INSIDE THE GESTAPO
by Helene Moszkiewiez
PIRATE QUEEN
by Judith Cook
The books aren’t related, I picked the first one because, well, that’s a pretty good if direct title, while the second had a nice psuedo-map cover that I usually fall fo[…]

A sixteen year old me would have loved Three Men In A Boat. The thirty one year old is less taken by its rambling travelogue. I still found it funny, and its constant digressions entertained, but it pales in comparison to what followed it. Clearly Je[…]

My basic critical position on ‘mainstream’ comics (superhero comics, for the purposes of this post) is that they are awful and getting worse. This was based on a) my experiences reading them during the 90s and b) prejudice. Somewhat annoy[…]

The Bat Tattoo by Russell Hoban
I’m not sure why, but my respect and love for his work is much greater than my memory for him. When I think of my favourite writers, or the best living British writers, he seems not to leap to mind, but he should[…]

Poor Richard

The Camera Always Lies and The Camera Always tells the Truth –
Raymond Neilson
Avedon is dead, and I think now, a special kind of photography will go with him – he was the one that played both ends against the middle. The on[…]

Superman Lovers: this seems like the worst reason for a baby’s name ever. Would other European countries be so draconian, however? I am sure for instance that a baby born in Germany being named “Ubermensch” because when he was born […]

More London business: this coming weekend may be a good weekend for sniffing around the cutting edge of East London’s art world. It’s F-EST so they’ll be looking out for you. This may make it a bad time to go and visit, depending on[…]

The szchphthiel on the back of Richard Morgan’s Market Forces suggests that “what he did for science fiction, he now does for the thriller”. Well, if what he did for sf was introduce large trade paperbacks with shiny glossy covers h[…]

I am NOT the Beastmaster!: back when I was new to the Interweb I read the comics USENET groups. One of the most reliably perceptive writers there was a guy called Marc Singer, and when I stopped reading the newsgroups I… forgot all about him. U[…]

So if you’ve taken my advice and wandered up to Cork Street in London’s Mayfair to look at the giant jelly babies, please take a few minutes to have a look at the Redfern Gallery. The main show at the moment is a series of very simple wor[…]