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Into 2012 with Books Monthly
This edition of Books Monthly contains the very first book review by someone other than me! I am particularly pleased to welcome Kirsty Hewitt's review of Wilfred Owen's War Poems - the first world war produced some fine literature and art, and Owen's words are poignant and thought-provoking, penned during the worst worldwide conflict in our history. This is not a new book, but it is still available, and Kirsty's review is well worth a look.
You'll probably have noticed by now that there are two extra reviews pages starting with this issue. The adult fiction was getting unwieldy, so I've split it into three (as it was a couple of years ago). This means that I can have more books of the month, but more importantly, if you were only interested, for instance, in fantasy and science fiction, then all the books you are interested in will be on the same page. Added to this is the fact that I had already decided the Hodder Dark Tower reissues would be my adult fiction books of the month - this is a most important new set, the first for several years. And having made that decision, I chanced upon a fantasy that is so good, I really wanted to make a song and dance about it - THE LEGEND OF ELI MONPRESS, which I am still reading and still raving about! With the splitting of the Adult fiction page into three, I can have a Fantasy Book of the Month, which ELI MONPRESS really, really deserves, and still remain true to my promise about the Dark Tower set. I know that the Dark Tower series is really fantasy, and I would defend it as the finest fantasy in the English language - but it also transcends the genre in the sense that it is also adventure on a grand scale, and contains elements that go way beyond what you and I would call fantasy. The Dark Tower is something completely unique, very special, and remains my adult books of the month.
THE SMALL PRINT: Books Monthly is published on or before the first day of every month and contains news and reviews of new and forthcoming books, together with information on classic books and series. It has been on the web since 1998. Contributions to Books Monthly are welcome but I regret there is no payment as no money is made from this site. Short stories, longer stories (which could be serialised), feature articles and book reviews are particularly welcome. Use the "contact me" link in the menu above to get in touch. Publishers wishing to submit books for review should also contact me via email in the first instance, and I will supply a delivery address. I generally close the magazine to new reviews on the 20th of each month. Books received after that date will be carried over to the next month, although I may include them for information purposes only. Books Monthly is copyright © Paul Norman. Articles, stories and reviews submitted by other people remain their own copyright. All artwork including book covers included in Books Monthly is copyright © the various publishers and artists. Where possible, permission is sought from artists to include their work on the site.
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The Edgar Rice Burroughs Page
