Miscellany

Posted by Colin Harvey Nov 9, 2008

Some miscellany, because I'm feeling guilty that there are so many good works that I can't review for one reason or another.

i. Potential Conflict of Interest Department

My stable(pouch?)-mate at SK Larion Wills has a fine genre-blurring romance-thriller-fantasy novel out called 13 Souls. I hesitate to review it because we share the same publisher and if I say nice things, you'll suspect I'm going easy on her, and if I'm critical, I risk alienating a friend.

But it has a fine take on Southern History (fascinating to a Brit like me); a neat dog who is as big a character as any protagonist, and interesting trivia scattered along the way. It's alternately thrilling, funny and raunchy. Check it out.

ii. You Can't Actually Buy This Department

So what's the point of blogging it, then? You cry. Ah, but you can buy membership in the British Fantasy Society. One of the many neat things you get, together with a discount when attending Fantasycon, is a twice-yearly newsletter, and two original magazines.

Dark Horizons is a small press anthology / magazine filled with interviews with Lawrence Watt-Evans, on the occasion of his unauthorized History of Discworld, stories by Allen Ashley and others, and articles on Lovecraft by Stephen Jones.

It now has a companion, New Horizons, which has one of the best stories of 2007 reprinted, Wil MacIntosh's wonderful 'Unlikely.' It's funny, poignant, and I envy the writer his talent so much I find myself grinding my teeth...plus two micro-fictions from K.J Bishop, and several other fine writers. And it's free!

iii. Too Many Stories To Review Department

For perfectly sensible reasons, Suite101 has an upper word limit. But 600 words isn't enough to cover a 65 story anthology. Illuminations contains micro-fictions of one or two pages each. All profits go to the NSPCC. Highlights are 'Snowball' by Gareth L Powell, 'Alex in Hinterland' by Paul Graham Raven, and 'Abduction' by Dan Pawley. At seven quid, it's a steal!