Hits the Fan blog

Book review: Frédéric Dard’s vintage noir The Gravediggers’ Bread is begging to be exhumed

Dard is brilliant at describing the unspoken tones of noir – the creeping dread, the red-blooded lust and the vein-bulging tell-tale signs of sin’s smothering aftermaths.

Film review: You Were Never Really Here – a corkscrew descent into the allure of violence

Fusing old school grit with contemporary cloth, You Were Never Really Here emerges from an acid trip to the cutting room as one of the most remarkable films of this generation.

Review: Paul Howarth’s debut novel Only Killers and Thieves – a western of grit and grace

As we immerse ourselves in a bracing loss of innocence, we are riveted to the rhythm of this doom spiral.

COMPETITION: Win H. Jon Benjamin’s “attempted” memoir FAILURE IS AN OPTION!

Great news all… FAILURE IS AN OPTION: An Attempted Memoir by one of the most talented voice actors of his generation, H. Jon Benjamin, is up for grabs on the blog!

Lost and found: The Gradual Disappearance of Jane Ashland by Nicolai Houm is a novel yearning for discovery

Often when reading narratives that decide to play with time, jumping back and forth without warning, I wonder if the book would hold up as well if it were rearranged in chronological order.

The dark, beautiful magic of reading Russian master Gaito Gazdanov’s stories for the first time

There’s a tenderness within Gazdanov that seems to recall Carson McCullers or Anne Tyler

Hits the Fan blog

Book review: The Mongolian Conspiracy by Rafael Bernal

So I finally finished Shantaram…

Music to my eyes: A Star Is Born is the nostalgia we need today

Is Shane Black’s revamp of The Predator franchise worth a shot?