Winter by William Horwood

Winter, a Hyddenworld novel, by William Horwood is out now (Macmillan £18.99). This is the last instalment of Horwood’s fantasy quartet. 

"Storms rage as the worst winter in living memory ravages the human and Hydden worlds. The prophesied End of Days is here and the universe is dying, yet only a few are even aware of the forces at work.

Jack and Katherine must help their friend Bedwyn Stort halt this chaos by locating the last gem of Winter, something only he can do. Then it must be returned to the Earth’s unwilling guardian, their daughter Judith. She will need it to try and reignite the fires of the universe.

Yet Stort is riddled with uncertainty. He yearns for Judith, as she does for him, but a love between mortal and immortal cannot be. To find the gem, he must solve this conundrum and vanquish death itself. But can he really lead mortalkind to salvation?”

Rome: Destroy Carthage by David Gibbins

Total War: Rome: Destroy Carthage is a tie-in novel (with the computer game) by David Gibbins (Macmillan £16.99).

“Carthage, 146 BC. This is the story of Fabius Petronius Secundus – Roman legionary and centurion – and of his general Scipio Aemilianus, and his rise to power: from his first battle against the Macedonians, that seals the fate of Alexander the Great’s Empire, to total war in North Africa and the Siege of Carthage.

Scipio’s success brings him admiration and respect, but also attracts greed and jealousy – for the closest allies can become the bitterest of enemies. And then there is the dark horse, Julia, of the Caesar family – in love with Scipio but betrothed to his rival Paullus – who causes a vicious feud.

Ultimately for Scipio it will come down to one question: how much is he prepared to sacrifice for his vision of Rome?”

The Forbidden by F R Tallis: book review

The Forbidden by F R Tallis. Macmillan £12.99

Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

F R Tallis is the cunning disguise of crime writer Frank Tallis – now branching into supernatural horror with this novel mostly set in late 19th century France. The first-person narrative is the story of Paul Clément. As a trainee doctor he takes a position in the Caribbean where he witnesses a voodoo murder. On his return to Paris he investigates the use of electricity to save lives (an antecedent of today’s defibrillator) … and marrying his experience on the tropical island he embarks on a quest to explore the moments after death to discover what, if anything, is out there. (I will try to avoid plot spoilers in the following but I fear some will leak through.)

To pursue this he “kills” himself, to be re-vitalised by a colleague using batteries. But Clément doesn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Instead, he encounters the depravities of hell, of demons and devils inflicting unending torture on the condemned souls. On his return to life Clément unwittingly brings with him a demon, infecting him, gradually altering his actions, his perceptions of right and wrong. And then there is the exorcism with its terrifying consequences.

Clément is a sceptic, doubting the existence of an omnipotent God. And yet he soon accepts demons and hell as real, not simply illusions or metaphors, even though the first exorcism required a priest and hallowed ground his scepticism persists. It is only when he finally believes that he finds the strength to face and possibly defeat the evil of the demon.

At times this novel felt too polemical. Also, I think the book would’ve worked better from the third person perspective. In horror fiction it’s not unusual for the narrative to come from beyond the grave. However, as the story progressed I knew that Clément would survive to recount his tale, would be redeemed, which takes away some of the uncertainty of the finale. Nevertheless, I enjoyed The Forbidden and I recommend it. The story is compelling, the characters engaging. But note: it’s not a pacy read; the story develops slowly, perhaps mirroring the speed of life of those times. Indeed, the style emulates that of a 19th century novel, a little wordy, where unfurling events are described deliberately – with, I suggest for a 21st century horror fan, a bit too much research slipping through.

Some of the set pieces seem destined to be scenes in a movie. The exorcism and trip to hell reminded me of The Exorcist and Constantine, for example. It’s not “Hell on Earth” – as the press release states – it is, most certainly, Clément’s personal hell.

The Forbidden by F R Tallis

The Forbidden by F R Tallis (aka Frank Tallis) is published by Macmillan (£12.99):

“Superstition. Possession. Hell on Earth… When ambitious Doctor Paul Clément takes a job on Saint Sébastien, he has dreams of discovering cures for tropical diseases. What he finds is a place where the black arts are just a way of life. On returning to Paris, Clément studies the nervous system and resuscitation. He hears of patients who have apparently died, been brought back to life, and whilst suspended between life and death, experience what they believe to be heaven. Clément attempts a daring experiment in order to confirm these extraordinary reports, but the outcome is wholly unexpected … [does] he bring something back with him – an ancient evil, so powerful that it can never be destroyed?”

Railsea by China Mieville

China Mieville’s latest is Railsea (Macmillan £17.99). It’s “an epic journey for readers of all ages”:

“On board the moletrain Medes, Sham Yes ap Soorap watches in awe as he witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt … but Sham can't shake the sense that there is more to life. When they come across a wrecked train, at first it's a welcome distraction. But the impossible salvage Sham finds in the derelict leads to considerably more than he'd bargained for. Soon he's hunted on all sides: by pirates, trainsfolk, monsters and salvage-scrabblers. And it might not be just Sham's life that's about to change. It could be the whole of the railsea.”

Mieville is  the three-time recipient of the Arthur C Clarke Award, as well as winner of the BSFA, BFS, Hugo and World Fantasy awards