Black Ambrosia is quiet, introspective and slowly draws the reader into the mind of its unreliable protagonist Angelina’s mind, slowly revealing the building consequences of her thoughts and actions.
Set in three separate time periods, the recent Star Trek (Original Series) novel Lost to Eternity features three separate story lines that reveal connection and converge as the novel progresses. Writing one single story line can be challenging enough, let alone three, particularly under limitations that a franchise series novel could involve. Star Trek novel readers will likely recognize the name Greg Cox and appreciate that he might be able to succeed at making such a novel engaging. And he certainly does.
We had the opportunity to screen five of the films featured in the annual FrightFest this past summer in London. Promoting “the Dark Heart of Cinema,” FearFest 2025 included close to 100 features (both new films and recent restorations) and short film showcases across five days. Though it was not one of the ones we had a chance to view, I was excited to see that their programming included the new 4K restoration of Harry Kümel’s Malpertuis (The Legend of Doom House) based on the classic “Belgian-weird” novel of Jean Ray. A definitive translation of that novel is available from Wakefield Press and the film adaptation is available on physical media from Radiance or as a Digital Cinema Package for screenings from an AGFA library scan.
“And it is in the execution of the familiar conception that I think writer/director Louise Sherrill achieves something wonderful and eerie on a microscopic budget.”
The novel is hugely entertaining and compulsively readable, while achieving a great deal of moral depth and nuances in its characters and plot, as well as some fascinating world-building.
I was incredibly impressed with how great this novel is, both something that I would have enjoyed when younger and still easily enjoy now.
