We’re having a productive day here at Black Industries. There’s a bake sale in the office to raise money for Children in Need, and all the cake and biscuits has put us in a good mood. As we’re feeling talkative we thought we’d tell you a little bit about the books we’re currently reading

Marc Gascoigne (Head of Black Industries)

I just finished reading The Etched City, the first novel by Australian writer KJ Bishop. It's an exotic fantasy about a pair of renegade warriors who wash up in the crumbling city of Ashamoil, and find themselves caught up in a struggle for power. Its mix of dirty, gang-controlled streets and hallucinatory fever-dreams reminded me of M John Harrison's Viriconium books, with a tinge of China Mieville perhaps. Now I just started The Dumas Club by Arthur Perez-Revert, an Umberto Eco-esque twisted conspiracy murder mystery set in the world of old books. Nice mix of genre stylings and very fine writing so far.

Chris Beaumont (customer service)

I have just finished reading the Ambassador Chronicles by Graham McNeill, which I thoroughly enjoyed and I have to say it's now by favourite fantasy series. It's also inspired me to start a Kislev Army for Warmaster. Well I was looking for a new army to collect as my existing army of undead was up to 12,000 point's. Maybe I need to get out a bit more. I've just started to read "At All Costs" by David Weber, the latest in the Honor Harrington series of books. I've been waiting ages for this book to be released to find out what happens as the 'good guys' couldn't be in a worst situation!

Dave Allen (all things web)

I’m just over half way through “The Mysterious Mr I” by Harry Steven Keeler at the moment. He usually writes pulpy pot boiler detective stories that subvert the genre (I became interested in his work after reading an article which talked about one of his murder mysteries that, on the last page, revealed the killer to be a character who had yet to be introduced to the plot). The story seems to be about a man who takes bald chances at any unlikely cash making opportunities that cross his path, but he jeopardises those opportunities by adopting rather mediocre alter-egos that his contacts tend to see through with ease. It’s made me laugh out loud once so far, which I always find the sign of a good book.

Kate Flack (Development Manager)

I’ve been on a ‘book to movie’ kick of late, so I’ve just finished reading ‘In the Name of the Rose’ by Umberto Eco and ‘Empire of the Sun’ by J.G Ballard. I’m definitely going to have to read them both again at some time in the future as they’re both very good and have a lot going on. ‘In the Name of the Rose’ is a nominally a medieval detective story, but this seems to be an excuse for Umberto to write about the mindset and life of a medieval monk. Lots of heresy and Latin- and a very demanding read. Empire of the Sun is a semi autobiographical story about a lad growing up in the Singapore detention centres of the Second World War. Poetical and grimly survivalist all at once. Sort of like Warhammer then…