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R. A. Salvatore – The Woods Out Back | Review

Title: The Woods Out Back

Author: R. A. Salvatore

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 294

Rating: 9/10

R. A. Salvatore – The Woods Out Back

The Woods Out Back is a beautifully told fantasy novel, and the first in a trilogy by R. A. Salvatore which follows the story of Gary Leger, a normal guy from our reality who has a dead-end job and is basically watching his life pass him by. That is, until he walks into the woods behind his house one day and finds himself travelling to a land called Faerie, where sword and sorcery rules the day. The only problem is, they need Gary’s help, and if he’s not successful in his mission, he can’t go back.

Throughout the book, we see the consequences of this – Gary isn’t exactly a skinny guy, and he does have a bit of muscle, but he doesn’t have any of the technique that you need to survive a real battle. Luckily, he’s joined by a bunch of friends along the way, including a leprechaun and an elf with a name that I can’t spell.

I first discovered this book as a kid – it was part of my dad’s collection. I re-read it over and over again, and I loved it – it might not be for everyone, but for a straight-out piece of fantasy escapism, you can’t fault it. It might not ask any big questions, but it does make you feel as though this is something that could happen to you. Perhaps you should take long walks through the woods, just in case you find yourself in Faerie. And the coolest thing of all is that even if you’re gone for several months, relatively little time will have passed by the time you get back.

R. A. Salvatore

Click here to buy The Woods Out Back.

Stevyn Colgan – Joined-Up Thinking | Review

Title: Joined-Up Thinking

Author: Stevyn Colgan

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 254

Rating: 8/10

Stevyn Colgan – Joined-Up Thinking

I first heard about Stevyn Colgan after a friend suggested that I should invite him to be a speaker at the writers’ group that I’m organising. He’s a local writer who’s attained a certain level of success, winning praise from Stephen Fry and Q.I. creators John Lloyd and John Mitchinson – in fact, Colgan went on to become an Elf on the show, a term that’s used to describe their researchers.

Because of this, I already knew quite a lot of the facts that Colgan includes in the book – many of them were recycled and used within the show, and I’ve watched every episode multiple times. That said, it didn’t really matter, because Colgan’s point here is that everything’s connected – he’s effectively using the six degrees of separation with facts.

For example, he may begin by explaining how to hypnotise a chicken, then relate that to chicken nuggets, then relate that to the gold rush, then relate that to the song Gold by Spandau Ballet, and then it might transpire that the lead singer for Spandau Ballet (Tony Hadley) keeps pet chickens.

Now, that’s a hypothetical example, and Colgan is much better at making links than I am, but it does illustrate how the book is laid out. In fact, every single chapter, including the final chapter which houses the acknowledgements and dedications, is written in a loop. Must’ve been challenging to plan, but it’s well-executed.