The Demolition of the Century Duncan Sarkies Penguin Books, $30.00, ISBN 9780143568902 The Mannequin Makers Craig Cliff Random House, $38.00, ISBN 9781775533849 The Wind City Summer Wigmore Steam Press, $30.00, ISBN 9780992257804 Traditionally, the gothic is a northern genre. The…
Fighting Talk: Boxing and the Modern Lexicon Bob Jones Random House, $30.00, ISBN 9781775534389 Bob Jones – aka Sir Robert – has written an engrossing book on the fight game. It is satisfying intellectually and emotionally. It involves an original…
The Writing Class Stephanie Johnson Random House, $38.00, ISBN 9781775532590 The Last Days of the National Costume Anne Kennedy Allen and Unwin, $37.00, ISBN 9781743313862 Two writers of a similar age and stage in the development of their writing careers,…
When Our Jack Went to War Sandy McKay Longacre, $20.00, ISBN 9781775533092 Brave Company David Hill Puffin, $20.00, ISBN 9780143307570 Speed Freak Fleur Beale Random House, $20.00, ISBN 9781775534709 When Our Jack Went to War is “a fictional story based…
Mortal Fire Elizabeth Knox Gecko Press, $30.00, ISBN 9781877579530 Dear Vincent Mandy Hager Random House, $20.00, ISBN 9781775533276 There was a time when I used to wait eagerly for each new YA novel by Margaret Mahy. Starting with The Haunting…
The Elusive Language of Ducks Judith White Random House, $38.00, ISBN 9781775532798 Judith White’s themes are the big ones – old-age, decline and death; sex, love and the betrayal of love. Her characters have an inner life but they also…
The Enchanted Flute James Norcliffe Longacre, $20.00, ISBN 9781869799267 Heart of Danger Fleur Beale Random House, $20.00, ISBN 9781869795436 In The Enchanted Flute, James Norcliffe (author of the celebrated Loblolly Boy series) makes classical myth the source and…
Dirt Bomb Fleur Beale Random House, $19.95, ISBN 9781869795467 The Bridge Jane Higgins The Text Publishing Company, $26.00, ISBN 9781921758331 Calling the Gods Jack Lasenby HarperCollins, $24.99, ISBN 9781869509484 These three novels shortlisted for the senior fiction…
Kimble Bent: Malcontent Chris Grosz Random House, $24.99, ISBN 9781869795160 Recent claims of a resurgence in New Zealand historical fiction might seem forcefully underlined by the appearance of local cartoonist and designer Chris Grosz’s Kimble Bent: Malcontent. This graphic…