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

Newton’s Fire by Will Adams

Newton’s Fire by Will Adams is a thriller which weaves history and religion with adventure and the “apocalypse…” – due next month from Harper £6.99.

“Luke Hayward is adrift. Blacklisted out of academia, he is in no position to refuse when a client asks for his expert help in recovering some lost Isaac Newton papers. But a chance discovery in a dusty attic plunges Luke into a race to uncover the truth behind some seemingly random scribblings – a race which pits Luke against a fundamentalist madman with dangerously powerful friends.

Luke discovers connections between Oxford, London and the Old City of Jerusalem in a breathless chase to uncover a secret hidden in the eccentric ramblings of a mathematical genius; a secret that, in the wrong hands, could be used to spark the holy war to end all holy wars…”

Heaven to Wundang by Kylie Chan

The third book in the Journey to Wundang urban fantasy series – based on ancient Chinese mythology – is published next month: Heaven to Wundang by Kylie Chan (Harper Voyager £8.99):

“The demons that could control stones and elementals have been defeated, but the most powerful of Simon Wong’s associates still remains – the one who can create almost undetectable copies of humans and Shen. This demon has allied with Kitty Kwok and together they plot to trap Emma and Simone in a web of copies.

Wudang Mountain is enveloped by dark foreboding as Xuan Wu begins to reappear – sometimes human, sometimes turtle, but always without memory. Emma and Simone must race from Hong Kong to Hanoi as they try to rescue Xuan Wu before the demons capture him.”

Blood Fugue by Joseph D'Lacey

Joseph D’Lacey’s latest is Blood Fugue, out later this month by Proxima/Salt Publishing at £8.99:

“Reclusive outdoorsman Jimmy Kerrigan finds himself battling a vampiric plague which threatens to destroy Hobson’s Valley, the isolated mountain community he calls home. When his family, friends and neighbours fall prey to the ‘Fugue’, Kerrigan is the only one who can save them and prevent the disease spreading beyond the remote town’s boundaries.

Kerrigan is uniquely equipped to deal with the outbreak. He carries a variant strain of Fugue enabling him to overcome and heal its victims. However, the nature of the illness ensures neither he nor those he hunts down are aware they’re infected. After feeding on humans, the diseased forget their behaviour. Even Kerrigan, having confronted or neutralised a Fugue, is unable to recall his actions as guardian of Hobson’s Valley.

Kerrigan is challenged beyond his limits when an innocent family of outsiders hikes straight into a wilderness crawling with Fugues – a wilderness he is responsible for. Can he really save them and protect the town? Can he defeat the creature who has caused the Fugue to mutate? And, most crucially, when he learns the horrifying truth about his own infection, will he even have the strength to try?”

There’s also a video promo to watch.

Tartarus news

The 2012 World Fantasy Awards have been announced; details here. Many congratulations to all the winners and runners-up.

Tartarus Press received the Special Award Non-Professional category. Tartarus's Ray Russell says: "We are absolutely delighted that Tartarus Press won the 'Special Award Non-Professional' at the World Fantasy Convention last weekend. Of course, the award doesn't just go to us, but is shared by Mark Valentine and Reginald Oliver (who both had their own individual nominations for awards), along with Michael Reynier, Tim Lees and Rhys Hughes, all of whom were published by Tartarus is 2011. And, posthumously, we should add Sarban, Gautier and Aickman to the list. Many thanks to Michael Dirda for collecting the award for us, and to everyone who has supported Tartarus for over twenty years."

Ray adds: "The latest of our Robert Aickman reprints is due to be published next week, Intrusions. In his Introduction Reggie Oliver writes that Robert Aickman ‘was one of the most original and interesting short story writers of the late twentieth century... I wonder if the adjective 'inconclusive', so often applied to Aickman, is quite the mot juste. His stories all have a beginning, a middle and an end. They conclude, but the conclusion is not absolute: puzzles remain. How like life! Aickman is both a realist and a surrealist: or, to put it another way, his surrealism is real."

Ghost Story by Jim Butcher. Book review

Ghost Story: A Dresden Files Novel by Jim Butcher. Orbit  £8.99

Reviewed by Jan Edwards

Volume 13 in the Dresden Files that follows on directly from the cliff-hanger ending we saw in Changes. (If you haven’t read that one yet and intend to, then stop reading this review now!)

At the end of Changes, Harry Dresden was shot, so it comes as no real surprise when he finds himself to be very much dead. Far from being allowed to rest in peace he is sent back to find his killer before three of his best friends die, not to mention half of Chicago. 

I picked up Ghost Story with some trepidation, fearing that Harry Dresden without his signature battle cries of ‘Forzare’ and ‘Fuego’ might be de-fanged. But Harry as an incorporeal being is an interesting experience. True, his ability to fight is severely restricted but that leaves Harry reliant on his legendary wits and survival instincts. He must find ways to communicate with the living and also defend himself against the dead; because a lot of bad guys that he despatched in his time want a piece of him now that he is a ghost. 

The biggest issue in Ghost Story is consequences. Harry is made aware of how his single-minded course of actions to save his daughter had a profound, and mostly devastating, affect on the lives of the people he has left behind. I say no more because I wouldn’t want to give any spoilers. Let’s just say that the ending is an odd one, thoroughly intriguing and promising many interesting events to come in the advertised volume 14: Cold Days.

An excellent read, as always, and highly recommended.

Adrian Cole news

Adrian Cole now has a new website: click here.

Arian reports: “A number of new short stories are in the pipeline, including ‘You Don’t Want to Know’, a Nick Nightmare yarn that was originally commissioned for an anthology that has since crashed. The ‘Private Eye, Public Fist’ hard-boiled private eye is in the tradition of a number of psychic detectives and usually finds himself in the thick of things with Mythos beings and their dubious agents – there is more than a hint of Philip Marlowe and Mike Hammer about his dry-witted style. Long term plans are for more Nick Nightmare stories (in progress are ‘Kiss the Day Goodbye’ and ‘Nightmare in Innsmouth’) and ultimately a possible collection.”

One of Adrian's Nick Nightmare short stories appeared in The Alchemy Press Book of Pulp Heroes; another of his stories also appeared in the companion anthology The Alchemy Press Book of Ancient Wonders.

Alchemy Novellas

The Alchemy Press is about to launch a new series of novellas, starting with four a year. The Press intends to publish these as individual eBooks and then collating them into an annual print book. This is a paying market, and the Press is open to submissions. Guidelines can be read here.

The Red Knight by Miles Cameron

The Red Knight by Miles Cameron has been described as a “violent, fast-paced and compelling debut fantasy novel, in a world where heroes and monsters are not quite as they seem...” The Red Knight is now available from Gollancz at £14.99.

“This is a world dominated by The Wild. Man lives in pockets of civilisation claimed from The Wild. Within men's walls life is civilised, the peace punctuated by tournaments, politicking, courtly love and canny business. Beyond those walls men are prey – vulnerable to the exceptionally powerful and dangerous creatures which populate the land, and even more vulnerable to those creatures schemes.

So when one of those creatures breaks out of The Wild and begins preying on people, it takes a specialist to hunt it down or drive it out ... and even then, it's a long, difficult and extremely dangerous job.

The Black Captain and his men are one such group of specialists. They have no idea what they're about to face...”

The Night of the Swarm by Robert V S Redick

The Night of the Swarm by Robert V S Redick (now out from Gollancz £16.99) is the final part of the Chathrand saga:

“The struggle to prevent the sorcerer Arunis from destroying the world reaches its conclusion.

At the centre of an infernal forest there is a clearing. Above it looms a seven hundred foot tall fragment of a vast tower. At its base, a group of friends. Exhausted, terrified. They stand around the body of a sorcerer, Arunis. In his wizened hand lies the Nilstone…”