March 2026 Update!

 Welcome Nerds and Bookworms!

As I usually point out in these monthly blog posts the previous month has gone fast.  This is very true of February.  The shortest month of the year.

As the Sun sets later, there's more daylight and we march onto spring.  My favourite season of the year.

February Review - I finished my second book of the Year.  The Pirate Loop by Simon Guerrier.  A fine Doctor Who novel.

I also started Legend by David Gemmell.  This was in preparation for GemmellFest which was on the last day of the month.

GemmellFest being a fantastic event whereby I met new friends and it also celebrated David Gemmell.  See previous blog post for more of a review.

Sadly I didn't start my writing again.  Although GemmellFest did inspire me to write.  There were some published and budding authors there.

At work I helped organise a book club where I'm basically in charge for March then it moves onto another team in the office.  So that will help get me reading.

I still never started healthy eating and the gym.

In March -  I'm hoping to finish Legend by the end of the first week in March.

This is because the book voted for at the  Works Book Club is Salem's Lot by Stephen King. 

Other books I added which were voted on was Legend by David Gemmell and My Darling Boy by Helen Cooper.

I'm also hoping to get writing again in March - keep an eye out for details.

In March I need to start getting healthier by eating better and light exercise as I noticed at GemmellFest I looked huge!

Also today as I post this on 5th March it's World Book Day so happy reading!

Neil x

GemmellFest 2026 and Royal Armories Visit!

Greetings Fellow Nerds and Gemmell Fans!

This weekend I went along to GemmellFest. This was to honour and remember the late, great David Gemmell and his work in fantasy fiction.  Primarily his Drenai and Rigante novels.

It was also poignant that it has been 20 years since David's passing in 2006.

GemmellFest started from a Facebook group, the members being fans of David's work and life.  The main members of the group being Gary and Anna, (I probably missed a few other Admin who helped too). The event was strengthened by David's own daughter Kate attending and helping the event.

First we met up at ...

The Royal Armories - Leeds.

It was my first time there and I was very impressed.  Firstly by the size of the building, as it was a maze!  I was also astounded my how much weaponry they had from around the world, from different times.  It was also free entry.

At the Royal Armories there is also the chance to enter the Crossbow Challenge.

I think most of the group had a go at the challenge and for my first time I did well and actually hit the target without killing anyone.

We then made our way to the hotel where most of the group were staying and the place where GemmellFest would take place.

Weetwood Hall Hotel

Located near Leeds/Bradford Airport on the outskirts of Leeds, Weetwood Hall Hotel was very nice and posh.  It was different to the usual Premier Inn I stay at in Derby for Edge-Lit.  

With a Brasserie restaurant and separate Pub called the Stables Pub for entertainment and where GemmellFest took place.

It was entertaining in the taxi to the hotel seeing all the drunk students in fancy dress heading towards Leeds City Centre.

GemmellFest 2026 and Stables Pub.

After some dinner we made our way to the rear courtyard and to the Stables Pub, obviously they used to be stables at one point and we're a fitting venue for the event.

At the event itself there was much drinking and we had other people's raffle tickets, so we had to find them and was a great way to break the ice and get chatting.  Even though names were probably forgotten.

I remember Sean, another Neil, Anna, Gary, Suze, Kate and many Marks.

The event had some great food plus the main reason for it was the raffles.  One held online for those who couldn't attend and one for those there.  Prizes included signed David Gemmell books, art and the axe Snaga.

It also launched the new fan based web site https://davidgemmell.com

We also got to pose with the axe Snaga (no one was maimed or killed as far as we know) and wear David's hat.

It was an incredible weekend with lots of drinking and making new friends that are fans of David's work.

 

Luckily I wasn't too rough and managed breakfast the next day, and get a photo with David's daughter Kate.  A big thanks to all the organisers.

I'm off to finish my re-read of Legend and hopefully see everyone and newcomers next year at GemmellFest 2027!

Neil x

Book Review - Doctor Who - The Pirate Loop by Simon Guerrier

 

Books Read in 2026 - No. 2

Greetings Fellow Readers!

It's been a while since my last blog post.  It's also been ages since I last read a Doctor Who novel.  The last one was in March 2024 as I missed last year.

I'm getting close to finishing the books in the second box set I have.

So The Pirate Loop by Simon Guerrier starts with the Doctor and Martha crashing the TARDIS into the star cruiser The Brilliant.  It's full of aliens, human crew and badger creature pirates who have boarded the ship to capture an experimental drive running the ship.

The only problem is the Brilliant and everyone on board including The Doctor and Martha are stuck in a time loop.  So snacks are replenished straight away and no one can die, they just keep coming back.

This is a problem as the energy will implode the Brilliant as the loop isn't complete.  Can the Doctor get everyone out of the loop.  Can Martha make friends and teach the Badger Pirates what is the right thing to do?

Overall - At the start of The Pirate Loop I almost gave up and the book would have been my first ever DNF. 

It started slowly and not much seemed to happen for the first few chapters, only the three Badger Pirates learning not to be bad and how to eat party food.

The characters were written fine by Simon Guerrier including the Doctor, Martha and the Badger Pirate Archie.

I couldn't help thinking I'd grown out of Doctor Who books.  The Badger Pirates reminded me of Rocket Racoon but this novel came out in 2007.  Seven years before the first Guardians of the Galaxy film.  The first time I knew of Rocket Racoon.

Just before half way the story moved along more, as we learnt what was happening to the Brilliant and the Badger Pirates and my score for the book kept going up especially towards the end where we meet Captain Florence, the leader of the Pirates who kills everyone she can.

Near the end, the novel got darker and had quite a bit of action.  Although obviously the Doctor solves the problem quite easily and quickly, there is a good moral message at the end and your left wondering who decided to stay in the loop having a party on the Brilliant forever,  and who left with the Doctor and Martha.

The story reminded me of one of the final Peter Capaldi stories where he's on the Cyberman ship and the back runs at a different time to the front of the ship.

An OK novel with a slow start and silly premise at the beginning with the Badger Pirates, although it gets action packed and darker at the end.

Score -   6.5/10

Goodreads -   3.5/10

February 2026 Update!

 

Hi Geeks!

So February has come around once more!  The year has gone fast already.

This time last year I lost my girlfriend Jane, which was devastating and a shock. I'd rather have her here x

January Review -  I actually finished a book in January - the excellent Christmas Evie by Karen Naylor.

Sadly January wasn't a good month Mental health wise, so I didn't get any writing done, even though I was in a group with Write Magic to get me writing again.

I was too stressed with kitchen floods and the washer breaking.

In February -  I hope to finish reading The Pirate Loop.  It's ok so far, but thinking I've grown out of Doctor Who!

In February I also want to re-read Legend by David Gemmell in time for GemmellFest in Leeds at the end of the month.

I hope to eventually do some writing this month too.

Other than reading and writing I'm hoping to eat healthier and try do some walking in February to keep fit and try lose weight.

What are your plans for February?

Neil