Recent Reads

"What have you read recently, Steve?"

Well, (who said that?) me and my new Kindle have been busy, since you ask.

First off I read Cate Gardner's "Theatre of Curious Acts", which in true Gardneresque style is a strange tale of madness and intrigue based around the trenches of World War I. The plot swirls and chokes like mustard gas, and the thin line between the real and the surreal is, as is so often Gardner's hallmark, decidedly blurred.

Theatre of Curious Acts

Definitely one to pick up, and at a mere £1.97 for a download, Gardner's practically giving it away.

Mark Gunnells' "The Quarry" is a 'High School Horror/Suspense' work that tells the tale of the close-campus lake that now hides the old, abandoned quarry, and the evil that lurks therein. When this evil is disturbed, we have what is essential a very visual piece of writing which I think it would make a good film. Chock full of love interests, there's a depth to this story beyond that of the lake itself.

The Quarry

I also read and reviewed for The Future Fire the novel "Panoptica" by Patrick Hudson. The full review is here (scroll down to Panoptica):

The Future Fire

But in a nutshell this is a near-future tale of a dystopian society of invasive surveillance coupled with an insatiable appetite for the 'reality show'. What follows is not only a delicious parody on today's 'X-Factor' culture but also carries real depth as to the fears for privacy and reality such a society would surely trample upon.

Panoptica