An isolated group of men live in a world without women. Over the years they have learned to accept this fact, and that they will be the final generation. It has not been easy. Each of them has their demons … Continue reading →
This is a bold, brave and brilliant book, just like its hero, thirteen years old Delphine Venner. It’s 1935 and troubled Delphine, recently expelled from school, goes to the isolated Alderberen estate with her mother and equally troubled father. An … Continue reading →
This post will contain spoilers. There’s a huge amount to like about the latest Star Wars film. It’s made with passion, the protagonists are real people, the humour works. So does the tension, and those moments of Star Wars senswunda … Continue reading →
The universe of self-published fiction has its vast and empty reaches of nothing much at all, and a scatter of planets that can appear less interesting the closer you approach. It also has its stars. This book is one of … Continue reading →
Here’s a strange one. I first came across the opening chapters of this oddly charming and compelling tale anonymously posted on Tumblr a couple of years ago. Since then I’d been wondering, off and on, if the full story would … Continue reading →
I watched The Woman in Black last night, a film based on the book of the same name by Susan Hill. It was very nice to see an old-style gothic horror film again, one that relied in the main on … Continue reading →
Two alliances of civilisations are fighting a virtual war over artificial hells. Depending on your viewpoint the right, or the wrong, side is winning. Needless to say, the Culture has an interest in the outcome. Bank’s penultimate Culture novel, is … Continue reading →
When I was a young reader I soon learned to trust – or not trust – the reviews on the back of books. My default weekly selection at the local library was one anthology, one book with a bright yellow … Continue reading →
I’ve just finished reviewing Tony White’s riveting novel Shackleton’s Man Goes North for Arc magazine, a novel about the past, present, and future of climate change. One thing he’s interested in is seeing how we can predict what the future … Continue reading →
A blackest of black comedies about the revenge organised crime exacts against some thieves who stole from them, set against the recent collapse of the global banking system. In both cases, confidence in the system needs to be restored. In … Continue reading →