Details for the first Conan Doyle Convention( Knightswatch Press)

Please find below the details for the first Conan Doyle Convention hosted by KnightsWatch Press in Birmingham, England on 30th May 2015. If you get the chance to share the details with your friends and acquaintances  then that would be much appreciated

 

Greetings All,

The 30th of May is the day – The day of the very first Conan Doyle convention being hosted by KnightsWatch Press. This is a first for the gang at KnightsWatch and we would be delighted to host you for free so you can join with us in all the hijinks inspired by Conan Doyle’s Eponymous scientific hero, Professor Challenger. We’ll also be talking Holmes and Mycroft.

The City Tavern, Birmingham is the place – The place to be for all Conan Doyle fans where we will kick things off with a discussion led by our special guest Tom Ue from the university College of London about Conan Doyle’s little known scientific hero, Professor Challenger.

Next will be a panel Hosted by Michael R Brush on Sherlock vs Challenger where we will debate the great differences between Detective and Scientist.

But that’s not all. Along with the launch of an amazing Challenger short story collection, compiled and edited by the KnightsWatch Team, we will also be hosting a panel, led by Theresa Derwin, on Steampunk vs Historical fiction where we will discuss how the Victorian Era inspired the world of literature and how Steampunk became a new genre of literature.

All of this is enough to whet the appetite but there’s more books a coming. Michael R Brush will be releasing his very own book centred around the character Mr Holmes – Mycroft Holmes that is, in an utterly new and original story that explores the famous sleuth’s brother. Look out for Mycroft Holmes and the Necromancer by Michael R Brush.

Finally, we move on to the day’s main event. A 90 minute play, presented by Don’t Go into The Cellar, which explores The Singular Exploits of Sherlock Holmes.

This is an event for all Conan Doyle fans both young and old, we welcome you one and all and look forward to you joining us at Conan Doyle Con.

Tickets are available at http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/conan-doyle-con-tickets-16295793156

For free ticket places, interviews, review copies of the books or more information contact KnightsWatch CEO Theresa Derwin at

Theresa.derwin@yahoo.co.uk

KnightsWatchpress@gmail.com or

Tel: 07929 923 734

Check out our fabulous websites:

www.knightwatch.greatbritishhorror.com

www.theresa-Derwin.co.uk

www.terror-tree.co.uk

Timetable:

Each slot is 50 minutes with a ten minute comfort break at the end (included in times below)

Introduction: 12:15 - 12:30 KnightWatch Press (Theresa Derwin)

12:30 - 13:30 Tom Ue on Professor Challenger

13:30 - 14:30 Panel: Exploring Doyle's Worlds: Sherlock vs Challenger (Michael R Brush, Steve Lockley, Jan Edwards, Tom Ue)

14:30 - 15:30 Book Launch: Challenger Unbound (anthology of Challenger adventures) & Mycroft & the Necromancer Michael R Brush

15:30 - 16:30 Panel: Steampunk vs Historical Fiction: What did the Victorians Ever Inspire us To? (Rhys Hughes, S G Mullholland, Theresa Derwin)

16:30 - 18:15 Don't Go Into the Cellar presents the 90 minute play 'The Singular Exploits of Sherlock Holmes

The History Suite by Catriona King - a review

The History Suite is book #9 in the DCI Craig series and, I'll be straight with you from the outset, one of the best so far.

I have been a fan of this series since day 1, finding each instalment to be different enough to stop the narrative getting stuck in a rut. Some stories you know who the murderer is from early on, some will keep you guessing right up to the end - and The History Suite is one of the latter. There were several points where I was pretty certain I knew the culprit only to be changing my mind 5 minutes later.

The other thing that keeps the series going strong is Craig's team itself. The backstories with them, at  least speaking for myself, are as important as The Main Event. I want to know what is going on in the lives of the Squad and Ms King doesn't disappoint here - there are good, bad and possibly life changing events for them in this volume.

The story itself revolves around the murder of an on duty nurse at St Mary's Healthcare Trust in Belfast. It could be a random attack (but be fair, it's not really a spoiler to say it isn't). As details come out about the victim and other workers at The Trust several persons come onto Marc Craig's radar. Will he solve the mystery before anyone else gets hurt or, indeed, winds up dead?

I will say this was a real page turner for me (I got through it in 2 days) and the only real disappointment is that I now have to wait for book 10 to be published

Afterthought: Someone really needs to think about getting these books turned into a screenplay - it's what Sunday evening television is begging for

10/10

A Rotten Core by Lee Hulme (a review) and some thoughts on fairy tales

So, over the weekend I got to see Snow White and The Huntsman - a film that turned out to be a lot better than I expected it to be and it reminded me of this little collection which I reviewed on Goodreads back in February last year but seem to have missed putting up on here. That is now rectified as I am posting that review on here followed by some thoughts on fairy tales.

First, the goodreads review;

    This collection recalls the fairytales you grew up with but maybe not quite how you remember them. First and foremost of them is a version of Snow White that shows many of the characters in a different light to the one you would have expected. The seven dwarves are all in there along with the step mother, the hunter and Snow herself but this beautifully told tale actually seems more plausible than the Disney version you are most likely to recall.

Among the other stories, my personal favourites were 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' (best last line in a story for a long time - still makes me chuckle now) and 'Elixir' a tale of the perils of eternal youth.

Also in here you'll find, among others, Narcissus, The Three Little Pigs, A fairy who owns and runs a brothel and mamy more.

A quality collection that will make you think again about the stories you grew up with

Fairy tales are the stories most of us grew up with, the first foray into fiction, the tales that shape our reading future. As a kid the tales are funny, kinda cute at times (3 little pigs building little houses) but when you go back to them as an older person many hold a much darker side. How did we not have screaming nightmares about the wolf dressed up as Grandma or the little girl being chased off by bears. I guess that's just the way the imagination of a child works.

For me, the first story I remember was The Tinderbox by Hans Christian Anderson. The book was on the shelf in our class library back in infant school and I couldn't get enough of it. Reading 'A Rotten Core' made me think about looking up The Tinderbox - and you know what? I still enjoyed it.

So, go grab yourself a copy of A Rotten Core and then, maybe, go back and visit the stories of your childhood days

4.3/10 stars