The Plots Against Hitler by Danny Orbach

The men and women who resisted Hitler have been cast as heroes and villains of both the left and right. The conspirators and their actions have been remembered in black and white, with the viewer choosing the colours with which to paint them. In Danny Orbach’s new history of the resistance, The Plots Against Hitler, he very convincingly shows us that rather than pure saints or sinners, the complexity and contradictions of the conspirators makes them that most difficult of things to digest, human.

Baby Driver

For as long as he can remember, the great chase films were whirling around in Edgar Wright's mind (as they do us all). Great films like Walter Hill’s The Driver, John Landis’ The Blues Brothers and Richard C. Sarafian’s incredible Vanishing Point to name but three. For twenty odd years, Wright has wanted to honour them and put his own, very singular, stamp on the genre. With Baby Driver he has crafted something special, his very own car chase musical.

Vindolanda by Adrian Goldsworthy

Adrian Goldworthy's novel Vindolanda take us to Britain before the Wall, were our hero Ferox, a Briton naturalised into Rome, finds himself in the far north. With depression stalking him, a crisis arises that requires him to put his skills back to work and uncover the misdeeds of his own and the scheming of those who consider him a traitor. Vindolanda is vividly told and, once it gets going, a highly enjoyable ride.

Matthew Bone18 June 2017Comment

Blackbird by James Hamilton-Paterson

The Blackbird series of aircraft, by the legendary Lockheed designer Kelly Johnson, is the subject of James Hamilton-Paterson's latest non-fiction venture into aviation. Hamilton-Paterson tells a tale of Cold War paranoia and desperation that lead to an incredible aircraft that lived out beyond Mach 3 on the meter. Blackbird is a worthy tribute to her designer, those brave Habu and the incredible craft they rode.

The Serpent Sword by Matthew Harffy

The Dark Ages in Britain are a fertile period to mine. The sources, few as they are, talk of kings and warlords, battles and death, and then arrive the men from the North. It is the period of Beowulf and Arthur, of a Britain living in the decay of the Roman withdrawal and the arrival of a new God to fight the old. Into this mix, Matthew Harffy has thrown a young warrior, Beobrand, into the turmoil of Northumbria to find his fame.

American War by Omar El Akkad

Speculative fiction is one that treads a fine line. Too far one way and it is dismissed as preachy or too far the other and it falls into the science fiction netherworld. When realising a world where global warming has changed the map of our world and America has again fractured North and South. With American War, Omar El Akkad has trod that line deftly with an extraordinary look at the cultivation of hate.

Unprecidented by Tiger Woods

Unprecedented is Tiger Woods looking back at at his first Master win, 20 years ago now. Tiger is a towering figure in modern golf. He literally changed the game. Looking back at the 1997 Masters at Augusta National though, Tiger provides a wonderful insight into what made those incredible four round unprecedented in the illustrious history of The Masters. And a fascinating look it is too.

Books, ReviewsMatthew Bone17 April 2017Tiger Woods, Lorne Rubenstein, Golf, The Masters, Augusta National, Major, Unprecedented, 1997 Master, Parents, FamilyComment

Their Finest

Their Finest does that difficult thing of being funny about a period and reverential about it at the same time. And above it all is Gemma Arterton. Her performance is subtle, humorous, strong and committed. Their Finest is one of those increasingly rare occasions where a film happily sits across generations and manages to please all.

David Baddiel My Family: Not The Sitcom

As George Bernard Shaw once famously wrote: "If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance." In the case of David Baddiel's new show My Family: Not The Sitcom, he doesn't so much make them out to dance, as line his parents up and conga them around the Playhouse Theatre. That and spending two hours taking his mother's grammar and her spelling of masturbation to task.

ReviewsMatthew Bone7 April 2017David Baddiel, Baddiel, My Family Not The Sitcom, Stage, Theatre, Humor, Humour, Parnets, Life, Death, Sex, Dementia, IllnessComment

Kohinoor by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand

A stunning biography of the Koh-i-noor diamond that has been coveted for millennia. Dalrymple and Anand cover the myths and history of the most famous rock in the work with a deft yet firm touch. Beautifully written, Kohinoor is a superb biography of one of the most divisive items in the world.

The 24 Hour War

A look back on the epic battle between Ford and Ferrari in the late 1960's at Le Mans. The 24 Hour War recounts the troubled birth of the legendary Ford GT40 and the lengths the Ford Motor Company went to to beat the world over the course of a day. While a solid racing documentary, the focus is disingenuous and Amerocentric, which does a disservice the international racers that made the GT40 what it was.

Life Moves Pretty Fast by Hadley Freeman

Life Moves Pretty Fast is a race through why 80's films were better, deeper and better (did I mention better?). Hadley Freeman's look back at some of the standout films of the decade is a fabulous conversation on that era and why we've lost that heart in our films today.

Find Me by J.S. Monroe

A thriller is a funny thing. It really serves one purpose, to capture the reader and make sure they keep turning the pages. For something so simple, it is a very hard thing to get right. With Find Me, J.S. Monroe has crafted a dark, twisty, twisted thriller that keeps the pages turning.

Books, ReviewsMatthew Bone29 January 2017Novel, Fiction, Thiller, JS Monroe, Spy, Spying, Loss, Death, Literary, Head of ZeusComment

Airborne by Robert Radcliffe

I have loved Robert Radcliffe's previous five novels, to the point I even read one of them as an eBook. Radcliffe’s new tale is his most ambitious yet. Airborne is the first of trilogy of novels telling the tale of a boy caught between countries, in search of a father and who finds two; John Frost, godfather of the Parachute Regiment and Erwin Rommel, The Desert Fox.

The Pigeon Tunnel by John Le Carre

A year on from Adam Sisman's exhaustive biography, John Le Carre takes up his own pen to tell the stories he wants too from his life. Entertainingly written and yet somewhat light on it's feet, The Pigeon Tunnel manages to captivate as a good Le Carre does and tell you nothing that you don't already know. Some would call the the perfect autobiography.

Daughter of Eden by Chris Beckett

The final chapter in Chris Beckett's Eden trilogy is a fitting finale for our time on Eden. This is as spoiler free a review I can make it with out spoiling the whole thing. Suffice to say, it is a strong finish.

Books, ReviewsMatthew Bone2 January 2017Daughter of Eden, Eden, Mother of Eden, Dark Eden, Chris Beckett, Chris Becket, Sci Fi, Trilogy, Book, Novel, ReviewComment

Rogue One

Disney's newest gamble is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a film set between the events of Episode III and in the weeks leading up to Episode IV. Dropping the film into the middle of the cannon is risky and needs a steady hand. It is a gamble that has paid off, correcting the overkill of Abrams approach and shedding a new and complex light onto the heart of the rebellion.

Scheherazade.2

John Adams' Scheherazade.2 is a moving powerful symphony but how it would work without the woman for whom it was written is beyond me. Leila Josefowicz is a marvel and her performance on Thursday at the Barbican with the London Symphony Orchestra one that elevates the form and contempory music to a new level.

Nothing Lasts Forever

What happens when Saturday Night Live's star writer gets a shot at writing and directing his first feature? He casts an 18 year old unknown alongside Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd and unleashes the crazy. Nothing Lasts Forever is wonderful madness and I have to thank The Prince Charles and Zach Galligan for a great Sunday night out.

1666 by Rebecca Rideal

1666: Plague, War and Hellfire is a wonderful narrative history of the fall and rise of London. Bringing a city that was riven with death to vivid life, Rebecca Rideal has crafted a fascinating tale of London in its darkest night before it's glorious dawn.