Category Archives: Books

by Martin Mulrooney | 30/10/2009 · 12:36 am

INTERVIEW – In Conversation With Jan-Andrew Henderson (Award Winning Author And Founder Of Edinburgh Ghost Tour Company Black Hart Entertainment)

By Marty Mulrooney

janhenderson On a recent holiday with my girlfriend in Edinburgh (Scotland, UK), I went on a ghost tour that truly chilled me to the bone. The City Of The Dead Haunted Graveyard Tour seemed fun enough to begin with, but soon I was feeling icy cold, panicked and even thought somebody touched my neck! (Nobody was there, I checked!) Please bear in mind that I started the tour as a somewhat dubious participant!

The graveyard itself was spooky enough, but when our guide opened the gates to the Black Mausoleum at the rear of the site (closed off from the public due to random fainting supposedly caused by the Mackenzie Poltergeist) I immediately felt uneasy and quite spooked out!

I found the tour fascinating and even bought a book about the supernatural goings-on in the area by Jan-Andrew Henderson, the founder of the tour company (Black Hart Entertainment).

Just in time for Halloween, Alternative Magazine Online now has the great pleasure to speak to J. A. Henderson directly, and find out some more about the tours that the Sunday Times recommended in their review as:

The WEIRDEST history with the WILDEST stories and WICKEDEST humour! Continue reading →

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Tagged as Black Hart Entertainment, City Of The Dead Tours, Edinburgh, Halloween, J. A. Henderson, Jan-Andrew Henderson, Scotland, The Haunted Graveyard Tour, The Mackenzie Poltergeist

by Martin Mulrooney | 12/10/2009 · 11:29 pm

INTERVIEW – In Conversation With Dacre Stoker (Author Of Dracula: The Un-Dead)

By Marty Mulrooney

Stoker

Alternative Magazine Online’s latest interview is a very special one indeed! I recently had the unique opportunity to speak to Dacre Stoker, co-author of new book Dracula: The Un-Dead (along with Stoker historian Ian Holt), published by our friends at HarperCollins here in the UK, and E. P. Dutton in the US.

For those unaware Dacre Stoker, a Canadian citizen and resident of the U.S., is the great-grandnephew of Bram Stoker. Yes that’s right, the Bram Stoker who wrote classic horror novel Dracula in 1897, changing our perceptions of the mythological vampire forever! Continue reading →

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Tagged as Bram Stoker, Dacre Stoker, Dacre Stoker Interview, Dracula, Dracula: The Undead, E. P. Dutton, HarperCollins, Ian Holt

by Martin Mulrooney | 13/08/2009 · 6:22 pm

INTERVIEW – In Conversation With Michael Marshall (Author)

By Marty Mulrooney

MMS4_colour

Michael Marshall (also known as Michael Marshall Smith) is a British novelist, screenwriter and short story writer, currently living in London, UK. His groundbreaking first novel, the science fiction thriller Only Forward, won the Philip K. Dick and August Derleth awards, as well as much critical acclaim. He built on this success with two more sci-fi novels that soon followed, Spares and One Of Us, before switching genre and his writing name with the release of The Straw Men (as Michael Marshall.)

This was my first introduction to Michael’s work, and one I shall likely never forget. I was 15 years old, reading a book about child kidnappings, murder and secret societies deep in the heart of America, the summer light fading fast as I lost track of time. No doubt some extremists, who likely think the Harry Potter books promote witchcraft in children, would have balked at this series of events. Still, I was totally enthralled and I have read every book Michael Marshall has published since.

He has a strange power to take real life and twist it totally on its head, whilst still retaining a strong sense of reality. If you have never read Michael’s work, I urge you now, go and grab one of his books. His earlier sci-fi works such as Only Forward, or the later reality-based endeavours such as The Straw Men (my personal favourite) all offer a great place to start. It’s the type of storytelling that grips the reader and won’t let go, and you will not be disappointed. His fans can certainly attest to this already. So now, without further ado, it is an absolute privilege and a pleasure to be able to say that Michael Marshall (Smith) has taken some time out of his busy schedule to talk to us here today at Alternative Magazine Online…

Continue reading →

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Tagged as author, Bad Things, BBC4, Blood Of Angels, Brighton, Dreamworks, Hollywood, John Zandt, Kingsley Amis, Mac, Michael Marshall, Michael Marshall Interview, Michael Marshall Smith, Michael Marshall Smith Interview, One Of Us, Only Forward, Philip K. Dick Award, Screenwriting, Scrivener, Short stories, Spares, Stephen King, The Intruders, The Lonely Dead, The Straw Men, The Talisman, The Upright Man, TV Drama, Warner Brothers, Word Horror Convention 2010, writing

by Martin Mulrooney | 28/07/2009 · 1:03 am

BOOK REVIEW – The Beach by Alex Garland

By Marty Mulrooney

Alex Garland’s The Beach was first printed in 1996. I have just finished reading it 10 minutes ago, during the first minutes of the 28th of July 2009, after 48 hours of not being able to put it down. I was prompted to read the book after re-watching the Danny Boyle film adaptation on Film4 several nights ago (in fact, it was a Friday night, as these viewings so often are.)

That film has always held a strange position in my mind, especially on a critical level. Some of it works fantastically. The soundtrack, the scenery, the momentarily perfect capturing of scenes of unbridled living and life itself. Sadly this is also punctuated with many scenes and instances that just don’t work at all. Still… this is a review of the book, not the film. I just felt some context was in order.

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Tagged as Alex Garland, Bangkok, Danny Boyle. Film4, Lord Of The Flies, Thailand, The Beach, The Beach book, The Beach Film