After a much-needed* sabbatical from The Eloquent Page, I’m back to it with a renewed sense of purpose. 2024 promises a whole host of great new genre fiction and I intend to point you in the direction of some of the best. I’m easing back into reviewing this year with a short story collection for Black Shuck Books called The End by Kayleigh Dobbs. It’s a small but perfectly formed anthology picking apart my very favourite sub-genre – apocalyptic fiction. Let’s dive right in… The Claim They Stake – Since Billy stopped taking his medication, events have taken a worrying turn. Billy is most concerned about his elderly neighbour. Mr Tiley has gone from being a kindly old gentleman to a lizard creature wearing a human suit.  Billy’s sense of paranoia feels palpable. The growing sense of his panic and desperation is infectious. I’m sure if I was in the same position I’d be bowing down to our reptilian overlords in a matter of minutes.  If, like me, you’re old enough to remember shows like V or sports pundit turned raging conspiracy theorist, David Icke, this story will be a real treat. I have to make an apology to the…