Prose Exploder: Shelob’s Lair
One book I’ve returned to many times in my life is The Lord of the Rings. I’ve got the paperback copy of the trilogy published by Grafton in 1991 with the incredible artwork by John Howe, and I may… Continue Reading
Reading
Read, Watch, Listen Oct 2021
To be honest, I’m a slow reader. It usually takes me a month or two to get through a book. Also, unlike other media consumers, I don’t really binge watch TV series. For me, reading and watching are a lot… Continue Reading
Review: Spirits of Vengeance by Rob J Hayes
The doyen of indie fantasy delivers with this sharp novel, written in prose that cuts like a katana through the mind’s eye. The wandering swordsman Haruto travels through a frozen frontier, using his supernatural gifts to cleanse the land of… Continue Reading
Am I Still Running In SPFBO7?
The seventh edition of the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off is under way. This is a contest for indie published fantasy novels that are the first in a series or are stand-alones. 300 novels have been entered in this contest… Continue Reading
Best Fantasy Novels: My Top 5
Like most of the seven-billion-plus people on the planet, I firmly believe that my opinions are important, unique and amazing. And as a self-aggrandising writer, I think that it’s necessary for others to be exposed to my excellent taste. To… Continue Reading
Moby Dick:The Classics Are The Classics For A Reason
A long time ago my good mate Jamie gave me his copy of Moby Dick. The inside cover is inscribed by Jamie with the jocular but somewhat incongruent phrase ‘MELVILLE’S IN DA HOUSE!’ I appreciated the gesture at the time,… Continue Reading
The Silmarillion: Beren and Lúthien On Vinyl
How big a Tolkien fan are you? Sure, you’ve read The Lord Of The Rings. But have you taken in appendices A through F? Have you pored over the genealogies, including all eight generations of Samwise Gamgee’s family tree? Have you… Continue Reading
When Is A Post-Apocalyptic Novel Not Science Fiction?
Question: When is a novel set in a grim post-cataclysmic wasteland with characters battling for survival not a science fiction novel? Answer: When it’s written by a literary author. My brother gave me a copy of The Road for my… Continue Reading
Maybe We Should Let Machines Pick Our Leaders
In light of recent world events it may be time to consider that letting people run countries based on their ability to get elected may not be the best way to do things. Perhaps it’s time to let computers decide… Continue Reading
Best Rock Songs Inspired By Speculative Fiction Part Three: Ramble On
So we come to the union of the Venn diagram involving the sets ‘Led Zeppelin’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’. Just as the lads from Iron Maiden are voracious readers, just as the Lovecraft-swots of Metallica peppered their oeuvre with… Continue Reading