Helllooo! Well this was a pretty good week – work has started to pick up speed again (famous last words). Definitely feeling the benefit of the new diet and exercise now - energy levels last winter were rubbish, but I’ve got a little bit more in the tank. This week been doing a little more than just reading (but of course I managed quite a bit of reading time too, thank goodness!)

What Have I been Watching?

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – nope not the film this was a play at the Liverpool Playhouse. Really enjoyed this performance.  Very faithful to the plot of the novel but had a great conceit of having Mary Shelley as a character/narrator/gothic chorus within the play writing and commenting on the action as it goes through. This was fascinating as rather than making this the debate of science you tend to get see Frankenstein as an example of male privilege. It highlights that Frankenstein takes no responsibility in the story – even when a servant’s life is on the line. By having Shelley in the narrative, you also get her to remind you she is defying convention with his story and creating a genre and a legend.  Keep an eye out for this coming to a theatre near you.

Fear of God – (iPlayer) a documentary with Mark Kermode discussing the making of the Exorcist.  Well I do enjoy horror and seeing how the film together was fascinating, but it didn’t half remind me of the novel The Remaking in seeing how reckless and egotistical William Friedkin was towards his crew – dodgy stunts and firing guns to shock actors.  Be weird next time I watch this to see how I react.

Hollywood’s Brightest Bombshell- The Hedy Lamarr Story – I’m not familiar with her film work but I do know she is credited with the invention of wi-fi and this documentary tells her life story.  It’s fascinating how a very intelligent Jewish woman from Austria; fled the Nazis, became a Hollywood star and inventor.  But it’s also a sobering reminder of how women get treated for being women. Well worth a look.

Yesterday – a tale about a man who wakes up in a world where the Beatles never existed, and he knows all the music.  Very mild genre film but absolutely soulless.  The Beatles tunes get turned into one man singing with a guitar (alongside an appalling Ed Sheeran acting as himself). It never explains why Beatles music touches people instead the badly sung songs are apparently the best thing ever. The Beatles pushed boundaries and this film was way too vanilla and felt like Richard Curtis and Danny Boyle were working their middle-aged music collection out. Not recommended!  

What Have I Been Listening To?

This week has been much more podcast focused as I’ve fallen down a listening track

The Magnus Archives – The catch up on this horror series continues and it is very very good.

What have I reviewed or read?

Bone Lines by Stephanie Bretherton – an unusual tale of a woman in prehistoric times and a women investigating her skeleton remains many thousands years later.  A DNF not really my cup of tea but interesting character pieces despite a slow pace.

Skein Island by Aliya Whiteley – a fascinating eerie and strange tale by one of my favourite authors. It manages to discuss myth and the inherent sexism within it. Fantastic and one you’ll be thinking about for days afterwards.

Moon-sitting by EM Harding – a really impressive SF novella about a world destroyed by a falling Moon and what happened to the people there next.  I love books where I don’t see the reveals happening.

The Wormwood Trilogy - The Rosewater Redemption by Tade Thompson – a chance for me to talk about one of the best SF trilogies in recent years. The way the final instalment puts the whole wider story and themes together is brilliant.

What am I reading or coming soon?

Loads to do before the year is out but this week on imminent TBR

The Djinn Falls in Love edited by Mahvesh Murad and Jared Shurin – need to sit down and lose myself into this

Realm of Ash by Tasha Suri – Oh I’m looking forward to this one as Empire of Ash was brilliant

Dead Sky by Weston Ochse – a military horror story. I reviewed the first story last year and want to see where it went next.

A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie – I must see how things have gone in the First Law universe

Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward – a new fantasy series I plan to start soon

X-Men Mutant Empire by Christopher Golden – a new marvel prose series

And so much more.  Have fun!