About

Welcome!

I’ve been living in this small town on the west coast of Japan since 2003. I used to live in Manchester, England. When I was in my early teens, I would dream about going to Japan. Now I’m here. It is an amazing country, despite there not being any samurai or ninja wandering around the streets. Well, none that I have actually seen.

This blog began with a couple of beer reviews and random thoughts. I got lost for a while then restarted it at the end of September 2015. It seems to have morphed into just what cyberspace needs, yet another book review blog.

I’ve gone through different phases of genre interests over the years, but have always had a soft spot for science fiction & fantasy. I love stories that ask questions about reality and perception, that take you on a fantastic journey. That’s why I keep returning here.

Here is the late, great Terry Pratchett quoting the late, great G.K. Chesterton:

“The British author G.K. Chesterton summarized the role of fantasy very well. He said its purpose was to take the everyday, commonplace world and lift it up and turn it around and show it to us from a different perspective, so that once again we see it for the first time and realize how marvelous it is. Fantasy – the ability to envisage the world in many different ways – is one of the skills that make us human.”

Review Policy

My review policy is to express my thoughts on the work I am reviewing without revealing too much of the story. I will do my utmost to keep these reviews spoiler-free, and post spoiler-warnings where needed. I don’t use a ratings system. I just give my opinion on whether I would recommend the book to a good friend or not. If you scan through some of my reviews you will get an idea of the kind of writing I enjoy.

Thank you for coming this far. My name is Graham. It’s great to meet you!