Do you love Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series? How about the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch? Like a bit of John Le Carre intrigue? If so, you will LOVE The Devil’s Evidence.

A hybrid between horror fantasy and crime procedural, Simon Kurt Unsworth’s novel had this writer hooked from its first opening, fiery lines.

If you thought the afterlife was a time to set work aside then you’d be wrong.

We once again join Thomas Fool – now head of the Devil’s Information Men (a very literally damned detective unit). This time he has a new mystery to solve – arson in Hell. Fool has been thanked for his hard work in Unsworth’s first novel of the series – The Devil’s Detective – with new enemies. The shady Mr Tap from a new and rather more traditionally demonic department in Hell – the Evidence – has Fool in his crosshairs.

The novel twists and turns as Fool joins a delegation from Hell to Heaven while trying to solve the series of arson attacks plaguing the world below. Oh, and there’s a dead body to deal with. As the pages turn you and Fool discover there are alarming parallels between the celestial and the Satanic.  Especially when it comes to red tape!

Fool is fascinating as he discovers more about himself – he doesn’t remember the sins which damned him – as he investigates the universe around him. It’s an unusual soul who strives to do the right thing despite being stuck in the worst place ever.

It’s hard for a series to feel fresh and original, but Unsworth does it well. He manages to use demonology and concepts of Heaven and Hell in an innovative way, combining it with the familiar twists and turns we expect from detective fiction. Well-paced and witty it’s a good read. There’s a few ‘oh my god’ (or should we say Devil?!) moments which give the novel a fast pace. There’s also a heavy helping of political intrigue, backstabbing, and murder. He uses gothic imagery with a modern writing style to conjure up a world you can be transported into with ease.

Unsworth has built a very horrible, yet believable universe with characters who you can hate as well as root for. While you don’t need to read the first novel to enjoy the second in the series, we really do recommend you start at the beginning. There’s a lot to take in and a great deal of character development to enjoy. A real page turner.

THE DEVIL’S EVIDENCE / AUTHOR: SIMON KURT UNSWORTH / PUBLISHER: DEL REY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

Comic horror has been around as long as sliced bread. It’s nothing new, with titles such The Walking Dead and Crossed breaking taboos and pushing the limits of what is accepted within the realm of artistic story-telling, it’s just that the line has been pushed so far that it’s difficult to see where they can go from here.

Rewind six decades or so, and you can really see what censors and parental critics felt about the minds of their children being corrupted in black and white and how they reacted in a manner so over the top that it ended up creating the Comic Code Authority in 1954 (seriously, look it up kids, it’s fascinating reading!).

At the forefront of the furore stood EC Comics who, with their line-up of fantastical titles including Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror, poked the proverbial bear as often as they could with their content. Within their ranks was Jack Davis who had a style that leaned so far away from what was expected of comics in those days from the superhero stables of other comic publication companies.

He knew exactly how to draw dark stories; stories of revenge, murder, and horror. From monsters unreal to everyday and with tales of the supernatural to those based within a more mundane plane, Davis was a driving force within the industry.

Whereas it is possible to pick up collected volumes of the EC archives, this compilation of thirty-two stories is a good start as any for the uninitiated to the back catalogues of the infamous company that specifically used Davis’ artwork.

Tales veer from the sublime to the ridiculous and all seemingly have a moral or two to tell. Of course, we are all too aware of these by now, with the stories being rehashed so many times over the years, it’s almost impossible to count them, but this is a moment in time that we should remember fondly, even if we weren’t there. Without these boundary testers, who knows if we ever would have met Rick Grimes and his gang?

Davis was a legend (he passed away in July this year) and this is a compendium that belongs in any horror fan’s collection. It is beautifully put together and a great read, even all these years later. Go buy it now, lest the Crypt Keeper decides to make you one of his bookends.

THE LIVING MUMMY AND OTHER STORIES BY JACK DAVIS / AUTHOR: JACK DAVIS, AL FELDSTEIN, RAY BRADBURY / PUBLISHER: FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

This second volume of 2000 AD’s Dan Dare collection picks up exactly where the first left off, but fans would be forgiven for thinking the character has undergone a dramatic change in the interim. While he was never the clean-cut hero from Eagle – this was, after all, the 1970s, when heroes with flaws were becoming more popular – the Dare that we meet now is a far cry from it. Here is a character that, confronted with a host of aliens, will always reach for his gun, some missiles, or even set a planet to self-destruct in order to achieve victory. He’s not so much gritty as genocidal.

It’s easy to say that in hindsight when back then this was deemed as what boys wanted to see in a comic, and it’s quite a shock at first until a change of writer sees Dare set adrift from his team and left to fend for himself. Here, he doesn’t do too well and is brainwashed by arch-enemy the Mekon. Fortunately, help is eventually at hand (sorry) in the form of Eternicus the Cosmic Claw, a glove that emits laser rays capable of destroying small spacecraft.

It’s an often maligned storyline, but anyone who read these stories as a child may have fond memories of them. True, the plot hasn’t particularly stood the test of time but it is relentless in pace, packed with action, and the art from Dave Gibbons is truly superb. There’s a nostalgia value to it all as well, and seeing pages for the first time in decades may trigger memories the reader thought dormant and it’s possible they may find themselves cheering Dare along just as they did all those years ago, hoping their hero can prove his innocence when accused of being in cahoots with the Mekon.

Alas, we’ll never know the outcome, as the story was abruptly ended when 2000 AD merged with Tornado. Something had to go, and Dare’s lack of popularity at the time meant he was a casualty. This volume concludes beyond that last episode, with the plans for Dare’s future, which are very interesting indeed. There’s not just innocence to prove; Dare was never given that chance to set himself right and return to his roots as the honorable spacefarer we all remember. For all the flaws, this is a fascinating volume of work, and the addition of faces old and new makes the reader wonder what could have been if it was allowed to continue. 

DAN DARE – THE 2000 AD YEARS VOLUME 2 / ARTISTS: DAVE GIBBONS, BRIAN LEWIS, GARRY LEACH, TREVOR GORING / WRITERS: CHRIS LOWDER, GERRY FINLEY-DAY, ROY PRESTON, TOM TULLY, NICK LANDAU / PUBLISHER: 2000 AD / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

This is literally a black and white descent into the strange world of corrupt espionage agencies, multiple realities/dimensions and a serving of Sir Roger Moore, Sir Ian McKellen, and Elvis (I kid you not).

Gorman’s graphic novel takes a nod at the labyrinthine world of The Prisoner, the trauma of what it’s like to be mentally manipulated as expressed in the Jason Bourne movies and the tenuous relationship between reality and mind as highlighted in the works of Philip K. Dick.

The style is gritty and realistic, plus it harks back to the savage days of punk and even references Frank Hampson (1918 – 1985) the creator of Dan Dare for no other reason than there is a blue plaque dedicating his memory two streets from a point of action in this story 

Secret agent John Marley is on a nightmare journey through the streets of Northern England, where nothing seems black and white (pardon the pun). Place and time shifts, he is locked up and tortured, he’s recruited into a team run by a part-human, part-cat, and two guinea pigs.

If you get confused (never?) there is a handy Q & A between Brian Gorman and his publisher SM Worsey, which tells us about his inspirations, how the story has evolved from a straightforward action film script over the last twenty years and it gives you a better understanding of the characters and how he created this work. As an example, Brian explains that the grumpy teddy bear in the story was found in a bargain bin in a charity shop.

Brian performs a great juggling act that throws up all manner of ideas and themes about our place in a multitude of borderline realities and unrealities. His hero, John Marley transverses these spaces, illuminating how consciousness and perception is a free-flowing entity that we have to negotiate to form our own identity and sense of place in the universe.

Profound, obscure, weird, confusing, humorous, and entertaining.

BORDERLINERS: TRUE REALITIES / AUTHOR & ARTWORK: BRIAN GORMAN / PUBLISHER: INVISIBLE SIX LTD / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

In some far off fantasy land, fans of A Game of Thrones are eagerly expecting the latest instalment of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire to turn up in their stocking this Christmas. Unfortunately, in this world the book still isn’t finished yet, so those excitable fans will have to make do with what is available. Given recent trends in the publishing, that stocking filler is, of course, HBO’s Game of Thrones Colouring Book.

This artefact of fandom is inspired directly by the TV show, and as such, all of the black and white illustrations for you to colour in are instantly recognisable as characters and things from the show. This, unfortunately, makes the whole affair a little bland, as they’ve gone for stuff that works and is obvious.

This is a bit of a pity; anyone who’s seen the work of storyboard artist William Simpson knows that much of the art for the TV series is gorgeous stuff.  Fans of the series will be familiar with how the Iron Throne should look (and able to contrast the book version from the HBO version) or what all the heraldry looks like; this has none of this subtlety. Some of the pages may as well be tracings of TV stills.

Worse still, this is a colouring book rather than a mindfulness book. The difference is key; mindfulness colouring books are complicated in places, allowing the user to enjoy the activity book as a meditation. Complicated patterns designed for colouring in are a great tool for relaxation. Alas, none of that is here. This is a book that can be done with crayons.

The heart and soul of the show’s powerful images have been stripped bare to create what is essentially a basic and disposable. It’s hard to work out exactly whom this book is for; they are better colouring books out there and plenty of them have fantasy themes. They are better art books of the show and they are certainly more atmospheric and immersive books inspired by George RR Martins world for you to enjoy. Still, as a stocking filler, it does the job; just don’t expect any of the prettier, gorier or even interesting bits of the series to be in this one.

HBO’S GAME OF THRONES COLOURING BOOK / PUBLISHER: CHRONICLE BOOKS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Irish author Eoin Colfer is known for his jaunty, humorous style, as utilised in the likes of the Artemis Fowl series and the sixth Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy novel (taking over from the late, great Douglas Adams). Given that, he is a natural choice to translate the most quip-happy superhero out there to the novel format – the invincible Iron Man, as made famous by Robert Downey Jr. on the big screen.

Fans of both the author and the character will not be disappointed, then, as The Gauntlet wastes no opportunity for squeezing in a jokey aside or comedic tangent. In the style of the aforementioned Adams, Colfer roves from viewpoint to viewpoint and takes on the role of wry omniscient narrator. It’s a fitting technique as it somewhat recalls Stan Lee’s captions and editor’s commentary in the classic Marvel comics.

Plotwise, The Gauntlet is content to play with familiar story beats and as such doesn’t really offer anything we haven’t seen before. While attending an international eco-summit in Dublin, Stark is captured by a bunch of terrorists (wouldn’t you know it!) who want to use his own technology for more warlike purposes. It’s a plot that recalls just about every Iron Man movie but that doesn’t matter too much, though, as it moves along at enough of a break-neck speed to keep you involved. There is a subplot about Tony coming to terms with his distant relationship with his father (again, reminiscent of Iron Man 2) but mostly this is a full-on action adventure that doesn’t pause for breath.

Also, if you want to get nerdy about it, the novel is definitely set in the continuity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – with references to events and characters from the movies scattered throughout. Fans of Iron Man lore will likewise be pleased with the choice of villain, which we won’t spoil here even though it becomes clear very quickly. That said, don’t expect the kind of more fleshed-out villain we get in the films but rather a cackling, Saturday morning cartoon type of baddie. That’s not so much a criticism, as it is clear that this is a deliberate self-aware move from Colfer.

On the whole, as long as you don’t expect The Gauntlet to explore new dimensions of the hero, it is an enjoyable light read. Younger superhero lovers will no doubt be enthralled and adult Iron Man fans will likely get a kick out of it as well. 

IRON MAN: THE GAUNTLET / AUTHOR: EOIN COLFER / PUBLISHER: MARVEL / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
 

Chances are the phrase ‘galactic empire’ conjures
one of two images. The first being an evil despot in possession of a
planet-busting space station, while the second is that of a benign
conglomeration of planets seeking new civilisations to join their group. Obviously,
there’s much more to the concept than that, which is something editor Neil
Clarke seeks to address in this collection of stories.

All have seen print before, in various magazines and websites,
ranging as far back as 2003. Clarke has assembled a wide range of authors –
from old masters like Robert Silverberg to more recent talents such as Aliette
De Bodard – each offering a different take on the central premise. The stories
range in length from sixteen to fifty pages and, while some contain vast
amounts of description and techno speak, others leave some work for the reader.
There isn’t a bad piece amongst them, although some are denser than others, and
less patient readers may feel like they’ve had to wade through treacle to get
to the final payoff.

That said, Clarke has ensured that there’s something for
everyone. Yet, the true success of the collection is in showing that, however
high the concept, it’s the effect on the characters that truly drives a good
story; it’s all very well having a great idea, but it’s those who live within that
idea that really matter. While it’s hard to pick out a ‘best’, a personal
favourite would be The Muse Of Empires
Lost by Paul Berger, which drip feeds information to the reader as the
story progresses, climaxing in an ending that is unpredictable, yet entirely
character-driven, and succeeds in making the strange entirely plausible.

Perhaps this collection’s only weakness is that some of the
stories feel like they expect some prior knowledge of an author’s work to fully
understand the setting. Readers who are discovering these authors for the first
time may be missing an in-joke, or find themselves wondering if the characters
have appeared anywhere before, and are being offered a contrasting perspective.
The opposite effect of this is that it encourages readers to seek out those
works and dive into the worlds they themselves have just discovered; given that
there are twenty-two stories in this hefty tome, the Galaxy really is there for
the taking.

GALACTIC EMPIRES / EDITOR: NEIL CLARKE: PUBLISHER: NIGHT
SHADE BOOKS / RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 17TH
 

Incredible as it might seem, ten years have passed since the release of
Guillermo del Toro’s masterpiece modern fairy tale Pan’s Labyrinth. The film is in every way, a meticulously crafted
visual treat. So, it deserves a similarly crafted book to mark the decade of
its existence. This volume is sumptuous, to say the least, from the get go,
from the beautifully embossed cover on through. The paper is an exquisite heavy
stock.

Trivia abounds from del Toro’s
foreword, where he reveals that Pan’s
Labyrinth was the second toughest film to shoot in his experience, (the
toughest was Mimic) and is one of his
three personal favourite films of the ones he has made – Devil’s Backbone and Crimson
Peak being the others.

With lessons learned in the
disciplines of makeup and digital effects from Blade II and a greater sense of visual construction from his
experience on Hellboy, he set out to
create a whole new mythology.

Creating a brand new fairy tale
with all its trappings, locales, inhabitants, is a massive undertaking, as we
learn from the book. From del Toro himself, to the producers, the director of
photography and several of the stars, we gain a valuable insight into the
trials and tribulations of bringing this project to the screen. It was, after
all a major project, budgeted at a modest $19 million, filmed in Spain and
Mexico that contained creatures and effects that were uncommon in the film
industries of those countries with everything having to be built from scratch. Some
of the creative decisions were born out of a need to save some money due to the
constraints of the budget. A prime example detailed is that the fairies in the
film are bald, purely because the ability to create believable CGI hair wasn’t
there yet and further development would’ve incurred extra cost.

The illustrations that accompany
the text are just bewilderingly beautiful. Not only the high resolution photos,
giving the reader the opportunity to pore over every detail of The Faun, step
by step photographs show the stages of makeup being applied, as well as the
electronics housed in the headpiece that allowed some of the facial features to
be puppeteered.

One of the most fearsome
creatures of recent years is del Toro’s Pale Man, sitting at his banquet table.
The story of his creation, along with production sketches and concept drawings
is all here in detail.

There are full sketches than can
be pulled out, from simple line drawings to complex work of art showing every
minute detail of not only creatures but carved arches, furniture and wall etchings
ensure that no facet of this amazing film is left unexplored. 

This is definitely a book that
should be in every genre fan’s stocking this Christmas. Well worth the cover
price.

GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PAN’S LABYRINTH: INSIDE THE CREATION OF A MODERN FAIRY TALE / AUTHORS: NICK NUNZIATA, MARK COTTA VAZ / PUBLISHER: HARPER DESIGN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
 

After Atlas is the sequel of sorts to Emma Newman’s previous science fiction novel, Planetfall. By which we mean that though After Atlas is set in the same near-future dystopia as Planetfall, it’s a different story focusing on different characters.

Those expecting an encore to the critically-acclaimed Plantefall will be both delighted and disappointed; this is a very different story, as you should expect. However, Newman’s beautiful writing style and powerful use of structure is every bit as present here as it is in the first novel. After Atlas works entirely fine as a standalone; the thrills are still as strong regardless of your experience with the author’s previous work.

The novel is set in a world in which mankind has pretty much ran out of available resources. Governments have merged with corporate interests in such a way that they are now one and the same. The brightest and best people in the world have left; they got their heads together long ago to work out a way to leave the Earth via a ship called the Atlas, in the hope of meeting a newly discovered alien life.

After Atlas’ main character is a chap called Carlos Moreno. His mother left to board the Atlas when he was a small boy, and his father couldn’t cope with being abandoned. These tragic circumstances lead to Carlos becoming a highly-trained detective for GovCorp. Unluckily for Carlos, the same training means that he’s indentured to the state. Things make a turn for a worse when the earth-bound leader of the group that went away into space turns up dead. Carlos is the only one truly qualified to investigate the murder, yet at the same time the person with the most emotional baggage related to the case.

What Newman has created here is a lovely locked room mystery in which the stakes are incredibly high and the world is so very engaging. Whereas Planetfall felt liked a ragged scream in the dark at times, After Atlas feels like a more rational response to a dying Earth. Carlos’ emotional journey is rational and yet utterly gripping. This is a tale about bargaining with the untenable and finding the strength to keep going no matter what. The protagonist is a man with nothing, and yet somehow he still has something to lose. Emma Newman creates addictive page turners, and this is another fine example of that.

Expect to see this book on various award shortlists in 2017. It’s that good.

AFTER ATLAS / AUTHOR: EMMA NEWMAN / PUBLISHER: ROC / RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 8TH

The bookstore Simon Antonisse inherited from his father is in trouble. Simon never wanted to be a bookseller, when he was a kid he wanted to be an ornithologist, but somehow family loyalties derailed his plans. Now his wife wants him to sell up the business and that same family loyalty is stopping Simon from making a decision. After witnessing a suicide on a lonely level crossing which stirs up nightmares about a long-buried childhood tragedy, it seems like Simon’s inability to cope with both the past and the present is about to drown him. But then he meets a young student called Regina, and as their friendship blossoms, the lives of past Simon and present Simon are about to collide… every action has its consequences.

This is a beautiful book. Aimee De Jongh isn’t only a wonderful artist, her scriptwriting is also quite fantastic. Thematically, The Return of the Honey Buzzard is a simple story, elegantly paced but with an astonishing level of psychological complexity. De Jongh’s terrific black and white artwork, together with her constant switching of angles, gives the tale a cinematic quality which makes reading the book (and we mean this in the very best way) almost like watching a movie storyboard come to life. She takes her time leading us into the plot and she isn’t afraid to embrace the quality and power of silence. In fact, there are several pages when we watch the honey buzzard soar and watch Simon sitting quietly alone surrounded by the books he is so reluctant to surrender. It’s ironic when Simon’s new friend Regina confesses that she’s clueless about magical realism because ‘magical realism’ fits the tone of this story very well.

De Jongh’s small cast of characters live and breathe on the page, with the inclusion of the honey buzzard and the seamless way she draws both periods of Simon’s life together being especially masterful. She even manages to elicit tension and pathos from three simple frames of a feather floating gently to earth, counterpointing one of the most powerful moments in the narrative. The Return of the Honey Buzzard is perceptive, compelling, and deeply moving and it should be recommended reading for everybody.

THE RETURN OF THE HONEY BUZZARD / AUTHOR & ARTIST: AIMEE DE JONGH / PUBLISHER: SELFMADEHERO / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW