SF Great....

By now you may have read about the health issues that science fiction author Ian Banks is facing. If not here is a link to the post I read that made me so sad this morning. In my family I had to relatives pass from inoperable cancers and I am so glad that Ian had the great National Health System of Scotland on his side with this. As readers we will get one more novel from him and that is a gift let us hope that he will live long enough to see it in print. His novel Consider Phlebas is one that has so many scenes that play in my mind when I think of great visual images. His is a name I know as a crime fiction and speculative fiction writer, multi talented and so respected in the writing field. So here is my idea. If you know the name or respect the name of Ian Banks go out this week and buy a new copy of one of his books... not necessarily the newest but go get one to celebrate his life and work and say that we respect his choice to live the rest of it any way he chooses.

Here is a virtual raising of a virtual glass to Ian Banks. A toast to you sir, hope you suffer little and live greatly as long as you can.

A link to his website can be found here he is now published by Orbit in the US and I think Orbit worldwide but I could be wrong about that. I wish him and his well in this time...

 

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Dis-Functional Family

 

Matt Fraction's FF is the one I go to when I want something different from my superhero comics; this isn't the gonzo science fiction title that it was under Jonathan Hicman. This story looks like it might just be a slow motion train wreck and I mean in a good way.

Scott Lang, Ant-man, is a damaged man trying to keep things together for the sake of the team and children he's been given charge of. Medusa, ever a favorite, is an enigmatic haughty woman with her own agenda yet to fully emerge. She-Hulk may just be the heart of this team being the most stable and thoughtful,of them. Ms. Thing, Jonny's rocker girlfriend come superhero wearing the Thing suit made by Reed Richards for Ben to use on his days of being human, is a wild card to me and more I see of her the more I'm liking her. The dynamics of this team are so different but still reminiscent of the familily of choice nature of the Fantastic Four.

Mike Allred's artwork is so niche only you'll know if its for you but I love the clean ness of his lines and the way to me it is reminiscent of Jack the king Kirby.

This books seems to about morality, choices and the repercussions that come from differing opinions about what is right.

 

With Jonathan Hickman mentioned above I have to mention this new title from this week too. From Image Comics comes a comic I've not had the chance to read yet but think is worth a look....East of West. I'll give you the solicitation info and you but ill say this first Hickman wrote some great science fiction stories on his FF series runs but they are that slow building kind of thing so patience may be necessary....

"OUT OF THE WASTELAND"

The things that divide us are stronger than the things that unite us. A Sci-Fi Western set in a dystopian America where all hope for the future rests in the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse...who just happen to be trying to kill the President of the United States.

One of the most exciting new books of the year, this is EAST OF WEST, a brand new, ongoing, monthly comic from the award-winning team of Marvel's FF, JONATHAN HICKMAN and NICK DRAGOTTA.

 

 

This week we also got the first issue of the "cosmic Avengers" title Guardiens of the Galaxy. I have yet to check it out and won't post about it till I do but I have hopes for awesomeness. I recall when the Guardiens were a team in the 30th century and made up of the odd characters Starhawk, Charlie 27, Martinex, Yandu and Captian Vance Astro. They're we're great future analogues to the Avengers with their similarities to some of the original and early iconic Avengers. This week ill be doing a spotlight on Wednesday about Science Fiction comics I have been enjoying.... and maybe about this incarnation of the Guardians....

 

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Hugo Award Nominees .....

I've been waiting for this one since I'm probably going to become a supporting member of World Con to vote this year... The list looks fantastic and features lots of my favorite writers... I will take some time over the coming week and post about my thoughts on some of these but here it is without comment...( Here is a link to the post on Tor.com.)

The finalists for the 2012 Hugo Awards have been announced. Congratulations to all.

 

Best Novel

2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit)

Blackout by Mira Grant (Orbit)

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)

Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas by John Scalzi (Tor)

Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed (DAW)

 

Best Novella

After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall by Nancy Kress (Tachyon Publications)

The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson (Tachyon Publications)

On a Red Station, Drifting by Aliette de Bodard (Immersion Press)

San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats by Mira Grant (Orbit)

“The Stars Do Not Lie” by Jay Lake (Asimov's, Oct-Nov 2012)

 

Best Novelette

“The Boy Who Cast No Shadow” by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (Postscripts: Unfit For Eden, PS Publications)

“Fade To White” by Catherynne M. Valente (Clarkesworld, August 2012)

“The Girl-Thing Who Went Out for Sushi” by Pat Cadigan (Edge of Infinity, Solaris)

“In Sea-Salt Tears” by Seanan McGuire (Self-published)

“Rat-Catcher” by Seanan McGuire (A Fantasy Medley 2, Subterranean)

 

Best Short Story

“Immersion” by Aliette de Bodard (Clarkesworld, June 2012)

“Mantis Wives” by Kij Johnson (Clarkesworld, August 2012)

“Mono no Aware” by Ken Liu (The Future is Japanese, VIZ Media LLC)

Note: category has 3 nominees due to a 5% requirement under Section 3.8.5 of the WSFS constitution.

 

Best Related Work

The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature Edited by Edward James & Farah Mendlesohn (Cambridge UP)

Chicks Dig Comics: A Celebration of Comic Books by the Women Who Love Them Edited by Lynne M. Thomas & Sigrid Ellis (Mad Norwegian Press)

Chicks Unravel Time: Women Journey Through Every Season of Doctor Who Edited by Deborah Stanish & L.M. Myles (Mad Norwegian Press)

I Have an Idea for a Book… The Bibliography of Martin H. Greenberg Compiled by Martin H. Greenberg, edited by John Helfers (The Battered Silicon Dispatch Box)

Writing Excuses Season Seven by Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler and Jordan Sanderson

 

Best Graphic Story

Grandville Bête Noire written and illustrated by Bryan Talbot (Dark Horse Comics, Jonathan Cape)

Locke & Key Volume 5: Clockworks written by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez (IDW)

Saga, Volume One written by Brian K. Vaughn, illustrated by Fiona Staples (Image Comics)

Schlock Mercenary: Random Access Memorabilia by Howard Tayler, colors by Travis Walton (Hypernode Media)

Saucer Country, Volume 1: Run written by Paul Cornell, illustrated by Ryan Kelly, Jimmy Broxton and Goran Sudžuka (Vertigo)

 

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

The Avengers Screenplay & Directed by Joss Whedon (Marvel Studios, Disney, Paramount)

The Cabin in the Woods Screenplay by Drew Goddard & Joss Whedon; Directed by Drew Goddard (Mutant Enemy, Lionsgate)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro, Directed by Peter Jackson (WingNut Films, New Line Cinema, MGM, Warner Bros)

The Hunger Games Screenplay by Gary Ross & Suzanne Collins, Directed by Gary Ross (Lionsgate, Color Force)

Looper Screenplay and Directed by Rian Johnson (FilmDistrict, EndGame Entertainment)

 

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

Doctor Who: “The Angels Take Manhattan” Written by Steven Moffat, Directed by Nick Hurran (BBC Wales)

Doctor Who: “Asylum of the Daleks” Written by Steven Moffat; Directed by Nick Hurran (BBC Wales)

Doctor Who: “The Snowmen” Written by Steven Moffat, Directed by Saul Metzstein (BBC Wales)

Fringe: “Letters of Transit” Written by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Akiva Goldsman, J.H.Wyman, Jeff Pinkner. Directed by Joe Chappelle (Fox)

Game of Thrones: “Blackwater” Written by George R.R. Martin, Directed by Neil Marshall. Created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (HBO)

 

Best Editor, Short Form

John Joseph Adams

Neil Clarke

Stanley Schmidt

Jonathan Strahan

Sheila Williams

 

Best Editor, Long Form

Lou Anders

Sheila Gilbert

Liz Gorinsky

Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Toni Weisskopf

 

Best Professional Artist

Vincent Chong

Julie Dillon

Dan Dos Santos

Chris McGrath

John Picacio

 

Best Semiprozine

Apex Magazine edited by Lynne M. Thomas, Jason Sizemore and Michael Damian Thomas

Beneath Ceaseless Skies edited by Scott H. Andrews

Clarkesworld edited by Neil Clarke, Jason Heller, Sean Wallace and Kate Baker

Lightspeed edited by John Joseph Adams and Stefan Rudnicki

Strange Horizons edited by Niall Harrison, Jed Hartman, Brit Mandelo, An Owomoyela, Julia Rios, Abigail Nussbaum, Sonya Taaffe, Dave Nagdeman and Rebecca Cross

 

Best Fanzine

Banana Wings edited by Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer

The Drink Tank edited by Chris Garcia and James Bacon

Elitist Book Reviews edited by Steven Diamond

Journey Planet edited by James Bacon, Chris Garcia, Emma J. King, Helen J. Montgomery and Pete Young

SF Signal edited by John DeNardo, JP Frantz, and Patrick Hester

 

Best Fan Writer

James Bacon

Christopher J Garcia

Mark Oshiro

Tansy Rayner Roberts

Steven H Silver

 

Best Fan Artist

Galen Dara

Brad W. Foster

Spring Schoenhuth

Maurine Starkey

Steve Stiles

 

Best Fancast

The Coode Street Podcast, Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe

Galactic Suburbia Podcast, Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts (Presenters) and Andrew Finch (Producer)

SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester, John DeNardo, and JP Frantz

SF Squeecast, Elizabeth Bear, Paul Cornell, Seanan McGuire, Lynne M. Thomas, Catherynne M. Valente (Presenters) and David McHone-Chase (Technical Producer)

StarShipSofa, Tony C. Smith

 

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer

Zen Cho

Max Gladstone

Mur Lafferty

Stina Leicht

Chuck Wendig

 

 

 

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Scott Sigler Sunday.... (Well Monday actually)

Yes I know you may be he for my Sunday Comics feature and that is coming but I MUST represent for the FDO Scott Sigler. That acronym stands for Future Dark Overlord if you don't know and Scott Sigler is pretty much the king of the podcast novel. He is one of the few who parlayed giving his fiction away for free into a publishing empire, well at least a publishing phenomenon. He did not do this with erotic fan fic or with crazy cool dance moves while dressed classy he did it with good fiction well edited and stories personally told with passion and determination. So why am I going own about Scott?

Look at the poster above, The Rookie softcover for forty one cents and the Rookie plus the Starter for less the the cost of a fru fru espresso drink, or four dollars ten cents, before you add shipping that's pretty crazy right? Well before Scott got his St Martins contract for Infected, Contagion, and more he made a April first attack on amazon with his modern hard science horror thriller Ancestor and got to almost the top of the Amazon charts ( and would have if not for a book about a certain boy wizard ). This time around he wants to put this science fiction crime sports story into the hand of as many people as possible.

Now I'm not too much of a sports fan but I'm a big fan of this particular series of the FDOs. Honestly the story of Quinten Barnes and the GFL team the Krakens is pretty much my favorite. The story has a lot in common with epic fantasy and the players in this drama are greatly flawed and conflicted people and the growth and changes they go through are wonderful to follow. Now I recall listening to the original version of The Rookie, profanity and all, as a podcast from the FDO himself back in the day and loving the hell out of this mixture of crime stories, science fiction and sports drama worthy of a HBO series treatment (hint hint HBO). When he decided to go to press with it on his own with the backing of his fans he reworked it a bit and launched it as a YA series (really he just removed the profanity beyond that the story was largely unchanged)

Scott has maintained his weekly output of free podcast serials of his fiction from the early days of podcast fiction with Earthcore to this day, always there for the listening. He is as loyal to his fans as they are to him, hell as time has gone on he has added more projects to his plate rather then resting on his past successes.

So forego that extra fru fru coffe drink and order yourself some awesomeness in printed form .... April First ... Go do it its not a joke and you'd be a fool not to if your a action adventure and speculative fiction fan.... Make his take over that much closer....

For the FDO....

Excelsior

 

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Wanted Dispatch International Tabletop Day edition...

As a longtime gamer I love the idea of International Tabletop Day put out there by Felicity Day and Geek and Sundry. Wil Wheato's vlog has done a lot to make me want to game regularly again and I hope gamers in the audience got some games on today. Now on with the wanted posters.....

April looks to be both a hourglass shaped month with two very spare weeks sandwiched between large release weeks. Here are the high points next week April 2nd

 

Without a Summer by Mary Robinette Kowal continues the story of Jane Ellsworth and Mr. Vincent with this third regency era volume. The elevator pitch for the first book Shades of Milk and Honey went something like this is the book that Jane Austen would have written if magic existed in her world. Mary works very hard to maintain the language, social norms and history of the period slightly altered for the existence of illusionary magic adding which pays off in spades; I'm a fool for her writing. Here is the copy about the book from her website that can be found here.

Jane and Vincent go to Long Parkmeade to spend time with Jane’s family, but quickly turn restless. The year is unseasonably cold. No one wants to be outside and Mr. Ellsworth is concerned by the harvest, since a bad one may imperil Melody’s dowry. And Melody has concerns of her own, given the inadequate selection of eligible bachelors. When Jane and Vincent receive a commission from a prominent family in London, they decide to take it, and take Melody with them. They hope the change of scenery will do her good and her marriage prospects—and mood—will be brighter in London.

Once there, talk is of nothing but the crop failures caused by the cold and increased unemployment of the coldmongers, which have provoked riots in several cities to the north. With each passing day, it’s more difficult to avoid getting embroiled in the intrigue, none of which really helps Melody’s chances for romance. It’s not long before Jane and Vincent realize that in addition to getting Melody to the church on time, they must take on one small task: solving a crisis of international proportions.

In addition this month Glamour in Glass, last years Jane Ellsworth nove is being released in soft cover version. This novel as past readers will know is up for the Nebula award for this year and really is even in my mind with another novel that I hope will get the award. Mary has a unique voice as a writers and can write anything from these regency magical novels to science fiction mysteries that have also been up for awards. As you may notice I only review books I like and her work is really due a review by me...

 

The Exiled Blade by Jon Courtnay Grimwood

I had the chance to read the first book in this series and it was such a wonderful alternate history mixing the most corrupt political times of Venice with vampires, werewolves, Muslim and Viking themes. Jon Courtney is obviously in love with history and the ways that things could have gone awry. His characters here have the best and worst hat humanity has to offer in its hopes and dreams and its fears and greed. Based on my enjoyment of the first - The Fallen Blade - with its multiple viewpoints, plots counterplots and manipulations. To me this is the fictionalization of the fact work called Wolrld lit only by Fire.

Jon's fiction is rich and complex and I encourage you to try any of his books wither they be this, his modern Persian urban fantasy of the weird fiction that is Swamp Butterflies. Here is the copy about this volume...

Venice stands victorious. It has beaten back the German emperor's army and the Byzantine navy. The Duchess Alexa's party at court is strong again. Her niece, Lady Giulietta, will be the next Regent, and possibly the next duchess. Giulietta's lover, Lord Tycho, will sit beside her.

But no one is prepared for the fury of Prince Alonzo, exiled regent and traitor to his city. No one is prepared for the harshest winter Europe has ever known. As the canals of Venice freeze and wolves cross the ice from the north, Alonzo's plotting brings the Venetian empire to the very edge of destruction.

 

 

Weird Detectives edited by Paula Guran

Looking at some of the things I'm looking forward to its no surprise that an original short fiction urban fantasy collection world be in my sights. The Table of Contents for this one alone is a draw with the talent lined up and that is just the big names. With this one my only fear is that I'll find another couple authors I' have to start reading. This one in from a favorite publisher of mine - Prime Books and looks great. Take a look at their site here and this is their copy about the book and the impressive line up of authors.

 

Paranormal investigators. Occult detectives. Ghost hunters. Monster fighters. Humans who unravel uncanny crimes and solve psychic puzzles; sleuths with supernatural powers of their own who provide services far beyond those normal gumshoes, shamuses, and Sherlocks can provide. When vampires, werewolves, and thing that go bump in the night are part of your world, criminals can be as inhuman as the crimes they commit, and magic can seep into the mundane—those who solve the mysteries, bring justice for victims or even save the world itself, might wield wands as well as firearms, utter spells or simply use their powers of deduction. Some of the best twenty-first century tales from top authors of the century’s most popular genre take you down mean streets and into strange crime scenes in this fantastic compilation.

Contents (alphabetical by author):

“Cryptic Coloration” by Elizabeth Bear

“The Key” by Ilsa J. Blick

“Mortal Bait” Richard Bowes

“Star of David” by Patricia Briggs

“Love Hurts” by Jim Butcher

“Swing Shift” by Dana Cameron

“The Necromancer’s Apprentice” by Lillian Stewart Carl

“Sherlock Holmes and the Diving Bell” by Simon Clark

“The Adakian Eagle” by Bradley Denton

“Hecate’s Golden Eye” by P.N. Elrod

“The Case of Death and Honey” by Neil Gaiman

“The Nightside, Needless to Say” by Simon R. Green

“Deal Breaker” by Justin Gustainis

“Death by Dahlia” by Charlaine Harris

“See Me” by Tanya Huff

“Signatures of the Dead” by Faith Hunter

“The Maltese Unicorn” by Caitlín R. Kiernan

“The Case of the Stalking Shadow” by Joe R. Lansdale

“Like a Part of the Family” by Jonathan Maberry

“The Beast of Glamis” by William Meikle

“Fox Tails” by Richard Parks

“Imposters” by Sarah Monette

“Defining Shadows” by Carrie Vaughn

A Matter of Blood by Sarah Pinborough

This one ties into the last in that its a police procedural with occult overtones. It's been around a while but this next week sees its US publishing date. Ever since I was a kid along with genre stories I've been a follower of crime and police stories. I read about this one and was curious. Here is the Publishers Weekley site's coverage...

In a near-future London of financial insecurity and increasing social inequity, Det. Insp. Cass Jones is saddled with two challenging but otherwise mundane cases: one involving the deaths of two boys, apparently gunned down accidentally during the attempted assassination of a notorious crime lord, and the other involving a nihilistic serial killer called Man of Flies. Then Cass learns his brother, Christian, has murdered Christian’s wife and son before turning the gun on himself; Cass’s affair with Christian’s wife is quickly uncovered, and Cass’s fingerprints are found on Christian’s gun. The occult overtones and heavy-handed corporatist futurism are minor distractions from the heart of this book, which is a perfectly acceptable British-style police procedural centered on a cop who is just morally compromised enough to drive the plot and idealistic enough to be an impediment to the true villains. While clearly a series launch, this competent novel can be enjoyed on its own merits, albeit more for the investigation than the speculative elements. (Apr.)

Here also is Sarah Pinborough's website to see what she is doing now.

 

Blood Trade by Faith Hunter

The blogger at My Bookish Ways brought my attention back to this series that starters with the title Skin Trade. His series has my attention because it apparently pulls on Native American myths and folklore of the Skinwalker. I know little else other then this and it is in the above mentioned and linked blog's site here is the text posted there...

Blood Trade by Faith Hunter (St. Martins Press-April 16th)

Synopsis-Jane Yellowrock is a shape-shifting skinwalker who’s always up for a fight—even if it means putting her life on the line…

The Master of Natchez, Mississippi has a nasty problem on his hands. Rogue vampires—those who follow the Naturaleza and believe that humans should be nothing more than prey to be hunted—are terrorizing his city. Luckily, he knows the perfect skinwalker to call in to take back the streets.

But what he doesn’t tell Jane is that there’s something different about these vamps. Something that makes them harder to kill—even for a pro like Jane. Now, her simple job has turned into a fight to stay alive…and to protect the desperately ill child left in her care.

Here is a link to Faith Hunters web site.

 

River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay

One of the first fantasies I read that felt based both British history and Shakespeare was Guy's book Tigana and it was one of those books that made me cry and that one more the once. Guy is a marvelously talented writer and I hope to get to the first book in this series based on ancient Chinese history Under Heaven. I could say what I think is true but ill just let Penguins website copy convince you if it can...

In his critically acclaimed novel Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay told a vivid and powerful story inspired by China’s Tang Dynasty. Now, the international bestselling and multiple award-winning author revisits that invented setting four centuries later with an epic of prideful emperors, battling courtiers, bandits and soldiers, nomadic invasions, and a woman battling in her own way, to find a new place for women in the world – a world inspired this time by the glittering, decadent Song Dynasty.

Ren Daiyan was still just a boy when he took the lives of seven men while guarding an imperial magistrate of Kitai. That moment on a lonely road changed his life—in entirely unexpected ways, sending him into the forests of Kitai among the outlaws. From there he emerges years later—and his life changes again, dramatically, as he circles towards the court and emperor, while war approaches Kitai from the north.

Lin Shan is the daughter of a scholar, his beloved only child. Educated by him in ways young women never are, gifted as a songwriter and calligrapher, she finds herself living a life suspended between two worlds. Her intelligence captivates an emperor—and alienates women at the court. But when her father’s life is endangered by the savage politics of the day, Shan must act in ways no woman ever has.

In an empire divided by bitter factions circling an exquisitely cultured emperor who loves his gardens and his art far more than the burdens of governing, dramatic events on the northern steppe alter the balance of power in the world, leading to events no one could have foretold, under the river of stars.

 

So that is the dispatch for the week. Next week I will have more for you

 

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Another Russia...

 

Peter Higgins Wolfhound Century is a novel that is very hard describe in few words. So I'll say this about it; fans of weird fiction, alternate history, police procedurals and psychological thrillers would probably be equally entertained by it but there is more going on then meets the eye or is revealed in detail. Told from multiple jumpinng viewpoints Higgins reveals the layers of power deception manipulation and honor present in his alternate Russian landscape under the hand of a Stalinist police state. Wolfhound Century builds the stage and characters upon which the fate of which of two competing realities rely and ultimately the choice of which will exist. Peter built his world from bits of Slavic folklore and history creating a setting as foreign as any second world fantasy, making a urban fantasy that is like nothing else I've read recently.

The lanscape of this country is huge taking days to cross even by the fastest trains available with vast tracts of mysterious forests, hidden mythic people and many many secrets. In the background if this novel there is a long faught war with a foerign power, a war of attrition that is draining the nation dry. Vissarion Lom, a man tryimg to be a good cop, is called from his backwater posting to be assigned to flush out a terrorist and expose a traitor in the city of Mirgorod wher he will be a relative stranger. Lom is a chit in a much bigger game as are all the other players; the artists, the teacher, the daughter and the leaders and The manipulative spirits. Jumping between perspectives and creatures Peter unveils a story that shows that there are two realitis, two nows fighting for control as much as the people fight each other for power. One an ordered and confined world desired by the fallen stone angels that war in the heaves and the other a wild and chaotic world of the folklore and the woods where the rains can drown and the trees and winds speak. Peter writes with the wild weird creative flare of Mieville and Vandermeer as one blurb says of Wofhound but his prose is sparse rather then dense more accessable and allowing the reader to fill in the blanks.

As a political thriller this novel delivers on all promises. It is one of those novels where the chapters are short and make you think I'll read just one more late into the evening. In addition the the investigation and espionage plot there is unrest in the populace leading to protests which are harshly put down by the police with the cruel efficiency you would expect. It's characters are filled with an understandable paranoia of others and a wariness of their fellow citizens. There are clandestine meeting in cabarets and bars and several scenes of threats and torture. Wolfhound Century takes you to wonderful places too it is not all grim and dark and exposes some of the greatness some characters can rise to along with the depths to which some can fall.

The setting has elements that belong in a dystopian steampunk novel and others that could be in a pulpish urban fantasy. It is a hard book to classify and that is a great thing. The gloom of the rain filled streets and the atmosphere of paranoia is reminiscent of 1984, with characters packed and ready to run if the state ever showed at their door. Lom is a good cop in this game and that makes him a suspect and a liability since he's not corruptible. Everyone in this world is probably a pawn in someone's game and that includes some of the most powerful.

Because of the depth given to the characters and the wide range of the story and worldbuilding this is a speculative fiction novel that may make that jump to wider readership pulling in readers of Scandinavian thrillers and police proceduals set in the Soviet Union like Child 66 from Tom Rob Smith. With its often gloomy atmosphere and many rainy scenes I was often reminded of Blade Runner and noir crime novels I was such a big fan of in the nineties. I think this is something not to be missed for fans fantasy and thriller fiction of all type; I'm anxiously awaiting the second volume with the developments in the last few chapters I'm really wondering where it all will lead.

I received my ARC from the publisher but would happily have paid to read it.

Wolfhound Century is from Orbit Books (website here) and will be released Tuesday March 26th. Please go check out Peter Higgins' website here take a look around there is a very moody book trailer, character tidbits and other goodies to come. Last of all here is a link to a sample chapter via Orbit Books.

 

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Sunday Comics

Sorry I'm a couple weeks behind on this one but I like to comment of books I've gotten a chance to read....

Paul Cornell is one of the comics, tv and speculative fiction writers whom I will pretty much follow anywhere. He's bounced back and forth between Marvel and DC for the last couple years and it looks like he's going marvel at the moment. If anyone could make the very overexposed character Wolverine who seems to be in almost every corner of the Marvel Universe interesting again. The first issue here drops you into the story in medias res which is usually people's first issue of most comics.

Reading this was a good deal of fun showing the humanity in this often relegated to berserker killer status character. Alan Davis and Farmer on the art makes me fell I'm reading classic Captain Britain from as they say back in the day. The issue is short on explanation but deep on feeling. At this price point its hard to do it but I have to give Mr. Cornell the time to build this story. It is nice to see Logan being just a normal guy... or at least as normal as a ancient mutant hero can be.

 

I've mentioned Captain Marvel by Deconnick before and this may become a monthly thing because this is such a good book. Ok reading the letters to the Cap. Editor are saying thi gs about the art but this is a book about the characters, their stories and lives. Ok yes there are dinosaurs and super villains and cosmic powers with women who can fly to the edge of space but beyond all that its about a woman named Carol Danvers her friends and how much they love and respect her. I really love this book and your should do the reader in you a favor and try it out.

Oh and those comments about the artistic changes. Comics go through that inconsistency all the time, I happen to love the diversity of styles of art that have graced this great book. Sebela has a style that is like no one else out there. This book has so much in common with my other must have these days Hawkeye; its about the characters as people.... look at my comment about the Wolverine title about about him being just this guy. Captain Marvel is just this gal named Carol who cares so much about the people round her that she has to do something to help.

 

 

 

The other really cool thing that I have to comment on is the Marvel Universe APP on the iTunes Store. The subscription available costs 10 or so a month and gives you access to the whole electronic library Marvel has posted. You can see a bunch of cool stuff from about 6 months or more ago for free, sure you don't get too many to view but there is enough that is cool that downloading the APP for free that even if you do not want a subscription its worth it if your into superhero comics; I got to read the first issue of the Age of Apocalypse book by David Lapham last week and a couple of great Ultimate Universe books this week that has wetted my appetite for more and I'm thinking that 10 a month is pretty affordable compared to the cost of ebooks or physical ones. I still love supporting local stores but access to such a big library is appealing. I'd say if you have to option check it out.

 

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