Author Archive: John Rivers
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (book review).
‘Piranesi’ by Susanna Clarke, the long-awaited follow-up novel to 2004’s fantasy epic ‘Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell’ has finally arrived and is very much worth the wait. It is a haunting mystery with a winsome hero that creates a very compelling read. The set-up is deceptively simple. Piranesi has always lived in the House. This […]
The Moviemaking Magic of Star Wars: Ships + Battles by Landry Walker (book review).
In episode 2 of ‘The Mandalorian’, now streaming on Disney Plus in the UK, our eponymous hero finds his spacecraft disassembled, cannibalised and generally wrecked. The scene reminds viewers of one of the great features of the ‘Star Wars’ universe, the physical and mechanical nature of its spaceships. It’s on this subject and how creative’s […]
Industrial Light & Magic Presents Making ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story by Rob Bredow, Foreword by Ron Howard (book review).
‘Solo’ the story of how smuggler Han Solo and best friend Chewbacca got together and attempted a couple of heists was an odd movie in some ways. It arrived five months after the divisive yet brilliant ‘The Last Jedi’, wracked with stories of production issues, on-set acting coaching and the removal of original directors Phil […]
Women Of The Galaxy by Amy Ratcliffe, foreword by Kathleen Kennedy (book review).
‘Women Of The Galaxy’ by Amy Ratcliffe is a timely and welcome book celebrating the female characters who have entertained and enthralled us throughout the ‘Star Wars’ saga. It provides an in-depth look, both in story terms and behind-the-scenes, of the women who have stood up to the Dark Side or in some cases, fully […]
The Military Science Of Star Wars by George Beahm (book review).
When I first saw the title of this book, I did a double-take: ‘The Military Science Of Star Wars’ by George Beahm. The what now? ‘Star Wars’ is a fantasy, it doesn’t even stretch to becoming Science Fiction often, a Campbell and Tolkien rip-off that tapped into a cultural need when the world needed it […]
The Moviemaking Magic Of Star Wars: Creatures And Aliens by Mark Salisbury (book review).
Growing-up watching ‘Star Wars’, I was often amazed at the quality of the creature-making and mask work that the series had. Don’t get me wrong, I was equally fascinated by the work of, for example John Friedlander on ‘Doctor Who’, but ‘Star Wars’ had an extra-special something. This is something that is presented in a […]
The Art Of Solo: A Star Wars Story by Phil Szostak (book review).
With the dust having settled on ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ and the franchise’s own fandom becoming entangled in a Sarlacc pit of self-loathing that has reportedly caused Disney and Lucasfilm to review the next planned movies, how refreshing it is to lose oneself in one another of Abrams’ excellent examinations of the movies’ production […]
Reign of Iron (The Iron Age Trilogy book 3) by Angus Watson (book review).
‘Reign Of Iron’ is the third and final part of Angus Watson’s ‘Age Of Iron trilogy’, a blood and guts soaked fantasy series set some 45 years before the son of a carpenter decided making cupboards wasn’t for him and decided to be the Son of God instead. This is a crucial point in British […]
Clash Of Iron (The Iron Age Trilogy book 2) by Angus Watson (book review).
It’s a weird thing seeing something you wrote quoted in the blurb for a book, even if not attributed to me and just ‘SFCrowsnest’ it’s still gives one a tiny thrill. The book in question is ‘Clash Of Iron’ the second in the ‘Age Of Iron trilogy’ by Angus Watson. The quote came from my […]
Space Helmet For A Cow – The Mad, True Story Of Doctor Who – Volume 2: 1990-2013 by Paul Kirkley (book review).
The return of ‘Doctor Who’ is in many ways a remarkable thing. Today, it’s tempting to forget just how unlikely the show’s comeback once was, given the false-start with Paul McGann and the 1996 TV movie. The wilderness years, followed by the magnificent re-launch in 2005 is the subject of Paul Kirkley’s excellent ‘Space Helmet […]
