My Original fiction
"You’re never going to kill storytelling, because it’s built in the human plan. We come with it.” - Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid's Tale
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You'll find links and audio samples from my work on this page.
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I try not to be pigeon-holed by genre or style - in as much as I believe that good writing is just that, regardless of the genre - in the same way that all creative art should be judged on merit and not on a preconceived idea of what good is. Limiting ourselves to only liking things 'classical' or 'literary' or 'punk' means we miss out on so much potential and beauty.
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Stories are part of who we are, and a well told story is powerful and can transport us to worlds so far beyond what we experience as reality day by day.
Amazon - Ragged A**** Ruffian reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 January 2021
A truly heartwarming, interesting, story with a wonderful narrative. Unquestionably a splendid read
My Published titles
"Clive's stories are linked by recurring themes of urban and future decay – splintered glass, dust motes and cracked plaster; the loss of loved ones, of the ability to remember; black and white movies of the mind; shafts of golden light shattered by war; haunted memories and the night darks. There is a poetic lilt to the narrative, that delights in the minutiae of observation, bringing the mundane into the spotlight, giving it a meaning and beauty that is mostly lost on us busy ones; there is the terror of the ordinary, the shadow in the midday sun; and then there is the humour: sharp, cynical, painfully astute. Clive Gilson's stories reverberate in the mind, long after they've been read. They connect us in their telling, because we relate to these deep, dark moments of human emotion that make us who we are."
Lorna Howarth, The Write Factor
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You can buy all of these books directly from most good online bookstores around the world, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other local retailers.
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You can also order these books from your local bricks and mortar bookseller using the ISBN numbers listed in each title description.
Songs of Bliss
Just how far will a father go to protect his daughter, especially when his 'protection' is so fundamentally flawed? Billy Whitlow, one time "Don of Doo Wop", has survived his days of drink, drugs and groupies, settling now into a more peaceful life centred on his blossoming seventeen year old daughter Bex. Revising for her 'A' Levels, Bex visits Billy one Easter but the longed-for simplicity of father-daughter happiness is shattered one night in a local nightclub. Billy's world becomes one of questions; Why is his daughter in a drug induced coma? Who put her in that state? How in the name of Hell is he going to make them pay?
Paperback:
978-1-913500-01-6
Hard Cover:
978-1-913500-79-5
eBook:
978-1-913500-73-3
A Solitude of Stars
A Solitude of Stars is disturbing and breathtaking in equal measure. It could be called a science-fiction dystopia, but I think the book goes much deeper than that. What interested me very much was how to tell the story of the Apparat and Dirigiste societies ranging across our local planetary system seeking peace by waging war to achieve it – much as we do today - while also weaving in elements of a wider galactic history, a history that links both forwards and backwards to the core narrative. Solitude raises the question: is humanity actually capable of peace?
Paperback:
978-1-913500-00-9
Hard Cover:
978-1-913500-30-6
eBook:
978-1-913500-72-6
the Mechanic's Curse
The Mechanic's Curse brings together a collection of my short stories in a single volume. These stories have been previously published in anthologies and online magazines. My love of magical realism from writers such as Angela Carter, and the glories of traditional folk and faery tales shines through these tales. These stories in particular mix the macabre and the fey and tradition with what I hope is a loving touch. These are intimate tales, focusing on broad but subtle themes and personal recollections. I try to link recurring themes of fantasy with urban and future decay – splintered glass, dust motes and cracked plaster; the loss of loved ones, of the ability to remember; black and white movies of the mind; shafts of golden light shattered by war; haunted memories and the night darks.
Paperback:
978-1-913500-03-0
Hard Cover:
978-1-913500-81-8
eBook:
978-1-913500-75-7
The Insomniac Booth
The Insomniac Booth continues many of the themes that first emerged in my earlier collection of short stories, The Mechanic's Curse. This second collection continues with the investigation of magical realism and the glories of traditional folk and faery tales. As ever, these are intimate tales, focusing on broad but subtle themes and personal recollections.
Paperback:
978-1-913500-02-3
Hard Cover:
978-1-913500-74-0
eBook:
978-1-913500-74-0
Ragged A**** Ruffian
Cup finals, a business rollercoaster, love, loss and laughter - a memoir by a former professional football player, who plied his trade in the 1950s and 1960s, before embarking on a business career just as rife with promotions, championships and relegations. This is Les Gilson's story.
Paperback:
978-1-913500-32-0
Hard Cover:
978-1-913500-34-4
eBook:
978-1-913500-33-7
Out of the Walled Garden
All of these poems have appeared in magazines and anthologies published between 2001 and 2011. Although I did produce an earlier, less inclusive edition of Out Of The Walled Garden a few years ago, this new edition includes all of my previously published pieces.
Paperback:
978-1-913500-38-2
Hard Cover:
978-1-913500-39-9
eBook:
978-1-913500-40-5