Stuart Aken's Blog, page 30
July 13, 2022
Con, by Mark P Henderson: #BookReview.
Con is a complex psychological thriller and a sequel to the author’s novel ‘Perilaus II’, but you don’t need to have read the first novel, though reading ‘Con’ will almost certainly inspire you to read its predecessor.We enter the dangerous, disturbing world of the prison here and the author takes us to the beast without …
July 10, 2022
Why That Title? – The Methuselah Strain.
Titles for works of fiction often cause authors a good deal of soul-searching. Ideally, we want to give potential readers clues about content, theme, style, and storyline. Not easy in anything from one to maybe a dozen words. Of course, the best titles are revealed as obvious choices once a book’s been read, so this …
July 9, 2022
#ScenicSaturday 09/July/22
Safe behind the ancient barrier of stone, small boats rest on coastal mud in Staithes harbour on the North Yorkshire coast. But, as sea level rises over coming years, will they be forever safe? Will increased water volume break and overwhelm such old defensive walls? Perhaps, if we act right now to reduce our damaging …
July 6, 2022
The Forever House, by Linda Acaster: #BookReview
This book is very much about relationships, but in a setting with sinister undertones. The very ordinariness of happenings in the introducing chapter allows the following chapters to slowly build tension edged with something initially unknown but seemingly sinister.The book deals well with the nature of loss and grief, without a sentimental overlay and through …
Continue reading The Forever House, by Linda Acaster: #BookReview
July 3, 2022
Why That Title? – Breaking Faith.
Titles for works of fiction often cause authors a lot of soul-searching. Ideally, we want to give potential readers clues about content, theme, style, and storyline. Not easy in anything from one to, say, a dozen words. Of course, the best titles are revealed as obvious choices once a book’s been read, so this series …
July 2, 2022
Horse of the Same Colour, by Melodie Trudeaux: #BookReview.
This children’s book is a follow-up to Horse of a Different Colour, and follows the adventures of Megan, Amy, and their fiends and enemies as they encounter more strange magic, ‘swaps’, and discover another foul scheme by the loathsome O’Neill. The story begins with an unexpected encounter between Megan and Jack, the horse with which …
Continue reading Horse of the Same Colour, by Melodie Trudeaux: #BookReview.
#ScenicSaturday 02/July/22
How many hands, over how many years, built such walls? Gravity and skill alone hold those stones together and keep them standing in line. Gathered by hand from fields they surround and define, they keep in sheep and keep out those who do not belong. Centuries old, many have stood, others rebuilt, and still the …
June 28, 2022
Shadeward: Expiation, by Drew Wagar: #BookReview.
The story concludes. And what a conclusion! Drew Wagar has created a masterpiece with this quartet of fantasy/sci-fi books set on a distant world in a not-too-distant future. In keeping with the social structure and history of the people starring in this series, he has kept the technological aspects as brief as possible, including only …
Continue reading Shadeward: Expiation, by Drew Wagar: #BookReview.
June 25, 2022
Walking on the Greek Island of Skiathos
I posted an illustrated piece on Medium. If you’re a walker, or you’re thinking of visiting the Greek island of Skiathos, you might find it interesting. You’ll find it here.
#ScenicSaturday 25/June/22
What forces made these hills What cataclysm gouged the vale How many millennia has sea Washed its waves against Solid rock to wear it down And how much longer Will the land remain? # A daily post on natural beauty is hard to sustain if I’m to get on with my normal writing, so I’ve …
