Apologies...

For the dearth of posts on this here blog. A family crisis has been taking up much of my time and lesser matters have been neglected.

I would also like to apologise to publishers who have sent me review copies in recent weeks. I am unlikely to get round to any more reviews for a while. Sorry, events beyond my control and all that.

Let me just mention two books on my 'to review' pile.

Secret Europe from Tartarus Press is a new themed collection by Mark Valentine and John Howard.

'... an astonishing work of fiction that effortlessly displaces the world we know with the world created on the pages we read. By virtue of strong, character-based storytelling, subtle prose and genuinely inventive strangeness, Valentine and Howard create a version of Europe that is not ours, but partakes of that which we know in such a manner as to be more powerful than what is real.' Rick Kleffel, The Agony Column

Also on the bedside pile is Charles Wilkinson's Splendid in Ash from Egaeus Press. This is a lovely collector's item, splendidly produced, and featuring not one but two stories that first appeared in ST.



Charles' previous collection A Twist in the Eye was reviewed by yours truly. If this new book is as good as the last one, it is well worth your attention.