An Inch of Ashes (Chung Kuo Book 6) by David Wingrove. Book review.

An Inch of Ashes (Chung Kuo book 6) by David Wingrove. Corvus £14.99

Reviewed by John Howard

David Wingrove’s epic Chung Kuo originally appeared in eight large volumes between 1989 and 1997. Now Wingrove is ‘recasting’ the entire series, spreading it across twenty not so large volumes, adding completely new material in two prequel volumes and two more planned at the end. An Inch of Ashes was originally the second part of the former book two, The Broken Wheel.

It is now the autumn of 2206. Several of the T’ang – the seven men who rule with all-but absolute power over the various parts of the continent-spanning City that is Chung Kuo – are increasingly unsure of their ability to hold on to power and to exercise it in the way they wish. Tensions are growing between them, and the spectre of change remains at large in the conditioned air of the Levels. The terrorist group Ping Tiao (‘levelling’) is still causing trouble, and is just one of many unpredictable human factors threatening the vision of channelled and controlled peace and stability that the rulers have for the planet. The loose opposition headed by Howard DeVore still manages to keep one step ahead of the T’ang despite all the efforts made by the Seven’s security apparatus to track down its members and sympathisers and eliminate them.

One response by the Seven is, despite the misgivings of some of them, to give the go-ahead for research into the possibility of making it impossible for people to even wish for change: a stupendous project masterminded by the enigmatic Ben Shepherd. Those plans are monstrous, both in scope and (to some) impact. At the same time Shepherd finally discovers his true nature, and the secret in his family that has been hidden in open sight since the foundation of Chung Kuo. Shepherd’s status as an official ‘wild card’ is further enhanced, with all the danger and uncertainty for the massed billions inhabiting the City.

In An Inch of Ashes the reader is immersed once more in a complex world-wide political and dynastic drama in which threads of friendship, alliance and betrayal are continually woven, get frayed, sometimes break, and are knitted again into new and often previously unthinkable patterns. The pace never lets up; the contrast between the beauty and elegance of much of the Seven’s culture and the high moral language of their aims, and the utter ruthlessness and violence of how they execute (pun intended) them in reality is maintained, strengthening the impression that nowhere is potentially as alien as the Earth itself, and no-one and nothing is as alien as humanity and what it could become – or be forced into becoming.

Joyland by Stephen King: book review

Joyland by Stephen King. Titan/ Hard Case Crime £7.99

Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

I haven’t read a Stephen King novel in a long time, just short stories and novellas, which I rather enjoy. And to be honest, I’m often deterred by the size of some of his novels – The Dome, for instance. Thus getting my hands on Joyland, at a mere 280 or so pages, should’ve been a delight. Well, was it? In a word: yes!

However, the first 60-80 pages are mostly scene setting, and the story proper doesn’t start until then. That’s when Devin’s character – the narrator – blossoms. That’s when the relationships with his friends and co-workers at Joyland come into their own. That’s when the story of the murdered Linda Gray (killed in the 1960s) really begins to impinge on Devin’s life.

Devin Jones takes a job at Joyland in the summer of 1973. Joyland is a fairground, with rides and stalls and a ghost train, and a fortune-teller who does, in fact, have some psychic abilities. And in the House of Horrors: that’s where the ghost of Linda Gray is sometimes seen. He also encounters another psychic, this time a crippled 12-year old boy called Mike, and his mother Annie.

Devin becomes fixated on the murder of Linda Gray and soon discovers that there are other murdered girls, a connection that the police had missed. Needless to say, the story of Linda Gray becomes entwined with Devin losing his girlfriend and his growing relationship with Mike and, especially, Annie. And it all builds up the expected climax as a tropical storm heads towards Joyland.

Because those early pages were written in such an easy-going, engaging style it soon didn’t matter that they were mainly exposition for the following narrative. In truth they become essential background reading and once your engagement in the story kicks in you, the reader, will be hooked, and drawn into the delights – and horrors – of Joyland.

Although published as part of Titan’s crime line, Joyland could easily be read as a supernatural tale. Stephen King is a past-master at story telling. He’s a bard who is able to build dark and frightening worlds, spinning yarns that net in the audience. A thoroughly satisfying read, however you interpret it.

Among Others by Jo Walton. Book review

Among Others by Jo Walton. Corsair/Constable Robinson. £7.99. Also available as an eBook

Reviewed by Jan Edwards

It would be very simple to slot Among Others neatly into the ‘rites of passage’ niche, but it really is so much more. It is an insightful look at a young teenage girl’s fight against her disability, her dysfunctional family and her lack of direction – and much more. 

Mori (Morwenna) Phelps is a runaway, escaping from an insane mother who caused the death of Mori’s twin sister in an apparent magical battle that also left Mori with a crippled leg and a broken heart. The courts place Mori in the care of her estranged father and his rich but very eccentric sisters, in Shropshire, who in turn promptly send her to a posh boarding school. She is miles away from everyone she knows. 

There is nothing manic or swooning about Mori; she takes all that life throws at her with stoic determination, and a wonderfully wry humour. The novel unfolds as a series of diary entries covering a few months over the period 1969/70. It holds her hopes and dreams, but also provides a window into her obsessive reading of fantasy and science fiction, with frequent acerbic judgements on books and their authors, which often had me laughing out loud. The diary entries, generally very short, also feature observations on the humdrum life she leads in a school she hates – with its strange politics concerning buns for tea and its obsession with house points. But these apparent low-key entries offer a fresh picture on who Mori is now and will be.

This novel deals with loss and yet Mori does not dwell on the darkness in her life. She has her fears and doubts, but she handles each as they arise with varying degrees of aplomb – and then moves on. We read of Mori’s casual, and occasionally frustrated, opinions on pain management, and of her logical analyses of emotional and physical turmoil caused by her completely dysfunctional family, especially her insane mother, still in South Wales, and apparently detached father. 

Among Others is also about magic. Mori describes her interaction with beings that she calls fairies; but which could be anything from ghosts to her own imagination. It is very much down to the reader and her boyfriend, whom she met at an SF readers’ group in the local library, to decide what is real and what isn’t. 

This is a compelling narrative, beautifully crafted, drawing you into a world that is often deceptively tranquil, and yet fraught. Among Others deservedly won the Hugo, the Nebula and the British Fantasy awards for Best Novel. Thoroughly recommended!

Magic edited by Jonathan Oliver: reviewed

Magic edited by Jonathan Oliver. Solaris £7.99

Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

Magic is subtitled “an anthology of the esoteric and arcane” and that’s a pretty handy tag for this book. But first, I offer congratulations and thanks to Solaris for daring to publish original SF, fantasy and horror anthologies (House of Fear, Solaris Rising, etc) in the mainstream UK market. Publishers, with few exceptions, shy away from short stories to – in my view – the detriment of readers.

Magic includes fifteen short stories, all of them immensely enjoyable. Obviously there are some I prefer above the others – that’s the nature of the beast. One of my favourites is “Dumb Lucy” by Robert Shearman. This writer is a master of the off-the-wall fantasy and this is no exception. “Mailerdemon” by Sophie McDougall is another favourite. Here, a demon is exchanged via email, ostensibly to help the recipient deal with nightmares. “The Art of Escapology” by Alison Littlewood deals with more than a Houdini-like act. And so on. Other contributors include Audrey Niffenegger, Dan Abnett, Christopher Fowler, Storm Constantine, Gail Z Martin and Liz Williams…

I’m sure many of the book’s stories will be picked for the various “best of 2012” collections due this year, and that’s justly right. These fifteen stories are a treasure trove of magic. I’ll end on a simple question: why aren’t there more anthologies of this class?

Interview with the Vampire: Claudia’s Story. Graphic novel review

Interview with the Vampire: Claudia’s Story. Adapted by Ashley Marie Witter (Headline £13.99).

Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

Ashley Marie Witter has done a fabulous job in adapting Anne Rice’s seminal novel, which was published in the 1970s – that’s when I first read it. Actually, I’ve only read it the once after finding the sequel less gripping and I am yet to see the movie version – something about that deters me. Anyway, when I started this graphic novel adaptation I quickly found myself engrossed and read the book in one sitting.

Unlike the novel, the young reporter to whom Louis tells his story doesn’t appear, and the graphic novel does not suffer for this omission. Witter dives straight in to the story, when Lestat converts the girl – Claudia – into one of the undead. Witter’s version is told from Claudia perspective. Louis becomes emotionally attached to the girl – forever doomed to remain a child even though her imagination, her knowledge, becomes that of an adult woman. It’s a sort of curse – as she expresses so succinctly when in Paris.

As I read this version my memories of the novel percolated my mind: the adaption seems, to me, to be quite faithful to the Rice original. My initial reservation about starting this novel vanished after a few pages.

The artwork is stunning. Witter used a monochrome style but using a sepia-toned pen with occasional touches of colour – red of course. The layouts speed on the reader, perhaps too quickly: there are very few natural pauses if you have to break off reading for any reason. The only thing that would’ve improved the book is a larger format. The artwork deserved a bigger canvas. But for the price this hardback graphic novel is excellent value. It will make a grand Christmas gift.

Based on this book I hope that Witter becomes a mainstay of the graphic novel and I look forward to seeing more of her work.

Crossed volume 4. Graphic novel review

Crossed (volume four) by Garth Ennis, Jamie Delano, Jacen Burrows and Leandro Rizzo (Avatar $24.99/ Titan Books £18.99)

Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

Volume four of Crossed collects two stories, “Badlands” and “Homo Superior” – and this is the first time I’ve come across the comic. First off I have to own up: I don’t much like zombies and their stories. To me, they are one-trick ponies. And Crossed is about zombies – or zombie-like beings: out to kill anyone not converted and, more often than not, eat them.

“Badlands” is written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Jacen Burrows. It’s set in the wilds of Scotland and follows a small troop of survivors – one of whom may or may not be a member of the Royal family – as they flee from the Crossed, looking for sanctuary. Do they make it? I’m not telling. Despite my reservations about zombies, I have to say that this tale worked quite well, and I liked the way that Ennis recognised that in order to survive the humans have to make some harsh decisions. Ennis also includes a nice little scene of black humour when the group argue amongst themselves – to go this way or that way and getting no where. The artwork is fine if appearing a little static at times. The artist enjoys depicting gore – as does Rizzo in the next story.

“Homo Superior”, by Jamie Delano (story) and Leandro Rizzo (art) is the longer story of the two. Here, the events are back in the USA where we follow the adventures of a couple of cyclists in one thread, and a family of survivalists in the second. Needless to say, their paths cross with the inevitable intrusion of the zombies and its bloody consequences. And again, do the humans survive? An added problem is that one of them is pregnant and needs to find somewhere safe to give birth to the next level of Homo sapiens. Like Burrows, Rizzo’s art is more than adequate for the tale; and in “Homo Superior” we also get much nudity and sex.

Photographs of Boden by Simon Kurt Unsworth. Chapbook review

Photographs of Boden by Simon Kurt Unsworth, published as a 36-page chapbook, is available directly from the author.

Steve Boden has a good life with good memories, until he discovers the photo albums. As he browses their pages the images of him as a child become defaced as a chemical-like mark obliterates the faces of his younger self. But worse than that: his memories are blurring, changing; he learns that he wasn’t the boy he once recalled. He talks to friends, his father, his estranged sister and each time the conversation leaves him feeling hopelessly lost with new and uncertain memories. Photographs of Boden is a poignantly told story about identity and its loss, of losing control of one’s past and hence one’s personality.

The chapbook’s production value could be improved upon. However, the story itself transcends the publication’s appearance. The chapbook costs £3.50 with £1.00 of each sale going to Cancer Research UK. There are three other chapbooks in the series: The Pennine Tower Restaurant, Left Behind and The Pyramid Spider, at £3.50 each or £13.00 for all four (includes p&p in the UK). Email the author directly to order these chapbooks.

Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

Ivoria by Tanith Lee: book review

Ivoria by Tanith Lee. Immanion Press £11.99

Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

Laurence (an archaeologist) covertly leaves a Roman pin (from his latest dig) at his brother Nick’s (a gigolo) flat before he (Laurence) leaves for a dalliance with Kitty before he (Laurence) goes home to his wife Angela. Laurence takes with him a small rectangle made of ivory; the Roman pin is also made of ivory; and the moon’s ivory light shines through the octagonal window…

But Laurence dies of an aneurysm – the same illness that killed their mother years before. A certain Mr Pond visits Nick, seeking information on Laurence and his many affairs. Nick then has his own dalliance, also with Kitty. Later, Nick is threatened by three thugs, and left dying from a knife wound. Are you with me so far?

Nick recovers, staying with his sister Serena – who also (yes!) had a dalliance with (you’ve guessed) Kitty. Meanwhile, Kitty (under one of her other names) is living on a Greek island with Ross – father of the aforementioned Laurence, Serena and Nick. Phew.

This convoluted, complex story takes place in the first 220 pages. In the final 20-30 pages Tanith Lee explains the background, the secret story behind the story, introducing fresh insights, taking the reader off on sudden oblique angles. This last part is mostly tell and not enough show for my preferences; a bit like Hercule Poirot explaining all But to be honest, I’m not sure how else Ms Lee could’ve worked in all the extra details without signposting the plot too much, to the detriment of the novel.

As I was explaining the plot to my partner this morning (including a lot more detail than I’ve provided in the above) we ended up giggling. Not because the story is plain daft (it isn’t), but because it is a farce in the genuine, dramatic sense of the word; a black comedy of errors. For sure, I gave a knowing smile here and there as I read the novel; it was only at the end that I fully appreciated the wit and wonder of Ivoria. This is not obvious fantasy or horror, although horror does occur; there are also elements of crime and thriller tales. A heady mix, a wacky story, in Tanith Lee’s inimitable style. Recommended.

Joe & Me by David Moody: chapbook review

Jo & Me by David Moody. This is Horror Chapbook £4.99

Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

In order to suspend disbelief – so that a story holds my attention – there must be an element of verisimilitude. Once I am engaged with a story, however, it can go just about anywhere; I am hooked for the ride. One of the biggest threat to that verisimilitude – and hence to that necessary suspension of disbelief – is found in the way science and scientists are handled. I blame 30 plus years in medical laboratories… 

Most of the fictional scientists I encounter are on TV, programmes such as CSI, NCIS, Bones, and Waking the Dead. I enjoy some of these shows – but I often shout at the screen, yelling, No! It takes longer than five minutes to get and match a DNA profile!

I admit that I have read relatively little fiction centred on science and scientists – a couple of Patricia Cornwell novels, perhaps a few others. And now Joe & Me. In this slim chapbook a scientist is working on a secret project for the military, a project involving GMO – bacteria in this case, bugs that are being developed as a bio-weapon. Gill, the lead scientist, is doing all this in a lab within high-containment rooms (and presumably there are other bio-defence mechanisms) with just one assistant. No one else: no cleaners, secretaries, other lab staff. The lab is located (I gather) in a converted factory (or similar) somewhere in the town – not on a university campus, not in a secure installation (such as Porton Down or a pharmaceutical research establishment), where one would expect such a facility. 

And at the same time she is secretly working on another GMO microorganism, one that will counter the bad bug and save the world. Sorry to say, I was yelling at the chapbook at this stage. 

Then the military pulls the plug because they are unhappy about the progress of her research. They want results not tomorrow, not today, but yesterday. I can buy that – people in authority are often unreasonable in their expectations. So all funding disappears – along with her assistant. Yet the military leaves her alone in the lab, with all the equipment they used in the earlier work. The lab isn’t re-tasked; it isn’t decommissioned. Gill is becomes a maverick scientist, working on her own project. 

In order to make ends meet she, her husband and son (that’s the me and Joe of the title) sell their house and live in the lab – that self same lab that’s been used to bio-engineer some nasty organisms. They sleep there. They cook and eat there. It’s as if this were a science fiction story written and set in the 1940s or 50s. 

I am sorry to say, that all this made it difficult for me to really engage with Joe & Me. This is a shame because, otherwise, the story moves along at pace. The writing is crisp. The protagonists – mum, dad and Joe – come across sympathetically enough. It’s just that the science behind the story hindered my full enjoyment. If David Moody had got that bit right it would have been a vastly better read, even with the signposted finale.

The Green Woman: graphic novel review

The Green Woman by Peter Straub, Michael Easton and John Bolton. Vertigo $17.99

Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

This graphic novel continues the tale of Straub’s serial killer Fielding “Fee” Bandolier from his Blue Rose trilogy. On Fee’s trail is the NY cop Bob Steele, desperate to get his man, and to make his mark as a policeman. I haven’t read the Blue Rose books so all the characters are new to me. But that isn’t a problem: they are well delineated and their motives clear. It seems that Fee is looking to hang up his knife, maybe retire somewhere nice, but something is stopping him. Besides, not only is Bob Steele on his heels, but other killers follow his lead. This all sounds grand but, sadly, I found the story slight. Not bad, but not especially riveting, and I think I’d rather read this as a novella.

What makes this book special, though, is John Bolton’s exquisite paintings. They are in a class of their own. Bolton is, quite simply, one of the best comic-book embellishers around. How does he find the time to paint 140 pages of art? By magic, I imagine. Some of the panels capture the story’s characters perfectly: the picture of the killer on page 25, for example.

In summary, The Green Woman is a good read but it’s a much better artbook.

The Walking Dead: yet more zombies

Cops A and B, sitting in their squad car, are discussing electric light switches -- which seems to be as relevant to the programme as a discussion on burgerjoints in Paris. Then A owns up to his marriage being in difficulty. There, that's the characters set up.

Immediately after, they rush off, sirens blaring, to apprehend some criminals and in the ensuing chaos cop A is shot and wounded and rushed off to hospital.

When he regains consciousness the flowers beside him are dead. He falls from his bed, ripping out IV feeds, and staggers into the deserted corridor -- where he sees a half-eaten corpse (human, of course), lots of debris and blood, and a locked room housing The Dead. Outside, shrouded corpses fill the car park. Through all this and along streets empty of life he heads for his home, wife and child.

A nod and a wink to the start of Day of the Triffids?

It turns out that he's been in hospital for about a month. Even if his nurses had left him just days ago, how come he's not covered in his own urine and faeces? The site of the IV drips would likely become infected. His muscles would be wasted (yes, I know he does stagger around a bit, but that's just for the first day or so).

Soon he is feeling better (thanks to another living person and his son), and armed (from the cop station's armoury). He heads off searching for his family -- who are most certainly still alive. To cut the story short, he rides a horse into a city and suddenly is surrounded by an army of the dead. Fortunately (?) he finds refuge in a tank -- but the poor old nag gets eaten.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the woods, a group of survivors have made camp. And guess what: there are his wife and son. And cop B who has the hots for her.

This is the start of the TV series. Pur-lease! Zombies are mindless creatures; they get bitten, come back and bite the next living thing. Ad infinitum. Some thrilling modus operandi?

Finally point for now: if a single scratch from a zombie can infect the living (suggesting a microbial explanation to the disease) how come one can shoot a zombie in the head and get splattered with their (infected) blood -- with all those microscopic droplets of blood flying through the air -- and be perfectly fine?

Choose: film review

Choose directed by Marcus Graves. Starring Katheryn Winnock, Kevin Pollak and Richard Short.
Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

Here's another movie about another serial killer with a 'past'. He seemingly picks victims at random, giving them a choice about how they are mutilated -- or killed. For seemingly unknown reasons he's targeted a journalism student. He sends her clues which she follows up and arrives at answers quicker than her father -- who just happens to be a senior cop. It all seems to be linked to the suicide of her mother.

The story is full of the usual clichés: dark corners, sudden encounters, locked doors unaccountably opened, blah, blah. Why would a girl knowingly go alone to meet the killer? I just don't get it. The movie takes a nod at many previous slasher flicks -- and an obvious curtsy to Se7en. I guess there is a tension in the film but only if you can keep awake long enough to discover who did it and why -- and who survives. If you remember the gun on the wall rule, the ending isn't that much of a 'shock'.

So the choice is: would I watch it again, or not? I choose the latter. Choose is out on DVD on 24 January.

Hunter Prey: film review

Hunter Prey, directed by Sandy Collora
Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

There may be a few plot spoilers in this review, so be warned. After their space ship crash-lands on a barren desert planet, four bounty hunters chase after their escaped prisoner. For the first twenty minutes the hunters wear protective gear against the planet's climate, a costume that's part knight in armour, but mostly Boba Fett. During this period it's difficult to distinguish which of the hunters is talking. That is, until their bodies adjust to the external conditions and they can remove their headgear. And this is when we get the first 'shock' -- assuming you haven't already deduced it. The bounty hunters are the aliens, the fugitive the human.

One by one, the fugitive picks off his pursuers until there's only one alien left. For some reason, the man does not kill this lone bounty hunter when he has ample opportunity. Is he the noble savage in a strange land? And (you've guessed) they develop a kind of a bond, albeit one based on distrust and laced with lies. It turns out that the man is the last human being after his world was destroyed by these militaristic aliens. He must be captured alive so he can be persuaded (tortured) to divulge the co-ordinates of a space ship headed to their home planet, a ship that is, essentially, a world-destroying bomb.

Enough of the plot. What about the characters? The aliens possess little facial characteristics and so come across a bit emotionless. The man is more convincing. Some of the dialogue is corny: it seems that alien military uses the same sort of terminology, and is staffed by the same belligerent folk, as is ours. So is there any real difference between us and them? Probably not.

This movie takes its influences from a host of SF films, Star Wars in particular. It also is, of course, a huge nod and a wink to the John Boorman film Hell in the Pacific, starring Lee Marvin and Toshirô Mifune. You could say that Hunter Prey is a collage of homages. Did I enjoy the film? Once into the story, after confusing beginning was past, I found it strangely engrossing for the rest of its 88 minutes. Hunter Prey is released on DVD on 6 September by Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment.