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Hopefully the first of a semi-regular series of book and film reviews. I read rather fast, have a joint Lovefilm account and have a Cineworld card, so my media exposure tends to be extensive.  My first recommendation is of a book I read a few months ago: The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. It's a fantasy book about a number of disparate characters (a barbarian warrior, a officer-class nobleman and a torturer, among others) who find themselves caught up on the fringes of a war. What's unusual about this book is that is avoids the usual clichés of the fantasy genre and instead focuses on character development, wit and copious swearing. It reminded me of HBO dramas like Deadwood or The Wire, where the pace of the series is almost plodding as the characters are established until the final few episodes when the pace quickens and you're hooked. By that point, you understand the characters so well that you can empathise with them and be genuinely affected by their decisions and fates. I'd not even finished this book when I ordered its sequel and I'm eagerly waiting the third and final book in the series (to be released in March next year.) It takes a while to get into but it's well worth the investment. The sequel is slower than this one, however it's clearly building to an interesting climax in the third book. I'll certainly be re-reading both before then.  Last night I went to see Stardust, and very enjoyable it was too. It compared very well to the book, changing its focus from being a traditional folk tale to a romantic comedy in a fantasy setting. It also pared down the books' rather numerous endings into a neater (although still studio-bound) finale. The only things that let it down for me were some truly poor visual effects and camerawork and direction that lacked the kind of epic quality that marked out Lord of the Rings as something special. Even with the tremendous Scottish and Icelandic landscapes, it still felt a little claustrophobic and could have done with a more visually-minded director or a stronger director of photography. However, the script was excellent, the cast on top form and great fun to watch.
 Lastly, two comic book recommendations. The first is Criminal: Coward, which I bought from Sean Phillips at the Birmingham convention. I really liked Sean's artwork and when I saw that it had been written by one of the creators of Homicide and Oz, I knew that it had excellent pedigree. And I wasn't disappointed. In much the same style as those TV shows (one of which is HBO so you might spot a taste trend here!) the plot is character-driven, tense and very stylish. The noirish artwork suits it perfectly and I was gripped from beginning to end.
 The second comic book recommendation is Malcolm Magic by Lo and Bob of Blink Twice, which again I picked up at the convention. Four volumes collect the twelve issue series and it's a great ride from beginning to end. Lorenzo's artwork is beautifully detailed and it's full of great comic moments and characters. I'm very much looking forward to their next collaboration, Moon!
Stay tuned for more!
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My first recommendation is of a book I read a few months ago: The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. It's a fantasy book about a number of disparate characters (a barbarian warrior, a officer-class nobleman and a torturer, among others) who find themselves caught up on the fringes of a war. What's unusual about this book is that is avoids the usual clichés of the fantasy genre and instead focuses on character development, wit and copious swearing. It reminded me of HBO dramas like Deadwood or The Wire, where the pace of the series is almost plodding as the characters are established until the final few episodes when the pace quickens and you're hooked. By that point, you understand the characters so well that you can empathise with them and be genuinely affected by their decisions and fates. I'd not even finished this book when I ordered its sequel and I'm eagerly waiting the third and final book in the series (to be released in March next year.) It takes a while to get into but it's well worth the investment. The sequel is slower than this one, however it's clearly building to an interesting climax in the third book. I'll certainly be re-reading both before then. 
