Author Archive: PaulineMorgan
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik (book review).
There have always been school stories. Most of us have read them at some point. Post-war there was ‘Billy Bunter of Greyfriars’ and the ‘Chalet Girls’ books. More recently, the ‘Harry Potter’ books are the most wildly known of the fantasy schools, though there are many others such as the college in Rachel Caine’s ‘Morganville […]
Up And Under books by A. Deborah Baker (book review).
Writing convincing books for both adults and younger age groups does not always come naturally to most authors. Usually, they find the age group which suits their style and stick with it. Exceptions are most likely to between adult and young adult where the main difference is the age of the principal characters and the […]
Shadows On The Hillside: Weird Landscapes edited by Storm Constantine (book review).
Landscapes are capable of inspiring all kinds of emotions, from joy through awe to fear. It may depend on time of day, season or the evocation of memory. Generally, landscapes have a permanence the viewer doesn’t. They can overwhelm, leading to feelings of insecurity and the feeling that the viewer is small, inconsequential and a […]
The Magazine Of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Nov/Dec 2021, Volume 141 #758 (magazine review).
One of the things that MF&SF does well is inclusivity. The authors represented in this volume originate from all across the globe. Amongst the places are Australia, Iceland, Russia and Greece. A number of stories are the authors’ first appearances in this magazine although they may have been published elsewhere. At the same time, there […]
Look Where You Are Going Not Where You Have Been (The Harvester series book 9) by Steven J Dynes (book review).
Many writers at the start of their careers are told to write about what they know. Indeed, one agent told their author that she couldn’t possibly have her main point of view character who was a French priest as he was neither French nor a priest. Authors, though will draw on their experiences in their […]
The Switch by Justina Robson (book review).
The choice of first, second or third person for the narration of story influences the way the plot can be allowed to develop. Second person narration is difficult to sustain throughout a whole novel, though it has been successfully done by Keith Roberts in ‘Molly Zero’. Third person allows the writer to visit multiple viewpoints […]
FantasyCon 2021 – 24th-26th September 2021 (convention review).
Conventions are back! FantasyCon 2021 is the first full face-to-face convention in the UK since the start of the pandemic. Other conventions have either been entirely on-line or a hybrid. Although there was a reduced attendance, the committee had arranged an ambitious programme. We were all encouraged to take lateral flow tests before we arrived […]
Threading The Labyrinth by Tiffani Angus (book review).
To many a maze and a labyrinth are synonymous. Often a maze is depicted as having high wall or hedges and a number of dead-ends making it a puzzle to navigate and reach the centre. The term ‘labyrinth’ covers a lot more possibilities. They have been around for a very long time. In prehistoric times […]
The Magazine Of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Sept/Oct 2021, Volume 141 #757 (magazine review).
This 757th issue of ‘The Magazine Of Fantasy & Science Fiction’ has a beautiful astronomical image on the cover by David A. Hardy. While it is actually an image of Jupiter from Io it could almost be designed to illustrate Erin Barbeau’s story, ‘Ice Fishing On Europa’. Here, Theo is a one person scientific expedition […]
White Knight, Black Swan by David Gemmell (book review).
Writers who are starting to learn their trade are often told to write about what they know. It was always difficult to know if some of David Gemmell’s tales of his childhood were accurate or exaggerated. Regardless, his stepfather and thus Gemmell had knowledge of the criminal side of the community. Gemmell puts this to […]
