Breakfast in the Ruins

The patrons spoke and this year's full-bore Halloween Special is Sabat - The Graveyard Vultures (and more) by Guy N Smith... It's fair to say that this one was challenging, and not just because our hero is a massive wanker. There's more... much more... Content warning for sexual violence and exasperated hosts.

In this, our third (?) Halloween episode for 2024, we tackle the book Loz describes as, "crass, bluff and gittish"! It's SLIMER... our second experience of Harry Adam Knight action on Breakfast in the Ruins and it certainly was a book. Interesting developments on the 'base under siege by weird monster' are brought low by some of the unfortunate tropes of the genre at the time. Still, fortunately, the D6 Wandering Beer Table made a welcome return and generally we rolled rather well! Content warning for sexual violence (in the book, not between me and Loz) and really shitty characters. Our last look at Harry Adam Knight was our 2023 Uncosy Catastrophe read of The Fungus

We are firmly in our Halloween groove. The eco-horror of Pisces Rising may have given us a light step into the season, but now we're up to our necks in it and our choices for this year not only include the winner and one of the runners-up from this year's patron poll, but we're also taking a look at one that has featured on past polls but never reached the top... William Hope Hodgson's classic of weird fiction and cosmic dread... The House on the Borderland. Author, editor and musician Allister Thompson is back for this one - check out his musical retrospective and his debut novel The Music of the Spheres. We also touch on Lovecraft and some musical interpretations, including one by Nostalgia and Borderlands by Tactile, an extract of which can be heard at the end of the show. JOIN US!

In this bonus fix-up episode, I meet up with our pen-pal Robert MacMillan in a coffee shop in Bradford to set the scene for our journey into the worlds of Bastable… this wasn't our initial plan. Still, life intervenes in strange ways sometimes and we follow the moonbeam roads as we must. As well as Moorcock, we talk about 1980s coach holidays to Palamos, VHS tracking, Bond, Who conventions, Pontins Prestatyn, the literary merits of Lawrence Durrell and all sorts of other things.

It's October already so it's time for Graham to return for our traditional Halloween period of exploring killer critter features and, from time to time, discovering new author rabbit holes to tumble down. This time, it's PISCES RISING by NEL stalwart Peter Cave and his one-time collaborator Margaret Wredden. Fantastic creation myths combine with brutal deaths, drinking bitter in a pub in Lowestoft, and a sadly underfeatured octopus called Bluey. JOIN US!!!

From the North he came, to seek knowledge and fortune. Cast out by his tribe for offending Ulfr, God of the Wastes, he is driven by mirth, restrained by melancholy. One day he will return to make offerings to the Bear Druids, particularly Mewler the Claw. She thinks he’s an idiot but owes him a debt. Memories of Krangg, The Iron Bear Clarky is back in Derry and Toms to talk Conan knock-offs, and pool our thoughts on an all-Barbarian game and how to resolve the inevitable "Pah! My hand-tailored sandals are more northern than you, you weakling southlander habadasher!" type conflicts. We get into Thongor and Brak mainly, but also a touch of Kothar and a mild dusting of some other characters whose names I've forgotten. One of them had a halberd though. JOIN US "Dishonesty hollows a man, like the bog bug hollows out a tree. Don’t be that tree. It’s dry, useless and dusty, although it does burn ok." Krangg, 134th of Ogbok's Moon, 13423

New traveller Liam Jones drops by Derry & Toms to discuss one of his favourite things... Victorian Invasion literature... as we tackle the Moorcock-edited anthology Before Armageddon, a collection of Victorian and Edwardian imaginative fiction. Liam also teaches me about the Parisian dandy criminals, the Apaches! (Who I must now write into my next game...) Very cool! At some point we'll take a look at volume II - England Invaded

Dave is back in Derry & Toms to talk about some stories that were as formative for him as they were for me back in our teens... The Robert E Howard Conan stories, The Phoenix on the Sword and The Scarlet Citadel. Dave also gives us an update on the latest SÖNUS news and we delve into some of the murkier aspects of the pulp of the time. But mostly we enjoy the head smashing and the surprisingly textured and erudite version of the Cimmerian in those first two stories. Although this is our first Conan focused episode, Phil and I did look at The Tower of the Elephant way back in the early days in our first Happy Birthday Michael Moorcock episode back in December 2019. How time flies...

Pig-bombs, priests in daisy dukes, dressing down the Theocrat of Pan Tang and getting torn apart by dogs are just some of the highlights as I’m joined in D&Ts once again by Steve Round to talk Stormbringer gaming and this time he’s brought the whole damn party. The wandering beer table returns and, as a reward to the gang, we debut an all-new lazily assembled table of rubbish demon-bound quest goodies. So join Steve, Chloe, Sara, Roddy, Jay, Richie and Ceirun as we board the Merciful Servant and reflect on what it takes to save the Young Kingdoms from the overbearing and stagnant forces of Law! Content warning: The Void campaign is Moorcockian and therefore spicy. And Steve tries a smoked beer. Horrific! You can find the full write-ups of The Void campaign and more on Steve’s blog – Cruising For a Musin

Miles is back to carry on our deep dive into Mike's Who/Multiverse mash-up and also talk about Ncuti's first run, the Timeless Child arc, writing Who fiction, engaged Tom vs couldn't give a hoot Tom and loads of other stuff no doubt. Join us! And be sure to check out the Casual Trek Podcast too.

Allister Thompson returns to Derry and Toms as we hurtle back to 1918 and brave the cold waters of the Atlantic to take a look at The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs, subject of Michael Moorcock's sole filmed movie script (along with James Cawthron of course). Expect discussions about mysterious island tropes, personal propensities to cannibalism, dodgy theories of race and C Thomas Howell! Allister's latest release (at time of posting this at least) is Apocalypse Man by Khan Tengri and it includes a nice Moorcockian track too.

FINALLY! After all this dancing around the subject of Michael Moorcock writing for the iconic Doctor Who IP and talking Alien and Quatermass and Blake's 7, Miles joins me in the Cloister Room as we just about get to The Coming of the Terraphiles... Just about... But with our tendency to go off on tangents AND 61 years of Doctor Who to consider perhaps it was inevitable that this would be a multi-part deal. Anyway, join us as we talk about Timelords, edgy 90s Who novels, 12p swiss rolls and much more besides... even a bit of Moorcock here and there. LISTEN TO THE CASUAL TREK PODCAST

Join my co-conspirator John and me as we board the Civil Administration ship London where our brutally oppressive crew sets the speed to Time Distort 5 and makes for Cygnus Alpha where we will all suffer for our crimes! En route, we'll have plenty of time (between beatings and summary executions) to discuss Trevor Hoyle's novelisation of the first four episodes of Terry Nation's Blake's 7 and the series itself. And some other stuff. Sadly, we chose a book that features NO SERVALAN WHATSOEVER. But we still talk about her...

Andy Darby is back in Derry and Toms to talk about his all-new novel, The Blade in the Angel's Shadow! Enochian madness, brutal sieges, swordplay and the machinations of the Elizabethan court all combine to give our heroine a hard time, some gnarly powers and a profound ethical dilemma. It's available from all good stockists now...

Andrew Nette returns to Derry and Toms as we continue to muse over some formative telly, novelisations and other stuff but on this occasion to talk about Nigel Kneale's enduring and iconic character Professor Bernard Quatermass (and a load of other digressions, naturally, including brief musings on a favourite mercenary war flick). We roam around the original Hammer films, the impact of Quatermass on the zeitgeist and, most specifically, the 1979 serial and its novelisation by Nigel Kneale himself. HUFFITY-PUFFITY PUFF!!! Check out Quatermass III on Bandcamp

In our continued deliberations about tackling Michael Moorcock's Doctor Who novel The Coming of the Terraphiles, several questions about the pitfalls of writing for established IPs have arisen, and a pressing one is: What happens when Trumpton and British politics intrude upon the Alien universe? We investigated so you don't have to, so join Miles Reid-Lobatto (writer and co-host of the Casual Trek Podcast) and SF Starship artist and designer Ian Stead AKA Biomassart as we look at what makes the Alien IP tick and how some recent books have tackled it. Mainly Alien: Colony War. But also Alien: The Cold Forge. Which we probably should have talked about more, because it's great. You can read my 2012 feature on Alien 3 here (just don't start any more flame wars you Colonial Marines fans you).

Loz returns to Derry & Toms to talk about the remaining tales we haven't covered that complete Michael Moorcock's The Weird of the White Wolf. Elric tests some early chat-up lines in While the Gods Laugh, Moonglum finally shows up in The Singing Citadel and Loz bares all (though not his nipple) in a grievance-filled tirade against neopolitan ice cream. JOIN US!

Oliver Brackenbury returns to Derry & Toms to talk about the next phase of his excellent mag New Edge Sword and Sorcery. Moorcock talk, uncovering and unleashing a golden age hero anew and copious amounts of caffeine and lemsip dominate. JOIN US. Be sure to check out the Backerkit link for New Edge Sword and Sorcery issues 3 and 4 and Oliver's podcast So I'm Writing a Novel... The conversation about The Dreaming City and The Folk of the Forest is on Youtube Also check out Dan Charnley's podcast, Dan Rambles and the Preston Speculative Fiction Group's interview with MM

Derek AKA Imrryr returns to Derry and Toms to talk about fellow New Yorker Robert Sheckley, the late master of SF satire and absurdist parables, and his rather unusual and wigged-out 1975 opus... Options. Spoiler... it's out there... AND I LOVE IT! All of the Imrryr catalogue is available via Bandcamp, including merch, and when I get the links for the upcoming physical releases I'll add them here.

So it turns out there's a 'Britain is Fucked' novel about Hawkwind tonning around in a van fighting ghosts and squares with guns that shoot their music AND that happens to feature Moorcock as a tertiary character with a saucy house computer. WHO KNEW??? Well, some of you did obviously... but I didn't until my mate Yarks sent me a copy for my birthday a few years ago. It turns out that I was dimly aware of author Michael Butterworth at the time as I'd had some of his Space 1999 novelisations on my shelf for f'n years without realising that he was one of the dudes behind Savoy Books and appears to be a really cool cat. So who better to drop by Derry and Toms to talk about it than Joe Banks, author of Hawkwind: Days of the Underground: Radical Escapism in the Age of Paranoia? Nobody. Nobody better. JOIN US!

Clarky the Cruel returns to Derry and Toms to revive the One-Shit Book (books that could potentially be read on one visit to the throne) format as we look at SNOWCASTLES by Duncan McGeary. We consider wizard contracting standards, when barbarians aren't barbarians and just what the hell is under Greylock's fur...? We don't read the sequel but we do wonder why those people look like they're out of a 1970s public information film for children. Check out Clarky's blog for updates on his various gaming and reading activities, as well as an end-of-year review and his plans for 2024. Visit the Duncan McGeary webpage for details of his more recent novels and short stories and his author's blog.

In this Birthday Special double-bill of salutations, Joe Monti (editorial Director at SAGA Press) drops by D&Ts to engage in day-drinking, Moorcock talk and chew the fat about editing amazing fantasy and various other bits n' bobs. Also, Joe gets Crabs. Then Phil and Loz join me for a serious* roundtable. Whilst we drink mucky booze and engage in a hastily and lazily bashed together but closely contested Moorcock-related quiz, Phil disses my gourd, Loz dumps on steampunk and a particularly challenging beer punches us in the temple (thanks Ash). *not that serious Quiz Beer slate: · Gravity Well – Photonic Molecules Pale Ale 4.6% · Overtone Brewing Co King of Feasts Pale Ale 4% · Twilight Pilgrim Pumpkin Spice Latte Stout 5.0% · Emperor’s Brewery Kessel Run Peanut Butter Jelly Imperial Stout/Porter 13.1% · Brasserie de Noir Bere Speciale cuvee exceptionale Rhum finish 5.5% · Snake Bite in a can from Aldi the name of which I think I may have suppressed because it was just that ‘orrible Michael Moorcock chorus/refrain is from The Dewey Decibel System by BlöödHag

Simon Perrins (artist, graphic designer and co-host of Can I Pod With Madness) returns to Derry and Toms so we can finally conclude our re-read of the second Corum adventure, The Queen of the Swords. Between wading gods, crackles from beyond the veil and other interventions from the old gods of chaos, we managed to get through books two and three of this adventure intact. So join us for small talk about Moorcock, fighting fantasy books, Loz's Lovecraft formula and our favourite close-harmony choir of chaos oddballs... The artist whose name we couldn't remember, responsible for the Berkley edition covers as above, is David McCall Johnston. Simon is, of course, the geezer behind the visual identity of BITR too. Find him on Instagram and check out his store. Also, have a look at Karmanal of Zert by Blaze Atoms - Here's some info from their bandcamp page (sadly I can't find any evidence of their "Swords & Space Wizards" demo - if you know of it... LET ME KNOW): "This is an instrumental, almost completely mixed preview of the version of "Karmanal of Zert" that will appear on the upcoming "Swords & Space Wizards" demo in early May 2016. This recording is completely unadvertised and uploaded solely so Michael Moorcock himself can hear it. So if you found it, good job. :) lyrics all music conceived, composed and arranged by Aaron DiDonato all guitar, bass, and drums performed and recorded by Aaron DiDonato lyrics (when vocals are added) adapted from the chapter "The Frozen Army" in the book "The Queen of the Swords" by Michael Moorcock (1971) Looming in the distance Over the valley now, come the hopping things Bouncing, several-legged creatures Multiversal nomads, indestructible beings Knowing not of mortality Pledging no allegiance to Law or Chaos Knowing not true existence Having no souls The Karmanal of Zert are coming The Karmanal of Zert, yeah, are coming for you The Karmanal of Zert are coming Here they come - look up and see They lope down the slopes of the hills Seeking the Champion Eternal they’ve been sent to kill – to kill Altering the fates of untold civilizations On untold planes of existence – parallel dimensions of the Earth Massive fangs clash, huge eyes roll Many tentacles lash, fighting for Cosmic control Doing the bidding of the Chaos Lords While in another time and plane they are fighting for Law Fighting for no purpose, no sought-after end Fighting indifferent to consequence The Karmanal of Zert always sing before they feast – always The Karmanal of Zert always sing before they feast – hear them sing Maim Slay Feast The Queen of the Chaos Swords’ laughter fills the sky Maim Slay Feast The Queen of the Chaos Swords’ laughter fills the sky As the Eternal Champion prepares to die Prepare to die Hear the Karmanal of Zert sing Hear them, hear them (repeat) Hear them, hear the Karmanal of Zert sing"

Power up your voxcaster, recite a litany of protection and light a lho stick as beer lover, wargamer and death metal LEGEND Karl Willetts braves the Immaterium to warp over to Derry and Toms and discuss Memoriam, Bolt Thrower, Warhammer and his three rules of beer… Memoriam's latest release is Rise to Power and it and their back catalogue are available at all good stockists. I also wistfully recall my first exposure to Bolt Thrower with the epic and massive game changer for British metal... Realm of Chaos

Miles and Phil brave nuclear Armageddon, mutant rats, zoom meltdowns and horrific rabies treatment to join me in Derry & Toms and check out our patron-selected Halloween double-bill of James Herbert's Domain and Bruno Mattei's Rats: Night of Terror. So paint your windows white, lock the dogs and cats outside, get safely ensconced in your inner sanctum and JOIN US! ... and listen to the Casual Trek Podcast

In this, the second blow of that one-two punch of GNS brain matter, Graham and I welcome Tara Paulsson to Derry and Toms to talk about her Dad and his work. Tara will be at Tamworth Castle's Tales From the Darkside Week on Saturday 28th October and you can find details about 'An Ode to Guy Newman Smith's, 1970's Pulp Fiction Horror' and how to book at www.tamworthcastle.co.uk/darkside You can find all of Tara's GNS content on Instagram, Youtube and soon the official website will be back up at http://www.guynsmith.com. To get on the mailing list for the newsletter, email Tara at [email protected] You can find Bamboo Guerillas on Spotify and Bandcamp and follow them on Instagram and TikTok

Graham and Phil return to Derry and Toms to tackle our third adventure in the company of the mighty Professor Cliff Davenport in the first of a one-two punch of GNS-related early Halloween action. Disturbing violence, saucy language and copious amounts of pus await the unwary traveller. Be sure to check out Graham and the Duck Pond Sailors' latest release Urban Navigators. There's much more to say on Guy and his extensive body of work so tune in to the next episode for a conversation with Guy's daughter Tara.

Phil returns to Derry & Toms to tackle the second Erekosë volume - Pheonix in Obsidian, also known as The Silver Warriors in the USA. Misery, perversion and very metal methods of conveyance abound in this tale of an Earth in its final ebbs of existence. JOIN US!

Chris (AKA Dirk the Dice) returns to Derry and Toms to discuss Michael Moorcock's sort-of-memoir of his time in LA and wider California in Letters From Hollywood. Along the way we drink fusty northern beer, console one another about Pernod-soaked catastrophes in our salad days, wistfully recall the Moorcock/Tolkien Weekender and muse on what form it could take in the future (Dannus/Lud-in-the-Mist Premier Inn Takeover anyone?*). You can find The Grognard Files on all good podcatchers and be sure to read the full Richard Glyn Jones blog post on New Worlds. *#FUCKINGDANNUS

Andy Darby shakes off the Monkey for an evening and drops by D and Ts to take a look at one of Moorcock's 60s SF tales, The Fireclown (later retitled The Winds of Limbo but I'm sticking with the original title for vaguely defined reasons related to being old and finnicky). Strap in for a political thriller laced with astute observations on the natures of media and personality politics, the odd sprinkling of futurism and some oddly prescient sort-of predictions. Check out Andy's brace of psychedelic, acid-laced adventures about a poorly-behaved Monkey taking on the illuminati, worm-holes and Lovecraftian horrors.

Graham returns to Derry and Toms to pick up the chat regarding another Uncosy Catastrophe, on this occasion recommended by listener Paul Miles... 1985's The Fungus by Harry Adam Knight, a book that somehow passed us by despite being firmly in our wheelhouse. Exploding landlords, extremely poor mission personnel choices, sweaty liaisons and deeply unfortunate children await in this tale of an England overwhelmed by scientifically boosted mycelium.

Dave returns to Derry & Toms to pick up our thread with The Sword of the Dawn Book Two, the third instalment in Michael Moorcock's epic The History of the Runestaff. Hawkmoon gets some swish togs but seems to have a real blind spot when it comes to fighting pirates. Meanwhile, D'Averc is... sort of there? Don your wafters and JOIN US! (and check out SÖNUS on bandcamp)

Miles of the Casual Trek Podcast returns to Derry & Toms as we turn flagellant and cast our eyes over the first in John Norman's GOR series (and the Cannon movie adaptation as a Brucey Bonus). Publishers disdain it, booksellers sneer at it and the literary establishment would rather just not talk about it. But the GOR series still has a habit of popping up in the second-hand bookshops we frequent, because there are still millions of 'em kicking about probably. And there's even a Gorean subculture in Darlington!!! But which side are we on? The establishment (and at least one butcher in Darlington)? Or The other people that think it's saucy and cooooool? LISTEN AND FIND OUT! Spoiler: In the end... we're just with Oliver Reed. CW: This podcast contains discussions about themes of sexual exploitation and slavery that are shot through the Gor novels.

For our latest exploration of multiversal gaming, friends of the show Dave and Steve bring games mastering knowledge and expertise to Derry and Toms (as well as a couple of afternoon libations of course). Whilst we consider whether Stormbringer is the Moorcockian RPG to rule them all, we also yak about the lineage of the Stormbringer RPG (see terribly boring powerpoint slide below), gaming as shit-kickers, when games get too meta, cat character sheets, how to nail the dream realms, playing games in Littlewoods cafe, and memories of Oyster Stout (all bad). You can catch up with Dave and Steve's gaming escapades at: tentacledwhisperer.wordpress.com and cruisingforamusing36190591.wordpress.com Also, I refer to Ted's Stormbringer modifications in the intro to this show and you can read his latest thoughts on the games application of Sorcerers and Summoning over on the Tomb of Tedankhamen.

Goran Gligović stopped by Derry and Toms to discuss his art and influences, as well as his work on the recently kickstarted Black Sword Hack: Ultimate Chaos Edition, a Moorcock-influenced roleplaying game from The Merry Mushmen We rove around the joint and, for possibly the first time, Excalibur gets a mention on Breakfast in the Ruins... how it took so long I honestly can't say. We also do a prize draw for some lucky Patron Demons! Check out Goran's Patreon and his InPrnt store.

Simon returns to D&Ts to look at the first part of the second volume of the adventures of Corum, Prince in the Scarlet Robe and tell us all about his new(ish) podcast Can I Pod With Madness (available wherever you consume your pods). Beer mistakes and dodgy audio can't dampen our enthusiasm for some fantastic world-building and the first true appearance of everyone's (well ours anyway) favourite companion/hat/cat combination. JOIN US!

Loz returns to Derry & Toms to brave the final gate (and the depredations of the beer slate) as we conclude our re-read of Michael Moorcock's 1989 Elric novel The Fortress of the Pearl. Expect revisionism (both textual and personal), rose-tinted reflections on the dole, a beer challenge best described as cyclopean and some RPG-focused grumbling as we complete our re-evaluation of a novel we haven't read in over 30 years and fail to pronounce simple English words. JOIN US!

We're back in Derry and Toms in the company of Joe Banks to take a look at Robert Fuest's 1973 film take on Moorcock's The Final Programme (AKA The Last Days of Man on Earth). As is traditional we roam around, but mostly we evaluate The Final Programme as both an adaptation and as a work that stands (or falls) on its own merits, and Joe has a startling take on that ending that I'd never considered. And we talk about some other stuff. JOIN US!

Andrew Nette returns to Derry & Toms to look at the legendary UK publisher of horror, science fiction and alarmingly violent but sociologically savvy pulps -New English Library. NEL looms large on my shelves but I've never delved into their bikersploitation output... UNTIL NOW! Rum content ahead as we talk about the publisher, the key players behind some of their more exploitative output, and two similar yet very different biker novels from the early 70s: Angels From Hell by Mick Norman and The Devil's Rider by Alex R Stuart We also refer to Andrew's groovy book of essays Girl Gangs, Biker Boys, And Real Cool Cats: Pulp Fiction and Youth Culture, 1950 to 1980. Check it out and head on down the rabbit hole...

Allister Thompson, musician and author of The Music of the Spheres, is back in Derry & Toms to talk about the scientific romance and hardcore disco prog phenomenon that is... The War of the Worlds. We look at our entry points into WOTW fandom, the original 1897 classic by HG Wells, a number of adaptations and spin-offs, and the one adaptation that looms large over all the others (the Jeff Wayne album, obviously).

Dave AKA SÖNUS returns to Derry & Toms and we pick up the exploits of Dorian Hawkmoon and his amusing companion Huillam D'Averc in The Sword of the Dawn, third volume of Moorcock's epic The History of the Runestaff. Meliadus gets miffed, Hawkmoon's stoicism is tested, D'Averc gets naked and Count Brass is bored shitless. Join us as we discuss this and much more!

Graham and Miles join me in Derry & Toms to delve into more James Herbert disaster action and muse over the glut of uncosy catastrophes coming out of the 70s paperback boom to answer Aldiss's dismissal of the British sci-fi apocalypse novels of the 60s. We talk about The Dark and touch upon some other examples we've been picking up. As trailed in the show you can find The Casual Trek Podcast on all good podcatchers and you can still find the episode of the Closer to Midnight Podcast covering John Christopher's The Death of Grass and the Cornel Wilde film adaptation No Blade of Grass on DeathofGrass.com Check out Graham's music on his bandcamp pages for Decadnids, Decanids vs NΛＮD (The Black Corridor) and The Duck Pond Sailors.

Oliver Brackenbury drops by Derry & Toms to give us the low down on New Edge Sword & Sorcery, his new anthology magazine heading to Kickstarter around about the time this show goes out. We talk about the magazine as well as numerous things including the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy at Toronto Public Library, Oliver's related podcast Unknown Worlds of the Merril Collection, his path to writing and editing and his main podcast So I'm Writing a Novel. You can find more info about Oliver and all of his projects and activities at https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com This show is played out with Demesne of the Rocks, the opening track from the new N Λ Ṇ D release Journal Vol II.

Loz returns to Derry & Toms to pick up our coverage of The Fortress of the Pearl, muse on Elric's 'nice guy' characterisation, grumble at Jack Three-Beaks, coo over weird sky descriptions and suffer the depredations of the returning D6 wandering beer table. In other news I was delighted to be a guest of Jeff and Hoi on the Appendix N Book Club. Be sure to check out their interview with Mr Moorcock himself too. Also, check out the exquisite black metal dungeon synth of Fortress of the Pearl on Bandcamp.

After falling foul of birthday libations first time around, we're back to finish our exploration of Graham Masterton's The Devils of D-Day. The Seven Tests return, Dan McCook still isn't owning his fundamental rookie error, the Official Secrets Act counts for sweet FA and it turns out Eloise is the MVP of this whole story. We also watch a movie! Surely there has to be a better Graham Masterton protagonist out there right? Turns out there's two (and a very unfortunate doctor)!

Simon is back in Derry & Toms to carry on our chinwagging and this time we're joined by Guy Lawley, author of Saga of the Man Elf. This 1989 five issue Trident comics run is my most highly treasured Moorcock-related comic and Guy tells us how it came to be, how Mike gave it his blessing, and how he worked and moved through UK comics and fanzines. We also discuss the artists involved in the conception of the Man Elf character and story, and dedicate this show to the memory of Steve Whitaker.

Another year has flown by and we return to Derry and Toms for our fourth annual Phil and MM birthday special and celebrate another year on the planet. This time by reading some patron-selected festive horror! Tanks, demons, onion soup, calvados and freezing weather all combine to create a truly seasonal challenge for a horny cartographer. This is a little bit late for reasons explained in the show (birthday boozing) but Happy Birthday to Phil, MM and Sebastian Weetabix - and Happy Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza and whatever you may celebrate at this time of year even if it's just putting your feet up and having a break. If you're working through it, take care and stay safe. We'll be back with Part II of our musings on The Devils of D-Day in the next few days. In the meantime.. HAVE A COOL YULE!

Simon Perrins joins me in Derry and Toms to discuss Moorcock, art, comics, Tolkien, TV adaptations, role-playing games, tortured poet musicians we adored in our youths and generally go totally fugazi. Simon is the man behind our banner art, logo, Gerard Arthur Connelly portraits and pretty much our entire visual identity. Follow him on Twitter and check out his store. Listen to BITR Breakfast in the Ruins Radio on Radio Garden. For a visual guide to the imagery we discuss along the way check out the Patreon Post or the BITR Blog.

Phil and Graham return to Derry and Toms to gas about James Herbert's second novel, 1975's The Fog. One year on from The Rats he's back terrorising London and the south-east, this time with a rampaging combination of mutated disease and spooky weather condition. He also baffles and amuses us with protracted sexy-times, which was de rigueur for Herbert at this early stage in his career. Also, I can only apologise to any German listeners for reasons that will become apparent. Behold the crapness of the cover of my Pan edition in the middle. NEL were streets ahead in the cover stakes, particularly that pop art design. This episode is played out by Brayna's Creed, the second track from the upcoming Journal Vol II, available via N Λ Ṇ D Our banner art, avatars and logos were created by Simon Perrins. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and check out his store. Listen to BITR Breakfast in the Ruins Radio on Radio Garden.

Andy Darby joins me in virtual Derry and Toms to talk his tales of the Monkey God, Moorcock, and lots of other stuff including reminiscences about Johnny Seven, Lion annuals, Commando comics, Mme. Blavatsky, My First Two Thousand Years and tripping in Amsterdam. You can pick up Vol I and The Paddington Incident now and Vol II releases on 5th November. There are QR codes with the illustrations in Vol 2 and The Paddington Incident that link to audio sections narrated by Andy, and you can connect with him on Goodreads. Brayna's Creed, the second track from the upcoming Journal Vol II is available via N Λ Ṇ D This episode is played out by the title track from The Dreaming City III by Immryr. At the time of recording (and at the time we released The Black Corridor) this was the latest release from Imrryr but, characteristically, there is another available for pre-order already. Check out One Flesh, One End. Andy's reading recommendations: C J Cherryh: Gate of Ivrel, Well of Shiuan, Fires of Azeroth, Exile's Gate Madeline Miller: Circe, The Song of Achilles, Pat Barker: The Silence of the Girls, Natalie Haynes: A Thousand Ships, Conn Iggulden: Conqueror series (these are just fucking epic!) Tim Willocks: The Religion (awesome!), The Twelve Children of Paris (awesome 2!) Ben Aaronovitch: Rivers of London series Jonathan L Howard: Johannes Cabal series Catherynne M. Valente: Deathless Kim Newman: Anno Dracula Karl Edward Wagner: Kane series Chris Carlsen: Berserker series Stewart Gordon Suaine and the Crow God Iain Banks: The Wasp Factory, The Bridge Walking on Glass, Clive Barker: Weave World