Bøger af Martin Millar

There are many troubled people in these cities. Troubled werewolves and fairies too, jostling for space, arguing with their families, running from danger, or just wondering where their absent lovers might be. Comprising eight short stories, one short autobiographical piece and five extracts from my novels, Troubled Cities serves as both a collection of urban entertainment and an overview of my writing career.

Mox and Mitsu, owners of Supercute, have millions of dedicated fans all over the world. Supercute has grown into one of the world's largest and most powerful conglomerates. They now own their own weapons company and their London headquarters is protected by an advanced array of drones and missiles. Despite this, they're in danger again. An international force of hostile consortiums, armed mercenaries and artificial intelligences is conspiring to bring them down. Mox and Mitsu would much rather concentrate on their cute clothes and toys but once more they're obliged to fight to survive in their ruined, flooded, irradiated future.

Set in 1972 Scotland, this novel takes readers on a ride through Martin's angsty and fumbling youth, when Led Zeppelin comes to Glasgow and rocks Martin's world, and through his angst-ridden and fumbling adult years.

Though the narrator's life is peppered with myth, demons, werewolves, god and goddesses, the only thing stronger and more sustaining is his friendship with Ruby."From now on," Ruby says to her friend, the narrator, "We're going on the Stone Age diet. It means we only eat the sort of healthy things our ancestors would have eaten. Raw grains and fruits and stuff like that. That's what our bodies are made for." An admirable plan, but Ruby never eats, and the narrator's attention span doesn't lend itself to routine. He's too busy pining for his ex-girlfriend Cis, who broke up with him and left him with self-pity and a plant: an Aphrodite Cactus that, when it flowers, is supposed to seal the love of the giver to the receiver, according to Ruby. Ruby, who never wears any shoes (even in the dead of winter).Though lovelorn and lonely, the narrator's life is rich with myth, demons, werewolves, gods and goddesses; everything is imbued with a spirit. There's Helena, goddess of electric guitar players; Ascanazl, an ancient and powerful Inca spirit who looks after lonely people; Shumash the sun god; the war and sexuality goddess Astarte; the muse Clio. In fact the only thing stronger and more sustaining than the narrator's fantasy life is his friendship with Ruby-the kind of friendship a body is made for.

Most of the Scottish Werewolf Clan have a very low opinion of Kalix Macrinnalch, youngest daughter of the Thane. There is little sympathy for her illiteracy, her substance abuse, her self-harming, her eating disorder, her anxiety, depression and propensity for extreme violence. Safe from her clan in London, and living with two friendly students, she's been much calmer. If only she were allowed to live quietly, she might get on top of her problems.Unfortunately, that's difficult for the young werewolf. She's still the number one target for the werewolf hunters, and they're stepping up their efforts to find her. And no matter how Kalix tries to make her life more normal, there will always come a time when, under threat, her insanity and battle-madness will descend on her, and the skinny young girl will again transform into the most feared and ferocious werewolf in the country.

'I owned it for five years before reading it, then lent my copy to someone I thought should read it, and never got it back. Do not make either of my mistakes. Read it now, and then make your friends buy their own copies. You'll thank me one day' Neil GaimanMorag and Heather, two eighteen-inch fairies with swords, green kilts and badly dyed hair fly through the window of the worst violinist in New York, an overweight and antisocial type named Dinnie, and vomit on his carpet. Who they are, how they came to New York and what this has to do with the lovely Kerry - who lives across the street, and has Crohn's Disease, and is making a flower alphabet - and what this has to do with the other fairies (of all nationalities) of New York, not to mention the poor repressed fairies of Britain, is the subject of this book. It has a war in it, and a most unusual production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Johnny Thunders' New York Dolls guitar solos. What more could anyone desire from a book?Why do readers love The Good Fairies of New York? 'Pure literary gold''I can't remember the last time a book gave me as many belly laughs as this one did' 'Hilarious' 'A fairy tale tale for the new kids on the block : irreverent, subversive, sexually liberated, rich in pop culture references''Page-turning . . . intelligent, but never overdone' 'Off-beat and quirky, but it's also a tale with a beating pulse and moral warmth. Martin Millar is an incredible addition to the paranormal scene - he dirties the genre, roughs it up and screams a story that rings in your ears long after the last page'

Scottish teenage werewolf Kalix MacRinnalch tries to settle in London though she still struggles with anxiety, depression, and self-abuse. Her new friends support her as she goes to college to learn to read and write, but her old enemies won't leave her alone. Many powerful werewolves want Kalix dead, and the Guild of Werewolf Hunters is still dedicated to wiping out the entire Werewolf Clan.Life might be easier for Kalix if her werewolf family were to help, but her sister the Enchantress needs all of her sorcerous powers to locate the perfect pair of high heels, her brother Markus is busy in Scotland organising an opera, and her cousin Dominil is engaged in her own merciless vendetta with her enemies. The MacRinnalch Werewolf Clan has problems of its own, from angry Fire Elementals to uncooperative fashion editors, leaving Kalix to struggle on alone. Kalix finds it's difficult enough for a young werewolf to pay the rent, without struggling against werewolf hunters and college exams at the same time.

There’s a megalomaniac professor digging a hole outside his flat. His small stake in the amphetamine market in Brixton is being threatened by a mysterious Chinese man. And the Milk Marketing Board has taken out a contract on his life. Welcome to the bizarre, obsessive world of Alby Starvation.Alby’s doctor refuses to believe he’s allergic to just about everything (which he is), especially milk. But when Alby soon discovers that his ongoing ailments are directly linked to the consumption of said product, he gives it up and is cured. Only thing is, he goes on to suggest this remedy to a number of other people suffering from milk allergies. In Millar’s surreal backyard, the Milk Marketing Board sees sales slump to an alltime low. So there’s only one thing left to do: put out a contract on Alby Starvation. Now Alby must save both his life and his precious comic collection.In Martin Millar’s surreal tale of the urban counterculture—a world full of shoplifting, deaththreats, paranoia, and video game arcades—Alby’s frantic struggle to avoid being shot falls somewhere between Irvine Welsh and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

As teenage werewolf Kalix MacRinnalch is pursued through the streets of London by murderous hunters, her sister, the Werewolf Enchantress, is busy designing clothes for the Fire Queen. Meanwhile, in the Scottish Highlands, the MacRinnalch Clan is plotting and feuding after the head of the clan suddenly dies intestate. As the court intrigue threatens to explode in all-out civil war, the competing factions determine that Kalix is the swing vote necessary to assume leadership of the clan. Unfortunately, Kalix isn't really into clan politics - laudanum's more her thing. But what's even more unfortunate is that Kalix is the reason the head of the clan ended up dead, which is why she's now on the run in London...