WILL STONE fact-checks the colourful life of Ozzy Osbourne
Sci-fi & Fantasy with Mat Coward; March 14 2023
Skeletons in cupboards, futuristic Sophocles and the hell that awaits hereditary wealth
JAMES CROSSLEY applauds a lucid biography of the German radical preacher who reemerged as a hero in the GDR
Prizes all round: the Bard hands plaudits to the Miners Gala, OT&JC, Joe Solo, Black Sabbath’s frontman and the Lionesses
Star cartoonist JAMIE BRITTON is in awe of a graphic novel of epic proportions that explores class, religion and globalisation via the strange cultivation of Ginseng in the US Midwest
GUILLERMO THOMAS is intrigued by a history of the Middle East that demonstrates how promising post colonial beginnings were snuffed out by Western imperialist interests
MARIA DUARTE recommends the intricate study of a high-performance and highly dysfuntional German family
DIYA’S best friend and flatmate has died suddenly in FAMILY BUSINESS by Jonathan Sims (Gollancz, £18.99), and she’s unemployed, so the unexpected offer of a well-paid job is something of a lifesaver – even if it is a somewhat peculiar gig.
She’s working for a small family business in London that for several generations has specialised in deep-cleaning properties after unexpected deaths. It can be gruesome – the deceased are not always discovered quickly – but there is a satisfaction in the hard labour of returning a home to its pristine condition.
It pays Diya’s bills, and it helps take her mind away from her grief. If it wasn’t for the bizarre visions she sometimes experiences during her work, she could probably get used to it. That, and the eerie figure who seems to be behind many of Slough & Sons’ call-outs.
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A corrupted chemist, a Hampstead homosexual and finely observed class-conflict at The Bohemia
Beet likes warmth, who doesn’t, so attention to detail is required if you’re to succeed, writes MAT COWARD
