Tag Archives: books & reviews
a very weird feeling
Nick Coleman name-checks “the SF awkward squad” of the 70s in his memoir of a life in music journalism: “Thompson was much cleverer than me, but neither of us seemed to mind. What seemed important was that we both liked … Continue reading
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karaoke culture
Karaoke Culture is a sharp piece of commentary. As ever, Ugresic sucks you in with wit & mad charm; cheekily sandbags you with her ability to merge her observations of cultural events, venues & styles; engineers cheerful hit & run … Continue reading
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Filed under books & reviews, media
cheney at weird fiction review
I can recommend Matthew Cheney’s piece Stories in the Key of Strange: A Collage of Encounters, at Weird Fiction Review. More and more, Cheney says, he finds himself attracted to innovative writing that isn’t afraid to leave great gaps within … Continue reading
Filed under books & reviews, fantasy, writing
seeing the future
I wrote an introduction to the Heyne edition of The Day of the Triffids, which begins roughly– “1949: John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris decided he would like to write something more relevant to his time. In turning away from … Continue reading
Filed under books & reviews, predicting the present, science fiction
the last fish
In this unwritten pastiche the central character stares out over a deserted coastal town, entangling himself with mysterious couples, psychiatrists and fliers as the world around him falls slowly but irrevocably into a beach-fatigued 50s sf version of itself. “Every … Continue reading
Filed under imaginary reviews, the horror
divorce
Identify the psychodramatic parallels in these two articles from yesterday’s Independent: War of words: major authors launch rival to ‘low-brow’ Booker & Gunman kills eight in California salon massacre.
Filed under books & reviews
the colour
John Coulthart reviews Die Farbe, with a link to the trailer, here. I’m reading Bonjour Tristesse and A Certain Smile, which I bought–along with a Lee Child thriller–on the way to Valencia. Not a patch on Colette’s Ripening Seed, but … Continue reading
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beyond black
Speaking of Hilary Mantel, here’s a review of Beyond Black done for the TLS in 2005– Men, like a kind of violent infestation, come and go around Alison Cheetham in her mother Emmeline’s house. One night they’re beating up the … Continue reading
Filed under books & reviews, ghosts, writing
chasing ghosts
Hilary Mantel on the Culture Show: hypnotic, magnificent, full of honesty & humanity & wit. On writing: “I never take it for granted that anything’s going to come right… at the time it can feel like the end of the … Continue reading
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Filed under ghosts, lost & found
