Wanted Dispatch July 27....

Impossible Monsters edited by Kasey Lansdale

This collection from Subterranean Press called nightmare fodder by Publishers Weekly is curated by the daughter of one of my longtime favorite writers of suspense and horror Joe Lansdale. The table of contents is an impressive list including other favorites of mine I've not read in a number of years including Joe himself, Neal Barrett JR. And Neil Gaimen to name just a couple. You can click the above link to look at the summary on Subterranean's web site and check out the table of contents I'll post right here.

David J. Schow—Blue Amber

Neil Gaiman—Click-Clack the Rattlelebag

Cody Goodfellow—Cavity Creeps

Charlaine Harris—The Glitter of the Crowns

Tim Bryant—Doll’s Eyes

Neal Barrett, Jr.—Bloaters

Chet Williamson—Detritus

Anne Perry—Monster

Al Sarrantonio—Orange Lake

Selina Rosen—Nathan

Bradley Denton—Blood Moccasins

Joe R. Lansdale—The Case of the Angry Traveler (A Dana Roberts Novella)

Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz Three Adventures by Garth Nix

One of the best sword and sorcery short stories I read in the last few years was Garth Nix's contribution to Swords and Dark Magic edited by Lou Anders and Johnathan Strahan and is part of this collection. I was quite happy when I found that there were more tales about Sir Hereward, pistol wielding mercenary swordsman and his delightfully wyr sorcerous puppet partner. This is another limited edition from Subterranean Press so it may be in short supply but hopefully there will be an electronic version later or a reprint.

The story of the three in this volume that I have read has much in common with the writing of Fritz Leiber, Terry Pratchett and Patrick Rothfuss and though its expensive at 35 dollars I do not think it would be money wasted. I have yet to read anything else Garth Nix has writer but this one tale won me over with its charm, wry wit and the bits of weird fiction feel it had.

 

Kitty in the Underworld by CarrieVaughn

This is one of the longer running urban fantasy series and it does not star a private eye, a police person or a usual suspect kind of protagonist. Kitty is a late night radio host that talks about things that go bump in the night and talks to them on her show. I have yet to do more the just read a bit of preview chapters but that is something I must rectify soonish. You may ask why and I'll point you to the Pinterest page Carrie set up with images that hint at this story; that collection definitely got my attention on Friday (here is the link).

Here is the synopsis I'd say check out the link above first then read it ... (Here is a link to an excerpt)

As Denver adjusts to a new master vampire, Kitty gets word of an intruder in the Denver werewolf pack’s territory, and she investigates the challenge to her authority. She follows the scent of the lycanthrope through the mountains where she is lured into a trap, tranquilized, and captured. When she wakes up, she finds herself in a defunct silver mine: the perfect cage for a werewolf. Her captors are a mysterious cult seeking to induct Kitty into their ranks in a ritual they hope will put an end to Dux Bellorum. Though skeptical of their power, even Kitty finds herself struggling to resist joining their cause. Whatever she decides, they expect Kitty to join them in their plot . . . willingly or otherwise.

Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

Hey here is another series that is on my to read list. If you know nothing about it here is what I know; its written by a woman and her husband under the name Ilona Andrews and follows the adventures of a woman mercenary, Kate Daniels, in a world where magic and magical creatures sometimes exists and sometimes does not. I could add more comments about my assumptions but ill leave you with the synopsis and a link to their site (here) where you can check out their writing with a free project written there....

Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.

Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

 

Kill City Blues by Richard Kadrey

This is the fifth in the Sandman Slim series that belongs squarely in the darker grimmer and grittier corner of the urban fantasy shelves along with City of the Lost by Stephen Blackmoore and the books by Chuck Wendig like Blackbirds and Blue Blazes. Actually Richards books kind of blazed the trail to this profane Tarrentino-esque area first and his novels are a lot a good ol pulp fiction fuled noir fun.

Here is a link to Harpers site where US readers can take a peek at this novel, think Jim Thompson with magic and demons....

 

 

 

 

 

Darwin Elevator by Jason M Hough

Yes I do like Science Fiction, I like it a lot and yes I know I don't often mention any here so, well here is something I am looking forward to. I have a net galley eARC that I am reading right now and I have to say that the crazy of the image of the space elevator on the opening pages hooked my from the get go and I had yet to read a word. So here is my attempt to hook you... Tor.com put up an excerpt here... Go and take a look

Here's another bit, like the publishing scheme sometimes at Orbit this series will be coming out fairly rapidly....

 

 

So that is the last and the extra shipping day in July this year... If your in the Portland area and like Jay Lake think about going to his living Wake tonight... due to other commitments i will miss it but I'd like to raise an e-toast to him and send wishes for his continued health...

 

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Wanted Dispatch July 20..

Carniepunk anthology including Rachel Caine, Deliah s Dawson, Kelly Gay, Kevin Hearne, Seanan McGuire, Nicole D Peeler, Rod Thurman, Jay wells and more...

This is a genre defying original fiction collection including steampunk, urban fantasy, and survival horror to name a few. This is the kind of collection like last weeks that will open up your mind to writers and genres you might not have otherwise tried. The first story in the collection is a steampunk romance suspense tale by the awesome Deliah S Dawson riffing on Lydia the tattooed lady that will hook you into her storytelling if you have not tried it otherwise. The other tales are a mix of original tales and short fiction in estaleished settings and series. Kevin Hearne tells a tape for his Iron Druid setting that will likewise get you a feel for his stories and possibly hook you to getting his novels. I've read a few and thou there are one or two that did not do it for me I think overall this collection is a winner and may just open minds to genres you might never have tried otherwise.... Go to your local shop and order a copy if your up for Urban Fantasy, Steampunk or Weird Fiction.

 

With a five week month... There is ever a short week but this one is a winner... Jennifer Estep who is in this collection also has a novel up this week called Kiss of Venom from her Elemental Assassin series that is on my to read list but as I have yet to get to the short story I can't say if I would call it a Wanted or not yet....

There are some books comic up next week.... Till then check out the books up for the Hugo, particularly Throne of the Crescent Moon and 2312... And always check in on the electronic magazines Clarkesworld, Apex Magazine, Lightspeed and Nightmare Magazine......

 

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Wanted Dispatch July 13

The Melancholy of Mecha Girl by Catherynne M Valente

Wether it is a new adult or YA novel short story or collection I'm always happy to see more work from Catherynne. This is a collection of her work that has at least a vague of not obscure reference to Japan in some way. As someone who like Japanese myths, and many forms of Japanese pop entertainment from a very young age I am anxious to get a chance to read these stories taken from all over the short fiction markets including the anthology from Haikasoru called The Future is Japanese. The cover is evocative of things both traditional and modern and I expect hat the stories inside are about the same knowing her fondness for pulling from myth, folk tales and history to create her stories. Here is a link to the Haikasoru site so you can take a peek at the excerpt.

 

Imaginarium 2013 edited by Sandra Kasturi

From my favorite small publisher of dark fiction, ChiZine, comes a collection of the best short speculative fiction from Canadian writers. Some of the names are pretty recognize able like the epic fantasy writer Dave Duncan, poetry and story fiction writer Amal El Mohtar, AM Dellamonica who's urban fantasy I'd like to read and Gemma Files who's grim western fantasy I loved but the vast majority of the Table of Contents are unknown to me and that is particularly exiting. Collections like this hit the high points of the years work so you're pretty much gong to get a good ride from most of the stories. Urban Fantasy writer Tanya Huff writes the introduction and well I think I'll just give the link here to the ChiZine page for the book. Its available from them direct as an eBook and its usually the best way to get it if you live outside of Canada but is you order the print edition they usually give you the eBook to read while you await the real thing.

 

 

North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingrud

With high praise coming from Jeff Vandermeer for Nathan's work I am pretty much on board from that endorsement alone. Tor.com has been touting this title a lot this moth too including this bit of fiction to entice people into Weird Fiction....

 

So this week its a lot of sort fiction and it is great to see so many collections and anthologies coming around...

 

 

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Wanted Dispatch July 6

The Secret of Abdu El Yezdi by Mark Hodder

It is no secret that the Adventures of Burton and Swinburne series tops my favorite list for speculative fiction since I started my blog back in mid/late 2009. Mark pulls people and events from the history that gave rise to the feel of Steampunk and turns his wild imagination loose on them; the product is often wry irreverent look at historical figures in a fantastic familiar setting with characters you wish were that way in reality. His Burton is a man who dislikes the mores and limits of his time and Swinburne, the short, red headed, poet of the era, is a man who pushes the limits of nearly everything. Mark in this volume picks up his story after the revelations and battles of the third and climactic book Expedition to the Mountians of the Moon and does what he is best at, surprising us with something unexpected and courageous in storytelling (yeah I already had a chance to read this and it does not disappoint.). "Secret" pulls on the fiction of Wells, Verne, Shelly and Stoker to create something new and wonderful. I got a chance to read an ARC and I think its a brilliant and mayhaps could stand alone from the other series. Yup I'm a fanboy but I'm not embarassed at all.

Here is a link to the wonderful PYR website....

 

The Executioner's Heart George Mann

I'm contuining the theme here. This is likewise the fourth in a series as with Secret of Abdu El Yezdi but sadly in this case I can't say much about the story or characters having yet to read the previous three books. I have read his neo-pulp books from PYR, Ghosts of Manhattan and Ghosts of War, which were both showed his love of genre fiction, history and of fiction in general. As I am fairly shallow this cover is pretty irresistible the things I have read about the series and this book in particular have me thinking about getting the hardcover... who knows they just might change the cover art for the trade. This is also a buddy consulting detective like series that has a mixed gender protagonist pair and though I love Burton and Swinbrurne and Hodder's women are great characters he spends little time with them (as would be right for the adventuring period)

Here is a link to the TOR.com site excerpt to give you a peek....

Blood and Feathers: Rebellion by Lou Morgan

As a fan of the oft irreverent to the western mythos series Supernatureal this urban fantasy that focuses on the war between the Angels of heaven and the forces of Lucifer is probably a natural. I have been reading reviews and comments about the first book Blood and Feathers as well as the preview chapters via e book and this one seems to be up the UF thriller ally I like.

Lou Morgan seems to take a view of angels akin to that of various writers of the comic series' Hellblazer and Preacher as well as the jaded approach of Supernatural; being effectively gods bagmen or hit men makes them and their motives suspect at best. The first Book apparently includes a trip into hell itself, the frozen version of Dante with the circles of the damned and Lusifer entombed in ice and all. The protagonist is a halfbreed human woman pulled quite way out of her depth with her intorduction to the reality of her world.

Here is a link to th synopsis on the Solaris website and here is a link to the authors blog where there are some excerpts....

The Glass God by Kate Griffin

Everyone has their favorite setting when it comes to urban fantasy and though I never have been to London other then passing through Heathrow airport its a draw for me as with Ben Aaronovitch and Paul Cornell's UF novels. Kate Griffin's Michael Swift (Midnight Mayor ) series is one that I was interested in reading but have yet pick up has gotten a lot of good reviews ( check here on goodreads ); these books involve angels so I guess I'm continuing yet another theme on this Wanted Post.

Looking at the early reviews of this one people are missing her other series a bit but like getting a different set of eyes on the same setting. This is the second book in this series.... it starts with the volume called Stray Souls.... Here is the synopsis for this one from the Kate Griffin's web page (from Orbit Books)

The second novel in a new urban magic series, Magicals Anonymous, from the author of the Matthew Swift novels set in London’s hidden otherworld.

Sharon Li: apprentice shaman and community support officer for the magically inclined.

It wasn’t the career Sharon had in mind, but she’s getting used to running Magicals Anonymous and learning how to Be One With The City.

When the Midnight Mayor goes missing, leaving only a suspiciously innocent-looking umbrella behind him, Sharon finds herself promoted. Her first task: find the Midnight Mayor. The only clues she has are a city dryad’s cryptic warning and several pairs of abandoned shoes…

Suddenly, Sharon’s job feels a whole lot harder.

Here is a link to her blog also...

I've also got two best of collections to mention... The first is the best of Connie Willis... so many times I miss great short works of fiction hat anthologies like this are my only way to find it... Here is the table of contents from the SF Signal blog.

 

and the last for this week may or not be on schedule because of the Nigh Shade Books debacle but Ellen Datlow's Best Horror of the volume 5 should be out next week... Dark Wolf reviews published the table of contents here. I love these because there is no way I'd ever get a chance to see all these where they were originally published....

 

 

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