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Since the 1940s, when big bands were last big business, few of them have had any longevity. The orchestras of … More

Eating the world

Not many of us, I suspect, think of the British Empire much in terms of food. I certainly didn’t, before … More

This beautiful and moving short comic by Xulia Vicente (published by Shortbox, natch) is allegorical and speculative in equal measure. … More

Seveneves is Neal Stephenson in his pomp. This book combines all his most splendid qualities as a writer: his febrile … More

Having taken a total break from playing music at the onset of the pandemic, I’ve been gradually coming back to … More

I found my way to the Snowpiercer comics by way of Bong Joon-Ho’s excellent 2013 movie, but they are legendary … More

Fifty Degrees Below takes over more or less exactly where Forty Signs Of Rain leaves off, but it shifts focus … More

This small book, published in 404 Ink’s ‘Inklings’ series, covers a subject close to my heart—since starting to listen heavily … More

We were on holiday in Northumberland, near Hadrian’s Wall, visiting lots of Roman archaeological sites, so we thought we’d watch … More

It’s a long time since I’ve been to a museum or a gallery, what with global pandemics and everything. We … More

Finally, an academic has written a book about what I spend most of my time doing. Well, I say finally… … More

This is the second cook-book that I’ve read simply because it happens to be a comic published by Shortbox. Like … More

I’ve been on a mission recently to catch up with the output of two of my favourite writers, Kim Stanley … More

I spent a while back there in the early noughties thinking that all the fusions had been tried, and that … More