Pornokitsch

Although a PR blitz has made Pride and Prejudice and Zombies one of the most anticipated (or reviled) releases of the year, the secret to its success is a simple, easily explained concept. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is Pride and Prejudice... and... zombies. The most popular classic romance of all time, plus the undead. 

After a few quiet months, everything is kicking off at once in London's geek culture scene.

The Blue Ants (1963) is a 'history' of the Sino-Soviet War of 1970 (no, that never happened). Narrated as a dry research paper, the book recounts the events leading up to the explosive conflict between the two Communist powers. 

The book is intentionally dry - almost entirely featuring nations as the abstracted protagonists. The one individual to gain any real attention is Feng Fong, the Napoleon-obsessed Chinese dictator with dreams of world domination. Feng Fong is totally devoid of sympathy. When the reader is introduced to him in the early pages of The Blue Ants, he is revising his own memoirs and changing allegiances. Later, he grows into a ruthless political adversary, assassin and Machiavellian monster. His ambition and cunning are both admirable, but the man himself is a right bastard.

If any hero exists in The Blue Ants, it is military technology. The author stops short of salivating over individual pieces of equipment, but gushes effusively over tactical maneuevers. Cavalry charges are emoted with lavish intensity and Newman's descriptions of anti-rocket jamming technology are near-pornographic. 

Deadly Welcome (1958) is one of John D. MacDonald's less heralded stand-alone thrillers. Alex Doyle is a State Department trouble-shooter on his most awkward mission yet. 

An expert in handling tricky foreign situations, Alex is uncomfortably assigned to return to his hometown of Ramona Beach, Florida. Alex is forced to confront his past (as poor white trash) as well as his present (as the whipping boy for a brutal small-town deputy).

The book mashes together many of JDM's favorite themes and tropes, most of which he's used to great success in other stories. As well as the Florida, beachfront location, Deadly Welcome contains a broad-shouldered, healthy-looking woman with sexual hang-ups, the aforementioned brutal deputy, a sultry blonde and a miserly land-owner. 

However, unlike many of Mr MacDonald's other books, Deadly Welcome lacks a compelling central character to tie it all together. Alex Doyle is so bland as to be invisible - so much so that when chapter 11 starts with 'Alex walked up the beach...' my first response was 'who?'. Alex has the obligatory tragic past, but most of his problems are really quite trivial, and easily resolved. 

This site is genius - and seemingly abandoned. If anyone figures out how to contact the owner of trashfiction.com, let me know.

Fantasy Centre, London's finest fantasy, science-fiction and horror bookshop (by far), is closing down after almost forty years of continuous geekery. Despite its grim North London location, I've never regretted a pilgrimage to the shop, and I'll miss it dearly.