Book ends.Birdman bird·man n. 1. also One, such as an ornithologist, who works with birds. 2. Slang An aviator. by Mo Hayder (Bantam, pounds 5.99) IGNORE the blurb blurb n. A brief publicity notice, as on a book jacket. [Coined by Gelett Burgess (1866-1951), American humorist.] blurb v. that suggests Hayder is the new Thomas Harris. While her debut serial-killer thriller may be gory and grotesque, it lacks the pulse-pounding tension that made The Silence Of The Lambs the benchmark in the genre. That's not to say it's a lost cause. The dark tale of a murderer who leaves as his calling card live birds sewn into the chests of his butchered victims is an arresting read. Jim Caffery is the by now obligatory tortured cop, haunted by the childhood death of his brother - apparently at the hands of the local paedophile paedophile or US pedophile Noun a person who is sexually attracted to children Noun 1. paedophile - an adult who is sexually attracted to children pedophile . And, of course, he falls for the former stripper with the traditional heart of gold. Hayder's fevered killer is truly repulsive and she doesn't pull any punches during the sickening finale. Had she left more to the imagination, this would have been a more chilling read. I suspect that Det Insp Caffery will be back. That would be a mistake. All's well that ends well. PC Superman Vs The Terminator by Alan Grant & Steve Pugh (Titan, pounds 10.99) THERE are graphic novels and there are comic books. Grant's movie crossover falls into the latter category. But Judge Dredd writer Grant wastes the opportunity to examine the superhero su·per·he·ro n. pl. su·per·he·roes A figure, especially in a comic strip or cartoon, endowed with superhuman powers and usually portrayed as fighting evil or crime. psyche, preferring to go for a basic all-action approach which adds little to our understanding of the DC universe. Superman buffs will welcome the return of the cyborg man of steel but there is little else to recommend the exercise either in storyline or artwork, here by British artist Pugh. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a white elephant White Elephant Any investment that nobody wants because it is unprofitable. Notes: The term 'White Elephant' is derived from Thailand, where an Albino (white) elephant was given to unfavored people by the ruler. . PC Celtika by Robert Holdstock (Earthlight earth·light n. See earthshine. , pounds 16.99) ON THE evidence of this ambitious beginning to a new series, Holdstock is attempting to underpin everything he has written since the British Science Fiction Award-winning Mythago Wood. As in its Ryhope predecessors, Celtika weaves together disparate roots of Western mythology. Long before Arthur, Merlin has become deeply involved with Jason, The Argonauts Argonauts: see Jason; Argo; Golden Fleece. Argonauts In Greek legend, a band of 50 heroes who went with Jason in the ship Argo to retrieve the Golden Fleece from the grove of Ares at Colchis. and the legendary cycle of betrayal between Jason and Medea Jason and Medea is an oil painting in the Pre-Raphaelite style created by John William Waterhouse in 1907. The painting shows Medea preparing a magic potion for Jason to enable him to complete the tasks set for him by her father, Aeëtes. . Spinning this saga into a surreal epic across centuries, Holdstock adds the quest of the young Celtic King Urtha to avenge his wife and children, and the epic march to the Oracle of Delphi of the greatest army the world has ever seen. Written with all Holdstock's usual skill, this is an intricately plotted book offering fantasy of particular subtlety and intelligence. DG |
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