The Pseudopod Tapes Vol 2 Approach With Caution By Alasdair Stuart

I would like to thank Fox Spirit Books for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

I would also like to highlight that I consider Alasdair a friend but, in this case, think a short review about this can be justified!

Publisher – Fox Spirit

Published – Out Now

Price - £3.99 Kindle eBook £7.99 paperback

Alasdair Stuart, one of the UK’s most knowledgeable and enthusiastic genre journalists returns with this second collection of pseudopod essays.

Originally recorded for the 2013 episodes of the horror podcast, these essays are as varied as the horror genre itself. Some are funny, some disturbing, all are honest. After all, pseudopod has stories for you and, as always, they promise you they’re true.

Why do I review? Well I love books and I love to tempt you with them but the interesting thing that I’m learning having done this for a few years now is that I get to see books against the context of life and our world. SF, fantasy and horror are all exploring aspects of being human and the magic of stories is that you are part of the mix. You bring your tastes, your experiences and your thoughts to every story even when reading and I think particularly when reviewing. Its why every review is slightly or sometimes hugely different and can be at odds with others– it is all down to our subjective natures.

In horror there is a tradition from the Man in Black or the Twilight Zone of an announcer who takes the story you’ve just seen or listened to and then places it in context. The Pseudopod podcast is a very very long-running horror podcast where short fiction is read (it’s very cool) and the great Alasdair Stuart each week introduces and provides an end cap to the weekly episode. In the Pseudopod Tapes Vol 2 (Approach with Caution) we get a year through the essays Stuart provides context that is often personal; sometimes talking about the universal nature of human nature. It can be based around the events of that week or it can be how other media at the time explores the same subject that the story of the week did. You don’t however need to know the story as the essays stand on their own two feet very strongly.

Stuart talks about being an outsider from the Isle of Man living in the UK; growing up and nearly falling down a cliff; their fascination with martial arts; sometimes learning to let go of bad stuff and move on and ever upwards. What I’ve loved about Stuart’s work is you can clearly see this is someone who knows and loves the genre and understands the great things it can do. But at the same time there is a personal touch is that reading through the months you can feel you’re getting to know them. Sometimes I found these messages to us very uplifting and thoughtful particularly this dark first full week of January when I was feeling a bit tired and demotivated.

I think if you’re interested in the non-fiction/fan writing side of the genre this would be a powerful and insightful read about how to look at a story and provide a reader/listener with context and how you can show what you’re bringing to the review or article you want to bring. It’s a great example of why great writers have a personal voice that you can tell when someone is invested in the subject. This was a bright spot of joy in a dark wet and cold week, so it is one I heartily recommend for those enjoying their genre non-fiction.