Ink & Quill

All her life, Diana has stuck her fingers way deep into her ears, refusing to accept that she is a witch, and a powerful one of those. But the situation has changed. The discovery of a thought to be lost book is raising interest. On the one hand, there is Peter Knox, a powerful wizard that belongs to one of the oldest group of “peace-keepers” across species, who would love nothing more than to put his hands on the book. And on the other hand, Matthew de Clairmont, the vampire, whose charms Diana can’t resist… But what is it exactly that Matthew wants? As the plot thickens and mystery unveils more mysteries, Diana may be forced to start using her powers if she wishes not only to find out what happened to her parents and what secrets Ashmore 782 holds, but also and simply, to stay alive. Visit the show website!

In her first novel, Erin Morgenstern takes her reader to a magical place; a circus only opened at night. There the spectator encounters tents after tents of unimaginable goodies, spectacles of light, mirror effects, illusionists, kitten shows and everything that makes a circus what a circus is. However, the circus is there for a darker purpose; Celia and Marco are to battle each other to the last person standing. Who will win? That is the question. But they are nothing but puppets in the hand of sinister beings who challenge each other using young unaware pupils. Why? This is what we venture to find out, along with the outcome of the challenge. This is a fun first novel, different and interesting. Set in 19th century, the “reveurs” among us will appreciate being thrown in a world where imagination stands at the center. Visit the show website!

In this episode we discuss Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman series. The WHOLE series. That’s right, the 10 episodes! Set against the background of Dream’s abduction from the Dream World of which he is the King, the story of the Sandman mixes folklore with fantasy, reverie with reality, dilemmas with decisions.  A very ambitious work that touches on a lot of various themes, the Sandman series will entice anyone interested in reading a graphic novel with a message. Change or not change, that is the question that Dream (aka Morpheus) will be forced to ponder over the course of 10 volumes once he finally escapes his prison and his world has been shattered by his very absence. After 70 years of imprison0ment, both the Dream World and the Waking World are in dire need of his presence. Be ready to meet the Endless (Dream’s brothers and sisters), the Fates, the vortex, personified nightmares like the Corinthian,  Rose Walker, Loki, Abel and Cain, Matthew the raven, Lucien the librarian, Mervyn of the pumpkin head,  and many

This is the story of how the man became the legend. The author follows the various circumstances, good and bad, that have allowed Walt Disney to become the icon we all know him to have become. From his early years in Kansas to the triumph of Snow White to the war all the way to the creation of the first entertainment park of that magnitude, the author leaves no stone unturned. Discover the real Walt Disney, find out the trials and tribulations he had to go through, both professionally and personally, to reach that level of greatness. A long yet very interesting book dedicated to a brilliant man. Visit the show website!

You are an author, minding your own business. One fine day you decide to write a book about the birth of a religion and you pick the one you know the most: Islam. From one day to the next the whole Muslim world is after you, willing and ready to kill you. This is what happened to Salman Rushdie after the publication of his famous Satanic Verses in 1989. Joseph Anton, a memoir is his recollection, under the pseudonym Joseph Anton, of nine years of nightmare, nine years of fear, nine years of wondering when this will all end. It’s the story of a man dealing with forces much bigger than him. It’s the story of a man dealing with every day life knowing a death threat is on him. It’s the story of a man dealing with other people, trying to live life as a normal human being. Most importantly, it’s a tale about freedom of speech. It does help to have read The Satanic Verses beforehand but even without, Joseph Anton, a memoir is an amazing recollection of an important piece of history from the point of view of the main

Do we really need to introduce JRR Tolkien? With the arrival on the movie scene this December 2012 of The Hobbit movie, let’s re-immerse ourselves in this epic story of self-discovery. In the episode we will discuss both the movie and the book, and how they compare to each other. And for those out there who do not yet know Bilbo Baggins, welcome to one of the greatest quests of all times!! Visit the show website!

Lovers of cracked.com, this book is for you. Funny, gory, silly, completely off the wall, and of course… full of spiders! This sequel to “John dies at the end” is as funny as the first one but with a different plot all together. Yes, we are dealing here with… zombie apocalypse, spider style! Two overgrown teenagers, John and Dave, have been transformed forever after taking the “soy sauce”, a very black (and alive!) drug that gives you abilities, but at a price. Sure! now you can see things and other creepy crawlers from other dimensions. But when they start invading people’s mouth and you are the only ones to see them, there’s a problem, especially since the government believes the only way to get rid of the problem, is to nuke the whole town of Undisclosed. Fan of Men and Black you will love this book. Definitely different, very comic-bookish and amusing. You just need a pretty strong stomach! Visit the show website!

This sequel to “A twisted ladder” is just as good as the first novel. The reader gets reacquainted with Madeleine LeBlanc, with Zenon, with Chloe and the Briar. This time, the novel does not play between psychological abilities and madness, letting the reader wonder how the main characters can do what they shouldn’t be able to do. Rather, it focuses on the briar itself, its intricacies, its depth and the creatures that inhabit it. We meet Maddie’s family and, like in the first novel, the story oscillates between New Orleans of the past, and Louisiana in the present, until both intersect and clash, leaving the reader wanting for more and hoping a third novel will answer all the remaining questions. A great read, full of mystery, dark and misty, perfect for a good Halloween scare, woodoo-style!

This is one of the most intelligent books out there. Creepy but amazing! If you are looking for a story with a clear beginning and end, don’t bother! This book is more question than answer, more quest than resolution. It’s an exercise in deconstruction, in reader-response, it’s a labyrinth, an essay on space and time, an exercise in narratology with a voice within a voice within a voice. It is absolutely brilliant! When Navi and his wife move into their new house, little did they know that said house had a mind of its own… literally!! Visit the show website!

What a strange book! Often compared to The Arabian Nights or The Decameron, this novel touches on every genre (with a large portion dedicated to the Gothic), every theme, every concept of the era from romance, to marriage, to chivalry, religion, politics, succubi, ghosts, skeletons, you name it, The Manuscript has it! Written at the turn of the 19th century, Jan Potocki, Polish author writing in French has achieved a tour de force with this novel. A whole encompassing novel that deals with everything! Not a small task Whether you like it or hate it, you can’t remain indifferent to it. Composed of stories within stories within stories, told and re-told from a variety of different voices, despite its apparent disconnect the novel really forms a whole which only becomes apparent as the reader nears the end. This is not for everyone, but it is one of those texts that need to be read at least once before you die.  By now, it has become a Classic. A tedious read, but worth it!