Turn that bloody blimey space invader off

Read some superb stuff lately. BUST by Ken 'n Jase is a pure miracle. I say that as someone who has never truly believed that collaborations can work. OK, so I was blown away by THE TALISMAN as a teen, but since then I've not really seen much else... until BUST.

But wow, does it work. Although the book is set in Starr's usual New York territory, the cool thing is that the writing personalities of both authors come out, with no visible seams. At no stage are you aware of who is writing what bit, you're just throwing yourself into this tear-jerking, heart-warming* story of a forbidden passion between two starred-crossed lovers, Max and Angela, whose bid for freedom is ruthlessly thwarted at every turn by a bloodthirsty Irish zen-master and a gun-crazy psycho in a wheelchair. Always the same: love blossoms, mayhem steps in. Ain't it a shame. Buy the book and read all about it. Not sure? Maybe Entertainment Weekly can persuade you.

And then there's Paul Meloy, whose short stories quite simply remove me from the face of this planet of ours. Meloy lives and writes in the hinterland between dreams and reality**, which is the perfect place to set up a desk and typewriter, if you ask me. Reading one of his stories is like getting a beautiful kick in the subconscious. Of course, I'm teasing you. This is a guy, one of the best writers in the world, who has nothing published in book form. (Most of his stories so far have come out in TTA. It's well worth tracking down back issues down just for the Meloy material.) But that will change one day. Oh yes, you will know about him in time. And remember: you read it here first. When you finally discover the awe-inspiring visions of Paul Meloy you can come back here and thank me. And buy my books.

* Anyone who reads this blog will know who Starr and Bruen are, and that they are not romance authors (in the conventional sense), and that I am talking shit here.

** Cambridge.