The Journal

In The Journal readers of this novel from R. D. Stevens are faced with a major dilemma. What can a person do when they lose the only person they actually, really care for?

Ethan Willis is, at 18, a rather confused young person. He has embarked on a mission, a quest if you will, to try to locate his older sister, Charlotte.

She vanished whilst she was journeying through South East Asia.

He loves his sister and admires her for her spontaneous nature, her individualistic attitude and her understanding of the world.

In order to try to find her, he enters the world pf backpack travelling. He follows something. What is it? Perhaps it is a ghost? Might it even be the ghost of his sister, Charlotte?

He sojourns into rural Cambodia, the deepest, most remote parts of Laos and, eventually, to the party islands of Thailand.

By happenstance, he finds her journal and he is able to retrace her journey. Reading the journal rings about flashbacks to their childhood. He thinks deep thoughts abut the nature of existence, about truth, beauty and even the meaning of meaning itself.

He wonders about their relationship and why she might have vanished.

Eventually he learns of a place where Charlotte might., actually, be.

Dare he follow her to that place? would be, really, be ready to meet her, at last?

Who will, actually, be found?

It's an interesting book that takes an existential look at life.

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

The Odyssey of a Sound Recordist

In the book The Odyssey of a Sound Recordist we meet Malcolm Stewart.

This is his story, published posthumously.

His story begins back in the early days of radio. It's 1944, television had been suspended for the duration of the war, the BBC Home Service held sway and one of the chaps changing the discs in the studios in Broadcasting House was 15-year-old East End boy, Malcolm Stewart.

He had, as it happens, just embarked on a career that would see him leave the poverty of the East End and the drabness of life in wartime London behind him.

He found his way on to the Continent of Europe where he would work in Hamburg for Forces Broadcasting, a billet that saw him placed in charge of former SS officers. as a byproduct of this posting and the subsequent security clearance this earned him, he drew the attention of the CIA.

The writing of his story resulted from him recovering from a serious medical condition that he fell victim to in his 70s, whilst on a cruise through Central America. The survival rate was only 20% and he realised that as he had lived such a varied and interesting life, it would be a pity to allow all that he had experienced and lived through to go to waste.

His wife brought his laptop into the hospital and he began to write down what would, eventually, become this book.

Her served in the RAF and flew with members of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Although he and his friend Mike Beavis shouldn't have done so, as they were actually only in the ATC and only schoolboys!

Incidentally Mike Beavis eventually became Sir Michael Beavis, Air Chief Marshall! In correspondence with Malcolm he reminisced about the 100 hours of flyingtime he gained before he was 16 as a member of the ATC including 8 hours "stick time" as a co-pilot of B17 Flying Fortresses!

Malcolm left school a year early and began work at the BBC at Daventry where he was employed in the control room to monitor the audio output of the various shortwave transmitters that were based there.

He joined the RAF and served from 1947 to 1950, training at RAF Bridgnorth in Shropshire, then a main training station for the RAF.

Eventually he worked on some of the top British films of the 20th century, got deported as a suspected spy from Cuba and had to flee through the jungles of Ghana with the assistance of the CIA.

In his garden shed he launched a company called Audio Systems. From these somewhat humble origins his company would rival both Pinewood and Shepperton Studios for the sound services they provided.

Malcolm, it was, who developed the world's first portable multitrack sound recording device.

From the film/movie industry he moved over into the world of television news, where he covered some of the top news stories of the 1980s. He enjoyed a long and illustrious career, hobnobbing with world statesmen, senior political figures and film stars and celebrities of all types. Margaret Thatcher was on first name terms with him.

He was presented with an official IRA press pass when he worked for TF1,  there was the Russian spy who bought his used Saab.

After he had closed Audio Systems he became non-executive chairman of De Lane Lea studios. Unfortunately his failing eyesight meant that he had to retire several years later.

He also worked for the American outfit ABC, did some work for CBS.

He lived a full and extremely varied life and is well illustrated throughout and this book is a "must read" for anyone who enjoys a well-written biography.

It's published by Matador at £18.99 in hardback.

Was It Worth It?

In Was It Worth It? readers will follow the journey of one family from Poland to Ottawa.

Written by Liliana Arkuszewska, this is a heartwarming story of the struggles of one family from Poland.

The 1980s brought great changes to the country of Poland. Recently freed from the Soviet Union's Iron Curtain, millions of Polish citizens fled from their moribund country to seek a better, more fulfilling life in a variety of foreign countries.

But no matter where she travelled, Liliana still knew that her heart belonged to Poland.

Eventually,  however, the writing was on the wall and with the situation in Poland becoming worse and worse, she realised that the time to emigrate permanently with her husband and three-year-old child, plus her sister and brother-in-law, had come.

And so they left Poland for a new life in Ottawa, Canada.

Was It Worth It? is her story. A story of trials, tribulations, of adventures and fun.

Was It Worth It? Read her fascinating and extremely well-written story and find out for yourself.

It's published on the 28th July at £19.99.

Betrayed

In Betrayed, the latest novel from science fiction author Geoffrey Arnold, readers rejoin the Quantum Twins.

This is the third novel in the series that saw he Twins torn away from Vertazia and placed on the planet Earth a full thousand miles apart, bereft of their telepathic link.

Fearing that the twins could return to Vertazia and spread the "Human Violence Virus" the rulers of Vertazia have, with unconscious irony, began using utterly unacceptable degrees of violent behaviour to stop the friends of the Twins from effecting a rescue mission.

In Betrayed we join Qwelby as he enteres the fifth dimension, his mission is to free Tullia from imprisonment.

In his second awakening Qwelby finds love, yet tullia is troubled by bloody knife fights.

He manages to shoot his way out of danger, the Twins are able to reconnect, but before he can do anything, Qwelby is captured by the Professor.

Meanwhile, the situation on Vertazia is becoming fraught, with two key rulers plotting against one another, both have decided to use 16-year-old Xaala. But Xaala has plans of her own and corrupts their plans for her own nefarious ends.

Xaala plans to capture the heart of one of the Twins and to destroy the other. But what for? What is her real aim?

There are journeys on a pirate ship, and the Twins must return to their home world to teach the truths they have learned on the planet Earth, in order to save their own planet.

But hat will happen? Will the Twins be doomed to living on the planet Earth for good? And what of the Professor, of Tullia and Qwelby?

This book is published by Matador at £12.99.

Please note on this occasion if you buy this book at the publisher's online bookshop, there is a discounted price of £10.00 if you use the code "BETRAYED" in the appropriate box.
https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/sci-fi/betrayed-1897/

Windows 96

In Windows 96 author Cal Holmes takes her readers back to the year 1996.

We meet Alex. Alex is a teenage boy who spends his days dormant in the den in the garage, smoking diope and dreaming of the time when he will be able to cast all this aside and travel the world.

But there's a bit of a problem, really. Lack of money = no travelling anywhere, least of all the world!

However, Alex meets up with Fox who is a double glazing salesman, who brings Alex news of another lifestyle. The lifestyle of the double glazing salesman!

Knocking on doors with the coldest of cold canvasing, daytimes spent in the boozer, nights out in somewhat less salubrious pubs.

There was Brigette, beautiful, but cool and aloof, Brigette, in the Baston telesales department, he fancied her, but she wasn't in the slightest bit interested. Or was she?

Pretty soon Alex is finding out that things at home between his parents weren't all that he had thought they were, his finances are running on empty and he finds himself spiralling into a life of crime whilst sharing a rundown flat with his double glazing sales colleagues.

Can he get out of the rat run of double glazing sales, too many visits to pubs and nightclubs and the grotty shared flat?

If he can, where would he go? Could he jet off to explore the world? If he can, who would he go with? Who would get his Playstation, who would get his car?

This is a wry and amusing look back at a not that distant piece of our history and it's clear that the author has seen the world of double glazing sales from the seedy inside.

It's published by Matador at £7.99.

In Between The Stars

In Between The Stars is a debut science fiction novel for children and young adults from author A. A. Ripley.

A. A. Ripley examines a number of complex themes, for example, what is normal? What is alien? What can we learn from one another?

Inan is a young girl who is living on her home planet. But she is a girl who longs for excitement and adventure.

She wants to travel to planets around distant stars. But there's a major problem. For Inan's people forbid females to travel to other stars. It just isn't the done thing!

However, following a series of events including a shipwreck, Inan is kidnapped by ex-military men who have become pirates. She finds and befriends a fellow prisoner who is a human boy.

She must use her considerable wit and talents to keep her and her newfound friend safe and alive.

After an escape attempt fails to gain them their freedom they discover a strange and obviously ancient artefact that, it becomes clear, will decide the destiny of the entire galaxy of stars.

Inan must be resourceful, Inan must be brave. For the lives of the entire galaxy rest upon her shoulders. But can she do it? Can Inan risk her life to save the lives of everyone of everything else?

This is a riproaring space opera of the highest order. Although intended for children, science fiction fans of all ages (and all species) will really enjoy this book.

It's published by Matador at £7.99.

I have been a reader of science fiction novels for over 50 years. In A. A. Ripley I have found another name to watch out for.

Good job, A. A. Riley! Well done!

The Pleasure of Reading

The Pleasure of Reading Novels and their Writers and Readers is an interesting book. Having just completed a BA (Honours) degree course in Creative and Professional Writing I found it especially fascinating. In fact, I could have made great use of this book which is written by Eric Macfarlane had it been published a year or two earlier!

In his book Eric Macfarlane examines the situations that help people to become dedicated readers and also looks at the ways parents and teachers can encourage the love of stories in children.

He is critical of the traditional methods of studying literature that, he points out, deter many children from considering reading as something to be done for pleasure or relaxation.

Through his book the author examines the interests and passions that are the motivating forces for novelists and the varied topics they decide to write about, the types of stories that they decide to tell, the different themes they decide to explore, plus the skills with which they deal with plots, characters and settings.

He gives particular attention to the role of the novelist as a protester against injustice, persecution and the abuse of power.

His first gift of a book was The Digger Gnome Earns a Pippity Pebble, (a prize from Miss Falkner, owner of one of the country's last surviving Dame Schools).

He later earned copies of R. M. Balantyne's The Young Fur Traders, james Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans and Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. However, the latter books were not enjoyed by the young Eric Macfarlane and when, as a student, he had to make his way through Robinson Crusoe as a set text and realised that it was somewhat turgid and that his youthful inability to do more than look at the illustrations was not, actually, his fault!

He speaks of his home life with the small number of books that they owned, of the deliciously politically incorrect comics that he and his friends shared (The Beano, Dandy) and more serious publications such as the Adventure, Wizard, Hotspur and Rover, all published by D. C. Thompsons.

He provides commentary on the novels and writings of Thomas Hardy, Joseph Conrad, Vikram Seth, Sue Miller, Anne Tyler, Nick Hornby, Roddy Doyle, Charles Dickens, Barbara Pym and many others.

As the book is fully indexed and cited, although it has a thoroughly readable style it will serve very well as an academic text and should be on  the list of recommended books for all creative writing and literature classes at every school, college and university in the land.

And it will make a most welcome gift for any student studying literature and creative writing.

It's published on July 28th by Matador at £8.99.