Sorcerer to the Crown – Zen Cho

An engaging mixture of Regency Romance and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (but lacking a little in the depth of the latter), this was an enjoyable romp. A little slow to get going but a refreshing change. It’s nice to read a tale in this oeuvre with two main characters who are non-white. Most enjoyable,

Review: Book of Monsters

I didn’t know exactly what to expect from Book of Monsters. I knew it was low budget, and was British, and had monsters in it. I knew it was a horror comedy, which can be excellent (Shaun of the Dead) or execrable (Lesbian Vampire Killers). I didn’t have high hopes. Thankfully, Book of Monsters is

Review: Happy Death Day (2017)

The premise of Happy Death Day intrigued me – I’d heard it described as Groundhog Day meets Scream, and while that description is reasonably apt, it also does an injustice to the film, which manages to be better than the ‘high concept’ pitch makes it sound. This is partly due to the production and direction

Review: The Magicians by Lev Grossman

The Magicians is an interesting book – a postmodern take on Harry Potter and the Narnia books. The main character is highly intelligent, but depressed and lonely. Even when his dreams come true, and he gets to attend a magical school for potential wizards, he discovers that it isn’t what he would hope it would

Review: By The Blood Of Heroes by Joseph Nassise

I very much enjoyed this book. A mash-up of steampunk, zombies, alternate history and boys-own war story, it was perhaps in serious danger of over-egging the pudding, but fortunately the author avoids that and instead manages to create a fast moving, rip-roaring yarn. The creation of ‘corpse gas’ by German scientists has driven the Great War to