Books for the Philippines

In the wake of the disaster in the Philippines, I have decided to donate all the money that comes in from my Amazon Kindle books in November to the appeal.

I'll be checking up on the first half-month sales tomorrow to send an interim payment.

If you've been thinking about maybe picking up one of my books then this month would be the time to do it because it's also a donation to the relief effort that's going on out there.

The Skin Map by Stephen R Lawhead

There are unlimited alternative realities and some people can move between them along a network of ley lines. Most of those people seem to be searching for a map of that network, a map that is tattooed into a man's skin.

This is the opening salvo in Stephen R. Lawhead's Bright Empires series, entitled THE SKIN MAP. The initial set up might call to mind that of other books or TV shows (THE LONG EARTH by Pratchett and Baxter for example, or SLIDERS on the cathode ray tube machine), but then it's a conceit that's been around for a long time. It's not what the idea is, it's what you do with it.

Stephen Lawhead tells a boy's own action adventure story of a young man who meets an ancestor who shows him how to travel across the multiple realities. He also introduces him to the dangers, mainly in the shape of those who would use the ley lines and the travelling for their own, evil purposes. An innocently bystanding girlfriend gets caught up in the plot and lost in time space and the man with the map meets a girl that he likes.

First off, be warned that THE SKIN MAP is the first book in a series and it is not a self-contained story. This is a the opening book and nothing is resolved. In fact, several plotlines that seem to be going nowhere close to converging are jammed together in the final chapters to make for some kind of episode-ending cliffhanger, but that leaves so many questions left open that will only be answered (hopefully) in the later books. If you're not willing to read the rest of the series then don't start the first.

Stephen Lawhead's writing is very easy on the eye and this book is so very easy to read. The time just slips by and before you know it you're at the end, but even during this time it somehow feels less than fully satisfying. This is brought to a head at the end where things get rushed and aren't explained all that well (or perhaps I just wasn't engaged enough to pay attention). The main plot of the young man finding his way in this new multiverse is fine and provides a strong backbone to the book, but the missing girlfriend gets a plot about setting up a bakery and then a coffee shop (no, seriously) that never approaches any sort of significance before suddenly taking a leap that serves only to help with the cliffhanger. Perhaps that will all get sorted out in the other books as well.

People move around a lot, but there isn't that much action to be getting on with. The characters are easy to get on with and are appealing enough to paper over many of the cracks.

THE SKIN MAP is less than satisfying starter that might turn into a good meal with the addition of the extra courses. If someone were to give the other parts to read, I would happily do so, but I won't be finding myself going out to buy them any time soon.

Crab Monsters, Teenage Cavemen and Candy Stripe Nurses - Roger Corman: King of the B Movie

Now that's a title and a half for a book.

But that's fair enough because it's a lovely book, both to look at and to read. It's lavishly illustrated with movie stills, film posters and behind the scenes photographs, all illustrating the story of a quite remarkable man.

In case you don't know, Roger Corman is a hugely prolific film-maker who produced enough films to make him practically a studio. He's the man who shot THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS in two days, but also made my favourite THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, which is just a gorgeous film.

This is not a critical biography of the man, though. The story is told in interview snippets from so many people that worked with (and for, let's be honest) Roger Corman and other movie luminaries. John Landis, Jack Nicholson, Joe Dante, Jonathan Demme, James Cameron and many more all put in their penny's worth.

And pennies seems to have been Corman's ethos. Pay as little as you can get away with and make a profit on everything that you put out. Some of the films were outright exploitative rubbish, but others were bona fide masterpieces.

If only through the people whose careers he helped to kickstart, Roger Corman has been a huge influence on the movie industry and this bright, cheerful and fun read seems just the right way to celebrate him.

100 Science Fiction Films from the BFI

When it comes to movies, the British Film Institute knows a thing or two, so when they choose to produce a book giving you the top 100 entries into a genre then you'd expect to sit up and take notice.

As a result of those expectations, 100 Science Fiction Films by Barry Keith Grant is something of a puzzle.

Now, don't get me wrong - the author knows his science fiction films. Whilst all the usual suspects are there (Metropolis, Blade Runner, Star Wars) there are a few less obvious entries. Nobody could argue with La Jetee, for example, but it's a bit on less well-known side as are Born In Flames and Tribulation 99: Alien Anomalies Under America (what do you mean, everyone has heard of that one?).

No, the reason for puzzlement is the form of the book. Nobody would expect a book from the BFI to be a vapid picture gallery, but the assessment that goes with each film proves to be mainly a precis of the storyline (and yes, spoilers ahoy!) with only a small amount of time spent on why the film is notable. Each film only gets two pages and that's reduced to only a page and a half when you take into account the single image that goes with it. This really doesn't give enough space for the author to go into any great depth.

So, here's the rub - who is this book for? True, if you are a newcomer taking on the genre for the first time, then this might be the book to guide you on your way, but there are plenty of 'best of' lists online. For the the experienced sci-fi moviegoer, there really isn't enough here to make it even a worthwhile gift from a loved one.

DARK EDEN audiobook - A Walk On The Dark Side

Time to be honest, this review is delayed because this book was my very first experience of audiobooks (I know, I'm so 19th Century). As a result, I needed to try out another audiobook to make sure that the problems I had with DARK EDEN were down to the book itself and not to the experience of audiobooks. I've listened to another one and enjoyed it, so everything that follows is purely down to the book.

Firstly, the book is technically well-produced, with narrators who voice it clearly and flawlessly. There's not a lot in the way of fancy touches, just the story being told, but that's fine. I like things simple.

DARK EDEN is the tale of a group of humans descended from just two, living in a small forest of light and warmth-giving trees on the surface of a planet that is swathed in darkness and ice. Interbreeding has given them birth defects and they have forgotten most of the science and most of the language that their forebears possessed. A young man rises up to challenge the hidebound ways of this 'family' and determines to leave and go in search of a 'promised land'.

Biblical allusions are rife in the book, as you would expect from the title, and there isn't anything here that is going to surprise anyone.

My main problem with this book lies in the use of language. Since language has deteriorated over the generations, the characters can no longer express themselves in anything but very simple terms. When distraught, a character says that they are 'sad, sad'. This is perfectly plausible and fits the scenario, but since the book is narrated in the first person (by one male and one female narrator), the language becomes repetitive and simplistic and that grates after a while. It makes what the characters are feeling seem shallow and unimportant.

It feels like a YA book, and yet it takes in very adult themes such as incest, murder, masturbation and rape, very matter-of-factly.

What is remarkable about DARK EDEN is the world-building. From the giant trees bringing heat to the surface to the batwings, leapords and woolybacks, the world of Eden is brought to life evocatively. You can certainly imagine it in your mind's eye in all its detail. It is a compelling background to a less than compelling story.

Ultimately, the linguistic style of the book proved to be too frustrating for me, but one thing is for sure, it won't be my last audiobook.

JOYLAND by Stephen King

Stephen King and I have had a bit of a falling out in recent times. UNDER THE DOME was only intermittently impressive (and what was with that ending, man?) whilst the Kennedy assassination doorstop tome is still holding open the conservatory door to allow the air in, still not finished.

JOYLAND, though, changed all that. Gone is the huge, suitcase space guzzling and self-indulgence epic and in its place is a small, spare and utterly captivating paperback. It's produced by Hard Case Crime and is only available as a paperback with a cover that deliberately recalls the pulp noir books of yesteryear.

Speaking of yesteryear, it's a recollection, a story told in flashback of a young and callow youth who spends a summer working in a beachfront amusement park and finds the man he will eventually become. Yes, King is back in full-on nostalgia mode and whilst the flashback structure inevitably robs the big climax of its necessary tension (we know he won't be killed you see, since he's already spoken of what has happened since), it allows him to wallow in what is a very lightweight coming of age tale.

It's a Hard Case Crime book, and there is a series of unsolved murders in there, but that is almost irrelevant to the story, only coming seriously into play in the last fifth. There are other King tropes in there as well such as the kid with the psychic ability (yes, King's next book will be a return visist to Danny Torrance of THE SHINING), a trapped ghostly spirit and an overbearing parent who seems all powerful and happens to be heavily religious to boot. All of these, though, are again in the background and not really the main thrust of the book at all.

JOYLAND is the tale of a boy becoming a man and not a lot more. There's a SUMMER OF '42 vibe going on that is a bit obvious, but that's OK. Doing something old isn't a crime as long as you do it well and King has done this very, very well.

In fact, the reader is welcomed into the story of young Dev, lovelorn hero of the piece with an ease that makes me hate the author. Either it really is this easy for him to throw out such a great piece of storytelling (in which case I hate him for being so talented) or he is so talented that he can make it seem so easy (in which case I hate him). This may be a little thing he churned out in his lunch hour between epic doorstops, but it has an emotional resonance that has been missing from his work of late. In fact, he manages to wring so much emotion out of two people on a beach with a kite in the final scene that I defy anyone with a heart not to tearing up.

The difference here is that King seems to have found something to interest him. Instead of recycling things he's done far too many times already, he's discovered a new world - the world of the carnival. He makes much of the language in his introduction and postscript and it is clear that is part of what attracted him to this tale. Joyland is what this book is about, not the things that happen there. It's fired him up and this book is result.

JOYLAND is not without its flaws, but it doesn't have a single flaw of any significance at all. It's a quick read, an easy read and a satisfying read. What more could you ask for?

Stephen King and I are mates again.

Unique But Similar: The Prisoner Compared by Andrew K Shenton

Much has been written on the subject of THE PRISONER, Patrick McGoohan's elliptical, surreal cult fantasy show first broadcast in 1967-8. Much of that can be boiled down to the fact that there was nothing like it ever before and there has been nothing like it since.

That, though, is apparently a fallacy, as this book by Andrew K Shenton sets out to demonstrate.

Taking the major themes of the this landmark show, Dr Shenton shows how they have been used in other shows such as DOCTOR WHO, BLAKE'S SEVEN, UFO, JOE 90, CHILDREN OF THE STONES, THE OMEGA FACTOR and others either before or since, rustling up an impressive array of references from other commentators on the show and the genre in general to back him up.

There is always room for another book about THE PRISONER, especially by such a scholar as Dr Shenton, but I am hard-pressed to see who this particular book is aimed it. It reads like a textbook and might be immensely useful for anyone studying a course in comparable Prisonerology (assuming there is such a thing), and Prisoner completists will, of course, want to see what he has to say, but it's hardly the most entertaining presentation for someone wanting a little light reading.

You also have to question the subject matter. It's true that the themes of THE PRISONER have cropped up elsewhere, not least since they first appeared in the show, but every influential show is going to leave a legacy. An informed examination of that legacy would be interesting, to be sure, but that doesn't seem to be what Dr Shenton is trying to say. What he is trying to do is to challenge the popular perception of THE PRISONER as something quite unique.

The success of that will depend on whether you agree with him or not, but having some chapters devoted to a single episode of another show does weaken his case. I mean one single episode of THE CHAMPIONS sharing some ideas doesn't exactly bring down the walls of the case for THE PRISONER 's reputation.

If you want to see what the talking points are then head over to Amazon.co.uk , Amazon.com, or all good bookstores.

Richard Matheson dies.

Richard Matheson, author of (amongst others) I AM LEGEND, HELL HOUSE, THE SHRINKING MAN and WHAT DREAMS MAY COME has died at the age of 87.

A prolific writer, he provided stories and screenplays for the legendary TWILIGHT ZONE series.

His most famous work, I AM LEGEND was filmed thre times (the Last Man On Earth, The Omega Man and I Am Legend) and the film The Incredible Shrinking Man is one of the great 50s science fiction films.

He was also responsible for the short story that launched Steven Spielberg's film directing career (Duel).

Though not often quoted as one of the great science fiction writers in the way that Isaac Asimov or Arthur C Clarke might be, Matheson is a giant of the genre and certainly deserves every credit and plaudit that is sure to be heaped onto him in the wake of his death. His was always a name that made me feel that I was in for something with a bit of quality about it whether it was a book, film or TV show.

Just in case you hadn't noticed, there's a new Superman film coming out soon entitled Man Of Steel. Exactly how many times a single franchise can be rebooted in TV in films is a good question, but Superman is giving it a good go in finding out with the likes of Lois and Clark and Smallville joining the big screen interpretations.

This, though, is as nothing to the number of incarnations of your friendly neighbourhood Kryptonian that have appeared in comic books over the years.

DK books have produced this glorously visual book (because gloriously visual is what they do) to show you just what you've been missing if you haven't been getting your dose of Clark Kent's alter ego from DC's comic books.

Now we know more about the Lego video game Superman than we do about the comic book one, so we're not best placed to tell you just how much of this information you need to know, but there certainly seems to be an awful lot of it stuffed in between the beautiful comic book imagery from the earliest days of the man you'll believe can fly (sorry, we never did) right through to the latest reinvention.

Superman: The Ultimate Guide To The Man Of Steel is a lovely, lovely book to look at (gold edged pages and all!) for anyone who is a Superman, DC or just plain comic book fan. Heck, we even loved it without any reference to TV and movies!

It's out now.

Bill Dare's Wins - or rather doesn't - with Brian Gulliver's Travels

We have it on good authority that Brian Gulliver's Travels is a very funny radio series. Something has gone seriously wrong in the translation from show to book then as the one thing that is missing from this is the funny.

Brian Gulliver is a travel writer (did a bit of telly apparently) who has gone missing for some time. Now he's back and in an asylum recovering. His daughter meets with him to write down the stories he has to tell of his crazy journey.

Swift's Gulliver's Travels is possibly the most famous satire ever, although it is probably most known now from the bastardised Jack Black film and other movie versions. The book has lasted the test of time and so if you're going to do a new version then you better have something interesting and new to tackle. The book, however goes after some very obvious targets that have been widely covered before. Celebrity culture - yep that's in here, including the obligatory reality TV sideswipe. Our obsession with health and our bodies? Yep, you can tick that box as well. Crazy religions? Well of course. These are all barn doors to be hit with a shotgun.

The main issue for me was for the main characters. Brian Gulliver is an out and out selfish git with little to no thought for anyone else and happy to go along with anything as long as his life is a comfortable one. He's not the kind the character to idolise or empathise with and his ability to apologise it all away is infuriating.

His daughter, the chronicler of his story plays the foil for him, challenging him on all of his behaviour just in case we, the reader, didn't get the point or understand the theme being discussed.

For all that, it's easy to read and moves at a pace that actually robs it of depth since none of the places that Gulliver ends up in is much described beyond the theme that is being put forward there.

On finishing the book, you won't hate it, but you won't be singing its praises either. Oh well, back to Swift.

PENNY KILKENNY SAVES THE DAY is released

PENNY KILKENNY SAVES THE DAY, the latest book set in the world of the Man From U.N.D.E.A.D. novels has been released on the Amazon Kindle platform.

Available from today in all areas, it tells the story of the U.N.D.E.A.D. Operations Director's personal assistant as she attends the strangest school reunion there ever was.

Here's the blurb:

"When Penny Kilkenny is manipulated into attending the reunion of her year at the Madame Schopenhauer School for Exceptional Young Women, she could not possibly have imagined the dangers that she would face there - dangers that will test the very limit of her resilience and resourcefulness.

This spin off novel takes a new look at the world of the Man From U.N.D.E.A.D. and takes one of the most popular characters from those books on a thrill ride all her own.

It's a different kind of magic."

I hope that you enjoy.

GOODNIGHT DEAR available for free again!

It's that time again. GOOD NIGHT DEAR:THE UNSENTIMENTAL DIARY OF A BEREAVED HUSBAND is back on Amazon sites of all national flavours for absolutely no cost whatsover.

This book was never meant to make money with and so it I use the KDP freebie program every time that it is possible, which is five days every three months.

Apart from those times, any money I make from it goes to a bereavement counselling service in Oxford that was of great comfort to Maite when her mother died.

I continue to hope that the book is of use in making people think about what might happen and maybe make some plans for it.

New Man From UNDEAD logo

This is the new logo that I have come up with for The Man From UNDEAD website that I expect to be launching sometime before the next millennium.

I'm rather pleased with it.

It's simple, it's clean and it works in negative as well, so if things work out with the shop that I would like to put on the website I'll be able to offer light clothing with this on it and dark clothing with the white version.

All I have to do now is to get my backside in gear and find the time to get the website sorted out into some sort of shape.

The Man From U.N.D.E.A.D. is back, and this time in Ireland.

It's nearly St Patrick's Day, so here's another holiday themed short story featuring the Man From U.N.D.E.A.D. himself, Agent Ward.

Here's the blurby thing.

"The United Nations Department for the Enforcement and Apprehension of Demons is the first, last and only line of defence against the supernatural threats trying to break into a world where magic and technology are uneasy bedfellows.

A death brings Agent Ward, the Man From U.N.D.E.A.D., to Ireland and to a secret location where there are dangers without and secrets within.

Can Ward work out the latter before a veritable parade of demonic beings launch a full-scale attack?

The Man From U.N.D.E.A.D.'s St Patrick's Day Parade is a short story featuring Agent Ward from the Man From U.N.D.E.A.D. series of novels."

 

The links to both UK and US amazon sites are on the right.

 

 

 

 

 

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The Man From U.N.D.E.A.D.'s St Valentine's Day Massacre is now available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com for the Kindle.

It's a themed short story starring Agent Ward from the Man From U.N.D.E.AD. series of novels along with some of the other characters from that series.

Here is the blurb

"The United Nations Department for the Enforcement and Apprehension of Demons is the first, last and only line of defence against the supernatural threats trying to break into a world where magic and technology are uneasy bedfellows.

When Agent Ward takes on the case of a break-in at a greetings card factory he could not have imagined that it will pit him against a unique threat in a unique location requiring the strangest use he has ever made of a helicopter.

How else, though, do you deal with the green-slimed monster called Love?

The Man From U.N.D.E.A.D.'s St Valentine's Day Massacre is a short story featuring Agent Ward and other characters from the Man From U.N.D.E.A.D. series of novels."

Enjoy.

Another Man From U.N.D.E.A.D. short on the way.

This is the cover artwork for the latest release in the Man From U.N.D.E.A.D. series and it's another holiday themed short story.

This one was demanded by Vanessa on the Goodreads Amazon Kindle Forum and wasn't going to happen until the idea came along and everything came together. Unfortunately, now everyone there seems to want similar short stories for their own favourite holidays.

Considering the things that I still have parked in my Waiting To Be Written zone, I don't think a full series of these will be forthcoming.

Not Just For Christmas

Considering that it was written as a throwaway seasonal short story that would sink out of sight as soon as the festive season had passed us by, The Man From U.N.D.E.A.D.'s Christmas Carol is still going strong into February (in the UK at least).

Thank you to everyone who has bought it and I hope that you have all enjoyed reading it. Of course, it might just be sitting on kindles waiting for the next time that Old St Nick is on his way.