Pages

  • Home
  • 09/2021 Books
  • 2021 DAC
  • 2020 DAC
  • 2019 DAC
  • 2018 DAC
  • 2017 DAC
  • 2016 DAC
  • 2015 DAC
  • 2014 DAC
  • 2013 DAC
  • 2012 DAC
  • 2011 DAC
  • Mash Ups +
  • Review Policy / Contact
  • About Us
Showing posts with label Ack-Ack Macaque. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ack-Ack Macaque. Show all posts

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Melanie's Week in Review - July 13, 2014






Dear Authors

I am writing to apologize for not reading your books sooner. I have no excuse for missing the release other than my overly jam packed TBR. I have been making a concerted effort to pay more attention to my unread books and came across your novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it. For what I really thought read on.

I promise to try really hard not to miss the release of your future novels but if I do please forgive me.

Your humble reading servant

Melanie



I started my week by finishing Seven Kinds of Hell which is the first in the Fangborn series by Dana Cameron. Qwill reviewed this same book back in March 2013. I was quite lucky that I was able to receive a copy from NetGalley even after all this time.

I enjoyed this novel but I think I have over indulged in urban fantasy where the heroine has a hard, deprived/abusive upbringing. This story's heroine, Zoe Miller has had just that upbringing. A transient lifestyle, always on the run, struggling to make friendships but when she does something evil jeopardises it all. She was believable and it was easy to empathize with her and her situation. I also had a hard time imagining what some of the characters looked like, especially the snakelike vampires. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't read so much urban fantasy recently. I will still continue with this series but give it a couple of months before I tuck into Pack of Strays.

A few months ago I requested book 3 of the Everness series by Ian McDonald from NetGalley. I realised after I requested it that I should really do the series justice and read book 2 so I bought Be My Enemy a couple of weeks ago. I really liked Planesrunner (book 1) and thought it was one of the few series aimed at younger readers that was accessible to adults. Book 2 starts immediately after the events of book 1 with Everett and the crew of the Everness alone in a frozen, alternate version of Earth trying to find his Dad. We are also introduced to Everett M who is an alternate Everett that has been by turned into a cyborg boy by the evil Charlotte Villiers in order to locate the real Everett and steal back the Infundibulum. Multiple alternative universes, 2 Everetts, some seriously evil baddies - this book has it all.  The action is almost non-stop and there is further development of Everett (the original) but more so of Sen, his teenage shipmate. This is great for any age.

I rounded out my week with Ack-Ack Macaque by Gareth L. Powell. How have I missed this book?  I LOVED IT! Qwill also wrote a review of this book back in 2012. What have I been doing for the last 2 years to have missed out reading it? Powell has everything  - great characters, a fantastic plot and an interesting world. I could wax lyrical a bit longer about Ack-Ack and friends but I can't think of anything new to say that Qwill hasn't already (and in a much more eloquent fashion).

That was it for me. I am hoping to update you next week on everything I have read but I am off to Edinburgh with my sister and brother-in-law and may not get my WIR written. In case you don't hear from me Happy Reading for the next fortnight.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

A Celebration in Honor of the 3rd Anniversary of Shadowhawk's Shade!


One of my favorite bloggers and all around terrific person is celebrating the 3rd Anniversary of his wonderful blog - Shadowhawk's Shade.  I could not let this happy occasion pass without joining in the celebration. Abhinav Jain aka Shadowhawk has picked 4 books that he really likes and tells us why we should read them. To help celebrate, The Qwillery will give away one of those books to one entrant! Don't forget to follow Shadowhawk/Abhinav on Twitter @abhinavjain87.



A Soldier's Duty
by Jean Johnson
Theirs is Not to Reason Why 1
Ace, July 26, 2011
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 432 pages

Ia is a precog, tormented by visions of the future where her home galaxy has been devastated. To prevent this vision from coming true, Ia enlists in the Terran United Planets military with a plan to become a soldier who will inspire generations for the next three hundred years-a soldier history will call Bloody Mary.
Why you should read A Soldier's Duty: A military space opera with an extremely layered protagonist you can really connect to. Plus the entire world-building is excellent and there is a very strong element of hard SF to the novel. And the protagonist is a powerful psychic, so that complicates matters very nicely.



Ack-Ack Macaque
by Gareth L. Powell
Ack-Ack Macaque 1
Solaris Books, December 26, 2012 (US)
December 12, 2012 (UK)
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 416 pages
Cover Illustration by Jake Murray

In 1944, as waves of German ninjas parachute into Kent, Britain’s best hopes for victory lie with a Spitfire pilot codenamed ‘Ack-Ack Macaque.’ The trouble is, Ack-Ack Macaque is a cynical, one-eyed, cigar-chomping monkey, and he’s starting to doubt everything, including his own existence.

A century later, in a world where France and Great Britain merged in the late 1950s and nuclear-powered Zeppelins circle the globe, ex-journalist Victoria Valois finds herself drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the man who butchered her husband and stole her electronic soul. In Paris, after taking part in an illegal break-in at a research laboratory, the heir to the British throne goes on the run. And all the while, the doomsday clock ticks towards Armageddon...
Why you should read Ack-Ack Macaque:  The reasons to read this novel start and end with one thing: a cigar-chomping talking monkey who is a pilot for the Allies during the Second World War. That is honestly all that you need to know, but if you want more, then just know that this was one of the best novels I read last year.



Gotrek & Felix: Road of Skulls
by Josh Reynolds
Games Workshop, January 29, 2013
Trade Paperback and eBook, 416 pages

The return of Black Library favourites Gotrek & Felix

Gotrek and Felix: unsung heroes of the Empire, or nothing more than common thieves and murderers? The truth perhaps lies somewhere in between, and depends entirely upon whom you ask... Gotrek and Felix race to the dwarf hold at Karak Kadrin, finding it besieged by one of the grand armies of Chaos warlord Garmr. When King Ungrim Ironfist speaks of the legendary ‘Road of Skulls’ and of the hated foe’s attempts to open a portal into the Realm of Chaos, Gotrek senses that a great doom awaits him - though it may not be the one he would choose for himself. As the king’s own son leads his army of Slayers to fulfil an ancient prophecy, it seems that Garmr’s hour of victory may be at hand.
Why you should read Gotrek & Felix: Road of Skulls: The first G&F novel in a long time, but not set in the main timeline set by authors William King and Nathan Long, this is still a pretty fun novel that has all the elements of the classic G&F stories and does more with all of that. A great side-adventure that can honestly fill in anywhere around the main timeline.



Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells
Prospero's War 1
Orbit, January 21, 2014
Trade Paperback and eBook, 416 pages

MAGIC IS A DRUG. CAREFUL HOW YOU USE IT.

The Magical Enforcement Agency keeps dirty magic off the streets, but there's a new blend out there that's as deadly as it is elusive. When patrol cop Kate Prospero shoots the lead snitch in this crucial case, she's brought in to explain herself. But the more she learns about the investigation, the more she realizes she must secure a spot on the MEA task force.

Especially when she discovers that their lead suspect is the man she walked away from ten years earlier - on the same day she swore she'd given up dirty magic for good. Kate Prospero's about to learn the hard way that crossing a wizard will always get you burned, and that when it comes to magic, you should never say never.
Why you should read Dirty Magic: An urban fantasy with a very kick-ass female protagonist who has to deal with some very realistic problems, a really rich world of magic and wizards, plus almost zero sex, which is more than can be said for most urban fantasy out there. Dirty Magic is a book that focuses on characters and plot and not on the genre's sex tropes.





The Giveaway

What:  One entrant will win her/his choice of one of the 4 books: A Soldier's Duty, Ack-Ack Macaque, Felix & Gotrex: Road of Skulls, or Dirty Magic.

How:   Log into and follow the directions in the Rafflecopter below.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59PM US Eastern Time on April 7, 2014. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

*Giveaway rules and duration are subject to change without any notice.*



a Rafflecopter giveaway






Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Cover Revealed - Macaque Attack by Gareth L. Powell


I was poking around on the Internet and saw that Gareth L. Powell had redesigned his website. I popped over to take a look. It's very, very nice. I also spotted the cover for the 3rd Ack-Ack Macaque novel, Macaque Attack, and it is as fabulous as the first two. The cover is by Jake Murray.  I am an unabashed fan of this outstanding series.


In his third novel-length adventure, Ack-Ack Macaque finds himself at the head of a dimension-hopping monkey army, facing an invading horde of implacable killer androids and a final reckoning with his creator, the infamous Dr Nguyun.

Meanwhile, former journalist Victoria Valois fights to save the electronic ghost of her dead husband and reclaim her stolen soul from the sands of Mars.



Macaque Attack will be published by Solaris Books at the end of 2014 in the US and Canada and in January 2015 in the UK.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Interview with Ack-Ack Macaque - December 18, 2013


Please join me in welcoming Ack-Ack Macaque to The Qwillery today. Ack-Ack Macaque is featured in two novels by Gareth L. Powell - the eponymous Ack-Ack Macaque (Solaris, December 2013) and Hive Monkey (Solaris, December 2013).  In addition a third adventure featuring the ever superb simian, Macaque Attack, will be published in early 2015 (or late 2014 in the US and Canada).





TQ:  Welcome to The Qwillery. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have you visit today. Please don't shoot anything.

AAM:  I make no promises, lady. When you’ve got a massive pair of Colts strapped to your hips, every problem that comes your way looks like something that needs the crap shot out of it.



TQ:  Please tell us a bit about yourself? Did you ever think when you were part of the computer game that something was just not right? What do you think of the games that have sprung up in place of your game?

AAM:  When I was in the game, I was too busy fighting. There was a war on, you know. I had to deal with German planes, ninjas, tripod fighting machines… I hardly had a moment to scratch my ass, let alone ponder the deeper meanings of life. I suppose towards the end I started to get a bit suspicious. I mean, I began to realise I couldn’t die. Whatever scrap we got into, I’d always walk out unhurt, even if every other sod died. It started to bug me. Why was I different? I mean, nobody’s THAT lucky, surely? Not even someone as ruggedly handsome as me.

Since I came out of the game, I haven’t paid much attention to other games. I had quite enough of that rubbish for one lifetime. But my friend K8 says there’s some dross out there. Her favourite’s ‘Combat Capuchin’, but it just sounds dumb to me. Have you ever SEEN a capuchin fight? It’s all screaming and hair-pulling. Not impressive.



TQ:  Do you have a favorite brand of cigar, cocktail, weapon?

AAM:  I don’t care who makes my cigars, as long as they burn. I’d smoke a dried teabag if I had to. And believe me, there have been times in the past… Same goes for cocktails. I like a nice rum, but I've been known to nick the medical alcohol when I’ve been desperate.

When it comes to weapons, I have a pair of Colts that I like. You could shoot holes in the Moon with them.

I’ve got a favourite plane, though. The Spitfire. Man, that’s a beautiful machine. Mine smells like a zoo in summer, but it’s still head and shoulders above everything else in the sky.



TQ:  Please tell us something about your latest adventure, Hive Monkey, that is not in the book description.

AAM:  This is my second adventure, and picks up the story a year after the first. And this time, we’ve taken everything up a notch. For instance, in this book, you get to see what happens when I take a WWII Spitfire up against a modern Predator drone. On a motorway.



TQ:  Humans. What do you think of them in general? Do you have any favorite homo sapiens?

AAM:  I like some humans. Bartenders, mostly. The rest of you are too bald and hairless, and you smell kind of funny.



TQ:  You're a celebrity now. What do you think of your new found fame?

AAM:  Fame sucks butts. I’d rather be left the hell alone, you get me? If it wasn’t for Powell writing these books about me, I’d be able to retire somewhere quiet.



TQ:  What are your plans for the future?

AAM:  I’m gonna retire to a tropical island somewhere, and spend my days sitting on a beach, drinking daiquiris and taking potshots at jet skis.



TQ:  Thank you for joining us and not wrecking the place.

AAM:  Thank you. Now where are those bananas you promised me? COME ON, LADY, HAND OVER THE DAMN BANANAS!




The Novels

Hive Momkey
Ack-Ack Macaque 2
Solaris Books, December 31, 2013 (US/Canada)
January 2, 2014 (UK)
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 384 pages
Cover Illustration by Jake Murray

The stunning follow-up to Ack-Ack Macaque, which featured the Spitfire pilot monkey hero of a computer game who turned out to be real. The first book was met with wide acclaim upon release.

In order to hide from his unwanted fame as the spitfire-pliot-monkey who emerged from a computer game to defeat the dangerous corporation who engineered him, the charismatic and dangerous Ack-Ack Macaque is working as a pilot on a world-circling nuclear powered Zeppelin.

But when the cabin of one of his passengers is invaded by the passenger's own dying doppelganger, our hirsute hero finds himself thrust into another race to save the world - this time from an aggressive hive mind, time-hopping saboteurs, and an army of homicidal Neanderthal assassins!
Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A -Million : IndieBound




Ack-Ack Macaque
Ack-Ack Macaque 1
Solaris Books, December 26, 2012 (US)
December 12, 2012 (UK)
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 416 pages
Cover Illustration by Jake Murray

In 1944, as waves of German ninjas parachute into Kent, Britain’s best hopes for victory lie with a Spitfire pilot codenamed ‘Ack-Ack Macaque.’ The trouble is, Ack-Ack Macaque is a cynical, one-eyed, cigar-chomping monkey, and he’s starting to doubt everything, including his own existence.

A century later, in a world where France and Great Britain merged in the late 1950s and nuclear-powered Zeppelins circle the globe, ex-journalist Victoria Valois finds herself drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the man who butchered her husband and stole her electronic soul. In Paris, after taking part in an illegal break-in at a research laboratory, the heir to the British throne goes on the run. And all the while, the doomsday clock ticks towards Armageddon...
Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A -Million : IndieBound


Read my review of Ack-Ack Macaque here.





About Ack-Ack Macaque

In 2059, Ack-Ack Macaque emerged from a computer game to take down the corporation that had created him. In the process, he saved the world from nuclear armageddon. Since then, he’s been travelling the world on board the skyline Tereshkova, acting as the venerable airship’s pilot while he tries to figure out what he’s going to do with the rest of his life. He is almost as tall as a man, has sharp teeth and a leather patch over his left eye socket. His hobbies include rum, cigars, and blowing things up.

Twitter @AckAckMacaque






About Gareth

Gareth L. Powell is a novelist based in Bristol, UK. He has written four novels and a collection of short stories. His short stories have featured in Interzone magazine as well as numerous anthologies , and his novels have been favourably reviewed in the Guardian. He has written about science fiction for The Irish Times and SFX, and recently penned a comic strip for 2000AD. You can find him on Twitter (@garethlpowell)


Website : Facebook : Pinterest : Twitter @garethlpowell






The Giveaway

What:  One commenter will win a Mass Market Paperback copy of Hive Monkey (Ack-Ack Macaque 2) from The Qwillery.

How:  Log into and follow the directions in the Rafflecopter below.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59 PM US Eastern Time on December 31, 2013. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.


*Giveaway rules and duration are subject to change without any notice.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Review - Ack-Ack Macaque by Gareth L. Powell - December 22, 2012


Ack-Ack Macaque
Author:  Gareth L. Powell
Series:  Ack-Ack Macaque
Publisher: Solaris, US - December 18, 2012 (eBook)
US - December 25, 2012 (print)
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 416 pages
Price: $7.99 (print)
Genre:  Science Fiction/Alternate History
ISBN:  9781781080603 (print)
Review Copy:  Provided by Solaris

In 1944, as waves of German ninjas parachute into Kent, Britain’s best hopes for victory lie with a Spitfire pilot codenamed ‘Ack-Ack Macaque.’ The trouble is, Ack-Ack Macaque is a cynical, one-eyed, cigar-chomping monkey, and he’s starting to doubt everything, including his own existence.

A century later, in a world where France and Great Britain merged in the late 1950s and nuclear-powered Zeppelins circle the globe, ex-journalist Victoria Valois finds herself drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the man who butchered her husband and stole her electronic soul. In Paris, after taking part in an illegal break-in at a research laboratory, the heir to the British throne goes on the run. And all the while, the doomsday clock ticks towards Armageddon...
Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A -Million : IndieBound




My thoughts:

I can't remember the last time that I had so much fun reading a novel. Gareth L. Powell has penned a fantastic Alternate History/Science Fiction novel with memorable characters and a wonderfully inventive plot.

As noted in the book description, the novel is set both during World War II and in the latter half of the 21st Century in a world where Great Britain and France are under the British Monarchy*. I found the unified France and Britain concept in the novel extremely well done. It's really easy to accept the what-if of the world in Ack-Ack Macaque.

There is mystery, murder, intrigue, a runaway Prince, and scientists who think they are doing the right thing for humanity (we know where that leads).  The novel moves at a breathtaking pace from place to place revealing ever more about the characters as well as the cause for the murders.

I can't say enough about the title character, Ack-Ack Macaque. He is simply superb. He's a simian of action, a larger than life hero! I adore him. Victoria, the Prince, and the other main characters were all appealing and interesting.  They have difficult choices to make and you will root for them, as I did, to find the killer, figure out what is going on, and hopefully save the world.

There are some lovely touches in the novel - 1) alliterative names (e.g., Victoria Valois, Mindy Morris, and others) that fondly reminded me of comics and some of my favorite childhood cartoon shows; 2) news reports and blog posts, and 3) illuminating chapter headings.

Ack-Ack Macaque is over-the top and action-packed with an ending that is both exciting and ultimately satisfying. Gareth L. Powell has crafted a crisply written, engrossing and very entertaining novel.



A side note: The book includes extras at the end including the short story, Ack-Ack Macaque, that is the first appearance of the monkey Ack-Ack Macaque. It was published in Interzone and then in The Last Reef, a collection of short stories by Gareth L. Powell. I'm also happy to note that a sequel to Ack-Ack Macaque, Hive Monkey, will be coming in 2014!



*As noted in a recent interview with Mr. Powell, "union" talks between the two nations actually took place in the 1950s, but obviously the union did not occur.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Interview with Gareth L. Powell, author of Ack-Ack Macaque and More - December 11, 2012

Please welcome Gareth L. Powell to The Qwillery. Ack-Ack Macaque will be published in December (on differing dates in the US and UK). It has a monkey (Ack-Ack Macaque) and zeppelins. Need I say more?





TQ:  Welcome to The Qwillery!

Gareth:  Thanks for inviting me.


TQ:  What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

Gareth: I can be a bit of a fidget. I tend to get up and pace around when I’m writing. I also read bits out loud, and have been known to wear a variety of hats while working.


TQ:  Who are some of your favorite writers?

Gareth: I have a fondness for Jack Kerouac, Ernest Hemingway, JG Ballard, Philip K Dick and Raymond Chandler. But if you asked me who my favourite writers working TODAY were, I’d have to go with William Gibson, Iain Banks, Adam Christopher, John Courtenay Grimwood, Lauren Beukes, and M. John Harrison.


TQ:  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Gareth: I’m a bit of both. When starting work on a novel, I’ll write an outline, which usually comes in at around four or five pages. This tells the general story, and this is what I use as my roadmap. But within that outline, there’s plenty of room for digression, and for the characters to go off in unexpected directions. I usually write with an end in mind, but the journey to get there is one of discovery.


TQ:  What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

Gareth: Finding the time and the energy to do it. I have to be very disciplined.


TQ:  Describe Ack-Ack Macaque in 140 characters or less.

Gareth: A science fiction detective story with a Steampunk sheen and a primate twist, featuring monkeys, ninjas, Zeppelins, mad scientists and evil robots.


TQ:  What inspired you to write Ack-Ack Macaque?

Gareth: The character came first, and I constructed the rest of the world around him. I’d also wanted to write a detective mystery for a while, and somehow the two ideas became tangled in my head.


TQ:  What sort of research did you do for Ack-Ack Macaque?

Gareth: As the book is set in an alternative Europe, where Britain and France merged in the late 1950s, I did quite a bit of reading up on history and alt history forums. I also read a few articles about primate behaviour, and viewed every image of a Spitfire’s cockpit that I could find.


TQ:  What is the oddest bit of information that you came across in your research?

Gareth: The fact that in the late 1950s, Britain and France really did talk about a "union", with the Queen becoming the French head of state. France was having economic troubles, and faced a building crisis in Suez. But the British PM, Anthony Eden, turned the idea down. If he had said yes, (as in my novel) then the shape of Europe would be very different, with the balance of political power resting in London and Paris, rather than Paris and Berlin.


TQAck-Ack Macaque seems to bend genres. What would you say are its genre and sub-genre roots?

Gareth: At heart, it’s science fiction, in so far as I try to explain everything that happens. There’s no outright fantasy, and even the Steampunk bits are there for a good reason. It’s also, as I said, a detective story. So, if you’re asking which books could be named as predecessors, I’d have to choose Pashazade by Jon Courtenay Grimwood, as it’s another alt history detective story, and Frankenstein by Mary Shelly.


TQ:  Tell us something about Ack-Ack Macaque that is not in the book description.

Gareth:  One of the main characters carries their dead spouse around in their head.


TQ:  Who was the easiest character to write and why? Hardest and why?

Gareth:  The monkey was definitely the easiest. He almost writes himself, and he’s such fun to write, because he’s so objectionable. The hardest to write were the two main antagonists. With villains, it’s too easy to slip into the “James Bond” mode and make them evil psychopaths. Instead, I try to work hard to give them real motivations and believable personalities. They have to believe that their course of action is the right one.


TQ:  Without giving anything away, what is/are your favorite scene(s) in Ack-Ack Macaque?

Gareth:  It’s very difficult to answer this without giving too much away. And very difficult to pick a favourite scene. There’s a knife fight on top of a flying aircraft carrier; and a very moving scene towards the end of the book, where one of the main characters has to make a very personal life-or-death choice.


TQ:  What's next?

Gareth:  I’m currently working on another two novels, switching between them as the mood takes me. Unfortunately, I can’t say much about either at this stage, so you’re just going to have to stay tuned… In the meantime, please feel free to bombard Solaris Books with pleas for an Ack-Ack Macaque sequel. :)


TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Gareth:  My pleasure. Thank you for having me.




About Ack-Ack Macaque

Ack-Ack Macaque
Solaris Books, December 26, 2012 (US)
December 12, 2012 (UK)
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 416 pages

Cover Illustration by Jake Murray
In 1944, as waves of German ninjas parachute into Kent, Britain’s best hopes for victory lie with a Spitfire pilot codenamed ‘Ack-Ack Macaque.’ The trouble is, Ack-Ack Macaque is a cynical, one-eyed, cigar-chomping monkey, and he’s starting to doubt everything, including his own existence.

A century later, in a world where France and Great Britain merged in the late 1950s and nuclear-powered Zeppelins circle the globe, ex-journalist Victoria Valois finds herself drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the man who butchered her husband and stole her electronic soul. In Paris, after taking part in an illegal break-in at a research laboratory, the heir to the British throne goes on the run. And all the while, the doomsday clock ticks towards Armageddon...
Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A -Million : IndieBound


Ack-Ack Macaque may be found on Facebook and or you may follow the monkey on Twitter!


To see more books be Gareth click here to be taken the "Books" section of his website.




About Gareth

Born and brought up in the West of England, Gareth L. Powell studied English Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Glamorgan, where he was fortunate to list the poet and novelist Helen Dunmore as one of his tutors. He has since given guest lectures on creative writing at Bath Spa University, and has written for The Irish Times, SFX Magazine, Futurismic, Acoustic Magazine, 2000AD, and the Bristol Review of Books.

Gareth is the author of the novels Ack-Ack Macaque, The Recollection and Silversands, the last two of which were favourably reviewed in The Guardian, and the short story collection The Last Reef, which Morpheus Tales described as “One of the finest collections of SF short stories I have had the privilege of reading”.

Gareth regularly contributes short stories to anthologies and magazines, and in 2007, one of his stories came top of the Interzone annual readers’ poll for best short story of the year. He has also co-written stories with Paul Graham Raven and Aliette de Bodard.

When asked why he writes science fiction, Gareth replies: I guess I’ve always been fascinated by stars and starships. As the Only Ones sang on their 1977 punk masterpiece, Another Girl, Another Planet: “Space travel’s in my blood, and there ain’t nothing I can do about it.

As a teenager, he was once fortunate enough to have coffee with Diana Wynne Jones, and still has the handwritten notes she made on one of his early short stories.

Gareth has been interviewed by numerous magazines, websites, and podcasts, and has appeared on BBC Radio 4′s Today Programme. He is a regular attendee at British genre conventions, and was a guest of honour at BristolCon in 2012.

He lives near Bristol with his wife and two children.

Website : Facebook : Pinterest : Twitter