-
“Plays like this are why theatres were built in the first place.” SORTER by Richard Mylan reviewed
I don’t go to the theatre very often, but after seeing this production I feel I need to seriously buck my ideas up. Sorter, which is being staged at Swansea Grand Theatre’s Arts Wing, is the colliding story of two heroin addicts, one a dysfunctional young woman with her half-dead eyes always on the next…
-
“Brutality! Seediness! Controversy!” – THE PHOENIX HOUR by Paula R.C. Readman reviewed
The blurb: In 2055, humanity is on the brink of extinction after the misuse of an Intellectual Improvement drug. Doctor Louise Brimstone is facing mounting pressure from Professor Davidson. She must find a way of creating genetically matching babies for the wealthy clientele at Hartley Research Centre of Excellence. Louise wants to rectify the problem…
-
THE MAKING OF ANNIE-MAY by Alana Beth Davies reviewed
The Blurb: This is a love story, a family saga, and a social and political commentary on life in 20th century Wales, as seen through the eyes of one woman and her family, as we follow her journey from a pliable and naïve young girl to a confident and self-assured woman. The Review: It all…
-
“This is a film about time and the landscape.” – ENYS MEN reviewed
Enys Men is the kind of film that one person will like and another will not for exactly the same reasons. Chronicling the disturbing experiences of a lone ‘volunteer’ who is monitoring the progress of some rare plants on a barren, wind-battered Cornish island, it’s discordant, fragmented, dreamlike and, most of all, unsettling. The island…
-
“She cast a spell on me with this book.” – THE WITCH AND THE FAITHLESS by Polly J. Mordant reviewed
It is our third visit to the supernaturally-afflicted village of Flammark and we find our gifted hero Emma Blake in a state of turmoil. Her dear friend (and local priest) Will Turner has gone awol, leaving her bereft, and the village has been issued with a replacement priest (the faithless of the title?) who immediately…
-
“You’ll find love on every page.” – Cerys Matthews’ retelling of UNDER MILKWOOD reviewed
As a Dylan Thomas fanboy (my copy of The Dylan Thomas Omnibus never leaves my bedside) I was very excited about getting my hands on a copy of this book. It’s an illustrated retelling of Thomas’s classic ‘play for voices’ that made its debut in 1954. For those that don’t already know, Under Milkwood chronicles…
-
“Thank you for introducing me to Tartan Noir.” – HUNTER’S REVENGE by Val Penny reviewed
The blurb: Hunter by name – Hunter by nature. Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson is a loyal friend and a fair leader. He is called to the scene of a murder in Edinburgh where the corpse has been fatally shot. He is dismayed to find the victim is his friend and colleague, George Reinbold.Hunter must investigate…
-
“This is a book for people who love books.” – ECHO: THE CURSE OF THE BLACKWOOD WITCHES by Yasmine Maher reviewed
Everything about this book is beautiful; the cover, the writing, the story, the titular character, even the formatting! How often do you find yourself saying that about a novel? I even dig the ‘Echo’ logo on the cover. Yes, you can tell that a lot of thought, care, effort and love has gone into creating…
-
Rob Zombie’s THE MUNSTERS reviewed by me and my girlfriend!
My review: Rob Zombie’s THE MUNSTERS serves as a prequel to the classic TV sitcom that originally aired in 1964. Set for the most part in Transylvania, it chronicles how lumbering monster Herman and vampish Lily meet and fall in love, to the ire of Lily’s undead father, The Count. This movie is a very…
-
“Fun, scary and brutal.” – SILENT DAWN by CL Raven reviewed
After reading and thoroughly enjoying The Malignant Dead, a macabre tale of life and death (but mostly death) set in the plague-ravaged gutters of 17th century Edinburgh, I was in the mood for another grisly fix from ghost-chasing, pole-dancing, horror-fixated twins CL Raven, so I picked up Silent Dawn and dived in. This novel is…
RICHARD E. ROCK
the official virtual lair
RICHARD E. ROCK 