Fairy Tale, Stephen King’s latest, available now from Simon & Schuster Canada feels unique in his bibliography. It takes the concept of those long beloved tales of Grimm and Andersen and gives them his unique twist. At its heart, the book seems to be an amalgam of things King loves. It is a story of…
Category: The Book Shelf
Quantum Leap: The Novel (1992) – Ashley McConnell
I’ve always been a Trek fan, but as much as I love it, Quantum Leap is my all-time favourite television show. I strongly identify with Scott Bakula’s portrayal of the time-travelling Sam Beckett, who is accompanied through his mission to make things right that once went wrong by the holographic appearance of his friend Al…
The Eyes of the Dragon (1984) – Stephen King
1984 was the year I discovered Stephen King through ‘Salem’s Lot, my first King novel. But I remember my mother was a big King fan (still is) and we had arranged to get her The Eyes of the Dragon as her birthday or Xmas present. It wasn’t your usual King story, and I think that…
Ringworld (1970) – Larry Niven
I dug into some classic science fiction this week with Larry Niven’s Ringworld novel, which is set in his Known Space universe. I hadn’t explored any of his stories before, but this one was recommended to me from somewhere, and I found the general idea intriguing, a massive ring, instead of an enclosed sphere, placed…
Night Shift (1978) – Stephen King
I was craving some Stephen King, but couldn’t decide which of his novels to tackle next, so instead, I figured I fill that need with some short stories, and fug into his first published collection, which gathered a variety of different tales under the title of Night Shift. I remember seeing the paperback cover as…
Heat 2 (2022) – Michael Mann & Meg Gardiner
Iconic Holywood writer/director Michael Mann pairs up with acclaimed novelist Meg Gardiner to revisit and expand on the world of cop Vincent Hanna, thieves Neil McCauley and Chris Shiherlis and the pursuit of their goals before and after the events portrayed in the 1995 film. Coiled like a spring, this crime thriller ratchets up the…
Midnight: A Walking Shadows Novel (2021) – Brenden Carlson
Dundurn Press delivers more pulp retro-future noir with Brenden Carlson’s second novel in his Walking Shadows series, Midnight. Following up on Night Call, the narrative picks up a short time after, as we join Elias Roche, detective, hit-man. A man who walks a very narrow line of justice, balancing his work with the 5th Precinct…
Night Call: A Walking Shadows Novel (2020) – Brenden Carlson
Brenden Carlson’s Night Call, available from Dundurn Press is set in the past, an alternate 1933, and yet in describing it, I lean towards the phrase retro-future noir. We are introduced to the cynical hard-boiled detective, Elias Roche, who is haunted by an incident in his past and walks a fine line between the law…
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy (2022) – Megan Bannen
I’ll be honest, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, available now from Orbit Books hit me like a sucker punch. I didn’t know what I expected from this whimsical, playful tale, but what I did not expect was a genre mash-up that at its heart (or Hart) riffed on the classic tale told in Shop…
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003) – Mark Haddon
This book has been sitting on my ‘to be read’ pile for a while, but it felt like now was the time to dig into it, and I was delighted to do so. Haddon introduces us to fifteen-year-old Christopher. He is autistic, has his likes and dislikes, and is brilliant at math and problem-solving. He…
The Mind Reels 