Stephen King is renowned for writing such lengthy works that you could easily bludgeon
somebody to death with one of his books. King creates such vivid characters with
near complete histories in those colossal tomes that you often forget that you’re
reading something lengthier than War and Peace, or the entire Lord of the Rings
saga, and depending on your point of view it either enriches the whole reading experience
or it can be a bit of a slog. However, unlike many authors who may be masters
at creating epic doorstop novels but are woeful with the short story form, King
is a master of both as evidenced in his latest short story collection Bazaar of
Bad Dreams.

The opening tale Mile 81 is firmly entrenched in familiar King territory
in which a people-eating car awaits unwary victims, like a venus fly trap, on a
lonely Maine highway. King even throws in a self-referential Easter egg with a
direct reference to the movie version of Christine, which will either annoy or
amuse.

Not every story in this collection concerns monstrous horror. There’s
the touching tale of a son and his Alzheimer’s suffering father who lets slip
that he had an affair with a neighbour in Batman and Robin Have an Altercation
and Under the Weather in which a husband has the most torturous experience of
trying to come to terms with the death of his wife.

Each story is preceded with an introduction by King where he briefly describes
the hows and whys for the inspiration for that story. Premium Harmony, he
informs the reader, is his homage to the celebrated American author Raymond
Carver whose writing style he admires greatly, but as this reviewer has never
read Carver I’ll have to take his word for it.

Perhaps the best of this collection would have to be Obits in which an
obituary writer for a sleazy gossip spewing website discovers that he can kill
people by writing their obituaries in advance. How many writers have imagined
having such an ability one wonders. Obits has won the 2016 Edgar Award for best
short story and deservedly so for it is a bitingly dark and satirical look at
tabloid journalism. Ur is another stand out tale where an Amazon Kindle reveals
new works of fiction from long dead writers such as Poe and Hemingway. When
Amazon asked King to write a story to publicise their new Kindle device it’s a fair bet they didn’t anticipate this
little gem.

All short story collections are a bit hit and miss and Bazaar of Bad
Dreams is no exception. The Bone Church and Tommy are touted as narrative poems
but they read more like a stream of consciousness and hence are too ambiguous
to make any real sense. However, there are more hits than misses with just a
smattering of middling so if you are a fan of King you’ll know exactly what to
expect, but if you are new and want a taster to the man’s work then the
excellent Night Shift would be a great place to start.

THE BAZAAR OF BAD DREAMS / AUTHOR: STEPHEN KING / PUBLISHER: HODDER & STOUGHTON / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
 

For over
quarter of a century now, editor Stephen Jones has been putting together the
annual anthology of short stories under the title of Best New Horror. This, the twenty-sixth collection, is packaged
beneath a lurid cover from the horror comics of the 1950s, but don’t let that
fool you; inside are nineteen stories that showcase just how versatile the
horror genre is. There are tales that would make Lovecraft and MR James proud,
sat side by side with stories of magic, fables of ghoulish children and others
that have little or no supernatural elements within them. What they all have in
common, is the quality of writing.

Collections can
sometimes suffer when some stories are weaker than others, often perceived as
fillers, but this certainly isn’t the case here. Jones – a master editor – has
assembled a group of such a high standard, that there isn’t a poor one among
them. All of them succeed in keeping the reader in suspense, ending with a
payoff or twist that rewards the time spent with them; many linger in the mind days
later, challenging perceptions and prompting re-assessment or even a re-read.
It would be impossible to pick out a favourite, as so many managed to get under
this reviewer’s skin, whether they were read in the brightness of a summer’s
day, or in suitably atmospheric lamp light.

Anyone who has
read a Best New Horror collection
will know that a cracking set of stories isn’t all you get. Jones’s
introduction is worth the price on the cover alone, as he runs down almost
everything that’s happened in the world of horror films, TV and books.
Similarly, there’s a Necrology at the end, where – with the aid of Kim Newman –
the deaths of anyone involved in the business of giving people scares are
chronicled. One minor quibble is that, with this version being a paperback (the
original hardback published in 2015), both introduction and Necrology feel
slightly out of date, covering the year 2014.

Best New Horror 26 sets the standard for short story collections, in
whatever genre, by ensuring that each tale draws emotion from the reader,
delivering not only the shocks and scares that horror fans expect, but also subtle
psychological twists that will have its readers thinking long into the night.
Jones voices concerns about the future of the genre, but it would seem it will be
safe in his hands and those of the writers that he has put into this stunning
anthology.

BEST NEW HORROR 26 / EDITOR: STEVEN JONES / AUTHOR: VARIOUS / PUBLISHER: PS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
 

“. . . I am trying to be more positive.  I’m trying to remember to breathe.  I’m trying to remember why I started this adventure.”

We’re going to cut straight to the chase: this novel is WELL confusing.

No, no, don’t pass over this review; this is a book that seems to relish in its joyful bonkersness. The plot – we think it’s safe to call it that – is supposed to be about Jonathan (or John) Tamberlein, who is also known as ‘Tomahawk’, a food critic who sort of channels Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, and is a little bit like an intergalactic Jay Rayner. Tomahawk calls himself a ‘forensic gastronomer’ setting out on a quest to right culinary wrongs and find the famed Hotel Grand Skies.

Well, we think this is what this book is about, however, other narratives weave in and out that mess around with time, space, and place, so that this writer wasn’t sure at times which were relevant, but they were nevertheless enjoyable interventions. There is a kind of poetic, hypnotic beauty to this novel which is incredibly surreal, almost psychedelic in places with its House of Leaves style montages, textual collages, imagined maps of the universe, and some Rorschach-esque inkblots. (I see a butterfly, if you see some rampaging stabbing then do write in – we may, or may not, pass your details on to the relevant authorities!) 

Written by journalist and satirist Matt Suddain, Hunters & Collectors is Suddain’s second book that continues his innovative use of collaging, montage, and surreal plot line(s) some of which were established in his first novel Theatre of the Gods. This is a book that pushes boundaries, and, like his previous novel, does not fit neatly into any generic recipe: it’s a dash of speculative fiction here, a sprinkle of detective thriller there, and as sweary as Gordon Ramsey.

Hunters & Collectors is incredibly high-concept which may slice and dice your brain as fine as a Masterchef onion. It’s very clever, but just about resists being knowingly so, and Suddain’s narrative devices are well executed. It’s an exciting book and should be as huge as the book itself.

HUNTERS & COLLECTORS / AUTHOR: MATT SUDDAIN / PUBLISHER: JONATHAN CAPE / RELEASE DATE: JULY 7TH

 

George Mann’s Sherlock Holmes anthologies for Titan Books have done a terrific job of finding new ways to approach the Great Detective – which is no easy task, considering he’s probably the most written about fictional character of all time. First, The Encounters of Sherlock Holmes and The Further Encounters of Sherlock Holmes mashed him together with other literary characters and stories. Now, Mann’s latest anthology sports another novel approach. Why not turn the focus away from Holmes and Watson and highlight the many colourful characters elsewhere in Conan Doyle’s writing?

In The Associates of Sherlock Holmes, that great premise is followed up by a high calibre of veteran Sherlock Holmes writers – like James Lovegrove, Andrew Lane and Jonathan Barnes – who have chosen a wide selection of characters to explore. There are the welcome usual suspects (e.g. Lestrade and Mycroft) as well as more obscure figures from the canon (Inspector Baynes, anyone?) who are spotlighted for a change.

Holmes himself features in roles of varying size. Sometimes he is still the central character, just seen through someone else’s eyes, while in others he is merely a fleeting presence. Not one writer drops the ball with the detective, however, and each captures his distinctive personality.

Just like any anthology, some stories are better than others but all are of a very strong standard. Just a few of the many treats on offer are ‘Nor Hell A Fury’ with its fresh take on Irene Adler, ‘The Case of the Previous Tenant’ which reveals the strange tale of 221B’s last occupant and ‘The Presbury Papers’; a brilliantly outlandish sequel to what was already the strangest Holmes story, ‘The Creeping Man.’

There was just one entry that rankled this reviewer, as it retconned a classic Holmes adventure into having a supernatural explanation. Stories that pit Holmes against the paranormal are always fun, but mess with Doyle at your peril.

That said, the best thing about Associates is the mix of styles, tones and even genres on display. Though it generally skewers closer to Doyle’s style than the often steampunk-themed previous anthologies from Mann, there is still gothic horror, science fiction, comedic farces, grisly murders, romance and more on show here. In short, there is something for every fan, casual reader or associate of Sherlock Holmes to enjoy.

THE ASSOCIATES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES / EDITOR: GEORGE MANN / AUTHORS: VARIOUS / PUBLISHER: TITAN BOOKS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Ever struggled to get back in the swing of things after a long-haul journey? It’s a wonder we bother going abroad at all, what with all the time, money and sanity the traveling part of it drains out of us. The new novel from Christopher Priest concerns itself with the monkey business of foreign transit; the time zone problems, the dehumanising netherworld of departures and arrivals, the bizarre regulations, the deeply unfriendly processes (ever encountered those hideous robotic passport scanners at Stanstead?), but develops the story potential of these necessary butt-pains in intriguing and unexpected ways.

Alesandro Sussken is a gifted young composer growing up under the rule of an oppressive fascist junta. When his older brother is drafted against his will for military service somewhere within the mysterious, uncharted island group Sussken can just about glimpse from the attic window of his family home, he feels a strong calling to journey there himself. This he eventually does as part of a band of musicians who are granted rare access to the islands for a concert tour, unaware that the many boat trips involved will have unforeseen, life-changing effects both on him and those he loves.

In his first-person narrator, Priest vividly conjures the inner voice of a serious-minded artist who is compelled by instinct to return to the islands, in the face of the dangers they pose to him, in search of answers to questions that seem to reach out from the very rock itself. This essentially lonely pursuit is punctuated by a series of encounters with a mysterious bunch known as ‘adepts’, a lethargic cohort of knife-flashing weirdos who hang out at every arrival gate and who become an increasingly significant presence. It also helps no end that Sussken is a dab hand with the violin.

The Gradual returns Priest to the Dream Archipelago, the enigmatically musical topography he’s mapped and explored in a number of previous novels and short stories although it should be added that no prior knowledge of these stories is required to enjoy this slow-burning excursion.  His character-pool here is small and deftly realised while the ‘gradual’ of the title is an absolute beauty of a concept, artfully unveiled over the course of the novel until you’re as immersed in its mind-expanding mystery as the protagonist.

Quietly compelling but not without some well-timed emotive fireworks, The Gradual is a captivating odyssey from a true visionary. Take it with you the next time you set off abroad; it may just get you there before you know it.

THE GRADUAL / AUTHOR: CHRISTOPHER PRIEST / PUBLISHER: GOLLANCZ / RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 15TH

It’s a safe bet that pretty much every single Starburst reader will already be more than familiar with the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The movie adaptation of Richard O’Brien’s 1973 stage play was first released in 1975 and holds the title of the longest-running cinema release in history, still enjoying regular screenings at independent cinemas around the world. Much has been written about this technicolour glam-punk thrill ride over the last 40 years, to the point where you’d almost think there couldn’t possibly be anything left to say. With this FAQ though, author Dave Thompson has dug into countless hidden archives to compile a treasure trove of facts and figures that may well have escaped the attention of even the most hardcore Rocky fan.

Subtitled “everything left to know about the campy cult classic”, the first few chapters are dedicated to providing some historical context to the creation and development of the Rocky Horror Show through exploring how the current affairs of the time influenced various factors that would eventually shape Richard O’Brien’s most heinously wonderful creation. On occasion it almost feels like there might be a little bit too much of this background information, but none of it is completely irrelevant and ultimately we’re given a deeper appreciation for the many trials and tribulations that the show and its creators ran into, particularly during the early years.

Things really get interesting when we move away from the historical aspects and onto the subject of the Rocky Horror Show itself. Tracing the development of the show from its humble beginnings to the global sequins and glitter juggernaut that it has become today, this FAQ really proves itself as a fantastically exhaustive compendium of anecdotes and information. The author uses the opportunity to share his own archive of material, and has also clearly had a whale of a time rummaging around in a huge variety of drawers, coming up with all manner of interviews, photographs and memorabilia related to four decades’ worth absolute pleasure. We’re also given large amounts of information about the cast’s other “outside ventures”, leading to an urge to investigate things further in our own time. Magenta was in Doctor Who? We’ll be checking that one out later, for sure (even if she’s currently in a big strop over not being invited to the official RHPS fan club picnic).

After the show itself has been given an appropriately thorough seeing-to, we’re treated to a couple of astoundingly well-researched chronological appendices. The first of these attempts to list every major event in the RHPS timeline between 1975-2015, while the second covers the wealth of soundtrack variations that have been released as well as other musical output by performers associated with the show.

All in all, it’s hard to find fault with“The Rocky Horror Picture Show FAQ”. The masses of behind the scenes information and interviews are sure to please long-term fans, while also serving as an eye-opening peek between the velvet curtains for those who may be more recently-acquainted with the world of Frank N. Furter and friends. With a new screen adaptation due later this year, here’s hoping a brand new generation of sweet transvestites will stop dreaming it and start being it for many more years to come.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW FAQ / DAVE THOMPSON / PUBLISHER: APPLAUSE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

Plenty of books have already been written
about ‘Blade Runner’, but for some reason authors and publishers still can’t
resist taking the film out for one more trip around the block. In this
particular case, it’s a trip that’s short and sweet but well worth taking, even
though there’s very little here (if anything) that most die-hard ‘Blade Runner’
aficionados won’t have come across before.

Beginning with the questions ‘What is
Genre? What is Science Fiction?’, author Sean Redmond quickly makes the case
that ‘Blade Runner’ isn’t just iconic vintage SF, it is also stylistically a
classic detective noir. Even if, for many of us, this is very much a
back-to-basics ‘Blade Runner 101’ analysis, it’s still interesting to read what
Redmond has to say about it, and his POV becomes more compelling in the
following chapters: he investigates and dissects the narrative of ‘Blade
Runner’ from various angles, discusses the film’s cyberpunk urbanism, its
depiction of race, gender and social class, and gives some fascinating insight
into ‘Blade Runner’s postmodern aesthetic.

The second half of the book is largely
dedicated to more practical matters – there’s a brief but tantalising overview
of ‘Blade Runner’s various production problems which will send most neophytes
scuttling off in search of Paul M. Sammon’s classic ‘Future Noir: The Making of
Blade Runner’ to find out more, a chapter about its initial reception by
audiences, and a textual analysis of one of the film’s earliest scenes (I won’t
spoil the surprise, but Redmond has chosen well).

Finally, the concluding ‘What Does it Mean
to be Human’ wraps everything up with a nod towards 2007’s Final Cut and some
judicious thoughts about how ‘Blade Runner’ still offers hope for a world that
has become substantially darker since its original release.

‘Blade Runner’ is one of the first in a
brand new series of science fiction film and tv studies published by Auteur under
the umbrella title ‘Constellations’. It’s concisely written in a style that,
although scholarly, is engrossing and very easy to read. There are also plenty of
black and white photographs, but they’re far too small and washed-out to make
an impact, which is the only area in which the book really falls down. Well-read
fans of ‘Blade Runner’ may find the slim volume too light-weight (literally)
but if you’re a completist, or you’re fresh to the ‘Blade Runner’ universe, you
will definitely want this in your collection.

CONSTELLATIONS: BLADE RUNNER / AUTHOR: SAUN REDMOND / PUBLUSHER: AUTEUR / RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 6TH

When Maddi Cottington and her parents
emigrate from New York to London, strange things quickly begin happening. Maddi
starts to see odd blurs and flashes on the periphery of her vision and she
begins to worry that she might need glasses. But when she discovers a couple of
old books about the Cottington family (which, for some reason, drives her
father apoplectic), she begins to learn her ancestors secret – the Cottington’s
can see fairies, and it has driven many of them mad.

When she overhears her parents talking, and
realises they plan to send her back to the US to live with her unpleasant aunt,
Maddi decides to run away from home. And she knows exactly where she’s headed –
the Cottington’s long-derelict mansion. Here she will discover the various
cryptic messages that were passed between Angelica and Quentin Cottington, the
brother and sister who lived in the mansion many decades before. She learns
that Angelica was obsessed with pressing the fairies between the pages of her
notebooks, whereas Quentin created all kinds of weird and wonderful inventions
to collect the various tastes and smells the fairies left behind. And Maddi
finds out she can also capture the fairies between the pages of her own
journal, snapping the book shut and squashing them flat. Unbelievably, the
fairies themselves seem to enjoy it (there’s a reassuring note at the front of
the journal stating that no fairies have been maimed or injured during the
making of this book).

But as the days pass, Maddi realises she
was always meant to be here, and that the fairies have a plan. She’s sure that
it’s got something to do with the strange beehive-shaped hut that is somewhere
in the woods that surround the estate, and she’s determined to uncover the
secret. The only danger is, when she passes through the hut, will she ever
return? And if she does return, will the experience have driven her insane,
which is exactly what seems to have happened to poor Quentin.

Dressed in her suit of armour, with only her
beehive tattoo for protection, Maddi steps into the unknown.

This is the latest in the bestselling
series of Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy books and it is an absolute delight.
Not surprisingly – since it was written and illustrated by the iconic and
utterly brilliant Brian and Wendy Froud – it is also quite beautiful to look
at, with squashed fairies on every page (some gorgeous and sylph-like and some
downright loony-looking), photographs from Maddi’s selfie collection, and
various pictures and drawings courtesy of Angelica and Quentin. And don’t
forget to check out the envelope on the inside-back cover.

The Pressed Fairy Journal of Madeleine
Cottington is a spellbinding treat for children of all ages that proves,
sometimes, reading truly can be magical. 

THE PRESSED FAIRY JOURNAL OF MADELEINE COTTINGTON / AUTHORS: BRIAN AND WENDY FROUD / PUBLISHER: ABRAMS BOOKS / RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 27TH
 

Following on from
Virtues of War and its tale of Earth’s brief war with its Centauri colonies,
Ghosts of War deals with the realities for those returning home, along with the
machinations of those who want to use the conflict’s aftermath for their own
agendas, and those who just want to be left alone. Just because the fighting
has stopped, for some of them it doesn’t mean the war is truly over.

While
Virtues was a fast-paced and action-heavy story driven largely by intense and
brutal combat sequences, Ghosts is a different beast entirely. Almost entirely
devoid of fighting, it places far greater focus on its central characters and
offers a different view of them with how they act in peacetime. Although it
becomes apparent there are some Coles actually likes more than others, each is
further fleshed out by their actions and reactions, while also emphasising the
vast spectrum of how people can be affected by combat, something that as a
military veteran himself would be well aware of.

To
gives things an alternative perspective is new character Kete, a Centauri spy
who offers a viewpoint of the war from the other side, his hatred of Earth an
all that it stands for becoming entirely understandable as his own story is
slowly revealed. In this regard the book builds on the stance of its
predecessor by not assuming that either side is wholly in the right, and just
as in any real-world conflict there are valid points to be made by each
antagonist.

A
problem with Virtues was that by the end its characters seemed largely
unchanged, despite the various ordeals each of them had survived. However, now
that everyone is back on Earth and the horrors they endured have truly sunk in,
it’s now that we see to what extent the conflict has affected each of them. Infantry
officer Katja in particular, having become emotionally crippled by PTSD and
suffering from nightmares and hallucinations, finds it most difficult
readjusting to civilian life, and with Kete’s thirst for vengeance targeting
her most of all, you start to wonder what chance she even has.

Both
an extended coda of Virtues of War and a set up for the doubtlessly
action-packed closing chapter of the trilogy, Ghosts of War deals with one of
the less considered realities of war. While the sci-fi trappings are all
present and correct – and built upon to further expand this future world – it’s
the people who drive it forwards, and they are each shown in their entirety, their
virtues and their flaws.

GHOSTS OF WAR / AUTHOR: BENNETT R COLES / PUBLISHER: TITAN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW