Last year I had the good fortune to read The Kill Crew and then Meat by Joseph D’Lacey. Each were superb examples of the horror genre, both are darkly bleak but utterly compelling. D’Lacey’s latest publication is Snake Eyes, a single volume split into two separate novellas. This is a slight departure for the author as the first story moves into the realms of science fiction while the second has a more fantastical tone. A Man of Will and Experience – Robert Johnson dreams of spiders, thousands of them. When he wakes, the true nightmare begins: a tube has been attached to his head – to everyone’s – but he’s the only one aware of it. His cosy suburban life unravels into paranoid hallucination as Johnson fights to free himself from the control of unseen forces. I don’t want to delve to deeply into the plot, I believe that part of the enjoyment of this particular story is making discoveries yourself, but what I will say is be prepared to explore a landscape that shifts on more than one occasion. Be ready for an experience that feels akin to reading without the aid of a safety net. The story veers off…

Zombie gunfighters, insane cherubs, government sanctioned torturers, bright orange snot and steam-punk thugs are just a few of the delights you’ll find amongst the pages of the latest short story anthology from Anarchy Books. It contains twenty-two, yes you read that correctly twenty two, short stories that range from the sublimely horrific to the ridiculously evil. At the princely sum of just eighty-nine pence that works out at roughly four pence per story, damn good value in these trying economic times. The collection begins with the following advice – …Vivisepulture is not a read to be taken lightly. No. You must dim the lights, envelop yourself in a calm, quiet, brooding atmosphere; maybe pour yourself a stiff sherry or a single malt; prepare for transportation into bizarre Other Realms; and hope that YOU, Dear Reader, never succumb to the act of vivisepulture… Inside you’ll find that there are a plethora of quirky stories to enjoy. Some of my personal favourites are listed below. Rotten Cupid by Ian Graham  – A man suffering from a broken heart finds himself in a fight to the death with Cupid. Is it just the booze, or is there something far more sinister going on? You…

Thaddeus Blaklok – mercenary, demonist, bastard and thug-for-hire – is pressed into retrieving a mysterious key for his clandestine benefactors. Little does he know that other parties seek to secure this artifact for their own nefarious ends and soon he is pursued by brutal cultists, bloodthirsty gangsters, deadly mercenaries and hell spawned monsters, all bent on stopping him by any means necessary.  In a lighting paced quest that takes him across the length and breadth of the steam-fuelled city of Manufactory, Blaklok must use his wits and his own demonic powers to keep the key from those who would use it for ill, and open the gates to Hell itself. I remember hearing once somewhere, that Mos Eisley spaceport is a wretched hive of scum and villainy. After reading Kultus, I am convinced that Manufactory may come a close second. The inhabitants of this city, bar a few notable exceptions, are a resolutely nasty bunch. Everyone spends much of their time looking out for number one. Double crossing family, friends and business partners is standard practice. Into this mix we are introduced to the force of nature that is Thaddeus Blaklok. He is best described as a ‘tattooed bulldog’ of…

@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…

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…

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…

Please note The Mayan Resurrection is the direct sequel to The Mayan Prophecy and the following review will likely contain spoilers for those that have not read the first novel. The prize was our salvation. The price was his soul. After sacrificing himself to preserve the human race, Michael Gabriel is imprisoned in a torturous, purgatory-like dimension in the Mayan netherworld. The Mayan prophecy states that the Hero Twins – Michael’s sons Jacob and Immanuel, born to his wife Dominique the year after his entrapment  – must travel to the Mayan realm in their twentieth year to free and resurrect him. Yet it also carries a warning. Born on the same day as the twins is a dark force that threatens their destiny. This, the Abomination – the female yin to their yang – represents evil in its purest form, and will not yield until they succumb to its temptation. The 21st December 2012, the winter solstice has come and gone and the prophecised apocalypse has been averted by Michael Gabriel. He has saved all of humanity by sacrificing himself. The Mayan Resurrection picks up a few months after the events in the climax of The Mayan Prophecy and follows…

Meet Justice D, a Justice SIM umbilicated since birth who killed his own mother. Used by GOV as a hardcore merciless killer hunting down rebs in the dregs, Justice D has little emotion. His biggest hobby is upgrading his armour, weapons and augmentations, taking mandrake narco and listening to groovy groovy MM. For decades now, humanity has been colour-blind, a disability inflicted – so GOV believes – by a disease named HRG/Canker and carried by all animals across the planet. As the scientist Cantrell discovers the causes for Canker, so GOV begin a global culling of all animals in order to save Humanity… On a patrol in the dregs, Justice D is saved by a cat which he calls Emmy. He soon learns to love his cat, until GOV discover his secret… and send Battle SIMs to shut him down… I don’t believe it. He’s only gone and done it again!  One week after I review the latest Anarchy Books release, Monstrocity by Jeffrey Thomas, and another is already lined up for release. I can only assume that High Anarchy Overlord, Andy Remic, keeps these poor, slightly befuddled authors chained to a word processor in a windowless room somewhere demanding that…

There are haunted places. Haunted houses. The metropolis of Punktown, on the planet Oasis, is a haunted city. An unassuming young man perceives the city’s dark tentacles in the lay of the streets, its roots in the labyrinth of subways, a polluted taint in the eyes of people around him. And this evil is building toward an apocalyptic culmination… The city is not only haunted… maybe it’s alive… Punktown is a vast sprawling alien metropolis that is home to many different species, including humans. Christopher Ruby is a lowly customer support analyst for a network service provider. His life is meandering along, and he is at a bit of a loose end until he meets the exotic, gothic Gabrielle. Gabrielle is naturally inquisitive and has a passing interest in the occult. She attempts some incantations and finds herself fundamentally changed by her exposure to forces that she doesn’t really understand. This experience creates a wedge between her and Chris and their relationship suffers as a result. Gabrielle is changed significantly; she is no longer the woman that Chris fell in love with. Their relationship deteriorates even further and this leads to a life changing confrontation for them both. Monstrocity has some interesting…

Please note that Instinct is the second Chess Team novel by Jeremy Robinson. This novel may contain minor spoilers if you haven’t read Pulse. When the President of the United States falls victim to a weaponized amd contagious strain of a genetic disease – one that kills its victims without warning or symptom – Special Forces commander Jack ‘King’ Sigler is on the case. He and his team of highly trained operators have been assigned to protect a CDC detective as she journeys to the source of the new strain: Vietnam’s Annamite Mountains.  Surrounded by old landmines, harsh jungle terrain, and more than one military force not happy about the return of American boots to the Ho Chi Minh trail, the fight for survival becomes a grueling battle. Pursued by the VLPA Death Volunteers, Vietnam’s Special Forces unit, the team’s flight through a maze of archaic ruins reveals an ancient secret that may stop the disease from sweeping the globe – even as it threatens both the mission and their lives.  Before we begin I have a question. Have you ever seen the movie Crank starring Jason Statham? It is a non-stop assault on the senses as Jason rampages across…

Buried in the Peruvian desert, sealed beneath a Greek-inscribed stone, lies a legendary relic which may hold the key to life itself, By extracting its DNA, Richard Ridley of Manifold Genetics hopes to bio-engineer the ultimate weapon – an army of soldiers who regenerate and continue to fight without stopping. The prefect killing machines… Enter Special Forces commander Jack “King” Sigler and his “Chess Team” of highly trained operators. Under the president’s orders, they must intercept Ridley’s genetic terrorists – and stop the unstoppable – using all the fire power at their command. But even the Chess Team is no match for a legend the refuses to die…and an enemy that can’t be killed. I have noticed an interesting trend over the last couple of years. When it comes to the thriller genre there is a definite lean toward including more fantastical elements in novels. Now it is true to say that some purists may find this cross-pollination unwelcome.  I, for one, totally disagree with that. This change appears to have reinvigorated the genre and opened up whole new avenues of storytelling. Pulse is a great example of this cross over writing. The novel blends together the high levels of action you would…