Author Archive: NealeMonks
The Dream-Quest Of Unknown Kadath by H.P. Lovecraft and illustrated by I.N.J. Culbard (graphic novel review).
Because ‘The Dream-Quest Of Unknown Kadath’ was never finished in his lifetime, many fans of H.P. Lovecraft have tended to pass over this novella in favour of his more polished and accessible works. In doing so, they miss out on some of Lovecraft’s most intense imagery and exotic ideas. It tells the story of a […]
The Shadow Out Of Time by H.P. Lovecraft and illustrated by I.N.J. Culbard (book review).
One of Lovecraft’s final works, ‘The Shadow Out Of Time’ is widely considered a masterpiece of the genre. It tells the story of an economics professor, Nathaniel Peaslee, trying to reconstruct the missing years of his life of which he has no memory. Half-way through giving a lecture in 1908 he passed out and, so […]
Brave New World: A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation by Aldous Huxley (audio book review).
If there’s one thing the BBC does well, it’s radio drama. ‘Brave New World’ is no exception, carefully adapted to bring the themes up-to-date without detracting from the original qualities of the book that have ensured its consistent popularity over the last 90 odd years. The basic premise is a dystopian future world that divides […]
The Magic Of Terry Pratchett by Marc Burrows (book review).
Few authors are held in such affection as Terry Pratchett, but in some ways his image of trimmed beard, black hat and almost hippy-like dress sense is rather better known than the man himself. ‘The Magic Of Terry Pratchett’ aims to put that right, but in an appropriately affectionate sort of way. After all, while […]
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore (book review).
While the idea of likeable personifications of death aren’t new, American author Christopher Moore has a knack of turning simple ideas into witting and sophisticated novels. ‘A Dirty Job’ takes place in the shared universe Moore has created in such comic novels as ‘Bloodsucking Fiends’ and ‘Bite Me’. As such, it’s our world, but with […]
Little Victories: Autism Through A Father’s Eyes by Yvon Roy (graphic novel review).
‘Little Victories: Autism Through A Father’s Eyes’ is a didactic graphic novel of sorts, intended to explain the affect an autistic child has on their parents. perhaps, put more positively, how parenting an autistic child can be challenging, but still rewarding and loving. It is heavy-going, though, and not something played for laughs, despite the […]
The Mystic Lamb: Admired And Stolen by Harry De Paepe and Jan Van Der Veken (graphic novel).
The Ghent Altarpiece, also known as the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, is a large, multi-panel altar display measuring well over 3 metres in height and 4 metres in width. Over the centuries it has been stolen, taken apart, even sold in pieces to different collectors. It was confiscated by Nazis and only narrowly escaped […]
Birding Without Borders by Noah Strycker (book review).
Here’s a book about a hobby taken to an extreme. Casual birdwatching is common enough, and some people take it a bit seriously, planning daytrips or summer holidays to places with particularly interesting variety of birdlife. But Noah Strycker aimed even higher, taking himself around the world with the aim to ‘spot’ at least half […]
Star Wars: Dawn Of The Jedi: Into The Void by Tim Lebbon (book review).
Set thousands of years before the ‘Star Wars’ films, the ‘Dawn Of The Jedi’ series of novels focuses on the Je’daii order, a group of Force-sensitive individuals dedicated to keeping the balance within the Force. So, while somewhat analogous to the Jedi Knights of the ‘Star Wars’ universe featured in the films, they rejected the […]
FBP: Federal Bureau Of Physics #3 by Simon Oliver and Robbi Rodriguez (comic review).
Trying to assess the merits of a comic book series from a single issue part-way through the storyline isn’t easy at the best of times and the complex world of ‘FBP’ doesn’t help. But the overall gist is this: randomly occurring ‘bubbleverses’ pop up in our world and, within these, the normal rules of physics […]
