May | 2019 | Guy Portman's Blog

6 Dark Fiction Reading Recommendations

May 31 2019

As you may know I am an avid fan of dark fiction. Here are 5 dark fiction books that I have read and one that I have written.

Definition: Dark fiction is concerned with the sinister side of human nature. It is often distinguished from the mainstream horror genre in that it tends not to be fantasy-orientated. Dark fiction may contain elements of black or satirical humour.

Fire In The Hole

This is a compilation of nine short, authentic and atmospheric, American-based, crime-themed stories. The book is named after its longest title, Fire In The Hole. Click here to read my review.

Survivor

Survivor is an innovative and erudite social commentary, brimming with satirical observations and irreverent humour. It is without doubt one of the author’s best efforts. Click here to read my review.

Wasting Talent

Leone utilises innovative writing techniques and a frenetic prose style to weave this graphic tale about drug addiction. The story centres around young guitar virtuoso Damien Cantwell. Click here to read my review.

The Road

The Road is a near unrelentingly bleak, minimalist post-apocalyptic novel about a man and his young son travelling south, in the hope of finding something better. Click here to read my review.

In Wolves’ Clothing

This first-person transgressive work features a troubled member of an anti child trafficking organisation. The book successfully broaches a subject matter that is anathema to most people. Click here to read my review.

Necropolis (#1 Necropolis Trilogy)

Brutal, bleak and darkly comical, Necropolis is a darkly humorous work featuring sociopath and public sector worker Dyson Devereux. It is the first instalment in the Necropolis Trilogy.

Cakes, Beer & The Great Outdoors

May 24 2019

Currently, I am having work done to my roof. Due to the noise, I escaped to The Fens for a while. The waterway on the right is the Relief Channel. It was constructed in the 50s to take excess water from the Great Ouse river as and when necessary. For whatever reason few people venture out here, which makes it an ideal place for reclusive creatures such as myself.

After a two-hour walk along the Relief Channel we were feeling thirsty. My dog opted for water, me for lager.

I strongly recommend trying Moretti if you haven’t already. Italy might be better known for its wine, but the country produces great lager too.

They say variety is the spice of life. With that in mind I decided to forego my customary chocolate cake in order to try something different. The below is a coconut and lemon cake. It was good.

I didn’t forego my chocolate fix though. This is the chocolate brownie I had for dinner that night.

There is a famous butcher which I frequent whenever I go to Norfolk. It serves delicious, non-pretentious meat at reasonable prices. Vegetarians please avert your gaze.

I recently finished the second draft of my new novel, Golgotha. It will be the final instalment in my black comedy trilogy, Necropolis. I am taking a short break from writing before considering my beta readers’ comments and embarking on a third draft. Here are the books that I will be reading during my hiatus.

This is an ad I just had designed for Necropolis to go on BookBub. Necropolis is the first instalment in the black comedy trilogy of the same name featuring sociopath Dyson Devereux.

Have a good weekend.

17 FREE Humour Books For You

May 17 2019

Once again, I have collaborated with my fellow humour authors to offer you a selection of FREE humour books. This time there are 17 to choose from. The deal includes my satirical book of vignettes, Tomorrow’s World: Darkly Humorous Tales From The Future (40,251 words/2.5 hours reading time).

17 FREE HUMOUR BOOKS OFFER LINK

If you like dark humour and you are looking for a quick read, Tomorrow’s World could be the book for you. To get your FREE copy of mine and/or any of the other offerings, just click on the link and then click on the book cover you want. All you have to do to claim your FREE book (Mobi/ePub/PDF) is sign up to the given author’s mailing list. You can unsubscribe at any point. If you are already on my mailing list, please sign up again. I will delete any duplicates. So hurry while stocks last. Actually, they are eBooks so stocks will last, but the deal ends on May 28th and time is ticking.

17 FREE HUMOUR BOOKS OFFER LINK

‘… in Tomorrow’s World, Guy has seen the writing on the wall. And it’s in emojis’ – Adam Riley (comedian)

‘This book will certainly have you turning the pages to see what happens next …’ – The Daily Squib

Floods, Felling Trees, Black Comedies and Comfort Food

May 10 2019

Yesterday afternoon, I finished the second draft of my forthcoming novel, the black comedy Golgotha. It is the final instalment in the Necropolis Trilogy, featuring darkly humorous sociopath Dyson Devereux. It is now in the hands of beta readers.

Having polished off the draft, I woke up in a cheery mood this morning, but a flood in my kitchen put an end to it. The dishwasher pipe is leaking, again. Last time I was able to stop it, this time I can’t. There is water everywhere, and only the plumber can save me now.

The best approach on failing to rectify a problem is to make a tactical retreat. After abandoning my efforts to hold back the flood, I sojourned to my study to drink coffee and eat Maltesers.

Here is a shot of some other indulgences from the week gone by.

It is quite noisy here today what with tree surgeons removing a tree in my garden. It was a case of nice tree, wrong place. Hopefully its demise will result in my house getting way more light.

The Council have permitted me to fell a couple of trees on the condition that I plant two new ones to replace them. I take my carbon footprint seriously, but I do not want more trees. The whole idea of getting rid of the trees was to have a less congested garden. I plan to get around the issue by planting bonsai trees.

There is the sound of crunching gravel. Someone is approaching. It better be the plumber and not another Jehovah’s Witness … Yes, I am in luck. It is time to go. Have a good weekend.

If you are looking for something to read, check out my soon to be completed Necropolis Trilogy. If you love dark humour, you’ll love Necropolis. And if you don’t, you probably won’t.

Click here to see the 155 ratings & reviews for #1 Necropolis and #2 Sepultura on Goodreads.

#1: What is a sociopath to do?

#2
A sociopath can only keep up a façade for so long.

‘The book is full of razor-sharp satire’ – Crime Fiction Lover

Random Ramblings, Pick & Mixes and Grass

May 03 2019

I am all about routine. Every morning when I awaken at seven, I have a walk in the woods by my house with my dog. There is no better time of day unless one is hungover. Of late, there have been plenty of sunny, idyllic mornings here in West Sussex. After a walk, I generally feel refreshed and ready to get on with my writing, or whatever I have to do that day.

My garden was recently landscaped. I scattered grass seed over it some weeks back, but despite there having been plenty of sun and some rain, it still resembles The Kalahari (see below). I was lamenting the lack of growth to a hippie I came across in the pub earlier in the week. He asked if I’d tried any ‘harvest prayers’. I said no, certainly not. He suggested that I might try the ‘very effective’ Mayan Prayer to the Seven Directions. Considering that the Mayan civilisation was decimated by severe drought, I think I will give it a miss.

Not a great deal else has happened to me this past week. Well actually, I had some vegetable samosas a few nights back. I am a carnivorous creature, but when it comes to samosas I am strictly vegetarian. They just don’t work with meat, at least not for me.

Some of my fondest memories from childhood entail Pick & Mix. And whenever I stumble across a Pick & Mix, I tend to be overwhelmed with nostalgia. On Monday when I went to the supermarket, I came across my first Lindor Pick & Mix.

I was unimpressed. While Lindor balls are not without their virtues, they are just too sickly and too similar to one another to justify a Pick & Mix devoted solely to them.

Archive - May 2019

6 Dark Fiction Reading Recommendations

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Cakes, Beer & The Great Outdoors

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17 FREE Humour Books For You

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Floods, Felling Trees, Black Comedies and Comfort Food

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Random Ramblings, Pick & Mixes and Grass

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Archive - May 2019

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