Monthly Archives: March 2014

Obligatory Hugo Endorsement Post

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This is your last day to put in nominations for the Hugos. Which is assuming you’re already a member of WorldCon, the previous Texas one or the upcoming LonCon in London.

As it’s a Texas-ish publication, you should consider RevolutionSF for fanzine and the RevCast for the new fancast category.

Here’s some more suggestions, mainly people I owe a favor to, but nevertheless they’re all totally deserving!

Novelette

Babylon Moon by Matthew Bey

Short story

texas died for somebody’s sins but not mine – By Stina Leicht
I Will Trade With You — by J. M. McDermott

Best Graphic Story

Black Science
Sex Criminals
Adventures of the Red Panda

Editor Short Form

Rick Klaw

Professional Artist

John Picacio

Semi-Prozine

The Drabblecast

Fanzine

Space Squid
RevolutionSF
Bookworm Blues
My Bookish Ways

Fancast

Revcast
SF Signal Podcast
We’re Alive: A story of survival

John W. Campbell Award

Max Gladstone
Marshal Ryan Maresca
Rhonda Eudaly

Books received 3/9/2014 Pyr edition

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Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived at the Geek Compound.

download (3)

Blood and Iron
The Book of the Black Earth
Part One

by Jon Sprunk
Cover by Jason Chan

Promo Copy:

This action-heavy EPIC FANTASY SERIES OPENER is like a sword-and-sorcerySpartacus set in a richly-imagined world.

It starts with a shipwreck following a magical storm at sea. Horace, a soldier from the west, had joined the Great Crusade against the heathens of Akeshia after the deaths of his wife and son from plague. When he washes ashore, he finds himself at the mercy of the very people he was sent to kill, who speak a language and have a culture and customs he doesn’t even begin to understand.

Not long after, Horace is pressed into service as a house slave. But this doesn’t last. The Akeshians discover that Horace was a latent sorcerer, and he is catapulted from the chains of a slave to the halls of power in the queen’s court. Together with Jirom, an ex-mercenary and gladiator, and Alyra, a spy in the court, he will seek a path to free himself and the empire’s caste of slaves from a system where every man and woman must pay the price of blood or iron. Before the end, Horace will have paid dearly in both.

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Books received 3/9/2014

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Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived at the Geek Compound.

download (1)

Empty Hearts
Stories by Mark Finn

Cover by Sharon Nash

 Promo copy:

A young woman alone in the big city, a mobster looking to make a fresh start, an old monster hunter with one last job to do, a magical grocery store where love grows like tomatoes on a vine… These are just some of the people and places you’ll meet in Empty Hearts, a new collection of stories by Mark Finn. Set in and around the magic-steeped city of San Cibola, the characters come to life in Finn’s deft prose with humor, warmth, and compassion. Even the unlikeable people have strange and fascinating stories that make them compelling. The stories in Empty Hearts all turn on the theme of love, passion, and desire. Whether it’s a misguided crook’s tributes to an underworld organization, a passionate academic’s pet theory, or a child’s love of Christmas, the characters and stories in Empty Hearts ultimately reflect ourselves with humor, horror, and a dash of magic.

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STAPLE 2014: Coffee, monsters, pulp, etc

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This previous weekend was the 10th annual STAPLE, Austin’s independent media expo. As I have for the past seven years, I attended the festival. Sadly, I was only there on Saturday, though that didn’t stop me from getting some goodies, visiting some friends, and hopefully make some new ones.

Staple

One of the show’s pleasant surprises was the unexpected appearance of Shannon Wheeler. As long time readers know, Shannon and I go way back (chronicled here, here, and other places) so it was nice to catch up. We discussed the success of God Is Disappointed in You, the Too Much Coffee Man beer (yes, really!), his kids, and other stuff in our lives.

Then Shannon made me a very generous offer, he gave me the original of a Too Much Coffee Man strip!

TMCM original Continue reading →

Stuff received 3/1/2014

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Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived at the Geek Compound.

The Simon and Kirby Library: Horror

by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby

Promo copy:

At every point, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby raised the bar.

When they came to comics, Superman had been around for about a year, and the medium was still in its infancy. They took the action and made it explode, breaking out of the panels and sprinting across the page. They showed what comics could do, experimenting with layout and design, creating the first full-page panels and double page spreads.

Their first million-seller was a superhero (Captain America), and their next was military adventure that outsold Superman (DC’s Boy Commandos). These two guys from Rochester and Brooklyn broke all the rules when they created the first romance comics, and they blazed trails in every genre: horror, science fiction, crime etc …

Their work in the legendary title Black Magic was acclaimed by readers. It was held up on national television by the Senate Committee on Juvenile Delinquency, where experts claimed Black Magic contributed to the corruption of American youth! Also included here are the Simon and Kirby stories from the experimental terror title Strange World of Your Dreams.

WOW! (Watch for a review in a forthcoming Nexus Graphica)

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