Book of the Week: Ellen Kushner, Privilege of the Sword
Mad Dukes and sword-fighting ingenues, evil chancellors and beautiful actresses, lost loves, loads of political and romantic intrigue, and more swashbuckling than you can shake a stick at. Two thumbs up for this very excellent read.

Track of the Week: Delgui, Highlights (Charles Webster remix)
No disrespect at all to Delgui, but Charles Webster is the real story here. This should come as no surprise, because the man has an ear for levels and layers that just will not quit.

It would be easy to conclude, based on the delicate underwater dreaminess of this track and its hushed and reverent vocal, that Charles Webster is an artist who specialises in miniatures; someone who believes that a quiet word can exert more force than a shout. But if you listen closely, over time each layer of sound presents itself and proceeds to expand until you are entirely engulfed, and you realise that this artist's scale is the world. And I would choose this world every single time.