Reviews

You are currently browsing the archive for the Reviews category.

Stars and Bellies

October 5, 2010 in Food, Reviews, Short Stories by Brian | No comments

Climbing back into the blogging saddle after a bit of a late summer break.  And … er … early autumn too, I guess.  Amazing how time flies when you’re not paying attention.

Two public service announcements:

For those involved in the publishing lark, a starred review in Publishers Weekly is an object of very sincere desire.  So congratulations to Patrick St Denis, Subterranean Press, me, C S Friedman, Tobias Buckell, L E Modesitt Jnr and Hal Duncan: Pat’s Speculative Horizon anthology joins the ranks of books to have snared one.  Kewl.  I call this a public service announcement because, of course, having been informed of the independently verified quality of the product you’ll be curious about how one might partake and I can provide the answer.

And for those involved in the eating lark, an update on what I’ve had for dinner recently.  I’m sorry about this – I’m not really given to inflicting this microscopically self-absorbed sort of thing on blog visitors – but I can’t help myself.  Had haggis a couple of nights ago and it was -  as it almost always is – jolly nice; but it was but a dim little twinkle of tastiness compared to the novel experience I had the evening before.  This is going to sound ridiculous, but: I ate me some roasted pork belly* for the first time in my life, and it was meltingly delicious, with crackling to die for.  I’m giving it a starred review, right here and right now.  So as a public service, I have this suggestion for all the carnivores out there who have yet to sample this delight: go buy yourself some pork belly and get roasting.  You can thank me some other time.  (And I promise to refrain from further discussing my dietary habits here until a decent period of time has elapsed).

*I cannot hear or write, or even think, the phrase ‘pork belly’ without thinking of this film.  The two concepts are inextricably and permanently bonded in my head.  And I’m not the only one: the connection’s acknowledged in an article Google uncovered for me, which has the tantalising, delightful aim of providing ‘a brief overview of the pork belly market and what you need to know to get started trading in it‘.  Apparently the correct full title is Frozen Pork Belly Futures. Isn’t capitalism amazing?

Tags: ,

It’s All About Me

September 25, 2009 in Interviews, Movies, Reviews, Short Stories by Brian | No comments

Further worrying evidence for the progressive contamination of the internet with me-related material.

First, I do the interview thang at Moon Drenched Fables.

Second, I do the fantasy casting for the movie-of-the-book thang at My Book the Movie. Not something I actually gave any thought to while writing the Godless World, but I think some of the casting possibilities I came up with are quite promising. And – I only realised after I’d finished – it’s shaping up to be an all-Brit cast, which either means I’m terribly parochial or that we’ve got all the best actors. I incline towards the latter possibility.

Third, someone else does the review thing for the small press anthology Rage of the Behemoth I’ve got a story in, over at The Cimmerian. A fitting home for a review, given the anthology’s focus on heroic fantasy of the sort Robert E Howard excelled at. Nice, too, that the book gets the thumbs up. I’ve been gradually working my way through my author’s copy, and can confirm there’s some fun stuff in there for fans of this kind of thing (i.e. warriors, monsters and mayhem). Copies still easily available for purchase in both the UK and the US.

Couple of Short Story Items

July 9, 2009 in Fall of Thanes, Interviews, Reviews, Short Stories by Brian | No comments

Some minor stuff about me, me, me – specifically my recent adventures in short fiction – that’s shown up on the web.

First off, I answer some questions over at the Rogue Blades Entertainment site, partly relating to the story – ‘Beyond the Reach of His Gods’ – I’ve contributed to their Rage of the Behemoth anthology. Imminently available, I believe.

Second off, Pat of Fantasy Hotlist fame provided a brief update on progress regarding the anthology he’s editing for Subterranean Press, titled Speculative Horizons. As reported there, I sent in my story for the anthology – ‘Flint’ – a little while ago. Some minor tweaking is currently underway, but Pat’s basically given it a thumbs up. No confirmed publication date for this one yet, as far as I know, but it shouldn’t be too long.

(And since I’ve been poking around Pat’s site to find that news update, I might as well indulge myself by pointing out his jolly nice review of Fall of Thanes, too.)

Four Items

May 11, 2009 in Facebook, Fall of Thanes, Interviews, Movies, Reviews, Signing by Brian | No comments

Item 1: First winner of the Facebook signed Fall of Thanes giveaway has been duly selected. One more chance to win – this coming Friday – so there’s still time to sign up as a fan and thereby get yourself entered in the prize draw.

Item 2: According to this review of Fall of Thanes, it appears I might have made someone cry. Good. I mean that in the nicest possible way, obviously.

Item 3: I did an interview at a slightly more unusual venue than my usual online habitat of sf/f book blogs: Grinding to Valhalla, which as far as I can tell is a sort of mass interview site for mmo bloggers/podcasters. As a result, there’s a little bit more in there about my gaming habits/history than is usually the case.

Item 4: And finally … well I’m not really sure what to say about this (found via CBR), other than that I am at once strangely fascinated and strangely repelled:

Kort & Krachtig!

April 29, 2009 in Interviews, Reviews, Short Stories, Translations by Brian | No comments

I happen to know that a handful (albeit the kind of handful that might be contained in a Lilliputian hand) of Dutch folk have been known to pay an occasional visit to this blog. Hello Netherlanders! Because we’re all about total service at this establishment, here’s something just for you – and, I suppose, for anyone else with truly l33t language skillz – a Q&A (or K&K as it’s apparently called over there) I did for a big Dutch book website: Ezzulia.

A whole load of other interesting people have also been interviewed there - at least I know some of them are usually interesting; whether they’re interesting or not in this particular case, I can’t be sure, since I don’t read Dutch. Heck, I can’t even be sure I was interesting, but there I am, chatting merrily away in a foreign language.

And in case anyone missed it in the comments on the previous post, first review has showed up for the previously mentioned Rage of the Behemoth anthology, over at the jolly good Grasping for the Wind blog. Modesty prevents me from pointing out which of the stories gets the biggest thumbs up. No, really. It does. Big bully, that modesty stuff.

Just to Note a Nice Review

November 17, 2008 in Bloodheir, Reviews by Brian | No comments

Easing my way back into the blogging rhythm here, with a bit of a warm-up post just to note a nice review of Bloodheir over at a fine Romanian sf/f blog: Dark Wolf’s Fantasy Reviews.

A Review, A Title and An Extract

May 29, 2008 in Bloodheir, Extracts, Fall of Thanes, Reviews by Brian | No comments

There’s a review of Bloodheir up at the Grasping for The Wind blog that’s nice in all kinds of ways. I mention it here, though, mainly because I think it’s the first time I’ve seen anyone specifically praise the way I write about love. I’m a big softie, really. It’s a relief when something you’ve tried quite hard to get right has precisely the desired effect on the reader, even if it’s only one reader.

(I’m similarly relieved, incidentally, whenever someone describes my battle scenes as ‘cinematic’ – which one or two folk have done – because believe me, pretty much from draft 1, page 1 of Winterbirth, whenever I’m writing violence I’ve been sitting there hunched over the keyboard all but muttering ‘make it cinematic, make it cinematic’, like some drooling, lunatic hermit who used to be a failed screenwriter and has gone downhill from there.)

In case anyone likes to know these things, the title for book three was agreed a little while ago, and it is: Fall of Thanes. No, it’s not quite finished yet; Yes, it will be finished before too long. And yes, one or more Thanes may indeed fall, but Who? How far? And will they bounce?

And a Bloodheir Extract. Here.

Interview with the Maniac and Other Stuff

May 2, 2008 in Interviews, Reviews, Winterbirth by Brian | No comments

In honour of the release of Winterbirth as a US mass market paperback, I have been interviewed over at mania.com. There’s also a review up over there, which is generous enough in its praise to make me blush (you can’t see me, but I’m blushing. Really).

Seems a bit self-indulgent to take up blog space just for that (I know, someone with a blog suddenly starts worrying about being self-indulgent. Imagine that. Next up: a politician admitting they have no clue whatsoever how to solve a problem). Anyway, since I’m here, a handful of other webby things:

The Abominable Charles Christopher. A web comic by Karl Kerschl. I enjoy it. Nicely drawn.

The Orbit Page on Facebook. You can now become a fan of an entire publishing imprint. It has cover galleries of upcoming books, news on author events etc. etc.

Golden Age Comic Book Stories. Is a torrential cornucopia of great art, not remotely limited to comic books. I was going to try and pick some favourites to link to, but it’s pretty much all good.

British Fantasy Society Short Story Competition. For the aspiring authors out there, a chance to flex your genre muscles.

Bloodheir Bits and Pieces

April 21, 2008 in Bloodheir, Photos, Reviews, Signing by Brian | No comments

My trusty test reader enjoys a quiet moment with the finished Bloodheir. He’s smiling, so presumably happy, even though the only reference to bears occurs on page 161 and involves poking a sleeping one with a stick. Not much to engage the ursine reader, you’d think. Still, it’s probably an improvement on Winterbirth, in which the main bear involvement was getting wheeled around in a cage and shot full of crossbow bolts. Contrary to appearances, I have nothing against bears.

Big box of hardbacks and the UK trade paperback turned up on my doorstep last week. One of those moments that I suspect never quite loses its appeal, no matter how well-established and megastarish an author becomes. Orbit have done a lovely job with the book, methinks. It’s a very fine package. Seeing the cover art up close and in situ it’s striking what a fine piece of work it is. Given that my artistic skills are on the wrong side of non-existent, this kind of thing leaves me not a little impressed. And jealous. The illustration is by Gene Mollica, much more of whose diverse work can be admired here.

There’s a Bloodheir review up at Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist. It contains the succint and pretty accurate line: ‘Aeglyss is a complete basket case.’ Yep. Can’t really disagree with that. The guy’s got issues, you know.

And I’ll just insert the customary reminder here that anyone who wants to buy a signed copy of Bloodheir can do so via Transreal Fiction. It’ll cost you the cover price plus post and packing. Dedications, inscriptions and so on can also be included, but not, sadly, any cute little drawings, as my artistic skills … well, see above.

Breaking the Review Ice

March 31, 2008 in Bloodheir, Reviews by Brian | No comments

The Book Swede seems to have broken the review ice for Bloodheir. Fortunately, he’s broken it with a largely positive axe, or whatever you break ice with. If you see what I mean. A friendly ice pick? Oh, never mind.

« Older entries § Newer entries »