Author Archives: P G Bell

About P G Bell

P. G. Bell (Peter to his friends) is a writer, reviewer and life long fan of sci-fi, fantasy and horror. Born in South Wales, he began watching Doctor Who when he was still crawling and became a proper fan just in time to see the show disappear from the airwaves for 16 years. Needless to say, he was rather chuffed when it reappeared on his doorstep in 2005. Peter has been a regular contributor to The Western Mail newspaper and reviews website Beyond Fiction. He has also had several short stories published, including ‘The Trinket’, a dark fantasy tale from Morrigan Books. He is currently working on a full-length novel.

Torchwood Discussion – Miracle Day 8, ‘End of the Road’

By

Posted on

It’s here! Our (one man) discussion of the latest episode of Miracle Day.

After the twists and revelations of last week’s episode, can Torchwood maintain the standard? Will the presence of so many other sci-fi franchise actors help or hinder them? And just what has Oswald Danes been up to these past few weeks? P.G. Bell takes a one man romp (maybe more of a saunter) through the latest happenings.  James Willetts will be back later in the week with his written review.

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:40 — 8.9MB)

Doctor Who Commentary – 6.08 ‘Let’s Kill Hitler’

By , , and

Posted on

It’s here! Our first commentary of the new (half) series.

And what an episode it was – shock regenerations, miniature people, shape shifting robots, killer squid things, young Amelia and, of course, Adolf Hitler. Plenty to like, plenty to disagree about, so click below to find out what we all thought.

This edition’s commentators: Swithun, Peter, Gwen and Anna.

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:47 — 52.9MB)

Was this episode worth the wait? And were you playing Moffat Bingo with the rest of us? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and on our Facebook page!

Torchwood Discussion – Miracle Day 7, ‘Immortal Sins’

By and

Posted on

No time for a full commentary this week, sorry, but Gwen Williams and P.G. Bell go tête á tête over the details of ‘Immortal Sins’, the latest episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day.

In addition to discussing whether this marks a turning point for the series, we find time to talk about Catholocism, homosexuality, armed police response units, the upward trend of John Barrowman’s acting (no, really) and velociraptors. What more could you ask for? (Apologies for any slight discrepancies in the sound quality of this week’s podcast – we experienced a few technical difficulties that we’ve done our best to remedy in the editing process).

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:30 — 21.5MB)

Looking forward to the return of Doctor Who? Don’t forget to join us for Moffat Bingo, which will be available here on the blog on Saturday. Plus, stay tuned for a word from the man himself, recorded at the recent Q&A session at the British Film Institute!

Torchwood Commentary – Miracle Day 6, ‘The Middle Men’

By , and

Posted on

Caleb Woodbridge, P.G. Bell and Gwen Williams discuss Miracle Day episode 6, ‘The Middle Men’. (Check out our spoiler-free review!)

We discuss Shanghai geography, Chinese swearing, whether 45 storeys is enough to guarantee unconciousness, Ghostbuster Ernie Hudson’s turn as Stuart Owens, Jack Harkness as gay or omnisexual, Esther’s uselessness, Gwen’s awesomeness, and the amount of posing that goes into blowing stuff up! Plus much more…

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:07 — 30.5MB)

Torchwood Commentary – Miracle Day 5, ‘Categories of Life’

By , and

Posted on

Caleb Woodbridge, P.G. Bell and our new American commentator Gwen Williams give our commentary on episode 5, ‘Categories of Life’. (check out our spoiler-free review!)

As the Torchwood team go undercover to uncover the shocking secrets of the overflow camps, has Miracle Day at last hit its stride? Is the shock ending a bold move or big mistake? We discuss disintegrating healthcare systems, British queuing and much more…

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:07:59 — 62.3MB)

Book Review – ‘Dead Souls’ – Editor: Mark S. Deniz

By

Posted on

Our book review thread is back! P.G. Bell dives into Dead Souls, a collection of short tales that charts the murky depths of mankind. 

Reviewing short story anthologies can be a tricky business. Each tale has to be judged on its own merits while the anthology as a whole – with its various authors, tones and voices – has to be considered as a cohesive unit. Many anthologies make life easier by opting for a particular theme, motif or character around which to group their stories but Dead Souls is a little more abstract.

As editor Mark S. Deniz makes clear in his foreword, the anthology uses its title (taken from a song by Joy Division) as its starting point, launching an examination of “human nature through short stories about people, people who do terrible things.”

That sounds clear enough, and you could be forgiven for assuming the book sits firmly in the horror genre, especially given Reece Notley’s gorgeous, if disturbing cover.  But it soon proves to be a rather more nebulous beast.

Continue reading →