STEVE ANDREW enjoys an account of the many communities that flourished independently of and in resistance to the empires of old
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Sci-fi & Fantasy with Mat Coward; March 14 2023
Skeletons in cupboards, futuristic Sophocles and the hell that awaits hereditary wealth
TOM STONE urges you to catch the last dates of a New York singer/songwriter, never afraid to challenge her audiences musically or politically
JAN WOOLF examines work that aims to give viewers a material experience of the environments in the polar north and Britain equally affected by the climate crisis
The bard recalls advice received 50 years ago from his TRB muse, and sorts out appropriate legislation for football club ownership
MICHAL BONCZA and MARIA DUARTE review Facing War, Kontinental ’25, Bugonia, and Relay
MAYER WAKEFIELD is frustrated by a production of Ibsen’s classic study of an anti-heroine that fails to elucidate her motivations
PETER MASON tunes his ear into the domestic affairs of a Carribbean couple with a troublesome son
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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