Last time I tried to review one of David Wellbrook’s e-books on Amazon, my attempt there was thwarted…
…the subsequent chain of, what can only be described as a Wellbrookian, events, led to me, in effect, self-publishing that review (above).
Never one to duck a challenge, me. Having just finished reading David Wellbrook’s latest e-book, Blood On the Cobbles (And Other Stories), I thought long and hard about how best to punish Amazon for its ludicrous semi-automated, semi-jobsworth response last time.
Then it dawned on me.
I’ll ignore them completely and just self-publish my review. That’ll show them who’s boss.
So take that, Amazon, you twats. I said that I wouldn’t post reviews on your site any more and I’m still sticking it to you. So there.
Now, where was I? Ah, yes. David Wellbrook’s latest e-book, Blood On the Cobbles (And Other Stories):
It’s rather good.
If you liked the previous book, My Good Friend, then I can thoroughly recommend it as a continuation and progression from that book, with a couple of actual My Good Friend stories (i.e. stories about the self-same friend); Day Tipper and Xenon. Also there are a few My Good Friend-like stories, about other friends…
…cripes, Wellbrook has more than one friend?…
…such as Edinburgh Fringe (hello John), Fancy Dress (hello Leigh) and Fashion Fail (hello chaps).
Actually, you can read a sample of the new book on this very site, as David kindly granted me permission to publish an earlier version of Fashion Fail, on this very site earlier this year – click here or below:
That earlier version of Fashion Fail was the first of several pieces that David piloted at Rohan Candappa’s Threadmash, which is described in the foreword to the above piece.
It is at this juncture that I can promise those who didn’t much like My Good Friend, that many of the stories in Blood On the Cobbles (And Other Stories) are very different in style and tone from the first e-book.
There are several autobiographical pieces in this new book, ranging in tone from the gently touching Metempsychosis through the black comedy of Blood On The Cobbles (both about the aftermath of David’s father dying) to the profoundly heartfelt and moving God I Owe You One, which David bravely recited with terrific effect at the second Threadmash.
A personal favourite of mine in this new collection is Crèche; far less momentous and dramatic than the other autobiographical stories, but I thought it beautifully written and very charming.
In addition, David is broadening his scope in this collection with some pure fiction, playing with genres away from his comfort zone. To my taste the best of those is The Gift, which I had the honour to recite at Threadmash Four in November (if you click that link you’ll find my The Gift, not David’s).
David’s story, The Gift, is more Dahlian than Wellbrookian; a sort-of horror story with twists.
In the two-part story The Visitor, David again plays with twists and weirdness, while ultimately (in my view) reprising some of the themes from his personal stories when he returns to conclude the Visitor story and also the book, right at the end of the collection.
I also very much enjoyed Ennui, which is a spoof absurdist play by a spoof obscure absurdist playwright within a story about going to the theatre with his wife. I’m not sure what the Trafalgar Studios ever did to upset David as I’m sure that place does not deserve to be the only genuine thing named in the story. Perhaps Trafalgar Studios refused to publish one of David’s on-line reviews…
…which brings me neatly back to Amazon, the place I am still boycotting in publishing reviews terms but of course am not boycotting from the point of view of them selling David’s (nor my, nor anyone else’s) books.
Go to Amazon through the following links to buy David Wellbrook’s latest e-book, Blood On the Cobbles (And Other Stories):
Amazon is THE place to buy the book; indeed it is the only place. £2.99. You know you can afford it.