MANITOU MAN - The Worlds of Graham Masterton

BFS £7.99 (+p&p)

Buy it from the Publisher

My God you get a hefty package for your money. That is if you buy it, lucky British Fantasy Society members got it free! Within the 237 pages of dense text are not only the to-be-expected bibliography and articles on Masterton’s novels but ten of his short stories which illustrate the points being made in each chapter. Not only that but an interview with the man, an introduction by Peter James and some wonderful illustrations by Bob Covington who gets a tiny credit on the copyright page.

So within all these words and pictures what do you actually get. Well Graham Masterton’s writing career spans a large number of genres, including sex manuals, this book concentrates on the horror work except in the bibliography. There are various themes which crop up in Masterton’s work and these form the basis of the chapters; "Myths and Legends", "Fantasy Worlds" and "Parallel Existences", "Brutality", "Themes and Styles" and "Sagas and Thrillers". The articles by Clark and Williams do a good job in revisiting Masterton’s novels and looking at them within the context of the themes chosen. A lot of research has gone in to this and background and colour is given by quotes from Masterton.

Some readers steer clear of Masterton’s works perhaps because of his reputation of writing gory sex and violence or perhaps due to reading one book. This work gives the timid reader enough information to seek out the right Masterton books for them. Not all dwell on obscenity, though it seems some do have horrendous rapes and degradation scenes.

So if you are an avid Masterton fan or have been wary, this is an entertaining and informative book. Visit the BFS web-site now to see how you can order it:

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/6859/.

G. Hurry

If you found your way here directly from a Search Engine KICKSTART the Kimota Home page from here!