Matthew Skelton's ambitious debut novel, Endymion Spring, is also concerned with the world of books, though the principal focus here is on their potential role as agents for transporting their readers into the darker realms of human nature. The contrasting quests of its various characters to establish their links between the two make for a beautifully structured, multi-faceted piece of writing. This rich, engrossing novel is, in effect, a book about books, which impels its readers to reflect on the 'exchange' which operates between life and literature and on the way in which they can illuminate (or, occasionally, confuse) one another. Their encounter with Terrance, the bookshop's armless owner, and with his female goth assistant, leads them into a spellbinding web of discoveries, most tellingly those concerning Winnie's old childhood friend, Ada Jones, now a hugely successful mass-market novelist. Here, the title derives (at least in the first instance) from a second-hand bookshop, the Great Big Book Exchange, frequented by orphaned Simon and his grandmother Winnie, both fanatical in their love of books. The freedom may indeed have been won - but at what price?įor Simon, the 16-year-old hero of Paul Magrs' superb novel, Exchange, the 'first steps towards a free adulthood' are traced with infinite subtlety and totally engaging narrative control. It is unremittingly depressing, even if, in its final line, we see one of its central characters take 'his first steps towards a free adulthood'. As an insight into the world of contemporary British street culture - or, at least, one corner of it - this book will almost certainly shock its audience, of whatever age.  The 'explicit content' warning on the cover alerts us to the uncensored rawness of its content, which deals with a day in the lives of a group of west London 15-year-olds and, more particularly, with the behaviour triggered off by the suicide of one of their bullied classmates. Kidulthood serves as the title of a current, highly controversial film and now of a novel written by Jim Eldridge and based on Noel Clarke's original screenplay.  The various works of young adult fiction reviewed here explore, in very different ways, some of the manifestations and consequences of this blurring, resulting in novels that, at their best, will challenge their readers' preconceptions and make their own contributions to what is a fascinating, if problematic, social development. Teen Fiction: As unattractive a coinage as it may be, the word 'Kidulthood' is significant in what it implies about the manner in which societal notions of childhood, adolescence and adulthood are continuously changing and in the way they increasingly seem to be overlapping in our interpretation of them.

The Year the Gypsies Came by Linzi Glass

It is also the 100th Star Wars script I’ve written, between all the various titles I’ve worked on: (Lando, Obi-Wan & Anakin, Poe Dameron, Darth Vader, The Rise of Kylo Ren, Star Wars, War of the Bounty Hunters, Crimson Reign and Eye of the Storm.) That’s a lot of stories! This is also the 100th issue of Star Wars published since the big relaunch in 2014. First, getting to 25 issues on any series is a big deal. “ I’ve been hinting about something special happening for the upcoming twenty-fifth issue of Marvel’s Star Wars comic series, which I’ve been writing since 2020. Here’s what Charles had to say about this importance of Star Wars #25 on his newsletter from March 2022. **Check out “what’s new” in Star Wars Collectables this week on TFAW** While we know very little about the specifics of this issue we do know that Charles has been writing it for years and Marvel is producing EIGHT open covers and two retail incentive covers. And after being lured into a trap on Cloud City and bested in a vicious lightsaber duel against the evil Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker…learned the horrible truth about his past.What Makes Star Wars #25 A Milestone Issue?Īccording to Charles Soule, since this is his 100th modern era Star Wars comic and the 100th comic in the Star Wars run (20), he’s received the greenlight from Marvel and Disney to do something special with it. Han Solo…lost to the bounty hunter, Boba Fett, after being frozen in carbonite. The Rebel fleet…scattered following a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Hoth. In the wake of the events following The Empire Strikes Back, it is a dark time for the heroes of the Rebellion. What did you think of Star Wars #1, did you have a favorite panel? Comment below with your thoughts. Powerful is the word that comes to mind with the combination of Saiz’s work and Soule’s words as you turn to the last page.  I was hooked immediately, and one of the main reasons was Saiz’s artwork.  The new series takes place right after Luke’s confrontation with Darth Vader in Empire Strikes Back. This week we are talking about the new Star Wars series written by Charles Soule, with art by Jesús Saiz, Arif Prianto & Saiz worked on colors, and Clayton Cowles added the letters. Welcome to PANEL BREAKDOWN, a weekly series where we take a look at our favorite panels of a comic book.

The psychopathology of everyday life