The Eloquent Page

Rome The Eagle of The Twelfth by M.C. Scott

They are known as the Legion of The Damned…

Throughout the Roman Army, the XIIth Legion is notorious for its ill fortune. It faces the harshest of postings, the toughest of campaigns, the most vicious of opponents. For one young man, Demalion of Macedon, joining will be a baptism of fire. And yet, amid the violence and savagery of his life as a legionary, he realises he has discovered a vocation - as a soldier and a leader of men. He has come to love the XIIth and all the bloody-minded, dark-hearted soldiers he calls his brothers.

But just when he has found a place in the world, all that he cares about is ripped from him. During the brutal Judaean campaign, the Hebrew army inflict a catastrophic defeat upon the legion - not only decimating their ranks, but taking away their soul, the eagle.

There is one final chance to save the legion's honour - to steal back the eagle. To do that, Demalion and his legionaries must go undercover into Jerusalem, into the very heart of their enemy - where discovery will mean the worst of deaths - if they are to recover their pride.

And that, in itself, is a task worthy only of heroes. 

I'm still relatively new to reading historical fiction on a regular basis but last year I was lucky enough to read Hereward by James Wilde and it struck a chord with me. This year I read another fantastic historical novel, Tom-All- Alones by Lynn Shepherd. Based on my enjoyment of both of these I promised that if I got the opportunity to explore more work in this genre I would jump at the chance. Whether by telepathy or some other more arcane method the nice people at Bantam Press were obviously listening and Rome The Eagle of The Twelfth recently arrived.

There is much to enjoy here but it was the depiction of the various battles that really took my breath away.  Most of the action is described directly from Demalions's perspective and there is a real sense that he is right in the midst of these frenetic, bloody encounters. Scott perfectly captures the chaos of each engagement as well as the emotions that Demalion experiences. As he spends more and more time as a soldier his attitudes toward constant training and bloodshed evolve and he becomes far more comfortable on the battlefield. The initial fear of being in a life threatening situation never disappears but he also learns the raw elation of surviving. It's an effective juxtaposition that he feels most alive when surrounded by death. At one point another character asks Demalion if he loves war and he finds he can do nothing other than say yes. The harsh reality of the situation is never sugar-coated though and the human cost of battle is in evidence on each and every page.

Demalion of Macedon is at the heart of the story and the reader gets to follow him from his time as a raw recruit, through his training (which is almost as brutal as the war he later finds himself in), to the point where he is considered a veteran. Scott takes the time to establish the friendships and camaraderie that develops between all of the men, it adds a welcome layer of depth to all of their interactions. The men of the Twelfth start out as strangers, become soldiers and then eventually brothers in arms.

In the final hundred pages the emphasis of the story shifts slightly as Demalion becomes embroiled in the politics of Jerusalem. He gradually transitions from soldier to spy when an old acquaintance resurfaces in his life unexpectedly.  It’s a nice change of pace and the action becomes a bit more cerebral in nature.

It's worth noting that though this novel is part of an on-going series I found it entirely accessible and didn't feel hampered in any way by not having read it predecessors. If anything, now that I have had the opportunity to enjoy this book, I am keen to seek out the others in the series. M.C. Scott's writing is incredibly evocative and I found myself hanging on every word. If you've enjoyed the cinematic scope of films like Gladiator or television shows like Spartacus then you'll appreciate Scott's vision. This is perfect blend of visceral, graphic action with an intelligent well-paced plot.

Rome The Eagle of the Twelfth was published on 24th May 2012 by Bantam Press and is available now. Highly recommended.

Original Article

Rome The Eagle of The Twelfth by M.C. Scott

They are known as the Legion of The Damned…

Throughout the Roman Army, the XIIth Legion is notorious for its ill fortune. It faces the harshest of postings, the toughest of campaigns, the most vicious of opponents. For one young man, Demalion of Macedon, joining will be a baptism of fire. And yet, amid the violence and savagery of his life as a legionary, he realises he has discovered a vocation - as a soldier and a leader of men. He has come to love the XIIth and all the bloody-minded, dark-hearted soldiers he calls his brothers.

But just when he has found a place in the world, all that he cares about is ripped from him. During the brutal Judaean campaign, the Hebrew army inflict a catastrophic defeat upon the legion - not only decimating their ranks, but taking away their soul, the eagle.

There is one final chance to save the legion's honour - to steal back the eagle. To do that, Demalion and his legionaries must go undercover into Jerusalem, into the very heart of their enemy - where discovery will mean the worst of deaths - if they are to recover their pride.

And that, in itself, is a task worthy only of heroes. 

I'm still relatively new to reading historical fiction on a regular basis, but last year I was lucky enough to read Hereward by James Wilde and it struck a chord with me. This year I read another fantastic historical novel, Tom-All- Alones by Lynn Shepherd. Based on my enjoyment of both of these I promised that if I got the opportunity to explore more work in this genre I would jump at the chance. Whether by telepathy or some other more arcane method, the nice people at Bantam Press were obviously listening and Rome The Eagle of The Twelfth recently arrived.

There is much to enjoy here, but it was the depiction of the various battles that really took my breath away.  Most of the action is described directly from Demalions's perspective and there is a real sense that he is right in the midst of these frenetic, bloody encounters. Scott perfectly captures the chaos of each engagement as well as the emotions that Demalion experiences. As he spends more and more time as a soldier, his attitudes toward constant training and bloodshed evolve and he becomes far more comfortable on the battlefield. The initial fear of being in a life-threatening situation never disappears, but he also learns the raw elation of surviving. It's an effective juxtaposition that he feels most alive when surrounded by death. At one point, another character asks Demalion if he loves war and he finds he can do nothing other than say yes. The harsh reality of the situation is never sugar-coated though and the human cost of battle is in evidence on each and ev ery page.

Demalion of Macedon is at the heart of the story and the reader gets to follow him from his time as a raw recruit, through his training (which is almost as brutal as the war he later finds himself in), to the point where he is considered a veteran. Scott takes the time to establish the friendships and camaraderie that develops between all of the men, it adds a welcome layer of depth to all of their interactions. The men of the Twelfth start out as strangers, become soldiers and then eventually brothers in arms.

In the final hundred pages, the emphasis of the story shifts slightly as Demalion becomes embroiled in the politics of Jerusalem. He gradually transitions from soldier to spy when an old acquaintance resurfaces in his life unexpectedly.  It’s a nice change of pace, and the action becomes a bit more cerebral in nature.

It's worth noting that though this novel is part of an on-going series, I found it entirely accessible and didn't feel hampered in any way by not having read it predecessors. If anything, now that I have had the opportunity to enjoy this book, I am keen to seek out the others in the series. M.C. Scott's writing is incredibly evocative and I found myself hanging on every word. If you've enjoyed the cinematic scope of films like Gladiator, or television shows like Spartacus, then you'll appreciate Scott's vision. This is perfect blend of visceral, graphic action with an intelligent well-paced plot.

Rome The Eagle of the Twelfth was published on 24th May 2012 by Bantam Press and is available now. Highly recommended.

Original Article

Doomsday by Graham Brown

Please note that Doomsday is a sequel to The Mayan Conspiracy and due to that this review may contain minor spoilers. Don't say I didn't warn you.

A deadly countdown has begun...

Deep in the heart of the Amazon, an ancient Mayan stone is generating massive waves of energy while counting down to the apocalyptic date of December 21st 2012.

Using a cryptic map and a prophecy that points to the end of the world, maverick agent Hawker and his partner Danielle Laidlaw are in a race-against-time to find the stone before it falls into the hands of a foreign power. And before the countdown stops...

Doomsday picks up two years after the events in The Mayan Conspiracy, once again Danielle Laidlaw and Hawker are thrown together in an effort to save the world. The relationship between the two main protagonists is one of the books highlights, every time they are in the same room they continue to spark off of one another. The have a kind of bickering respect that makes their exchanges fun to read.

Again most of the action takes place in South America and the lush jungles and mysterious ruins make for an effective backdrop to the ongoing hunt for the missing artifact. Meanwhile back in the US Laidlaw's boss, Arnold Moore, the head of the National Research Institute (NRI) is involved in political in-fighting between the CIA and NRI. The Institute's independent actions have ruffled a few feathers over the years and the fallout from this is finally starting to be felt. This secondary plot add some nice addition depth to the characters. We get to discover a bit more about what has happened to Laidlaw in the intervening gap between the books.

Kang is the Chinese billionaire who is attempting to claim the powers of the stone for himself. He is a larger than life Bond-esque villain and I have to admit I rather liked his particular brand of evil. How could you not enjoy stuff like this?

He turned to the project leader. " Prepare to launch the drones".

Of course a maniacal billionaire is going to have his own robotic drones. If I was a billionaire, I'd have them. Seriously though, Kang does make for quite a good foil for our heroes. He is insanely driven and will stop at nothing, including dispatching his own henchmen, to locate the stone. There is an unhinged glee in his character that is a great deal of fun.

Reading a thriller like Doomsday is always a bit of a guilty pleasure. This isn't world changing literary fiction but it is a great example of a genre thriller that will capture and maintain your attention. I like the fact that the plot gets more and more outrageous as the book continues. There are elements of the story that veer off into the realms of pure science fiction and I like the coming together of the two genres. It’s all terribly good fun and terrifically entertaining. Imagine watching your favourite action movie, this is the literary equivalent.

Its probably worthwhile also mentioning at this point that Doomsday was originally released as Black Sun back in 2010, just in case you buy the book and suddenly release that it all sounds awfully familiar.

Doomsday is released on 24th May 2012 and is published by eBury Press.

Original Article

The Respectable Face of Tyranny by Gary Fry

What monsters used to achieve with claws, they now manage with pens… 

 Three years ago, Josh lost a lot of money on the unforgiving stock market. Now he’s divorced and living with his teenage daughter in a seaside caravan. Sally wants a tattoo; Josh just needs work.

 For solace, he explores Saltwick Bay, a secluded stretch of beach whose cliff-side rock runs back to the ruthless Jurassic periods. There’s also a rotting boat there, leftover from the violent Second World War.

 But when eerie creatures appear at night, dancing in the silent bay, Josh’s mind starts turning along unfathomable tracks . . . which may lead right back to the birth of tyranny.

 The Respectable Face of Tyranny has a subtle, introspective quality about it that I wasn't expecting. Josh is an everyman character and suffers the same doubts and worries as many other parents. I'm sure there are plenty readers out there who could easily empathise with his predicament. He is trying his best to provide for his daughter, but fate, or some other higher power, attempts to derail his efforts at every turn. Along with Josh's own insecurities and fears the isolation of his current situation combine to attack his fragile mental state.

The desolate northeast coast around Whitby is a suitably stark and striking location for Josh’s story. I’ve been lucky enough to travel in this area a number of times and Gary Fry perfectly captures the imposing geography in his tale.

As the plot unfolds a growing sense of unease develops with each passing scene. The months that Josh has spent hiding away from the world have left their mark and the possibility that he may not be able to find his way back from his self imposed exile seem all too real. Fry has left just enough ambiguity in the writing so that it challenges the reader to draw their own conclusions about what is going on. Are Josh's experiences real or is he starting to suffer the first signs of the same dementia that plagues his mother?

Spectral Press has a knack for publishing short stories and novellas that challenge reader perceptions and this latest release is no exception. For me the best psychological horror feels all too real and I would include Gary Fry's novella in this select group.

The Respectable Face of Tyranny is published by Spectral Press. For more detail check out their website.

Original Article

Guest Post over at Tony's Thoughts

I've gone and done another one of those guest post things. Check it out over at Tony's Thoughts.

Original Article

Pirate versus Ninja featuring Zombies by James Marshall

In a world where ZOMBIES control banks and governments, only one young man sees the way things are and emerges from the CHAOS and destruction: GUY BOY MAN. While he tries to end human suffering worldwide and in his high school, Guy Boy Man meets a cute PINK-HAIRED girl named BABY DOLL15 who has a UNICORN that follows her everywhere. An EPIC ROMANCE begins, but forces BEYOND THEIR CONTROL are intent on keeping the young couple apart. One of those FORCES mayâ€"or may not be!â€"Guy Boy Man’s closest friend, a handsome African-American NINJA named SWEETIE HONEY; another could be four EXOTICALLY BEAUTIFUL, genetically engineered and behaviourally modified EASTERN EUROPEAN girls; yet another, the principal of their HIGH SCHOOL . . . not to mention an impending standardized test known as the ZOMBIE ACCEPTANCE TEST! Will Guy Boy Man find a way to be with Baby Doll15 in a WORLD WHERE EVERYONE IS DOOMED to become either zombies or zombie food??!!

There is absolutely no way to get around the fact that this book is extremely weird. The zombies may or may not be actual zombies. The main protagonist may be a highly intelligent genius or may in fact be an idiot. To say this novel is open to interpretation may well be the largest understatement of the 21st Century so far.

If I was going to try to compare this novel to anything it would be a mash-up between the television show Todd and the Book of Pure Evil and one of those really surreal Japanese cartoons where you know some sort of story is unfolding but you're not quite sure what everything means. Marshall's writing style certainly takes a little bit of getting used to, but once I had accepted the seeming randomness of it all, it started to make a bizarre sort of sense. Everything just felt a little bit inconsistent though. Some of the moments in the story made me laugh while others fell flat. I'm a fan of strange, surreal literature and it’s true that there are some moments in this novel that are absurdly magnificent, but others were just too weird even for me.

Pirate versus Ninja is undoubtedly going to split reader opinions right down the middle. Some are going to embrace the chaos and think it is the best thing since the invention of the wheel. Others will more than likely despise it with a passion and not understand it at all. Conversely, I found my own opinion flip flopping.

I've read the book from beginning to end and I'm still pondering how I feel about it. I can appreciate that the author is attempting to push boundaries when it comes to writing, there are lots of instances where he employs additional asides, plays with the meaning of words, and veers off on spectacularly odd tangents; I'm just not sure that all these attempts are entirely successful. Over using the same literary techniques again and again starts to get repetitive after a while. There are some pages where there are just so many sets of brackets I felt like my brain was slowly starting to drip out my ears. Sorry if that sounded a little harsh, but I just think it could have been reined in a bit.

It strikes me that Pirate versus Ninja is the literary equivalent of Marmite, you'll love it or you'll loathe it. Personally I'd urge you to give this a try, if you do find yourself in the group readers who connect with this story I'm sure you'll enjoy it. The only advice I can offer is that you need to prepare yourself for an epically odd, mind-bending experience.

Pirate versus Ninja featuring Zombies is published by ChiZine Publications and is released for Kindle on 15th May. There will also be a sequel, Zombie Versus Fairy Featuring Albinos.

Original Article

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

It's the year 2044, and the real world has become an ugly place. We're out of oil. We've wrecked the climate. Famine, poverty and disease are widespread.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes this depressing reality by spending his waking hours jacked into OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be, where you can live and play and fall in love on an of ten thousand planets. And like most of humanity, Wade is obsessed by the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this alternate reality: OASIS founder James Halliday, who dies with no heir, has promised that control of the OASIS - and his massive fortune - will got to the person who can solve the riddles he has left scattered throughout his creation. 

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that the riddles are based on Halliday's obsession with 80s pop culture. And then Wade stumbles onto the key to the first puzzle. Suddenly, he finds himself pitted against thousands of competitors in a desperate race to claim the ultimate prize, a chase that soon takes on terrifying real-world dimensions - and that will leave both Wade and his world profoundly changed.

The virtual worlds that make up OASIS are a fantastic construct, an endless environment where anything and everything is possible. The author really has let his imagination run riot, and the scenes depicting the ongoing hunt for Halliday's treasure are great fun. Where the novel really excels is in the comparisons between OASIS and the real world. OASIS is a pristine virtual playground, meanwhile the real world is falling apart and dying a slow death. Hardly a surprise then, that large groups of humanity spend as much of their existence as they can in OASIS.

Ready Player One asks the all-important question ‘can there be such a thing as too many pop culture references in one novel?’ Quick answer - No. The author elegantly scatters a plethora of geeky gems throughout the narrative. Though there are many, many references, they all fit neatly within the confines of the story; not one feels like it has been crowbarred in.  There are so many I'm quite sure some may have passed me by, certainly some of the more obscure ones anyway, but every time I came across one I recognised, I have to admit, I could feel the knowing smile creep across my face.

From the very first page you'll find references to everything 80s you could possibly imagine. From Ghostbusters and Family Ties, to War Games and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. My personal favourites where the couple of references to Terry Gilliam's Brazil, they were perfectly placed and entirely appropriate. Its not just television and film that are referenced either, 80s music also features heavily. Put it this way, if you are a fan of Rush your going to be over the moon.

This novel feels like Cline has taken the best bits from geek masterpiece Microserfs by Douglas Coupland, and fused it together with virtual epic Otherland by Tad Williams. Then he's decided to add a hefty dose of 80s nostalgia into the mix. The resulting novel is a joy to discover, I don't doubt for a second that I will read this again.

You're probably thinking to yourself 'Should I read this book then or not?' I suggest you ask the following three questions (1) Did you grow up in the nineteen eighties? (2) Have you ever played and enjoyed a video game/MMORPG? (3) When you watch The Big Bang Theory, (I am making the assumption here that you do watch the show) do you get all the jokes that they make? If the answer is a resounding yes to any of these questions then you NEED to be reading this book NOW.

This week may go on record as being the most fun I have ever had since I started this reviewing malarkey. First Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig and now ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I honestly believe that both these books have the potential to become classics.

My one hope is that someone in Hollywood will stumble across this novel and make the decision to go for a movie adaptation. This has the potential to be something really special and handled delicately, it could be brilliant. Fingers crossed. Actually on top of that if some clever computer geeks could actually create OASIS as well, that would be pretty cool.

Ready Player One is published by Arrow and is available now. Go and purchase it immediately, you can thank me later.

Original Article

Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig

Miriam Black knows when you will die. She’s foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, and suicides.

But when Miriam hitches a ride with Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days Louis will be murdered while he calls her name. Louis will die because he met her, and she will be the next victim.

No matter what she does she can’t save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she’ll have to try.

I have a friend … let’s call him Tony (seems sensible that's his name). Now Tony is a huge fan of this author’s writing. He enjoyed both Shotgun Gravy and Double Dead. He would be the first to admit that he regularly preaches the Gospel according to Wendig. Me? Well prior to Blackbirds I’ve not read a single word of Mr Wendig’s work but based on Tony's man gushing, and the rest of the internet love that exists for this writer, I decide to give this novel a go.

Very quickly, after reading only a couple of pages, I knew that I was going to relish the entire novel.

The burden that Miriam has to bear makes her a creature of extreme contrasts. She has a tough, foul-mouthed exterior that seems able to more than adequately cope with anything that the world throws at her. Inside however she is broken, and more than a little bit vulnerable. In an effort to cope, she has spent years trying to distance herself from others but she longs to connect with the world. The tragedy of Miriam's existence is heartbreaking, and it is difficult not to feel for her predicament. Wendig doesn't pull any punches and things are often violent and brutal as various people attempt to cash in on Miriam's unique ability.

Blackbirds feels like a dark, fantastical Wim Wenders road trip movie where reality has been given the afternoon off and told to go an make itself useful elsewhere. There are a number of surreal dream sequences where Miriam internally debates a series of difficult decisions she is forced to make. These moments interspersed into the main narrative make the novel feel almost like an adult fairy tale.

I also particularly liked the fact that, with the exception of the main protagonist, no one else in the cast of oddball characters is safe. Just a single touch from Miriam and the end of their life is like an open book to her. Could be five minutes, could be tomorrow, could be fifty years from now.

Oh, and before I forget. I'm sure that it has been mentioned on just about every other review of Blackbirds but, that cover is just beautiful. The artist, Joey Hi-Fi, has created an image that really is incredibly striking. It perfectly captures Miriam's fractured nature as well as the overall tone of the novel. Angry Robot sure knows how to give good cover.

I find I could quite happily continue waffling on about how brilliant this novel is at length so, in an effort to finish this post at some point before the world ends, I best try and come to some sort of conclusion. How best to sum up the experience then? After completing Blackbirds I'm going to have to hold my hands up and admit that I am now a full on convert to the Church of Wendig. I'm serious, sign me up, I'll be happy to drink the suspicious tasting flavour of Kool Aid that Mr Wendig is offering.

To paraphrase the most electrifying man in sports entertainment (oh yes, I'm willing to drop a wrestling reference into any review) - I can smell what Chuck Wendig is cooking. Put it this way, I was speaking to a friend the other day and I was bemoaning the fact that I had already read the first quarter of the book and I was considering stopping just so I could eek out the experience just that little bit longer.

I genuinely can't recommend this novel highly enough. I may contact Amazon and ask if they’ll create a sixth star just for this. Miriam Black is a fascinating creation and I look forward to meeting her again. Blackbirds is published by those cheeky automatons at Angry Robot and is available now. Even better news - a sequel, Mockingbird, will be available later this year.

Original Article

The Stein and Candle Detective Agency Volume 1 by Michael Panush

Morton Candle is a tough guy. 

He grew up on the streets of Brooklyn, dodging from mobster-ruled neighborhoods to reform school before the army snapped him up and sent him to Europe to fight Hitler. That’s where he met Weatherby Stein, the scion to one of the greatest occult families of Europe. Weatherby and his parents were being held prisoner by the Nazis, forced to use their supernatural knowledge to aid the Third Reich’s war effort.

Morton Candle got Weatherby to safety, but the kid’s parents didn’t make it.

Now it’s the 1950s.

Weatherby’s a teenager, with his father’s knowledge and a chip on his shoulder from the indignities of the modern world. Morton bumps into him again and they decide to go into the only business they can â€" paranormal private detectives.

This time, Weatherby and Mort have cases that will take them from a vampire’s decaying mansion to the mob-controlled streets of Havana. They’ll take on roadside attractions gone wrong, hordes of the living dead, and ride against the devil in a high speed car race to the death.

Between them, Weatherby and Mort have a small arsenal and a deep knowledge of matters arcane and bizarre. They’ll need brains and brawn to survive in a world where horror, action and hardboiled noir come together in a cataclysmic mix.

This first collection brings together seven short stories from the Stein & Candle case files.

• The Bloodsucker’s Goodbye: In rural Nebraska a vampire, Baron Exham, and his wife Lenore are having a tough time with the local biker gang. It’s up to Stein and Candle to sort things out, if only there wasn't a group of renegade Nazis to contend with as well.
• Black Havana: Nothing could spoil the tropical Cuban paradise of Havana except perhaps a kidnap gone wrong, a zombie horde and some nasty communist guerrillas with a grudge.
• I Rode in the Devil’s Hot Rod: The Devil enjoys a competition as much as the next man, but when Weatherby Stein's old sister, Selena, gets involved there is going to be hell to pay. Muscle cars and dark deals on the back roads of America. Fans of the 1950s are going to relish the petrol-head references in this story.
• Monsters of Mallet: Stein and Candle visit foggy old England (as an aside I can confirm that yes, it really is like that all the time) and the set of the latest Mallet Films production. Their latest magnum opus, Curse of the Witch Queen, has been plagued by problems of a supernatural nature. Hmmm, Mallet Films who could that be an homage to I wonder? Add just a dash of Herne the Hunter and smidge of Sawney Bean (14th Century Scottish cannibal fact fans) for a bloody monster movie mash up.
• Zombies in Paradise: Picking up for the after the events of Black Havana Stein & Candle face off against another horde of zombies in a desert resort. This time, however, the zombies are a lot more violent and a good bit faster than before. Just what is Project Lugosi and who is behind it all? Government conspiracies, more angry gangsters than you could shake a stick at and a big old explosion, cracking stuff.
• War Stories: For the second to last story in this collection its back to the last days of World War II and the first meeting of Sgt. Mort Candle and an eight year old Weatherby Stein. It seems entirely appropriate that we finally get to learn the backstory of the young Weatherby Stein and the tragic circumstances of how he lost his parents in the war.
• Roadside Rampage: Travelling Route 66 Stein and Candle come face to face with the mysterious Wild Man but who is he and why are the Roadside Mafia so keen on tracking him down?

The Stein and Candle Detective Agency Volume 1: American Nightmares won me over right from the get go. This is the first time I have ever read and of Michael Panush’s writing and he deftly captures the sights and sounds of the American post-war era. This is a world of made men and government spies, gamblers and ex-Nazis. Add to that an assortment of supernatural staples like vampires, werewolves and zombies and you can guarantee a sense of horrific fun on every page. Each individual tale has a marvelous B-movie-esque quality that works very well. I was also pleased to note that as the individual plots unfolded I was also getting a sense of how they all tied in together. There is a properly established timeline and everything slots neatly into place.

If I had to pick a favourite (I just knew you were going to ask) I would probably have to go with Monsters of Mallet. C’mon, how could I not, I’m a Brit after all.

A hard-boiled slice of Americana with a supernatural twist The Stein and Candle Detective Agency Volume 1: American Nightmares is available now from Curiosity Quills. I checked out their website and it looks like there will be a second collection at some point in the future - I look forward to it.

Original Article

The Eloquent Page at Alt.Fiction 2012

This weekend Leicester played host to the sixth annual Alt Fiction event. Mrs Cheesecake and I were there all day Saturday and had a great time sitting in on panels, chatting to any one who would listen, and chilling out in the bar.

I managed to sit in on in three panels throughout the day. The topics covered were Genre TV, Horror, and Comics. Insightful stuff, and it offered a lot for me to think about. I’m certainly going to try expanding my reading horizons based on some of the items discussed. Mrs Cheesecake, meanwhile, attended sessions on the business of writing, and how to write a novel in an hour.

Ten Random Things that I learnt at Alt.Fiction 2012

• The idea of Downton Abbey with Zombies has potential. Someone please write this and then make it into a TV show. I would happily read and also watch. See you’re guaranteed at least one viewer already.
• I must try to remember that if I am going to make comments at any panel try not to drop the F-bomb so regularly. Kids don’t copy Uncle Pablo - swearing is not big and not clever.
• Mark Chadbourn is proud winner of "Most Disturbing Introduction to the World of Comics" ever.
• I was delighted to discover that I am in fact God of Cakeâ"¢. How did I come to this revelation? It appears that if I sit in one place for any length of time homemade baked goods will find their way to me.
• Disappointed to learn that the person I thought could be my book reviewing arch-nemesis is spectacularly nice, and therefore can't be a target for my wrath. Damn you Erik Lundqvist *Shakes fist angrily at the sky* Damn You!
• At one point over the course of the weekend I may have committed myself to wearing a kilt to Alt Fiction next year?
• I finally managed to actually speak to an author who am a bit in awe of and did not make a massive ass of myself (I think). Admittedly I may have been rambling a bit but she was terribly nice about it all.
• Much like last year Adrian Tchaikovsky's beard remains an object of dark brilliance. (I really should probably read one of his books shouldn't ? I mean all portents suggest, that based on my fascination with his beard, I'd probably enjoy his work. What do you mean 'you can't choose an author based solely on facial hair?'
• Drinks at Alt.Fiction are significantly cheaper than at Eastercon.
• Certain hotel room televisions have the hitherto unknown ability to turn themselves on at 2.30am without any prompting whatsoever.

Once again this year I was fortunate enough to meet some fantastic people. Unfortunately I can't name them all because, and this is my single criticism of the entire event, there were no name badges. Those I can name however I shall - so without further ado and in no particular order, it was splendid to see - @VCLinde, @Fiskerton, @Chadbourn, @ctjhill, @erik_lundqvist, @MarkEWest, @RenWarom, @MyGodItsRaining, @LouMorgan, @WillHillAuthor, @KimLakinSmith, @Dellakin_smith, @AlasdairStuart, @KTScribbles, @AnneLyle and @Hagelrat. As I said there were others I spoke to but I'm not great at remembering to ask names or offering mine in return, that fault is entirely mine. In a nutshell, if we talked it was a genuine pleasure and please feel free to follow either the site Twitter - @TheEloquentPage or my own personal and slightly more sweary Twitter - @PabloCheesecake.

Alt.Fiction is an incredibly friendly convention and a great event to attend. I enjoyed myself immensely and look forward to next year (even if I have to wear a kilt).

Original Article