Mat Coward Books In Order

Publication Order of Fortean Times Books

Publication Order of Frank Mitchell and Don Packham Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles Audio Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Not all writers are gifted with the ability to write about anything that comes to their minds. But then there are those who take years to complete their work, and when they are done, it is not just a relief, but it is a joy to read too. The British writer born in 1960 and currently living in Britain’s West Country area, Mat Coward is one of those, who is not just different, but also unique and funny in all of his writings. Mat Coward is a famed novel writer for children, while his short stories make a nice collection of books too that fit in the genre of science fiction, crime, and mystery, as well as comics. All of Mat’s work is part of his freelance career in writing, where apart from books, he writes for the Morning Star on usual gardening topics, while he has also served as a researcher at BBC TV for the show QI Daily.

Mat has had his share of fame by getting nominated for the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe Award in 2001 for his story Twelve of the Little Buggers’ that appeared in the Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and the Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Moreover, his short story On Borrowed Time’ that appeared in the June 2015 edition of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine got nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award in January 2016, as well as the Macavity Award.

Nevertheless, his writings are of high quality and include British crime scenes that are dark, violent and mind teasing, but also funny and have a lot of humor embedded in them. The story of On Borrowed Time’, is itself a crime fiction but with a funny comic touch to it. The character named Nash in the story, who had studied computer science back at the university and was now asked to open emails and investigate leaders from the union party and other high profile politicians by the British Secret Section, businessmen or a form of Secret Services. While opening emails was part of his job, one day he found a watch that by his measures would have helped him ease all of his worries and may have brought him over three thousand pounds, but when sold, it only brought him two hundred and fifty pounds, making Nash realize what a different kind of stupidity he has committed. Nevertheless, Nash’s need to look at the suspicious activities of Mr. Waggoner, who he was investigating, while the plot revolves around the watch itself on why the watch was ever necessary to Waggoner, while he had a mobile phone.

Apart from On Borrowed Time’, Mr. Coward has other interesting writings too, including his first ever horror science fiction named So Far, So Near’ published in 2007. As per the reviewers, his books were very weird, but the stories it had, gave a distinct idea of human instincts when they try and relate themselves to the aliens and other creatures that the stories portrayed. Like other books Mr. Coward has written, the stories in So Far, So Near’ also has humor embedded in every single tale it takes, no matter it has Martians roaming all around. The way time travel works in the sixteen stories that are part of this collection, any reader would try and relate themselves to the situations these stories were trying to bring forward. Mr. Coward himself has brought a unique taste to every story, by giving his own small analysis and synopsis of the stories he wrote, trying to give his own idea on what he thought when he started writing them. The characters in the stories are either students, lovers, people sighting a UFO, or people using the intelligence of their ancestors to bring magic back to life. Another group of people in the stories are trying to talk and negotiate with an alien diplomat, while also learning how to issue passports and visas to aliens. There is even a cat, who goes inside a TV and starts eating all of the humans that show up, through which Mr. Coward tries to portray how we humans ourselves alienate those around us and use competition to erase those we do not wish to be part of. At the end, the stories are not just meant for the die heart lover of science fiction genre, but it is good for even those who just wish to read stories that can help them connect to their everyday life events, with a space-time touch embedded in between.

Apart from comics and science fiction, Mat Coward has also got a tendency to bring humor to crime novels that have a political affinity. In Acts of Destruction’, written in 2009, Mr. Coward shows how the United States has entered fascism and the European Union enters an era of authoritarian rule in 2030. The British government however, is trying to turn back the clock and enter into 1945, where they are attempting to finish the Attlee Government initiative. In Britain, a decentralized democracy has taken over, where people have local leaders, they work in local enterprises and grow their own food. All these events for those who have an idea of history may relate to the events of the Cold War, where countries were trying to win support from others to manage their resources and power. However, where Mr. Coward is trying to make socialism an idea in this book, on the other hand, he is trying to show the liberal life women and men may try to enjoy their times. The tale is an appeal to understand how we can go back in time and make events that are happening in 2030 correct.

Apart from those mentioned, Mr. Coward has a commendable work that needs to be read. All of his stories include a distinct idea for readers as small as aged eleven, and as older as in their eighties. For everyone, Mr. Coward has a brilliant idea in his writings of crime, science fiction, children comic and horror. His work is acclaimed and a must read by all.