![]() ![]() At the end of the first novel, set in a bleak, ravaged 2045 where humankind sought refuge in a virtual world known as OASIS, teenager Wade Watts won the ultimate virtual reality supergame and inherited the fortune of OASIS creator James Halliday. McDonnell combines gonzo humour and neat character studies in the first volume of an urban fantasy series.Įrnest Cline’s 2011 debut Ready Player One was a publishing sensation, and fans have had to wait almost 10 years for the sequel, Ready Player Two (Century, £20). After investigating a series of strange deaths, Hannah and her colleagues learn that the tall stories they trade in might have some basis in fact, and soon find themselves on the receiving end of malign forces. Fleeing a failed marriage, university dropout Hannah Willis is taken on by the paper – and promoted to assistant editor within two hours of landing the job. Based in a derelict Mancunian church, the paper covers wacky supernatural, occult and bizarre stories – think the Fortean Times run on a shoestring. The Stranger Times is a down-at-heel newspaper staffed by a gallery of lovable hacks and edited by a cynical, splenetic alcoholic. It’s a filmic romp with great characters, a jet-propelled plot, and a winning premise. Standup comedian and writer Caimh McDonnell’s first novel as CK McDonnell, The Stranger Times (Bantam, £14.99), has already been optioned for TV, and it’s not hard to see why. ![]()
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