Books Read August 2009

29. Last Argument Of Kings – Joe Abercrombie – 2008 – Gollancz

30. The Solaris Book Of New SF Volume 3 – ed. George Mann – 2009 – Solaris

31. Making History – Paul J McAuley – 2000 – PS Publishing

32. The Road – Cormac McCarthy – 2006 – Picador

33. Reality Dust – Stephen Baxter – 2000 – PS Publishing

34. Rain Dogs – Gary McMahon – 2008 – Humdrumming

Books Read July 2009

At the end of June I got a surprise in the post, an advance of the new Iain Banks novel, it’s handy knowing people in high places. So of course that immediately went to the top of the “to read” mountain.

25. Transition – Iain Banks – 2009 – Little, Brown

26. Bar None – Tim Lebbon – 2009 – Night Shade Books

27. The First Emperor Of China – Johnathan Clements – 2006 – Sutton

28. The Day It Rained Forever – Ray Bradbury – 2008 – PS Publishing

Books Read June 2009

21. Before They Are Hanged – Joe Abercrombie – 2007 – Gollancz

22. Starship Fall – Eric Brown – 2009 – NewCon Press

23. Postscripts 18 – ed. Peter Crowther & Nick Gevers – 2009 – PS Publishing

24. Shadow Of The Scorpion – Neal Asher – 2008 – Night Shade Books

Book Comment: The Catacombs Of Fear

Author: John Llewellyn Probert
Year: 2009
Publisher: Gray Friar Press
Page Count: 177

With The Catacombs Of Fear, John Llewellyn Probert produces another volume of interlocking horror tales in the style of his previous outing from Gray Friar Press, The Faculty Of Terror. I read that one back at the end of 2007 and enjoyed it immensely so was delighted to hear about this new title. And once again Mr Probert doesn’t disappoint.

Comprising of five stories linked by a common thread, much like the portmanteau horror films from Amicus, the tales themselves work well separately, with the linking interludes adding an extra depth and serving as introductions to each one, leading up to the unveiling of the secret behind Chilminster Cathedral and why the Reverend Clements has been called to serve there. Very atmospheric and cinematic in the telling, Mr Probert has a wonderfully visual writing style, letting the events unfold almost as though they were playing on a screen. As an added bonus there’s a “guided tour” at the end, providing some background to the creation of the stories. Overall, wonderful stuff, I had great fun reading this collection, and I get the impression the author had just as much fun writing it.

Books Read May 2009

Only 3 books read this time, due to the monster 800+ page epic of Olympus taking me most of the month. Just as well all the books I read are not that length, I’d be lucky to get through a dozen or so all year.

18. Olympos – Dan Simmons – 2005 – Gollancz

19. The Catacombs Of Fear – John Llewellyn Probert – 2009 – Gray Friar Press

20. Japanese Fortified Temples and Monasteries – Stephen Turnbull – 2005 – Osprey

Book Comment: Revolvo

Author: Steven Erikson
Year: 2008
Publisher: PS Publishing
Page count: 92

Better known for the epic fantasy tomes of his Malazan Books Of The Fallen series, with this novella, originally published in 1997 under the name Steve Lundin and not connected with the world of the Malazan, Steven Erikson proves that he can write equally well within a much more restricted word-count. 

Revolvo is a modern fantasy, a satirical and somewhat cynical look at the generally unfathomable world of “modern art”, and just as relevant today as it was back in the late ‘90s. Populated by quite a number of bizarre characters, the story places them in increasingly bizarre situations, until the multiple plot threads finally crash together; Erikson packs a lot in despite the low page count. Broken up into plenty of short, snappy chapters, it’s a fast paced and completely over-the-top yarn, laced with a healthy dose of black humour. An amusing and entertaining read.

Books Read April 2009

Five books finished in a month may look good, by my rate anyway, but I have to point out that the Night Shade anthology was read over several months, I only finished it in April. I tend to read most anthologies this way, interpersing  their short stories with longer novels. Next month’s list will quite possibly be much shorter; I just started into Olympos, the even more lengthy sequel to Dan Simmons’ Ilium.

13. The Appetite – Nicholas Royle – 2008 – Gray Friar Press

14. The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume 2 – ed. Jonathan Strahan – 2008 – Night Shade Books

15. Blue War – Jeffrey Thomas – 2008 – Solaris

16. Solar Lottery – Philip K Dick – 1955  – Gollancz

17. Revolvo – Steven Erikson – 1997 – PS Publishing (2008)

Books Read March 2009

I’m surprised I got through 4 books this month as I expected Ilium to take me longer to read than it did, helped by having a few days off work at the start of the month. Just to make sure I decided to read the three novellas I bought recently from Gray Friar Press, since Gary was having a sale. Two down, starting into the Nicholas Royle one tomorrow.

9. Ilium – Dan Simmons – 2003 – Gollancz

10. Thicker Than Water – Mike Carey – 2009 – Orbit

11. Rain – Conrad Williams – 2007 – Gray Friar Press

12. Hard Roads – Steve Vernon – 2007 – Gray Friar Press

New Iain Banks novel

Orbit US have released details of the new novel from Iain Banks, entitled Transition, due out in September. Oddly, in the US the book will be released by Orbit as an Iain M Banks title, even though that is usually reserved for his SF and his next one is a non-M, and will be published in the UK by Little Brown, Orbit’s parent company, under that name. Confused? 

Anyway, the blurb certainly bodes well, hinting at the promised genre cross-over style utilised in The Bridge and Walking On Glass that he’s been threatening to give us for a while, and may well explain the Orbit US decision. Iain’s last few non-M “mainstream” novels have been a bit disappointing so hopefully this will be a return to his earlier masterly form.

Books Read February 2009

Another four books read this month, even if two of them are quite short. I started on Dan Simmons’ Ilium on Monday, so I can post February’s list early; there’s no way I’ll have that book finished before the end of the week.

5. The Digital Plague – Jeff Somers – 2008 – Orbit

6. Illyria – Elizabeth Hand – 2007 – PS Publishing

7. Japanese Castles 1540-1640 – Stephen Turnbull – 2003 – Osprey

8. Binding Energy – Daniel Marcus – 2008 – Elastic Press