WELCOME TO THE CFZ BLOG NETWORK: COME AND JOIN THE FUN

Half a century ago, Belgian Zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans first codified cryptozoology in his book On the Track of Unknown Animals.

The Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) are still on the track, and have been since 1992. But as if chasing unknown animals wasn't enough, we are involved in education, conservation, and good old-fashioned natural history! We already have three journals, the largest cryptozoological publishing house in the world, CFZtv, and the largest cryptozoological conference in the English-speaking world, but in January 2009 someone suggested that we started a daily online magazine! The CFZ bloggo is a collaborative effort by a coalition of members, friends, and supporters of the CFZ, and covers all the subjects with which we deal, with a smattering of music, high strangeness and surreal humour to make up the mix.

It is edited by CFZ Director Jon Downes, and subbed by the lovely Lizzy Bitakara'mire (formerly Clancy), scourge of improper syntax. The daily newsblog is edited by Corinna Downes, head administratrix of the CFZ, and the indexing is done by Lee Canty and Kathy Imbriani. There is regular news from the CFZ Mystery Cat study group, and regular fortean bird news from 'The Watcher of the Skies'. Regular bloggers include Dr Karl Shuker, Dale Drinnon, Richard Muirhead and Richard Freeman.The CFZ bloggo is updated daily, and there's nothing quite like it anywhere else. Come and join us...

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Tuesday, June 02, 2009

LIZZIE'S BOOK IS FANTASTIC

It is always awkward when a friend gives you a copy of his or her book or record to review. I always remember how horrid it was in about 1990 when Fairport Convention, some of whom were then friends of my and my first wife Alison, sent us a copy of their CD The Five Seasons and we absolutely hated it! It was horribly embarrasing, because not only were two of the band our friends, but they had autographed a special promotional copy for us.

This has happened to me on other occasions, and I usually wince when someone I know sends me a book, record or film. The other nioght I was chatting to Lizzie Clancy who is familiar to bloggo readers as a regular contributor. She had written a novella she said. "Oh dear" I thought, but bought a copy to be nice.

READ MY LIPS

I repeat

READ MY LIPS

This book is bloody fantastic, and shows a depth of literary ability that I would never have guessed that Lizzie was in posession of. It tells the story of a girl called Carolina who, when the normal childhood imaginary friends and "fairies at the bottom of the garden" don't fade away with the onset of puberty, gets sent to a mental hospital. Some years later she runs away and finds herself in a strange household of monster hunters presided over by an aristocratic stigmatic.

This is Harry Potter on mescalin. This is contemporary fantasy with very few cultural reference points; like most such books it has echoes in Alice in Wonderland etc, but this is Alice with mental health issues, living in tumbledown suburbia, and with Current 93 on her iPod. If it were not for the fact that we are notoriously dreadful at selling fiction, I would start a bidding war with her current publishers for the rights to publish the sequel.

The only thing I ask dear is, if and when CFZtv manages to get a budget, I want the rights to make the film. But the book at the link below - you will NOT be disappointed.

3 comments:

Annie said...

I simply cannot wait to read this book! As a partner in literary crime to Ms Clancy, I would like to point out on her behalf, that said Ms Clancy did not ask for a review to be written, she is mortified of this cheeky falsehood *tuts*. However, since a review has been written, Ms Clancy is utterly tickled a peachy shade of blue (?) and is now very glad she didn't-not ask you to write it :D

Bravo I say, bravo!

C-E B said...

Amazon are currently out of stock and as far as I know my publisher does not deal with them (no idea why). To buy the book from me via Amazon click the blue title of the book in the Amazon box and it will take you to either seller option.

Thank you

Lizzy

C-E B said...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/095601156X/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new