|
If you like Stephen King the next few months are going to bring you great joy and satisfaction! This month sees the reissue of the original seven Dark Tower novels by Hodder UK with stunning new covers; the eighth instalment of Marvel Comics graphic novelisation, THE BATTLE OF TULL is now available; and in April, the extra "fill-in" novel THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE is published. Read about all of these great books in this issue. Also in this issue:
 This is the stunning new cover for the three-volume blockbuster from Orbit, published this month, of Rachel Aaron's sensational trilogy, THE LEGEND OF ELI MONPRESS. You won't be able to put it down! Previously published in three separate volumes a couple of years ago, (and I'm sorry to say these editions passed me by), this is a wonderful story of magic, wizardry, daring, adventure, the spirit world, some fantastic characters and a rip-roaring romp of a 900-page story that will keep you happy while you wait for book four! Read about it on the fantasy & science fiction reviews page...
 Regular contributor Jerry Dowlen comments on the theme of Crime Fiction at the Barbican Library in London, and picks out two of his "forgotten" authors from the Crime Fiction Club, ANTHONY ABBOT and J JEFFERSON FARJEON - what a name! Some stunning covers from the 1920s/1930s- if you're an Agatha Christie aficionado you'll already be aware that Hachette Partworks are publishing all of her novels, plays and short stories in a brilliant fortnightly edition...
 BBC TV are serialising the brilliant memoirs of Jennifer Worth in a six-part series CALL THE MIDWIFE. You'll find my review of this fantastic book on the nonfiction page, and it's a terrific read - not for the squeamish, though, and I firmly believe, having read it, that I could deliver a baby... I actually did - one of my own, but that's another story. This is funny, tragic, dramatic - it has the lot!
You can see the UK (Hodder) cover for Stephen King's April release THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE on the Stephen King page. It's sensationally good, and echoes the Dark Tower reissues I've been raving about in this issue, and which are my adult fiction books of the month.
Watching the Detectives this month takes a look at ROBBIE LEWIS - he's unique, in a way, because although he appeared in the Morse books by Colin Dexter, and whilst Dexter remains the consultant for the series, Lewis is a sixty-year-old Welshman! Lewis is my absolute favourite of all the TV detectives, and this, I believe, is down the brilliant portrayal of Lewis by Kevin Whately, who has been a favourite actor of mine since I first spotted him in AUF WIEDERSEHEN PET. Even though I loved the Morse mysteries, it was always Lewis I preferred to Morse - I wanted him to solve the case (which almost never happened) - and longed for him to get his own series when Morse came to an end. Lewis is a great series, a huge hit, and much-loved in the USA as well, something I know from correspondence with BOOKS MONTHLY readers across the pond! A sixth series of Lewis will air later this year, and as it's probably the only consistently good thing ITV have on their schedules apart from Emmerdale, (I can't include Midsomer Murders - the new series is dire) I hope it will continue for many years to come, and eventually overtake Morse in terms of popularity and number of episodes!
February's Books of the Month:
Editor's Choice:
 STEPHEN KING: THE DARK TOWER - THE BATTLE OF TULL
Marvel Comics HB
Acclaimed artist and Eisner Award nominee Michael Lark (Daredevil, Gotham Central) joins the superstar writing team of Peter David & Robin Furth for Dark Tower: The Gunslinger – The Battle Of Tull . Lark joins the acclaimed team of Peter David, Robin Furth and Richard Isanove in the select group of creators entrusted by Stephen King himself to bring the adult adventures of his most personal creation to life in Dark Tower: The Gunslinger – The Battle Of Tull! Longtime fans and newcomers alike are sure to be amazed as Lark’s take on the grit and grandeur of Mid-World this June with an outright merciless tale that sets in motion the fateful journey of Roland Deschain. “I have nothing but respect and admiration for Stephen King and the chance to work on the Dark Tower is a wonderful privilege,” said Lark. “I only hope that I can come close to conveying his vision – a daunting task, but a challenge that I'm enjoying tremendously. It has allowed me to explore the darker aspects of my art and really start pushing some of the boundaries of my own style. And who doesn't love drawing cowboys and horses?!” The Man in Black has lured Roland to a barren saloon town and, once there, he’ll realize than even a stone cold killer is no match for the horrors of the Dark Tower! Why does a dead man still walk the streets of Tull and, why are this town’s living, breathing citizens a far greater threat? The baddest man in Mid-World is about to find out that the true price of his quest can only be paid in spent shells and innocent blood.
|
