Sibilant Fricative Review

Sibilant Fricative by Adam Roberts



How could a book reviewer resist this collection? Adam Roberts, the author of e.g. Yellow blue tibia (which I reviewed previously) and By light alone also writes reviews, and pulls no punches. In this collection of reviews and essays of SF (Sibilant & Fricative respectively) he casts his eye over a variety of books and films. I confess to reading the reviews completely out of order, going through the ones of books and films I had already seen and some I had reviewed myself. This was to get a “baseline” for the books and films I’ve not yet got to so that I know what Roberts likes and doesn't and where he agrees and disagrees with me so that I can see what I need to add to the TBR & TBW piles.

He reviews PKD, Ballard, Pynchon, Mieville, Bova and many others in the SF section, as well as Star Trek & District 9 films and Tolkein, Le Guin, Rothfuss and notably all of the Wheel of Time in the Fantasy section. He reviews with great insight, sly humour and occasionally in the style of the book he is reviewing. The vast majority of the reviews are very entertaining and some are thought provoking, the best are both. For example Roberts sets himself the task to review The Wheel of Time which starts better than he expected but then rapidly becomes a massive chore. Along the way we get a class on how to write well, and why Jordan doesn't and thoughts about epic fantasy, fandom and a brief meta discussion about reviews. This, in addition to the essay on the “Two Hobbits” is worth the entry ticket alone, and there is so much more entertainment within.

I started keeping note of some of the more out-leap-y examples of WoT-style … But after 120-pages of this I exhausted the patience necessary to interrupt my reading with jotting examples down in my notebook. I wanted to get through the damn thing as soon as possible. That’s not to say that the writing gets any better, for it does not

If you like reading reviews – and you must do if you’re reading this one right? Then I highly recommend this collection to you.

Overall –Erudite, entertaining, intelligent collection of essays and reviews.

Travel, Identity & Home

On the 7th of November I'll be taking part in a special event in Paintworks Bristol: -

Travel, Identity & Home – a Literary Night Inspired by Art

7^th November 2014

6pm – 7.30pm

This November, renowned international sculptor Carol Peace invites you into her studio for an intimate evening of poetry and prose, co-curated by writer Judy Darley.

Seven writers will share literary works inspired by Carol’s work, and by the themes Travel, Identity and  Home. The event will explore the way different creative mediums can influence and benefit from one another.

The night will offer the chance to meet Carol, hear the writers and performers, and have a glass of wine amongst beautiful works of art.


”For me this dialogue between words and sculpture started many years ago with a poet’s visit to my open studio. John Terry wrote a few poems including ‘Listen’ that made me look again – the figure had a new story, a new life,” she says. “Sculpture can be like this. Maybe it’s just a suggestion to a thought, a step, a bridge to another story, I have my ideas but the message is often reformed through other eyes.”

With just 30 tickets available, this is a golden opportunity to see what can happen when art and words come together.

Featuring the words of Judy Darley, Joanna Butler, Paul Deaton, Helen Moore, Maithreyi Nandakumar, Pete Sutton, John Terry, it promises to be a thought-provoking and uplifting evening.

Further Notes:

This event is part of Carol Peace’s Open Studio Event 6^th - 16^th November 2014

Date & Time:    Friday 7th November 2014, 6pm - 7.30pm

Address:          Unit 5.3 Paintworks, Bath Road, Bristol, BS4 3EH.

Tickets:            Cost £4 (£3 for early bird purchases).

Tickets are available to buy from Eventbrite here >>

Other Events:

Also taking place at Carol’s Studio, Judy Darley will be leading a workshop on ‘Writing from Art’ on Wednesday 12th November, 2-5pm. Attendance costs £12.

More info and to buy tickets here >>

Find out more at www.carolpeace.com and www.SkyLightRain.com.

My BristolCon schedule

The fine folks at BristolCon have put together another fantastic program 

You can find me in a variety of places during the day (mostly in the bar if past years are anything to go by):

13:45

Writing Historical Fantasy: If you want to write historical fantasy, you need to do a lot of research, and it can seem daunting. Where do you start, and when can you deviate into the realms of alternate history? What do you gain from basing your fantasy story in the real-world past? with Pete Sutton (Mod), Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Sarah Ash, Jacey Bedford, Mike Shevdon

Modering a guest of honour no less - I'm, well,  honoured 

:00 – 18:45	Writing Non-Human Characters: What are the challenges in writing aliens, robots, fairies and other non-human characters in F&SF? How do you get inside their heads and make them convincing? with Peter Newman (Mod), Cavan Scott, Pete Sutton, Amanda Kear (Dr Bob), Kim Lakin-Smith
18:50 – 18:55	Reading: Pete Sutton

Interesting to be on the other side of a panel similar to the one I modded at 9 Worlds. 

I'll be reading something - er um, best decide what soonish then - possibly a novel extract if I don't loathe it after self-editing all month!

So, apart from the siren call of the bar, there's lots of other stuff I'd like to see and am looking forward to this immensely.

Aegis Rising giveaway

As the three worlds collide, unlikely heroes arise...

Publication Date: November 15, 2013

Genre: Action/Adventure, Mystery, Sci-fi

Over a remote northern forest, a small plane carrying five teenage friends flies into a freak storm. Struck by lightning, the aircraft crashes and the passengers find themselves cast into a life-changing adventure.

In a hidden valley, a mysterious people gaze at the stormy sky as a glowing object with fiery wings disappears behind a mountain ridge. The astonishing sight reignites an ancient prophecy foretelling the arrival of five chosen ones destined to become bearers of light against a dark storm gathering on humanity's horizon.

In a distant city, a secretive organization led by a shadowy figure initiates a sequence of cataclysmic events designed to wreak havoc across the planet, beginning with a remote mining site in northern Canada.

As the three worlds collide, unlikely heroes arise. Armed with powers entrusted to them by the ancient prophecy and the resilience of their life-long bond, the five teens take a stand against a malevolent foe.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

S.S.Segran is the bestselling author of AEGIS RISING, the first book in the Aegis League Series. In crafting the premise for the novel, she drew from the inspiring imagery of the Pacific Northwest, the intriguing potential of the human mind and above all, her abiding love for adventure, science fiction and mystery stories. She enjoys drawing, horseback riding and is an ardent fan of parkour and freerunning. S.S.Segran is a proud member of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets in British Columbia.

S.S.Segran is also the founder of Aegis League (www.aegisleague.org), a non-profit organization whose goal is to support youths living in places and conditions that deny them opportunities to grow. The mission of the organization is to provide life-skills training and micro-loan funding to help them launch small businesses in the communities where they reside. Partial proceeds from the sale of her books go to this cause.

Website  | Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads | YouTube

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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North by Southwest

A forthcoming anthology by North Bristol Writers

It's been a long trail already and we still have a ways to go. At the beginning of this year the writing group @NBCWG decided to bring out an anthology to showcase the writing of the various group members.

We now have all the stories in and our title - "North by Southwest"

We have art from the rather brilliant Claire M Hutt

& have lined up a typesetter, designer, printer etc

Now we just need the funding and have decided that we'll be doing a crowdfunding campaign which we'll be launching in the coming months.

NBCWG is a small friendly group that meets once or twice a month (currently in the Inn on the Green) to discuss writing & share creativity. The group's aims are to provide a fun and safe environment for writers at all levels of skill and experience to come together to be creative.

The anthology showcases the work of 10 writers and our artist. With stories by Jemma Milburn (founder of NBCWG), Kevlin Henney, Ian Millstead, Clare Dornan, Margaret Carruthers, Roz Clarke, Desiree Fischer, John Hawkes-Reed, Justin Newland & Yours truly.

More news soon!