Namesake by Adrienne Young - Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

'Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.

'With the Marigold ship free of her father, Fable and the rest of the crew were set to start over. That freedom is short-lived when Fable becomes a pawn in a notorious thug’s scheme. In order to get to her intended destination, she must help him to secure a partnership with Holland, a powerful gem trader who is more than she seems.

'As Fable descends deeper into a world of betrayal and deception, she learns that the secrets her mother took to her grave are now putting the people Fable cares about in danger. If Fable is going to save them, then she must risk everything—including the boy she loves and the home she has finally found.'

I really enjoyed the first part of the Fable duology, but was really upset that it ended the way it did; not because it was bad, but because I was going to have to wait several months to find out what happened next. Thankfully, Namesake not only carried on this story with these characters I really liked, but it also took it in some interesting new directions.

Picking up where the last book left off out hero, Fable, finds herself prisoner on the ship of one of her enemies, Zola, where one of the men who raised her, whom she thought was dead, is working with the vicious criminal. Separated from her own ship and her new family Fable is set to work by Zola, along with a group of other dredgers, to find a supply of gems in a distant reef. With a target painted on her back, Fable has to try to survive the experience whilst also avoiding Zola's murderous crew, all whilst figuring out a way for her to get back to her friends. But when it turns out this is only the first step in an even bigger, and more dangerous scheme, Fable will discover things that will change her life forever.

If I was to advise the best way to read Namesake it would be straight after reading Fable. I reread the first book before going into this one, and it struck me how little it felt like a sequel, and more of one continuous story. The first book did a lot of world building, and established the characters well, and whilst the second book takes readers to some new and interesting places, and brings in a handful of new characters, it's definitely much more story driven. If the two books had been presented together as one complete volume it wouldn't have felt out of place at all.

One of the things the book does well that I really loved was the way that it delivered some interesting surprises. From simple things such as bringing back a minor antagonist from the first book and forcing him to work with Fable, to travelling to the port of Bastian and showing us a world completely different to the one we got to know in the first book. Things felt more complex here, with more twists and turns and double crosses thrown into the mix.

Namesake also changed the way it presented Fable in a lot of ways too. In the first book she was an incredibly strong and confident young woman, despite being in over her head a lot of the time. She knew what she wanted and she went for it, she never backed down or let herself be intimidated, and it was this kind of attitude that won over the crew of the Marigold, as well as myself. This time she's very much on the back foot, being pushed around by others and used as a pawn in other people's schemes. Whilst this does give her a few opportunities to flex her more sneaky side, coming up with schemes of her own to get out of things, it was very clear that Fable was playing in games with much more experienced players.

Whilst it was interesting to see this shift in the way Fable had to operate it did show a few of her flaws too, namely that she is just a kid despite her experience, and the people manipulating her are much older and more powerful than she is. But, this isn't a bad thing, as it took her character in new directions and changed a number of her personal relationships, forcing her to test the bonds of family she'd forged in the first book.

Namesake felt very different to the first book, and I think that it lacked some of the sense of adventure and wonder that the first book had as it shifted towards political machinations over the swashbuckling sense of adventure the first book had. But it never felt boring. It expanded the world, challenged the characters, brought in new people and did interesting things with them (I never thought I'd like Koy, let alone love him). I you enjoyed the first book you're going to get on well with this one.

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Arkham Horror: The Devourer Below - Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells Interview

 

After reading through the latest Arkham Horror release from Aconyte books, The Devourer Below, I sat down for a chat with Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells, the editor of the short story collection. My review for the book can be found here.

For those who might not be in the know as to how such things work, how do you go about putting together an anthology such as this as the editor?

So once we’ve decided to do an anthology, I usually start by thinking if there’s any particular theme or scenario that we want to focus on or tie-in to. It’s also something I’ll discuss with Marc (our publisher), my fellow editor Gwen, and the studio in case anyone has suggestions – it’s often a collaborative start. Having that end goal for the anthology in mind helps me think about what sort of stories we might be looking for, and then I can explain what I want and need to the authors! 

I’ll usually then reach out to authors, and if they’re interested then I ask them to pitch. I’ll give them some guidelines to work within, some reference material and some potential characters or subjects they might like to include, and see what they come up with! Once we have pitches, then we check them with the team at FFG, just to make sure everything fits within the lore, then the authors get writing. 

Once they’ve drafted their stories, I edit them and the authors make any changes, we get them approved, and then I sit down with a notebook and put them in order! That’s always a fun challenge because it’s like putting together a puzzle without knowing what the finished item should look like – it’s a bit gut-instinctive but I’ll consider characters, story tone, length and then construct the finished document. Then it goes off for copy-edits and a proof read.

It’s quite a long process, but it’s a fun one! 

Is it difficult to put together an anthology such as this, where you’re having to work with several different writers?

The only thing difficult is sometimes the deadlines sneak up on you, but I love working with all the different authors for an anthology. Everyone has their own writing style and interests, and they all bring something unique to the table. I love that I can give them all the same list of characters/themes to choose from and they’ll all come up with something different! And everyone is very amenable if we need to make changes. 

Anthologies are seen as a popular way of trying out new authors or properties without committing to a full novel, do you think they’re a benefit for franchises like Arkham Horror, where people might not have tried any of the fiction before?

I do! I think anthologies are a great way for readers to try out both new authors and new worlds, because they give you such a great overview and a chance to get a feel for the characters and the universe. They’re a great way to dip your toe in and try something new, and if you don’t like it then at least you tried! But if you do like it then you have a whole new world to explore (in games and fiction) and some new authors to try. Your TBR pile, and your wallet, might not thank you, but you’ll have a great time and lots more cool books to read. 

Arkham Horror Deck Building Game

Did the pandemic and the change to work practices make it more difficult than usual to put together a book like this?

I’ve been working at home since March 2020, so I’m fairly used to working remotely at this point. But luckily the Aconyte team is always around if I need to ask them something and working at home means they don’t have to listen to me excitedly chatter non-stop about all the cool stories I’m working on! I’m sure when we’re in the office they get very bored of me ruining all the books before they’ve read them. 

Our authors have always been based all over the world, so I’m getting pretty good at time zones. And having authors from across the globe means they bring their own experiences and perspectives to the table. 

One thing that has changed is that people can’t always get out to local game stores or board game cafes to play games or test them out, so we make sure to provide lots of material if they need a hand. I always try and be flexible and work with my authors to make sure the process is as smooth for them as possible, especially amongst all the recent upheaval.  

Were you a fan of Arkham Horror before getting involved with this collection, and if so how did you get into it?

I’ve been editing Aconyte’s Arkham Horror fiction since we first started back in 2019. I knew of Arkham beforehand, but I’d not had a chance to play it. So very early on myself, Marc (our publisher) and Nick (our publishing co-ordinator) sat down with the game and played it through. It did not go well… we started with such confidence (as I’m sure everyone does) but I think we were all dead within ninety minutes. We failed miserably! But it was so much fun and a great way to get into the world of Arkham Horror – plus it combines my love of gribbly monsters, alternative history and very cool characters. 

This is the first Arkham Horror anthology collection, how did you go about deciding which authors would be included in it, and the types of stories that you wanted it to feature?

When we look at authors for out books and stories, we ask them to express interest and have some knowledge or awareness of the world, and we also ask that they’re mindful of our guidelines, that they’re flexible and that they can fit with out deadlines too. We’d actually thought about putting a different anthology for Arkham Horror together, before this one, which didn’t quite work out, so I already had some interested authors from that process. So instead of our original idea, we asked them to pivot onto the new theme! 

In terms of types of story, I worked with the team at FFG to create a list of possible themes, characters (both investigators and cultists), or locations that authors could include or choose from. These were all tied to ‘The Night of the Zealot’ scenario and the Revised Core Set for the Arkham Horror Living Card Game. We very much themed it around Umôrdhoth, ghouls and things that go bump in the night, and we wanted stories that would embrace that! 

Charlotte has previously edited the Keyforge anthologyfor Aconyte Books.

The collection’s stories are all connected with the inclusion of Umôrdhoth, as well as some key themes and creatures, was it difficult to try and get these different stories to include these elements?

Actually it was very easy! We told the authors from the start what the themes were and what we were aiming for, so they knew from the start where they needed to aim. I did ask them to tell me what they were interested in before they pitched, so we didn’t end up with two stories with the same central character, but they all came up with some amazing, unique ideas. It turns out when you tell authors to write some stories about ghouls, cultists and the like, they really go all out! 

The book has stories that whilst all being horror are very different from each other, some being more psychological horror, others being historical pieces set in the distant past. How much freedom did the authors have to explore these different themes and ideas?

I tried to give the authors quite a bit of freedom, depending on what character’s they wanted to use, or what settings and themes they wanted to explore. We did have guidelines for them to follow – like a sandbox we wanted them to play in – and we do have limits on what they can include, but I really like seeing what authors come up with when given these tools, so I try to let them explore what they’re interested in. It just has to fit within the IP and the anthology, which is where I’m on hand to make suggestions, tweak details and just give things a nudge if necessary.  

What do you think it is about cosmic horror, and the work of Lovecraft in particular, that has made it endure so long and become so beloved?

This is such a cool question, and one I could probably write an essay on. I think the idea that there might be something out there, that’s not necessarily benevolent, is a concept that people are fascinated by. That there are things we cannot and should not know. It’s a reflection on the human experience – that there are dark things in the places we don’t see or don’t want to see. 

Lovecraft has endured, but I think what I like most is the way that people have taken his ideas and run with them. Created new adaptations, twisted them, and bought their own views and experiences to his work. I really love what some modern authors, and games like Arkham Horror have done, which is to take these works and use them as a basis for their exploration of these ideas. It really means we can open it up to reflect the world we live in, and the experiences of those around us, rather than just those that Lovecraft deemed fitting. 

Will this be a one off for Arkham Horror, or can we expect more anthology collections in the future?

I don’t have one planned at the moment but that doesn’t mean there won’t be one! Watch this space… 

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

The Devourer Below: An Arkham Horror Anthology - Book Review

 

'The city of Arkham falls prey to ghoulish dread in this chilling anthology of action-packed adventure, from the bestselling world of Arkham Horror

'Something monstrous has come to Arkham, Massachusetts. There have always been shadows here, but now a new hunger has risen from the depths and threatens those who dwell here. But there are heroes too – people who stand up and fight to stem the tide, even when it costs them everything. Explore eight shocking new tales of occult horror, captivating mystery, and existential fear – from a zealous new heroine to conniving cultists, bootleg whiskey to night terrors, and fiends that crawl from open graves. A nightmare has fallen across Arkham, and it will devour all.'

The Devourer Below is the first anthology book in the ever popular Arkham Horror book series, and takes readers on a host of adventures around the titular city as ordinary folk, private investigators, and monster hunters come face to face wit enigmatic cults, twisted monstrosities, and the ancient evil that connects them all; Umôrdhoth, the Devourere Below.

The first story in this collection, 'Running the Night Whiskey' by Evan Dicken is a great way to kick things off, and introduces us to several ideas that will make repeat appearances across the book. The story follows Leo, a former soldier in the Great War turned into a bit of a rogue, who upon finding himself in some trouble with local bootleggers and gangsters, agrees to help an old friend from the army smuggle some illegal booze into Arkham.

Over the course of this story we get to know Leo, and learn about his history both as a criminal and his time in the war. Dicken gives several curve balls across the narrative, letting you think one particular thing is going to happen before subtly subverting your expectations, before the final horrific revelations. The story introduces the entity of Umôrdhoth, the cults that worship him, the ghouls that serve him, as well as the idea that there are people in the world who oppose these forces, and are willing to fight against them.

'Shadows Dawning' by Georgina Kamsika tells the story of Lita Chandler, a recently widowed woman whose husband was targeted and killed by a cult. Not knowing who in Arkham she can trust anymore, but knowing that the cult is still out there, Lita enters a desperate mission to find answers as to why her husband was killed, as well as taking revenge against those who took him from her.

There's a sense of desperation to this story, as Lita struggles to find answers and to stay alive in the face of these evil people that really transports you into her shoes. Even as a reader you never know what's going to come next, you're always on guard waiting for a sudden attack to come, and you're never sure who Lita should be trusting. It really sells the insidiousness of the cults in Arkham, how they seem to be everywhere and everyone, yet also impossible to find when you want to.

'The Hounds Below' by Josh Reynolds is one of the more chilling stories in the collection, and revisits one of the ideas first suggested in 'Running the Night Whiskey'; that the battlefields of World War One played host to ghouls and monsters. The story sees an investigative journalist visiting an asylum in Arkham, hoping to talk to a man who has been locked away for cannibalism.

Over the course of watching this reporter talk to the cannibal we get to discover that he was set on this path of killing and eating people thanks to the war and the horrors that he saw there, both human horror, and those much older. It gives us a disturbing insight into how a regular person can begin to find themselves serving the darker forces of the universe, and how close we all are to pure evil under the right circumstances. 

Thomas Parrott makes two contributions to this collection, in a story that gets spread out over the course of the book. The first, 'Labyrinth' sees private investigator Joe Diamond getting wind of a possible case connected to the occult. A woman named Nadia Leandros has the same strange birth mark as a man recently found murdered, and the young woman has begun to complain about strange dreams, and people following her. Joe sets out to try and dig up some background information on the case, and with the help of a fried discovers that it might be connected to the secret of what really inspired the myth of the Labyrinth of Knossos.

This story lays the seeds for the rest of the tale, which comes at the end of the collection, but manages to craft it's own satisfying and engaging narrative as Joe is told the 'real' story of what happened to the hero Theseus. With every other story in this collection, and most stories involving the Lovecraft mythology, set within the last hundred years or so it makes for a wonderful and striking change to see this mythology meeting the myths of Ancient Greece.

Davide Mana's 'All My Friends Are Monsters' tells the story of Ruth Turner, a woman who works in the local morgue by day, but spends her nights dressed as a man drinking in the local speak-easy's. With Ruth visiting the illegal drinking establishments, wearing 'mens' clothing, and being in a relationship with a woman she's worried one day when she's approached by a couple of people who ask her to turn a blind eye to them claiming a few bodies in exchange for them staying quite about her own activities.

This story shows us how easy it is to dragged into something that is out of your control, where you can see something awful taking place, yet are powerless to do anything about it. Not only that, but over the course of the story we get to see Ruth going from appalled by what she sees happening, to strangely indifferent. The way Mana looks at how people can become desensitised by the things around them, to the point where the monstrous can become the mundane is deeply chilling.

'The Darkling Woods' by Cath Lauria tells the tale of two young orphans living on the streets of Arkham who decide to try and and get off the streets for a night. Geting away from the gangs and dangers of the docks, the two of them head into the city where they convince the owner of a small boarding house to let them rent a room for the night. But they soon discover that perhaps the streets are a little safer when the owner takes an unusual interest in them.

This is the only story in the collection that doesn't focus on adults, and frames children as the lead characters, which definitely makes it stand out a lot. So often with the Arkham Horror franchise we see adults having to deal with these issues, discovering the existence of existential horrors and cults that I never actually considered how a child would fare with doing the same. It frames the whole thing a new way, one that I'd love to see done again in the future.

'Professor Warren's Investiture' by Davidd Annandale tells the story of Professor Peter Warren, a somewhat looked down upon member of the Miskatonic University. Warren has spent years gathering information and notes on what he believes to be the greater mysteries of the universe, things that see his colleague mocking him and his life's endeavour. However, when he's approached by a woman who shares his interest, and offers him new evidence that will help his work it takes him in a dangerous new direction.

I found this story to be incredibly interesting, as it really went into Warren's obsession, and how it transforms him and consumes him to a point where it pushes him towards the very evil that he's trying to learn about. So often in these stories we discover people who are already involved in the cults, who're zealots and believers, so getting to see how someone gets twisted into that, how they come to accept these evils and enjoy it makes for an insightful story.

The final story in the collection, 'Sins in the Blood' by Thomas Parrott, continues the story of private investigator Joe Diamond as he and an ally of his, a magic practising waitress named Agnes, set out to help Nadia Leandros, and break the curse upon her family bloodline that will soon lead to her death. Unfortunately, this means that the three of them will have to not only deal with the deadly cultists that are closing in on them, but will have to perform a dangerous ritual that could destroy them all.

Whilst very different from the first part of this story, 'Sins in the Blood' works well as a conclusion to this tale, and shifts it's focus from investigating into the past to fighting for survival in the present. It's one of the more action packed entries in this collection, and is a great not to end things on. The story also makes me want to read more about Joe and his fight against the evils in Arkham; so I'm hoping this could be a character that Reynolds comes to again some day.

I've really enjoyed the Arkham Horror novels I've read, and have found them to be some incredibly creepy and compelling horror mystery stories, so I'm absolutely over the moon to see these tales work so well in short story form too, and I'm excited to see more anthology books like this. Whether you're a long time fan of the series, or looking for some shorter fiction to try out before making the big plunge, The Devourer Below is the ideal read.

Make sure to check back on the blog tomorrow as I chat with Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells, the editor of The Devourer Below, and find out how the book came to life.

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

5 LGBTQ+ Graphic Novels To Check Out

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Whilst comic books and graphic novels used to be the sole domain of brightly coloured heroes and odd villains, the industry has expanded over the decades, and independent comics are more popular than ever, with more and more books that don’t fit into the superhero mould becoming best sellers. But it can still be hard to find comics that showcase LGBTQ+ content. Well, here are five titles that you absolutely need to check out.

The Deep And Dark Blue by Niki Smith

After a political coup sees twins Hawke and Grayson having to flee their family home, they need to find somewhere to hide away from those who want to kill them in order to take over the kingdom.

Donning disguises as Hannah and Grayce they take refuge with the priestesses of The Communion of the Blue. Whilst Hawke spends his time plotting ways to take back his home and yearns for the day he can throw off his disguise, Grayce discovers that she’s never been happier, and realises that her old life as Grayson was the real disguise she had to wear.

The Deep And Dark Blue is a fantasy story filled with political machinations, as well as some subtle magic, but at its heart it’s a story about self discovery and learning to become yourself. Grayce’s journey to realising that she was always supposed to be a girl is genuinely beautiful, and the moment where she comes out to her brother literally made me cry. The message of acceptance and love within the pages of this book make it one I’ll come back to time and time again.

You Brought Me The Ocean by Alex Sanchez

Jake Hyde lives with his single mother in the desert town of Truth or Consequences in New Mexico, far from the ocean. Despite this, he yearns to be near the water, and is planning to leave his hometown to attend college on the coast.

As Jake figures out how he’s going to reveal his life changing plans to his mother, and best friend Maria, he is shocked to find that he’s attracted to Kenny, captain of the swim team. Not only that, but he’s been hiding strange powers that appear whenever he touches water.

You Brought Me The Ocean is actually a re-imagining of the origin story of Jackson Hyde, also known as Aqualad. Originally introduced during the comic event Brightest Day in 2010, the character would go through some changes over the years and eventually come out as gay.

Alex Sanchez changes Jake’s backstory, having him realise his sexuality during his final days in high school, and the drama that comes along with it. Despite being a story about a superhero, his powers and the broader DC universe don’t play much of a part in this story, and it’s focused instead on a very real and relatable young man. Even if you’ve never picked up a superhero book and have no desire to, this is a comic that anyone would fall in love with.

How To Be Ace: A Memoir of Growing Up Asexual by Rebecca Burgess

Asexuality can often be overlooked, or outright denied to exist. People will turn around to asexual people and tell them that they’ve ‘not found the right person yet’, or that they’re ‘being too picky’.

There are even people within the LGBTQ+ community who will deny Ace folks exist. This is why a book like Rebecca Burgess’ How To Be Ace are really important.

An autobiographical book, it tells Rebecca’s story as she navigates her life trying to figure out her sexuality. Because of how little asexuality is talked about Rebecca spends a great deal of the book unsure if she’s ‘normal’, and it’s as much about her journey to understand it herself as it is getting others to too.

However, thanks to books like this, asexuality is becoming more and more recognised, and this is the perfect graphic novel to help young people figure out their own sexuality, and if they too might be ace.

Girl Haven by Lilah Sturges

Three years after Ash’s mother disappeared they make friends with a group of girls at their school. It turns out that the three of them are part of the school’s Pride club, and invite Ash to hang out with them.

When they go to spend time at Ash’s house they discover a load of stuff that Ash’s mother left behind, costumes and books about the magic kingdom of Koretris. The four friends try one of the magic spells in the books and find themselves transported to Koretris, which is odd as only girls are supposed to be able to go there, and Ash was born a boy. As the four of them travel across the magic land trying to find a way home, Ash begins to question if they were ever really a boy at all.

Having previously found fame writing Lumberjanes, which also has some great queer representation, trans author Lilah Sturges decides to make a book about not only discovering your queer identity whilst still a teen, but coming out as trans too. The fact that it’s all set in a magical kingdom with sword wielding rabbit people, ancient prophecies, and powerful villains to vanquish just makes it even more enjoyable.

Batwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka

Another entry from DC Comics, this one is actually set within the mainstream universe, and is the first story under the Batwoman title.

Originally having been introduced into comics as part of the year long 52 series, where she was also written by Rucka, Batwoman may have worn a costume similar to Batman, but had no connection with the character. Instead, Kate Kane took on the heroic identity to help protect Gotham in Batman’s absence.

What makes the series stand out, other than the amazing art, is the fact that it’s the first DC title with an openly lesbian hero headlining. Plus, Kate’s sexuality is a major part of the story, as she’d previously been thrown out of the military for being a lesbian. Whilst the character might have found further fame thanks to the CW series where actress Ruby Rose took on the role, this is essentially the comic that started it all, and is the first time DC really took a chance on a queer hero in a mainstream way.

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing – Throwback 10

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Racing games have always been big business for the video games industry. They might not be the biggest earners or the most memorable games around, but they always sell well, and there are always a lot of them on every gaming system. Whilst most try to take a serious approach to racing, one of the biggest names in the entire genre was the cartoonish Mario Kart series, which has been around since 1992.

Other companies tried to emulate the success of Nintendo’s racing game, but none were really able to recapture that kind of magic, or offer as iconic a roster of racers. It looked like the Italian plumber would dominate racing, but that changed in 2011 when Sega released Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing.

Now, I’m not saying that it’s better than Mario Kart, or that it achieves the same level of sales or recognition, but it’s one of the only games around that’s able to stand beside the Nintendo series for fun, brightly coloured environments, and instantly recognisable characters.

Released onto multiple platforms, including the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii, and even the handheld Nintendo DS, the game received positive reviews from publications on its release, and public praise quickly followed. It was instantly popular thanks not only to its host of characters (more on that in a bit), but it’s inventive level of design. Drawing upon other games produced by Sega, the racer allowed players to revisit some classics. There was Sunshine Tour, which took inspiration from Dreamcast game Samba de Amigo; Monkey Target, which took racers into the treetops of the popular Gamecube title Super Monkey Ball; the snow covered Icicle Valley, based upon little remembered Billy Hatcher game; and of course, tracks like Ocean Ruin, which recreated stages from the Sonic The Hedgehog series.

Not only did the game offer some fun and frantic courses to race in across three different modes – Grand Prix, Single Race, and Time Tiral – it also included Missions, special tasks that require you to complete races and challenges under certain conditions. These ranged from drifting for a set amount of time, to beating the race whilst a countdown eliminated the racers at the rear, and even driving around new areas collecting items. These Missions took practice, and if you wanted to beat them with the best rank they could require multiple play throughs. The Missions added a lot of extra playability to the game, giving people something more to do than simply beating the same tracks over and over again, and completing these missions was as fun a group activity as the regular races whenever I got together with friends to play the game.

The game also offered a lot of characters to choose from. Unlike Mario Kart, which (with a few exceptions) chiefly drew upon only the Super Mario series, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing featured racers from across Sega’s catalogue of games. Of course there were the expected characters like Sonic, Tails, Shadow the Hedgehog, and even Doctor Eggman, but there were some odd choices too, like the Bonanza Brothers, Jacky and Akira from Virtual Fighter, a couple of zombies from House of the Dead, Ulala from Space Channel 5, and Opa-Opa from Fantasy Zone who ran around the track itself rather than using a vehicle.

Having these iconic characters mixed in with some obscure, and some would say bizarre, choices makes for a game that felt a lot different from other racing games. It felt like Sega wasn’t necessarily trying to make a game that felt cohesive, but one that was fun, that drew upon everything the company had done before as a big celebration of their characters and games, even if it didn’t quite fit together perfectly.

Whilst Mario Kart might be one of the most iconic ‘fun’ racing games it’s a series that I feel gets a little too much praise. If you’re looking for a truly fun, wacky, and enjoyable racing game you need to look at their Sega cousin instead, as Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing will forever be one of my favourite racing games ever made.

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Welcome To Trash Land by Steve Cole - Book Review

 

'Theo lives in a vast dumping ground got broken electronics in Ghana. He searches the trash for metal scraps to sell for cash, and dreams of going to school and escaping this harsh life. So when Emanuel turns up with talk of buried treasure, Theo sees a chance to get out of Trashland. But Emanuel draws the attention of a local gang, and Theo realises his new friend is keeping dangerous secrets…'

Welcome To Trash Land is the latest environmentally themed release from children's publisher Barrington Stoke Books, and takes a look at the lesser known part of electronic waste and recycling; and how often it can lead to mass pollution, as well as to children living and working in dangerous conditions. 

The story follows Theo, a young orphan boy who was left in Trashland, a huge electrical dump in Agbobloshie, Ghana. Having been abandoned by a father who promised he'd one day return for him, Theo spends his nights sleeping in an old shed with chickens, and his days scavenging through the piles of electrical waste looking for useful pieces of scrap metal that he can sell on for enough money to afford a meal for the day.

When Theo is approached by another boy, Emanuel, his life begins to change. Emanuel claims he needs Theo's help, that he has a map to a stash of treasure buried somewhere in Trashland by his older brother. At first Theo isn't sure whether to believe the boy or not, but as he ends up becoming more and more involved with Emanuel he becomes convinced that there really could be treasure buried out in the dump. Treasure that could change Theo's life forever.

We all know that the world is in trouble, that thanks to pollution and rampant destruction of environments that we don't have long left as a species, that our children and their children will be living in even worse circumstances. Most of us try to do something about this, even if it's only a little bit. We think that instead of putting something in the rubbish bin we can put it in the recycling bin and that helps, that solves a problem. This book, however, reveals how short sighted that idea is, and how even recycling isn't enough.

I had no idea places like this existed in the world. I know that there are mega-landfill's, places where we bury our rubbish in the ground and hope to forget about the problem, but I had no idea that happened to the majority of the things that we recycle too. And the fact that more 'developed' countries like the UK and the US simply ship their waste across the world to let the poorer people deal with it is frankly shameful. 

Luckily, Welcome To Trash Land has some hope in it, as we get to see Theo trying his best to make a better life for himself and his friends. Theo is a character that feels like he should have lost all his hope; that he should be a kid who's spirit has been so crushed by where he is and how he's made to survive that he can't see anything else. But he has a strength of character and drive to do better that I'm not sure many would possess in his position. Even before Emanuel turns up talking about treasure and promising to make Theo rich enough to escape Trashland Theo is the kind of kid who still hopes for a better tomorrow.

Steve Cole manages to walk a really fine line between telling a story that is completely hopeless, where the reality of that's going on in the world is so crushing that you can't help but feel awful, yet also telling a story about the power of hope, of striving for something better and never giving in.

The book is also accompanied by a number of illustrations by Oriol Vidal, who provides both the gorgeous cover art for the book, as well as several illustrations throughout the course of the book. Vidal is able to bring a strange sense of beauty to an environment that s literal trash, and is able to convey the strangeness of a landscape where everything around you is rubbish.

Welcome To Trash Land is a book that confronts younger readers with the reality of the world, with how damaging human beings are to both the environment and other people; yet is doesn't drown its readers in sorrow, nor does it leave you feeling hopeless at the end. If anything, the book will make you want to get out there and do something, to try and make the world a bit better. And that's a hell of a message to give to future generations.

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

The Best of Men – Film Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Originally having aired on the BBC in the summer of 2012, as part of the celebration of the Olympic games coming to the UK, The Best of Men tells the story of Dr Ludwig Guttmann (Eddie Marsan), a German doctor who fled to the UK during World War II, and whose pioneering work with paraplegic patients would not only lead to these men regaining a semblance of their normal lives, but the founding of the Paralympic Games.

The film begins in 1944, when Dr Guttmann is transferred to the Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where he’s to work with soldiers injured in the war. These men have a range of different spinal injuries and varying degrees of paralysis, but one thing they have in common is how everyone else sees them. They’re seen as broken, unable to be made better, and good only to lay in bed and receive sympathy. Guttmann has something else in mind, and completely changes the hospital’s approach.

At first, this is met with hostility from other doctors, and even his own ward nurses, but over time the patients are weaned off their sedation, their bed sores are treated, and they begin to act like people once again. Pushing for more help for his patients, Guttmann uses sports and games to help build their physical strength and confidence, and with his patients happy and thriving he sets out to hold a series of games on the hospital grounds to show the world that just because these men are disabled it doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be treated as less than everyone else.

Despite being billed as a film about the birth of the Paralympic Games, much of the film isn’t really about that. Instead, it’s about how different things were for these men before Guttmann arrived, and how he changed medicine’s approach to paraplegic patients. To begin with no one likes Guttmann, not even his patients, and much of the film focuses on him winning them over and helping these men to see that they still have lives worth living.

There are several patients that the film focuses on, but the two that gain the most attention are William (George MacKay) and Wynne (Rob Brydon). William is a young man, barely into his twenties, who feels that his life is over, who can’t see a way through his injuries. His parents see him as barely more than a child to be pitied, and his father even says at one point it would have been kinder if he’d have been killed in the war. Wynne, on the other hand, is more outgoing and fun loving, and has a wife and children at home who don’t see him any differently now that he’s in a wheelchair, who just want him back. But we see over the course of the film that it’s Wynne’s own fears that are making his return difficult for him.

Through these two characters the audience gets to see different sides of abelism, internal and external, and how these can adversely affect people’s lives. Wynne has to learn that he can’t allow his disability to rule him, and that he still has a lot worth living for; whilst William has the opposite journey, and needs to show his parents what he already knows, that his life is far from over and he’s more than capable of living a wonderful life. Bot MacKay and Brydon play these parts brilliantly, and put a lot of emotion and depth into these roles.

All of this is thanks to Guttmann, thanks to his refusal to give in to the established way of doing things. He doesn’t take no for an answer and always pushes to give his patients the best, to do whatever is needed to help make them better. Marsan plays him wonderfully, and it’s brilliant to see how the other characters around him slowly change. They go from open hostility to understanding, and eventually love as his staff and patients see him for the amazing man he is, even go so far as affectionately calling him ‘pop-pop’. He’s a man who has seen some of the worst of humanity but refuses to be anything but the best.

The film ends by giving the audience some further information on this amazing figure and what he started. Having fled to the UK as a German Jew he not only found sanctuary and safety here, but a home. He changed the way the medical world saw disabled people, and he was such an important figure he was awarded a knighthood for his actions. And the games he started, that began on the grounds of Stoke Mandeville Hospital with some 40 competitors, have become one of the largest sporting events in the world, with more than 4,000 competitors from over 100 countries competing. I didn’t know how amazing Dr Guttmann was, and how much he changed the world for the better, but this film introduced me to a man who should be celebrated for his work.

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

The Book of the Baku by R.L. Boyle - Book Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

'Sean hasn't been able to speak a word since he was put into care, and is sent to live with his granddad, a retired author whom he has never met before. Suddenly living an affluent life, nothing like the world of the estate he grew up in, where gangs run the streets and violence is around every corner, Sean spends his time drawing, sculpting and reading his granddad's stories.

'But his granddad has secrets of his own in his past. As he retreated to the shed, half-buried in his treasured garden, Sean finds one of his stories about The Baku , a creature that eats the fears of children.

'Plagued by nightmares, with darkness spreading through the house, Sean must finally face the truth if he s to have a chance to free himself and his grandfather from the grip of the Baku.'

The Book of the Baku follows Sean, a teen who's having to move in with a grandfather he's never met before following a family tragedy that's forced him to leave his home, and caused him to become mute. His social workers tell him that he needs to confront his trauma in order to move on, to get his voice back, and that he can't just hide away from what happened to him; but Sean's having trouble facing up to what happened. He's blocking out his friends, and retreating into his art.

Luckily for Sean, his grandfather seems to understand that Sean needs his own time and space, and converts his home conservatory into a bright new art studio for his grandson. He buys Sean stacks of art supplies, and encourages him to pursue his passions. At first, everything seems to be going well between the two of them, despite them struggling to get to know each other for the first time.

Things change, however, when Sean discovers a collection of horror stories in his granddads library, 'The Book of the Baku'; which Sean's grandfather wrote himself years ago. The stories tell of children haunted by awful nightmare, and how they give these nightmares over to the mythic Baku, a statue that can eat their bad dreams. But when Sean starts to have these nightmares himself, and starts to see the Baku he begins to fear that the creature might be real, and that it's coming for him. Now he has to try to avoid dreaming, avoid letting the Baku in closer to him whilst his grandfather retreats back into his writing shed, zombie like, and the house begins to decay around them both. 

At first I thought The Book of the Baku was going to be a pure horror story, a book about monsters and nightmares. It ticks a lot of those boxes, and the nightmares and short stories that fill the pages of the novel are incredibly chilling at times; but it soon became apparent that the book was going to be a lot more than watching this boy struggle against supernatural forces. The book is as much about trauma and loss than it is anything else; and I'm not entirely convinced that the Baku itself isn't just a manifestation of the grief Sean's living with. Though the book refuses to give clear answers one way or another, and the monster could very well be real.

Throughout the book we learn more and more about Sean through flashbacks scattered across the narrative. These moments take us back to a time before Sean moves in with his grandfather, before he fell mute, when is life was somewhat happy. Having grown up in a poor neighbourhood, Sean has had to struggle most of his life, and has had to mature quickly. Yes, he and his close friends still play childish games, but they live a life where drink, drugs, and gang violence are a constant part of their lives. Sean has had to struggle and fight for what he has, and it shows that he was a very strong young man, and raises the question of what would have been so awful as to traumatise him so much.

R.L. Boyle is very clever at giving you enough hints at what this could be through these flashbacks, enough possible scenarios that you're constantly trying to work out what it might have been. There are a few possibilities I came up with throughout the flashbacks, and they were not only all wrong, but all so much better than what really happened to Sean. I'm not going to say what happened to him, as it would completely ruin the book, but when I found out it broke me. I'm not ashamed to say that I genuinely wept, that the book brought out floods of tears and all I wanted to do was to give Sean a huge hug and tell him everything was going to be okay.

Even though the book is about monsters, ghosts, and horror stories on a surface level it's so much deeper than that, and it deals with grief and trauma so beautifully, and made it one of the most emotionally affecting books I've ever read. I've seen the book being compared to A Monster Calls, and that's an incredibly apt comparison. I can see the people who loved that book loving this one, and it deserves to be as loved, recognised, and awarded as it was. The Book of Baku is not only the best book I've read this year, but perhaps one of the best I've ever read, and it needs to be read by everyone.

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise - Book Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

'For those that lived there, Neverland was a children's paradise. No rules, no adults, only endless adventure and enchanted forests - all led by the charismatic boy who would never grow old.

'But Wendy Darling grew up. She left Neverland and became a woman, a mother, a patient, and a survivor. Because Neverland isn't as perfect as she remembers. There's darkness at the heart of the island, and now Peter Pan has returned to claim a new Wendy for his lost boys...'

Peter Pan has always been a popular character, thanks to the love the original book received, and the hit of the Disney film, it's a character that has been re-imagined and reinvented time and time again. But in the majority of those re-tellings it's always been about the wonder of Neverland, about how amazing Peter is, and how positive an impact the adventure had on Wendy and her brothers. A.C. Wise throws this out, instead focusing on the darkness just behind the scenes of Neverland, and how adventuring with Peter Pan isn't always a good thing.

Wendy, Darling explores the character of Wendy across multiple periods of her life, with these different stories weaving in and out of the main narrative to give readers a slowly unfolding insight into one of the most famous characters in children's literature. After returning from Neverland things have not been good for the Darling children. Their parents died on the Titanic, Michael was injured in World War One and suffers from traumatic PTSD, and Wendy, who refuses to stop talking about Neverland, is sent to an institution.

Despite these awful things, we get to see Wendy as a happily married woman, with a daughter of her own. However, when Peter appears one night and decides to take Jane, Wendy's daughter, to Neverland we not only get to see Wendy going after them, determined to bring her daughter home, but also discover much of what's happened to her over the years; including the torment and love she discovered whilst locked away.

Wendy, Darling isn't a book about Peter, or Neverland, despite it giving readers a new and somewhat drastic explanation for the character and his world. Instead, the book is about Wendy and the strength she has built up over the years. We see much of this over the two time periods that we follow Wendy. The first begins in 1917, when John has decided that he's been left no choice but to take Wendy to the St. Bernadettes asylum to stop her ravings about Neverland and the rages it brings out in her from hurting their youngest brother, who's still dealing with his own mental scars from the war. The second, set in 1931, follows Wendy as she travels back to Neverland to rescue her daughter.

I honestly thought that our of the two of these I would find the one where Wendy returns to Neverland and has to confront the people and places from her past would be the most exciting part of the book, especially as Wise explores the more horrific elements of the story; and whilst these sections are great, I don't think that they really hold a candle to how good the intervening years are.

The Wendy we see enter St. Bernadettes is something of a spoilt and angry woman, one who's had to deal with her own share of hardships yes, but who ultimately doesn't think that she can be wrong about anything because she was the only Darling sibling to remember Neverland. She has an arrogance to her that quickly becomes checked once she's locked away far from home, and it's through her trials there that we get to really see her grow as a person.

The book took some surprising turns along the way, and I was honestly not expecting the author to make certain choices that they did. But the way Wendy's story was crafted really drew me in, and I realised that I was more invested in learning how she eventually got out of the asylum and became a mother and wife over what she would find at the heart of Neverland.

I loved how I was expecting to be taken on a grand adventure, but instead got a complex and engaging character driven story, one that dealt with grief and trauma, loss and family, and most of all was about love. Not just Wendy's love as a mother though, but queer love too, about deep love as friends, and how family can form in some less traditional combinations. I was never expecting the book to do this, but the fact that it did made it all the more worth reading.

Wendy, Darling will appeal to people who have a soft spot for Peter Pan, who read the books and watched the movies, but it'll also appeal to a lot more people than that. It's focus on a strong female lead, about the strength that women have inside them, and the power to overcome insurmountable odds make this not just a magical fair tale, but a powerful feminist story too.

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Rick by Alex Gino - Book Review

 

'Rick's never questioned much. He's gone along with his best friend Jeff even when Jeff's acted like a bully and a jerk. He's let his father joke with him about which hot girls he might want to date even though that kind of talk always makes him uncomfortable. And he hasn't given his own identity much thought, because everyone else around him seemed to have figured it out.

'But now Rick's gotten to middle school, and new doors are opening. One of them leads to the school's Rainbow Spectrum club, where kids of many genders and identities congregate, including Melissa, the girl who sits in front of Rick in class and seems to have her life together. Rick wants his own life to be that ... understood. Even if it means breaking some old friendships and making some new ones.

'As they did in their groundbreaking novel George, in Rick, award-winning author Alex Gino explores what it means to search for your own place in the world ... and all the steps you and the people around you need to take in order to get where you need to be.'

I discovered the existence of Rick shortly after finishing Alex Gino's first book, George, and because of how much I loved that book I knew that I wanted to read this sequel novel. Whilst I had something of a personal connection to George, thanks to being trans and having dealt with a lot of the topics that book covered, I was excited to see what Gino would do with the character of Rick, who had briefly appeared in the previous book, and how they would cover the topic of asexuality. 

The book follows the character of Rick, a young teen moving up to middle school and facing big changes in his life. Not only is he going to a new school with new routines, and potentially new friends, but his home life has changed too, with his older sister moving off to college making him the oldest child in the house. Rick is nervous about these new challenges, but is prepared to face them alongside his best friend, Jeff. The two of them have been friends forever, and Rick thinks the world of Jeff, but once they reach middle school Rick begins to see that Jeff isn't the nicest guy around.

Of course, the readers have already seen this, as Jeff was the bully who tormented Melissa in the previous book, and here Rick begins to realise that Jeff hasn't really changed since then either. This growing change in how Rick thinks about Jeff is exacerbated when Jeff begins to torment other students, and pick on the LGBTQ+ club within the school. This not only bothers Rick because it's wrong, but because he's been secretly attending the club, trying to figure out his own sexuality; or lack of one, as Rick begins to discover the term asexual, and thinks it might be something that applies to him.

Whilst I didn't love Rick as much as I did George, which made me cry a few times whilst reading it, I really liked this book, and wished that it was a lot longer than it was so that I could spend more time with these characters and their stories. Whilst George was about being yourself in relation to discovering and being true to your gender Rick is about being yourself in other ways. It seems to want to teach its readers that people change as they grow, and the plot of Rick and Jeff's changing relationship is a big part of this. It's telling its young readers that sometimes friendships you may have had for years can change, or even end, because who you are as people don't align any more; and there's nothing wrong with ending a friendship if it becomes toxic or damaging.

This is one of the main thrusts of the book, and the scenes where Rick is discovering that he doesn't really like Jeff anymore are some important ones; especially when the situation comes to a head and they have a confrontation. I'm sure that everyone reading this has had friendships drift apart or break over the years, sometimes because people we see as good friends become people harmful to us. It's something that anyone can experience, and it's good to teach young readers that there's nothing to say you have to keep toxic friendships, and that ending them can sometimes be a good thing.

The main plot of the book, however, is Rick learning more about himself. Over the course of the book Rick's parents are asking him if he's found any boys or girls at school that take his eye, if he's developed any crushes yet, or even wants to date anyone. They know he's coming to an age where kids start to gain an interest in dating and relationships, but it's not something that Rick himself seems to think about much. He even sees it happening at school, especially with Jeff ogling, half the girls in their class. Despite this, he realises he's just not interested in any of it. 

Even though Rick is told that he's 'just a late bloomer', that he'll eventually come to realise that he's attracted to someone and will want to pursue them he's not too sure. He feels certain that it's something he's never going to be interested in. As such, he begins to research if there might be a reason for this, if there's something wrong with him. This leads him to discover asexuality, and over the course of the book Rick realises that this not only applies to him, but learns to open up about it with others.

His journey to self acceptance is a nice one, and he never worries about what this could mean for him in the future, if he'll end up alone because he's not attracted to other people. This is a plot point I've seen used in other books that deal with asexuality, where people will be told they'll be lonely if they don't find a partner; but Rick seems to understand from a early age that this isn't the case, and that his friendships mean that he won't be alone. And we get to see him make these new friendships through him joining the school queer society; where he meets a fun and varied bunch of kids.

The children in the school LGBTQ+ club help Rick to understand and accept himself, but are also a great gateway into talking about other parts of the queer society in this book. There are gay, lesbian, and bisexual kids, as well as trans and non-binary students. Gino is able to use this club to raise awareness of other parts of the rainbow family, as well as teaching about pronouns. They also bring back Melissa from the first book, and her relationship with Rick is one of the nicest parts of the story.

I really enjoyed Rick, I thought that it was a lovely exploration of an often overlooked part of the queer community, and it explained this and other parts of the LGBTQ+ community well to younger readers, and showed young queer kids that not only are they not alone in the world, but that they will be able to find decent friendships and community. 

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram