Pseudointellectualism meets gay romance in Hall’s debut.
People keep asking me what the deal is with Spires and the answer is … well … I’m still figuring it out. I know wanted to write a quintessentially English series and I wanted it to thematically rather than chronologically linked, if that makes sense. The basic Spires concept is that it’s about the connections between people and how those are mediated through places. It’s called Spires because Oxford lies at the centre of these connections.
Each of the Spires stories can be read as a standalone. But I would probably recommend publication order (Glitterland, Waiting for the Flood, For Real, Pansies) just for convenience, though For Real happens chronologically before Waiting for the Flood and Pansies happens at the same time as Glitterland.
If you’re interested in the connections betweeen the various books, there’s a slightly spoilery page where I outline some of the main ones. Oh, and there’s also a Spires Pinterest board which I have no memory of making but apparently exists. Yay.
Pseudointellectualism meets gay romance in Hall’s debut.
for Glitterland
Hall’s sex scenes are a heady mix of hot play-by-play, breathy exhilaration, emotional discovery, and endearing awkwardness.
for Pansies
You’ll laugh, you’ll swoon, you’ll marvel at the language and the grace with which Hall moves from comedy to tragedy to hope. Five stars in the glitter-universe.
for Glitterland
Alexis Hall knows his way around a love story, and this fabulous duet of stories, Waiting for the Flood, and the companion bonus novella Chasing the Light, are some of his best work.
for Waiting for the Flood
Brilliantly written, dangerously good, immensely satisfying.
for Glitterland
Hard-hitting but ultimately uplifting, Glitterland is a complex, emotionally resonant exploration of mental illness, the tenacity it takes to endure life and most of all, a reminder to let people in.
for Glitterland
Full of poetry and honesty, Laurie and Toby’s journey together makes each victory feel earned.
for For Real
By turns laugh-out-loud funny and tragically sad, Hall’s novel draws readers into this wonderful glitter-ball of a world. Highly recommended.
for Glitterland
A compelling romance worth reading again, or for the first time.
for Pansies