Andrew Shaw

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN'S BLOCKBUSTER FILM, THE ODYSSEY

Christopher Nolan's blockbuster film adaptation of the epic Greek poem The Odyssey is now breaking box-office records all over the world. Most people love it but there are those who can't help finding fault with it. Helen of Troy is too black, the plume on the helmet of Odysseus is too red, the armour worn by Greek warriors belongs in a Batman film, not the Bronze Age. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. It's brought the Woke Brigade out...

THE TIGER AND THE WOLF. THE FIRST IN ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY'S ECHOES OF THE FALL TRILOGY

One of the stars of modern SFF has to be Adrian Tchaikovsky. I first came across him through his science fiction novels and have recently started to read his fantasy. His world building, plotting and character development is on a level with the very best. The Tiger and the Wolf is the first in his Echoes of the Fall trilogy. It’s gripping stuff and I’ve already bought Book 2, the Bear and the Serpent

An epic fantasy even older than The Odyssey

This summer sees the release of the blockbuster film, The Odyssey, based on a Greek epic written nearly three thousand years ago. The movie has already received rave reviews, and its all-star cast will almost certainly ensure it's the cinematic event of the summer. It seems destined to win a few Oscars when the time comes. But the Odyssey is not the oldest fantasy epic ever written. That honour goes to a Sumerian epic known as Gilgamesh, which...