| CILDREN OF BAST
by David Lister "Just because Wymes Forest was a magnet for all things weird and otherworldly, it didn’t mean it was immune from the more mundane form of disaster, such as an aeroplane crash. But then the aircraft itself was otherworldly, and the young pilot even more so. Cappy Shirakawa, barman at The Moiled Bull pub in the Shropshire town of Little Rillton is growing tired of the work-a-day life. He wishes for adventure. He wants to be a hero. Be careful what you wish for, Cappy. When you are far away in another world, perhaps you will wish for home ..." The blurb only hints at the time-space complications this science-fiction throws up. Through twists and turns, the engaging hero Cappy does eventually save the day and realize the hidden agenda of his otherworldly bond-mate, handsome young Tye, half-catboy (don't call him that!), half human. Intertwined with their dangerous adventures are those of Kate and English policeman Adie, no less under constant threat of death, and as involved with inter-species coupling. Gay Cappy's problem is squaring away his love for his boyfriend while existing in an emotional relationship with Tye. Lister's writing is full of sensuality without full-on sex, and the plot has more twists than Tye's tail (sorry, guidon). |
| Joe Haldeman's science-fiction masterpiece gets a new release. A masterclass in creative writing from character to narrative thrust, crisp prose to throught-provoking ideas, this novel is a must even if you're not particularly an SF fan. William Mandella is an ordinary grunt, signed on for a two-year stint to be hurled into the depths of the galaxy to battle an enemy no one knows anything about. In the end, he spends six years in the army, but due to space-time travel—time dilation—he lives through a war lasting centuries to return to a home that vanished long ago. Haldeman fought in the Viet Nam war, and the novel reflects the disjunction so many soldiers faced, both fighting the hidden enemy and the horrors of returning home to a country which no longer valued their sacrifice. But most astonishingly, despite being originally written in the 1970s, before mass computers, iPhones or the Internet, The Forever War remains current because of the author's extraordinary prescience. Don't miss it!
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 Spellherder I: Blade by David ListerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars David Lister's imagination takes some beating, and he gives young Jason Elford, the hero of this trilogy, a pretty heavy beating as he discovers the terrifying truth behind the Shadows which haunt him, and which is just the start of a journey through space and time. Treat this book as the first of three adventures to be read one after the other to enjoy the full value of a writer who creates exotic but entirely believable worlds. And beware, the characters and situations crop up in what is almost an Azimovian world where more novels than these intersect. (Check out Lister's Children of Bast). There is M/M interest and, it must be said, there are unfortunate typos here and there, but not enough to really distract from the flowing prose and exciting situations. View all my reviews Find the Kindle versions of these three books at
Amazon UK or Amazon US | 
Jason makes the almost fatal crossing to the other world arriving alone and virtually naked. First he must survive the land. Then he must survive the people who will kill him if they believe him to be a demon, or accept him if he be a prophet. With the help of Maluk, a boy in his Time of Journal, Jason takes his first steps in the land that spawned the Shadows, his mission, to find Danny, who crossed before him and help him fulfil the Spellherder’s Prophecy.
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Jason has solved the mystery of Frank Kirkby, found old friends and lost new, and yet he feels no closer to fulfilling the Spellherder’s Prophecy. And then, in an explosive venting of violence, Jason must deal with Weirgan and Kern to discover the final pieces of the puzzle and come to quarter with Golgorath. Jason must enter the crucible and fight his own, final battle.
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