Back in the early part of 2014 I first read Bunt Tongues (an anthology of transgressive fiction) and to be honest, I didn’t think much of it. This year Burnt Tongues got a much needed facelift. The thing is the only difference was a new cover and an illustration for each of the stories held
Animalistic, thrilling, and intense, Tim Binding’s Beneath the Trees of Eden contains a plethora of beautiful and complicated relationships, set against the real and raw portrayal of death. Our characters skirt the fringes of society and live on their own terms – but at what cost? Binding challenges us to reconsider what ‘Eden’ really is,
Little Paranoias is a short story collection form horror author Sonora Taylor, a collection that is gripping, original and bang on the money for those that prefer the dark slice of horror. What I loved about the collection is that it is a mixture of short stories and flash fiction and this device that is
‘Some people were born just so they could be buried.’ The Devil All The Time is a sprawling, gritty, powerhouse of a book that follows the lives of a handful of characters as they fight to survive in the town of Knockemstiff and the surrounding towns of Ohio and West Virginia. The opening of this
Penelope Greensmith, a divorced, cardigan-wearing, lonely bio-librarian, is responsible for a vast seed bank made possible by the mysterious Vice she inherited from her father. One day she receives an unexpected visitor: the charming Horticulturalist, who wants to see her collection. He thinks it could hold the key to stopping a terrible plague, which turns
If you’re looking for an exciting detective story, heaped in nostalgia and classic quips, Shills Can’t Cash Chips certainly won’t disappoint. Erle Stanley Gardner – known for his master storytelling skills and talent for unfolding mystery – entices with a well-paced, unexpected and bite-sized novel, complete with quality characters and unique zest. As someone not
The Storm is a debut short story collection from Akeem Balogun, a collection with interlinked characters and sprawling narrative that takes place during a cataclysmic storm, a storm that the world has never seen before and a storm that seems to have no end. So sit back and enjoy this almost apocalyptic nightmare told via
There are some books that come across your path as a writer that you’ll keep returning to time-and-time again, these books are your inspiration, your teaching texts, books that you feel are written in such a way that to emulate how they are written to learn from them in some way will aid your own
A writer who has shaped (and is unarguably still shaping) the face of modern American literature, Richard Ford’s latest collection of short stories is another triumph, showcasing his recognisable wit and affinity for analysing the average American, with clever, subtle humour. As is the case with Ford’s writing, there’s lots to unpack in these short
Songbirds & Stray Dogs is an astonishing accomplishment in a debut novel and there is no surprise that this book won the ‘Next Generation Indie Book Awards for best novel‘ because it is a scintillating book, one that grips the reader and takes them on an unforgettable encounter, one which you will leave battered, bruised,
