Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson

Synopsis:

It is 1910 and Maia, tragically orphaned at 13, has been sent from England to start a new life with distant relatives in Manaus, hundreds of miles up the Amazon. She is accompanied by an eccentric and mysterious governess who has secret reasons of her own for making the journey. Both soon discover an exotic world bursting with new experiences in this highly colourful, joyous and award-winning adventure.

I am thinking of changing this month's themed title from Under 14's Only to Books that Liz Should Have Read Ages Ago. Also, I apologise for any new obsessions that may result from reading this month's reviews. *evil laughter*

Ack! Another new to me author (you'll be seeing a lot of those this month) is Eva Ibbotson.

I have had her books on my shelves for ages and ages but somehow never got around to reading them. Until now that is.

Reading "Journey to the River Sea" reminded me of some books I read as a child. These books were old and musty and belonged to my dad and sat on the shelves unloved until I came to them. One I remember particularly well is where a group of young American kids go on holiday to an Eastern Block country and have tremendously fun but tidy adventures. There is an element of deep nostalgia about these books, as they were written in the 1940's / 1950's. And there was a sense of expectation and breathlessness about them that I loved. I have only come across one other book in a similar vein recently, and that was Dead Man's Cove by Lauren St John. And now, of course, Journey to the River Sea.

It is set in 1910 so we are in relatively modern(ish) times. There are such things as telegraphs and electricity. A lot of big discoveries have been made, several during the past century, but everything is still very different and new and although the world is shrinking it is still a big place. We have explorers going into the Amazon, discovering new plants and animals. Expeditions to far-flung places are still undertaken and local tribes in areas are still "savages" to us. Travelling long distance still takes a decent amount of time by ship and boat and there are carriages and empires to be built in foreign countries. Adventure definitely awaits anyone gutsy enough to put a foot out their door.

Bring in the lovely Maia who is this brilliantly heroic and intelligent main character. Having lost her parents in accident, she has been living in care for a little while now whilst the authorities try and find out her nearest relatives. Maia is the type of girl who is studious and honest and a good academic. She is thoughtful and sweet and a little bit mischievous. If she has a fault, it is that she is perhaps too trusting and too optimistic. When she hears that she does indeed have family, and that they are happy for her to come and live with them, she is excited. But when it becomes clear she is heading for the Amazon, she becomes a bit nervous. Her school mates all exaggerate the dangers of the Amazon, giving us a good close-up view of how some of us still see places like the Amazon.

'There are huge crocodiles in the rivers that can snap your head off in one bite. Only they're not called crocodiles, they're called alligators because their snouts are fatter, but they're just as fierce.''

"And if you just put one hand in the water there are these piranhas that strip all the flesh off your bones. Every single bit. They look just like ordinary fish but their teeth are terrible,' said Melanie.

Daisy offered a mosquito which bit you and gave you yellow fever. 'You turn as yellow as a lemon and then you die,' she said.'And it's so hot the sweat absolutely runs off you
in buckets.''

"Not sweat, dear, perspiration,' corrected Miss Carlisle.

But Maia is made of stronger stuff. After spending a night in their library, she comes away feeling stronger, more confident in her decision to go and live with her Uncle, his wife and two daughters, twins.

But she is not to go on her own. Her uncle has decreed that she should travel with a chaperone who is also to be her and her cousins' governess, Ms. Minton. Now, personally, when I heard this and initially read the description of Ms. Minton I thought "oh great, another miserable bizarre old spinster" but of course, I got shown up, because Ms. Minton, although she is unfortunate looking, has the soul and attitude of a survivor and explorer, loving books and discovering the world. Well, as much as you can on an underpaid wage.

Maia and Ms. Minton (Minty) become close during their extended sea journey. Maia is held rapt with thoughts of exploring the jungle, the exotic lives her cousins are leading in Manaus and adapting to living in the jungle where things only appear to be tamed.

Once Maia comes to meet her family, she's not sure if it's her of it it's them, because things are by no means what she expects. The twins are spoiled rotten and are mean, her uncle is a recluse, preferring to spend time in his study with his collection of false eyeballs (yes, you read that right) and her aunt is manipulative and obsessed with eradicating anything "foreign" from their house on the banks of the Amazon. She obsessively sprays insect repellent all over the house to keep the bugs out and refuses to acknowledge that she is in Brazil. She sees the locals as barbarians and are mean towards them. This is not the life either Minty or Maia expected.

But being who they are, they find a way around these things and soon Maia has the freedom to explore the jungle and her own creativity.

There is much I'm not telling, but let me just say that it is a wonderful bit of writing, with rich characters and in a way it is a love letter to Brazil and the jungle. There is a sub-plot with a lost English heir, some questionable actors who travelled to Manaus to perform in the opera house there and a whole tranche of other reveals that are just excellent.

I enjoyed Journey to the River Sea and will be reading The Ogre of Ogleford for later this month. Definitely try Eva Ibbotson if you've not had the chance to do so before. And just a further comment about the cover - the writing does the cover justice and vice versa. Am a bit smitten.

Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones

When Andrew Hope's magician grandfather dies, he leaves his house and field-of-care to his grandson who spent much of his childhood at the house. Andrew has forgotten much of this, but he remembers the very strong-minded staff and the fact that his grandfather used to put the inedibly large vegetables on the roof of the shed, where they'd have vanished in the morning. He also remembers the very colourful stained glass window in the kitchen door, which he knows it is important to protect. Into this mix comes young Aidan Cain, who turns up from the orphanage asking for safety. Exactly who he is and why he's there is unclear, but a strong connection between the two becomes apparent. There is a mystery to be solved, and nothing is as it appears to be. But nobody can solve the mystery, until they find out exactly what it is!

Diana Wynne Jones is a new-to-me-author. But she's not a new author, of course. Having seen her on the bookshelves at various bookshops and having seen Howl's Moving Castle, I knew who she was, but I've not read any of her books. Until now. I was eventually tempted to buy Enchanted Glass because I loved that cover so much and wanted to own it for myself. I had also heard from the media online that it is a pretty ace book.

I leapt into Enchanted Glass and struggled a bit. I really had issues with her voice and for the longest time I couldn't figure out which way the book was going as it seemed to be a little bit directionless.

*rolls eyes*

Oh, the stupidity of me. HOW could I have doubted someone as skilled as Diana Wynne Jones? Where I thought I was the one floundering, I was being shown Andrew Hope's slightly aimless existence as he moves into his grandfather's old house (Meltstone and tries getting used to everything there. We are shown the peculiar members of staff he has to deal with on a day to day basis and how people in the nearby village fully expect Andrew to know about this mysterious "field of care" business. What is that anyway?

Everyone seems keen to run poor Andrew's business for him. Everyone except young Aidan Cain whom I personally grew to like a great deal. Aiden's grandmother has passed away and he's run away from his foster parents to Meltstone House as he was told by his Gran that he would be safe there.

Andrew was fond of his grandfather and loved his time at Meltstone House as a child. But too many years locked away in an office, lecturing and forgetting that real magic is closer than you might think, has dimmed his perceptions to what is clearly a not average household and responsibilities.

With the help of Stashe Stock, an organised, slightly bossy young woman, Andrew has no choice but to try and figure out what exactly is going on in Meltstone House. On his plate is a border dispute with the obnoxious Mr. Brown who seems intent on taking land that does not belong to him (and threatening neighbours with it), what is the real story of Aiden Caine, what or who is the mysterious creature that eats the oversized vegetables Andrew leaves on the roof of the shed (as instructed by his grandfather all those years ago) and will Mrs. Stock ever stop moving the furniture around? But most importantly, what exactly is this field of care he has been given the responsibility for and what does it do? And what should he do about it?

I genuinely loved this book. It took me by surprise. My initial thoughts were not flattering at all and then suddenly, when I realised what was going on, how things fit together, I had a real facepalm moment of: how did I not see that happening?

Enchanted Glass is a tremendously enjoyable novel for younger readers but also for older and adult readers. It has action, adventure, mystery, suspense, nasty creatures, good people, shapeshifting dogs and countrylife shenanigans. It really has it all and it is written so well. I have got two other books lined up to read by her too, for later this month, so I've definitely become a fan.

Three by the Sea by Mini Grey

In a house by the sea there happily live a dog, a cat and a mouse. Well, happily enough until a stranger knocks on the door one night, offering them each a special free gift. Who is this mysterious salesman blowing into their little world and turning it upside-down? And can their happy home survive his trouble-making gifts?

I am new to Mini Grey. I have just discovered her through Lyn Gardner's two books (Into the Woods and Out of the Woods) but have to say that I am a brand new fan. Her artwork is clever and detailed. As a reader you see it for what it is, i.e. the content of the larder for instance, but it is only when you look closer that you notice that that box of all purpose flakes is good for: breakfast, snacks, baking, bathing, washing, scouring and Many Other Uses.

In Three By the Sea we meet three fast friends: Dog, Cat and Mouse. Dog tended the garden (a barren sandy place where he can dig to his heart's content and bury his old bones), Cat looked after all the house work (but tended to quite a bit of napping) and Mouse was in charge of the kitchen and cooking (mostly cheese fondue which is lovely but a bit dull). So the three friends putter around by their tiny house by the sea when one day a Stranger from the Winds of Change Trading Company Ltd turned up.

The Stranger is of course the catalyst for change, pointing out to each of our three characters in private, how their existence can be improved by items from his mysterious suitcase but also how the others are taking advantage of them. This of course leads to a giant fight between the three fast friends.

Mini Grey both wrote and illustrated this beautiful book and I am utterly in love with the characters. They are charming and sweet and even the Stranger (a fox) is a clever choice to be thrown into the mix. I loved that she used the fox for this, I love that he appears as the Fool character who changes everyone's lives but is not the one that is changed.

Suitable for a slightly older picture book audience (5 - 7 y/o), there is much to like about Three by the Sea. The story is sweet and generous and the artwork is quirky and funny, the more you look and notice the detail. Some words are quite difficult for younger readers but it will build their confidence and you can understand the word meanings from the context it is used in.

I am a proud owner of Three by the Sea and a brand new fan of Mini Grey. This very excellent little book is out later this month of September, on the 30th from Jonathan Cape / Random House.

Hetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson

Synopsis

London, 1876 and Hetty Feather is just a tiny baby when her mother leaves her at the Foundling Hospital. The Hospital cares for abandoned children – but Hetty must first live with a foster family until she is big enough to go to school.

Life in the countryside is hard but with her ‘brothers’ Jem and Gideon, she helps in the fields and plays imaginary games. Together they sneak off to visit the travelling circus and Hetty is mesmerised by the show, especially Madame Adeline and her performing horses.

But Hetty’s happiness is threatened once more when she is returned to the Foundling Hospital. The new life of awful uniforms and terrible food is a struggle for her. But now she has the chance to find her real mother. Could she really be the wonderful Madame Adeline? Or will Hetty find the truth is even more surprising?


I'm ashamed to say I've never read a Jacqueline Wilson book even though they are regularly being borrowed from the library where I work. When I saw that Hetty Feather had just been released in paperback I couldn't resist grabbing a copy. I was intrigued by this new title as it's a bit of a departure for the author being an historical novel. A day later and I was finished, absolutely transfixed by this wonderful tale.

We first meet Hetty at the moment she is given up by her mother at the Foundling Hospital. From the first line Hetty's voice is so strong that she grabbed my attention and what was supposed to be a quick five minutes reading the first few pages became a half hour, then an hour. She's transported off to the country with another baby, Gideon, to be looked after by a foster mother. Initially I thought that Hetty had been incredibly lucky. She has a wonderful foster mother and father alongside their children and foster children. Hetty's favourite is Jem and she forms a strong and touching bond with him. However, gradually the older foster children reach the age of six - the age when they must return to the Foundling Hospital and begin their education. Soon Hetty and Gideon are six too and must make the long journey back to London. Jem, who has promised Hetty that when she's old enough they'll get married, travels partway and say goodbye at the station. At this point I shed a tear, the scene is so heartrending and awful.

I knew that Hetty's return to the hospital would be terrible, and it is. However, Hetty's spirit means that she doesn't invite the reader to wallow or feel pity for her. It's so heartbreaking though to see her have her clothes and doll thrown away and her hair cut off. The more the hospital tries to remove her identity the more determined Hetty becomes to cling to it. She promises herself that she won't forget her home in the country, Jem and her foster mother. The hospital's aim is to educate, feed and house unwanted children with the hope that they'll eventually find a position as a servant. From the very beginning Hetty is determined that she won't go into service, that there must be more for her in the future.

Hetty Feather is a wonderful book. Hetty's search for identity is enthralling and I loved the part where she decides that Madame Adeline from the circus is her mother. Years later she finds Madame Adeline again, the way that the author describes their meeting is so bittersweet. I part expected Madame Adeline to refuse to speak to Hetty but she's kind and caring. I could go on and on about great scenes from this book, about how the harsh realism of living in the Victorian age is brought to life through the eyes of a child. The ending is incredibly satisfying too, just perfect.

To be honest I didn't feel like I was reading a book for younger readers. A great tale, spun with love and attention to detail, can be enjoyed by any age group. I know I should really donate this to the library but I'm very tempted to keep it for myself.

Unhooking the Moon by Gregory Hughes

Meet the Rat: A dancing, football-playing gangster-baiting ten-year-old. When she foresaw her father’s death, she picked up her football and decided to head for New York. Meet her older brother Bob: Protector of the Rat, but more often her follower, he is determined to find their uncle in America and discover a new life for them both. On their adventures across the flatlands of Winnipeg and through the exciting streets of New York, Bob and the Rat make friends with a hilarious con man and a famous rap star, and escape numerous dangers. But is their Uncle a rich business man, or is the word on the street, that he something more sinister, true? And will they ever find him?

It is my dream to fall in love with the characters I meet in new books. This was indeed the case with Unhooking the Moon by Gregory Hughes. Written from Bob's point of view, we are an audience to the craziness that is Rat. Yes, his sister is really called Rat. And she is really a bit unhinged, or watching her antics from Bob's perspective, we are almost convinced that she is crazy. What she really is, is unique and loveable and a bit strange, full of energy and a wisdom beyond her years. We meet the siblings as they go about their unusual lives on the outskirts of Winnipeg. They live with their dad, who is basically being paid by the State not to farm. Their mum had died a while ago and so the three of them live what could easily have been a very quiet life. Rat however makes sure that this will never happen. With Bob in tow, they ride around Winnipeg with their bicycles, creating all kinds of fuss. Rat knows everyone and everyone knows Rat, even the cops pull over to chat to her.

I wasn't very far into Unhooking the Moon when I realised how much I had already vested in these two characters. When their dad passes away and they decide to head to New York to find their long lost uncle, I was shouting at them to not be stupid, they were only kids, it was dangerous and if their uncle really was a drug dealer, well, dammit, they shouldn't be around him anyway.

Of course, Rat and Bob did not follow my shouting directions. They got as far as the Canadian border before they met up with Joey. Joey is obviously yet another person I wouldn't want the kids to meet up with. He smuggles things across the border but eventually agrees to help get both Rat and Bob across. And it turns out Joey is actually a pretty good guy, just a bit misguided. We all know someone like this, someone who likes to think big, outside the box, and only needs a good deal to come his way.

Joey leaves the kids in NY with directions on how to find a friend of his, who will give them somewhere to stay. The kids travel around the Bronx asking everyone they come across if they know their uncle. They meet some bizarre and lovely people along the way. As the story unfolds and things become more and more odd and probably surreal, with them hanging out with con-artists, thieves and up and coming rap stars, the two main characters' innocence is highlighted. So many bad things could have happened to them yet they have this knack of finding people as unique as they are to help them in their quest.

I sobbed like a little girl at the end of Unhooking the Moon. It really is one of my favourite books for 2010. The writing is skilled, the characters are sharp, the story is fantastical and wonderful and the bittersweet ending is pitched just perfect. I cannot praise Gregory Hughes enough - there is something truly magical about this debut and I think he strikes the right note with the overall story, making Rat one of my favourite literary characters of all time. I hope it goes on to win prizes and the acclaim it rightly deserves.

Celebrating: Under 14's Only Month

It is no secret that I utterly love and adore books written for younger folk. From picture books, chap books, illustrated funnies and more serious stuff for older readers, I can't get enough of them.

Between Mark, Essjay and myself, we've decided to dedicate September to indulging our geeky selves into reading as many of these excellent books and reviewing them on MFB to highlight not just the books but the authors and the publishers too.

I sometimes feel that everyone is so crazy about YA at the moment, that a lot of excellent books for younger readers get overlooked, by readers, parents, teachers and librarians. And it's our aim to try and lift the blanket and shine a torch on some of our favourite writers and books we've received at MFB HQ these past few years.

I hope you enjoy visiting with us whilst we read these.

The Suspect Genome by Peter F Hamilton, SSM - Interzone

We are so chuffed to complete our Short Story Month with a guest review by Mark Chitty from Walker of Worlds. Now, I have a lot of respect for Mark - the guy knows his sci fi. Between him and Gav and MFB's Mark, they do encourage me to read outside my comfort zone, and I've yet to be disappointed. Here is his review he submitted to MFB for SSM.

***

The Suspect Genome is a short story by Peter F Hamilton, published in Interzone and winner of the British Science Fiction Association Award for best short in 2000. It’s a Greg Mandel story, the main character from his first three novels (Mindstar Rising, A Quantum Murder and The Nano Flower), and set just after the events of A Quantum Murder.

While the story features psychic former soldier Greg Mandel (he can essentially see when people lie), and I label it as such, it doesn’t focus solely on him, but rather on both him and Detective Amanda Patterson, a character that also featured in A Quantum Murder. The Suspect Genome is a detective story that follows the investigation into the death of Byrne Tyler, a c-list celebrity who was found dead at the foot of his stairs with the skin of an unknown attacker under his fingernails. The story follows Amanda’s investigation into the murder and also the story of Greg and his wife Eleanor whose father was killed in a hit and run accident.

First things first, the story is set out in such a manner that we see different aspects at different times. It’s split into three parts: The Dodgy Deal, A Suspicious Fall and Degrees of Guilt, each focusing on different aspects of the story. The first part sets the scene with a set up being made, while part two introduces the actual investigation, and part three contains the explanations and various other bits of important information. Of course, as such stories go it’s very difficult to balance what I say so not to give away the ending to anyone wanting to read it but hasn’t as yet. So, if you don’t want to know the specifics then just skip the next paragraph…

Byrne Tyler has been found dead, and while it looks like an accident the forensic report throws up the skin of an unknown person under his fingernails. He’s in a relationship with Tamzin Sullivan, another minor celebrity, but is also sleeping with her younger sister Claire on the side, and unbeknownst to anyone else. Tyler not only limits his relations to these two women, but has slept with a string of celebrities - and filmed each one. Claire was the last person to see Tyler the night he died and protests her innocence, her sister and mother think she’s responsible, while she is left to look after her younger, and very visibly upset, 10 year old brother. Meanwhile, Richard Townsend is trying to get hold of the land that Eleanor’s father and family live on as part of a kibbutz, but her father refuses all offers made. After an apparent accident her father is seriously injured and dies later on. With me so far? As there is no direct evidence that Townsend had her father killed, but him being the obvious suspect, Greg manages to come to an arrangement with the agency that he can set him up to take the wrap for Tyler’s murder, with a little trickery and conning going on to cement the evidence. However, Amanda knows that Greg is playing her, but doesn’t know why – until the final line of the novel reveals the identity of the true murderer.

Okay, spoilers now over! What Peter F Hamilton has done with The Suspect Genome is create a very interesting and well plotted detective novel. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its bad points, but on the whole it was a very satisfying read. The suspect genome of the title is that little bit of evidence that they find under Tyler’s fingernails, and with advanced techniques the DNA from this evidence can be used to provide an image of the murderer. It can show the person at different ages throughout their life and the tests they run can’t identify him at all. It’s all pretty good stuff, but ultimately it leads to some dubious moral questions, perhaps the biggest downside to this story.

This is where I have issues with The Suspect Genome – it just feels wrong that things go the way they do. I doubt I’d do it any differently if I was in the same position, but after reading the three Greg Mandel books I didn’t put his character down as doing what he does, to me it feels slightly wrong.

However, despite this concern I thoroughly enjoyed The Suspect Genome and it’s written with such precision, always laying everything in front of you and letting them drop into place. Fans of Peter’s Greg Mandel novels should pick this up, but it’s also short enough and self contained enough that not having read the two novels that are set before this time is not a drawback at all. Definitely recommended from me!

Tome of the Undergates : Sam Sykes

Adventurer.

The name never uttered without scorn, they are long loathed for their knowledge of nothing beyond violence and greed and their utter disregard for human life, least of all their own.

And Lenk, a young man with a sword in his hand and a voice in his head, counts them as his closest company.

Charged with retrieving the Tome of the Undergates, a written key to a world long forgotten by mankind and home to creatures determined to return, Lenk is sent after ancient evangelical demons, psychotic warrior women and abominations lost to myth. Against them, he has but two weapons: a piece of steel and five companions as eager to kill each other as they are to help him.

At its heart, the premise of Tome is the classic quest novel- a group of heroes banding together to seek out a lost treasure, danger at every turn and failure spelling the rise of an unstoppable evil which will destroy them and doom the world.

And then Sam got hold of it and pulled, stretched and twisted it like some sort of literary playdough, squeezing out characters that aren’t at first people you’d really like to know. They’re adventurers, and in the world of Tome, that makes them one step below something that a hobo’s scraped off his shoe.

It opens with pirates having boarded the ship that the characters employer has chartered, and while it’s always good to have a bit of action upfront, you really are dropped into the middle of things. It felt a bit like I’d missed the first 10 minutes of a movie I’d been waiting to see. The characters are launched into play with little ado and it takes a bit of wrangling keep track of who’s who and who’s doing what as the battle rages on. All of which isn’t helped by the main character having some kind of schizophrenic episode and the pirates’ grandiose manner of speaking.

But here’s the thing. Keep at it, and by the time the nigh invulnerable sea-demons replace the pirates, things are inching into place.

It’s an ongoing process all the way, but the characters endless griping and in-fighting does evolve into something less distracting as the group dynamic becomes more recognisable. Initial wobbles aside, Sam’s characterisation is good, and while the teasing glimpses of the characters respective pasts that he drops in amidst the bickering and battles never explain how such a disparate group got together, there’s a sense of each having come from a dark, desperate time in their life.

It took me until about halfway through to start getting along with Tome as well as I’d hoped I would, but I’m glad I stuck with it. There are niggles that remain, sure – there’s still some fat that could have been trimmed from the manuscript, the combat could have been tightened up, along with some of the more over the top language, but Sam’s vision holds it together. That he was having buckets of fun putting his characters through the wringer of his world comes through clearly, and that spark is notoriously infectious.

Loud, brash and crazier than sack of weasels on angel dust, Tome is a shot across the bows of the fantasy genre and I think we have lots to look forward to from Mr Sykes in the coming years.

The First Heretic by Aaron Dembski- Bowden

Amidst the galaxy-wide war of the Great Crusade, the Emperor castigates the Word Bearers for their worship. Distraught at this judgement, Lorgar and his Legion seek another path while devastating world after world, venting their fury and fervour on the battlefield. Their search for a new purpose leads them to the edge of the material universe, where they meet ancient forces far more powerful than they could have imagined. Having set out to illuminate the Imperium, the corruption of Chaos takes hold and their path to damnation begins. Unbeknownst to the Word Bearers, their quest for truth contains the very roots of heresy…

Reeling in the wake of the reprimand levied by the Emperor, the foundations of his belief undermined , Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers, returns to his homeworld to contemplate the future of his Legion and the nature of his service to the Emperor. He finds comfort in the ancient rituals of Colchis, the same religion that he had quashed in a bloody civil war. With this an obsession is born, one that echoes the voice that calls to him in his dreams, beckoning him towards the edge of the galaxy.

The story begins 43 years before the infamous betrayal at Isstvan V and follows Argel Tal, a captain of the Legion, as his loyalty to Lorgar sets him on the route that will culminate in the ultimate heresy taking root in his flesh.

Aaron has dug deep here, giving us a solid character who you can’t help but empathise with, even while you know that what he is doing is wrong on so many levels; because you can get under his skin, and understand who he is, and what drives him and his battle-brothers, the tragedy of what is unfolding around him carries that much more weight. Right to the bitter end, when he and the remnants of his company stand bloodied and tattered in body and soul on the ravaged battlefields of Isstvan, their erstwhile brethren lying broken at his feet, Argel remains an engaging and sympathetic character.

This isn’t an action heavy story, although Aaron is certainly no slouch in this department- his visceral depiction of the carnage of Isstvan flies off the page. The First Heretic doesn’t suffer for that though in the slightest; it’s an intelligent and gripping portrayal of a once loyal Legion’s slow fall into the grip of Chaos. The road to Hell is indeed paved with good intentions.

If there was ever any doubt or worry about Aaron’s ability to do justice to the Horus Heresy series, it hasn’t so much as been dismissed as shot into the heart of the sun. This is brilliant stuff.

You can read an extract here.

THUG by Gail Simone, Masked Anthology, Lou Anders

THUG by Gail Simone, Masked

Reading Gail Simone's offering in the Lou Anders edited Masked really blew me away.

We meet Alvin Becker who is a particularly large young man - in tallness and in muscle. The story is written in Alvin's words, and we read it in journal format. The writing is painstakingly detailed and is a feat of genius on Ms. Simone's behalf.

Opening two sentences:

hello, my name is alvin becker but i guess you know that already becuz i am the only one that will read. my pee oh said i wasn't learning from my mistakes so I should keep a JOURNAL.

In just thirteen pages we are told the deep and complex story of Alvin's life and how he came to be THUG. Viewed from the outside, without the benefit of his story, we would see him as a bad guy, a bruiser, not a pleasant person, someone always in trouble, bullying others, someone who will only work as a heavy for an Evil Villain.

Yet, Alvin doesn't hold back when telling his story. The simplicity of his language, his utter guilelessness, all serve to give us an insight into the mind of what outsiders would view as a monster. What we find instead is a young man who has a strict code which he holds within himself and one that he never ever lets go of. His dedication to the memory of his mother and that one girl he didn't manage to help when he was only a kid, forms the basis of the rest of his life.

THUG is an extremely likable and intense short story that both lifted me up and made me sniffle into a hankie - as a reader I felt deeply about Alvin within a short space of time. I felt invested in him, his actions and I hoped that things would go well for him.

Ms. Simone proves in this short story that she understands the dynamics of creating an engaging and sympathetic character, but also effortlessly draws the reader into the character's world, showing you the other side of the coin and making you root for the THUG.

Ultramarines the Movie - First Trailer

Bring on the awesome.

Would you like to know more?

Some girls are bigger than others - by Sarra Manning from Queen of Teen Anthology (SSM)

Before my review, just some random thoughts that have been bubbling beneath my surface for some time now:

Much has been said in the past few months about pink books for both adult females and younger female and teen readers. I'd like to offer my tiny five pence piece here which is basically: I used to be one of those who turned their noses up at pink books. They scream overly girly relationship soppiness to me and boy, that is so not what I like to read about. But after five years of reviewing and shoving my preconceptions firmly in my pocket, I have to say that I'm still not fond of the pinkness, but each book should be taken on its own merits. A lot of hard work has gone into these books by very dedicated authors and honestly, if a reader is too shallow to not look past a pink cover book, and not "get" that that 9 times out of 10 these stories are far more than what meets the eye, well then, it's that reader's loss. I'm sure you'll be happier with those dark romance covers instead where invariably the heroine is dull and gormless and the heroes are all alpha males in training and invariably quite abusive towards said heroines. Pink cover books may seem overly girly but let me tell you what I've discovered about them: the heroines are invariably sweet, caring, tough and ready to learn the error of their ways and usually, by the end of the book, our main character has managed to grow as a person and has probably learned valuable lessons along the way - usually one of independence and how to think for yourself and have a life. I'd rather spend time with these girls who have funny charming characters and eccentric ways than deeply sighing melodramatic heroines who can't think their way out of a Kellogs box.

I also love the dark cover dark romances for teens, but have become so inured to the soft weepy heroine who can't stand up for herself, I'm rapidly falling out of love with them. Are these the type of heroines we like to read about? Personally for me, not so much. Which is probably why I like books like Takeshita Demons, Hattori Hachi and Michelle Harrison's books so much - strong can-do female characters that are wonderfully thought out and engaging. Yes, give me books and characters like that I don't care what those covers look like!

From that, let me segue into my review for Sarra Manning's truly excellent Some girls are bigger than others. It is the last story in the Queen of Teen anthology and to me, a strong contender as one of the very best.

In a summer that is meant to be a summer full of boys, secret kisses and sundrenched days at the beach, Cath has the misfortune of having to stay at home whilst her best mate goes off on holiday abroad. She gets a job at the local ice cream stand on the beach and prepares herself for an awesome time of flirting with boys and generally having a great time. Sadly, what she gets instead is a lot of rain and a mousy workmate called Rosie whose only asset seems to be her tremendously large bosoms.

Through Cath's observations we learn that Rosie is quiet, shy, reticent and a reader. Cath and Rosie couldn't be more different. Rosie wears clothes not suited to her body and clearly has no idea about make-up, how to style her hair or dress, especially when it comes to the bra department.

The girls aren't really friends, but when one of the guys from the face-painting hut keeps coming around for ice cream and chatting to Rosie, Cath decides to step in and help her work colleague who clearly has some negative body-issues going on. She drags a very reluctant Rosie to local shopping centre and introduces her to the wonders of stylish underwear and decent clothes.

Rosie turns to Cath at one point and says: "I'm having this major epiphany," Rosie confessed. "I always thought it was superficial to care too much about clothes and hair and it was the inner me that counted. But maybe the outer me should look more like the inner me."

She really needed to come with sub-titles. "What does the inner you look like?" I asked.

Turned out that Rosie's inner me looked like the girls in the books she read: quirky and mysterious which I translated as a muter colour palette and lots of v-neck and wrap tops to minimise her mammaries.

Cath knows that they aren't really friends, but sees their relationship more of a teacher/student variety. She encourages Rosie to talk to David, the boy from the face painting stand and eventually she manages to get them to go out to a movie - The Great Gatsby. As Rosie starts to come into herself, both in confidence and personality, Cath's character reduces slightly. I don't think she initially realises it but she becomes a bit more brash, shinier, a false shine that attracts the wrong type of attention from the local hotshot, Kieran, who eventually asks her out.

The night end in disaster with Cath's deepest shame revealed - the fact that she stuffs her own bra with inflatable bits to make her breasts look bigger. She eventually reveals to Rosie that she desperately wants her boobs enlarged as she knows her looks are her only way out of the shitty seaside town. She wants to marry a rich bloke, maybe a footballer and just get away from her mum and the seaside town. But Rosie, being Rosie sees past this and tells Cath that as she's a very goal orientated person, that maybe what she should do is not wait for a man to take her away, but to do it for herself. Go to uni, get a decent job that pays a lot of money, make herself happy instead of waiting for some man to do it. Cath is completely taken aback. By the end of the summer, Rosie hands Cath a big mysterious box and sends her home. Once there, Cath opens the box and founds a variety of music cd's and books, all of which she's seen Rosie read during their summer at the ice cream stand together.

The letter that comes with the box reads:

"Dear Cath

Before I met you, these were the people who showed me that there's a whole big world out there and that who I am isn't who I'm going to be. I hope they do the same for you.

Love, Rosie."

I regret as a reader that the story had to end - I loved both Cath and Rosie as both were silly and wise beyond their years. I genuinely hope that Sarra Manning maybe takes us on a ride with the full story of what Cath gets up to once she digs out one of those books and starts on her journey of self.

So, the lesson I'd like to impart with this review is: don't knock it till you've tried it. I've learned my lesson and I am trying not to fall back into the trap of turning up my nose at pink books, especially for younger readers. I'm still cautious of pinkish looking adult novels, but I'm pretty sure that my aversion will be overcome. I mean, I already love the girls over at Little Black Dress Books! It's a slippery slope, this reading malarky! It threatens to open your eyes!

Night Vision by Maria V. Snyder

Synopsis for The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance edited by Trisha Telep

Fall in love with someone out of this world.

If love transcends all boundaries then paranormal romance is its logical conclusion. From the biggest names around, here are 24 tales to take you to another time and place.

Let Alyssa Day, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Cheyenne McCray, Jeaniene Frost, Ilona Andrews, Kelley Armstrong, Maria V. Snyder, Carrie Vaughn, Allyson James Marland and others show you powers beyond your wildest imaginings.

Within these pages mythical beasts, magical creatures of all shapes and sizes, heart-stoppingly handsome ghosts, angels, and mortals with extra-sensitive sensory perception play out the themes of extraordinary desires.



I'm a big fan of Maria V. Snyder's Poison Study trilogy so was interested to read this short story and turned straight to it. I'm not sure what I expected, possibly a short story set in the same world as the Study books - however, Night Vision is something completely different. It begins with Sophia Daniels, out biking in the forests of North Carolina in the middle of the night. She comes across a normally deserted farmhouse to find a captive Federal Agent about to be killed. Sophia is more than just a skilled biker; she also has perfect night vision and can't tolerate any light. She successfully rescues the agent, Mitch Wolfe but then finds that her act of kindness means she has to invite him into her life and explain her rare condition. Sophia's father has died and she lives a solitary life, too afraid to tell people about her sight.



Night Vision is a rare combination of touching tale and full-on action. Mitch and Sophia race to rescue his sister who's been kidnapped by the gang that were going to shoot Mitch. Alongside this daring rescue is the gentle tale of Sophia finally opening up to someone and getting the chance to finally use her talent to help others instead of hiding away. We visit Sophia some months after the incident and see how it's changed her attitude to life. Obviously, I was also hoping that Sophia and Mitch would meet again but I won't spoil the ending for you.

The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance is full of other great authors such Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine and Sherrilyn Kenyon and is full of variety. I highly recommended it as a way of getting your fix of paranormal romance and checking out some authors that you may not have read before.

Who is Mr Satoshi

"One afternoon last October, on the concrete of her patio garden, my mother had a fall...That was the last time I really had any options."

Reclusive photographer Rob Fossick has come adrift both from society and his creative urge. But when his mother dies, Rob is suddenly presented with an unwanted yet intriguing problem to solve - minutes before her death, he discovers that she was hoping to deliver a package to an enigmatic character called Mr Satoshi, but the name and the contents of the parcel are shrouded in mystery. So begins a quest that takes Rob out of his isolation and plunges him, anxious and unprepared, into the urban maelstrom of Tokyo. With the help of a colourful group of new acquaintances - an octogenarian amateur detective; a beautiful 'love hotel' receptionist; an ex-sumo wrestler obsessed with Dolly Parton - Rob edges closer to uncovering the mystery surrounding Mr Satoshi, and in the process comes face to face with some demons of his own. Combining several interlocking mysteries - both past and present - Who is Mr Satoshi? is a uniquely inventive and unforgettable story of a fragile soul coming to terms with the fact that no one, in the end, is quite who they seem to be.

I fell in love with Jonathan Lee’s writing. Deeply funny, wry and satirical we are taken on an exploration of self – and others - , in Who is Mr. Satoshi. When Foss’s mum dies, he is at such a low point in his life that he just can’t move on with things. He is still trying to cope with the death of his wife. His life is dark and hollow and grey. His mum’s unexpected death doesn’t really galvanise him as much as prod him into doing something different, something outside his comfort zone.

He takes on this quest his mum left him: find Mr. Satoshi and give him this box. Easier said than done because Satoshi is not really the guy’s name...

Besides the fact of: who is this Satoshi guy, questions are raised about the life his mum lead before she met Foss’s dad. I mean...how much do we know about our parents anyway, before they were our parents?

As Foss’s takes up the quest and travels to Tokyo, meeting a variety of truly bizarre and colourful characters along the way, we come to see how Foss views himself from the outside rather from the inside out. Deeply interesting from a characterisation point of view, this literary debut by Mr. Lee really rocked my socks. In theory, none of us should really like Rob Fossick. He is not a warm, friendly kind of guy. He is not the usual male hero we see touted. He's not even an anti-hero to be honest - he's just a guy who is sliding towards the darker scale of things and he suffers from sadness and probably some ennui. But what Lee manages to do, by very careful observation, is make Foss be you and me at our lowest point. We can identify with this stunted man, with his negative reaction to being around people, being asked question, putting himself out there. And by doing so we learn to like Foss, we realise he's an okay guy, if he allows himself to be.

The novel works well as an overall narrative too - Lee uses Foss's point of view and fills it in with newspaper articles and letters and includes a secret service transcript. All of this works to layer the mystery so that even when Foss meets Mr Satoshi...we still don't know who he is, working on the premise that even though we may think we know people, we don't really.

What I also liked is Lee's descriptive passages which vary from wonderfully eloquent and sometimes surreal to deeply stark and remorseless. Full of unexpected humour and sadness, this is a bittersweet novel that will stay with you long after you’ve read it. Literary fiction has a new star on it’s horizon and its name is Jonathan Lee and I'm proud to be one of the fan-girls.

Cursed by David Wellington

Revenge in the face of bloodlust is seldom sweet…

There’s one sound a woman doesn’t want to hear when she’s lost and alone in the Arctic wilderness: a howl. For Cheyenne Clark, there’s a bad moon on the rise. When a strange wolf’s teeth slash her ankle to the bone, her old life ends, and she becomes the very monster that has haunted her nightmares for years. Worse, the only one who can understand what Chey has become is the man - and wolf - who’s doomed her to this fate. He also wants her dead.

Yet, as the line between human and beast blurs, so too does the distinction between hunter and hunted…for Chey is more than just the victim she appears to be. But once she’s within killing range, she may find that - even for a werewolf - it’s not always easy to go for the jugular.

Like me, you will possibly look at that and think: "another werewolf book?" or "definitely a re-hash of Kelley Armstrong" and like me, in both cases, you would be wrong.

There is nothing at all romantic about Chey or Powell, the man she meets after she's attacked by a lycanthrope. The story is fierce and gripping and harsh and brutal. I close my eyes and I can see the setting the author has decided to use to portray the isolation Chey finds herself in. The place sounds insane and only the toughest of the tough survive up there, in the lands of the Inuit and timberworlves.

This story is all about Chey's character growing stronger and tougher to cope with an impossible and unpleasant situation. After she escapes drowning in a flash-flood, Chey stumbles through the wilderness, heading north, towards civilisation. But then she gets chased up a tree by a pack of wolves, Chey thinks life can't get shittier. Well, it does. The "normal" wolves scatter with the advance of something altogether scarier, the larger werewolf that makes itself home in this forbidding wilderness. Chey shimmies higher but her ankle gets swiped by the wolf's claws. She looks down in those eyes and recognises their colour and their shape. She knows she's found the thing she's come out here to hunt.

Chey manages to stay in the tree until the wolf disappears. She stumbles through the forest, keen to find someone to help her. And eventually she does. His name is Dzo. Dzo decides that she needs help and takes her to his friend, Powell. Yes, Powell and the wolf is the same being. Chey realises this but plays her game carefully. She gets as much information from Powell as she can about him, about where they are, what is likely to happen to her as a wolf, etc.

Slowly, a camaraderie builds up between them and Chey has to struggle very hard to bite down on the those feelings because - well because there is something we're not told yet. We don't know why Chey's come out here to the middle of nowhere. We know she's after the werewolf, but why? Also, how does her hunting the werewolf affect her as she's been bitten by him and will be changing into a wolf herself? How far is she prepared to go to extract revenge?

I genuinely thought that Cursed by David Wellington ranks up there with some of the best horror / dark urban fantasy we've seen for several years. I think it worked so well for me because of Chey's character. She wasn't necessarily just a kick-ass heroine, but she was definitely strong and determined and driven. She thought with her heart and her head and not her groin (sorry, I had to put that in there) and kept moving forward, all the time, no matter what she went through. I admire Chey hugely and would like to say to the author that he definitely has a new fan.

Cursed is not a very big book, but it took me a while to read it. I did it in several readings because it felt so much heavier (in my mind) than I initially thought it would be. I'm a very visual reader - I think I've said this before in other reviews - so if I can't picture my characters I'm reading about or their setting, a book loses me. In Cursed I wanted to hide in my bedroom, with the light on and my electric blanket turned on full. Deeply atmospheric and more thoughtful than some readers may expect, I'd recommend Cursed with two big thumbs (paws?) up.

Cursed is out in the first week of September, published by Piatkus.

The Poisoned House by Michael Ford

Synopsis

Abigail is a maidservant in Greave Hall, an elegant London household governed by the tyrannical housekeeper, Mrs Cotton. Whilst the widowed master slips slowly into madness, Mrs Cotton gradually usurps the position of gentlewoman of the house. She wears his dead wife’s jewellery and clothes, entertains guests as though the house is her own and reserves her most despotic treatment for Abi.

In the dead of night, Abi makes a desperate bid for freedom, but is soon captured and returned to Greave Hall. As Mrs Cotton’s malice intensifies, a ghostly presence distracts Abi with clues to a deadly secret. And Abi now realises that she can trust no one in the house.

Don't be put off by the size of this book, it's not the biggest but it's crammed with gothic goodness and atmosphere. The book opens with Abi running away from Greave Hall. Once returned by police it becomes clear that Abi has an unenviable position as Mrs Cotton's most hated servant. Abi's days start at 5.30 and go on until 9.00 with little chance for personal time. Although this was the case for many servants in this period Abi has more than hard work to cope with. Her mother, a servant at the same house, died a year before and since then Abi has been dealing with the grief and Mrs Cotton's persecution.

It soon becomes apparent that something else is going on at Greave Hall. The master is struggling with insanity and often refuses to leave his room. The house already has a feeling of uncertainty and menace. One night Abi wakes to find her window open and the room freezing. When she gets up to close it a hand reaches in and grabs her wrist. Poor Abi screams and wrenches her arm free only to get into trouble for waking Mrs Cotton. From this point onwards the house, or something within it, makes it clear that something awful has happened. Along with the escalation of the spirit's activity, Mrs Cotton becomes more evil with every passing day; she's a classic love-to-hate character. The secondary characters of Lizzy, Rob and Samuel are all well-formed and loyal. I was relieved after reading the synopsis that Abi actually had some friends at Greave Hall to provide a little lightness in the book.

I loved this book from beginning to end. Every page is loaded with suspense and terror. I was genuinely chilled at times - the scene where Abi discovers a photograph that had been left to develop was wonderful. Abi is likeable and resourceful; the steps she takes to try to discover more about the presence in the house are believable. She drives the book along with her desire to find the truth. I sat down one morning expecting to read a few chapters but got to a point where I had to know what happened and was turning the pages like a maniac. This is a perfect ghost story, beautifully told.

Abrams and Chronicles Intern chat to MFB

I "met" Kat when she kindly emailed MFB about some books to review. I was naturally thrilled to be approached by Abrams & Chronicle Books and of course said yes. She kindly let me have a stack of books, one of which is Troy High (review) and some others which I'm lining up for September. Kat and I got on really well and I decided to ask her to write a small post about what she got up to as an intern and this is her response:

Liz at MFB very nicely asked me to write a review, unfortunately not of a book, but of my time spent as an intern at Abrams & Chronicle Books. Firstly, to quickly introduce myself, my name’s Kat, I’m 20, about to go into my 3rd year at Manchester University, and for the last 6 weeks I’ve been an intern at Abrams & Chronicle Books in London.

I should start off explaining how I got the internship. I’ve had quite a bit of work experience with general PR companies over the last 5 years; however I didn’t find it extremely interesting when I didn’t enjoy the client I was promoting. Books, on the other hand, I can be extremely interested in promoting! In January this year I emailed loads and loads and loads (I could go on) of publishing houses and didn’t hear a peep! So in April, time to take action, I decided to go to The London Book Fair at Earls Court. Although a Marketing and Sales Show, I thought I’d just go, wave my contact details under people’s noses and generally show some enthusiasm. What had I got to lose? I met Chuck Lang (the Managing Director of Abrams & Chronicle Books), very briefly, and we talked about why I was there and the work experiences I had had. He gave me his card and I didn’t really think anything of it. However, at home, I emailed everyone that I got cards from at the book fair. A little while later, Chuck emailed me back, and he offered me a job for 6 weeks starting June 5th. Progress!

Throughout the past 6 weeks I’ve been working with the Publicity Team and I have been involved with numerous activities surrounding A&C’s authors and clients.

I was initiated and have been mentored by Jane Pickett (Publicity & Marketing Manager) who went through all 5 catalogues and introduced me to all the Autumn 2010 titles.

Due to the recent merger of Abrams Books and Chronicle in London they had no fully functioning social networks. In my time spent there I’ve set up Twitter (@AbramsChronicle), Facebook and YouTube accounts, which are now all pretty active and hopefully well received by the literary online community. Before this internship, I had never really step foot into the Land of Tweets and now, very much to my surprise, I love it! I’ve now got a much better understanding of how the three social networks interact and generally I’ve learnt what makes Tweeters tick, what Tweeters actually like and that the shameless plugging of a book most definitely doesn’t get the most clicks!
I’ve also delved into the world of YA literary bloggers. Honestly, it shocked me. These blogs, MFB being a perfect example, are so dedicated in writing their reviews and have such a dedicated fan base, which is so unheard of if you’re outside the loop, its amazing! Publishers need to sit up and see this, relatively new, platform as a key publicity tool and use it effectively (but of course, not corruptly!). No matter if it’s a blog involving YA fiction, foodies or crafters, I certainly won't be underestimating them from now on!

I’ve spent a lot of the last 6 weeks also doing general admin and filing, which is indeed a part of any internship. I’ve also been writing many press releases, mailing blads (if you don’t know what these are – they are basically a small hard copy sample of the book) , sending out press releases, pdfs and books to media types (all via the use of some fancy company programmes).

I have indeed been out the office a few times. I’ve been to an events meeting at a particularly nice department store and a book launch in Covent Garden. Both, probably being perks of the job. I’ve also been in contact with the US offices in New York and San Francisco quite a bit, which has been really good and gets you thinking out of the London box you sometimes feel yourself falling into.

Every Monday I read all the weekend papers. As a student I barely read 2 papers a week and here I’ve had a news overload which has, in retrospect, been really good for me. Keeping up on all the publishing news is really useful for any publishing house, from finding out about the latest e-book news to what your fellow competitors are up to. Never underestimate the power of the printed press!

So, that’s pretty much it! The people I’ve been working with have all been lovely, given me lots to do and actually listened to my opinions, which has been really nice. I’ve found my time here really rewarding and it’s given me a real insight into how publicity in publishing ,and generally how publishing houses, work. Thankfully, working at Abrams & Chronicle Books my passion for books hasn’t been squashed (which was a worry!) and I am most definitely glad that I jumped on a train down to Earls Court last April, leaving rainy Manchester behind me.

**

Fantastic write-up, thanks Kat. It is so glad to see someone new to the industry take to it like a fish to water. It is also flattering to see how quickly Kat realised how hard us bloggers worked at getting the word out there about cool books.

And speaking of cool books - this is one that Kat sent along (amongst others) which I am incredibly excited about. Isn't it just delicious looking? We wish Kat the best of luck with the rest of her interning at another publisher's house and I hope we'll be able to hear from her again soon.

Winter's Wife by Elizabeth Hand - Dark Alchemy (SSM)

Wizards and witches have lived in the human imagination for centuries. From ancient to modern times they have held great power in our literary lives. Here for a brand new audience is a collection of electrifying stories that show us benign and evil, ambivalent and determined characters that will stalk our imaginations and thoughts for some time to come. From the pens of Eoin Colfer, Garth Nix, Neil Gaiman, Jane Yolen and many more spring an incredible array of stories that will thrill readers young and old.

Includes stories by Neil Gaiman, Garth Nix, Mary Rosenblum, Kage Baker, Eoin Colfer, Jane Yolen, Orson Scott Card, Patricia A. McKillip, Elizabeth Hand, Andy Duncan, Peter S. Beagle, Nancy Kress, Tanith Lee, Terry Bisson, Terry Dowling, Gene Wolfe, Tad Williams and Jeffrey Ford.

I've chosen to review Winter's Wife by Elizabeth Hand because I am in love with it. Also, because she is in theory a new to me author to read. Although Elizabeth Hand has been an author whose books I've seen often, I've never for no reason other than laziness and overcrowded shelves, picked them up. I now want to read her back-catalogue, because of this short story.

There is nothing over the top in Ms. Hand's writing. Justin's voice as a young boy is spot on, as are his observations about Winter, the area they live in, and subsequently, Winter's wife which he goes and fetches from Iceland.

Vala sounds fantastically odd and quirky and the second she shows up in the short story, you know things have changed, you're just not sure if it's for the better or worse.

Justin is employed by Winter to help them build a decent house as Vala is pregnant. Progress is good but then Winter discovers that his neighbour has sold his land to a developer and all-round nasty piece of work. Things kick up a further notch and come to blows when the developer guy starts chopping down ancient trees in the forest.

It's Vala who steps forward and acts. I'm not revealing what happens, but it's pretty twisty and scary and you will fistpunch the air...just a tiny bit.

Why this works is because Winter and Vala are so patently suited to one another. Ms. Hand does an amazing job of creating a new mythology here and it held me rapt. I've read the short story maybe five times now, it is that good. And I'm thinking to myself that if she ever wrote the rest of Vala and Winter's story, I'd be there in a flash, cash in hand.

The Poison Eaters by Holly Black

Holly Black is one of my must-buy authors so I was excited to get my hands on her first short story collection. I must admit I've yet to read the last few stories in this anthology so I'm sure I'll be back before the month is out with another favourite. I'm quite spoilt for choice already but one of the most poignant was Virgin.

It's written from the viewpoint of Jen, a girl who's run away from her foster home. She's living on the streets of Philadelphia during the summer, mulling over what she should do when the weather gets colder. She meets Zachary, a homeless boy who juggles for cash and is instantly drawn to him. He's quiet, kind and completely different to the other people she knows from the streets. They bump into each other in the library where's he's researching Unicorns.



Zachary lets Jen in on a secret. His mum was a drug dealer who sold information to the police. She and Zachary are dumped in some woods and, as they walk aimlessly, she's shot and killed by the people she betrayed. As Zachary is crying and scared in the woods a unicorn arrives and changes his life. Jen is enthralled but she tells her friend and Zachary's story soon turns into something to mock him with. The events that follow are a mixture of touching and tragic. I felt desperately sorry for Zachary, the innocent with the awful past who trusts too easily.

As with all of the stories I've read so far from this collection, Virgin is a perfectly formed gem which had a flavour of Valiant where beauty and magic can be found in the most desperate of places.

Zombie Britannica - Thomas Emson

In 2009, Canadian researchers warned that a zombie plague would wipe out civilisation.. unless we were ready. We weren't.

As temperatures reach unprecedented levels, the dead rise- and eath the living. There is no warning. There is no time to prepare. And with tens of thousands dead or infected, another waking nightmare comes to terrorise the survivors- the victims now rise up, a new wave of zombies hungry for human flesh.

As the nation teeters on the edge of extinction, those who survived the onslaught fight for their lives, and for the lives of their loved ones..


When Thomas Emson’s zombie apocalypse hits the UK, sweltering in the hottest summer on record, it hits with a bang. It hits the ground running, the Usain Bolt of apocalyptic visions. By the end of the second page the body count is in the hundreds, and the zombie tide is flowing unchecked through the capital cities, a tsunami of gnashing teeth and spurting fluids.

ZB begins with working mom Carrie’s story as she sets out to make her way back home, where her young daughter is hiding from the dead and her good for nothing father and his newfound hunger for living flesh. Her story is the central theme but it shares ZB with two other windows into the apocalypse.

In Wales, the initially surly and emotionally stunted Vincent, struggling to connect with the girl he fancies, reluctantly shows her around the local castle, unaware that its walls will save their lives long before their first kiss.

On the congested highways outside of Glasgow, a dysfunctional argues their way to the airport, heading for a traffic jam that will see them lose far more than their seat on the ‘plane.

ZB reads at a ferocious pace, reflecting the pace at which the apocalypse spreads. This is no gradual rising; all around the country the dead erupt from the earth, hungry for flesh.

It’s a classic scenario and one that lets Emson explore the effect the psychological trauma of seeing a horde of ragged, decomposing cannibals feasting on the living would have on people; there’s no mistaking the dead for any kind of rampaging drug addicts or mysterious infectees here. As it would, the reaction varies from person to person, from group to group depending on the brand of psychosis hidden deep beneath the skein of their mundane, everyday selves, brought violently to the fore as their minds try to process armageddon. Sure, it calls for you to take a leap of faith on a few points, but if you enjoy this genre then you would most likely understand that civilisation is a veneer, and one that gore encrusted nails would quickly scratch away.

Zombie Britannica is an incredibly easy and more-ish read; fast, edgy and bloody good fun.

By the way, the 2009 study into a zombie attack that the blurb (italics above) refers to can be found here if you're interested.