Satire Books | Guy Portman's Blog

Meals, Mangetout & More

Feb 26 2021

There have been some impressive skies here of late.

When I haven’t been staring at the sky, I’ve been writing, reading and eating.

Kebabs + beer = a great combination.

And here’s a shot of something healthier. It’s a tuna salad containing six ingredients that I made earlier.

Books and green tea is another favoured combo.

There is less than two weeks to go until the release of my latest book – Mangetout. This quick read will appeal to all fans of darkly humorous crime fiction.

Trouble has a habit of finding some people.

These sharp, shocking and suspenseful stories are a must read.

Have a good weekend.

Mangetout Cover Reveal & A New Blurb.

Feb 05 2021

I’ve written a new book. Mangetout will be unleashed on the world on March 11th. It is a crime caper of sorts. Mangetout will appeal to fans of crime fiction and dark humour.

Trouble has a habit of finding some people.

Hope you like it as much as I do. Red seems to fit the genre. After all red equals danger. Mangetout has the same format and virtually the same word count as my last effort, The Gazebo. It consists of three dark, acerbic tales that explore crime and class.

The plan was to share the blurb too today. I unveiled it to my mailing list subscribers last week. Unfortunately, I have since been presented with some data that suggests it will not convert well. I am currently rewriting it. If only I’d tested it prior to the designer designing the book’s back matter. I should know better by now. That’s the thing about experience – it only teaches the teachable.

I have however penned a new blurb for one of my other books – Tomorrow’s World. Some of my titles are wide, but Tomorrow’s World is an Amazon exclusive work. It’s ticking along in the Kindle Library, but I don’t feel it’s converting as well as it could.

If the new blurb works, great. If it needs some further polishing that option’s always open. Anyway, here it is:

Escape to the future with this hilarious and thought-provoking read.

Englishman Terrence has had enough of accountancy. After all, it’s been his job for over six decades. He’d bow out if the government didn’t keep increasing the mandatory retirement age. At this rate, Terrence will be working until doomsday.

American plutocrat Walter has harnessed the power of age-defying medication and enjoys the life of a conceited centenarian. But many are fed up with his kind. If the situation doesn’t change fast, there could be a revolution.

With its dark humour and gripping narrative, Tomorrow’s World paints a vivid picture of a future that’s a little too close for comfort.

‘Takes our current foibles and obsessions to their logical, gruesome and absurd conclusions’ – Adam Riley, Comedian

I could include the old blurb for comparison, but this post would be pretty long if I did that, so I’m not going to. If you want to see it get over to Amazon. You better hurry though because it’s poised to swap over any minute now. Have a good weekend.

Tomorrow’s World Amazon Link

5 Satires Worth Reading

Oct 09 2020

It’s back to books this week. Here are five satires worth reading. They are presented in chronological order. Click on the links to read my reviews

Candide by Voltaire (1759)

Candide is an eighteenth-century satirical classic that evaluates optimism; the prevailing philosophical ideology of The Enlightenment.

My Review: Brought up in the household of a German baron, cheerful protagonist Candide has been instilled with the philosophy of Leibniz, notably – That all is for the best in this, the best of …(more)

Subjects Satirised: The Church & The Enlightenment.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)

This satirical book’s motif is a warning about the threat posed by state censorship.

My Review: Books are banned in this dystopian world, where firemen are employed to burn them. Guy Montag is a fireman, who lives an unfulfilling existence with Mildred, his sedentary, parlour-consuming …(more)

Subjects Satirised: Social Problems.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (1991)

American Psycho is a satire of the yuppies culture of the 1980s. It has become a cult classic.

My Review: American Psycho is a highly controversial novel that brought its young author Bret Easton Ellis instant fame. The book is written from the perspective of a young Wall Street financier, Patrick Bateman …(more)

Subjects Satirised: 1980s yuppies culture.

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk (2001)

Choke is in essence a social commentary about our innate craving for attention and the fundamental nature of addiction.

My Review: The protagonist, Victor Mancini, is a sex addict employed at an eighteenth-century historical re-enactment park. Victor attends various sexual addiction support groups, where he …(more)

Subjects Satirised: Sex addition & dependence.

I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe (2004)

This is a humorous satire about campus life. Themes include materialism, social class, race and America’s obsession with college sport.

My Review: Appalachian wunderkind Charlotte Simmons has been awarded a scholarship to Dupont, an elite fictional university, steeped in tradition. Living amongst the cream of America’s youth is …(more)

Subjects Satirised: Campus life & society.

Reading, Writing & Searing Heat

Aug 14 2020

It’s been unusually hot and humid in the UK of late, though it appears conditions will soon be returning to normal. It was 36C here the other day and it has been very sticky at night. Yesterday, while in the supermarket observing my fellow shoppers, I came to the conclusion that summer is the kindest time of year on the beautiful, the cruellest on those who are not.

The supermarket had rolled out some great deals on beer.

I opted for two Cobras and a Staropramen.

What with the heat, Trigga has been seeking the coolest places he can find.

He gave the postman a bit of a fright when he emerged barking from here.

Writer’s block is an ailment that affects many writers. This one is currently suffering from a bout. I have used some of the time to catch up with other stuff, including writing book reviews. It’s a labour of love but one I am adamant helps my writing. Six new book reviews will be appearing in the review section soon. I also ordered a couple of new books. Transgressive fiction and satire – two of my favourite genres.

I’ve been trying to mobilise some interest, from UK readers primarily, in the Necropolis Trilogy. A handful have taken the plunge.

With any luck some of them will be intrigued by my forthcoming darkly humorous book, The Gazebo (Release date: Sep. 01).

Have a good weekend.

5 Satires Penned by British Authors

May 18 2018

I am an avid fan of satire. I have penned two satirical novels to date and have read numerous satirical works, including these five novels, which were all penned by my fellow countrymen. Click on the links to read my reviews.

Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh (1930)

Published in 1930, Vile Bodies is a satirical novel whose primary purpose is satirising decadent 1920s London society. The book’s whimsical tone progressively gives way to a bleaker narrative.

My Review: Author Adam plans to marry his fiancé Nina Blount, but he does not have enough money to convince his disinterested, aristocratic beau to tie the knot. Every time Adam feels certain that his financial position is poised to change …(more)

Subjects Satirised: Upper classes

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (1932)

Light-hearted and wryly humorous, this satirical work lampoons the romanticised, often doom-laden ‘loam and lovechild’ novels of the 19th and early 20th century.

My Review: Although harbouring concerns about countryside living, recently orphaned, 19-year-old Flora Poste decides to go and live with relatives in rural Sussex. Her destination, the ramshackle and backward Cold Comfort Farm, is no bucolic utopia …(more)

Subject Satirised:Loam and lovechild novels

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1932)

Brave New World

This dystopian work utilises erudite social commentary and subtle satire to explore mankind’s inherent nature. Huxley’s portentous vision has proven to be prescient.

My Review: Brave New World is set in a society where everything is controlled. The parentless, manufactured, free-loving population are dependent on a state-endorsed hallucinogenic, happiness drug called Soma …(more)

Subjects Satirised: Society, technology & totalitarianism

An Ice-Cream War by William Boyd (1982)

An Ice-Cream War’s motif is the absurdness of war. This unpredictable serio-comedy’s blend of tragedy and black humour appealed to this reader.

My Review: After much tension and speculation, World War I begins. The main campaign is contended on the Western Front, but there is also a less well-known offensive in colonial East Africa, where the British and their native conscripts are pitted against the …(more)

Subjects Satirised: War & English Upper Class

High-Rise by J. G. Ballard (1975)

Set in an apartment tower block in London, High-Rise is a dystopian tale about the intense animosity that develops between the building’s various floors. Its motif is the fragmentation of the social order.

My Review: Set in an apartment tower block in London, High-Rise is a dystopian tale about the intense animosity that develops between the building’s various floors. The story centres around three main characters – Robert Laing, an instructor at a medical school …(more)

Subjects Satirised: Contemporary living arrangements & society at large

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

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Meals, Mangetout & More

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Mangetout Cover Reveal & A New Blurb.

Escape to the future with this hilarious and thought-provoking read.

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5 Satires Worth Reading

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Reading, Writing & Searing Heat

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5 Satires Penned by British Authors

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