[  Mood: Happy ]
[ Currently: Breastfeeding my son – Situation Normal ]
Daniel H. Wilson looks at the technologies offered to us by Sci-Fi and wonders why some of them have yet to appear. In the case of others, he examines how we already have those technologies, but that they are different from those portrayed on Star Trek.

This book is funny. I mean laugh out loud funny. May even buy a copy funny. Each entry is about three pages long, so it is a perfect bathroom book. Go get it and make your calls of nature more enjoyable.

[  Mood: Happy ]
[ Currently: Listinening to My Cat Snore ]
So I had never read the Watchmen until I borrowed a copy from the library.

Yes, I know, leave my geek card at the door on the way out.

The impact of this collection is different on me today then it would have been had I picked it up back in the day. Much of Moore’s innovations have been picked up by comics and the rest of mainstream media. Would we have a Heroes if the Watchmen had never been published? Probably not.

What I mean by this statement is that what was innovative and shocking when this first came out had so permeated our culture that it seems almost normal now. This might explain the reaction of some who see the trailer but have never read the comic.

So while I enjoyed the book and am glad I have read it, I did not find it as shocking or breathtaking as those who may have read it in 1986-87.

Editor Steve Bissette‘s seminal late-20th century anthology Taboo, perhaps the finest horror anthology of all time and a model for my own horror anthology Weird Business, offered over 100 pages of visceral, no-holds-barred horror from the finest cutting edging creators of the late eighties and early nineties. Initially self-published under Bissette’s Spiderbaby Grafix imprint (and later continued by Kitchen Sink), each Taboo volume presented contributions from the likes of Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Eddie Campbell, Chester Brown, Charles Burns, John Totleben, Tom Veitch, Bernie Mireault, Michael Zulli, Richard Sala, Paul Chadwick, Moebius, Phil Hester, Dave Sim, D’Israeli, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Spain Rodriguez, S. Clay Wilson, Charles Vess, Jeff Jones, Matt Howarth, Mark Bode, Scott McCloud, Paul Grist, Joe Coleman, Jim Woodring, Tim Truman, and Bissette. Running for nine amazing books (1988-1995), Taboo contained some of these creators’ finest works.

Some 13 years later and horror comics are once again all the rage, isn’t it high time for someone to produce a 200 page best of compilation? Even without From Hell, which started in those pages, the books offer enough incredible talent that it’s sure to be a much sought after item.

Best of Taboo? was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

[  Mood: Confused ]
[  Currently: Listening to Husband Unit Put My Son to Bed ]
In my constant attempt to get decent service out of retailers, I present to you my letter of complaint to Canadian Tire.

Now you know why we call it Crappy Tire,

Last night, I had this long, complex dream about Jeff and Ann Vandermeer. The gist of the dream was that they took a group of diner-goers hostage in order to explain their latest literary theory. Not surprisingly, no one understood it. Frustrated, the duo planned on killing a hostage an hour until someone comprehended it.

Vandermeers hard at work on what I can only assume is a new literary theory!

Since I seemingly grok Jeff’s books (and presumably the only one in the vicinity stupid enough to help), the cops called me in to decipher the theory. Problem was that it was complete unintelligible, When it became obvious that I had no idea what the hell they were talking about, the couple kissed and similar to the beginning of Pulp Fiction, Ann stood on the table pointing her gun at people. Before she could scream “Any of you fucking pricks move, and I’ll execute every motherfucking last one of ya!’”, I woke up.

Some weird ass shit there.

A Dream of Vandermeers! was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

[  Mood: Cool ]
[ Currently: Breastfeeding my son – Situation Normal ]
Fearless Forteen is, as the title implies, the forteenth installment of the Stephanie Plum mystery series. This one is actually better than the last one.

Yes, Stephanie is still waffling between Joe and Ranger, but the humour is bang on in this book. Thedre were more laugh out loud moments here than the last three books combined.

Plot wise, Fearless Forteen has Stephanie working security with Ranger for a washed out singer and trying to track down a skip, whose son may or may not be Morelli’s. Stephaie has to look after until said son until the skip can be found. Given that he is a MMORG player and spray painter, hillarity ensues. Add to that Lula somehow getting Tank to agree to marry her and you have some very funny situations.

Still the book is short on character development, but that is a hallmark of Evanovitch’s writing. I stillfound the book enjoyable as it was a quick read that will left me smiling.