010. Pp. 204. ISBN 9781926912141. $11.99 print / $3.99 e-book.Reviewed by Don Campbell Henry Barlow fought in the Civil War. His wife met her end as the victim of a vicious murder. He hasn’t touched a pistol or a rifle since and has crawled deep into a bottle of bourbon and when we meet him is hiding out at the only brothel in Ecola, Oregon

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-655103770673466892011-02-04T07:35:00.001-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.847-04:00

Scott B. Pruden, Immaculate Deception. Codorus Press, 2010. Pp. 329. ISBN 978-0-615-34825-4. $19.95.Reviewed by postmorbid Immaculate Deception is the debut novel by Scott B. Pruden, a journalist and writer, and also the first novel published by “independent literary collective” Codorus Press. It follows the quests of two men, one dead and trying to become alive again by helping out a confused,

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-71762167771203864712011-01-25T16:48:00.000-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.848-04:00

Tony Rauch, Eyeballs growing all over me... again. Eraserhead Press, 2010. Pp. 144. ISBN 9781936383337. $10.95.Reviewed by Kate Onyett Eyeballs growing all over me... again is a collection of short stories by Tony Rauch. Some are very short: just a paragraph or two. Some are pages long and split into parts. Yet the whole book presents as a carefully staged show of playfulness, and like anything

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-55870660748952182192011-01-12T17:28:00.000-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.849-04:00

Kelley Eskridge, Solitaire: a novel. Small Beer Press, 2011. Pp. 352. ISBN 9781931520102. $16.00.Reviewed by Paul Wilks Originally released in 2002, Kelley Eskridge’s debut novel Solitaire is now being republished in paperback by Small Beer Press. Set in the near future where the role of global corporations is reminiscent of the all pervasive organisations portrayed in Japanese Manga comics;

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-20855182199541487422010-12-30T12:04:00.000-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.850-04:00

A capella Zoo #5, Fall 2010. Pp. 119. ISSN 1945-7480. $4.00.Reviewed by Nick Jackson The vibrant orange and blue cover of this collection of stories and poems is a good reflection of the lively and multifarious contents. There are some beautifully written and powerful pieces of fiction and poems in this issue. According to the website, A cappella Zoo is a magazine of magic realism and slipstream

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-27078840443145502362010-12-29T10:40:00.003-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.851-04:00

Cate Gardner, Strange Men in Pinstripe Suits. Strange Publications, 2010. ISBN 9780982026649. $11.99.Reviewed by Steven Pirie This is without doubt a most unusual collection of short stories. It’s nice when a writer finds a unique voice, and Cate Gardner has done just that with Strange Men in Pinstripe Suits. The book is a trade paperback edition, just short of 200 pages in length, with a rather

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-27267704511569283972010-12-28T12:42:00.000-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.852-04:00

Jaym Gates and Erika Holt (eds.), Rigor Amortis. Absolute XPress, 2010. Pp. 148. ISBN 9781894817837. $14.95 print / $2.99 e-book.Reviewed by Don Campbell Sex and Death; do any two things more preoccupy the human condition? Sex makes us feel alive, it is instrumental in the creation of life itself. Death is our only certainty, our inevitable decay is only a matter of time and our control over it

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-4588452099227422042010-12-26T07:52:00.000-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.852-04:00

Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #26 (December 2010). Pp. 64. $5.00.Reviewed by Keith Lawrence Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, now in its fifteenth year, is just as eccentric a publication as its name suggests; possibly a genre magazine which does not claim to represent any particular genre, possibly a literary magazine without a dogmatic attachment to the trappings of high art. The pieces

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-36637696998028899942010-12-11T14:56:00.000-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.853-04:00

David Rix (ed.), Blind Swimmer. Eibonvale Press, 2010. Pp. 360. ISBN 9780956214751. £10.00.Reviewed by Kate Onyett Creativity in isolation. This, we are told in the forward by editor David Rix, is the theme upon which Blind Swimmer, the new collection from Eibonvale Press, is founded, and the deciding factor when choosing stories for inclusion. It might be well at this point just to consider

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-24065292275024512372010-12-03T16:53:00.000-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.854-04:00

Alva J. Roberts (ed.), Zero Gravity: Adventures in Deep Space. PillHill Press, 2010. Pp. 266. ISBN 9781617060007. $16.99.Reviewed by Don Campbell Zero Gravity: Adventures in Deep Space is an anthology themed around stories firmly rooted in long term space exploration or in futures so advanced that space-faring ships have become the norm. Science vessels, space smugglers, and interstellar

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-81140821557843250642010-11-27T12:18:00.000-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.855-04:00

Walter Rhein, The Bone Sword. Rhemalda Publishing, 2010. Pp. 221. ISBN 978-09827437-2-0. $14.95 / £13.95.Reviewed by Sam Kelly This isn’t Rhein’s first book, but his first with new imprint Rhemalda Publishing. My first impression of The Bone Sword, looking at the cover artwork, was a feeling of sinking doom. From the luridly coloured sky to the distorted, badly proportioned, and vastly

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-94572385449863842010-11-21T12:25:00.002-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.856-04:00

Douglas Thompson, Sylvow. Eibonvale Press, 2010. Pp. 308. ISBN 9780956214775. £8.99.Reviewed by Regina de Búrca Sylvow is promoted as a literary science fiction novel that explores the modern world’s relationship with nature. The book lives up to this weighty promise and at times exceeds it, defying genre constraints. This overspill makes it a difficult book to review, not to mention a

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-10164370338980601092010-11-14T14:54:00.000-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.857-04:00

Ayn Rand, Anthem. Cassell & Co, 1936. Pp. 105. (various editions)A feminist review by Paul Wilks Anthem is a dystopian novella by Ayn Rand first published in 1938. It is set in a devolved and semi-primitive future society, beneath an oppressive ruling body known as the ‘World Council’. The protagonist is a male named Equality 7-2521 and the novel tells of his life and subsequent

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-64908356983035742502010-11-06T08:36:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.858-04:00

D.F. Lewis (ed.), Null Immortalis: Nemonymus #10. Weirdmonger Press, 2010. Pp. 328. ISSN 1474-2020. $10.00.Reviewed by Jaym Gates Null Immortalis is, in appearance, a handsome book, a trade paperback that just might be one of those things some intrepid bookstore explorer pulls off a shelf in twenty years because it catches their eye. Nine previous Nemonymous books have been released by editor

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-50042788466801165552010-11-03T17:34:00.001-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.859-04:00

John Travis, Mostly Monochrome Stories. Exaggerated Press, 2009. Pp. 199. ISBN 9781409281696. $12.10/£8.01.Reviewed by Kate Onyett John Travis is a new name to me, and after a little researching, I discovered he is a new name on the fantasy circuit, so far publishing this book and one other; a novel (The Terror and the Tortoiseshell—coincidentally an extension of one of the short stories in

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-55363555826204351532010-10-28T18:55:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.860-04:00

David A. Schramm, Black Market Memories. CreateSpace, 2010. Pp. 216. ISBN 1452863091. $14.95.Reviewed by Sam Kelly This is David Schramm’s first fiction book, self-published through CreateSpace.com. It’s solidly bound and set in a thoroughly readable typeface, with a rather decorative galactic navigation map on the front cover. As the website says, “Frustrated by other intergalactic adventures

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-17906781845160999792010-10-24T18:45:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.861-04:00

Marc Lowe, ‘Sui Generis’ and Other Fictions. ISMs Press, 2010. Pp. viii + 89. Free eBook (donationware).Reviewed by Nathan Lea ‘Sui Generis’ and Other Fictions is a collection of twenty-three distinct short stories that, whilst using different themes and topics, each focus in one way or another on the notion of “uniqueness” as the title of the first story suggests. These stories were written

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-12404126682872683612010-10-22T11:49:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.862-04:00

Mark Harding (ed.), Music for Another World. Mutation Press, 2010. pp. 270 ISBN: 9781907553004. £8.99 / $14.00.Reviewed by Meredith Wiggins In the introduction to Music for Another World, Mark Harding describes his selection process as unrelated to any consideration of form, genre, plot, or music. Instead, Harding’s choices were dictated by the stories themselves: they were ‘...stories that made

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-37264535284000816652010-10-20T14:30:00.001-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.863-04:00

RJ Astruc, A Festival of Skeletons. Crossed Genres, 2010. Pp. 175. ISBN 145375735X. $8.99.Reviewed by Kate Onyett Fantasy and science fiction have long had a tradition of being flexible staging arenas for social and political debates and diatribes; a ‘see here, this is important, so get your eyeballs around this!’ earnestness. Refreshingly, while some more thoughtful aspects do appear in Astruc’

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-74872836076712459932010-10-17T14:00:00.001-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.864-04:00

Roby James (ed.), Warrior Wisewoman 3. Norilana Books, 2010. Pp. 302. ISBN 9781607620617. $12.95 / £9.50.Reviewed by Johann Carlisle Warrior Wisewoman 3 is an ambitious and impressive anthology from Norilana Books’ science fiction division, a publisher responsible for speculative series’ including MZB’s Sword and Sorceress and Lace and Blade. The explicit theme of the Warrior Wisewoman series of

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-41069437714245732262010-10-14T16:34:00.000-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.865-04:00

Terry Grimwood, The Places Between. Pendragon Press, 2010. Pp. 111. ISBN 9781906864200. £7.99.Reviewed by Nick Jackson If there is such a thing as an over-arching cultural obsession these days, it might be the fascination with identity, and Terry Grimwood’s novella taps into this obsession in an interesting way, blending elements of realism and fantasy in a sort of ‘dark night of the soul’ for

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-80540738438060759942010-10-12T16:20:00.006-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.866-04:00

Mark Morris (ed.), Cinema Futura. PS Publishing, 2010. Pp. 271. ISBN 978-1-848630-95-6. £25.00 / $38.75.Reviewed by Kate Onyett As a collection of essays, one of the best places to start in ascertaining whether the book has/will hit its mark is in the editor’s forward. It will, after all, be the editor’s guiding hand that will to a greater degree determine the book’s direction. As it turns out,

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-7500175173415178532010-10-07T17:45:00.001-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.867-04:00

Mark Mellon, Napoleon Concerto. Treble Heart Books, 2009. Pp. 342. ISBN 9781936127085. $13.50.Reviewed by Aishwarya SubramanianIt is 1806. Napoleon Bonaparte rules France and most of Europe. Yet Britain remains out of reach; however strong Napoleon may be on land, at sea the Royal Navy is supreme. Then an engineer named Robert Fulton meets an Irish ex-naval captain named Wolfe O’Sheridane at a

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-15763242957875870422010-10-04T16:06:00.006-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.868-04:00

Graham Storrs, TimeSplash. Lyrical Press, 2010. Pp. 261. ISBN 9781616501235. E-book $5.50.Reviewed by Keith Lawrence A crime thriller set in the near future, TimeSplash centres on a new form of terrorism, a destructive form of time-travel, and the efforts of the two young protagonists to prevent a catastrophe that will devastate a European city. Graham Storrs’s previous published works have been

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-46658569083993486912010-09-27T18:39:00.005-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.869-04:00

Bull Spec issue 2, Summer 2010. Pp. 64. ISSN 2152-5234. $8.00.Reviewed by Steven PirieI tend to prefer full-sized magazines. Digest sized magazines are fine, but in my opinion they’re never going to match holding a glossy, full-sized offering. There’s the extra detail that can be gleaned from the artwork, and the contents appear far less pinched. Fonts tend to be bigger, too. Bull Spec, as you

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-72061947040196490842010-09-18T06:06:00.006-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.870-04:00

Lavie Tidhar, Cloud Permutations. PS Publishing, 2010. Pp. 130. ISBN 9781848630437. £12.00.Reviewed by Sarah Ann WattsCloud Permutations is a novella set on a planet called Heven with a magical South Seas setting. Kal is a boy who just wants to fly, but flying on Heven is tabu, against kastom, and carries a fatal penalty. A very young Kal is warned by his grandfather, ‘One should never speak

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-87865795354887142872010-09-14T12:06:00.003-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.871-04:00

Ed Pincent, Magic Mirror. Eibonvale Press, 2010. Pp. 354. ISBN 9780956214799. £12.99.Reviewed by Jaym GatesMagic Mirror is a giant compendium of 44 of Ed Pincent’s graphic works from over the years (1982-present), personally selected by the artist and including out-of-print material. The pieces range from one page in length, to the 90+ page story ‘Saga of the Scroll’. The illustrations are

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-2986329853898412072010-09-11T13:13:00.002-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.872-04:00

Gavin Baddeley, Vampire Lovers: Screen's Seductive Creatures of the Night. Plexus Publishing Ltd, 2010. Pp. 192. ISBN 9780859654500. £14.99/$19.95.Reviewed by Kate OnyettGavin Baddeley is a new writer to me. There appear to be no formal academic credentials attached to his previous oeuvre, but there is a list of cheerfully robust gothic titles to his name: novels, examinations of lurid episodes

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-56734785125447644852010-09-09T02:38:00.002-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.873-04:00

Olga Slavnikova, 2017. Duckworth Overlook, 2010. Pp. 414. ISBN 9780715639108. £16.99.Reviewed by Nader ElhefnawyAcclaimed Russian writer and critic Olga Slavnikova’s 2017: A Novel won her a second Russian Booker Prize three years ago. London-based Duckworth Publishers has recently released an English-language translation by Marian Schwartz, which given Duckworth’s list, can be taken as either a

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-26042312564761631122010-09-06T01:11:00.004-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.874-04:00

Brendan Connell, Metrophilias. Better Non Sequitur Press, 2010. Pp. 102. ISBN 0974323578. $12.00.Reviewed by Nathan LeaMetrophilias is a collection of short stories that explore the nuances of obsession and desire whilst focussing on a series of individuals in thirty-six different cities across the world. The obsessions range from the unusual to the bizarre to the grotesque: whilst they include

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-13003276204360615612010-09-03T11:40:00.009-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.875-04:00

D. Harlan Wilson, They Had Goat Heads. Atlatl Press, 2010. Pp. 148. ISBN 9780982628126. $12.00.Reviewed by Terry GrimwoodOne of my favourite albums is Rain Dogs by the unique Tom Waits. From the first track you are transported into a dark, surreal, noir-ish universe of accordion-playing slaughterhouse workers, ships captained by one-eyed dwarves, a woman with a set of tear tattoos (one for every

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-43627263177747712872010-08-17T15:29:00.004-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.875-04:00

Rowena Cory Daniells, King Rolen's Kin: The King's Bastard. Solaris Books, 2010. Pp. 640. ISBN 9781907519017. $7.99.Reviewed by Sam KellyThe King's Bastard is most definitely a book that wears its subgenres proudly. The title, cover, map, and blurb all let us know we're in for kings-and-princes stories in a recently founded fantasy kingdom, with inventively spelt mythological monsters (foenix,

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-41479250703292426912010-08-14T05:49:00.005-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.876-04:00

Paul Di Filippo, Roadside Bodhisattva. PS Publishing, 2010. Pp. 174. ISBN 978-1906301941. £20.00 / $32.00.Reviewed by Christopher MichaelsRoadside Bodhisattva is a good example of the way a teen central character and narrator does not necessarily mean its readership will be limited to young adults. There is none of the literary revolution suggested by the author’s dedication to Henry Miller and

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-13760027896283514792010-07-07T11:20:00.004-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.877-04:00

Rhys Hughes, Mister Gum. DogHorn, 2009. Pp. 108. ISBN 0955063191. £7.99.Reviewed by Nick JacksonMister Gum is silly. The more you read, the sillier it gets. Eventually it becomes so absurd that it threatens to become psychologically disturbing.The book defies the usual critical methodology: do the characters and plot stand up to scrutiny? What are the themes and conceits of the work? How good is

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-3579052828095340452010-07-04T17:23:00.005-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.878-04:00

Chris Beckett, The Holy Machine. Corvus, 2010. Pp. 288. ISBN 9781848876569. £10.99.Reviewed by Christopher MichaelsThis book has many of the elements of classic science fiction. At first impression, it is full of clichés, but its takes these ingredients in interesting directions that make reading on worthwhile. Like the best classic sci-fi, The Holy Machine has captivating writing that draws in

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-52826668961020441382010-06-26T08:55:00.006-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.879-04:00

Erika Tracy, Half-Sick of Shadows. Shadowfire Press, 2010. Pp. 62. e-Book $3.75.Reviewed by Sam KellyThis novella is a tricky thing, and every time it looks as though it’s settled on a set of tropes then it turns a corner and becomes something else. The evacuee child arriving in a strange new place that isn’t the magical fairyland she expected, but instead a grim mining village... the child going

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-12021451150794076682010-06-23T17:13:00.005-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.880-04:00

Jeff VanderMeer, Finch. Corvus, 2009. Pp. 320. ISBN 9781848874770. £12.99.Reviewed by The Exploding BoyI am not a detective, Jeff Vandermeer’s eponymous hero tells us at the beginning of Finch. I am not a detective.It’s an interesting confession, considering the novel’s rich noir influence and the character of Finch evidently based on that of Philip Marlowe. All the same, it soon becomes clear

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-86190628964113964002010-05-16T04:34:00.001-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.881-04:00

Greatest Uncommon Denominator (GUD), issue 5 (2010). Pp. 200. $3.50 PDF / $12 print.Reviewed by Terry GrimwoodStephen Hawking is reported as saying that if we find intelligent life out there somewhere, we should not attempt to make contact, presumably because to do so would be very dangerous indeed. Well, T F Davenport’s story ‘Nature’s Children’ makes abundantly clear some of the potential

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-36058460090499338132010-04-14T18:46:00.005-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.882-04:00

Rachel Kendall, The Bride Stripped Bare. Doghorn Publishing, 2009. Pp. 114. ISBN 9781907133046. £9.99.Reviewed by Nick JacksonI imagine the author of these stories composing these tiny, incisive works of fiction as if she were setting up one of those miniature theatres, made of paper, in which the characters are poked onto the stage to perform their predetermined roles. With the sweetest of

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-79568396476959623082010-03-18T07:32:00.006-04:002011-07-23T13:06:39.883-04:00

Rhys Hughes, The Postmodern Mariner. Screaming Dreams, 2008. Pp. 160. ISBN 9780955518522. £7.99.Reviewed by Terry GrimwoodA delight, that’s what this book is. Funny, touching and as easily digestible as Frabjal Troose’s ginger biscuit moon that hangs over Rommel Cobra’s Sea of Tea. Yes, we are in the surreal, unpredictable and often achingly funny universe of Rhys Hughes. Hang logic on the hook

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-1404271163534394942010-03-07T09:06:00.008-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.884-04:00

Nina Allan, A Thread Of Truth. Eibonvale Press, 2008. Pp. 224. ISBN 9780955526800. £9.95/$15.00.Reviewed by Terry GrimwoodDelicate and fragile as a spider’s web, that’s what the stories in this collection are, carefully woven together with such subtlety that a moment’s distraction will break the spell and quickly obscure the meaning. The clues are there, you just have to hold your breath, tread

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-67921594495490973982010-03-02T05:52:00.004-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.885-04:00

Allen Ashley, Once and Future Cities. Eibonvale Press, 2009. Pp. 424. ISBN 9780955526886. £25.00.Reviewed by The Exploding BoyAllen Ashley is a BFS award-winning author and a stalwart of the independent press scene. Once and Future Cities is his third collection of shorts, and delves deep into the urban apocalyptic mythos to present twenty-two beguiling stories.Sharp observations of the modern

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-12630271621846622862010-02-26T15:17:00.005-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.885-04:00

Douglas Thompson, Ultrameta. Eibonvale Press, 2009. Pp. 336. ISBN 9780956214713. £10.75.Reviewed by Hugh CaylessUltrameta is hard to categorize. Part scifi, part detective story, part extended meditation on the human condition and the modern world. Its “hero” is Alexander Stark, a University professor, who goes missing, apparently amnesiac, and reappears after a decade, then kills himself. Or he

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-41473678453131302702010-02-07T18:19:00.005-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.886-04:00

Pete Butler (ed.), Triangulation: Dark Glass. PARSEC Ink, 2009. Pp. 156. ISBN 9780578031033. $12.00 h/c; $1.99 PDF.Reviewed by Louisa ThompsonTriangulation: Dark Glass is PARSEC Ink’s latest anthology of short speculative fiction based around the collective theme of ‘dark glass’. This core theme is loose enough to allow a broad range of style and ability but tight enough to ensure a cohesive body

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-68687086477736062812010-01-23T13:19:00.020-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.887-04:00

Colin Harvey, Winter Song. Angry Robot Books, 2009. Pp. 409. ISBN 9780007321018. $10.20 / €5.80.Reviewed by Johann CarlisleColin Harvey's Winter Song is one of the first books to appear in the new genre imprint from HarperCollins, the promising-looking Angry Robot Books, promotional copies of which have been circulated by the BSFA and elsewhere. The story is both a hard science fiction adventure

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-47417701024327519092010-01-06T17:44:00.005-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.888-04:00

Ian Whates, The Gift of Joy. NewCon Press, 2009. Pp. 254. ISBN 9781907069017. £9.99.Reviewed by Terry GrimwoodJoy is the best word to describe The Gift of Joy, a collection of mostly (but not only) science fiction stories from Ian Whates, because that is what comes across from start to finish, a sense of sheer enjoyment, a feeling that writing is nothing but pleasure. Here is someone, you think,

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5146288705471208160.post-63915975958112971472010-01-02T13:07:00.005-05:002011-07-23T13:06:39.889-04:00

Gary Fry, Mindful of Phantoms. Gray Friar Press, 2009. Pp. 276. ISBN 9781906331078. $26.00 / £14.99.Reviewed by Terry GrimwoodSupernatural fiction tends to be gathered together into a general, rather messy pile made up of vampires, monsters, blood-stained fang and claw, crazed, demon-possessed killers etc. In some bookshops it is even dumped into the same out-of-the-way dark corner as science

Djibrilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06382333338207409292noreply@blogger.com0