Strange faces appear on the floor of a house in a remote village in southern Spain. A ghost plane rises from the depths of Ladybower Reservoir on the Derbyshire Moors. The mummified hand of an English martyr is used to raise a Benedictine monk from a coma on the edge of death. Odd stories. Perhaps unbelievable stories. Yet all of them were reported in British newspapers in the first half of 1995. They are just a tiny drop in the tidal wave of weirdness that sweeps over us every day of the year, all over the globe. Somehow, though, we persist in maintaining the illusion that in this age of high technology there can be no such thing as the supernatural. At least that is the view presented by much of the media. The ultimate proof of life after death, or the most terrifying true story ever told? When Bill and Liz Rich move into an isolated house, their dreams of a new life quickly turn sour. The first signs are mild. An inexplicable but vast drain of electricity that even the power company can’t explain. A sense of being watched. But then, one night, they are visited…and their ordeal…
Hard to believe I know, but there are not one but two important anniversaries happening this week. First, I’m having a significant birthday *cough* 40 *cough* and far more importantly my silly little book review website is 4 YEARS OLD. Yes I was surprised at both things happening as well. In order to celebrate the cosmic alignment of these two auspicious events I have decided to try something a bit new (well new for me any way). So sit back, relax, and enjoy my first attempt ever to create a video blog* *I apologise about my face in advance. Feel free to just close your eyes and just listen to the video if you wish, I won’t be offended….much. Just be glad you didn’t see the un-edited footage. SO MANY SWEAR WORDS. It just remains for me to say a quick thank you to everyone who helps to make this site possible, you know who you are. You’re all seventy five difference shades of awesome and I would entirely, utterly and completely lost without you. Till next time people of the Internet, like the video said, go read a book!
Please note The Devil’s Looking Glass is the third novel in the Swords of Albion series. This review may contain some minor spoilers for those who have not read books one and two. Don’t say I didn’t give you an opportunity to turn away now before it is too late….. Still here? Good show. 1593: The dreaded alchemist, black magician and spy Dr John Dee is missing… Terror sweeps through the court of Queen Elizabeth, for in Dee’s possession is an obsidian mirror, a mysterious object of great power which legend says could set the world afire. The call goes out to celebrated swordsman, adventurer and rake Will Swyfte: find Dee and his feared looking-glass and return them to London before disaster strikes. But when Will discovers the mirror may help him solve the mystery that has haunted him for years – the fate of his lost love, Jenny – the stakes are intensely personal. With a frozen London under siege by supernatural powers, the sands of time are running out. Will is left with no choice but to pursue the alchemist to the devil-haunted lands of the New World – in the very shadow of the terrifying fortress home…
According to the Mayan calendar we only have until 21st December 2012 until the world ends. With that in mind, and the fact that John Cusack hasn’t arrived with a limousine to whisk us off to safety just yet, I suggest we spend the time together reading some great new books. I could have easily included many, many more novels on this list but these are the baker’s dozen that I am currently very excited about. I have included cover images wherever I have been able to find them, click on the thumbnails to see them in their full glory. Hell Train by Christopher Fowler – I mentioned this one way back at the end of 2010. I was looking forward to it then, and even more so now. Roofworld is still a personal favourite and I always enjoy Fowler’s writing. Watch this space as I foresee a review in the very near future. The Faceless by Simon Bestwick – I’ve not read any of Simon’s work but I saw the cover and I was immediately intrigued. There is also a superbly creepy book trailer over on You Tube. I do so enjoy the promise of empty old buildings that…
Please note this review contains minor spoilers if you haven’t read book one in the trilogy, The Sword of Albion. Also you are missing a real treat. Alone and on the run, Elizabethan England’s greatest spy must defeat a dark and bloody plot. Or die… The Scar Crow Men by Mark Chadbourn is the second novel in the Swords of Albion series. It sees the return of Will Swyfte, gentleman spy, and his ongoing battle with the dark forces that threaten Great Britain during the reign of Elizabeth the First. Two years have passed since the events in the first novel and Swyfte is facing troubles both at home and abroad. Different factions vie for Elizabeth’s favour and in the midst of all this political maneuvering one of Will closest friends is killed. While members of the royal household continue to plot and scheme the Unseelie Court, the Fay, have begun to tear down the magical defenses that protect all humans from their evil. They have unleashed the Scar Crow Men to help bring about a shift in power that will allow them control everything. There are a couple of things that I think elevates Mark Chadbourn’s writing beyond the…