John @ Tales from Absurdia, Author at Tales from Absurdia

My Seven Most-Anticipated Events at Oxford Literary Festival 2025

March 2, 2025 by John @ Tales from Absurdia

Oxford Literary Festival is back for 2025, kicking off on 29th March and running through to 6th April.

As always, there’s a genuinely varied lineup from established literary figures to debut novelists, and academic writers to childrens’ authors. Following on from last year’s festival, I’ll be there for Tales from Absurdia to cover the opening weekend.

The event is once again packed with big names, including former Children’s Laureate Cressida Cowell, Miriam Margoyles, and Deborah Meaden — who heads a fascinating-looking panel on compassion in food and farming.

And whilst there is plenty to get excited about, these are my seven most-anticipated events for Oxford Literary Festival in 2025. You can explore the full festival programme here.

Your Complete UK Book Festival Calendar

7) Creating Fiction in Troubled Times

Brian McGilloway talks to Jane Casey

Saturday, 29 March 2025 | 2:00 pm (1 hour)
Weston Lecture Theatre
£8 – £15

Part of the Crime Fiction portion of the festival, Creating Fiction in Troubled Times features NYT bestselling crime writer Brian McGilloway and Jane Casey. Casey, who is also a crime writer, is the winner of Irish Crime Novel of the Year for A Stranger in the Family.

I’m particularly excited to get their perspectives on the morality and ethics of creating fiction loosely based on contemporary events. This stems from my concerns around the number of pandemic-related books that popped up during the COVID-19 pandemic.

6) The Possibility of Literature

With Peter Boxall

Saturday, 29 March 2025 | 2:00pm (1 hour)
Oxford Martin School: Seminar Room
£8 – £15

Peter Boxall, the Goldsmiths’ Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford, will be discussing his latest book The Possibility of Literature. A collection of essays new and old on the politics of the novel, Boxall will examine the various social and cultural conditions of the novel, from Proust’s ideas of beauty to the fallout from 9/11.

According to his University of Oxford profile, Peter is “interested in the political role of the literary imagination in helping to create new realities.” — and I’m super excited about this one.

5) All the Rage: Why Anger Drives the World

With Josh Cohen

Saturday, 29 March 2025 | 6:00pm (1 hour)
Oxford Martin School: Seminar Room
£8 – £15

Why are we so angry? Fortunately, Professor Josh Cohen is on hand to explain.

A psychoanalyst and professor of modern literary theory at Goldsmiths, University of London, Cohen explores the idea that anger is a primary feeling and ultimately maps itself onto every facet of our life, from road rage to the ever-widening political divide.

I’m particularly interested to get his perspective on how we deal with the intellectually dishonest political and plutocratic figures of our time (see Elon Musk), who seek to enrich themselves off the back of division.

4) Crafting Immersive Worlds

With Samantha Shannon, in conversation with Kate Dylan

Saturday, 5 April 2025 | 06:00 pm (1 hour)
Pusey House: Chapel
£8 – £15

Samantha Shannon needs no introduction to fantasy readers, as author of the bestselling Bone Season series and the book I plan to read but fear its length, Priory of the Orange Tree. Joining her will be Kate Dylan; a video editor by day and author of Sunday Times Bestseller, Until We Shatter, by night.

Crafting Immersive Worlds is a delightful opportunity for fans of Shannon and Dylan, and the genre more broadly, to uncover the art of immersive world building and explore the creative impulses behind their works.

3) Oxford Debate: You Ask the Questions

With Simon Heffer, Marina Purkiss, Zoe Strimpel and Adele Walton, chaired by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown

Thursday, 3 April 2025
12:00 pm (1 hour, 15 mins)
Sheldonian Theatre
£8 – £20

The politics panels at Oxford Literary Festival are always pretty special. They typically have great guests and timely discussions — and audience participation is always encouraged, which is brilliant.

Last year, I attended one chaired by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, and featuring guests including author Grace Blakeley and journalist Peter Oborne — and it was genuinely both insightful and entertaining.

Likewise, this years’ panels also look excellent. I’ve picked out one in particular, with guests including Marina Purkiss and Simon Heffer. Prior to the talk, ticket holders are encouraged to email questions for the panel on key topics in the news right now, whilst questions on the day will also be put to the panel.

2) Breaking Boundaries: Queering Sci-Fi and Fantasy

With L R Lam, Tasha Suri, C L Clark and Sarah Rees Brennan

Tuesday, 1 April 2025 | 06:00 pm (1 hour)
Trinity College: Garden Room Levine Building
£8 – £15

Oxford is a place of tradition, and its two most famous fantasy authors are CS. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien — both excellent writers and world-builders, and two of my own personal favourite authors.

But more recently, we’ve seen an explosion in romantasy (a portmanteau of romance and fantasy), as readers seek more full-blooded depictions of romance in their fictional worlds.

This event features a discussion between award-winning authors L R Lam, Tasha Suri, C L Clark, and Sarah Rees Brennan, who will explore how queerness and new representation are reshaping sci-fi and fantasy narratives.

And taking place in the home of traditional fantasy, I think this will be a wonderful, interesting discussion.

1) Orbital

Samantha Harvey talks to Ben Lawrence

Sunday, 6 April 2025 | 10:00am (1 hour)
Sheldonian Theatre
£8 – £20

Whilst I was later to the party than most, only reviewing Orbital earlier this year, I’ve made it no secret that Samantha Harvey’s sci-fi novel is one of the best books I’ve read in years. It’s a beautiful blend of literary brilliance and poignant observations on our fragile mortality set against an endless universe.

So, naturally, her talk at Oxford Literature Festival is easily one of my most anticipated events at the festival. This year, she’ll speak to Ben Lawrence, commissioning editor at The Telegraph; the festival’s main sponsor.

Last year’s Booker Prize-winner Paul Lynch also spoke in the iconic Sheldonian Theatre about his award-winning novel Prophet Song, and it was terrific. It’s a stunning location, appropriately grand for the literary giants of our time, and yet still a beautifully intimate setting.

Orbital is a strong recommendation from me, and so is this event.

Oxford Literary Festival runs from 29th March to 6th April. Check out the full programme of events here, or simply download their handy Pocket Guide to take with you.

Orbital By Samantha Harvey

February 24, 2025 by John @ Tales from Absurdia

“A hand-span away beyond a skin of metal the universe unfolds in simple eternities.”

Title: Orbital
Author: Samantha Harvey
Pages: 137
Published by: Vintage (2024)

Four hundred kilometres above Earth, spinning in orbit, is the International Space Station. And on clear nights, this small but vital vessel can be seen on the horizon.

From terra firma it’s a mere speck on the skyline, but inside this compact metal container, the greatest of earth’s scientific minds are performing experiments in zero gravity and observing extreme weather for the betterment of humanity.

It’s up in the stars that we join Orbital, Samantha Harvey’s literary science fiction novel, which scooped the Booker Prize in 2024, launching her into the stratosphere alongside writers including Salman Rushdie, Hilary Mantel, and Margaret Atwood, amongst others.

Poignant and dreamlike, Orbital is a beautiful elegy to a space station in its twilight years, with NASA set to decommission the ISS as soon as 2030-31.

To the Moon

Floating in space are Chie, Roman, Shaun, Nell, Anton, and Pietro – six astronauts hailing from nations around the world and working together for the common cause of human advancement.

In many ways, this common interest is the main thread of Orbital. It’s less about who they are as individuals – and political differences seemingly evaporate upon contact with the atmosphere. Meanwhile, the strangeness and unique challenges of life in Zero-G atmosphere is a commonality shared only by the select few who make it into space.

Each chapter represents part of their journey in orbit, with the astronauts sharing ruminations on life back home. Chie carries grief, Shaun his religious faith, and Anton ponders on life after love. It’s a very humanist novel in some respects.

All the while, night turns to day and day turns to night — but for the team aboard the International Space Station (ISS), these transitions are far more frequent. Orbiting Earth sixteen times a day, the astronauts experience sixteen sunrises and sunsets all within just 24 hours.

It’s eye-opening moments like this that bring home the stunning, mesmeric, and yet terrifying oddities of space travel.

Conclusion

Orbital is very much a literary fiction novel, possessing elegant prose and a thoughtfulness that delivers a dizzying view of the universe.

And because of this, it’s a high risk piece of writing. In the hands of a less talented writer, there’s a real chance that Orbital could have come across as too esoteric and disconnected to the reader. Fortunately, this is not the case – and frankly, Samantha Harvey deserves every single accolade she gets.

Orbital is thoughtful and pondering, but without unnecessary complexity. And on the front inside cover, there’s even a map detailing the ISS’s full route. This is a subtle but really neat addition, and I found myself leafing back and forth to map the novel’s description to the station’s chartered course

Granting the reader an appreciation of the beauty and fragility of the earth, Harvey’s novel is a call to action, imploring us to take care of our only home. It’s a stellar piece of fiction, and will likely be one of the best books I review on the blog this year.

Rated 5 out of 5

A Conversation With… Lois Miller

February 5, 2025February 5, 2025 by John @ Tales from Absurdia

Lois Miller, 19, is a debut author with her romantasy novel Don’t Fear the Fire set to release in the UK on 25th March, 2025.

Recently, I spoke to Lois to find out a little more about her path into writing, the books that make her tick, and what readers should expect from Don’t Fear the Fire when it’s published later this year.

Hey Lois, thanks for taking the time to talk to Tales from Absurdia. It’s a pleasure to have you on the blog!

First and foremost, please tell us a little about yourself. When did you first start writing, and what was your journey into getting your first book published?

Hi! I am Lois, a nineteen (nearly twenty) year old debut author, originally from Buckinghamshire, now living in Bournemouth.

I was always a lover of creative writing – it was definitely my favourite lesson in school, but I first started writing my debut novel at the age of sixteen. I started writing what is now Don’t Fear the Fire as a way to escape the world at the time (the national lockdown caused by COVID-19).

I never really intended to get DFTF published, as it was just a creative outlet when i first began the project, but after some really positive feedback from friends i decided to try and pursue publication at the age of eighteen (I did shelve the manuscript for a year and a bit due to A-level and higher education commitments).

It was about November 2023 when I re-looked at the novel and after some long nights of editing, I felt it was finally time to start querying. This was a long, painful and nerve-racking process, where I sent out many letters to several agents and publishers. After maybe two months of waiting, I received an interest from my current publisher, Cranthorpe Millner Publishers, and have never looked back!

So, Don’t Fear the Fire — do tell us more about it!

What’s the novel about? And where did the idea for this book come from?

Don’t Fear the Fire is a YA (young adult) romantasy (romance and fantasy) novel which follows eighteen year old Scarlett Dalton as she attends Leighton Academy, a magik (yes, with a K) school for Mystics and Warlocks. Very loosely inspired by Wiccan culture, as well as my own personal interest in spirituality, the magik system is all about inner powers/thoughts. The novel features popular ‘Booktok’ tropes such as enemies to lovers, found family, dark academia and the somewhat infamous ‘knife to the throat’ scene.

During her time at the school, Scarlett meets her two roommates (which are decided by the zodiac star signs) Samira and Ophelia, and throughout the novel, they experience all sorts of love, loss and heartbreak together.

During the hand-fasting ceremony, Scarlett is bound to her soul twin, Claude Richardson, the son of the wealthy and highly respected Richardsons. Delighted, but somewhat frightened by him, Scarlett is keen to utilise this bond to make a positive name and career for herself. However, when strange occurrences start to happen at the academy, the pair are contacted by the governing agency, OMEN, to complete a top secret mission.

The idea for DFTF started as quite literally a single scene in my mind, and after many weeks of planning and worldbuilding, I felt I had developed enough of a concept I could turn it into a full novel.

"I grew up reading Harry Potter, and always knew I loved the escapism that fantasy in general can provide."

Lois Miller Author of Don't Fear the Fire

Lois Miller On Fantasy and Escapism

Which writers and genres have inspired you the most?

And are there any authors’ books you’re excited about reading, that you haven’t yet read?

For sure Harry Potter, as that’s what I grew up reading and what sparked my passion for literature and creative writing.

I love fantasy or dystopian (e.g. the hunger games / maze runner) as they allow me to completely escape reality for a short period of time. I also love anything with romance in it, as I am a sucker for love – especially when there is some angsty tension or an enemies to lovers dynamic (just as long as they work out in the end).

I have loved the Powerless series by Lauren Roberts, and I can’t wait for April to get the final installment ‘Fearless’. I am also eagerly anticipating reading Fourth Wing on my upcoming holiday, as I am yet to indulge in that series (despite my colleagues raving about it for ages).

Do you have any writing rituals or habits that help you stay creative?

I try to write in short bursts/sprints. I find my mind gets tired or distracted, especially after a long day in the office or doing university work, so I find concentrating for thirty minutes to an hour in one go works for me.

I also find it’s helpful to approach writing sessions with a plan or idea of what you are aiming to write. Whether that be a specific scene, finishing a chapter or to hit a word count, having a clear goal of what you want to accomplish really motivates me.

"It’s helpful to approach writing sessions with a plan or idea of what you are aiming to write."

Lois Miller

On Writing

In terms of rituals, I have found that putting on instrumental music of songs really aids me when I write.

I like the noise, as it weirdly helps me focus, but anything with lyrics would be too distracting (I start to, very badly, sing along).

If you were stranded on a desert island, and had only three books, which ones would you pick?

Hmmm… very tough question! I would for sure say a Harry Potter novel, although it has been several years since I read them…perhaps The Goblet of Fire. There are some amazing parts of that book that were not included in the film which I love.

For my second book, I would say The Maze Runner by James Dashner. I love this book (and the whole series), so much so that I read the entire novel in under a day. I love the short chapters, the pacing and the characters, so this would have to make my top three.

For the third book, I would once again say Powerless by Lauren Roberts. I love the feisty female main character Paeydn, the cocky, yet loveable Kai and the tension that the two have. I read it on my holiday last year and it really had me giggling and kicking my feet!

What are you currently reading?

Slightly a cop-out answer, but my current work in progress…I am writing something completely different from DFTF and I am loving it!!

Without revealing too much, it is a dystopian novel, with a very unique societal structure and a head-strong FMC (female main character). I am in the process of both writing and editing the manuscript, so feel like it’s currently the main thing I am reading.

To confess, I am not much of a reader anymore…I spend all my free time writing (or proofreading) my own work. However, that being said, I do love to take a couple books with me whenever I go on holiday, but unfortunately that is all the reading I can typically do.

How can readers best support debut authors like yourself?

Of course there is an obvious answer – preorder/buy our novels! Any sale we have not only makes our day, but also shows to other readers, publishers and even booksellers (aka the Amazon algorithm) that our book is something that could be worth your time.

However, I would also love to stress that interacting with us on social media is another amazing way to support any debut author. The power of Instagram and TikTok is truly remarkable (whilst also terrifying), so every like, follow, comment or repost makes a huge difference. One viral video can boost sales by an unbelievable amount, so any chance you get to interact with debut/indie authors helps us immensely.

And finally, if you had any advice for your younger self starting this novel — or any other young writers — what would it be?

For my younger self writing DFTF, I would say maybe read up a bit on grammar – the subtle nuances of en/em dashes etc can really be a make or break for an agent or publisher.

I would also say to myself, but also any writer (no matter their age), that you do need a plan. Whether that be a loose synopsis (which also is not set in stone – if you have another, better idea, you can adapt it) or a chapter-by-chapter plan, an empty document is much more intimidating if you don’t know what you’re filling it with.

Definitely take the time to flesh out your characters and world building – perhaps by making lots of Pinterest boards or creating detailed character profiles on word – as this will save a lot of headache, stress and confusion in the long run.

One final thing I would also love to say to anyone thinking of starting a novel is ‘don’t compare yourself to anyone else.’ Everyone has a different writing journey, and that is okay. Some people will write a whole draft in three months, others in three years. That does not dictate the success or merit of your work.

The same goes for the querying process; the odds of getting an agent/publisher are quite low, and it may take some people months to find the right person for their work, whereas others might hit the nail on the head first try.

If you believe in your work, others will too.

Don’t Fear the Fire, published by Cranthorpe Millner Publishers, is out on the 25th March in the UK.

You can pre-order your copy from all good bookstores, or order directly from the publisher to support their ongoing work.

The Housemaid By Frieda McFadden

January 24, 2025 by John @ Tales from Absurdia

“From behind closed doors, she sees everything.”

Title: The Housemaid
Author: Frieda McFadden
Pages: 329
Published by: Little, Brown Book Group (2023)

The Housemaid, by author and brain injury physician Frieda McFadden, is a psychological thriller that delights and frustrates in equal measure.

This is an intriguing read from the outset, with a plot that will undeniably entertain. But The Housemaid is let down by trite characters and underdeveloped ideas.

Still, McFadden’s first novel in the Housemaid series is an interesting read that will get chins wagging amongst friends and in book club circles.

The Housemaid in brief

Early on, the reader is introduced to Millie; an unassuming Brooklynite on the lookout for her next job, following a recent but unexplained firing.

Down on her luck — and not long out of prison — she happens upon a living-in housemaid role for the Winchesters, a wealthy New York family. It pays well, puts a roof over her head, and no questions are asked. But something is awry in this suburban setup.

The book starts slow, but grows gradually as family secrets are uncovered and Millie’s own past begins to emerge, creating a pressure cooker of tension between herself and the Winchesters. It’s a compelling setup — and I guarantee you’ll read this book in one or two sittings, such is the pace — but much like the plot itself, something isn’t quite right with The Housemaid.

We need to talk about Millie

McFadden writes The Housemaid from a first person present perspective (I am, I do not, e.t.c.) which is ideal for a mystery. The present tense is great for building tension, and seeing the plot unfold from one character’s perspective at a time allows the author to be really creative with revealing details.

However, the first person perspective has its flaws — especially if you cannot relate to or bear being with the main character. And to be fair, readers’ views will vary on this, but Millie is neither easy to love, nor strong enough to carry this novel. She lacks genuine depth — even following some bizarrely brief revelations — and feels like a mish-mash of caricatures. Indeed this could be levelled at most characters in The Housemaid, with perhaps the exception of Nina.

Taken at face value, Nina is a changeable and highly disturbed individual. This is curious in itself, but McFadden takes Nina’s depth of experience to a different level, granting her a level of intrigue not afforded to other characters in the novel.

The art of the page-turner

There is an art to creating a page-turner. It was arguably made famous by Dickens in the Victorian era, where publishing full books was expensive and so stories were published in daily or weekly newspaper serialisations.

It worked like this. The chapter would begin slowly, building gradually, before concluding with a blockbuster ending, whether a major plot revelation or change in the pacing of the story. You know the drill. Shorter sentences. Dramatic interludes. This would draw readers in and guarantee they pick up the next issue. Ultimately, it was a quid pro quo for both authors and newspapers.

This structure lives on in contemporary thrillers, and some of the better writers are able to disguise it well. The Housemaid delivers mixed results in this regard; with many chapters ending in an overly dramatic ‘Millie monologue’.

That being said, if writing a page-turner is indeed an art, then McFadden is undeniably a maestro. This 300ish page book can easily be read in a single sitting or two. It’s that gripping.

Conclusion

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden is a flawed but eminently readable thriller that would be suited perfectly for a beach or book club read.

It does, however, suffer from some mediocre character writing, a bevy of frankly silly narrative moments, and a convenient deus ex machina to resolve a particular plot point. It’s therefore quite a limited read, with a couple of twists to keep things interesting. However, The Housemaid is unlikely to be a book you’ll read more than once.

Readers’ views will inevitably differ, depending on their experience with the genre. Thriller enthusiasts may find they’ve read this book before, but for some that familiarity may be reassuring. For other perspectives, check out Luke Harkness’s glowing review and Literary Quicksand’s more critical reception.

I recommend The Housemaid, but with a handful of caveats.

Rated 3 out of 5

One Dark Window By Rachel Gillig

January 20, 2025January 13, 2025 by John @ Tales from Absurdia

“Long live the King.”

Title: One Dark Window
Author: Rachel Gillig
Pages: 399
Published by: Little, Brown Book Group (2022)

One Dark Window is the first part in a Romantasy(ish) duology — The Shepherd King series. Rachel Gillig. Gillig’s debut novel owes a lot of its success thanks to the incredibly passionate BookTok community, which has launched a number of careers.

Tales from Absurdia is not (currently) on TikTok (you can find me on Instagram primarily), but this novel was recommended by word of mouth over lunch with a very good friend — and I’m delighted to say that it’s easily one of the best fiction novels I read in 2024.

The heart of the cards

This is a book about multiple groups of people competing to complete a deck of magical cards — with each card possessing its own unique and fascinating powers. A cataclysmic event has triggered the Kingdom of Blunder to be shrouded in killer mist, and it’s up to our veritable heroes (and villains) to claim the cards for themselves and decide a future for the Kingdom.

It goes without saying that the ‘catch ‘em all’ appeal is strong from the outset — and many video games, movies, and novels have achieved enormous success with this concept.

However, what makes One Dark Window so brilliant is that it simply gets all of the basics right. The writing is very, very good; even beautiful in parts. Gillig has a lovely way with words, capturing the lushness of her world in a way that will appeal to some of the more ‘literary’ readers, whilst remaining accessible and friendly to all.

The characters too, though they feel familiar, are curious people with strong and (crucially) believable motivations. And the world’s unique lore is thoughtfully explained, steering clear of the common fantasy pitfall of overwhelming readers with abstract, unpronounceable names.

One Dark Window’s world is also quite small. Everything takes place in Blunder, a fairly diminutive Kingdom, and this works in the novel’s favour. It’s clean, concise, and guarantees that the narrative scope doesn’t get out of hand. It’s refreshing to read a fantasy series that doesn’t ‘get good after the fifth book’, nor wastes its reader’s time.

Romantasy and fantasy

It’s worth pointing out that some of the more critical takes on the One Dark Window appear to circle around whether it is ‘true’ Romantasy, or question whether it’s sufficiently ‘smutty’ or ‘spicy’ enough for some readers.

From my perspective, this is a fantasy novel with a very strong romantic thread running through it. It’s also fairly sex-positive, so I’d argue that it is Romantasy by definition. However, readers looking for something on the scoville scale of smut may be disappointed. One Dark Window feels romantic in a more traditional sense, where the sex is passionate and driven by both love and lust.

Regardless, Romantasy books live or die by a believable relationship — and Elspeth and Rayvyn’s almost Austen-esque adversarial relationship works well and reads in an authentic manner.

Is One Dark Window worth your time?

If you’re looking for a well-rounded fantasy novel with a strong protagonist, and even better supporting cast, featuring a unique lore and magic system, you can’t do much better than One Dark Window.

Fantasy is a broad genre, and readers like different things, but what Rachel Gillig brings to the table in this first of two novels, is simplicity told via an excellent yarn. And at just over 430 pages, it’s also not a long book by fantasy standards.

Check out a couple of other opinions on it too. Dark Side of the Word has written positively on the novel, whilst The BiblioSanctum offers a more critical view. Either way, let me know your opinions in the comments below if you’ve read One Dark Window — just try to keep it spoiler-free for new readers.

Rated 4 out of 5

The Adventures of an Aspiring Maniac By R. A. Colston

January 9, 2025October 28, 2024 by John @ Tales from Absurdia

The Adventures of an Aspiring Maniac Book Review

"[He was] forever a figure of mystery that could never be comfortably placed into this category or that, which the human brain had a seemingly programmed need to do so"

Title: The Adventures of an Aspiring Maniac
Author: R.A. Colston
Pages: 448
Published by: Olympia Publishers (2024)

The Adventures of an Aspiring Maniac is both a compelling read and one of frustrating shortcomings.

The story follows Jonathan Piper, a troubled outsider who longs for his place in the social order but is repeatedly let down by those around him. His musings on society’s often cruel indifference to mental illness and homelessness bring to mind Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye.

Where R.A. Colston’s debut novel differs from Salinger’s classic, however, is in its length. The book is at least twice as long as it needs to be, making it feel unnecessarily drawn out at times.

Still, for fans of character-driven stories, Colston’s debut is a solid, engaging read.

Down and out in Sheffield (and beyond)

The Adventures of an Aspiring Maniac charts the experiences of a man with serious mental health issues. Navigating a society that has no room or tolerance for his trauma, courtesy of truly brutal childhood bullying, Piper exists in an uncomfortable environment of rejection and snobbery.

This makes for a pressure cooker of a novel, charting its character’s numerous adverse encounters, punctuated with brief moments of levity. And at some point, something’s got to give.

Where Colston succeeds is in his portrayal of the outsider. Much like famous outsiders such as Mersault and Caulfield, Jonathan Piper is a loner, confined to the fringes of society.

In spite of this, Piper is well meaning — though frequently misunderstood — craving social approval, whilst recognising its often fragile and superficial nature.

The novel also explores the burden of social pressures upon young men in an interesting manner, with Jonathan exhibiting aspects of both masculine fragility and also vulnerability.

This thoughtful pondering on the male experience of trauma are undermined, however, by pitifully written female characters. Appearing to exist as either sexual conquests or romantic interests, it’s a strange, tedious recurrence that feels out of place and cheapens an otherwise interesting book.

Going postal

For all the novel’s positives, The Adventures of an Aspiring Maniac lacks focus. For every great passage of writing, two or three should have been edited out.

The pacing also suffers from a juddering, stop-start narrative that sees Piper constantly uproot his life and move to a new town or city. This makes sense in the context of the narrative, but it does make it far harder for the reader to enjoy the novel.

This issue extends to the people that Piper meets. His time in each place is so fleeting that it’s hard for any character to exist beyond vague outlines or a veneer of stereotypes. As soon as a potentially interesting character emerges, they disappear once again.

In addition to this, the novel is simply just too long. A close copy edit would make The Adventures of an Aspiring Maniac a leaner, more complete novel.

Final Thoughts

In spite of its flaws, The Adventures of an Aspiring Maniac is a solid novel and an engaging read.

Colston writes well, and Piper’s tale is undeniably a page-turner, although the reader’s enjoyment may depend on their tolerance for the aforementioned flaws.

It might not win a bunch of awards, but as a character study and examination of society’s attitudes towards the downtrodden, The Adventures of an Aspiring Maniac is a decent addition to your reading list.

Rated 3 out of 5

How to Avoid Book Blogger Burnout

October 4, 2024 by John @ Tales from Absurdia

Blogger burnout is real — especially for book bloggers who lean heavily on writing book reviews.

After all, reading is time consuming, and if you pick the wrong books, or put undue pressure on yourself to crank out content, you’re going to burn out pretty fast.

This is compounded further when you have a pile of ARCs to read, not to mention your own backlog of purchases that, somehow, only ever seems to get bigger.

But fear not — I come with advice. I’ve put many of these tips into practice myself, and as a result, Tales from Absurdia is still operating many years later.

1) Do not compare and despair

Try not to compare your success to others.

It’s so easy to do, but if you succumb to what Cathy Rentzenbrink calls ‘compare and despair,’ you’ll feel rubbish about yourself and your writing.

Whether it’s pageviews, social media followers, the number of comments on your blog, or your success rate at scoring ARCs — others’ successes are not your failures. Maybe you can learn something from another blogger, but do not judge your own performance against others.

You may have less free time than others, or perhaps blogging, or promoting your content on social media, doesn’t come naturally to you. And that’s okay.

It’s hard not to compare yourself against your peers. I still find myself doing it weekly.

But when those intrusive thoughts rear their ugly heads, knock ‘em back down and remember you’re running your own race.

2) Remember why you're blogging

Take a moment and have a think about why you started blogging. Perhaps even write down a couple of sentences on the topic.

It could be that you wanted to chronicle your thoughts, or perhaps you wanted to join a community of readers. You may have started blogging for more self-indulgent reasons (and that’s fine — even Orwell claimed that some writers write for ‘sheer egoism!’)

Are these reasons still valid? Have they evolved in any kind of way? This writing exercise is a great way to focus yourself back on why you began spending your time talking about books to strangers on the internet.

3) Stop requesting ARCs

Right. It’s time for an intervention. Gather round closely for one moment, and repeat after me — Stop. Requesting. ARCs.

Seriously, if fear is the mind-killer, ARCs are the blog killer. This may sound counterintuitive, but when you’re under pressure to read for a deadline — and then you’re suddenly approved for five more books — reading can become a chore. If you’re not enjoying reading, you’re probably not enjoying blogging.

Those impulsive requests because you liked the cover or the blurb will chew up your time, prevent you from reading what you actually want to read, and sap your motivation.

I’ve stopped requesting ARCs altogether, but you needn’t do this. Simply reign those impulses in a little.

4) Be realistic

Let’s be real — there are only 24 hours in a day. If you work, that’s at least 8-10 hours.

You may be a parent, or have a dependent. You may also want to get some sleep too.

Some days and weeks, you just can’t get things done. Be realistic about this, and manage your own expectations. It’s easy to berate yourself for not publishing anything, or not getting to the book festivals you really want to visit, but as I wrote earlier — you’re running your own race.

Be kind to yourself, accept that you won’t always be able to work on your blog.

5) Take a break

I don’t know a single blogger who hasn’t considered packing the whole thing in — myself included, sometimes weekly — but more often than not, a break is just the thing you need.

This could be a week, a month, or even a year.

Take as long as you need and the answer will come to you. And if you’re sure you want to quit blogging, that’s okay!

But give yourself the space to think about it first. A break is always better than a knee-jerk decision.

Got any more tips? Post them in the comments below and support a fellow blogger!

The Age of Absurdity By Michael Foley

September 17, 2024 by John @ Tales from Absurdia

"The common challenges of earning a living, maintaining a relationship and ageing are becoming battlegrounds of existential angst and self-loathing in a culture that demands conspicuous consumption, high-octane partnerships and perpetual youth."

Title: The Age of Absurdity
Author: Michael Foley
Pages: 240
Published by: Simon & Schuster Ltd (2010)

Why are we so unhappy?

And is the pursuit of happiness even valid?

These are the interesting questions posed by Michael Foley, in this sometimes witty, other times intellectually bereft, piece of writing.

His central argument appears to be that society’s expectations clash with reality, making us unhappy, riffing on Albert Camus’ idea of the absurd — in essence, the divorce between existential expectation and reality.

Foley’s view appears to be that the modern generation, part of the ‘age of entitlement’ — as he opines frequently — are destined to be disappointed due to their own inflated egos and greed.

The problem here is that such claims evaporate upon contact with air, once the usual soundbites and indulgence in prejudice are scrutinised.

The Age of Absurdity
Old Man Shouts at Clouds

The Age of Absurdity includes some utterly bizarre segues, many of which have aged poorly since its publication in 2010.

This includes a strange take on neurological and addiction-based conditions. Foley argues, or at least implies, a frivolity on the part of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) — the United States’ authority on mental health.

Anybody who has read The Body Keeps the Score, written by Bessel van der Kolk, MD — who has actually worked in the US healthcare system — would know that historically, it has been difficult to get conditions listed in the DSM.

“The opening line of the grant rejection read: “It has never been shown that PTSD is relevant to the mission of the Veterans Administration.”

Since then, of course, the mission of the VA has become organized around the diagnosis of PTSD and brain injury, and considerable resources are dedicated to applying “evidence-based treatments” to traumatized war veterans.

But at the time things were different and, unwilling to keep working in an organization whose view of reality was so at odds with my own, I handed in my resignation”

The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk

In the Age of Absurdity, it’s clear that Michael Foley is undeterred by his absence of knowledge or experience when making such assured pronouncements. He then turns his attention to depersonalisation, widely considered an adverse response mechanism for anxiety and stress, but apparently not for Foley.

In fact, The Age of Absurdity considers depersonalisation to be a good thing, claiming that ‘achieving personal detachment was considered to be a key factor in mental health, by every thinker from Buddha to Sartre.’ Neither, of course, renowned for their expertise as mental health clinicians.

It is this that perhaps explains Foley’s crass and ignoramus reading of Buzz Aldrin’s descent into alcoholism and depression following the moon landing mission, with Foley claiming depression to be ‘often the fate of the modern personality — greedy, attention-hungry, and resentful, always convinced of deserving more, always haunted by possibility of missing something better somewhere else, always smarting at a lack of recognition, and always dissatisfied.’

Away from this, Americans (apparently) do stupid things and people who play videogames and watch TV are wasting their time. The reader is then regaled with a ridiculous tale of the author’s fury at being unable to find a café that wasn’t playing music at 11am, whilst trying to discuss a thesis with a friend in Spain.

Truly have the horrors of the modern world been inflicted upon this poor soul.

It’s all very ‘old man shouts at clouds,’ and cheapens some of the more thoughtful and reflective moments in The Age of Absurdity. And that’s a real shame.

Critiques of structural social issues

The stronger parts of the book are the critiques of structural social issues.

Capitalism, including its associated rampant consumerism, is a key target for Foley’s scorn. For example, the need for more, but without any certainty of the ‘whys’ behind the desire to accumulate ‘stuff’.

“If every time could be the last, it's as good as the first.”

The Age of Absurdity, Michael Foley

Particularly poignant are the sections on the absurdities of love and ageing, which produce some of the book’s most impressive observations on the fragility and tenuousness of our existence.

Both darkly amusing and touching in equal measure, these are the few areas where it appears that Foley is writing with some authority.

Is The Age of Absurdity worth reading?

Witty but inescapably bitter, The Age of Absurdity is a hard one to recommend.

The first couple of chapters are excellent, and the later chapters are soberingly thoughtful, but for a book that extols the virtues of happiness in the introduction, it struggles to shake the pall of cynical bitterness and resentment towards newness and modernity.

What’s more, Foley is indisputably intelligent and perceptive. So it’s all the more frustrating when this intelligence evaporates to make room for denouncing ‘rap music’, ‘Americans’, and of course the classic modern complaint — how anybody can now ‘choose their gender’.

Thoughtful at times, The Age of Absurdity is at its best when Foley leaves his strange, ignorant gripes at the door. Unfortunately, this is a rare occurrence, making for a turgid book laced with prejudice, and lacking the intellectual clout it thinks it has.

Rated 1 out of 5

Sad Little Men by Richard Beard

August 30, 2024 by John @ Tales from Absurdia

"All anglophone private schools exist in the shadow of the institutions that influenced their founding. They replicate the segregation and social exceptionalism reserved for superior beings destined to lead."

Title: Sad Little Men
Author: Richard Beard
Pages: 278
Published by: Harvill Secker (2021)

It’s 2021 and the UK government is embroiled in scandal.

Boris Johnson has to front up to parliament and apologise for partygate — a series of parties that took place at the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns — but appears unwilling to do so.

Remarkably, this will not bring his government down. That chapter, featuring a certain ‘Pincher by name, pincher by nature’ will unfold later.

But his bluster, deflection, and obfuscation reveals a naked exceptionalism about men like Johnson that will define his, and many others’, legacies.

This is where Richard Beard’s Sad Little Men picks up, promising an exploration of the origins behind the UK’s political leaders for the past century.

Sad Little Men
An Overview

“At an English boarding school [...] the world they enter is enclosed and has much in common with the asylum at Bethesda, Maryland, where [Erving] Goffman did most of his research”

Sad Little Men, Richard Beard

Sad Little Men makes the case that the culture of boarding schools produces highly flawed individuals. Beard, who attended boarding school at the same time as Boris Johnson and David Cameron, though not at the same institution, chronicles UK private school life throughout the ages, adding his own experiences throughout.

Lacking in empathy — and by extension the necessary qualities for a role in politics — Beard builds a picture of emotional deprivation and strident exceptionalism.

Ultimately, this damage trickles down to the electorate through bad policymaking and toxic rhetoric.

A word on the audiobook version. It’s exceptional, and arguably the best way to experience the book. The narrator, John Sackville, delivers a performance that’s well spoken in the manner of an old Radley College boy, but also quietly vulnerable with trauma leaking into the pronunciation of every word.

Sad little men and the fallout from ‘boarding school syndrome’

Plenty has been written about ‘boarding school syndrome,’ and even more research into attachment theory and its role in separation anxiety.

It’s in this vein that Beard questions how healthy it is to remove a young boy from his family home, to instead be raised by a surrogate parent such as a matron or schoolmaster — especially under the guise of it being ‘good for you’.

And boarding schools as a hotbed of extraordinary social privilege with crippling emotional deprivation, is Beard’s core thesis.

Private schools, declassified

Good old ‘regular’ private schools do not escape Beard’s condemnation either.

He argues that Eton, Winchester, Radley, and Harrow are simply the blueprints of success for every other private school in the land.

These schools exist in their own space and time, Beard argues, retaining many of the cultural and social-economic quirks and antics of previous decades.

On the one-hand, this could be seen as a sweeping generalisation. However, it’s hard to deny the evidence presented. On numerous occasions, Beard consults diary entries of famous alumni, including Orwell and Churchill, and points out the extraordinary similarities in culture across the decades.

These include the glorification of war, the ‘banter’, and the language used. The ‘tuck shop’ features — where young chaps can get their sweets — as does ‘prep’ time after school.

Any reluctant private school attendee will recognise at least a handful of these.

Conclusion

Sad Little Men is unlikely to change the hearts and minds of the reader who has entrenched views on private schools.

Those who are in favour of private schools may — unkindly in my view — deride the book as a hit job from a disgruntled ‘old boy’. Meanwhile, readers with preconceived notions will likely find their prejudices bolstered by Beard’s book.

That’s not a criticism of Beard’s book, but more a reflection on our own time, where entrenched ‘sides’ and binary opposition thrive in the absence of nuance.

Regardless, Sad Little Men is at its best as an insightful look into the workings of private schools past and present — and a crucial intervention into the public conversation on the UK education system.

Rated 4 out of 5

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7) Creating Fiction in Troubled Times

6) The Possibility of Literature

5) All the Rage: Why Anger Drives the World

4) Crafting Immersive Worlds

3) Oxford Debate: You Ask the Questions

2) Breaking Boundaries: Queering Sci-Fi and Fantasy

1) Orbital

To the Moon

Conclusion

The Housemaid in brief

We need to talk about Millie

The art of the page-turner

Conclusion

The heart of the cards

Romantasy and fantasy

Is One Dark Window worth your time?

Down and out in Sheffield (and beyond)

Going postal

Final Thoughts

1) Do not compare and despair

2) Remember why you're blogging

3) Stop requesting ARCs

4) Be realistic

5) Take a break

The Age of Absurdity Old Man Shouts at Clouds

Critiques of structural social issues

Is The Age of Absurdity worth reading?

Sad Little Men An Overview

Sad little men and the fallout from ‘boarding school syndrome’

Private schools, declassified

Conclusion

The Age of Absurdity
Old Man Shouts at Clouds

Sad Little Men
An Overview