Katherine

This book is a veritable goldmine of information on the origins, development and ideology of the second wave of black metal. The first section deals with the musical and thematic predecessors of the scene, running from the birth of the Devil's music in Mississippi Delta blues, through Sabbath and Zeppelin and into the first wave bands like Bathory and Venom. The central section looks at the rise of the key Norwegian second wave bands themselves, focusing on Mayhem and the stories of that band's three central characters: Euronymous, Dead and Count Grishnakh. Grishnakh, or Varg Vikernes, is a particular focus, and much of this section is made up of interviews with the man himself and a detailed exploration of the motives behind his actions and those of his contemporaries. The final section pulls back to look at the scenes in other countries, such as Germany, Sweden and Russia, as well as a more abstract assessment of the ideologies at the root of black metal culture. The book overall is very interview-driven, and its assessments of the interviewees' words are mainly objective; only at a few points do the authors' own views creep through. The book is also not really focused on the music itself, looking more at the psychology of the scene and its members, and given its focus on criminal behaviour and extremist thought is not a book for the faint-hearted. However, it is a definite must-read for anyone interested in black metal's dark past, or in the influence of Satanism and paganism on modern culture more generally.

Fantastic set up, chilling description of the Nazi Reich cobbled from the memories and thoughts of those on the outside. let down by a slightly anticlimactic ending, but otherwise superb alternative reality fiction

Amusing, at times alarming, and above all very informative about the failings of well-meaning alternative medicine nuts, disingenuous charlatans, incompetent science journalists, malevolent pharmaceutical companies, and willfully close-minded politicians.

Anyone with a vague interest in how evidence can be manipulated or misinterpreted, or in the state of public understanding of science as a whole, should pick it up.

Describing this book as a sequel to American Gods is something of a misnomer. Precisely one character is common to both books, and whilst Compe Anansi is hugely important in the story of Anansi Boys - for obvious reasons - the actual word count dedicated to him is relatively little. Anansi Boys does, however, pick up on some of the same themes as American Gods - the idea of gods and other ancient myths still living in today's world in particular. Whilst this is hardly a USP, being a key trope of modern fantasy, Gaiman does it in a particularly realistic, gritty way which makes his gods so much more alive than many others. The book is amusing throughout, laugh-out-loud funny in places, but keeps enough of the dark, mysterious nature of American Gods that I would not consider it a comedy by any means. Overall, a fantastic read - I could hardly put it down.

A book of strange, magical quality. On its second reading, it loses nothing of its charm, its mystique - there are always tiny details one forgets, pieces of the puzzle which didn't make sense the first time around. This is the book which inspired me to begin writing again. It is also the book I associate most closely with one of the most magical periods in my own life. Anyone who hasn't read it, should. Anyone who has, should read it again. Neil Gaiman is, without doubt, one of the best writers of fiction alive - if one of the oddest.