Author Archives: Iain
Taking her cue – Rosie Garland interviewed about The Palace of Curiosities
The Palace of Curiosities, Rosie Garland‘s debut novel, is a great read (review here). She was kind enough to answer some questions that I had about the book. As well as an author, she is a poet, cabaret artiste and … Continue reading
A promising start – Brian McLellan’s Promise of Blood
Brian McClellan’s Promise of Blood (Orbit, £14.99) is a fantasy which takes its start from revolution. So far it is not the naïve sort of revolution in which the monarchy is beheaded and the world moves on but the type … Continue reading
More than a sideshow – Rosie Garland’s The Palace of Curiosities
The Palace of Curiosities, Rosie Garland‘s debut novel, is an assured and magical novel. Her poetic output provides the writing’s lyricism and her involvement in cabaret and Goth gives her an eye for the strange. Told from two perspectives, that … Continue reading
The Ghost of Arabia – notes on A Hologram for a King
Estragon, or in A Hologram for the King Alan, has travelled to Saudi Arabia. Nearly bankrupt, he needs the fee from Reliant’s sale of IT services to the developing city to carry on with his life. Having put his house … Continue reading
A sneeze which reverberates – Neil Gaiman’s Chu’s Day
I’ve just read Chu’s Day which is, admittedly, shorter than I was hoping for. It is one of Neil Gaiman’s novels for younger children, in the vein of the Blueberry Girl. When Chu, the small panda, sneezes, the world really … Continue reading
Searching for the divine – Jeremy de Quidt’s The Feathered Man
Jeremy de Quidt’s The Feathered Man, his second novel, continues the same strong style which he showed in The Toymaker. Neither of this novels shy away from difficult subjects and assume that his readers will pick up clues rather than … Continue reading
Asking the right question: Lemony Snicket’s Who could That Be at This Hour?
Lemony Snicket’s latest set of (un)fortunate adventures have moved on from the Gothic pastiche adventures to a take on the detective story. This latest series is to be a quartet rather than the 13 volumes of a series of Unfortunate … Continue reading
Sitting at the back of the school bus
An Apple for the Creature is a collection of stories on the theme of education, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni Kelner. It approaches horror and the supernatural from a range of directions, some of which are more successful than … Continue reading
Ghostly encounters – Cornelia Funke’s Ghost Knight
The ghost story, a type which is never quite in or out of fashion, is the frame for Cornelia Funke’s latest novel, Ghost Knight. Jon resents being sent to boarding school in Salisbury. Believing the move to be powered by … Continue reading