"The tavern was little more than a waxed canvas tent, tilted towards the south by the wind that rushed headlong down the mountain." Having loved the first book in the Singing Hills Cycle, The Empress of Salt and Fortune, I pretty much dove straight into the next volume -they're so short and perfectly formed, it's hard not … Continue reading When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain – Nghi Vo
"Hem followed the blood trail to a den on the banks of the Huddy and to half a dozen newborn pups." Welcome to tomorrow's Manhattan Island. At some point in our future, the air (here, at least - who knows about further afield?) has become polluted with 'the Funk'. Some people sniff just a little … Continue reading Tomorrow’s Children – Daniel Polansky
"Every seat is taken at the long oval table." Momenticon introduced us to a weird, future-world, where mankind is surviving the collapse of the ecosystem inside giant domes. Two corporations own and run most of what's left of the planet, and the quirks of the ruling families have led to villages designed to look like … Continue reading Simul – Andrew Caldecott
So... a lot has happened since the first Aquaman movie - which we know, as there's a huge bit of exposition-y chat at the beginning here as Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) tells us all about his change of fortunes. From drifter to father, and oh yeah - King of Atlantis. That's going... not well, frankly. … Continue reading Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
"'Something wants to eat you,' called Almost Brilliant from her perch in a nearby tree, 'and I shall not be sorry if it does'." Chih is a cleric from the Singing Hills monastery, tasked with collecting and recording stories from across the land. When they come to the abandoned home of the exiled former Empress, … Continue reading The Empress of Salt and Fortune – Nghi Vo
"The idea of writing a short story in five days may seem daunting to some, but to those who relish the challenge, it can be an exhilarating experience." I am well aware that writing short stories is a whole different skillset to writing a novel, but less. Not that I've done either, of course! But … Continue reading How to Write a Short Story in Five Days – Jason Fink
"How do I know so much about prisons?" Martin Hench is a forensic accountant. Now, before you go running away screaming, let me reassure you that the book is worth your time and you will not be bored! For starters, Marty is going to tell you the story behind how he knows *so* much about … Continue reading The Bezzle – Cory Doctorow
Once upon a time, according to the book written by Mr Roald Dahl, there was a young lad called Charlie who won a tour of the world's most amazing chocolate factory. We've seen that movie made twice - once a classic, once far better forgotten (preferably set alight, but that might just be grumpy old … Continue reading Wonka (2023)
"The thing about life is that it is fundamentally impossible." We're back once again with the staff of the Stranger Times newspaper, purveyor of all that is weird and sometimes wonderful, if very rarely all that true. Still, it's a living. Following on from events in the series so far, it's nice to see life settling … Continue reading Relight My Fire – CK McDonnell
"Tristram Bleeker's mind went blank. Staring down the wrong end of a gun will have that effect on a man." We first met the staff of the Stranger Times newspaper - dedicated to all things weird, if only occasionally true 😉 - back in the self-titled first volume. Now on book 3 and things are not going … Continue reading Love Will Tear Us Apart – CK McDonnell
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