In this flip “psycho-thriller”, bored schoolmaster Mr. Cartwright turns into a platinum-smuggler and locks horns with an Italian crime syndicate run bIn this flip “psycho-thriller”, bored schoolmaster Mr. Cartwright turns into a platinum-smuggler and locks horns with an Italian crime syndicate run by two nondescript brothers. Among them is ice-cool femme fatale Guigna, who our hero diligently bonks within hours of meeting. His newfound fearlessness sends him down a path of casual murder and casual sex in a novel that has Fleming-lite aspirations and little of the valuable psychological insights found in Storey’s literary works. Action takes a backseat to dialogue in a sort-of-thriller written in clipped no-frills prose. Casual larks abound. Larks so casual, the novel appears to have been printed straight from the typewritten MS, with underlined words indicating italics for the typesetter left as-is in the published text. Readers will be thrilled to learn a sequel, Platinum Ass, was released soon after. ...more
Another triumph of style, West reimagines the early life of his parents with his characteristic incisiveness, wit, incorrigible imaginative brillianceAnother triumph of style, West reimagines the early life of his parents with his characteristic incisiveness, wit, incorrigible imaginative brilliance, and hilarious inappropriateness. ...more
The penultimate novel from an irrepressible titan of English letters, Babes in the Darkling Wood is another discursive, exploratory epic, where two yoThe penultimate novel from an irrepressible titan of English letters, Babes in the Darkling Wood is another discursive, exploratory epic, where two young lovers explore the limits of their societal rebellion on the eve of the Second World War. Into the mouths of these babes Wells places long erudite mini-essays on atheism, marriage, Russia under Stalin, predictions on the world after the war, the need for a World State, and the efficacy of fledgling psychotherapeutic techniques. Progressive and right about almost everything, Wells predicts the need for mental health treatment as part of shaping the future of man after the war, something that was not provided to shell-shocked veterans, most of whom suffered from undiagnosed PTSD all their lives. One of Wells’ better late-late-period efforts, this novel more coherently knits together many of the writer’s preoccupations without sacrificing the drive of the narrative. ...more
Haunting vignettes of alienation and paranoia and an ice-cold examination of the horrors of having a mental illness before people understood mental ilHaunting vignettes of alienation and paranoia and an ice-cold examination of the horrors of having a mental illness before people understood mental illness. Stunning, chilling prose. ...more
A solid slab of eighties social realism featuring a glittering array of class schisms, strikes, well-meaning wishy-washy liberals, and an unsound careA solid slab of eighties social realism featuring a glittering array of class schisms, strikes, well-meaning wishy-washy liberals, and an unsound care-home orphan nicknamed Orph around which the zeitgeist revolves. Perfect for fans of vintage eighties violence à la Alan Clarke and early Mike Leigh....more
Richard Ingham was a one-book wonder, swinging onto the scene in 1974 with an early publication from the fledgling Allison & Busby, slapping this limiRichard Ingham was a one-book wonder, swinging onto the scene in 1974 with an early publication from the fledgling Allison & Busby, slapping this limitlessly silly comedy thriller on the table, then vanishing forever. Subtitled in a reissue as an “amoral romp”, Yoris follows a frustrated private school teacher who insinuates himself into a pharmaceutical company to steal the secret formula of a male contraceptive pill, while courting two lovers on the side, one of whom has large breasts that the narrator is keen for Yoris to fondle at every available opportunity. A dated, anarchic, utterly stupid romp, not too far from Richard Kluger’s (far better) National Anthem. If you ever stumble upon Yoris at a bookfair or buried in a second-hand bookshop, pick it up and indulge your inner smutty teen....more
A random non-fiction plucking from a library shelf is my usual remedy for a reading slump, allowing me the chance to sober up from a month-long binge A random non-fiction plucking from a library shelf is my usual remedy for a reading slump, allowing me the chance to sober up from a month-long binge of glorious fiction with the hard slap of fact. This book from a polling wonk at IPSOS presents a series of charts and glosses on those charts showing how wrong people are when called upon to make assumptions based on no prior data. As I discovered reading this detailed pseudo-academic thesis, the world of people making inaccurate assumptions about issues with no prior data is far less interesting than I previously assumed—20% less tedium, 40% more intellectual fireworks, and 80% quicker reading time were my predictions—meaning I will lower my expectations around social science books from polling wonks on how wrong people are when they are asked to make assumptions from a position of ignorance in future. Lesson learned. ...more
Storey’s penultimate novel is an exploration of a fraught fraternal relationship, both brothers bearing a similarity to the author and the author DaviStorey’s penultimate novel is an exploration of a fraught fraternal relationship, both brothers bearing a similarity to the author and the author David Storey (the brother of Anthony Storey). A lean slice of familial menace in line with his other strange psychological explorations and of the same witty, compelling calibre....more
Unless the C86 cassette—a selection of songs from influential / mediocre / underrated indie bands compiled by the NME in 1986—provided a musical awakeUnless the C86 cassette—a selection of songs from influential / mediocre / underrated indie bands compiled by the NME in 1986—provided a musical awakening, some of the tales of former band members now working as teachers or ambulance drivers or record executives might not be the most stimulating read. And the somewhat precious recollections of some of the ex-members still “dabbling” in their studios can indeed seem a little cringe-inducing. On the whole, Nige Tassell’s sincere and warm-hearted quest provides a very engaging glimpse into a brief period when British indie music was at a crossroads. The recurring theme is the patronage of John Peel, without whose insatiable appetite for new off-kilter music, most of these bands would never have recorded a single EP. In the case of the mediocre bands (Bogshed, Fuzzbox, Age of Chance), Peel’s enthusiasm kept untalented egos recording for far too long, in the case of the underrated ones (Big Flame, McCarthy, Shop Assistants), Peel’s enthusiasm helped them cultivate cult followings as the bands struggled to survive while the Madchester era began to dominate British indie. The Wedding Present, Primal Scream, and Half Man Half Biscuit all went on to have long recording careers and produce stunning bodies of work—however, it’s worth checking out the cassette for the brilliant songs from Mighty Mighty, Stump, The Mighty Lemon Drops, Big Flame, and The Pastels....more
A surreal SF novel that predicts the rise of hostile AI systems, albeit in a 1960s way, with spools and tapes and other vintage tech, set in a paranoiA surreal SF novel that predicts the rise of hostile AI systems, albeit in a 1960s way, with spools and tapes and other vintage tech, set in a paranoid company compound where previous doubters and leakers end up murdered. The novel itself focuses more on the domestic drama between the scientist and his perturbed wife and is an interesting if inessential study in alienation and opaquely defined dystopia....more
Shot through with a lexicographer’s love of words, the stories in this collection veer from the playfully surreal to the poignantly poised to the overShot through with a lexicographer’s love of words, the stories in this collection veer from the playfully surreal to the poignantly poised to the overindulgently twee and/or smug. As someone similarly prone to caressing the cute carcasses of words to ludicrous lengths, any complaints I may have about the attention Williams draws to the words in her stories, and the delight with which she tantalises the reader with her unrelenting wordplay, are blatant hypocrisy. The strongest stories are those where Williams reins in the verbivoracity—too many read like someone mainlining the Britannica for 24 hours and heaving up factoids onto the page like a coked-up QI elf—while alluding to an ex-lover/ex-friend who has seemingly walked out in exasperation at the narrator’s irritating overeagerness. Also, the marvellous opening story ‘The Alphabet’ encapsulates her talent so perfectly that the other stories seem to sit in its shadow or strive to recreate its magic....more
Published as WWII was in full swing, Wells turned his mind to how we may start civilisation again across a series of spiky duologues between a latter-Published as WWII was in full swing, Wells turned his mind to how we may start civilisation again across a series of spiky duologues between a latter-day Noah and the Lord (and at one point, a vole), rifling through various failed political systems and personality types like a bored shopper idly dismissing items on a clothing rail. An incoherent, fairly dashed-off squib from Wells, who may have had other things on his mind like the annihilation of all life on Earth, or whether The Wheels of Chance: A Bicycling Idyll would ever be reprinted....more
Nottingham rebel sinks pale ale and stout cocktails (“black-and-tans”) while carrying on with a married hausfrau and her sister in the evenings. A claNottingham rebel sinks pale ale and stout cocktails (“black-and-tans”) while carrying on with a married hausfrau and her sister in the evenings. A classic of so-called “angry young man” literature (only the young man in this novel is having a whale of a time until he’s beaten up by an irate husband), this novel wonderfully evokes the drudgery, the harshness, and the thrills of working-class life in the 1950s, and is a quiet masterpiece of rebellion-without-a-cause let loose....more
Very entertaining memoir from innovative bassist Steve Hanley, a man who arguably believed in The Fall more than Mark E. Smith—while the mercurial fouVery entertaining memoir from innovative bassist Steve Hanley, a man who arguably believed in The Fall more than Mark E. Smith—while the mercurial founder was locked in a self-destructive spiral of alcohol and amphetamine addiction, sabotaging the group’s fortunes by smashing up equipment, stropping around on stage, making intentionally bad production choices, and lapsing into childish and spiteful buffoonery, Hanley was there to manage the band, maintain a semblance of sanity, and avert catastrophe for a further few minutes. His stamina and belief in the group is explored across this sizzling novelistic account spanning their halcyon 1980s through to their abysmal late 1990s collapse into on-stage punchups and arrests, told in a witty and warm style. For Hanley, The Fall was a time of unbridled artistic joyousness punctuated by the ravings of a tyrant, and the memoir is one long, exhilarating fireside yarn from a seasoned veteran that should act as catnip to any and every Fall fan....more
Named after the Dogger Littoral, an area of land connecting GB with the Netherlands that was submerged circa 6500 BCE, Ben Smith’s first novel is an eNamed after the Dogger Littoral, an area of land connecting GB with the Netherlands that was submerged circa 6500 BCE, Ben Smith’s first novel is an ecological dystopia in the manner of J.G. Ballard’s The Drowned World. Across the novel, the two protagonists The Old Man and The Boy potter around a rig in the North Sea, periodically repairing the off-shore wind turbines and receiving parcels of ultra-processed gloop from a creepy courier while not saying very much to one another. The nature of their relationship is slowly teased out across the brooding and uneventful novel which bombards the reader with one to many descriptive passages pertaining to the technical repairs of turbines or nacelles, keeping the backdrop of the ecological fallout intentionally opaque, allowing the reader to arrive at their own bleak conclusions about a future world of flooded interzones and primitive drudgery. Compelling....more
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