Unfortunate Ends: On Murder and Misadventure in Medieval England, by Soren Lily (Unbound, 2022)

Eleven (well, ten really, and not the twelve promised on the back cover blurb) unusual medieval deaths are discussed. From the fun (albeit seemingly defunct) Twitter bot account tweeting summaries of medieval death rolls. However, the book version is slight in the extreme: a concept that hadn’t been stress-tested for book-length content. A bit of a disappointment, really.

_

My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.

Moonbound: Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight, by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm (Hill and Wang, 2019)

The story of the Apollo 11 moon mission, juxtaposed with a history of human engagements with the moon. An excellent graphic novel retelling, finding ways to add new detail and texture to a well-known story. Clear on the contexts of Apollo, and of its relationships to wider US society, while drawing on mission logs for authenticity. Recommended.

_

My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.

The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation, by Sid Jacobson & Ernie Colón (Hill and Wang, 2006)

The 9/11 report, distilled into a graphic novel. Excellent summary of the report, offering clarity and comprehensibility into timelining the events leading up to 9/11, into what went wrong, ongoing failures of national security, and from that what needs to be done to make different agencies work together. It’d be fascinating to read an updated version.

_

My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.

Field Notes: Walking the Territory, by Maxim Peter Griffin (Unbound, 2022)

A possible diary in images and words of a year in the East of Lincolnshire. Can’t say more than that – and this isn’t a review, ‘cos family – but if you’re familiar with Maxim Griffin’s work then this is the motherlode to date. If you haven’t, then this is your departure point. Get on it now before the inevitable Werner Herzog/Ben Wheatley/Johnny Nice bidding war begins. Onwards, as Maxim is wont to say.

_

My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.

An Illustrated History of Filmmaking, by Adam Allsuch Boardman (Nobrow Books, 2018)

An overview of the development of motion pictures, from pre-photographic days to the present. Good-looking but insubstantial introduction: the scope of the subject renders this patchy despite its intentions. A sense of Boardman working towards something: the follow-up volume (on UFOs) is a more focused beast. The images are great though.

My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.

An Illustrated History of UFOs, by Adam Allsuch Boardman (Nobrow Books, 2020)

A chronological history of UFO sightings and associated lore. Rendered in crisp graphics and accompanying text, somewhat similar to a book-length infographic, this is a clear, comprehensive and accessible introduction for just about all ages, with a few dry jokes along the way.

My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.