An ancient race of lycanthropes survives in modern L.A., and its numbers are growing as the pack converts the city’s downtrodden into their fold. Stuck in the middle are a local dog-catcher and the woman he loves, whose secret past haunts her as she fights a bloody one woman battle to save their relationship. If you had told me earlier this year that I would read an entire novel that was written in free verse I would have laughed in your face. If you told me I was going to enjoy it, there is a good chance I would have fallen from my chair. I should try to explain. I don’t have much of a relationship with poetry; in fact, I don’t read any at all. In the past I have tried, I’ve been sent poetry collections to review and epically failed to form any sort of attachment with the text. With this thought in mind, you can imagine my surprise when I started reading Sharp Teeth and I not only liked it, but was utterly engrossed. Toby Barlow really seems to have captured the primal nature of the pack with his writing. It also seems such a logical fit to…

@SamaelTB got married recently and as an extra special wedding gift I gave him a copy of The Iron Jackal to read.  Here is his review, I should warn you it would appear that all the love has gone to his head. I love Chris Wooding. Not in the romantic sense of course. We’ve never met and while I’m sure he’s lovely, I’m already married. You hear me Chris? It’ll never happen! But I digress. Mr. Wooding is a damned fine writer. My lovely wife told me to read The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray and, while I enjoyed some of it, it didn’t quite work for me. There were elements that were just a little too YA. Fast forward a couple of years and I still hadn’t read Retribution Falls because I assumed it was YA. It isn’t. So I read it. And it was/is awesome. Like really, really good. A brilliant adventure story, that while being a little too long and meandering in places, was still a hugely satisfying read. The sequel, Black Lung Captain, brought more of the same. When Mr Cheesecake offered me the opportunity to read The Iron Jackal, before it went on sale, I jumped…

Wuruyaaria: city of werewolves, whose raiders range over the dying northlands, capturing human beings for slaves or meat. Wuruyaaria: where a lone immortal maker wages a secret war against the Strange Gods of the Coranians. Wuruyaaria: a democracy where some are more equal than others, and a faction of outcast werewolves is determined to change the balance of power in a long, bloody election year. Their plans are laid; the challenges known; the risks accepted. But all schemes will shatter in the clash between two threats few had foreseen and none had fully understood: a monster from the north on a mission to poison the world and a stranger from the south named Morlock Ambrosius When I first saw the cover for The Wolf Age by James Enge I knew that I wanted it to be included in Werewolf Appreciation Month. Broody looking hooded figure with a magic sword fighting off hordes of evil looking werewolves. It looked like it would be an absolutely perfect fit. I couldn’t help but love this book could I? I immediately rushed off to Amazon and purchased an imported copy, I’m not sure but I don’t think the book has been officially released in…

Man cannot exist on werewolf related literature alone so as a little break from Werewolf Appreciation Month this next review is a return to the steampunk lunacy of Pax Britannia. Ulysses Quicksilver: agent of the throne, dandy and hero. Heart-broken, battered, mutilated and shot, he’s been driven backwards and forwards in time… but appearing in the middle of a crime scene is never the best way to start your visit to Paris…  I make no secret about the fact that the on-going Pax Britannia series published by Abaddon Books is a personal favourite here at The Eloquent Page. I revelled in the first novel, Evolution Expects, and since then have avidly followed the steampunk flavoured exploits of the series titular hero, Ulysses Quicksilver. Recently the decision was made that the latest book in the series, Time’s Arrow, would allow for the literary equivalent of audience participation. Check out the official announcement from Jonathan Green’s blog below. In the tradition of Charles Dickens himself, Abaddon Books will be publishing Time’s Arrow in three ebook instalments. At the end of parts one (‘Red-Handed’) and two (‘Black Swan’) readers will be able to vote on how the adventure progresses via the Abaddon Books website at www.abaddonbooks.com. The entire text will…

All over the world it is believed there are cursed human beings with the horrifying destiny of changing at full moon and destroying those they love the most -individuals who hide beneath the face of the beast, and beasts who kill with the tortured soul of man. Bound by ancient maledictions, captives of man’s primal side, bearers of insatiable bloodlust and brute strength…they are the wolf men. Horror lends itself particularly well to the short form so it seemed only sensible to include at least one short story collection during Werewolf Appreciation Month. The Mammoth Book of Wolf Men edited by Stephen Jones consists of twenty-five werewolf themed tales.  Each story delves into the werewolf mythos in unique and imaginative ways. My personal favourites are listed below. Twilight at the Towers by Clive Barker – I’m a strong believer that the first story that appears in any collection needs to capture the readers imagination straight off the bat. This blending together of cold war paranoia, and the espionage of a thriller, with the brutality of the werewolf is a great start. This has a similar premise to the classic The Wolf’s Hour by Robert McCammon. The Werewolf by R. Chetwynd-Hayes –…

When Pablocheesecake mentioned he was going to do a month of Werewolf reviews, I was very pleased. Being a big fan of all things Lycan, I immediately volunteered to help out. For me, the Werewolf is quintessentially a creature of horror, and not an excuse for some pretty Native Americans to show off their overly developed pecs. They are the bestial side of humanity, the feral and unhindered darkness that dwells in all of us. It seemed appropriate then, that one of the reviews should be from, in my opinion, the quintessential horror writer – Stephen King. Originally published in 1984, Cycle of the Werewolf is a short horror novel and uniquely features illustrations by renowned comic book artist Bernie Wrightson. The story is set in the small town of Tarker’s Mills, an isolated community in the state of Texas. Nah… I’m only kidding, it’s in Maine. C’mon … this is King after all. The story spans a year in Tarker’s Mills, with each short chapter covering a single month. As each month goes by, the body count starts to rise and the murderer is inevitably called ‘The Full Moon Killer’. The story centres around a young paraplegic called Marty…

My first exposure to Paul Kane’s work was the rather brilliant post apocalyptic remix of Robin Hood that he wrote for Abaddon Books as part of the Afterblight Chronicles series. The trilogy was set in my adopted hometown of Nottingham, and I loved every minute of it. Paul got in touch recently and asked if I would be interested in taking a look at his new short story collection. My interest in short stories has been rekindled this year after some excellent stories published by Spectral Press, so needless to say I jumped at the chance. The Butterfly Man & Other Stories contains eighteen horrific tales that should delight any horror fan. I have been sat here for the last half an hour trying to decide which of the stories were my favourites, a near impossible task when all of them are so damn good. After much umming and ahhing here, in no particular order, are my personal picks from this collection Speaking in Tongues – What happens when your tongue decides its time to leave? This is gross-out body horror that nearly made my eyes pop out of my head. I think it is safe to assume that this…

It was a typical all-American backwater – until the night the monsters came. When four employees of KMRT Radio investigate an unearthly light that cuts off communication with the outside world, they discover that something has taken the place of their friends and fellow townfolk, and imbued them with malign intentions. Little do they know, the phenomenon is not unique to the town of Jesman’s Bend… Last year when I visited FantasyCon 2010 in Nottingham, I picked up a short story collection called Zombie Apocalypse. I loved all the tales included, undead shufflers being a particular favourite of mine, but especially enjoyed the entry written by Peter Crowther. I was surprised by how much his writing put me in mind of Stephen King’s early work. Both authors seem equally blessed with the same gift of being able to convey a wealth of insight into their characters in a few scant chapters. Since then, I have been looking forward to the opportunity to read something else by him. When I heard that Angry Robot were re-releasing Forever Twilight as a trilogy (previously released as a duology in 2002, called Darkness Darkness), this sounded like the perfect place to expand my knowledge…

I’m still enjoying my review free holiday, which will end this weekend with a couple of FantasyCon related items, until then I’d like to share some interesting information that popped into my inbox this morning.   Science Vs Science Fiction in Leicester Central Library Science meets Mad Science in a battle for the ages where everybody wins. On Friday 7th October, Peter F.Hamilton will step into the debating ring with Professor George Fraser to discuss how science fiction’s vision meets, and conflicts, with the realities of science. Hamilton is the UK’s best-selling science fiction author. His work is epic, fascinating, crammed full of ideas and entirely driven by character, Hamilton continually using the small, fragile needs of his painfully human protagonists to highlight the massive scale of his ideas and show their human cost.  He’s a dizzyingly inventive author, and his most recent short story collection, Manhattan in Reverse, only cements his reputation as a figure at the top of his field. Professor George Fraser is an equally heavyweight figure in the field. The Director of the Space Research Centre at the University of Leicester, Professor Fraser has been involved with projects that have gone to the Moon, Mars and…

If you had the chance to live forever, would you take it? It is the year 2019. The cure for ageing has been discovered. If you get the cure, you will never suffer the aches and pains of the old, you will always retain your youthful looks, you will never leave your loved ones behind. Do you… a) Get the cure b) Ignore the cure, grow old and die c) Become a licensed End Specialist for the US Government For John Farrell. It’s not so much of a choice as a mission his life depends on. Before you start reading this review do me a quick favour; go and take a good look at yourself in a mirror right now. It’s ok I’ll wait here… Good, you came back. Now, I’m looking for some honesty here. If you had the choice to stay exactly as you are at this moment in time would you take it?  I’m not worried about your weight or the colour/style of your hair. I want to know if you would be happy with your age? I’ve reached the age (thirty seven since you asked) where I sometimes wake in the dead of night and ponder my…

Mik Dyer is a rock star.  Kim Reid is his number one fan.  Mik has had enough of the shallowness and emptiness of the rock-star lifestyle and wants to end it all.  Kim becomes his willing nemesis, eager to do anything to fulfill her idol’s wishes. The two have never met, but Kim knows what Mik wants from her.  His lyrics, and a drug-induced vision, have given her all the instructions and inspiration she needs. As Mik’s band God Dog return to their hometown for the final gig on their latest tour, there’s more than just songs on the set-list.  The audience is in for a night they’ll never forget… Gig by James Lovegrove, the latest e-book release from Anarchy Books, has an interesting premise. The same story is told in two books, each book covering a different character’s point of view. The two narrative strands begin separately, but gradually start to interweave with one another as they head toward the same moment. Kim and Mik are essentially the alternate sides of the same coin. Mik appears to have everything you could ever want – fame, money, talent. Kim meanwhile, is living in a grubby squat. Barely existing, she survives by dealing drugs to rich…

This is a story about God and the Devil, but not how you were taught to believe. This is also a story about love and hate, and the suffering both can bring. This is about rights and wrongs, and all of the spaces in between. This is about revenge, courage, death, passion; with no villains, no heroes… only those left scorned. This is a story about Heaven, Hell, and the Jury that holds them together. This is The Antithesis. Justice Alezair Czynri is the newest recruit of the Jury, a group of powerful beings who reside in Purgatory and enforce the Code between Heaven and Hell. However, Justice Czynri could not have come at a worse time. A storm lays just over the horizon… One that brings with it a war. I’ll be honest and admit that I was unsure about the premise of The Antithesis when I first heard about it. There are an awful lot of books out there that deal with the eternal battle between angels and demons, and I just wasn’t sure if it would appeal to me. It is not the sort of thing that I would actively seek out. The good news is that…

Sleep Tight. Susan and Alex Wendt are the prefect couple in search of the perfect brownstone – and they find their dream house in the heart of Brooklyn Heights. Sure, the landlady is eccentric, and the handyman drops cryptic remarks about the previous tenants. But the rent is so low; it’s too good to pass up. Big mistake: Susan soon discovers the brownstone is crawling with bedbugs – or is it? She awakens every morning with fresh bites, but neither Alex nor their daughter Emma has a single welt. An exterminator searches the property and turns up nothing. The landlady insists the building is clean. Susan fears she’s going mad – until a more sinister explanation presents itself: She may literally be confronting the bedbug problem from hell. On the face of it Susan and Alex have it all. He is a professional photographer with good prospects; she is an ex-lawyer who has given up her career to focus on her passion for painting. They have a toddler called Emma and are blissfully happy with their lot in life. The only fly in the ointment is that their current residence is just a little bit to small for them all to comfortably…