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Underground > Books, Criticism & Writing >

Christopher Fowler

09:56 / 10.09.04

Anyone here read much Christopher Fowler? His debut (I think) novel, Roofworld, got a lot of press quite some years ago. I remember it being quite good in a light, Neverwhere-ish (which, of course, came after it) sort of way.

I remember reading a book of short stories by him, all urban legends and ghostly kids on housing estates, and something called Disturbia about a young man set on a mysterious game where his life was forfeit.

Just picked up his latest paperback, which is called the Full Dark House and features his elderly detectives Bryan and May (matchless, obviously), members of the Met's Peculiar Crimes Unit.

Anyone read any Fowler or have any thoughts on him?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

07:41 / 11.09.04

I remember being a bit disappointed with Roofworld at the time, and giving up on him for a while. Then I met a guy (now one of my best friends) who absolutely adored him, and convinced me to give him another chance. So I did.

(Incidentally, I bought Full Dark House the other day, then moved. So it's in a box somewhere, unreadable. Bugger.)

Psychoville was a lot of "fun", as was Soho Black (which iirc featured Bryant & May). I think his short stories tend to be better- any of the four or so anthologies should have plenty of cool stuff in.

I met him once, when I was working in Forbidden Planet a few years ago- I was standing next to the horror section while holding forth about the shitness of Brian Lumley's prose, when this embarrassed-looking guy came over, noticed I was standing right next to HIS books, and thought I was talking about him. I reassured him I wasn't, and we had quite a nice little chat. Very nice man.

(Oh, and Roofworld was better on second reading too).

Apparently Spanky's his best- but I haven't read that one yet.

04:13 / 16.09.04

Dear lord... "Roofworld"? I had completely forgotten that this book ever existed... and how much I freaking loved it when I real it, early-highschool-ish. Just hearing the title has beamed a memory back into my head: my brother saying that Kevin Costner should play the lead in the movie-of-the-book.

Surely this can't be right.

09:12 / 07.10.04

Well, not many takers for Christopher Fowler round these parts, but just thought I'd mention that I've just finished Full Dark House and it was actually really good. I thought it was going to be a fairly bog-standard crime novel with Fowler-esque urban quirkiness tacked on, but it was an engrossing, engaging read which flipped nicely between the Forties and the present day and had some nice characterisation, a genuine unusual-ness about it, and a main character that has replaced Avon as my mental image of Haus.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

21:50 / 07.10.04

Still haven't been able to find my copy of FDH... Arse.

01:22 / 08.10.04

Spanky's pretty good.

But I've always been a bit disturbed by Fowler's obsession with material success - It's a big theme in Spanky, which, while on the one hand, is your basic retelling of Dr Faustus etc, also carries the suggestion that you're some sort of loser if you're not crash into designer nice things. Chrisopher Fowler has got his own marketing company, he'll have you know, at least in anything I've read it's always been flagged up heavily in the author's bio bit, and I'm not totally sure if any self-respecting novelist should do, really.

19:18 / 08.10.04

Picked up Spanky in an airport once (because of the excellent cover) and I enjoyed that. It read quickly and intelligently. Years later, reading His Dark Materials, I thought about it again and heard thematic echoes.

But have tried a few others of his since, at the urging of Ganesh, who is a fan, and abandoned them after a few chapters.

20:19 / 08.10.04

Well, tell him to get his Spanky little ass over here and contribute to this thread!

03:38 / 10.10.04

Mmmm, he's playing dj at the moment in a thermal fleece and no undergarments in place so I have addressed his spanky little ass directly and have instructed it to respond to your ukase, bossy published author chappie. He talks through his arse much of the time so we may anticipate some fabulously proctological ruminations.

*broken image removed*

Much kudos to Mr Fowler for the invention of Spancialosaphus Lacrimosae though, a very superior demon in high faustian vein, and so-o-o sexxxy.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

02:48 / 04.07.06

I've been popcorn-gobbling his Bryant & May books the last week or so; three-quarters through with "Seventy-Seven Clocks." I'm really enjoying them so far, although I suspect the whole series will get old quickly. I've had some trouble finding his other stuff, so far, but recommendations? I read Menz Insana, his graphic novel, eons ago but I seem to have lost my copy.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

09:53 / 04.07.06

One of the broadsheets had, in its arts supplement (I think it was the Independent's ABC section) at the weekend, a new Bryant & May short story. Not read it yet, but it's probably still available online.

07:03 / 05.07.06

Christopher Fowler, according to this week's IOS, has written 24 books, and I'm guessing he's still in his forties.

I don't know about anyone else, but that makes me want to do a sick on the clothes.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

18:24 / 05.07.06

Bryant and May strike me as an extremely drawn out Vaudeville act. I can see why he'd have written so many books at this point ... based on the mysteries, he has a knack for a certain amount of repeating patterns. Any of the other, non-Bryant stuff worth reading? I'll see what I can track down through the catalogue at work.

11:57 / 06.07.06

The Bryant and May series is, apparently, finite and stopping at six books. Probably when one or the other carks it.

And yes, Granny: 24 books by your forties is wrong. How can he have found time to fit in the requisite life experience to enable you to write convincingly about demons, rooftop societies and owd duffers solving crimes?

13:23 / 06.07.06

His books seem to be itching to be optioned for film rights -
I enjoyed Spanky & Psychoville in particular.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

20:13 / 07.07.06

Haven't read Spanky, but a lot of people whose opinions I respect have told me it's great. Psychoville's good, too, (though as I remember the "twist" is kind of unnecessary and could easily have been left out altogether)- Soho Black is excellent, and Roofworld's a lot of fun.

As I said upthread, though, I'd recommend most of all his short stories. They're all, at the very least, good, with some of them being fucking amazing. He does "urban British horror" like nobody else other than maybe Ramsey Campbell, who's one of my favourite horror writers, so it's quite a compliment.

23:52 / 07.07.06

I seem to remember reading that Martin Scorsese had optioned 'Spanky,' so there's presumably a script, but that was years ago.

And it could have been good - as with the rumour that Gary Oldman was going to star in the movie version of Martin Amis' 'Money' though, it seems like one of those sadly unrealised Hollywood 'what-ifs.'

Sax; as someone who's working on their debut (in the sense of being published, you understand) novel at the age of 75, I'm perhaps not the go-to girl on this subject, but twenty four books before, quite conceivably, your life's half over seems a bit much to ask of your hardcore fanbase - to a certain extent, you'd be assuming that most of them had, well, 'issues,' you know?

ONLY NICE THINGS

17:32 / 08.07.06

Two words, dude. Terry Fucking Fucking Fucking Pratchett.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

18:10 / 08.07.06

I don't understand, Haus. If you're putting stupid-hat-boy on a par with Fowler, then I'm afraid we may have to fight.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

18:13 / 08.07.06

Oh, okay, I reread Granny's post, and cut out the doddering and offerings of tea. I understand now.

But Fowler's younger than stupid-hat-boy, though, surely? Maybe he's just better-toned, I don't know, but Pratchett always struck me as older, grumpier, more curmudgeonly, and generally a bit more rubbish.

ONLY NICE THINGS

11:58 / 09.07.06

Actually, there's not as big an age gap as you'd imagine - Fowler was born in 1953, Pratchett in 1948. However, Fowler did start his main work later - although his humour books were being published at about the same time as the first Discworld novels. My point was only that there are writers out there who are equally prolific and as or more successful, although of course you may have your own ideas about their relative qualities.