Tim Hawken's Blog, page 4
August 24, 2020
The Best Crime Fiction Books with Chris Hammer
Chris Hammer is the author of instant bestseller Scrublands and it’s stunning followup Silver. A journalist with over 30 years of experience, he was also shortlisted for a Walkey award for his first non-fiction novel The River. In 2019 Chris won the CWA Dagger New Blood Award for Best First Crime Novel, has just been shortlisted for the 2020 ABA Booksellers Choice Awards, and takes out my personal award for most memorable character names in any books I’ve ever read. He is a font of knowledge when it comes to crime fiction and the first person I’d ask for recommendations when it comes to finding the best crime fiction books getting around.
Look out for the moment in the podcast where Chris breakdowns every Midsomer Murders plot ever in one neat package. Brilliant stuff.
Here are Chris Hammer’s top crime fiction reads…
Best Crime Fiction Book ‘Classics’Modern Classic, The Broken Shore By Peter Temple
"Flinty, funny, subtle, and smart . . .Temple ranks among [the crime genre's] very best practitioners." --Entertainment Weekly
Older Classic, The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
"[Chandler] wrote as if pain hurt and life mattered." --The New Yorker
The Wife and the Widow by Christian White
"Good Girl, Bad Girl is a gripping and eerie read. You won't be able to look away." --Karin Slaughter, #1 international bestselling author
"Compelling, unexpected twists and a hold-your-breath standoff . . . Hand this one to readers of Tana French and to police-procedural fans." --Booklist
Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic
ONE OF THE YEAR'S 10 BEST MYSTERY NOVELS -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The Girl In The Mirror by Rose Carlise (brand new)
“A seductive debut thriller about greed, lust, secrets, and deadly lies involving identical twin sisters.”
"A darkly illuminating thriller that soars across genre constraints . . ." - The Australian
"The Majesties is a thrilling, tender page-turner, the darker side of Crazy Rich Asians." --Krys Lee, author of Drifting House and How I Became a North Korean
To read Chris Hammer’s books, head to his website or Facebook for updates. I recommend starting at Scrublands. It’s a cracker.
To see all of the best crime fiction book titles above curated in the Genre Wars Shop (which helps support independent bookstores) head here.
The Best Horror Books with Alan Baxter
Alan Baxter is a British-Australian author of supernatural thrillers, horror and dark fantasy. He has written over 20 books, has had over 70 short stories published in award-winning magazines and anthologies, and has been shortlisted for the Ditmar Awards, Aurealis Awards and Shadows awards multiple times, winning three Australian Shadows awards in the process. Alan is the Vice President of the Australasian Horror Writers Association and as a Kung Fu teacher could axe kick the bejeezus out of anyone leaving him bad reviews on Good Reads.
We had a great discussion during episode 3 of the Genre Wars Book Podcast about what makes good horror, whether you can actually define the genre and, of course, the best horror books that people should read.
Here are Alan’s recommendations...
Best Horror Book ‘Classics’The Great Secret Show by Clive Barker
"Barker has an unparalleled talent for envisioning other worlds." -- Washington Post
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
"I think the author who influence me the most as a writer was Richard Matheson. Books like I Am Legend were an inspiration to me." -- Stephen King
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
"The books that have profoundly scared me...are few....But Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House beat them all...It scared me as a teenager and it haunts me still." --Neil Gaiman
Best New Horror Books
The Grief Hole by Kaaron Warren
“The Grief Hole put me immediately into a world I wish I'd never seen and never wanted to leave." --Leslie Bohem
Mongrels By Stephen Graeme-Jones
"Hilarious, painful, fascinating, and satisfying...Will easily be remembered as one of the most unique and unforgettable werewolf tales ever written." --New York Journal of Books
The Cipher By Cathe Koja
Winner of the Bram Stoker Award and Locus Awards, finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award, and named one of io9.com's "Top 10 Debut Science Fiction Novels That Took the World By Storm."
Jack Ketchem’s The Girl Next Door
“Thoroughly disturbing.” -- Alan Baxter
To find Alan’s books and read his stories head to AlanBaxter.com.au (I recommend starting with Devouring Dark). Or connect with Alan on Twitter here or Instagram here.
To see all of the best horror book titles above curated in the Genre Wars Shop (which helps support independent bookstores) head here. I’ve also added one of my favourites, House of Leaves.
The Best Fantasy Books with Jeremy Lachlan
Jeremy Lachlan is a middle-grade fantasy author of the highest order. His debut novel Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds won the 2019 ABIA Book of the Year for older children and his follow up The Key of all Souls has just been released to high praise. Jeremy is not only an accomplished writer, but makes a mean rainbow sponge cake and is one of the few people in the world who know the difference between a maze and a labyrinth. His selection of best fantasy books contain some wonderful surprises. We also had an interesting bonus discussion on the Genre Wars Book Podcast about the hero’s journey and how that factors into his writing process (you’ll find it after the end credits!). Here are a few companion extras for context on what we discussed during the podcast, including Patrick Rothfuss On Literary Snobbery, and some amazing illustrated classic books by The Folio Society.
If you’re all about finding some great fantasy reads, whether you’re a kid or an adult, check out these rippers below…
Best Fantasy Book ‘Classic’The Narnia Chronicles by CS Lewis
"With amazing characters and abundant magic, this series is impossible to forget." --Brightly
The Nevermoor Series by Jessica Townsend
"A Harry Potter-esque adventure." -- Time Magazine
The Narroway Trilogy by Rhiannon Williams
“The first middle-grade novel to ever win the Ampersand Prize!”
Tristan Strong Punches A Hole In The Sky by Kwame Mbalia
“A middle grade American Gods set in a richly-imagined world populated with African American folk heroes and West African gods.”
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Olston
Coming Jan 2021! A cross between Harry Potter and Men In Black.
Best Fantasy Books For AdultsThe Magicians Trilogy Lev Grossman
"Richly imagined and continually surprising. . . This is a gifted writer, and his gifts are at their apex in The Magician's Land.” -- The New York Times Book Review
The Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks
This bonus recommendation is from Tim. One of the best fantasy book series I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading (and I’ve read a lot of them!)
To read The Jane Doe Duology by Jeremy Lachlan find it here. You can also find Jem here on Twitter or here on Instagram.
To see all of the best fantasy book titles above curated in the Genre Wars Shop (which helps support independent bookstores) head here.
The Best Literary Fiction Books with Brooke Davis
Brooke Davis is the first person I ask about the best literary fiction books in any given year. She is the author of Lost & Found, a runaway bestseller published in over 20 countries in multiple languages. Brooke has won the Bobbie Cullen Memorial Award for Women Writers, the postgraduate Queensland Writing Prize, the Matt Richell Award for Best New Writer, iBooks book of the year and the ABIA Fiction Book of the Year for Lost & Found. She also cooks the meanest heart attack muffins this side of the equator.
In episode 1 of the Genre Wars Book Podcast we had a pretty wide-ranging discussion, including why Brooke thinks it’s important to remain playful as an adult writer and how she keeps that practice alive. Brooke’s recommendations often follow her sense of fun. Here are the best literary fiction books according to Brooke Davis…
The Best Literary Fiction ‘Classic’:Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonneguet.
"Marvelous . . . [Vonnegut] wheels out all the complaints about America and makes them seem fresh, funny, outrageous, hateful and lovable."--The New York Times
(As a bonus here is a hilarious clip by Vonnegut on The Shape of Stories)
The Best New Literary Fiction Books:
"A beautiful book ... crammed with a world of insight into death, grief, art, and love." --Wall Street Journal
"The Hunger Games crossed with The Handmaid's Tale." --Cosmopolitan
The Best Undiscovered Literary Fiction Books:The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
"Remarkable . . . With this book [Wolitzer] has surpassed herself." --The New York Times Book Review
To read Lost & Found by Brooke Davis find it here. You can also find Brooke here on Twitter or here on Instagram.
To see all of the best literary fiction book titles curated in the Genre Wars Shop (which helps support independent bookstores) head here.
March 9, 2020
The Witcher Books In Order - How Should You Read Them?
The Witcher series on Netflix has been a wild success. The games franchise also. Because of that, many people are reading, or rereading, the original Witcher books by Andrzej Sapkowski. But what order should you read The Witcher books in? By chronology of story or publishing date? Here’s a guide on The Witcher books in order of how you should read them.
First, a little about the books. The series follows a ‘Witcher’ - a monster hunter with supernatural abilities - called Geralt. He sweeps the land slaying beasts and conquering demons, before succumbing to his destiny - the protection of a child called Ciri. The whole story was sparked way back in the 80s by a short story that appeared in a Polish fantasy magazine called Fantastyk. People loved it so much, it turned into more shorts, then novels. Not until 2007 were they translated into English for the first time. 13 more years later and it’s a global smash hit (take heart authors hoping for a slow-burn success story for their own work).
So, the big question, what are The Witcher books in order?
The Witcher books in order of publishing dateI’m going to go off their original Polish publishing dates, rather than the translations, to keep with how Andrzej Sapkowski laid them out. These are The Witcher books in order of how they were first put out:
Sword of Destiny (1992) - Short Story Collection
The Last Wish (1993) - Short Story Collection
Blood of Elves (1994) - The Witcher Saga
Time of Contempt (1995) - The Witcher Saga
Baptism of Fire (1996) - The Witcher Saga
The Tower of the Swallow (1997) - The Witcher Saga
The Lady of the Lake (1999) - The Witcher Saga
Season of Storms (2013) - Stand Alone Novel
There’s a solid argument here that the order of release should match your reading order of The Witcher. Like Star Wars, it’s how the fans first fell in love with them, so it stands to reason you should take the same path. However, just like Star Wars, there are other opinions on how they should be consumed.
That brings us to an alternative way to read The Witcher books in order.
The Witcher Books in order of story chronologyAs you’ve probably guessed, the order of release has meant that Andrzej Sapkowski has woven through some backstories, filled in gaps and set certain scenes. The order isn’t wildly different to the publishing dates (contrary to our favourite space wizard movies). However, here are The Witcher Books in order of actual story chronology.
The Last Wish
Sword of Destiny
Season of Storms
Blood of Elves
Time of Contempt
Baptism of Fire
The Tower of the Swallow
The Lady of the Lake
The reason for this order is that in the initial short stories time does jump around a lot. In the Netflix series, this causes some confusion with a lot of viewers, which is understandable. While it’s not perfect, the better order is probably The Last Wish first. This is because the history and geography of the continent are set up best in Last Wish, as are the powers and escapades of Geralt. The stories of Sword of Destiny take place right before the main saga and introduce the key character of Ciri. Season of Storms is technically the last book to be published, but is set around this time as well. There’s an argument you could leave Season of Storms out altogether because it’s not central to the main arc of the other books. However, if you’re wanting the full scope of Sapkowski’s world it’s worth diving into.
So, there you have it. Two ways to read The Witcher books in order - by publishing date, or chronology.
If you’re wanting to get your hands on a box set, there are some good ones available on Amazon, or hunt them down at your local book store and support them instead.
If you’re wanting another dark fantasy read, you can also sign up to this newsletter for the first book in the Hellbound Trilogy.
Either way, happy reading and happy monster hunting.
January 27, 2020
Best Australian Horror Writers
When it comes to horror, there are a handful of writer’s names who consistently come up - Stephen King, Clive Barker, Dean Koontz, Shirley Jackson, HP Lovecraft. With the exception of Clive Barker who is English, all of these authors are American. Does that mean there are no good horror writers from other countries? Absolutely not. There is a hotbed of talent in Australia right now when it comes to horror authors. Some people might even be pleasantly surprised that the majority of these are women. To help celebrate some of this homegrown Australian horror writing talent, here are some of the best Australian Horror Writers out there right now.
Image via IFWG Publishing Australia
Kaaron Warren is a seasoned horror writing pro with hundreds of short stories published, multi-award-winning novels, and a story behind her name that will make you smile. If you’re looking for somewhere to dive into Kaaron’s horror stories, a great place to start is her latest book Tide of Stone, which won both the Australian Shadows Award and Aurealis Award, plus was shortlisted for the Ditmar Award’s best novel. Kaaron began her word-slinging career in high school when she changed the spelling of her name because there were five other Karen’s in her year and she wanted to stand out. Her other writing has stood out ever since too. A great Australian horror writer.
Image via Murray’s Goodreads Page
Lee Murray is actually a Kiwi, but like all good things from New Zealand (Russel Crowe, Phar Lap and Lamingtons) I’m claiming her as Australian. So, AUSTRALIAN horror writer Lee Murray is yet another author doing wonderful work in all things dark fiction. Her military-horror series featuring Taine McKenna is fast-paced and action packed. There’s also the incredible Path of Ra books co-written with Dan Rabarts. Aside from being a talented writer, Murray is also a great editor. She worked on Tide of Stone with Kaaron Warren and has put together horror anthologies such as Breach and Hellhole.
Via AlanBaxterOnline.com by Nicole Wells
While we’re co-opting Australians, the next horror writer on the list is British-born, New South Wales-based Alan Baxter. Alan is the vice president of the Australasian Horror Writers Association, a multi Shadows-award winner and bonafide Kung Fu expert. If you’re wanting to dip into Alan’s work with a short story, check out Mephisto on Daily SciFi. Devouring Dark is a great novel to sink your teeth into as well. If pure Dark Fantasy tickles your fancy, then Baxter’s Alex Caine trilogy via HarperVoyager is definitely worth a look too.
Image via Infinitas Bookstore (infinitas.com.au)
Martin Livings is a West Australian horror writer who has been nominated for both the Ditmar and Aurealis Awards. His short stories are legend in the industry, with epic tales like Sparks, El Caballo Muerte and Stillegeist all being absolute rippers. His first novel Carnies won the Tin Duck for best novel by a West Australian writer. Well worth checking out if, like Austin Powers, Carnival Folk give you the willies.
Image by Kirstyn’s Wikipedia entry
Born on Halloween, it seems like Kirstyn McDermott was destined to be a horror author. Her novels Perfections and Madigan mine are both multi-award winners. She has been nominated for pretty much every major Australian horror writers honour over the last decade or more. She lives in a haunted house with a black cat. That last part might be made up, but make no mistake, Kirstyn McDermott is the real deal. Here’s just one quote about her dark brand of awesome: “McDermott’s characters are psychologically complex and precisely observed.” - The Melbourne Age.
Image via AngelaSlater.com by David Pollitt
Dr Angela Slatter writes across the full suite of speculative fiction including horror and fantasy. She has won a World Fantasy Award, a British Fantasy Award, a Ditmar, an Australian Shadows Award and six Aurealis Awards! Her short stories have featured in multiple Best Of anthologies like The Mammoth Book of New Horror, The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, The Best Horror of the Year and The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror. If you struggle with English, her work has even been translated into Bulgarian, Chinese, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Polish, French and Romanian. Check out her Verity Fassbinder series. It’s a cracker. Not quite horror, but bloody awesome.
If you’re interested in checking out some of Australia’s best Sci Fi and Fantasy authors, head here.
November 11, 2019
Top Drabbles From Inktober 2019
This October I set myself a writing challenge - to write an art-inspired micro-story of 100 words (aka a Drabble) every single day. It took a bit of effort, but I made it. The results were so much fun! I’ve previously posted my best drabbles from Wicked Lit Wednesday, so here are the top 5 drabbles from Inktober 2019.
Tanith and the Mertoad
Inspired by the art and characters of Mab Graves.
This wasn’t quite what Tanith expected. To fall in love with a toad. A boy-prince, sure, but a toad as well. All innocence and wonder on one hand, jealousy and petulance on the other.
Tanith supposed humans were like that anyway. Multisided. Good yet mischievous. Happy with deep sadness within. That’s how Tanith reasoned it could work. They were similar enough.
Her full-toad friend Margot didn’t like it though. She wanted to end it immediately. This prince would ruin her friend. Bring out the princess inside, instead of her lovely other.
Perhaps that’s the chance we all take for love.
Inspired by the art of Dave Quiggle
This chicken soup was going to be delicious. What good was a ritual sacrifice if you couldn't eat it after all? That was the best thing about this coven. No waste. Always killing two birds with one crone.
Shirl sprinkled in salt for taste. Mave some jasmine for lust. Joyce, eye of newt for power. Each stirred anti-clockwise six times. Their incantation injected yet more emotional weight within.
The result was an aphrodisiac a thousand times stronger than any pill – driving any who tasted it wild with desire.
That potluck dinner at the Retirement Home would be one interesting affair.
Inspired by the art (and cat) of Feefal
Cats aren’t afraid of the shadows, because they are shadows. For every one that prances in the sunlight, another not-cat slinks beneath. They span dark and light, death and life, claws and cuddles.
Tofu is no different. She crosses time with the swish of a tail. Conquers demons with a meow. Breaks hearts with a purr.
When she feels like it, Tofu appears furry. Other times, as bald as a sphinx.
If you’d lived in Egypt you would have worshipped her. Today, she prefers to stay low key. Monster hunting is so much easier if they don’t see you coming.
Inspired by the art of Ninesque
It’s always safest to ask about the past. Things that have happened cannot be changed.
One night we stupidly asked about the future. Called in the demon of foresight to peer into our fate.
The temperature in the room dropped. Frost formed on our fingers as they moved from letter to letter on the Ouija board.
Words spelled out one by one. FOOLS. The windowpanes rattled.
YOU HAVE OPENED THE WAY TO A PATH OF DOOM
The final prophecy scratched out. We wailed at what we’d unleashed. Cried tears of blood at what we saw…
FOUR.
MORE.
YEARS.
OF.
TRUMP.
Inspired by the dark surrealism of Diane’s Moods
Even though we were different, I miss you. Your curious laugh. Your quirky dress sense. Your warm hand in mine.
I still visit that place we met. The river that swept our hearts together and then swept them apart again.
The water is calm today. Can you see me in its reflection? I see you. I look up at you alone on the bank and wish I could be there. Ease your heartache because you think I’m gone.
I’m not gone. I will always be at this place we met. All you need to do is come down and remember.
For more drabbles like this, head to my Instagram feed here . Or sign up to my newsletter to review them and more in your inbox.
August 13, 2019
The Best Drabbles From Wicked Lit Wednesday
I’ve been doing Wicked Lit Wednesday on my Instagram feed for some time now, creating art inspired micro stories. At 100 words exactly, the correct term for each story is drabble, but don’t let nerd speak get in the way. They’re fast, fun and often dark and twisted. Here’s a selection of the best drabbles from Wicked Lit Wednesday for your reading pleasure.
Claudette - Best Drabble By Likes
Image by Akyut Aydogdu
Claudette walked into the salon with half hope, half dread. Hairdressers usually got things wrong with her. Too short, too long, too colourful, too flat. No one found the right balance.
She was told this one was different.
Claudette asked the lady for something shoulder-length and wavy. “Something… eye catching,” she added.
The hairdresser’s eyes shone. She cut, brushed, sculpted and dried. When she finished, Claudette gasped.
Her hair was the ocean, her face the sparkling shore - an always-moving swirl of movement.
Claudette beamed. “What do I owe you?” she asked.
The lady laughed. “Just your youth… And $80.”
This Wicked Lit Wednesday short story was inspired by the spectacular art of Aykut Aydogdu (@aykutmaykut). You can see more of his art at his website here.
Image by Cedric Peyravernay: https://www.artstation.com/cedricpeyravernay
Willem wanted his invention to be as close to human as possible.
Flesh coating, fluid body movement, emotional responses. That way they'd blend in seamlessly and better do their job. They were even programmed for etiquette.
The teeth were a special touch though. Metal pegs that looked like near-white enamel. An invisible diamond-tip. Perfect for tearing flesh. And bone.
Ideal for eating the corpses that would charge their bio-fuelled batteries.
When the war began, the enemy would be done for. A force already integrated into their society, ready to kill and never, ever die.
Yes. These teeth were just wonderful.
This Wicked Lit Wednesday micro story was inspired by the art of @cedricpeyravernay, found via the amazing @she_walks_softly. Check both their feeds for more.
Image by Michael MacRae: https://www.iamag.co/the-art-of-michael-macrae/
This broken thing looks like me. Or is it me who looks like it? I’ve changed so much it’s hard to tell anymore.
I stare into its lifeless face, looking for a sense of emotion. There’s no fear, no pity, no hope. Nothing. Just like me.
And yet, it reaches inside, feeling around, searching for some kind of spirit. Something to explain this connection we seem to have.
Maybe it’s a shared desire to be fixed. To be whole again. The same goal of all broken things.
Maybe we can find further purpose together. Me and this fractured, alien thing.
This Wicked Lit Wednesday Micro Story was inspired by the surreal art of Michael MacRae, found via @creepmachine on Instagram
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For more drabbles dropped into your feed every Wednesday, check out my Instagram feed here.
May 7, 2019
Daily Feed -- #WickedLitWednesday
This Wicked Lit Wednesday story is inspired by this amazing painting by Boris Groh…
Jimmy looked at his daily feed. The beauty of it distracted him from the biting cold. The snow that wanted to gnaw at his bones.
His eyes reflected the glowing representation of life in front of him. Opportunity that felt so distant yet could still be touched when reaching out with his fingers. He could almost smell it, even in these howling winds.
Jimmy took a step forward. The boy didn’t even hear him, so intent was he on that strange device in his hand. It made it much easier for Jimmy to hunt.
Time to taste his daily feed.
——-
I’ve been loving the art of Boris Groh for a while now and this piece particularly caught my attention. The figure in the background looks less menacing to me than the boy on his phone for some reason. Maybe it’s my dislike for what phones can do to us, distracting us to the point of being zombies. I’m not sure. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to do a little bait and switch story where the reader thinks Jimmy is the boy, but only realises at the end that Jimmy is the beast. If you like this image, there’s another similar one below I think you’ll dig too. You can buy his art in wall prints here too, so get on it if you’re a fan like me. Or, follow him on Instagram here.
Cold Sea by Boris Groh
April 23, 2019
Ghuleh -- #WickedLitWednesday
This Wicked Lit Wednesday drabble was inspired by the dark photography of Mahafsoun.
Image via @mahafsoun on Instagram.
GHULEH
I was trembling when they found me. Staring into space, away from the horrors in the room.
They picked up the pieces, trying not to disturb me. A blanket was thrown over my shoulders. Limbs placed in bags.
Then, a noise disturbed my reverie. A closing door. A shout of confusion. Those cleaning up were now trapped as well.
I smiled. The memory I was lost in about to be relived. The smell of fear. The sound of tearing flesh. The taste of blood.
I started trembling harder. Not with fear. With excitement. This is what Ghuleh were spawned for.
Image titled Ghuleh, via @MahafsounArt on Facebook
Context: I’m not sure how I first came across the photography of Mahafsoun. Probably via Instagram. She has an interesting look and obviously a dark mind, probably nurtured through her love of metal music. The song Ghuleh by Ghost may be the inspiration behind this, or maybe it’s the Arabic tales of female ghouls. I liked the interplay between these images, where in one Mahafsoun could be frightened, traumatised or maybe just contemplated, then in the second she’s clearly seductive and oddly happy. It got me wondering what could spur on that change in mood, so created the above drabble as a play on that. I hope you enjoy.
