Author Archives: Damien Walter

Bookshops are not Churches. But.

Earlier this week the Guardian book website unleashed a tumult of anger and frustration against the UK’s largest bookseller, Waterstones. The thrust of Stuart Jeffries article was that with its increasing commercialisation (3-4-2 sales, celebrity biogs etc etc) Waterstones had gone from saviour to destroyer of bookselling in just over a decade.

Franchise Heaven

Over at Ecstatic Days, Mark Charan Newton talks to Black Library superstar Dan Abnet about the strengths of fiction franchises, a conversation which should be had more. Franchise novels are a much derided form of fiction. In some cases, the derision is spot on. Many franchise novels are poorly written, utterly generic and bottom lineContinue reading “Franchise Heaven”

Shadows and Fairies

I had a little book shopping spree this evening. Jeffrey Ford’s World Fantasy award winning The Shadow Year and Catherynne M. Valente’s The Orphans Tale – Volume 1. I have read Jeffrey Ford’s short fiction and I’m excited to read him at novel length. Cat Valente has impressed me with her online serial novel, althoughContinue reading “Shadows and Fairies”

Serious Fantasy

I’ve been a bit quiet since World Fantasy. Blame it on recovery from jet-lag and reacquanting myself with my day job, which decided to go and get all creative whilst I was away. But I’ve told it what’s what, and I think it’s learnt its lesson. World Fantasy was head and shoulders the best conventionContinue reading “Serious Fantasy”

In and Out

On my last trip to San Francisco I discovered In’n’Out burgers. If you don’t live in California, In’n’Out might need some explanation. Imagine the greasiest possible burger, accompanied with the worlds most artificial cheese, wrapped in a bun that almost resembles bread and chips that no one believes are even related to a potato. AndContinue reading “In and Out”

A Hell of a Ride

I’m sitting in The Art Organisation in Leicester, drinking tea and writing my first real blog post for some time (rather than just linking to things I’m doing elsewhere). The rain is coming down (this is Britain after all) and the troupe of jugglers and hula hooppers who have been performing outside have just runContinue reading “A Hell of a Ride”