Book Temple #2: Forbidden Planet Megastore

This a new monthly feature for Mel’s Random reviews where I wax lyrical about a place dedicated to books or reading. It can be a shop, market, website or even a place to curl up and read in. There’s no sponsorship  involved and as such is subject to reversal, mood changes and general inaccuracies - I just want to share my favourite book places! I’m afraid it will be focused on London as it’s where I live and the place I do most of reading – but feel free to join in! If you have your favourite Book Temple you would like to share through a guest blog, please contact me – my email in on the right!



Forbidden Planet Megastore Entrance



For this months ‘Book Temple’ I want to focus on a store that is probably well know to most of the genre readers in the UK – Forbidden Planet. I’m focusing on the Forbidden Planet Megastore on Shaftesbury Avenue in central London as it’s their Mega store and one which I make the point of visiting regularly. Forbidden offers loads of items for the cult fans but I always head straight for the basement and turn left where their book department is. And what a collection of books!



At the north end of Shaftesbury Avenue, close to New Oxford Street

Anything with a speculative fiction nature is include – from urban fantasy and paranormal romance to high fantasy and science fiction to conspiracy thrillers and mysteries to horror to YA and film/TV tie ins. If it is a fiction book with a ‘what if’ idea, then you can probably find here. It is a huge collection with lots of imports from the US and elsewhere (I can usually my Aussie authors here as well!) an I’ve been able to start a lot of series that regular book don’t stock because of the collection. There is a big area dedicated to new releases from both sides of the pond and around the corner is the A-Z of genre fiction books. I can and have spent hours exploring, discovering new titles, completing collections and rediscovering old favourites here. It’s the best collection of speculative fiction I’ve ever seen and there’s something comforting that everyone else there likes the same type of books as you.

There’s a bonus at Forbidden planet as well as they frequently hold signings with loads of different authors. This means you can meet and talk to some of the best writers around – check out the website for who’s coming by next.

If you want to explore book temples in London then I recommend the Forbidden Planet Megastore in London – but be warned you might spend more time and money there than you were expecting!