Author Neil Daniels probably needs no introduction, as he's written a slew of solid books over the years covering a wide range of musical artists that include UFO, ZZ Top, Pantera, Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin, and many more. He's also been releasing shorter works that he calls 'Casual Guides', and this latest centers around legendary Queen guitarist Brian May. Before you get your hopes up, this book actually doesn't dive too much into May's work with Queen, and instead focuses on his early musical life prior to that band, as well as much of his recorded work and projects outside of Queen. Much is discussed about May's two solo albums, as well as the Star Fleet project with Eddie Van Halen and friends in the early '80s, and while a good deal of Queen material is mentioned, Daniels has seemingly left the juicy details to the numerous other writers who have covered that band over the years.
While this is sure to be an enjoyable read for the loyal Brian May fan, you get a feeling that this book was put together very quickly, as there is at times a lack of focus, with the content zig zagging all over the place, and grammatical mistakes run rampant throughout, which, as someone who has read more than a few books from Daniels, was quite shocking to see. Guitar players also will perhaps want to get more insight into May's guitar style, which the other hints at by including commentary from May about his influences and the creation of his signature guitar, but it could have been expanded upon. Overall, Back to the Light-A Casual Guide to the Music of Queen's Brian May is not one of Neil Daniels' better books by a long shot, but give him credit for at least showing some love for one of rock's most important & legendary guitar players.
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