Reading Aloud And Allowed
TPQ: What are you currently reading?
JT: Alan Moore’s The Great When. It may be two years since it was published but only getting around to it now. The prose and premise are both brilliant.
JT: Stephen King’s The Stand is his masterpiece and set the bar so high in terms of speculative fiction few have been able to reach it.
Worst? Any of the Famous Five books forced upon generations of children. Even as a child I hated them. I didn’t know the word at the time but they are so fucking twee and a world removed from my experiences as a kid growing up in north Belfast during the Troubles.
TPQ: Book most cherished as a child?
JT: A set of encyclopedias my parents and aunts bought me until I had a complete collection. The facts, science and history sparked an interest in the world, and the first flames of imagination towards possibilities. That and my annual Christmas present, the Guinness Book of Records. It was there I discovered Deep Purple was the then loudest band in the world. I can attest, with the recurring Tinnitus, that this record will have been surpassed after seeing Motorhead and Manowar.
JT: Whoever penned and illustrated the early editions of 2000AD.
TPQ: First book to really own you?
JT: There were two, and both followed seeing television adaptations. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. I bought the book after the first BBC2 airing. It was much funnier, had a Wodehousian sense of whimsy, while making serious points via humour. I read it in one day and have re-read it and its sequels many times since.
The other was Salem’s Lot (why did my parents let a 12-year-old watch that). I went to the library, where I was refused a copy. My mother went there after I told her and remonstrated until I was loaned a copy. The book was much scarier than the TV series. To paraphrase King: when you stop imagining monsters under the bed you may label yourself as an adult, but the fear still lives inside.
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Student browses Books At A Library In San Francisco, California Photo @ Paul Chinn |
TPQ: Favourite male and female author?
JT: What! That is like picking a favourite child. But I shall narrow it down. Female author, Ursula Le Guin. Dealing with real political and societal issues in sci-fi and fantasy, while inspiring generations of writers. Also, you may note from her Earthsea Trilogy there is a young wizard with a scar. Who does that remind you of?
As to male writers, I’ve agonized over answering that. However, I’ve narrowed it down to two. Stephen King. Sneered at initially by critics and the literary circles he has proved his worth at developing characters, showing their vulnerabilities and strength.
The other is Clive Barker. After picking up a copy of Weaveworld on the basis of the cover I was hooked in minutes. Barker’s ability to make fiction darker and more extreme can send shivers down the spine of the most cynical reader. Also, his fantasy books are intense in the worlds he weaves.
Honourable mention to Iain Banks.
TPQ: A preference for fact or fiction?
JT: No preference. A good book is a good book. From Al Murray’s stupendously detailed book Arnhem: Black Tuesday through to the aforementioned Alan Moore it is a matter of confidence in what will be delivered.
TPQ: Biography, autobiography or memoir that most impressed you?
JT: Duff McKagan’s It’s So Easy (and other lies) is a brutally honest account of the toll of drink and drugs and redemption. Having met him he is also a really nice guy. Close behind would be Nikki Sixx’s Heroin Diaries.
TPQ: Any author or book you point blank refuse to read?
JT: Jeffrey Archer and icky romance happy ending authors.
TPQ: A book to share with somebody so that they would more fully understand you?
JT: My forthcoming book Fist Can Be A Verb… or any Stephen King book.
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| Chinese Sculpture - Strength Of Mind Built By Reading |
TPQ: Last book you gave as a present?
JT: Earl Black and the Daemons of the British Empire, by me, to my daughter.
JT: Earl Black and the Daemons of the British Empire, by me, to my daughter.
TPQ: Book you would most like to see turned into a movie?
JT: Iain M. Banks’ The Player of Games, but only with a good screenwriter and a sympathetic director. Alternatively my book Race The Undead as I need the money from selling the rights.
JT: Iain M. Banks’ The Player of Games, but only with a good screenwriter and a sympathetic director. Alternatively my book Race The Undead as I need the money from selling the rights.
TPQ: The just must - select one book you simply have to read before you close the final page on life.
JT: War and Peace because I would be stubborn enough to fight off any illness to finish it.
📖 Jonathan Traynor is a freelance journalist, Liverpool FC fan, metal devotee and author. His books can be purchased via Amazon.
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