The new anthology of stories from two of Europe's leading independant fiction prizes, 22 Fictions, is published today. With work drawn from the past five years of both the Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize and the Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize, 22 Fictions celebrates the energy and diversity of short fiction writing today. The new … Continue reading 22 Fictions – out now!
literature
Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize event – London, 4 April
Join N G F Clark and other shortlisted authors from the Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize 2023 for an evening event in London on 4 April 2024. Hosted at Burley Fisher Books, Dalston, London, the event is one of three launch events for Eleven Stories: The Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize Shortlist Selection 2023, published … Continue reading Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize event – London, 4 April
The Overstory by Richard Powers – Review
It’s a rare occasion that a novel will stand out for its ability to profoundly affect the way the reader sees the world. The Overstory is one such work. Source: Penguin Books UK In this sprawling, 600-plus page novel, Powers takes us through the arcs of several protagonists whose lives – whether wholly or tenuously … Continue reading The Overstory by Richard Powers – Review
Daemon Voices by Philip Pullman – Review
Often in these sorts of collections repetition (unavoidable, it seems) of certain themes, references, examples, points, etc, tend to bog things down more than they should. This is especially true when it’s a repeated citation that I have no particular interest in. I found this in Neil Gaiman’s recent collection, The View from the Cheap … Continue reading Daemon Voices by Philip Pullman – Review
Common Ground by Rob Cowen – Review
It was after seeing Rob Cowen speak at the WildLines nature writing festival in Leeds that I was intrigued enough to pick up this book to find out more.Common Ground is an interesting scrapbook of various narratives and observations garnered over a nine-month obsession with the nearby 'edgeland' - the common ground of the title … Continue reading Common Ground by Rob Cowen – Review
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson – Review
A lengthy novel deserves a lengthy review, does it not? Oathbringer picks up from the apocalyptic cliffhanger ending of Words of Radiance. I was all set for a race-against-time narrative as the newly-fledged Knights Radiant attempt to save as many of the cities of Roshar as possible in the face of the encroaching Everstorm, and … Continue reading Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson – Review
On worldbuilding: The Nihilistic Architect and the Negligent Gardener
George R R Martin’s now famous analogy of the architect and the gardener distilled the craft of novel-writing into two distinct creative approaches. I would suggest this is a particularly useful analogy when thinking specifically about worldbuilding – the manner in which writers go about creating a fictional universe for their story to live within. … Continue reading On worldbuilding: The Nihilistic Architect and the Negligent Gardener
Kelly Link’s Magic for Beginners – Review
Kelly Link’s award-winning short story collection, Magic for Beginners, whisks the reader along a meandering trail through several unique and inventive twists on the fantastical. Strands of myth, sci-fi and fable commingle with characters who yearn, mock, steal and bicker throughout these nine stories. That might not seem like many but, once read, they leave … Continue reading Kelly Link’s Magic for Beginners – Review
Opera di Cera by Kelley Swain – Review
Threaded through the twisted physiology of Opera di Cera is a fairy tale of the most fluid sort. It’s as if all the latent symbolism of the venerable story type has been set in a pot and put on a long simmer. The reduction is the concise yet flavoursome verse form of Kelley Swain's unique … Continue reading Opera di Cera by Kelley Swain – Review
Monsters in Eden 