David A. Riley's Blog, page 35
March 6, 2021
My Review of Bloody Britain to be broadcast on Big Hits Radio this Sunday
My review of Anna Taborska's short story collection Bloody Britain (Shadow Publishing, 2020) will be broadcast by Trevor Kennedy this Sunday on his two-hour radio show between 12 noon and 2 p.m. on Big Hits Radio.My review was originally published in Phantasmagoria magazine #17. If you would like to read it now follow this link: Book Review - Bloody Britain.
March 4, 2021
The Ever More Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts
The Ever More Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts is developing well, with great sections of new illustrations for M. R. James, H. P. Lovecraft, William Hope Hodgson, Clark Ashton Smith, Adrian Cole's Elak: King of Atlantis, The Fantastic Fiction of Hans Bok, Robert E. Howard, and Phantasmagoria magazine. Others are in the process of being included - details soon.
The Ever More Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts will be a fitting sequel to the first volume, published in hardcover and packed with brand new black and white and full-colour illustrations.
All pre-ordered copies will be signed by Jim Pitts and will include 5 black & white or colour prints (please select from here) and will be posted as soon as the book is published.
If you have any queries please contact us at paralleluniversepublications@gmx.co.uk
To pre-order a copy click on the following link to our Pre Order page: Pre Orders
Stargirl
These days I don't usually have much time for superhero series, with the exception of The Boys, of course, and Gotham, but I must admit I really enjoyed watching
Stargirl
, even though I thought initially I would hate it. Why did I like it? The acting was great, the storylines were intererestingly original, and the villains were realistically evil to the nth degree. I must admit it isn't a series I would have expected to like, especially given that some of the central characters were teenage girls (!) Maybe it was helped along a lot by actors like Trae Romano who played Stargirl's stepfather and sounded a hell of a lot like Nicolas Cage. The humour in it was helpful too, contrasting with the violence and deaths that littered the stories. And there were some excellent special effects and a great giant robot. Deception (The Best Offer) - 2013 Movie
Watched an absolutely astonishingly good film on amazon prime last night, Deception (outside the UK known as The Best Offer) directed by Giuseppe Tornatore and starring Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Sylvia Hoeks, and Donald Sutherland. I had never even heard of this film before but it is now one of my favourite films ever, fabulously directed, acted and written, with some of the most stunning sets ever created. Thoroughly recommended.
January 31, 2021
My first story published in 2021 - Boat Trip in Lovecraftiana magazine Candlemas 2021 issue
My first magazine appearance this year is in the Candlemas 2021 issue of Lovecraftiana magazine. Boat Trip was first published in paperback and hardcover in The Third Spectral Book of Horror edited by Joseph Rubas in 2016. It also appears in After Nightfall & Other Weird Tales, illustrated by Jim Pitts.
To order copies of this magazine click on this link.
January 8, 2021
My review of Bloody Britain by Anna Taborska
This is a copy of my review in the latest issue of Phantasmagoria magazine:
BLOODY BRITAIN by Anna Taborska
Shadow Publishing, UK, 2020
Despite its Grand Guignol title this is a beautiful book, with a magnificent cover by Paul Mudie, marvellously meticulous illustrations by Reggie Oliver for each of the stories, and of course the stories themselves, which are every bit as good as you would expect from film-maker and horror writer Anna Taborska, whose debut collection from Mortbury Press, For Those who Dream Monsters won the Dracula Society’s Children of the Night Award and was nominated for a British Fantasy Award.
In his introduction, Robert Shearman writes: “…God protect me from being a character in an Anna Taborska story: Anything but that. Please.”
Which is more than understandable! Anna takes no prisoners. Or, when she does, they are still made to suffer the tortures of Hell!
Most of the stories in this collection have been published before in a number of prestigious anthologies, from Paul Finch’s Terror Tales series (Terror Tales of the Lake District, Terror Tales of Northwest England, and Terror Tales of London) and the late Charles Black’s Black Book of Horror. Indeed, the book is dedicated to Charles Black, who died last year at far too young an age, and who published Anna’s first collection.
“Teatime”, despite its innocuous title is typical of what is in Bloody Britain. Our “hero” Victor enjoys watching people die and specialises in making sure that when they do they are suffering from their worst nightmares. He is the supreme sadist, who has developed the knack of finding out just what each of his target’s greatest, most terrifying phobia is. In its 38-pages Victor participates in a horrendous spree of blood-curdling cruelty to victims who deserve anything but what befalls them, right up until its savage climax. Sleepless nights are guaranteed after reading this!
I was going to say that the supernatural does not figure largely in these stories, but “Night of the Crone” from Terror Tales of the Lake District belies me. Here we have an ancient evil that a gang of young hooligans inadvertently unleash on themselves, the good, the bad and the downright nasty. And, of course, we have “Cyril’s Mission” with its giant worm: “Its skin was brownish-pink and membranous. Stretched out on the floor, the abomination extended from one end of the crypt to the other. As Cyril stared at it, the beast reared up, its front half towering above him. The priest watched as a gaping maw opened in its featureless snout, exposing a halo of slavering, flesh-coloured tentacles surrounding a set of sharp, lamprey-like teeth…” A more horrifying monster it would be difficult to imagine.
All in all, a satisfyingly varied collection of tales that fully live up to the book’s title!
Phantasmagoria - only £9.99 on amazon:
Amazon
January 7, 2021
Another 5-star review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 1
I am really pleased to see that Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 1 which I edited and Jim Pitts provided illustrations has received yet another glowing 5-star review on amazon.
"What an enjoyable book. Quality sword and sorcery stories and amazing art by Jim Pitts. The general tone of the book was dark with a few lighter tales. A couple of my favorite stories were by Steve Dilks and Adrian Cole. I would recomend this series to anyone with a love of fantasy. I will be waiting for volume 2"
Parallel Universe Publications
January 6, 2021
My review of Eccentric, Impractical Devils: The Letters of August Derleth and Clark Ashton Smith
Below is my review published in the last issue of Phantasmagoria magazine.
ECCENTRIC, IMPRACTICAL DEVILS: THE LETTERS OF AUGUST DERLETH AND CLARK ASHTON SMITH
Edited by Dave E. Schultz and S. T. Joshi; Hippocampus Press, New York, 2020
Every struggling writer should read this book as many of the exchanges are about writing stories, revising them (including their endings) and selling them to the markets available at the time, including all the rejections. For those of us who look back on writers like Clark Ashton Smith with awe it's enlightening to see how he too struggled with the same problems that beset the rest of us today.
These letters cover the period from 1931, when Smith was at the height of his powers as a writer, turning out the vast bulk of his meticulously written tales, till his death in 1961. They are a wonderful insight into the friendship between Smith, Derleth, Lovecraft, Wandrei and others, all of whom regularly exchanged carbon copies of their finished stories or works in progress for frank and honest criticism. Smith comes over as someone who was fully aware of his weaknesses as a writer and more than prepared to take in and act upon any suggestions Derleth made to him. Both men spent a great deal of time reading and evaluating the pros and cons of what the other had written and were never afraid to detail these in the numerous letters they sent to each other.
The last section of letters are those exchanged between Smith’s wife, Carol and August Derleth, often discussing the publication of Smith’s poetry and collections of his short stories by Arkham House. Derleth’s letters are illuminating on the problems he had to face over printing costs and the slow sales of the books Arkham House published.
The sheer honesty of these letters, from all participants, on the problems they had to face, their health issues, and, importantly, their thoughts on the creative process make for fascinating reading. They are a window into a lost world and, for me at least, are thoroughly absorbing.
The book also has a detailed Appendix, a section of reviews, a Bibliography, and an Index. There is even a list of Smith’s royalty earnings from Arkham House with a detailed analysis.
At 600 pages this is a must for anyone with a serious interest in Clark Ashton Smith and a revealing insight into August Derleth as well. Hippocampus Press are to be congratulated on publishing yet another important, well-researched book.
Phantasmagoria - only £9.99 on amazon:
January 1, 2021
After Nightfall & Other Weird Tales published in paperback and kindle
I am really pleased to announce that the New Year is starting with the publication in paperback and kindle of After Nightfall & Other Weird Tales, lavishly illustrated by Jim Pitts. The paperback is £11.99, the kindle £2.99.
The paperback is available through most online retailers and direct from PUP.
Just like the hardcover version published recently, the book contains the following stories:
Three Eyed Jack
The Fragile Mask on his Face
Terror on the Moors
The Shade of Apollyon
Writer's Cramp
Fish Eye
Boat Trip
Prickly
After Nightfall
Here are just a few of the amazing illustrations, nineteen of which are full page.
December 31, 2020
"This is an entertaining anthology of new sword and sorcery with a diverse range of unique tales." The Spiral Tower reviews Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy
Thrilled to see yet another favourable review of Swords & Sorceries:"This is an entertaining anthology of new sword and sorcery with a diverse range of unique tales."
The Spiral Tower reviews Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy.
To read the full review click on this link.
Parallel Universe Publications
