Alchemy Press book launch - reminder

The Alchemy Press Book of Ancient Wonders, edited by Jan Edwards and Jenny Barber, and The Alchemy Press Book of Pulp Heroes, edited by Mike Chinn, receive their official launch at FantasyCon. Afterwards, copies can be purchased via Amazon US and UK, Barnes & Noble and The Book Depository. Check out The Alchemy Press's website for further information.

Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

Crown of Embers by Rae Carson is now available from Gollancz (£16.99).

“Elisa is a hero. She led her people to victory over a terrifying, sorcerous army. Her place as the country’s ruler should be secure. But it isn’t.

Her enemies come at her like ghosts in a dream… And her destiny as the chosen one has not yet been fulfilled.”

Crown of Embers is the sequel to Fire and Thorns.

Helix Wars by Eric Brown

“The Helix: a vast spiral of ten thousand worlds turning around its sun. Aeons ago, the enigmatic Builders constructed the Helix as a refuge for alien races on the verge of extinction.

Two hundred years ago, humankind came to the Helix aboard a great colony ship, and the Builders conferred on them the mantle of peacekeepers. For that long, peace has reigned on the Helix. But when shuttle pilot Jeff Ellis crash-lands on the world of Phandra, he interrupts a barbarous invasion from the neighbouring Sporelli -- who scheme to track down and exterminate Ellis before he can return to New Earth and inform the peacekeepers.”

Helix Wars, by Eric Brown, is the sequel to the best-selling Helix (Solaris £7.99).

Graven Image by Charlie Williams. Book review

Graven Image by Charlie Williams. Crime Express/ Five Leaves Publishing £4.99

Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

The dealer assured me that this is a grim crime story – not a police procedural, something I wanted to avoid. And she was correct: this is a hard and downbeat tale about Leon, who’s searching fro his daughter, kidnapped by Graven. Leon was a bouncer at a brothel run by Graven but something not fully explained causes Leon to go on the run. Besides his search, people are looking for him, such as Dux and Sid – unpleasant youths armed with an Uzi. Leon is captured, escapes and goes on a rampage…

So far, this sounds quite straightforward. Yet as I was reading it I felt that the author had a trick up his sleeve, something that meant not all was as it appears at first glance. And yes, there is a surprise twist, one that I didn’t fully anticipate. I don’t mean that this is a twist-in-the-tail type of story, which I don’t much care for – and so I was more than happy to be “shocked”.

Because of this doubt it was difficult to fully empathise with Leon in his quest – but not impossible. Leon does come across as a real person, if somewhat crazy and bloodthirsty. The story grabs you and takes you along for the ride – like being in a Beamer bombing along at 60 m.p.h. The author packs in a lot of excitement and tension in this novella. Although first published in 2011, copies may still be available from FiveLeaves.

The Weird and the Wonderful. Portfolio review.

The Weird and the Wonderful. A portfolio edited by Jon M Harvey. Spectre Press

Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

In the 1970s, Jon Harvey, one of the mainstays of the British Fantasy Society, before he left the BFS to join the Royal Navy, set up Spectre Press. He published a series of lovingly produced booklets and magazines, such as Cthulhu, Balthus, Ghoul Warnings and The Coming of the Voidal (perhaps my favourite). Contributors included Adrian Cole, Brian Lumley, David Lloyd, Brian Mooney and Jim Pitts. Considering this was pre-desk-top DTP days, the quality of the Press’s work was outstanding.

Then Spectre Press went into hibernation for thirty years.

I am delighted to announce, it’s back with a new portfolio, The Weird and the Wonderful. Here, we have ten plates, printed on good-quality 200g boards, of b&w illustrations by artists Harvey had worked with way back then. The artists are: Stephen E Fabian, Brian Frost, Dallas Goffin, Alan Hunter, David Lloyd, Martin McKenna, Jim Pitts (in fact, Pitts provides the only colour print), SMS and John Stewart. There is also a plate by Jon Harvey himself. This may look a bit like vanity, but Harvey explains why he included one of his own drawings. In fact, he gives a brief account of each piece and what they mean to him.

This is a tremendous portfolio, and if you have any taste for b&w illustrations – and if not, why not – then seek out this. Get some framed; I aim to do so.  

The portfolio is available as printed plates at £15.00 or as a CDROM at £12.00. Profits will be donated to charities – another good reason to buy it. At the time of writing, the Spectre Press website is not up and running. However, to order the portfolio (or any of the Spectre Press’ backlog) email Harvey: jon.harvey [at] talktalk.net.

Clouded Vision by Linwood Barclay. Book review

Clouded Vision by Linwood Barclay. Orion £1.99

Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

I haven’t read anything by Linwood Barclay before and so I bought this slim volume, discovered whilst browsing the bookshops last year, published as part of the Galaxy Quick Reads project in 2011. And at just under two pounds, what was the risk? Quick read? Well, yes it is, once you start it – after all, it’s just a 90-page novella – even though it had sat on my “to be read” pile for many months. I am very pleased that the book did, eventually, reach the top of the heap.

Considering that this is a novella, Barclay uses multiple viewpoints to perfection. Often, I find that too many POVs can obscure the story, or maybe gives away too much, especially when used in the shorter form. But not in this case. The tale begins with Ellie, a brief moment as we share her death. Then we are introduced to Keisha, a psychic who aims to help Ellie’s husband find the body, which is missing in the bleak, cold winter environment. Keisha intends to earn a handsome payment for her services – which, we quickly learn – are dubious, to say the least. And Kendall – the husband – has his doubts.

The reader learns reasonably early on what has happened to Ellie, and discovers who may be involved with her death. It takes Keisha longer to figure it out. But that all adds to the tension Barclay has created in this small book. I do prefer short stories and novellas to novels (which can be over long), and thoroughly enjoyed this brief, scary ride to hell. I note that the book is still available via Amazon, both in print and for the Kindle.

Phantasmagoria by Terry Breverton. Book review

Breverton’s Phantasmagoria by Terry Breverton. Quercus £9.99

Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

The tag line is “A compendium of monsters, myths and legends”, and the book is just that. Terry Breverton has brought together a galaxy of the weird, the paranormal, the strange creatures and beliefs that our ancestors once believed. Unlike many such books, this one is not simply an A-Z of beasties. Instead, we have eight chapters dealing with specific themes, such as “Mysterious, Magical and Weird People”, “Mysteries of the Deep” and “Tales of Secret Treasures”. Each chapter is, then, arranged with A-Z entries, so we end up with bite-sized snippets of information on, for example, The Babushka Lady, William Lilly, Teothihucan, Mother Carey’s Chickens and the Loch Ness Monster. Because the book covers so much ground in its 380 pages, the individual articles do not go into much depth. However, if you are looking for a brief explanation or description, Phantasmagoria is a good book with which to start off.

Okay, yes, of course one may Google the Amphisbaena Tortoise or Chessie … but that’s not the point with this book. You can browse its pages, stopping at an article when something catches your eyes, and maybe discovering something you didn’t know, or something that you can use in your next story.

Breverton’s Phantasmagoria is a beautifully designed publication. The two-column pages are printed in a brown ink, embellished with many sepia-tinted illustrations. Maybe it’s not as filled out as the Element encyclopaedias, but Phantasmagoria will make a fine gift for anyone with an interest in monsters, myths and legends.

Exodus Code by John & Carole Barrowman

John and Carole E Barrowman have collaborated on the Torchwood novel – Exodus Code (BBC Books £16.99).

“It starts with a series of unexplained events. Earth tremors across the globe. Women being driven insane by their heightened and scrambled senses. And the world is starting to notice –the number one Twitter trend is #realfemmefatales. Governments and scientists are bewildered and silent. The world needs Torchwood, but there's not much of Torchwood left.

Captain Jack Harkness has tracked the problem to its source: a village in Peru, where he's uncovered evidence of alien involvement. In Cardiff, Gwen Cooper has discovered something alien and somehow connected to Jack. If the world is to be restored, she has to warn him – but she's quickly becoming a victim of the madness, too...”

The Dalek Project by Justin Richards & Mike Collins

Doctor Who – The Dalek Project is a graphic novel by Justin Richards and Mike Collins, published by BBC Books (£14.99).  In this story, the Doctor is portrayed by Matt Smith.

“It’s 1917. It’s the height of the Great War and Hellcombe Hall is a house full of mystery: locked doors, forbidden rooms, dustsheets covering guilty secrets, and ghostly noises frightening the servants. Most mysterious of all, the drawing room seems to open directly onto a muddy, corpse-filled trench on the Western Front…

Arriving at this stately home, the Doctor meets Lord Hellcombe, an armaments manufacturer who has a new secret weapon he believes will win the war: he calls it ‘the Dalek’. Soon, the Doctor and his new friends are in a race against time to prevent the entire Western Front from becoming part of the Dalek Project!”

Alcatraz by Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson’s The Complete Alcatraz is a 750-page omnibus volume, collecting the four Alcatraz novels, due from Gollancz at £16.99.

“On his thirteenth birthday, Alcatraz – a foster child – get a bag of sand in the mail which purports to be his 'inheritance' sent from his father and mother. The Librarians, of course, immediately steal the bag of sand from him.

This sparks a chain of events which leads Alcatraz to realize that his family is part of a group of freedom fighters who resist the Evil Librarians – the secret cult who actually rule the world. Alcatraz's grandfather shows up and tows him off to infiltrate the downtown library to steal back the mystical bag of sand. The ensuing story involves talking dinosaurs, sentient romance novels, and a dungeon-like labyrinth hiding beneath the innocent-looking downtown library.”