Gary Budden

Budden's first collection is a good complement to London Incognito, but the interrelated characters and recurring themes never quite have the impact he must intend. It is also so British in its concern of life in London vs. outside of London, particularly the coast, that it is difficult for an American reader to get too deeply immersed in it. There is also an obsession with birds. In fact, this probably works better as a travelogue than as fiction. Which isn't to say that Budden writes poorly or cryptically. But these stories of the trials of everyday life, with a bit of a mystic or supernatural element thrown in, never quite gel.… (altro)

These interconnected stories do a great job of portraying London in all its diverse parts. This is psychogeography taken to the limit, with constant references to both real and fictional authors and books. The story shifts a bit from horror as it goes along, however, as the protagonist of the final (long) story seems to learn how to deal with London and all its nightmare creatures. All-in-all, while the book succeeds in being coherent and interesting, it falls a bit short on the actual storytelling. There isn't much here that doesn't seem borrowed and reworked. But it can definitely be a starting point for a further exploration of the real authors it mentions.… (altro)

Bad Advice, Limited Scope, No Practical Use runs the line above the title, a tongue in cheek description of this rather wonderful collection of short stories about the nation's capital. These kind of anthologies can sometimes be a bit hit and miss, but on the whole, An Unreliable Guide hits far more times than it misses.

The vast majority of these authors are new to me, but they all write with a distinctive voice and their tales cover everything from place, people, psycho-geography, love, life and, in the strangest story of all, time travelling monks and a serial killer!

This book was a Kickstarter project and with short stories seemingly out of fashion amongst the big publishing houses, this is probably the way forward for such anthologies. The quality of writing is very high indeed, the stories by turns strange, heartwarming and thought provoking. Every aspect of the capital is examined, from capitalism to the disintegration of community, from LGBT rights to paranoia and loneliness, love and death.

It is available from Influx Press and is well worth seeking out.… (altro)