Not From Above! is the debut collection of stories from musician Alexander Mayor (who releases music under the name Alexander's Festival Hall). It's a series of what-ifs, how-abouts and darkly comic thought experiments, populated by central Asian dictators with overreaching literary ambitions, anxious young spies pursued on canals, passive aggressive board games, and starship captains who really need to learn to prioritise.
These are tales of decisive moments for indecisive people. Dating becomes rather more dangerous and 'promenade theatre' a little too immersive. Adventures are undertaken largely by mistake, in stories that catalogue the increasingly esoteric ways Londoners try to keep themselves amused. And of course, there's that moment when a breakdown on a country road might just be the start of something promising...
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Not From Above! is also an album of twelve upbeat, lush and romantic pop songs from Alexander's Festival Hall – see inside the book for download details.
www.alexandersfestivalhall.org
