In the Introduction to Europa28, writer Laura Bates states that ‘women see things differently […] it comes as a shock, because our default setting is to see things through men’s eyes without ever realising we are doing so.’ I am more than inclined to agree. It’s along this premise that we find Europa28, an anthology
Well if you’ve found your way to this review you’re either a fan of Planet of the Apes, Folio Society or a consumer of fiction – well if that’s the case you are in for a mighty fine time. If you’re a space travelling lost soul and discovered this (a message in a bottle if
The motif of the Bird flies all the way through Anna Vaught’s novel, Saving Lucia. It encapsulates in its image a plethora of contradictory notions: freedom and constraint, strength and vulnerability, companionship and loneliness, elation and desolation. The birds that flit in and out of this novel offer both solace and sorrow to the characters
A librarian – Irena and Prince Kai – a dragon, are sent on a mysterious dangerous mission to acquire an old book from Mr Nemo, a well-known collector. Irene and her companion are told they must succeed to realign and stop probable chaos in their world. Irene and Kai are sent on this adventure to
Last Meal In Osaka & Other Stories by Gary Buller is a journey through various interpretations of horror, first we have Swashbuckle Cove which is your more childhood based horror where we are unsure if the things that are transpiring to our protagonists are real or if it is a coping mechanism for grief and
Ross Jeffery’s Juniper is a rare-breed indeed, a snarling animal of a novella that sinks its teeth into you and refuses to let go. From the very first line, we are draw into a surreal world where nobody is quite right in the head, and where the most innocuous people are fearsome tyrants behind closed
Ritual by Steve Stred is a novella with some serious bite. It’s quite a difficult book to read on many levels, its no nonsense approach to taboo subjects causes an unease from pretty much page one and continues through the book to its grisly conclusion. You want to look away at numerous points, but Stred
A raw and gritty look into the workings of a modern-day marriage, The Codes of Love is a gripping debut that combines soft, hazy images of the isolated countryside with the overwhelming intensity of love and lust. Hannah Persaud makes us question everything we think we understand about relationships and gets underneath the skin of
While many people will be familiar with the story of Sophie and Wizard Howl thanks to Mayazaki’s anime blockbuster, Howl’s Moving Castle is the fantastical masterpiece of Diana Wynne Jones, celebrated adult and children’s author. I was vaguely familiar with the plotline, however I wasn’t prepared for the beauty of the story and the strong
One of the best things to have come out of 2019 in my reading and reviewing was the discovery of Steve Stred – a writer who blew me away with a few tales of dark fiction including The Stranger and his brilliantly disturbing and deliciously woven masterpiece Piece of Me. So, when I heard that
