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William Sieghart – 100 Prized Poems | Review

Author: William Sieghart

Type: Poetry

Page Count/Review Word Count: 210

Rating: 4*/5

William Sieghart – 100 Prized Poems

This is another of the poetry books that I won in a National Poetry Day competition, and like the other ones this didn’t disappoint. Edited by William Sieghart, this pulls together twenty five years of the best poems from the Forward books of poetry – books that collect the best poems of each year and award the best with the prestigious Forward Prizes.

Because of that, the poets here are at the top of their game. We’re talking everyone from Carol Ann Duffy to Ted Hughes and Kate Tempest, which means that there’s a lot of variety and a lot of talent. In fact, I’d say that this is a pretty good starter book if you’re new to poetry because it includes such a broad selection of subjects and styles that you’re sure to find something you like.

It’s also quite a hefty collection, and it actually took me a fair few days to get through. Then there’s the fact that it also includes the bios of each of the contributors as an appendix, which I actually read because they were fascinating. The result is a great collection of contemporary poetry. Awesome!

William Sieghart

Click here to buy 100 Prized Poems.

Peter Haining – The Flying Sorcerers | Review

Title: The Flying Sorcerers

Author: Peter Haining

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 372

Rating: 5*/5

Peter Haining – The Flying Sorcerers

I couldn’t decide whether to give this a four or a five, but in the end, I made the call and I’m happy with it. This book is fascinating in many ways, and it’s pretty much the perfect introduction to the genres of comic fantasy and comic science fiction. Because it’s a collection of short stories, you get to meet a huge range of authors as diverse as Terry Pratchett, C. S. Lewis, Roald Dahl and Arthur C. Clarke.

For some reason, I wasn’t expecting much when I started reading this. I mean, I’m a fan of a bunch of the contributors, but I just didn’t think it was going to be as good as it was. In the end, though, it turned out to be the best collection of assorted stories that I’ve ever read. It’s the kind of book that you just can’t stop reading – there’s so much to take in that you can really read it how you want, whether you decide to dip in and out of it or whether you prefer to work your way through it in one sitting.

It’s hard for me to pick a favourite from the stories in the collection, but I will say that I was surprised by the quality of each of the authors – and not just the ones that I already liked to begin with. In fact, this is almost a rallying call for the genres of comic fantasy and comic science fiction, and it signals the arrival of a serious genre of literary significance. It gives you a buzz to see how fictional worlds can be used to reflect the real life situations of the authors who wrote them, and you’ll have a laugh along the way at the same time.

Overall, then, if you have an interest in the genre – or if you’d simply like to get started with a comprehensive introduction – there isn’t anywhere better to get started. This book belongs on your bookcase, whatever you’re into. It’s one of those rare books that have a broad appeal – and you might meet a new favourite author.