Tag Archives: reviews

The spirit of 76

Posted on September 19, 2025 by Mark Hayes

This book is a window on an era, a moment in musical history, a moment of social change and upheaval. The beginning of the end of post war establishment Britain. Punk had arrived… Continue reading →

Posted in books, Goth, music, reads | Tagged music, punk, punk-rock, reads, reviews, rock | 1 Comment

Dear Edgar 16 ~ The Business Man

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Mark Hayes

At home, on the shelf above my desk, just to the left of the raven black quill and owl tormented ink stand, and in front of the leather bound scroll case of dubious origin, I have a porcelain phrenology skull, … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, Dear Edgar, humour, opinion, politics, reads | Tagged amreading, book-review, books, Dear Edgar, horror, literature, Poe, politics, reads, reviews, satire | Leave a comment

Sailing on an Hourglass Sea

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Mark Hayes

Not too long ago I reviewed Mat MaCall’s The Dandelion Farmer. I was I think now perhaps a little too gushing in my praise of the novel, the first of a trilogy of which the second The Hourglass Sea is … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, books, fiction, goodreads, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, novels, publication, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, amreadingscifi, bookreview, books, reading, reads, reviews, sciencefiction, scifi, steampunk, writerslife, writing | 4 Comments

Brief reviews of wonderfulness #1

Posted on March 2, 2021 by Mark Hayes

I have been known on occasion to promise to write a review for fellow authors. I have some fair firm rules on these promises, in that I don’t write a review unless I genuinely like what I’m reviewing. If I … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, book reviews, books, dreamlands, druidry, fantasy, fiction, goodreads, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, pagan, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, supernatural, writes | Tagged amreading, bookreview, books, fantasy, goodreads, hopeless, horror, reading, reads, reviews, steampunk fantasy | 2 Comments

The romance of smugglers…

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Mark Hayes

Smugglers of the 17th/18th century, like highwaymen, have always had a romantic air about them. There is something about remote windswept beach’s, moonlit seas, and of course gentlemen with a rough kind of honour to them that just appeals to … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, books, booksale, fiction, Harvey Duckman, horror, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, novels, opinion, reads, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged bookblog, bookloversday, bookreview, books, indie publishing, indiebooks, indienovels, indiewriter, reads, reviews | 1 Comment

Truth in fiction

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Mark Hayes

Good fiction, good science fiction in particular, explores truth. In the case of good science fiction it often explores an uncomfortable truth by taking a concept and building upon it an extreme example of where that truth might lead. Really … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, books, fiction, goodreads, indie, indie novels, indie writers, novels, opinion, pointless things of wonderfulness, politics, reads, rights, sci-fi, writing | Tagged #scifi, bookreview, books, indie publishing, indienovels, indiewriter, newreads, psycology, reads, reviews, sciencefiction | 5 Comments

Nitschewo : Whatever

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Mark Hayes

If your Russia is as rusty as mine you probably won’t know Nitschewo more or less translates as ‘Whatever’, an expression used throughout these memoirs by both the Russians and the author “You are only a plennie” Wilhelm Max Rose … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, books, goodreads, humanrights, indie, indie writers, indiewriter, opinion, reads | Tagged bookblog, bookreview, books, obsession, reading, reads, reviews | 1 Comment

Speculating on Emi…

Posted on April 12, 2020 by Mark Hayes

There is nothing wrong with reading something that is predictable, trite, the average fare, boy meets girl, boy hates girl, girl hates boy, boy argues with girl over a foolish misunderstanding, boy goes and does something foolish, girl realises she … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, books, dreamlands, dystopia, fantasy, goodreads, Goth, Harvey Duckman, horror, indie, indie novels, indie writers, IndieApril, indiewriter, mythos, Nyarlathotep, pointless things of wonderfulness, reads, sci-fi, supernatural, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, amreadingscifi, bookblog, bookcovers, bookreview, bookreviews, books, horror, humanity, humour, reading, reads, reviews, steampunk | 1 Comment

Maybe: A Victorian Steampunk Mystery

Posted on March 21, 2020 by Mark Hayes

Maybe, for anyone unaware, was released a week ago on the ides of march and despite all the current problems the world is facing, it’s done remarkably well. Sadly, however, several of the events I was due to attend with … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, book reviews, books, booksale, Canadian steampunk, dreamlands, dystopia, errol the bookcase dragon, fantasy, goodnews, goodreads, Goth, Hannibal Smyth, Harvey Duckman, horror, humour, indie, indie novels, indie writers, IndieApril, indiewriter, Passing Place, pointless things of wonderfulness, reads, sci-fi, self-publishing, steampunk, supernatural, world book day, writes, writing | Tagged amwritingscifi, blogs, bookblog, bookreviews, books, Canadian steampunk, ebook, goodreads, greatreads, indie publishing, reading, reads, research, reviews, sciencefiction, scifiscarbrough, self-publishing, steampunk, steampunk fantasy, stories | Leave a comment

Hannibalisums #3

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Mark Hayes

Old Hannibal says some strange things at times. As such this is an irregular series of quotes form the Hannibal Smyth novels, because occasionally one should probably remember to do some promotion work for ones own novels for a change… … Continue reading →