Author Archive: NealeMonks
Tank Girl: Gold by Alan Martin and Brett Parson (graphic novel review).
Few British comic book characters are as well known as Tank Girl, the eponymous heroine of a series that has been rumbling on now for over 30 years. In her way, she’s become a symbol of a certain strain of counter-culture feminism within British society, representing perhaps women who are sexually liberated and physically forceful. […]
Nemo! by Ray Bradbury (book review).
Ray Bradbury doesn’t really need much introduction, being among the best known Science Fiction authors of his generation. Suffice it to say that some of his novels, most notably ‘Fahrenheit 451’, are regarded as absolute classics, while his screenwriting credits include such films as ‘Moby Dick’ and ‘It Came From Outer Space’. But one of […]
Tortured Souls by Clive Barker (book review).
While your present reviewer would consider himself a fan of Clive Barker, he has to admit to being a bit perplexed by this short novella, ‘Tortured Souls’. It certainly uses one of Barker’s most consistent and enjoyable tropes in the way that supernatural horror is grafted onto Judaeo-Christian mythology. The very idea that God would […]
Chiliad: A Meditation by Clive Barker (book review).
Described as a novella, ‘Chiliad’ is a thoughtful if ultimately ephemeral piece of fiction typical of Clive Barker’s style. Combining moments of gruesome brutality with studied reflections of human nature, the story spans a period of time known as a ‘chiliad’, to wit, one thousand years. A brutal killing one thousand years ago is mirrored […]
Hawkmoon: The Runestaff by Michael Moorcock (book review).
‘The Runestaff’ picks up where ‘The Sword Of The Dawn’ left off, with the chief protagonists, Hawkmoon and D’Averc, sailing back to Europe after their adventures in Amarehk. Rather quickly, they are attacked by sea monsters, driven towards a mysterious island in the ocean and then redirected back to Amarehk by an Orkneyman by the […]
The Magykal Papers: A Companion To The World Of Septimus Heap by Angie Sage (book review).
The ‘Septimus Heap’ series of books are rather like ‘Harry Potter’ in the Discworld universe, but with a more Narnia-esque flavour suited to a pre-teen readership. In other words, the titular character is a young magic user in a fantasy setting and through the series of seven novels, the young Septimus Heap not only has […]
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld: Imaginarium by Paul Kidby (book review).
Few fantasy novelists are as easily associated with their cover art as Terry Pratchett, through the 1980s and 90s with Josh Kirby and, thereafter, with Paul Kidby. Of course, they both had completely different styles and, inevitably, the younger artist went back to Pratchett’s earlier works and created his own illustrations for them. So what […]
The Science Of Dune edited by Kevin R. Grazier (book review).
A common problem with Science Fiction is that it doesn’t hold up well to scientific scrutiny. Things that make sense superficially, such as faster-than-light travel, don’t really make any sense when thought about scientifically. It’s not that we just don’t how to make spacecraft travel faster than light, it’s more that physics as we understand […]
The Fangirl’s Guide To The Galaxy by Sam Maggs (book review).
While contemporary geek culture often sees itself as progressive and liberal, the reality is that it’s still one where women can struggle to feel completely accepted and at home. That’s a crying shame because, fundamentally, geek culture should be a celebration of precisely the sorts of idealism and diversity that characterise pretty much all modern […]
Hawkmoon: The Sword Of Dawn by Michael Moorcock (book review).
Michael Moorcock is widely regarded as one of the key figures in the history of British Science Fiction and fantasy, but this reviewer at least came to him relatively recently and the reissuing of this 1968 novel, ‘Hawkmoon: The Sword Of Dawn’, provided the opportunity to decide if Moorcock’s older works are still worth reading. […]
