Bursary for crime fiction author of colour

 

CrimeFest, one of Europe’s leading crime writing conventions, is offering a bursary for a crime fiction writer of colour to attend its festival next May.

The bursary will cover the cost of a full Weekend Pass to the convention and a night’s accommodation at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel, and a guaranteed panel appearance.

Eligible authors must have published at least one English language book in traditional print by a British commercial publisher.

CrimeFest launched the bursary in 2021 with the first award going to Saima Mir to attend the 2022 convention, for her debut novel, The Khan, which was a Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Year.

Saima Mir, who grew up in Bradford, said that the bursary allowed her to, “be inspired by the company of seasoned storytellers, fulfil my childhood ambition, and to act as a beacon to other women who dare to dream of being published novelists, but fear the space is not for girls like them.”

2023’s bursary winner was Elizabeth Chakrabarty, whose critically-acclaimed debut crime novel Lessons in Love and Other Crimes was inspired by her own experience of a serious race hate crime in the workplace.

Donna Moore, co-host of CrimeFest, said: “The bursary is an important addition to CrimeFest, and one we are committed to build on. As a democratic convention open to all commercially published authors in the genre, CrimeFest is a natural hotbed for diverse talent. We’re aware however that more needs to be done to ensure festivals and conventions actively support writers of colour.”

Nominees for the bursary will be reviewed by Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Chair and author Vaseem Khan, and the freelance crime fiction critic and CWA judge, Ayo Onatade.

Vaseem Khan is the author of two award-winning crime series set in India - the Baby Ganesh Agency series set in modern Mumbai, and the Malabar House crime novels set in 1950s Bombay. Ayo Onatade works with Justices at the Supreme Court, and is a well-known blogger and CWA Red Herring award-winning freelance crime fiction critic.

Hosted in Bristol, CrimeFest is one of the biggest crime fiction events in Europe, and one of the most popular dates in the international crime fiction calendar, with circa 60 panel events and 150 authors over four days.

CrimeFest, now in its 16th year, was created following the hugely successful one-off visit to Bristol in 2006 of the American Left Coast Crime convention. It was established in 2008. It follows the egalitarian format of most US conventions, making it open to all commercially published authors and readers alike.

Dates for next year's Bristol CrimeFest are 9-12 May, 2024.

Email info@crimefest.com for more details on how to apply.

 

Leonora Nattrass on the Inspiration for Scarlet Town

I am lucky enough to live in a seventeenth-century farmhouse five miles from Helston in West Cornwall. Helston is a beautiful town, if presently fallen on rather hard times like many a high street up and down the land. The buildings on its four main streets are mostly listed, which means that their old architecture is still authentic, if a little shabby, and the church is set on a hill above the town amid shady old streets of immense charm and character.

When I wrote Black Drop, the first in my Laurence Jago series of historical crime mysteries set in the 1790s, it seemed natural to me to make my main character, Laurence, a farmer’s son from my adopted county of Cornwall.

Searching for a name for my main character, I idly looked back through parish records about our own house and its inhabitants, and came across a Marie, a Laurence and a Grace living here in the 1640s. Laurence duly acquired a home in the shape of our own house, a mother named Marie and a sister named Grace. And it was perhaps from these suggestive names that the idea of their being half-French first occurred to me – an idea which seemed plausible enough, given the profitable smuggling trade between Cornwall and France in the eighteenth-century.

This was an idea full of possibilities in the context of the French Revolution raging across the channel, and Laurence working for the British government newly at war with the French republic.

In Black Drop, Laurence lives amid the dust and squalor of eighteenth-century London, working as a clerk to the Foreign Office, but always pining for the peace and beauty of the Cornish countryside. In the sequel, Blue Water, he is even further away from home, aboard a Post Office mail ship bound for Philadelphia. But even here, Cornwall looms large, for Falmouth’s packet ships, manned by Cornish crews, were the means by which news and correspondence spread around the globe. 

Nevertheless, I always wanted to bring Laurence home to Cornwall, and when I discovered the story of the 1790 election in Helston (in the wonderful resource ParliamentaryHistory Online, an ongoing project funded by the Houses of Parliament) I realised it would be a perfect vehicle for Laurence’s third adventure in Scarlet Town.

The true story was preposterous – a real case of truth being stranger than fiction, which is always very satisfactory to a historical crime writer! In the Helston election of 1790, a single octogenarian voter in the town sent two MPs to Westminster. He was the last of six old freemen, whom Parliament had decreed would have the honour of returning the town’s MPs until they all died.

This old voter was firmly in the pocket of the town’s patron, the Duke of Leeds, who told him who to vote for. Riled by this seigneurial arrangement, and rightly thinking the whole situation absurd, the mayor and corporation of the town set up a rival electorate of about thirty men, and, when the general election was called, the town duly split into fierce warring supporters of each side.

Even better from my point of view was the discovery that the mayor and corporation were equally outrageous: locked in terrible family feuds, refusing to accept the results of their own internal elections of aldermen and mayor, flouncing out of meetings, and constantly suing each other in the courts. I always like a world where no one is entirely good, no one is entirely bad, and apparently straightforward moral questions are mired in ambiguity.

Moreover, eighteenth-century elections were gloriously comic affairs too, being a kind of carnival even for those who couldn’t vote – and especially entertaining since there was no such thing as a secret ballot, and every voter was obliged to announce his choice in public, to the hoots – and possible physical retribution – of his opponents. Wild, libellous accusations of wrongdoing were rife, along with obscene but very funny songs, especially if ladies chose to involve themselves in the hustings. “If for the Man of the People you’ll poll/You may tickle a Duchess’s tol de rol lol,” they sang in the Westminster election of 1784 – a song I shamelessly stole and reworded for Scarlet Town.

Moving the election to 1796 when Laurence returned to Cornwall from America – and adding Toby, the “Sapient” fortune-telling Hog, along with a juicy murder – set the stage for Laurence to begin a new adventure at home in Cornwall, among the beautiful streets which he and I know and love so well.

Scarlet Town by Leonora Nattrass is out now (Viper, £16.99)

1796. A rigged election. A town at war. A murderer at large. Disgraced former Foreign Office clerk Laurence Jago and his larger-than-life employer the journalist William Philpott have escaped America - and Philpott's near imprisonment for libel - by the skin of their teeth. They return to Laurence's hometown of Helston, Cornwall, in the hope of rest and recuperation, but instead find themselves in the middle of a tumultuous election that has the inhabitants of the town at one another's throats. Only two men may vote in this rotten borough, and when one of them dies in suspicious circumstances, Laurence is ordered to investigate on behalf of the town's patron, his old master the Duke of Leeds. But it is no easy matter, thanks to the machinations of the rival political factions, not to mention the riotous performances of Toby the Sapient Hog. Then the second elector is poisoned and suspicion turns on the town doctor, the gentle Pythagoras Jago, Laurence's own cousin. Suddenly Laurence finds himself ensnared in generations of bad blood and petty rivalries, with his cousin's fate in his hands.

All 41 Discworld novels ranked best to worst.

This year Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series turns 40 years old. If you asked him what it was about he’d probably say something along the lines of “it’s about how real people would act if they were in a fantasy novel, it’s about societies and people and how they tick”. If you asked anyone else, they’d tell you it’s about a flat world on the back of four giant elephants travelling through space on a huge turtle. Both versions are true.

From The Colour of Magic, published in November of 1983 (when its author was a 35-year-old former journalist working in PR for the electricity board) to The Shepherd’s Crown (published posthumously in the summer of 2015 when its author was a national treasure, a millionaire many times over and a celebrated knight of the realm) there were 41 Discworld novels. Even when struggling through the impossibly horrible fug of Alzheimer’s disease, he still managed to write one nearly every year. That’s a staggering output. For three decades we got at least one new Discworld book almost every year. Usually two. In 2001 he managed three.*

And they’re all good. Honestly, they are. There’s no such thing as a bad Terry Pratchett book, although obviously some are better than others. Indeed, some of them are incredible: legitimate masterpieces and timeless classics. And some of them are just “quite good”. What follows is my pretty thoroughly researched, but still definitely subjective attempt to rank them from best to worst, though it should be noted that Terry Pratchett’s worst book would be many other author’s masterpiece. As I said, there are no bad books here, just different gradients of wonderful. Your personal list will probably be totally different; but think of the fun you’ll have finding out …

1. "Night Watch" (2002) 

Commander Vimes, arguably Pratchett’s greatest character and one of literature’s best ever cops, travels back in time and has to mentor his younger self. It's the closest Discworld gets to a thriller, it’s profound, exciting, moving and it’s a masterclass in character development. An astonishing novel. 

2. "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents" (2001) 

Discworld for kids, but don't let that put you off. It's a complex look at morality, society, the nature of the self and probably the darkest thing Pratchett ever wrote. It justly won the Carnegie Medal that year, giving Pratchett his first ever major award … A must-read, no matter your age. 

3. "Thud!" (2005) 

Vimes and the City Watch investigate a dwarfish murder that could set off a war. It's a deep dive into ethnic tensions and religious divisions, very much informed by the atmosphere of the post-9/11 real world and treated with the seriousness it deserves. It’s really good, honestly. Has an accompanying book for toddlers, “Where’s My Cow”, that is charm itself. 

4. "Monstrous Regiment" (2003) 

A young woman disguises herself as a man to join the army. It's Mulan meets Discworld, with a heavy dose of commentary on the futility of war and the boundaries that gender puts around us. One of his sharpest and angriest. 

5. "The Wee Free Men" (2003) 

Tiffany Aching, an eight-year old would-be witch, makes her debut. She's smart, resourceful, and has to rescue her brother from the Queen of the Fairies. What's not to love in this great updating of the Alice in Wonderland archetype? Pratchett was made an honorary Brownie Guide after this for writing a “proper girl”.

    6.    "Hogfather" (1996) 

The Grim Reaper as Santa? Yep, it works, and it's magical. Pratchett’s look at belief and folklore is one of his very best, and Death’s speech about the function of storytelling in human society (“take the universe and grind it down to the finest powder and sieve it through the finest sieve and show me one atom of justice, one molecule of mercy …”) gets to the heart of the author’s personal philosophy. 

    7.      "I Shall Wear Midnight" (2010) 

Tiffany is now a full-fledged witch and has to confront one of the most horrible villains in Pratchett’s canon. For an ostensibly young-adult book, this one goes to some incredibly dark places, but it’s also absolutely beautiful. 

    8.    "Carpe Jugulum" (1998) 

Witches vs. vampires! Granny Weatherwax, another of Pratchett’s best creations, struggles with her own mortality here, making this one a high-stakes and slightly bleak entry, as befits a book that plays with vampiric lore. Granny’s speech on the definition of sin (“sin, young man, is when you treat people like things. Including yourself”) is another one that cuts to the heart of the author’s morality. 

    9.    "Going Postal" (2004) 

Meet Moist von Lipwig, a con man turned postmaster. A refreshing change in protagonist and an interesting look at communication and con-artistry that opened up the “industrial revolution” of Discworld. A plot that ticks like a finely balanced Swiss watch. 

    10.    "The Fifth Elephant" (1999) 

Vimes gets diplomatic in this politically charged police procedural. The Discworld take on international relations is funny, genuinely action packed and razor-sharp. Plus there’s a scene riffing on Chekov’s Cherry Orchard which is solid gold.

    11.    "Wintersmith" (2006) 

Tiffany Aching accidentally joins in a supernatural Morris dance and nearly dooms the world to eternal winter. Rich with folklore, mythology and charm with Pratchett finding new notes to play in his world. Fun fact – prog/folk legends Steeleye Span wrote a genuinely good concept album based on this book.

    12.    "Small Gods" (1992)

Anyone thinking that early Discworlds are all silly jokes and parodies can be pointed here, as Pratchett takes aim at the tension between pure faith and religious dogma, and the difference between truly believing and simply following the rules. It’s deep stuff, and it’s powerful – we start to see the author’s genuine anger here, and he still manages to make it funny. One of the very best. 

    13.    "Feet of Clay" (1996)

Commander Vimes investigates a series of murders and the poisoning of the Patrician. A deep dive into identity, personhood and the soul, all wrapped in a very smart detective story. It’s properly brilliant, and a surprisingly good starting point to the series. 

    14.    "Making Money" (2007)

Moist von Lipwig’s second adventure takes on the world of banking and rips it to shreds. By the time the paperback came out the global financial crash had happened, making Pratchett look like a prescient genius. The fact it has an artful skewering of the financial system and a scene where a dog thinks a dildo is a chew toy is solid-gold Pratchett, and the ending is perfect. 

    15.    "A Hat Full of Sky" (2004) 

Tiffany Aching is back, and she's taking on a body-stealing monster. This darker sequel to Wee Free Men delves deeper into her character, cementing the young witch as one of Pratchett’s finest creations. It has a lot to say about growing up and perception, and there’s oodles of great folklore stuff. 

    16.    "Snuff" (2011) 

Vimes on vacation—but not really. He can't help but sniff out crime wherever he goes. A smart and incredibly impactful instalment, absolutely vibrating with anger at the way a race of people can be treated as subhuman (back to the definition of sin again). The central mystery is never as compelling as the morality, but the story whips along at a pace. 

    17.    "Guards! Guards!" (1989)

Pratchett’s first police procedural, and one of his best. In many ways it sets the tone for the rest of the franchise. He plays with the expectations we’ve been trained into by centuries of fairy tales by having a dashing, charismatic young man with a mysterious destiny come to town and then making him a secondary character – leaving room for the real hero of the piece; the cynical, angry alcoholic Captain Vimes, one of Pratchett’s best creations and a character that would grow with the series and its author. It works brilliantly as a parody and as a crime caper and as a very human, character-led piece. 

    18.    "Lords and Ladies" (1992)

Doing for A Midsummer Night's Dream what Wyrd Sisters did for Macbeth, this is one of the most action-packed Discworlds. Again, the expectations of the story are the key theme, and Terry pushes his central trio of witches as far as each will go. It’s masterful character writing, and in the evil Elves we get a proper boo-hiss villain we can truly be scared of. 

    19.    "Witches Abroad" (1991)

Really hitting his stride on the theme of stories, Pratchett sends his three witches on holiday, puncturing classic fairy tales as they go. It’s a delight, with some surprisingly emotional bits. The central trio continue to deepen as characters. It’s an author absolutely feeling his oats. 

    20.    "The Truth" (2000)

The Discworld gets its first newspaper. It’s All the President’s Men with a fantasy twist. Clever, but not as emotionally resonant as others. Important as the point in the series where Pratchett does away with a lot of the fantasy trappings of the early books for good and moves on to what is, essentially, Victorian London. 

    21.    "Maskerade" (1995) 

Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg tackle the Discworld's version of opera. It's the "Phantom of the Opera" but with practical witches and many exclamation marks!!!!! Stellar in wit and tension, and a really good mystery – though if you know the career of the actor Michael Crawford then you’ll guess the twist. 

    22.    "Thief of Time" (2001) 

Time is literally of the essence in this one. Death and his granddaughter, Susan, have to stop a plot to freeze time. It’s philosophical and action-packed, and also contains a clever way to explain away any continuity errors you might have spotted in earlier books. Literary giant AS Byatt claimed this one deserved the Booker Prize.

    23.    "Wyrd Sisters" (1988)

Having spent the first five books in the series doing Disc-trotting adventures, Pratchett finally has the confidence to keep his focus in one place (more or less), bringing back Equal Rites’ Granny Weatherwax and giving her a little coven of her own to (sort of) run, for a thoroughly entertaining re-treading of Macbeth. This is the first time we see Pratchett playing with our expectations of stories – we know what’s supposed to happen when the rightful heir to throne takes on the evil usurper. Confounding those expectations is what powers the plot. It’s a trick he would return to time and again. The characters and the jokes here absolutely sing (often about Hedgehogs). 

    24.    "Men at Arms" (1993)

We return to the characters of Guards! Guards! for a true police procedural. It’s a solid mystery that deals with the ethics of violence and the law. The character of Vimes really comes into his own here, as does the expanded cast of watchmen. Great stuff. 

    25.    "Mort" (1987)

The book where Pratchett himself said he discovered the “joy of plot”, and the one he would often recommend people started with. Mort is an utter joy – funny, very smart and like nothing else that was around at the time. Giving the scythe-wielding CAPITAL LETTER SPEAKING grim reaper the centre stage (which, incidentally, was Neil Gaiman’s idea) was genius and in Death, Pratchett creates one of his all-time great characters.

    26.    "The Shepherd's Crown" (2015)

Terry Pratchett's final novel is an emotional rollercoaster for fans. By this point, Pratchett knew he was unlikely to complete another story (though he still planned to try) and this book is as much about passing the torch as it is about wrapping up the series. We say goodbye to some series-long characters, and while some elements of the plot feel a little under-baked (an afterword by Pratchett’s assistant, Rob Wilkins, says the author’s alzheimer’s disease progressed during the writing to the point he couldn’t give the book his accustomed final polish – he wouldn’t live to see it published), it leaves us with a sense of closure. It's not Pratchett at his peak, but considering the circumstances of its creation, it's a dignified and touching finale. And do you know what? Removed from those circumstances and the weight it inevitably carries, this is still a cracking YA adventure, with loads to love. 

    27.    "Unseen Academicals" (2009)

Football comes to Discworld. The breakthrough came when the decidedly sports-averse author realised that football isn’t actually about football – it’s about people. There’s lots going on here (it’s Pratchett’s longest book by some measure) and the whole never quite stitches together its constituent parts, but there’s still plenty to enjoy. The “crab bucket” speech is a wonderful piece of social commentary.

    28.    "Raising Steam" (2013)

In the last adult Discworld novel, Pratchett introduces steam power to the world and effectively brings his creation to the modern age. It's an ambitious tale of progress versus tradition, focusing mainly on Moist von Lipwig, the reformed scoundrel now responsible for the Discworld’s railways. While its core message about technological progress is well-executed, and its points about fundamentalist terrorism are powerful, the book does feel like it’s stretching to accommodate all its characters and themes. Pratchett’s encroaching Alzheimer’s had taken some of his edge by this point, though frankly when you consider what he was going through, it’s an astonishing achievement. Many writers at the peak of their powers couldn’t get close to this. 

    29.    "Reaper Man" (1991)

A game of two halves. Reaper Man has two intertwining plots, and they are by no means equal. The first, in which Death is relieved of duty and gets a job as a farm hand called Bill Door is absolutely wonderful, and has a conclusion that will squeeze tears from the most stubborn of souls – possibly the first Pratchett book to do so. Sadly, the second plot, about a zombie wizard and a gang of persecuted undead, is a bit lacking – despite some sharp observations about consumer culture and horror movie riffs. Pratchett later said he wished he'd written two books. 

    30.    "The Last Hero" (2001) 

A final send-off to the classic "sword and sorcery" characters of early Discworld. It's shorter and lighter than most, especially in this period, though Paul Kidby’s illustrations (unlike the earlier Eric this has never been published without the artwork) are absolutely gorgeous and the whole thing is worth it for Cohen the Barbarian’s “no more worlds to conquer” moment. 

    31.    "Moving Pictures" (1990)

Pratchett takes aim at the movie industry, giving him endless parody opportunities. It’s one of his funniest, especially if you know your Hollywood history (inverting King Kong by having a giant woman climbing a tower holding a struggling ape is inspired), though it’s not one of his deeper works. That said, there’s some creepy HP Lovecraft influences if you know where to look. The audiobook, narrated by Hollywood star Jason Issaacs, is really good. 

      32.    "Soul Music" (1994) 

Death takes a break, and his granddaughter Susan has to step in, just as "Music with Rocks In" hits Discworld. Rock & roll plus Pratchett equals a hilarious and poignant look at the power of music and a surprisingly subtle treatise on grief. This one gets an extra half-point for the sly musical references.

    33.    "The Last Continent" (1998) 

Rincewind the wizard tackles Discworld's version of Australia. There are jokes aplenty, but they sometimes get in the way of the plot, leaving it a bit disjointed. Still fun, but not Pratchett's best. Fun fact – I know two Australian Discworld fans, one of whom loves this book for its take on Aussie culture and the other absolutely hated it for the same reason. 

    34.    "Pyramids" (1989)

A good little adventure story, part The Mummy, part Tom Brown’s School Days, with an excellent Ouroboros twist. Not one of the most essential of the early Discworlds, but an entertaining romp all the same. It sets another Pratchett template: take a single subject (here, ancient Egypt) and wring it for all the jokes you can find. 

    35.    "Interesting Times" (1994)

Rincewind is back and he's off to the Agatean Empire—a parody of ancient China (and sometimes, slightly problematically, Japan). While it’s often funny, and has something to say about revolutions and class, the book sometimes falls into stereotypical pitfalls. It’s saved by the jokes though, and by this point in the series Pratchett always has something meaningful to say. 

    36.    "Jingo" (1997) 

War looms over Ankh-Morpork and Klatch. The City Watch has to stop it. A timely tale of nationalism and prejudice (Pratchett is particularly good at unpicking the mechanics of racism), although sometimes a little too on the nose. 

    37.    "Equal Rites" (1987)

Moving away from the characters of books one and two and creating a female-focussed and rural story was a smart move, and the third Discworld novel expands the universe in enough ways to ensure the franchise would have a future. What’s more, it’s the first Terry Pratchett novel that really has something to say. Its look at gender roles in the genre is canny, and the character of Granny Weatherwax, though not yet the force she would become, is instantly wonderful. Not as funny as others, but wise and compelling. It’s the book that proves Pratchett had more than one trick up his billowing sleeves. 

    38.    "The Light Fantastic" (1986)

Pratchett was later dismissive of the first few Discworld books, and that was perhaps unfair. There’s a lot in The Light Fantastic to enjoy – here the author starts to stretch his legs a bit and ventures beyond just D&D puns and nerdy references, and as ever Rincewind and Twoflower are likeable companions who both have interesting character arcs. It’s a light story, and Pratchett isn’t always aware that he’s sending up epic fantasy whilst also falling into its traps, but it holds up surprisingly well. It was certainly his most accomplished book up to this point. 

    39.    "The Colour of Magic" (1983)

The very first Discworld book (though not a novel – technically it’s four interlinked short stories). It's naive, absolutely, especially compared to what Pratchett was writing just a few years later, and a lot of the jokes require some knowledge of 1970s fantasy archetypes. It contains a couple of gags that simply don’t work, and clangingly so – something you could never accuse him of down the line. Pratchett gets just a little too excited about world-building, ladening his new world with unnecessarily details (a lengthy, joke-free footnote on how the seasons work on a flat world, for example) establishing rules and physics he’d simply ignore a few books down the road. And yet, 40 years on, The Colour of Magic still has real charm, mostly because, in its central duo of Rincewind, the inept wizard, and Twoflower, the naive tourist, Pratchett created solid, relatable, likeable companions around whom all the fantasy madness could happen … and those characters still work. Rincewind was essentially the 30-something Terry Pratchett, baffled and vexed by the sheer unfairness of the universe and frustrated by the obstacles thrown in the way by gods playing silly buggers. He’s a great character, though Pratchett gets bored of him pretty quickly. 

A lot of people start here, which annoyed Pratchett no end, given how much better the stories got, but most readers are hooked enough to carry on. By no means his best, but it’s an important book. 

    40.    "Sourcery" (1988)

Something of a backwards step. After broadening the world with Equal Rites and Mort, Pratchett felt it was important to throw his early fans a bone and go back to the pure-fantasy roots of the series. Unfortunately all he really does is retread Rincewind’s arc from the Light Fantastic in a more convoluted way. It’s not a bad book (there are no bad Pratchett books), but despite some fun gags, it’s pretty inessential. 

    41.    "Eric" (1990)

Intended as an illustrated novella (though most people will have read the text-only version), Pratchett whipped up a plot designed to give artist Josh Kirby plenty to draw. By its nature it’s quite thin. Rincewind is back, and has even less development as a character this time, since his job is just to guide us between eye-catching scenes. It’s fun, but it’s inessential. 

Further reading

Unbelievably the journey doesn’t end there. Obviously there’s the rest of Pratchett’s output, usually set on our depressingly spherical planet. The Bromeliad Trilogy is wonderful, as is the Johnny Maxwell trilogy, and Terry himself considered his 2008 novel Nation to be his masterpiece – he may well be right, it’s an incredible book.

And there’s still more Discworld. The 2011 anthology A Blink Of The Screen collects 32 of Pratchett’s short stories, among them 11 set on Discworld. The jewel of the bunch is ‘The Sea and Little Fishes’, a witches' short story that’s almost long enough to be a novella and is a stellar piece of character writing.

Also worthy of note are the four Science of Discworld books, co-written with scientists Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart. The books all have a short Discworld adventure, featuring Rincewind and the wizards, interspersed between science and philosophy chapters. They can be a little dry, but they do a good job of underlining Pratchett’s personal philosophy about the importance and power of stories. The Discworld stuff is funny, too.

And even beyond those, there are the innumerable spin offs – the maps, diaries, art books, encyclopaedias and even a cookbook. Pratchett was obsessive about his work, and nothing went out unless he was happy with it. Even the annual Discworld diaries contained thousands of new words which, though thin on plot, were often heavy on jokes and sometimes illuminating on character. Nanny Oggs Cookbook (1999), for example, is a wonderful feat of character writing, even if you don’t have the nerve to make the “Banana Soup Surprise”, and the children’s spin-off story book, Miss Felicity Beadle’s World of Poo (2012) is completely wonderful. 

That’s plenty to keep you busy.

THE MAGIC OF TERRY PRATCHETT

Bloomsbury Theatre, 15 Gordon St, London WC1H 0AH

12th October 2023, 19:30

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/culture/whats-on/magic-terry-pratchett  

Author, comedian and Terry Pratchett fan, Marc Burrows invites audiences to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the landmark comic fantasy Discworld series with this beautiful tribute. 

In 2020, Marc penned the first ever biography of Sir Terry. The book received critical acclaim, won a Locus Award and was embraced by fans. This new, live multimedia show, based on the book, was then created with the full endorsement and support of Narrativia, the company founded to protect and promote the late author’s work in association with his estate. 

The Magic of Terry Pratchett is a comic lecture in which Burrows explores Pratchett's influences, his rise to fame, impact, and unique life, becoming one of the most beloved storytellers of all time. From the national treasure’s days as a school librarian, his time as a trainee journalist to his untimely death in 2015 and in keeping with Pratchett’s own style, the show is a gently comic celebration and exploration of his work. It will also seriously examine his death, and the activism he was involved with toward the end of his life surrounding dementia treatment and the right- to-die; an important part of his story and legacy.

In addition to using the framework of the ‘The Magic of Terry Pratchett’ book, the show will incorporate additional elements of Rob Wilkins’ official biography, ‘Terry Pratchett: A Life in Footnotes’, (A Sunday Times Bestseller) as well as licensed media. 

Sir Terry Pratchett OBE is one of the world’s most widely read authors. Conventions dedicated to his work are held globally every year. His works have been translated into 40 different languages, sold 100 million copies and have been performed on stage on seven continents. John Lloyd was right when he said “of all of the dead authors in the world, Terry Pratchett is the most alive”. Pratchett’s short story ‘The Abominable Snow Baby’ was adapted by Channel 4 as a Christmas Day animation in 2021. Sky released a feature film adaptation of his Carnegie Award winning book ‘The Amazing Maurice’ in cinemas in 2022, and ‘Good Omens’, a TV series based on the book Pratchett wrote with Neil Gaiman, will have a second Amazon Prime season in the autumn. 

Marc Burrows often writes on culture and social issues for The Guardian, New Statesman, Big Issue and Independent and his Edinburgh Fringe shows include ‘The Ten Best Songs of All Time’ and ‘Mind Your Head’. Marc’s second book, The London Boys: David Bowie, Marc Bolan and the 60s Teenage Dream was published to considerable acclaim in 2022, and is in the early stages of adaptation into a feature-length documentary. Outside of writing and comedy, Marc plays in the cult punk band The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, regularly performing at the Download, Glastonbury, Bestival and Latitude festivals and touring the UK and US. 

Forthcoming Books from Canongate and Severn House Books

 January 2024

To The Dogs is by Louise Welsh. Jim Brennan is flying high. Against all odds, he is a big man at the university, tipped for the head job and an office at the top of the ivory tower. He has a beautiful, accomplished wife and two healthy children. Jim drives an Audi, and his dog is a pedigree bichon frise. Not bad for the son of a hardman who grew up in a room and kitchen.  But for every person who's watched his progress and wanted to hitch a lift, there's someone else desperate to drag him back down. When his son Elliot is arrested on drugs charges, Jim is approached by men he thought he had left safely in his past. Their demands threaten his family, students and reputation. As the pressure mounts, Jim discovers he is more like his father than he thought. The question is, how far will Professor Jim Brennan go to save the life he built?

Court jester Will Somers is drawn into another gripping and entertaining mystery when malevolent forces strike again at the court of Henry VIII – and Anne Boleyn is the target. Greenwich, Palace of Placentia, April 1536. Queen Anne is in peril. In the mid of night, court jester Will Somers is summoned to an urgent assignation when she discovers a body in her chamber. The queen wants Will to find out who the man is and how he ended up there. Is someone trying to frame her for his murder? Anne has many enemies at court, and to make matters worse, Henry VIII is lining up his next conquest and suspects her of treason. Has the formidable Oliver Cromwell been whispering vile lies in the king’s ears, and could Anne be the target of a Catholic conspiracy? As further attacks plague the court, Will is determined to uncover the truth behind the plotting and devilry, but he will need to keep hold of all his wits to do so! The Twilight Queen is by Jeri Westerton.

A Crust to Die For is by T.C.. LoTempio. The Bon-Appetempting Pizza Bake-Off has the small town of Branson, Georgia buzzing. Not least its organizer, Southern Style’s food critic and blogger Tiffany Austin. But right before the finals one of the celebrity judges falls ill, and to Tiffany’s horror the magazine replace him with none other than handsome TV star and restaurateur Bartholomew Driscoll. Tiffany once gave his restaurant a poor review, and she’s convinced he’s only accepted the job to get revenge. She fully expects Driscoll will find a way to ruin the contest . . . but she definitely doesn’t expect to trip over his dead body backstage! Soon, it’s clear Tiffany wasn’t the only person who had less than positive feelings towards the sharp-tongued Driscoll. She’s surrounded by suspects – but which of the motley crew of contestants, family members and scorned friends and colleagues had the guts to commit murder? With the help of her BFF Hilary and annoyingly handsome detective Bartell, and with cat Lily and puppy Cooper as emotional support, Tiffany investigates, only to discover that revenge is indeed a dish best served cold . . .

The Nubian's Curse is by Barbara Hambly. December 1840. Surgeon turned piano-player Benjamin January is looking forward to a peaceful holiday with his family. But the arrival of an old friend brings unexpected news – and unexpected danger. Persephone Jondrette has found Arithmus: a Sudanese man with extraordinary mental abilities who January last saw in France, nearly fifteen years ago, during a ghost-hunting expedition to a haunted chateau. January and his friends survived the experience . . . but Arithmus’ benefactor, the British explorer Deverel Wishart, did not. He was discovered dead one morning, his face twisted in horror, and shortly afterwards Arithmus vanished, never to be seen again. Did Deverel succumb to the chateau’s ghosts – or did Arithmus murder him and run away? January is determined to uncover the truth about the tragic incident from his past, and clear his old friend’s name – but even he isn’t prepared for what happens next . . .

June, 1982. Lydia Wienewski’s dream has finally come true: Lydia’s Lakeside Cafe and Bakery, selling delicious Polish-American fare on the shore of Lake Erie, is now open and her fortunes are looking up. Even her old nemesis and tutor, the irascible Madame Delphine, has made time to sample Lydia’s delectable pierogi, with some of her students in tow. But when Lydia finds Madame Delphine dead in the water, her lakeside dream turns into a nightmare. Was it a bizarre suicide, or brutal murder? As Lydia and Grandma Mary investigate, they discover that there was more to Madame Delphine than meets the eye, and quickly find themselves drawn into an increasingly perilous situation! Can they uncover the truth about Madame Delphine’s untimely death? The Piergoli Peril is by Geri Krotow.

The Son's Secret is by Daryl Wood Gerber. Maggie Lawson is the smart, capable dean of a boutique college, but even the most confident mother has a weakness – her child. When Maggie can’t reach her college senior son, Aiden, to tell him that his father has been shot, she starts to panic. She texts. She calls. Is Aiden ghosting her, or have the dangerous stories Aiden’s father, her investigative journalist ex-husband, pursues finally brought trouble to her door? Maggie is sure that something is very wrong, but no one believes her. As dark events unfold, she must rely on her own investigative instincts to find Aiden. But when Maggie uncovers a devastating secret, she faces a race against time to save him.

February 2024

The Stranger in the Asylum is by Alys Clare. London, April 1882. When cool-headed Phyllida visits the World’s End Investigation Bureau to offer a curious case concerning her fiancé, proprietor Lily Raynor is intrigued – and privately excited. For accepting the case means taking an unexpected trip abroad, to France. Phyllida’s fiancé, Wilberforce, is currently in an asylum in Brittany, after a tragic incident which resulted in the death of his father. Did he kill him on purpose – or was it an accident? Wilberforce’s innocence looks increasingly in doubt when another murder happens at the asylum – and the evidence points to Wilberforce being the culprit. Phyllida fears for Wilberforce’s wellbeing, but she can’t marry a murderer! With the engagement hanging in the balance, Phyllida wants to know the truth before it’s too late. Lily and her assistant, Felix Wilbraham, journey to rural France to uncover the truth, but the case takes an unexpected turn when they discover that the accused man has escaped the asylum and is nowhere to be found. Soon the intrepid investigators are in over their heads with much greater and unexpected powers at play . . .

Danni has seen more in her 8 years on this planet than most people see in a lifetime. The sole survivor of a motorway pile-up which took her mother’s life, she is now safe and thriving with her adoptive family. Until the day the bad people come knocking. Forcing Danni to face the memories she has done such a good job forgetting . . . Josie’s quiet life is dismantled with a knock at the door. When she and her daughter are violently kidnapped, Josie must act fast to survive. Danni has very little memory of the day her mother died, but these people are hell bent on finding the money her mother stole before her death, and they think Danni knows more than she’s letting on. Grace arrives at her big sister’s house to find her partner Pete beaten and tied up and her sister and niece taken. Josie has been her protector her entire life – but now she needs to be the strong one. Enlisting the help of a friend with the combat experience and skills she needs, Grace will stop at nothing to get her family back home . . . The Girl in the Smoke is by Matt Hilton.

The Holy Terrors is by Simon R Green. Welcome to Spooky Time, the hit TV ghost-hunting show where the horror is scripted . . . and the ratings are declining rapidly. What better way to up the stakes – and boost the viewership – than by locking a select group of Z-list celebrities up for the night in The Most Haunted Hall in England™ and live-streaming the ‘terrifying’ results? Soon Alistair, a newly appointed Bishop, actress Diana, medium Leslie, comedian Toby and celebrity chef Indira are trapped inside Stonehaven town hall, along with June, the host and producer of the show. The group tries to settle in and put on a good show, but then strange things start happening in their hall of horrors. What is it about this place – and why is the TV crew outside not responding? Are they even on air? Logical Alistair attempts to keep the group’s fears at bay and rationalise the odd events, but there are things that just can’t be explained within reason . . . Can he stop a cold-blooded would-be killer – even if it’s come from beyond the grave?

When death becomes entertainment, every life has a price. And Cassie West is about to find out how much hers is worth . . . Ready Player One meets Black Mirror in this stunning speculative thriller set in a future world in which virtual reality isn’t just a game, it’s daily life.Welcome to Earth+. The year is 2037, and nearly all human interactions have migrated to the virtual world. Now, true crime fans don’t just listen to podcasts or watch documentaries – they participate in hyper-realistic simulations and hunt for clues to solve the most famous and gruesome crimes in history. Criminal entertainment is a multibillion-dollar industry, and at the forefront is Past Crimes: known by its millions of fans as the Disneyland of Death. Cassie West licenses crimes for V.I.C.E, spending long hours convincing grieving families to allow her to sell their tragedies to the highest bidder. Life is hard, and the cost of living high, but she and her husband Harris have never been happier. After years of trying, Cassie is finally pregnant. But leaving work late one evening, Cassie starts to worry. Harris isn’t responding to texts or calls. Even worse, dozens of emergency drones seem to be heading in the same direction as she is: straight to their home. What she finds there changes everything. Soon, Cassie finds herself in a fight for survival, becoming a target in both the real and virtual worlds. But it’s not just her own life at stake. If Cassie can’t uncover the truth of what happened to her husband, thousands more may die . . . Past Crimes is by Jason Pinter.

At Any Cost is by Jeffery Siger. Chief Inspector Kaldis is initially dismayed to be asked to investigate a series of suspicious forest fires that took place last summer. In Greece, forest fires are an inevitability, and he fears he and his team are being set up to take the political blame for this year’s blazes. He quickly becomes suspicious, though, that the forests were torched for profit – and for a project on a far grander scale than the usual low-level business corruption. There are whispers on the wind that shadowy foreign powers intend to establish a surreptitious mega-internet presence on the island of Syros, with the intent to weaponize the digital world to their own dark ends. Can Kaldis and his team stop the hostile foreign takeover of the idyllic island – or will the rise of the metaverse set not just Greece, but the whole world, on fire?

Two rival queens. History’s greatest playwright. And a deadly plot for the crown. London, 1600. With no legitimate heir to Queen Elizabeth’s throne, and no clear successor, England finds itself in a supremely perilous moment. When spymaster Anthony Bacon commands esteemed playwright William Shakespeare to write a play on the poisonous history of Queen Elizabeth and the rival monarch she executed, Catholic Mary Queen of Scots, Will knows that Elizabeth’s one-time favorite, the powerful Earl of Essex, will use the play to try to seize her throne. Must Will be ensnared in a ruthless plot fated to tumble his country into civil war? Or can he navigate a treacherous path through the dark warrens of London and the tortuous world of Elizabethan politics to save his family, his country, and his Queen? The Sister Queen's is by Justin Scott.

March 2024

Crime-fiction librarian – and reluctant amateur sleuth – Ray Ambler gets mixed up in murder once again when he’s called to appraise a mystery-novel collection at an exclusive New York college. An invitation from a prestigious liberal arts college to buy their mystery-novel collection comes as a welcome surprise for Raymond Ambler, crime-fiction curator at New York City’s prestigious 42nd Street Library. But his pleasure quickly turns sour when the collection’s curator – Ambler’s friend Sam Abernathy – tells him he plans to fight the acquisition tooth and nail. The collection would make a fine addition to his holdings, but Ambler’s not looking for drama. It’s a shame, then, that drama’s looking for him. Just a couple of weeks later, one of Abernathy’s colleagues is shot dead from the library’s roof, and all signs point to the crime-loving professor as the perpetrator of the violent act. Why would Abernathy kill – and was it for his collection, for college politics, or for some dark secret yet to be revealed? Ambler’s not sure his old friend’s a killer, but he is sure he wants justice – for both the living and the dead. Working with his son John, he launches into an investigation at the college library, and it’s not long before he discovers missing manuscripts, explosive secrets and scandals amongst the faculty staff . . . and a cunning killer who’ll stop at nothing to cover up their crimes. Murder at the College Library is by Con Lehane.

Circles of Death is by Marcia Talley. Hannah Ives is staying at her idyllic vacation cottage in Elizabethtown with her husband, Paul, and is thrilled when she bumps into the young woman who used to babysit her grandchildren, Noel Sinclair, at a local supermarket. But when Noel pays a visit to the cottage, she unwittingly draws Hannah’s attention to some seriously ill eagles in her neighbour’s cornfield. Could these magnificent birds have been poisoned? As Hannah investigates, Noel uncovers some shocking news of her own when she and her sister receive the results of their DNA tests. As Hannah tries to work out who is tormenting the birds while delving into Noel’s family tree, the last thing she expects is a deadly connection between the two . . .

Leeds, October 1824. Thief-taker Simon Westow’s job seems straightforward. Captain Holcomb’s maid, Sophie, has stolen important papers that could ruin the family’s reputation, and he’s desperate for their return. But the case very quickly takes a murderous turn, and it becomes clear the papers are hiding a host of sins . . . During the search, Simon’s assistant, Jane, hears a horrific tale: men are snatching young girls from small towns for use by the rich. Those who are unwanted are tossed on to the streets of Leeds to survive among the homeless. With the help of an unlikely, deadly new companion, Jane will do everything to discover who’s responsible and make them pay. Can Simon and Jane recover Holcomb’s letters and get justice for the stolen girls? It becomes a battle that might result in them losing everything . . . including their lives. The Scream of Sins is by Chris Nickson

A serial killer, dormant for years, reawakens after viewing a Netflix docuseries depicting his string of homicides. The killer is not happy with his portrayal and no one in the cast and crew is safe! Siblings Cory and Crystal Pratt are still trying to get their lives together after a tragic accident which killed their parents years ago. The only thing that distracts them now is their jobs. With Crystal working as a newly minted detective at the Chicago Police Department and Cory owning a dog training academy with two human remains detection dogs of his own, their professional paths cross every now and then. Crime, and especially murder, in Chicago is nothing new, but when a string of killings happen that seem to be connected to a Netflix docuseries and its cast and crew, Cory and Crystal are called in to stop the number of bodies from piling any higher. But when the siblings start poking around the killer’s business, the killer sets their sights on the pair . . . and particularly on Cory and his dogs! Will they be able to escape the fury of the serial killer or become the newest victims? The Dead Years is by Jeffrey B Burton.

Knife Skills is by Wendy Church. Sagarine Pfister is a great cook but has been blacklisted by almost every restaurant in Chicago. She gets her chance at Louie’s, a below-average restaurant, the only place that will give her a job. Things change when she finds head chef Louie Ferrar dead in the walk-in freezer of his restaurant. But instead of closing the place down, the owner, Russian gang boss Anatoly Morzov, not only offers her Louie’s job, but also the position as his personal chef. Sagarine agrees, and while she knows she’s playing with fire, the chance to turn out extraordinary food at both the restaurant and for Morzov’s extravagant private parties is just too tempting. While the Chicago P.D. searches for Louie’s killer, the FBI pressures Sagarine to inform on the gang. She has no choice, but things take another dangerous turn when she falls for one of Morzov’s lieutenants. As Sagarine becomes more deeply involved with the gang and with her lover, the FBI’s demands put her at increased risk of discovery. She has to make a decision about where her loyalties lie as she finds herself running for her life.

Murder and the Missing Dog is by Susan C Shea. Ariel Shepard has spent the last year renovating her beautiful French château, while also ingratiating herself into the lives and hearts of the quirky locals of Noyers-sur-Serein. The shocking business of the murder of the local historian is behind her and she is finally feeling at home. However, it’s not long before murder and mystery once again seek Ariel out, when she and her friend Katherine find the body of the elderly Madame Toussaint in the doorway of Katherine’s flea market shop. Who would want to harm this lonely soul? Where is the bag the woman never leaves home without? And more importantly, where is her loyal, loving dog who never leaves her side? Could Raoul, Ariel’s stoic gardener, really have something to do with it? And could Madame Toussaint have been mixed up with the robberies increasing around the idyllic villages of France? Despite warnings from the rather handsome Brigadier Allard, Ariel, with help from Katherine and Pippa, once again dons her sleuthing hat . . .

The morning after his eighty-seventh birthday bash, former Posadas County sheriff Bill Gastner drives past a couple of vehicles stopped on the highway shoulder. It’s not an unusual sight: a sheriff’s patrol unit, emergency lights ablaze, pulled in behind a pickup truck. The female deputy hasn’t radioed for backup. But there’s something about the scene that makes him feel uneasy. The next day, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman is called to a rather more dramatic and disturbing roadside scene, with the same truck the star of the show. But this time, its occupant is in no fit state to talk – his dead body stabbed through the chest with a Ka-Bar, a second corpse in the ditch beside the car. What happened to the two men? And what were the dead man and the deputy discussing in the quiet of pre-dawn the previous day? The truth is more twisty and complex than even Estelle and her long-standing friend and former colleague Bill are ready for, and it will take all their combined years of experience to untangle the sorry tale and ensure justice is served. Perfect opportunity is by Steven F Havill.

I know my husband is dead. But I don’t know whether I killed him . . . I‘ll never forget meeting Charles. We were law students at Santa Clara University when I fell head-over-heels. He was brilliant, charming, and handsome. Oh, and he loved me. We got married after a whirlwind romance and moved into a gorgeous new home while I continued with law school – until I became pregnant with Emma. My happiness was complete. But happiness can be deceiving . . . Now Charles is gone. I found his body in our living room, but I can’t remember what happened just before he died. I’ve tried, but I’ve been having blackouts for months. The police think I killed him, but I didn’t . . . did I? I keep reliving our relationship, desperate to unlock the truth. But if I do, will I be able to face it? Hanging with Hugo is by Katherine Boger Hyde.

April 2024

Ancient Crete, 1450 BC. When young bull leaper Martis finds Duzi, the newest member of the bull leaping team, dead in the bull pen early one morning. Made to look like he met his end on the horns of the bull, it’s clear to Martis that this was no accident . . . Martis once again finds herself thrown into a dangerous game of hunting down a murderer as the deaths start to mount. An old friend of Martis’ sister, and possible lover to Duzi, is the next person to be found dead, and Martis’ investigations lead her to believe love and jealousy are at the heart of these crimes against the Goddess. Is someone targeting the bull leaping community? Or is there something else at play? With only the Shade of her sister Arge to confide in, Martis struggles to untangle the growing web of secrets which stretch around her. On The Horns of Death is by Eleanor Kuhns.

May 2024