Once We Were heroes by Henry Lewi

 

Where do the gods of Olympus do their shopping?

Do the Old Gods live amongst us, and if so where? And which jobs do they do?
Where do the Old Gods shop, or do they do it online?
Which football clubs do they support?
When Angels are sent down to Earth, how do they get home?
How did Vampires cope with Lockdown during the pandemic?
And finally, are Extra-Terrestrials dangerous, or do they just want to speak to us?

RRP paperback £8.00 

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Tales of the Unelected by Dan Corry

 

Visit the hidden Whitehall world of the unelected special advisers.

Encounter their hopes, dreams, rivalries and compromises as they face the challenge of doing the right thing in a role full of tensions. See how they struggle with the civil service, accusations of being the source of leaking, politicians who need to up their game, negotiating with No 10, finding time with the PM, and worrying about physical attacks on their Secretary of State. All this as they try to keep some semblance of family life intact.

Dan Corry entertains and informs us well in Tales of the Unelected.

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“There are so many tensions and emotional conflicts in being a special adviser and Dan Corry takes you into that world through this fascinating collection of stories.”
Ed Balls (former special adviser, minister and Shadow Chancellor)

“It’s an honour to be a special adviser, as I was, but most of what has been written about them is of the sensational type. Here, in all its everyday glory, is a real feel of what it is like.”
Ayesha Hazarika, former special advisor

“Dan Corry’s subtle and engrossing short stories are the real thing, a window on the largely hidden lives of the fixers and policymakers of the political world, the notorious advisers. His compelling authority is no accident: reader, he was one.”
Robert Peston (Political Editor at ITN)

RRP £7.50 

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With the ambitions and scheming of Whitehall’s growing army of political special advisors increasingly hitting the headlines, this absorbing collection of short stories could hardly be more timely. Corry’s intimate knowledge of the machinery and process of government, through years at the coalface himself, offers the reader a revealing insight into how even successful policy making in Britain usually involves bargaining, backbiting and bickering to get it across the line. But make no mistake, these are also in many ways uplifting stories, illustrating how many of our public servants struggle to overcome their own vulnerabilities and imperfections to deliver change which they sincerely believe is for the better. Like all compelling fiction, Corry makes you believe in the characters. Highly recommended.

 

With a new government struggling to find its feet, Dan Corry's book of short stories set across Westminster provides a unique insight into the world behind the media sound bites. It will be as valuable to current practitioners of the dark arts in Westminster as to students of politics and a wide, general audience. Corry was a civil service economist and then a Labour special advisor across numerous departments, including no10, during the labour governments of 1997-2010. So he writes with authority. But beyond his political instincts and institutional experience, he writes with humanity, psychological insight and dramatic purpose. Very few special advisors resemble Malcolm Tucker and most ministers and civil servants are intelligent and well-intentioned. Corry's short stories explore the ethical, public policy and political dilemmas they face daily, through the prism of the special advisors who work closely with them and whose own positions are often precarious. His book is a reminder that politics matters, is rarely easy and impacts on all our lives.  

 

Excellent stories which open up the world of the SPAD in a highly compelling way - scenes focusing on the the complex world of Whitehall negotiation alternate with vignettes of the life of families under pressure. Makes ‘The Thick of It’ look thin and topples ‘House of Cards’ with its closely observed tone of realism. 

 

Weird Science by Doug Hawley

 

Who would have thought it?

An abominable snowman speaks, dreams so good you’ll never want to wake up, metaphysical questions, a cat with telepathy, a magical stream in USA’s Northwest, and an unexpected invasion from the far north of Canada.

You will find all this and more in one book of Weird Science

 

RRP £7.00 

 

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Who knew the abominable snowman would be such a rich source of insight on humans? Through Weird Science’s quirky interviews, author Doug Hawley draws from myriad sources of knowledge and wisdom to paint a colorful and humorous collage of what it means to be human.

Great forward thinking; I’m still thinking of some of the ideas in this book.

Fun read! In fact I am jealous I want a telepathic cat!  

Listen to an extract

Rare Stories by Liam Bell

 

Inspired by words marked as “rare” in the Oxford English Dictionary, this A-Z showcases the imaginative, characterful, and inventive possibilities of short fiction.

From a woman trapped in her cul-de-sac to a pilot with a pig gristle nose, the collection travels through small-town Northern Ireland and feuding museums in Malta, encounters a girl who has befriended a taxidermied deer, a man who sells fake chameleons, and an expectant father who loses himself in jazz music. Often weird and wonderful, the thousand-word stories in this collection take on the rare words which sparked them from a slant and, in doing so, produce a series of entertaining and darkly-humorous snapshots of contemporary life.

RRP £7.00

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This collection is aptly named in all senses of the word "rare". The stories are poignant, lyrical, and with a compassion and understanding that reminds me of George Mackay Brown's writing.
Each story is a gem - and shines with humanity. I've bought this as a gift for several friends and all have remarked on how special these tales are.

 

Liam Bell uses rare words such as 'queuemanship', 'flatter-blind', and 'jazzaphonic' as springboards from which to leap into his stories with a unique descriptive vigour.
An inventive and enriching read.  

A Feast of Tales, Gently Twisted by Dawn Bush

 

A tempting tale for every mood.

An eclectic mixture of tales that take you to a pragmatic Fairyland, where anything can happen – and not all of it beneficial; to an unknown dusty planet in the distant sky; and back in time on earth  through time, space, land and sea; through love, selfishness and triumph. They are a feast of the unexpected.

A Feast of Tales, Gently Twisted is an intriguing collection of short stories by Dawn Bush. 

RRP 7.0 0

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A charming selection of stories. With some fairy tales and other contemporary stories, there is a mixture of wit and realism. But all beautifully written. Thoroughly recommended.

What a wealth of stories, such variety! If I had to select my favourites, I think I would choose ‘Blind Date’, ‘The Ormolu Clock’ and ‘The Storyteller’. But I enjoyed them all. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys lighthearted short stories with a twist in the tail/tale! Nothing macabre here, nothing to make you cringe, just really good, entertaining reads!

Listen to part of the first story