*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: Keith Roberts is one of my absolute favourite writers, and I’m delighted to at last list a good and varied selection of his works. Writer, artist and editor, Roberts excelled at all three. He was known as a ‘difficult’ author, with a history of disputes with publishers, editors and colleagues. However, a lot of his works are set in the south of England, many in locations I know (including one short story set in a London riverside pub I have frequented), and he comes across to me as a chap I could share a chat and a couple of pints with. As evidenced by the six examples here, his works are varied, with multiple themes and formats, often subtle and always clever. The Chalk Giants is a tale of a future setting where Man is reverting to his prehistoric past, a collection of linked short stories. The Furies is his first novel, featuring an invasion of alien giant wasps, Wyndham/Wells-esque, set across Salisbury Plain and the Mendips. The Grain Kings is a set of science fiction short stories, displaying his wide range of storytelling. Kaeti On Tour is another short story collection, the second featuring Roberts’s muse in the shape of a young girl who portrays different lead characters in a range of settings, chatting with the author in-between. Kiteworld is another set of linked stories in a parallel universe. The Lordly Ones is one of his later short story collections. It’s been 26 years since his death from MS, but I’m pleased to note that interest in his work remains high. Highly recommended. 
PICTURED: ALL BY KEITH ROBERTS ALL SOLD
THE CHALK GIANTS Panther 1975 1st UK PB VG £10
THE FURIES Pan 1969 1st UK PB GD £8
THE GRAIN KINGS Panther 1977 1st UK PB VG £8
KAETI ON TOUR Sirius 1992 1st UK HC NM £11 (with NM DJ in removable archival film)
KITEWORLD Penguin 1986 1st UK PB VG/FN £10
THE LORDLY ONES Gollancz 1986 1st UK HC NM £30 (with NM DJ in removable archival film)