“Until this point one could almost say that other people had been living his life for him.” This is the first of George Simenon’s so-called roman durs that I have read and I am hooked. Loosely translated as “hard novel”, these books bear very little resemblance to his work on the Maigret series. In these pages he takes on the the dark heart of the petit bourgeousie, with a clear and uncompromising eye. Dr. Mahe is an established country doctor with an appropriately well-ordered life. His […]
Bone to bone, blood to blood, limb to limb
Having read East Coast Rising and most recently Demo (with Brian Wood), I went in search of more work by Becky Cloonan. This arresting book collects three of her self-published stories in a splendid hardback volume. In Wolves, a knight is sent out into the forest after unnamed prey at the behest of his king. As he searches, his thoughts go back to his woman, so beautiful and fragile. She had begged him not to go out on this mission and their parting haunts him. […]
a free man
I like metalheads. I am one. My husband Dave, who is my best friend and personal hero, has introduced me to countless musicians, artists, bands and fans who have enriched my life and expanded my view of the world. Sure there are fatwitted folk in our tribe, like every other. The majority of those that I have met are intelligent, thoughtful and articulate people. Ask my friend Sarah who had a deep philosophical discussion with Mike from YOB and Garett from Secrets of the Sky during a break […]
Things need not have happened to be true
Yeah, I think it was a mistake to try and binge read these books. After the heady experience of The Doll’s House, I should have just taken a break. But I wanted more! Desire would know what I’m talking about. The stories in this book were just okay for me. Calliope and The Dream of a Thousand Cats had some zip and Kelley Jones (The Hammer!!!) does some nice work, especially in The Dream of a Thousand Cats. The Calliope story had a haunting quality […]