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Posts Tagged ‘Fiction’

Spirit Night

Posted in Links, tagged , , , , , , , , , on October 11, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Reblogged from Chrissy Derbyshire:

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The wheel of the year turns to October. We notice the chill in the air, the earlier dark, rain and rust-red leaves. In the supermarket, oversized boxes of gummy ghosts and snakes take their place next to spiderweb garlands, vampire teeth and pointy hats. Pumpkins are selling out quick, soon to be grinning gargoyles on the doorstep and hearty soups on the stove.

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A wonderful post about the Celtic origins of Halloween with a bedtime story thrown in.  Sweet dreams, Blogsprites.
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“Amid a Sea of Eyes” ~ The Adventuress by Audrey Niffenegger

Posted in Books, Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , on July 8, 2012 | 9 Comments »

     Audrey Niffenegger, best known as the author of The Time Traveler’s Wife, spins a macabre yet enchanting novel in pictures.

     The Adventuress, an ethereal yet tenacious heroine, is created by an alchemist, has a love affair with Napoleon and gives birth to a cat in a quest of Fairy Tale subversions and surreal post-feminism.

     The text may tell us of wedding revelry and honeymoons but the fragile images betray subjugation and abuse as The Adventuress is repeatedly betrayed by the promises of love and motherhood.  This is a story in which transformation can lead to madness and happy-ever-afters may only be attained through cleansing fire or the release of death.

     Niffenegger’s images combine the uncanny distortions of German Expressionist cinema with  a sketchiness which invites universal interpretations.

     A truly beautiful, unique and inspiring work.

     Click the pic for a book you might like.

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Access Denied!

Posted in Books, Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , on June 13, 2012 | 4 Comments »

     Pat Brien’s Denied is a refreshingly old-school vampire yarn that owes more to Hammer era Dracula than Meyer style teen romance (cheer or boo here as you prefer).

     
     Brien does an admirable job of honing and reinvigorating Gothic folklore by finding ingenious and refreshing ways to reconnect disparate vampire archetypes.
   
      Monstrous Nosferatu and brooding immortals share an intriguing new evolution and the inclusion of werewolves takes the tale to new levels of adventure, mystery and page-turning excitement.
   
     The novel has two distinct parts, the first acting as an extended prologue, quite different in tone and location to the latter.  It’s a bold structural move as readers may prefer one part of the book over the other, but Brien’s commitment, the brisk pace and engaging characters cover any cracks.  A sequel is surely essential.

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Dracula The Un-Dead. Bram Stoker Lives!

Posted in Books, Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , on June 8, 2012 | 17 Comments »

     Despite obvious extensive research and the Stoker seal of approval belated Dracula sequel Dracula The Un-Dead is a wasted opportunity which panders to modern tastes instead of keeping faith with the original.  *Beware of spoilers*.

     Dacre Stoker and collaborator Ian Holt throw in everything from Elizabeth Bathory and Jack The Ripper to The Titanic creating a convoluted yarn which, although fast paced, struggles to find themes and focus.

     This sort of  Victorian Gothic Alternative History or Literary Re-imagining has been done far more successfully before (see Kim Newman’s Anno Dracula trilogy for effortlessly ingenious use of the same setting and characters).

     The Un-Dead reads more like a sequel to Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula movie and when Dracula intones to Mina’s son “I am your father!!!” you may just die laughing.

     A fun read, but shouldn’t this have been a modern-day classic?

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Anno Dracula ~ The Best Vampire Novel In Three Decades?

Posted in Books, Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , on June 5, 2012 | 6 Comments »

“When bookshops are heaving with Twilight knock-offs it’s a travesty that this superb novel is out of print in the UK and had to be sourced, secondhand, from overseas.”

     At least that is what I said when I last reviewed Kim Newman’s superlative Anno Dracula, the first book in a truly diverse, enlightening and remarkable series which is finally receiving a well deserved new edition and relaunch.
     Part Dracula sequel, part alternative history, Anno Dracula is a tour-de-force of literary and historical research enlivened by Newman’s light touch.
     Fans of The Age of Empire will enjoy recognising and sourcing the characters and events which are effortlessly woven into an investigation of The Ripper murders.
     At times Newman seems so in love with his genius concept that plot complexity takes a back seat.  It is a small complaint.  You will fall in love with it too.

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this is how i feel about winnie the pooh

Posted in Quickies, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 2, 2012 | 5 Comments »

Reblogged from absterabbi:

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Now, I love a bit of Pooh, but this is hilarious :D

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Return To The Faerie Realm of Lily Wight…

Posted in Art, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 31, 2012 | 10 Comments »

     I hope you all enjoyed Book Month at The Arcade of Arts and Arcana.  Just before we step into June and ponder a wealth of quirky Victoriana here is another enchanting glimpse into my album of Fairy images… 

 

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Hay Festival of Literature 2012!

Posted in Books, Events, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 24, 2012 | 4 Comments »

     The Hay Festival gets bigger and better every year so head to Wales for all things bookish and click the image for the official site.

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'The Horror of Gyb Farm' - my new book on Kindle

Posted in Books, tagged , , , , on May 11, 2012 | 3 Comments »

Reblogged from Uncanny UK:

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The reason I bought a Kindle a couple of weeks ago is that I've decided to start publishing on it! I've launched an imprint called Apparition, tying in with my app development work.

This first book is chock-full of some of the finest, scariest, most bizarre and fascinating true ghost encounters you're ever likely to read. They all come from the works of George Frederick Lee, a pioneering paranornal researcher whose work is sadly neglected.

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Now this sounds like my kind of read! Impressive research too. x

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Deadhouse Gates (A Tale of The Malazan Book of The Fallen ~ 2) by Steven Erikson

Posted in Books, Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 6, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

     Too many new faces and places sap momentum in this now sprawling Fantasy series.

     Erikson’s prose has a captivating quality which will win patience from his readership but many sub-plots seem circular and unnecessary. Characters are absent for several chapters so, by the time they return, you are likely to have forgotten who they are and what they are doing whilst the unceremonious dumping of a hugely important plot revelation is unforgivably clumsy.

     Erikson’s Magic System seems over-complicated and only partially formed, suggesting a world and a plot which is dangerously close to escaping the clutches of its author.

     Erikson is at his best when describing martial combat and strategy. His central plot thread, the imperiled exodus of refugees, is strong enough without extraneous sub-stories. Erikson’s promise is unmistakable but he needs more focus.  Less is sometimes more.

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I'm Not Letting Go by Charlene Murray Zatloukal

Posted in Art, tagged , , , on May 1, 2012 | 3 Comments »

Reblogged from Gathered Nettles:

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Recommending Gathered Nettles, as always!

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The Oliphaunt

Posted in Art, tagged , , , , on April 20, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Reblogged from Invisible Kingdoms:

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One of my favourite passages from the Lord of the Rings is this sympathetic description of a slain Southron warrior flung from the ‘Oliphaunt’.

‘His scarlet robes were tattered, his corslet of overlapping brazen plates was rent and hewn, his black plaits of hair braided with gold were drenched with blood. His brown hand still clutched the hilt of a broken sword.

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I recognised this image from a glimpse of the top third but I have never seen a version by this artist. It's wonderful. More brilliant stuff from The Warden's Walk.

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Are vampires your guilty pleasure?

Posted in Books, tagged , , , , on March 30, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Reblogged from Brad Geagley:

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Mine too. But not the sparkly teen variety. I'm more a Bram Stoker fan. My contribution to vampire literature is now available on Amazon and you can be one of the first to download, read and review. If you do offer a review, (good or bad) let me know and if you're a blog follower, I'll send you one of my favorite books to say thank you.

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Always happy to share for a fellow Draculaphile!

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TRAILER PARK 3.23.12

Posted in Movies, Quickies, tagged , , , , , on March 23, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Reblogged from SciFi4Me.com:

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So, have you seen The Hunger Games yet? It's been out since midnight!

Speaking of novels turned into movies (which is what Hollywood likes to do...), here's a first trailer for the other Stephanie Meyer book series - the one that doesn't have sparkly vampires.

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The latest for Snow White and the Huntsmen, which is looking more and more interesting...

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It's here, the first teaser for The Host, based on Stephenie Meyer's non-Twilight novel.

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Lindsey Bessanson

Posted in Links, tagged , , on March 16, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Reblogged from Sweeney Tog:

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Lindsey Bessanson on youtube

Here is an interview  Lindsey was so gracious to grant me, hope you enjoy it!

What sort of  opportunities did these present to  you?

The Steampunk genre had always been something that I like and when I
stared working with insects it seemed only natural to take that step
to unite two of my passions. Since the Steampunk movement has become…

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Some truly awe-inspiring Steampunkery x

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