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The Alleyman
Author: Pat Kelleher
Publisher: Abaddon Books
Page count/Size: 348pp
Release date: 9th October 2012
Reviewer: Chris Stocks
On 1st November 1916, 900 men of the Pennine Fusiliers (including nurses and other support staff) plus Lieutenant Tulliver of the Royal Flying Corps and his biplane disappeared from the Somme. The alien world in which they found themselves is strange and deadly, with carnivorous plants, giant flying predators and an aggressive, semi-intelligent fungus that re-animates its spore-infected victims as a weird form of fungal zombie. There are also various intelligent species, including the insectoid Chatts and the humanoid urmen (who may or may not be the descendants of humans previously transported to this world).

The Alleyman is the third book in the No Man’s World series (the first two being Black Hand Gang and The Iron clad Prophecy). Unfortunately I have not read the first two books, but although this means that I found myself in the middle of on-going plotlines, this did not really detract from my enjoyment.

The soldiers spend most of their time simply trying to survive day to day in the hostile environment in which they find themselves. They are also trying to make peace with the Khangarii (one of the clans of the Chatt); find out what happened to a tank and its crew that plunged into a mysterious crater at the end of the previous book; track down the evil Jeffries, one of the platoon who claimed to have transported them all from Earth by means of a necromantic ritual; discover the nature of the world in which they find themselves and, if possible, find a way home. In addition, Lt Tulliver encounters the eponymous Alleyman (a little knowledge of World War One slang would identify the nature of this man, though I won’t spoil the surprise for the uninitiated here) and must decide whether he can trust this one-time enemy and now potential ally…

As you can tell from the potted summary above, the plot of this book moves at a fast and furious pace. In many ways it is a ‘pulp’ novel, but it transcends this categorisation by the creative realisation of the alien world and its inhabitants and by the sympathetic portrayal of the men and women stranded on it. Despite the pace of the various plot strands, clues to the nature of the world are dropped at regular intervals to keep one’s interest piqued.

Overall I found this a fun book to read, was intrigued by the setting and interested in following the exploits of the Pennine Fusiliers on this strange, alien world. I could easily be persuaded to go back and read the first two novels and look forward to finding out how the series continues. Definitely recommended!

Bad Blood: A Double Dead Novella
Author: Chuck Wendig
Publisher: Abaddon Books
Page count/Size: 107pp
Release date: 3rd May 2012
Reviewer: Theresa Derwin

This novella is a sequel to the novel Double Dead released from Abaddon last year featuring vampire Coburn who wakes up after a five year ‘nap’ very hungry, to find the apocalypse has happened and zombies roam the earth. At the end of Double Dead, Coburn discovered that his blood brought about the birth of zombies, and carrying around the blood of miracle child Kayla, who sacrificed herself to save Coburn, he may have the cure for the virus in his blood. With Gil, Kayla’s father and a small terrier called Creampuff, Coburn sets out on a trip through America to find a lab where he hopes they can manufacture a cure. After all, a vampire needs a steady supply of food.

As part of the powers Coburn inherited when ingesting Kayla’s blood, he can walk out in the sun and hear Kayla’s voice in his head. Their trail now takes them to San Francisco and Coburn is kidnapped by a female vampire doctor intent on using his blood for nefarious purposes. Only Gil and a tribe of human orphan children can save him.

Blending darkness, blood, gore and Wendig’s typically wry sense of humour, Bad Blood is a marvellous gap filler to keep you going until Wendig’s next book comes out, which shouldn’t be too long as he is a prolific writer. This is a great outing for Coburn and Gil and at times I found myself laughing out loud. Wendig does black comedy like no other writer and this novella entertains the reader thoroughly. Brilliant stuff. I want more Wendig!

Having read the first and second books, I had to share news about a book I am really excited to see! This is the third Iron Clad book, so to get you in the mood I have posted the press release below from Solaris/Abaddon

No Man’s World:
The Alleyman
by Pat Kelleher
Battle resumes 9th October (US & Canada) and 11th October (UK)

£7.99 (UK) ISBN 978-1-78108-024-5
$9.99/$12.99 (US & CAN) ISBN 978-1-78108-025-2

Also available as an ebook

REVIEW COPIES AND AUTHOR INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE

“Abaddon are onto a real winner with this series.”
– Total Sci-Fi Online
“Meticulous historical detail, with a pulse-pounding pulp plot.”
– Red Rook Review on Black Hand Gang

The thrilling climax to the No Man’s World trilogy!
It’s been four months since the Pennine Fusiliers vanished from the Somme and found themselves stranded on an alien world.
The Tommies have been surviving on this bizarre planet populated by lethal foliage and hostile human-like insects while desperately trying to find a way back to Blighty.
In The Alleyman, while Lieutenant Everson tries to discover the true intentions of their alien prisoner, Lance Corporal Atkins and his Black Hand Gang are on the trail of Jeffries, the diabolist responsible for their predicament. And above it all, Lieutenant Tulliver of the Royal Flying Corps soars free of the confines of alien gravity, where the true scale of the planet’s mystery is revealed. To uncover the truth, however, he must join forces with an unexpected ally.
A blazing mixture of genre-shattering SF, meticulously researched history, and powerful storytelling, The Alleyman is the third in this enthralling and exhilarating series.

About the Series

On November 1st 1916, 900 men of the 13th Battalion of the Pennine Fusiliers vanish without trace from the battlefield only to find themselves on an alien planet. There they must learn to survive in a hostile environment, while facing a sinister threat from within their own ranks and a confrontation with an inscrutable alien race!

No Man’s World takes the conventions of horror and throws them out of the window in a series that pulses with action, tension and character. Pat Kelleher has created a unique world in which the so-familiar monochrome images of the trenches of Flanders are brought to vivid life in an alien environment.
Other books in the series:
Black Hand Gang 9781906735845 • £7.99
The Ironclad Prophecy 9781907992155 • £7.99

About the Author

Pat Kelleher lives in Penury, Greater Manchester. He has written for a wide variety of TV licensed characters across a bewildering array of media, meeting one or two celebrities along the way. He has worked for BBC Magazines, Egmont, Marvel UK, and Panini amongst others. He has several non-fiction books to his credit. No Man’s World: Ironclad Prophesy is his second novel.

www.nomansworldblog.blogspot.com

Author: Juliet E McKenna
Publisher: Solaris Books
Page count/Size: 448pp
Release date: 1st March 2012
Reviewer: Theresa Derwin

Book two of the Hadrumal Crisis, this novel picks up as Captain Corrain has married Ilysh, the thirteen year-old daughter of Widow Lady Zurenne, in order to protect their family following the death of Baron Halferan. The novel begins as he is called to an impromptu parliament at Ferl to prove his right to the title of new Baron Halferan.

Captain Corrain is hailed as a hero but he knows all such praise would turn to anger if certain people knew what had really happened. The wizard who supposedly saved him and his comrades has merely claimed the island of the corsair’s for his own. No one knows what this enigmatic newcomer intends to do next. Corrain has good reason to fear the worst, as he confides in Lady Zurenne of Halferan. He knows he can trust her now that still more perilous secrets bind the two of them together. This disastrous turn of events cannot be concealed from Hadrumal’s powerful mages. The Chief Mage Planir’s leadership is now openly questioned. Surely he will enforce his authority by crushing this upstart? But the Aldabreshin warlords act first. The warlords are watching the ominous skies as a once in a lifetime conjunction of the stars approaches. Will the warlords be content to drive this solitary wizard out of the Archipelago or has the time come for them to destroy all magic?

There’s a lot going on here, and without reading the first book it could be a little confusing, however, McKenna quickly immerses you in her vibrant world.

This book is brimming with adventure, and also offers some interesting characters to get your teeth into. Jilseth, the mage who lost her powers to protect Halferan, is a particularly strong female character, just as Mabdarkin wizard Anskal is a loathsome and fully crafted figure. Each character is gradually drawn from their own point of view, so we get insight into all sides of the world McKenna has created. And speaking of worlds, her world building is effective and sturdy.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first venture into McKenna’s imagination, and I can’t wait to try her again. Ignore this writer at your peril!

Author: Guy Haley
Publisher: Solaris Books
Page count/Size: 416pp
Release date: 10th May 2012
Reviewer: Theresa Derwin

In the far future, Mars is dying a second time. The Final War of men and spirits is beginning. In a last bid for peace, disgraced champion Yoechakenon Val Mora and his spirit lover Kaibeli are set free from the Arena to find the long-missing Librarian of Mars, the only hope to save mankind.

In the near future, Dr Holland, a scientist running from a painful past, joins the Mars colonisation effort, cataloguing the remnants of Mars biosphere before it is swept away by the terraforming programme. When an artefact is discovered deep in the caverns of the red planet, the company Holland works for interferes, leading to tragedy. The consequences ripple throughout time, affecting Holland’s present, the distant days of Yoechakanon, and the eras that bridge the aeons between.

This novel spans many generations, and as such, is a little confusing at first as the reader finds their bearings, however, as the novel progresses, you understand how the various time spans and characters are linked. Haley has imagined a gritty, realistic Mars in its early terraforming stages. In fact, his depiction of Mars and the language he uses to describe the planet is eerily poetic.

This is not an easy book to read, but it is a satisfying book. From Yoechakanon’s mission to save the planet, to Holland’s development as he learns to overcome his android phobia and the event that almost destroyed him, there is plenty here to get your teeth into.