Well, it's taken plenty of hard work and several late nights this week but the version of 'Dark Father' I wanted to complete before my holiday is, as they say 'in the bag.' When I come back from Japan I'll have a good tidy up, spring clean a few troublesome areas, check the spelling and make sure no characters change sex, get different names or hop the species barrier, and then it'll be ready for its first test readings.
I'm off to Tokyo tomorrow so no updates for the next couple of weeks, but when I get back expect some interesting posts with photos. I might try to post from Tokyo but if that is problematic I'll wait until my return.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Iron Angel
Last night we went to the signing for Alan Campbell's new novel Iron Angel, follow up to the extremely good Scar Night. It was a quick affair, as Alan points out that he doesn't enjoy public speaking, but he read a brief snippet from the work and then set about pressing the flesh and signing copies.
I'm looking forward to reading this one after reading the short Lye Street which I commented on just a few short weeks ago.
I'll put up a review after I've read it.
****
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood is a reworking of the story of Odysseus but seen from the point of view of a dead Queen Penelope. It's a slight book, a fast read in 195 short pages, but she manages to convey the brutish and violent acts of the ancient Greek myths for what they are, namely complex, incestuous and verging ever so slightly into melodrama.
Unlike the myths, the characters have a real voice, with an internal monologue giving the queen an intelligent and sophisticated view on the world in which she is thrust via marriage to the scheming Odysseus, a man who she loves and tries to understand. His killing of her handmaids on his return from the Trojan War acts as the catalyst for the story with the handmaids acting as a deathly chorus line throughout the book.
I've also just finished The Black Book of Horror but I've promised a review to the BFS. I might be able to post one here after the next release of Prism.
****
Read this week:
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
The Black Book of Horror by Various
Saturday, April 26, 2008
I Have Art
I opened the two large packages that arrived today like an excited school boy. After being in the flat for a year we finally took possession of two large pieces of art for the front room. Not mounted prints or copies but two pieces of real bon-a-fide originals. The fact that it has taken so long is that Madame Vin and I have wildly differing tastes when it comes to art and agreeing on two large canvases took perseverance and a cool head.
The first is a piece called Golden Arch by an artist called Yanik.
The second is a piece called Cosmopolitan City by an artist called Muliarta.
Now I know that artist are not in any way well known and their work is classed as simple to produce but just knowing that the piece is unique (and beautiful) and that someone has sweated over its production makes it that little bit more worthwhile to put on my walls.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Heidelberg Here We Come!
I'm off to Germany on Thursday so probably won't post again until next week. I'm visiting Heidelberg on a gentleman's weekend tour. Wikipedia reliably informs me that approximately 600,000 years ago, the "Heidelberg Man", whose jaw-bone was discovered in 1907, the earliest evidence of human life in Europe, died at nearby Mauer. I'll probably be feeling pretty similar by the end of the weekend.
****
Read 'Something from the Nightside' by Simon R. Green last week. This was one of the books I purchased on my excursion to London as the books are currently only available in US versions. I was really looking forward to the start of this series as the ideas contain everything that I find exciting in a story. The books are set in London and the Nightside, a world entwined within the real city where pretty much anything goes. It's a disturbing, threatening, evil place that cares for no one or no thing. The Nightside is well described and Green obviously took his time in thinking the fantasy world up. That said it's just a little bit too 'stateside' in its build to be the other side of London. It feels more like a dark and disturbing Chicago than the capital.
The story itself is very 'pulp', and for me just not complex enough. However I plan to read the next couple before giving up.
'Lost Girls' has been much talked about in the press due to its 'adult' nature and uncompromising position on lesbianism and sexual liberation. It was even briefly banned in the UK as Great Ormond St. Hospital worried it cast a bad light on the character of Wendy from Peter Pan. To be honest I think its a big hoopla about nothing. The book is nicely put together, the art work attractive and the story simple. It's not an erotic masterpiece and I doubt very much that it would shock many people today. I think its a curiosity from another time, something that would have been burnt earlier in this century but can be read and understood from (thankfully) a more mature outlook. Praise must go to Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie for at least trying something new in the comic book world.
Read this week:
Something from the Nightside by Simon R. Green
Lost Girls by Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie.
****
Read 'Something from the Nightside' by Simon R. Green last week. This was one of the books I purchased on my excursion to London as the books are currently only available in US versions. I was really looking forward to the start of this series as the ideas contain everything that I find exciting in a story. The books are set in London and the Nightside, a world entwined within the real city where pretty much anything goes. It's a disturbing, threatening, evil place that cares for no one or no thing. The Nightside is well described and Green obviously took his time in thinking the fantasy world up. That said it's just a little bit too 'stateside' in its build to be the other side of London. It feels more like a dark and disturbing Chicago than the capital.
The story itself is very 'pulp', and for me just not complex enough. However I plan to read the next couple before giving up.
'Lost Girls' has been much talked about in the press due to its 'adult' nature and uncompromising position on lesbianism and sexual liberation. It was even briefly banned in the UK as Great Ormond St. Hospital worried it cast a bad light on the character of Wendy from Peter Pan. To be honest I think its a big hoopla about nothing. The book is nicely put together, the art work attractive and the story simple. It's not an erotic masterpiece and I doubt very much that it would shock many people today. I think its a curiosity from another time, something that would have been burnt earlier in this century but can be read and understood from (thankfully) a more mature outlook. Praise must go to Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie for at least trying something new in the comic book world.
Read this week:
Something from the Nightside by Simon R. Green
Lost Girls by Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Subterranean Worlds - Pushing Back the Tide
The first in a series of short essays that I'll collect here concerning Subterranean Worlds. Some of them might be about works of fiction whilst others will be about what lurks beneath out city streets - enjoy!
****
The Victoria embankment of the river Thames is the prefect place for a stroll. The street takes you from the old City of London, past the Temple and leads all the way to Westminster, the route lined with trees while the Thames laps gently below you. But the route is a fake, the parcel of land a man made construction that was used to push the river back and hide some of the many tunnels under the city.
The work was begun in 1865, designed and engineered by one Joseph Bazelgette, a truly visionary individual who brought the sewers to London. Before this date the Thames was the only means of removing all human excrement, waste and pollution from the vast and growing capital. It was in no uncertain terms a massive sewer spreading disease through the capital, and people were dying.
Cholera was rife with ten of thousands of people dying in the years leading up to the ‘Great Stink’. Thought to be brought on by Miasma – foul air, the government of the time was finally pressed into doing something.
Further evidence is given by the steps that lead nowhere by the side of the MOD. Queen’s Mary’s steps as built by Cristopher Wren once led from the now vanished Whitehall Palace as built by Henry VIII. Originally the walk led some 70 feet out into the bed of the river, but they are now marooned and stick out of the wall of the MOD building.
****
The Victoria embankment of the river Thames is the prefect place for a stroll. The street takes you from the old City of London, past the Temple and leads all the way to Westminster, the route lined with trees while the Thames laps gently below you. But the route is a fake, the parcel of land a man made construction that was used to push the river back and hide some of the many tunnels under the city.
The work was begun in 1865, designed and engineered by one Joseph Bazelgette, a truly visionary individual who brought the sewers to London. Before this date the Thames was the only means of removing all human excrement, waste and pollution from the vast and growing capital. It was in no uncertain terms a massive sewer spreading disease through the capital, and people were dying.
Cholera was rife with ten of thousands of people dying in the years leading up to the ‘Great Stink’. Thought to be brought on by Miasma – foul air, the government of the time was finally pressed into doing something.
The ambitious plan was to push the Thames back and lay underneath the new street three massive sewer pipes that would be connected to 1,100 miles of small piping to remove all the sewage from the city before dumping it untreated further down stream.
Not surprisingly this was a massive feet of engineering, and luckily for us Bazelgette was a forward thinker. Not only did he realise that the correct shape for such large pipes would be oval and not round but he built them in such a way as to be scaled up for future use. The same pipes are still in use today (thankfully the sewage is no longer ejected untreated into the river).
Bazelgette and the building of the Victoria Embankment form part of the background for the novel ‘The Worms of Euston Square’ by William Sutton.
At the same time that Bazelgette was sorting out the sewers London was also going through the process of having an underground rail system built into its foundations. It seemed only right that while the bank was open they would also put in a rail line. Today, sitting above the sewage pipes are the lines for the District and Circle services, just a few metres down below the surface of the road.
The fact that the road and area used by so many is in truth artificial can best be seen by two pieces of archaeology still evident above ground. The first is the water gate that can be seen in Victorian Embankment Park shown in the painting ‘River by Moonlight’ (I can’t find an artists name). In the painting the Thames is seen lapping at its foot, but now the gate is located in the park, some 150 yards from the river and down in a hollow.
Further evidence is given by the steps that lead nowhere by the side of the MOD. Queen’s Mary’s steps as built by Cristopher Wren once led from the now vanished Whitehall Palace as built by Henry VIII. Originally the walk led some 70 feet out into the bed of the river, but they are now marooned and stick out of the wall of the MOD building.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Busy Lives
Quite a lot going on at the moment with trips away happening and lots of info for the blog. This entry will be a bit of a round up before I write up things in a little more detail over the coming week.
Last weekend Madame Vin and I went to London, mainly to see Tash in her one woman charity show but also to catch up with friends. We flew from Edinburgh straight into City Airport, which I must say is a great way of doing it as it means less delay on the way into the capital and allows you to miss the disaster that is Heathrow.
Saturday night we took a train to Dulwich (put on the map by Edward Alleyn, a friend of Marlowe’s) to see Hampton and family, now somewhat grown with the arrival of twins last year. Much wine was consumed and hearty food eaten as we caught up, having realised we had not seen each other for some two years…my, how time moves at a rate of knots not conducive to seeing and meeting everyone you should.
Sunday morning we went on an organised stroll around Subterranean London. I’ve mentioned before that I want to start pulling work together on the subterranean world and how it’s been the focus of fantasy works in the last one hundred years. I’ll put several small essays up here in the next weeks on what we saw and a few photos.
Sunday night was given over to Tash and her show ‘Rolling with Laughter’. It was held at the Her Majesty’s Theatre in the Westend, with all money going to the Jennifer Trust. It was a great night, with Tash being introduced by the Hamilton’s (which means they’ve gone up a little in my estimation).
Last weekend Madame Vin and I went to London, mainly to see Tash in her one woman charity show but also to catch up with friends. We flew from Edinburgh straight into City Airport, which I must say is a great way of doing it as it means less delay on the way into the capital and allows you to miss the disaster that is Heathrow.
Saturday night we took a train to Dulwich (put on the map by Edward Alleyn, a friend of Marlowe’s) to see Hampton and family, now somewhat grown with the arrival of twins last year. Much wine was consumed and hearty food eaten as we caught up, having realised we had not seen each other for some two years…my, how time moves at a rate of knots not conducive to seeing and meeting everyone you should.
Sunday morning we went on an organised stroll around Subterranean London. I’ve mentioned before that I want to start pulling work together on the subterranean world and how it’s been the focus of fantasy works in the last one hundred years. I’ll put several small essays up here in the next weeks on what we saw and a few photos.
Sunday night was given over to Tash and her show ‘Rolling with Laughter’. It was held at the Her Majesty’s Theatre in the Westend, with all money going to the Jennifer Trust. It was a great night, with Tash being introduced by the Hamilton’s (which means they’ve gone up a little in my estimation).
Final point of call was the Dr Who exhibition, which was a cool in a ‘Adam getting back in touch with childhood wonder’ kind of way. It was also a nice run in to the new series which started last night.
*****
Read quite a bit over the last few weeks and whilst in London I was able to nip to the large Forbidden Planet and stock on some wonderful new hardbacks.
The first in a series by Mike Carey featuring freelance exorcist Felix Castor, ‘The Devil You Know,’ is a down to earth horror/thriller. Carey writes for Hellblazer and I was expecting the books to be a bit of a rip off of Constantine but was pleased to be wrong. Felix is his own man and the London that Carey has created is positioned just the other side of normal, which is exactly how I like my fantasy.
His writing style is fluid and descriptive without ever becoming too complex so that it distracts from the tale. There is a good piece of back story and many characters that no doubt will reappear. He reminds me of early John Connelly and I’ll certainly be reading the next two books and purchasing the soon to arrive fourth.
Odd and the Frost Giants is Neil Gaiman’s children novella released for World Book Day. It plays on Norse mythology, introducing their pantheon of gods to young readers without ever belittling the history or storytelling. As always with Gaiman it reads simply, with each word being considered before use that displays simplicity of language that hides the hard work.
*****
Read quite a bit over the last few weeks and whilst in London I was able to nip to the large Forbidden Planet and stock on some wonderful new hardbacks.
The first in a series by Mike Carey featuring freelance exorcist Felix Castor, ‘The Devil You Know,’ is a down to earth horror/thriller. Carey writes for Hellblazer and I was expecting the books to be a bit of a rip off of Constantine but was pleased to be wrong. Felix is his own man and the London that Carey has created is positioned just the other side of normal, which is exactly how I like my fantasy.
His writing style is fluid and descriptive without ever becoming too complex so that it distracts from the tale. There is a good piece of back story and many characters that no doubt will reappear. He reminds me of early John Connelly and I’ll certainly be reading the next two books and purchasing the soon to arrive fourth.
Odd and the Frost Giants is Neil Gaiman’s children novella released for World Book Day. It plays on Norse mythology, introducing their pantheon of gods to young readers without ever belittling the history or storytelling. As always with Gaiman it reads simply, with each word being considered before use that displays simplicity of language that hides the hard work.
Violent Cases is an early work by Gaiman and Dave Mckean. An adult graphic novel that deals with the magic of memory and lives seen through the eyes of childhood. The art work uses simply black and white line drawings intercut with McKean’s unmistakeable use of mix media.
I’ve also just read the 6 issue comic book Wanted by Mark Millar. I know there is a film version of this coming out later this year but from what I’ve read I’ll be surprised if that’s the filming they are making. The comic book is nihilistic to the point of being a mockery of itself. I understand it’s a fuck you to the normal comic book world of bad guy vs cloaked superhero but in the process it turns society into helpless drones with no chance of redemption.
I’ve also just read the 6 issue comic book Wanted by Mark Millar. I know there is a film version of this coming out later this year but from what I’ve read I’ll be surprised if that’s the filming they are making. The comic book is nihilistic to the point of being a mockery of itself. I understand it’s a fuck you to the normal comic book world of bad guy vs cloaked superhero but in the process it turns society into helpless drones with no chance of redemption.
Read this week:
The Devil You Know by Mike Carey
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
Violent Cases by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
Wanted by Mark Millar
Monday, March 24, 2008
Midlands Marriage
Had a couple of days down in the Midlands for Father's and Yvette's wedding. I must say it all went very well, my speech much appreciated (and laughter in the correct places) with even the snow falling in such a way as to resemble confetti. It was good to see family and friends and my little nephew who is growing up so quick.
We spent the night at a hotel on the edge of East Midlands Airport which was comfier and quieter than I was expecting and allowed Madam Vin and me to continue drinking without worrying where we were going to spend the night. As it was we had an early dinner, a relaxing night and very late morning...so I've definitely caught up on my lost sleep this weekend. The plane was delayed on the way back (as every good piece of bank holiday weekend transport should be) so we didn't get back to Edinburgh until late afternoon.
****
Just finished the chapter entitled 'The Gloom'. That's a new chapter added and means I can spend the rest of this week revising it and those that surround it. I want everything sorted before the end of September so I can mention it as completed to anyone I meet at 'FantasyCon'.
****
Savage Membrane is the sort of book that I like to read between meatier works. It's short, faced paced and full of dark humour and wit. Called a 'Cal McDonald mystery,' it plays homage to Chandler but moves the action to a US where the dead have very much returned. It's a great romp and I'll be looking for the others. It is also illustrated with light, pencil grey artwork which adds to its comic book roots.
Read this week:
Savage Membrane by Steve Niles
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Back in Business
Well I'm pleased to say that we're back in business and that 'The Missing' is once more to be published by Libros International. No idea when the book will the hit the shelves (12 - 18 months is a good bet) but it will at some point make it out into the real world like all good children (Frankenstein monsters) must.
At least it will give me plenty of time to complete the new book, currently entitled 'Dark Father', which comprises book one of 'The Chronicles of the Gap'.
****
After the lacklustre book version of Constantine's adventures (see previous blog) I moved back to his comic book roots and read 'The Gift'. Here the Hellblazer actually ends up in hell fighting for the soul of his sister while at the same time being used by the demon Nergal for his own nefarious aims. It's probably one of the best I have read so far with Carey pulling out all the stops to display Constantine's wit and desperation.
Also read the first of my Subterranean Press books, Lye Street. It's a good novella that finished all to quickly. It takes place years before 'Scar Night' and feels as if it might have once formed part of the original manuscript, or a failed start at the novel that was ditched. The writing is good, but not as good as the novel. That said, its a book worthy of adding to the 'Scar Night' mythos.
****
Read this week:
Hellblazer: The Gift by Mike Carey and Leonardo Manco
Lye Street by Alan Campbell
At least it will give me plenty of time to complete the new book, currently entitled 'Dark Father', which comprises book one of 'The Chronicles of the Gap'.
****
After the lacklustre book version of Constantine's adventures (see previous blog) I moved back to his comic book roots and read 'The Gift'. Here the Hellblazer actually ends up in hell fighting for the soul of his sister while at the same time being used by the demon Nergal for his own nefarious aims. It's probably one of the best I have read so far with Carey pulling out all the stops to display Constantine's wit and desperation.
Also read the first of my Subterranean Press books, Lye Street. It's a good novella that finished all to quickly. It takes place years before 'Scar Night' and feels as if it might have once formed part of the original manuscript, or a failed start at the novel that was ditched. The writing is good, but not as good as the novel. That said, its a book worthy of adding to the 'Scar Night' mythos.
****
Read this week:
Hellblazer: The Gift by Mike Carey and Leonardo Manco
Lye Street by Alan Campbell
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Hitting it Back and Forwards
I am currently in negotiations with the publishers of 'The Missing', with them outlining what they plan to do with the book. This contact is allaying my fears but I still have a difficult decision to make as to what I do. Finding a publisher is hard slow work, but then a book deserves the best you can do for it. I'll keep you posted on how things are progressing when I have some more news.
****
In the mean time here are a few book reviews:
Subterranean By John Shirley: The character of Constantine, a mage living in London through the Thatcherite 80s and into the 90s is one of the modern days comic books survivalists. His exploits have been recorded in comics since Alan Moore created him back in Swamp Thing and even after the disaster of the movie version the character has continued to enthrall. Subterranean, a 300 page novel should then be full of the dark wit and adult horror that the comics have so carefully crafted over the last twenty years. Unfortunately not. All I can assume is that Shirley had no time to sit down and write a carefully crafted novel so instead wrote a stream of consciousness adventure leaving in all the dreadful parts to keep people amused.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde: A classic pure and simple. He might not have invented the horror genre on his own but this short novel goes someway to establishing the dynamics and structure for all future authors. Part of the One City: One Book programme in Edinburgh, I was astounded about how much this book forms part of a collected consciousness. The story I thought was well known, but it seems most people (myself included) have a strange hybrid version of the story lodged in our minds. The real version is much darker, much more psychological then any Hammer Horror movie ever pertained to.
The Museum Vaults is a sumptuously drawn graphic novel from Marc-Antoine Mathieu. Part of a series of books co-produced with the Louvre museum this fantasy sets Monsieur Volumer on a journey deep under the museum as he attempts to catalogue the different basements and artifacts hidden below Paris. Created in monochrome, the drawings are simple yet the art work depicted is sumptuous. I can't praise this enough.
****
I've also picked up the new IDW comic Locke and Key written by Joe Hill which hopefully will be as exciting as his novel. They are certainly as good as, if not better produced than DC's comics.
Read this week:
Subterranean By John Shirley
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Tales of Terror by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Museum Vaults: Excerpts from the Journal of an Expert by Marc-Antoine Mathieu
****
In the mean time here are a few book reviews:
Subterranean By John Shirley: The character of Constantine, a mage living in London through the Thatcherite 80s and into the 90s is one of the modern days comic books survivalists. His exploits have been recorded in comics since Alan Moore created him back in Swamp Thing and even after the disaster of the movie version the character has continued to enthrall. Subterranean, a 300 page novel should then be full of the dark wit and adult horror that the comics have so carefully crafted over the last twenty years. Unfortunately not. All I can assume is that Shirley had no time to sit down and write a carefully crafted novel so instead wrote a stream of consciousness adventure leaving in all the dreadful parts to keep people amused.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde: A classic pure and simple. He might not have invented the horror genre on his own but this short novel goes someway to establishing the dynamics and structure for all future authors. Part of the One City: One Book programme in Edinburgh, I was astounded about how much this book forms part of a collected consciousness. The story I thought was well known, but it seems most people (myself included) have a strange hybrid version of the story lodged in our minds. The real version is much darker, much more psychological then any Hammer Horror movie ever pertained to.
The Museum Vaults is a sumptuously drawn graphic novel from Marc-Antoine Mathieu. Part of a series of books co-produced with the Louvre museum this fantasy sets Monsieur Volumer on a journey deep under the museum as he attempts to catalogue the different basements and artifacts hidden below Paris. Created in monochrome, the drawings are simple yet the art work depicted is sumptuous. I can't praise this enough.
****
I've also picked up the new IDW comic Locke and Key written by Joe Hill which hopefully will be as exciting as his novel. They are certainly as good as, if not better produced than DC's comics.
Read this week:
Subterranean By John Shirley
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Tales of Terror by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Museum Vaults: Excerpts from the Journal of an Expert by Marc-Antoine Mathieu
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Rescind of Contract
I have today written one of the most considered and deliberated upon emails ever to be sent in the history of the interweb.
After months of hard work, time and money, to be offered a contract with a small publishing house was all I ever wanted. I have at this time rescinded that contract and have once more become publisherless.
What foolishness is this I hear you cry! Has Adam been spending too much time sniffing the cleaning products kept under the sink. Alas, I have to say I am in a perfectly stable and balanced state of mind.
I decided after much deliberation that I was much better off without the small publisher, feeling that they were not interested in representing the book in its best light. This is not arrogance or self importance but came down to remarks made by one of their other authors who said that those she was glad her novel had been published she just wished that it had not been published by that particular company (paraphrased and names not given to protect the innocent).
Therefore I am once more free and single and on the look out for a good publisher / Literary Agent interested in representing a dark urban fantasy set in the UK.
If you're out there - Get in touch!
*****
Read this week:
Subterranean by John Shirley
After months of hard work, time and money, to be offered a contract with a small publishing house was all I ever wanted. I have at this time rescinded that contract and have once more become publisherless.
What foolishness is this I hear you cry! Has Adam been spending too much time sniffing the cleaning products kept under the sink. Alas, I have to say I am in a perfectly stable and balanced state of mind.
I decided after much deliberation that I was much better off without the small publisher, feeling that they were not interested in representing the book in its best light. This is not arrogance or self importance but came down to remarks made by one of their other authors who said that those she was glad her novel had been published she just wished that it had not been published by that particular company (paraphrased and names not given to protect the innocent).
Therefore I am once more free and single and on the look out for a good publisher / Literary Agent interested in representing a dark urban fantasy set in the UK.
If you're out there - Get in touch!
*****
Read this week:
Subterranean by John Shirley
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Kiwi Article
I found a link today for a recent article I wrote for those nice people at Travel Weekly. It's a small piece on New Zealand and brings back warm fuzzy memories of mine and Madam Vin adventures in that part of the world.
If any of my Southern hemisphere friends are reading please drop me a comment.
*****
Had a nice parcel in the post yesterday from that excellent purveyor of fine fiction - Subterranean Press. It's a copy of Alan Campbell's 'Lye Street', and a beautiful signed edition with a simple Dave Mckean cover. I'll add it to my large pile of to read books.
If any of my Southern hemisphere friends are reading please drop me a comment.
*****
Had a nice parcel in the post yesterday from that excellent purveyor of fine fiction - Subterranean Press. It's a copy of Alan Campbell's 'Lye Street', and a beautiful signed edition with a simple Dave Mckean cover. I'll add it to my large pile of to read books.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Dribbling Soup
Took a long over due trip across the border last weekend to Nottingham and visited all the relatives, family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, comrades and people who just happened to be in the same pub as me in four days. Everyone is well and still able to eat soup without dribbling.
Father announced he was getting married, which is good news and even better he's getting married to the woman he lives with. Another hasty visit has been arranged for Easter but this will be more of the flying type.
*****
I read the 'Good Fairies of New York' at last which is a novel several people have recommended to me but I'm afraid to say didn't knock my socks off. It was okay. The ideas were excellent and the humour well maintained but I found it lacking in polish. It just felt like there were too many ideas flying around Martin Millar's head when he tried writing this and that they were spewed onto the page in a torrent of enthusiasm. It feels like a first draft and in need of a bit of a shine. As most film makers seem to be going back and producing new versions of their most famous films perhaps authors should be allowed to as well. We could have TGFONY Redux. with new scenes and a bit of editing.
Also read 'At the Mountains of Madness' again. I just love the way this book builds in tension. Nothing particularly scary happens for the first three quarters of the book but you know its coming...slowly...slowly...slowly...until...well I won't ruin it for you. This edition also contained Lovecraft's essay at the back 'Supernatural Horror in Literature,' which if you want to know where dark fiction started then it's a very good introduction.
*****
As soon as I finish my current book I'm starting on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as it's the book that people all over Edinburgh are reading in Feb.
*****
Read this week:
At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft
The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar
Father announced he was getting married, which is good news and even better he's getting married to the woman he lives with. Another hasty visit has been arranged for Easter but this will be more of the flying type.
*****
I read the 'Good Fairies of New York' at last which is a novel several people have recommended to me but I'm afraid to say didn't knock my socks off. It was okay. The ideas were excellent and the humour well maintained but I found it lacking in polish. It just felt like there were too many ideas flying around Martin Millar's head when he tried writing this and that they were spewed onto the page in a torrent of enthusiasm. It feels like a first draft and in need of a bit of a shine. As most film makers seem to be going back and producing new versions of their most famous films perhaps authors should be allowed to as well. We could have TGFONY Redux. with new scenes and a bit of editing.
Also read 'At the Mountains of Madness' again. I just love the way this book builds in tension. Nothing particularly scary happens for the first three quarters of the book but you know its coming...slowly...slowly...slowly...until...well I won't ruin it for you. This edition also contained Lovecraft's essay at the back 'Supernatural Horror in Literature,' which if you want to know where dark fiction started then it's a very good introduction.
*****
As soon as I finish my current book I'm starting on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as it's the book that people all over Edinburgh are reading in Feb.
*****
Read this week:
At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft
The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Leaving the Woods Behind
Just a quick post.
I'm on to rewrites of the Gap novel (which I have decided not to call 'Mind the Gap' because I've heard on the grape vine that another author is using that title for a soon to be published book). There are quite a few changes I want to make, things that will make the story more resonant and cohesive.
A few of the things I'm doing are starting to make their way out of 'the dark woods'. It's nice when things are getting noticed including this blog which is now being quoted elsewhere http://crimealwayspays.blogspot.com/2007_12_30_archive.html .
A review I did for the BFS has also surfaced as a review on YouTube. It's a bit strange to hear something I wrote read out by a voice that is not my own.
I'm on to rewrites of the Gap novel (which I have decided not to call 'Mind the Gap' because I've heard on the grape vine that another author is using that title for a soon to be published book). There are quite a few changes I want to make, things that will make the story more resonant and cohesive.
A few of the things I'm doing are starting to make their way out of 'the dark woods'. It's nice when things are getting noticed including this blog which is now being quoted elsewhere http://crimealwayspays.blogspot.com/2007_12_30_archive.html .
A review I did for the BFS has also surfaced as a review on YouTube. It's a bit strange to hear something I wrote read out by a voice that is not my own.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Underground
Just finished reading King Rat, a novel that I've been meaning to read for sometime as it is set under London. This is becoming something of an obsession of mine and I believe they should be seen as a sub-sub-genre in their own right. I think an article should be written as subterranean literature has an excellent pedigree (think Jules Verne and going back even further the Greek myths).
I think I'll look in to it.
Read this week: King Rat by Chine Mielville
I think I'll look in to it.
Read this week: King Rat by Chine Mielville
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Gloriously Bloody
Finished the new Clive Barker last week, one of the many books I received for Xmas. His new book moves him away from his roots (horror) and more towards the mythic literature his stories have displayed over the last few years. It's a good read, short but precise the narrator speaking directly to the reader. It is also very funny.
****
Saw Sweeney Todd last night. Gloriously bloody in the Hammer Horror style with a fine cast and some wonderful over the top acting. London looked great, dark, brooding and nasty. Depp and Carter are slowly being turned into one of Burton's own character drawings, with the darkness under the eyes becoming more pronounced and the hair becoming a living entity.
The only thing I couldn't get to grips with was the singing. It was often quite distracting and fell slightly flat, only the acting keeping it on target for me.
****
Finished the first draft of what I am currently calling 'Mind the Gap' (though this will probably change). I'm taking a week off as I need to send out a few short stories and want to do a rewrite of the the script for 'The Park'.
Read this week: Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker
****
Saw Sweeney Todd last night. Gloriously bloody in the Hammer Horror style with a fine cast and some wonderful over the top acting. London looked great, dark, brooding and nasty. Depp and Carter are slowly being turned into one of Burton's own character drawings, with the darkness under the eyes becoming more pronounced and the hair becoming a living entity.
The only thing I couldn't get to grips with was the singing. It was often quite distracting and fell slightly flat, only the acting keeping it on target for me.
****
Finished the first draft of what I am currently calling 'Mind the Gap' (though this will probably change). I'm taking a week off as I need to send out a few short stories and want to do a rewrite of the the script for 'The Park'.
Read this week: Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Mole People
While I was in New York I was able to pick up a copy of Jennifer Toth's 'The Mole People', a book I became aware of several years ago when working at Waterstones. Due to the lowly wages I then earned I did not buy a copy but as it is was about people living under New York I noted it as a future purchase and put it on the long 'Books I plan to buy when I have enough money and enough space to house them all' list.
The book is a first hand account of the people Toth (a Los Angeles Times journalist) found living below ground during the 80s in New York City. There they had created pockets of civilisation, linking up to electrical cables and running water while surviving hundreds of feet below the surface of the city. Some used these hidden underground places as convenient stop overs, places for a nights shelter, while others never left the darkness and shunned human interaction. The people living the deepest underground, amid rumours of cannibalism, were called the mole people. They had completely given up their humanity and gone wild.
The interesting thing about this book are not the stories (told in a mix of social journalistic and tight prose) but the fact some of it is now doubted, with skeptics saying that Toth made it all up. There is lots of chatter on the net which covers both sides of the arguments (try here and here), they are many and varied.
I'm sure some of it is embellished, even with the cool, calm collected mind of a journalist (an oxymoron surely) the experience half seen in the darkness of a tunnel, deep under the city are bound to grow in stature with each telling. The underworld has a strange effect on the minds of people. Personally I'm both scared and fascinated by these places below our feet. Over Hogmany we took father down 'Mary Kings Close' where in a group of twenty we sat in darkness as ghost stories were told. Looking at that hidden street from the back of the tour group I could believe anything could happen down in the darkness and in my mind it frequently does.
The Mole People is worth reading if not for the characters, then the encroaching darkness and the heighten sense of threat that she portrays well. Whether real or not, for me doesn't matter.
Also just finished Dark Harvest, a quick frightening read that takes the reader on a roller coaster ride through a brutal world where children must fight against the 'October Boy', a manifestation with a jack 'o' lantern head. Save it for Hallowe'en.
Read this week:
The Mole People by Jennifer Toth
Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge
The book is a first hand account of the people Toth (a Los Angeles Times journalist) found living below ground during the 80s in New York City. There they had created pockets of civilisation, linking up to electrical cables and running water while surviving hundreds of feet below the surface of the city. Some used these hidden underground places as convenient stop overs, places for a nights shelter, while others never left the darkness and shunned human interaction. The people living the deepest underground, amid rumours of cannibalism, were called the mole people. They had completely given up their humanity and gone wild.
The interesting thing about this book are not the stories (told in a mix of social journalistic and tight prose) but the fact some of it is now doubted, with skeptics saying that Toth made it all up. There is lots of chatter on the net which covers both sides of the arguments (try here and here), they are many and varied.
I'm sure some of it is embellished, even with the cool, calm collected mind of a journalist (an oxymoron surely) the experience half seen in the darkness of a tunnel, deep under the city are bound to grow in stature with each telling. The underworld has a strange effect on the minds of people. Personally I'm both scared and fascinated by these places below our feet. Over Hogmany we took father down 'Mary Kings Close' where in a group of twenty we sat in darkness as ghost stories were told. Looking at that hidden street from the back of the tour group I could believe anything could happen down in the darkness and in my mind it frequently does.
The Mole People is worth reading if not for the characters, then the encroaching darkness and the heighten sense of threat that she portrays well. Whether real or not, for me doesn't matter.
Also just finished Dark Harvest, a quick frightening read that takes the reader on a roller coaster ride through a brutal world where children must fight against the 'October Boy', a manifestation with a jack 'o' lantern head. Save it for Hallowe'en.
Read this week:
The Mole People by Jennifer Toth
Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Snowing on Edinburgh
It's the new year already.
Having some time off work after father's visit. I'm catching up on the writing that I had planned to do over that period and hope to reach the concluding parts of the new novel by early next week.
It is also snowing outside and while people look thoroughly miserable at the bus stop, inside it looks all magical and wintry.
Here's a quick video from outside my study window.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Top Trumps
As it's that time of year I decided to review the highs and lows of what I've seen and read over the year. The media do this all the time so I thought I would do my own (as the things I like never make it into the top 10 lists). It's also a good cheap way to fill blog space (can this be classed as a repeat?)
Novel
The Unquiet by John Connolly - Still on top form with his books featuring the dark and brooding Charlie 'Bird' Parker. There is something about the way that Connolly writes without giving way to the usual horrors. His stories are undeniably dark but he has created a brooding darkness implicated more by what his character represent than what they actually do. I’m really looking forward to ‘The Reapers’ when it comes out next year.
Scar Night by Alan Campbell – This has reignited my interest in fantasy fiction. Unlike most examples of the genre it is not contrived and creates a world all of its own without brutal world building. Campbell is a star in the making and I’ve ordered a copy of his prequel ‘Lye Street’
Film
Stardust – A beautiful rendition of a beautiful story. Fairy tales for adults either work or fail miserably. This never does and I think that is in the main due to Gaiman’s perfect tone and pitch. Also, very funny.
This is England
At look at the skin head counter culture of which I remember my older cousin being a member but for me was a completely closed off area. I was still a child in 1983 and had no idea about the politics and music, all I knew was that the songs were angry and not all adults approved. This film helped me understand what it was all about.
Comic Book
Alice in Sunderland by Byran Talbot – Dream like but informative with little snippets of detail coming at you from all angles and via many different art forms. If this does not prove to those who say comics are just for children that they are wrong, then I don’t know what will.
TV
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – This was by far the best thing on TV in 2007. It was slow to start and at the first the characters seemed simply ‘too smart’ to be real. But the writing was so cleverly crafted that it grew on you and after episode 4 it was clever, sassy and intelligent. The last few episodes should be held up as examples of what TV can and still does best.
It is such a monumental shame that the series ended after just one season. Whoever decided that really has no love for the medium and should instead be working in a bank, not in TV.
Flight of the Conchords - Funny from the first moment to the last. Understated from beginning to end (like anything from New Zealand) but having some of the bestlaugh out loud lyrics I have ever heard. They make it all sound so effortless when in truth to be muscians as good as this involves being born talented. Only they could make a song about sellotape meaningful.
So as a little present....take it away boys.
Novel
The Unquiet by John Connolly - Still on top form with his books featuring the dark and brooding Charlie 'Bird' Parker. There is something about the way that Connolly writes without giving way to the usual horrors. His stories are undeniably dark but he has created a brooding darkness implicated more by what his character represent than what they actually do. I’m really looking forward to ‘The Reapers’ when it comes out next year.
Scar Night by Alan Campbell – This has reignited my interest in fantasy fiction. Unlike most examples of the genre it is not contrived and creates a world all of its own without brutal world building. Campbell is a star in the making and I’ve ordered a copy of his prequel ‘Lye Street’
Film
Stardust – A beautiful rendition of a beautiful story. Fairy tales for adults either work or fail miserably. This never does and I think that is in the main due to Gaiman’s perfect tone and pitch. Also, very funny.
This is England
At look at the skin head counter culture of which I remember my older cousin being a member but for me was a completely closed off area. I was still a child in 1983 and had no idea about the politics and music, all I knew was that the songs were angry and not all adults approved. This film helped me understand what it was all about.
Comic Book
Alice in Sunderland by Byran Talbot – Dream like but informative with little snippets of detail coming at you from all angles and via many different art forms. If this does not prove to those who say comics are just for children that they are wrong, then I don’t know what will.
TV
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – This was by far the best thing on TV in 2007. It was slow to start and at the first the characters seemed simply ‘too smart’ to be real. But the writing was so cleverly crafted that it grew on you and after episode 4 it was clever, sassy and intelligent. The last few episodes should be held up as examples of what TV can and still does best.
It is such a monumental shame that the series ended after just one season. Whoever decided that really has no love for the medium and should instead be working in a bank, not in TV.
Flight of the Conchords - Funny from the first moment to the last. Understated from beginning to end (like anything from New Zealand) but having some of the bestlaugh out loud lyrics I have ever heard. They make it all sound so effortless when in truth to be muscians as good as this involves being born talented. Only they could make a song about sellotape meaningful.
So as a little present....take it away boys.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
At-choo!
Well Christmas has come and gone already and it was great. Roast beef for dinner, presents under the tree, the company of Madame Vin and Dr. Who on the telly.
It also involved a strenuous walk up to the top of Arthur's Seat (picture below to prove it) that might have resulted in me waking up Boxing Day morning with a cold. Madame Vin has one as well (share and share alike, I say) so after a quick trip to Boots (thankfully everything seems to open and the chemists even threw in some free vitamin C) we sat on the couch and watched one childrens film after another.
The ham is now in the oven and I think I'll try to have a quiet evening before putting the presents away.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Reading Material
While I was away in NY I was able to do a bit of reading, these are the books and my comments on them:
Supping with Panthers - I've read one of Tom Holland's previous books (Deliver us from Evil). He has some interesting ideas with regards the lore of vampires, mixing the Dracula story into many other myths and history. Panthers includes the British Empire, Kali worshipers, 19th century London and Jack the Ripper. The book does seem to labour the ideas a little bit but its still good to see someone doing something different with the vampires.
Lint - Did not get this at all. I see what Aylett is trying to do, but a mock biography (mockgraphy?) has to have more basis in reality to work. There is an underlying Woody Allen style to the work but whereas Woody keeps his prose style to the short story, this 178 page style is exhausting.
Just One Look - I saw the film 'Tell No One' in the year so decided to give Coben a try. His style is fast and to the point. His thrillers seem perfect for the screen. Interesting element of this is that it is all set in New Jersey close to the out of town shopping complex we visited. I didn't know this when I started reading.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier: I was looking for to this, a third LOEG comic but was actually a bit disappointed. The visuals are great (especially the 3D comic) but it feels more like the deleted scene elements on a special DVD. The sort of thing you'll look at once and then never bother with again. It felt like a scrap book rather than a story.
Angel of Darkness: De Lint wrote this many years ago under the pen name Samuel M. Key. he claims it is the 'darkest books I've written, and probably the most gruesome as well', well is true. Very different from his Newford books but worth reading. Thoroughly enjoyed it and those short the story seems well formed.
Read this week:
Supping with Panthers by Tom Holland
Lint by Steve Aylett
Just One Look by Harlan Coben
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill
Angle of Darkness by Charles de Lint
Supping with Panthers - I've read one of Tom Holland's previous books (Deliver us from Evil). He has some interesting ideas with regards the lore of vampires, mixing the Dracula story into many other myths and history. Panthers includes the British Empire, Kali worshipers, 19th century London and Jack the Ripper. The book does seem to labour the ideas a little bit but its still good to see someone doing something different with the vampires.
Lint - Did not get this at all. I see what Aylett is trying to do, but a mock biography (mockgraphy?) has to have more basis in reality to work. There is an underlying Woody Allen style to the work but whereas Woody keeps his prose style to the short story, this 178 page style is exhausting.
Just One Look - I saw the film 'Tell No One' in the year so decided to give Coben a try. His style is fast and to the point. His thrillers seem perfect for the screen. Interesting element of this is that it is all set in New Jersey close to the out of town shopping complex we visited. I didn't know this when I started reading.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier: I was looking for to this, a third LOEG comic but was actually a bit disappointed. The visuals are great (especially the 3D comic) but it feels more like the deleted scene elements on a special DVD. The sort of thing you'll look at once and then never bother with again. It felt like a scrap book rather than a story.
Angel of Darkness: De Lint wrote this many years ago under the pen name Samuel M. Key. he claims it is the 'darkest books I've written, and probably the most gruesome as well', well is true. Very different from his Newford books but worth reading. Thoroughly enjoyed it and those short the story seems well formed.
Read this week:
Supping with Panthers by Tom Holland
Lint by Steve Aylett
Just One Look by Harlan Coben
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill
Angle of Darkness by Charles de Lint
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