Books received 7/29/12 Pyr edition Part I

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

Cuttlefish
by Dave Freer
Cover by Paul Young

Promo copy:

The smallest thing can change the path of history.

The year is 1976, and the British Empire still spans the globe. Coal drives the world, and the smog of it hangs thick over the canals of London.

Clara Calland is on the run. Hunted, along with her scientist mother, by Menshevik spies and Imperial soldiers, they flee Ireland for London. They must escape airships, treachery, and capture. Under flooded London’s canals, they join the rebels who live in the dank tunnels there.

Tim Barnabas is one of the underpeople, born to the secret town of drowned London, place of anti-imperialist republicans and Irish rebels, part of the Liberty—the people who would see a return to older values and free elections. Seeing no farther than his next meal, Tim has hired on as a submariner on the Cuttlefish, a coal-fired submarine that runs smuggled cargoes beneath the steamship patrols, to the fortress America and beyond.

When the Imperial soldiery comes ravening, Clara and her mother are forced to flee aboard the Cuttlefish. Hunted like beasts, the submarine and her crew must undertake a desperate voyage across the world, from the Faeroes to the Caribbean and finally across the Pacific to find safety. But only Clara and Tim Barnabas can steer them past treachery and disaster, to freedom in Westralia. Carried with them—a lost scientific secret that threatens the very heart of Imperial power.

Quantum Coin
by E. C. Myers
Cover by Sam Weber

Be My Enemy (Book Two of the Everness Series)
by Ian McDonald
Cover by John Picacio

Part II

Books received 7/29/12 Pyr edition Part I was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Books received 7/29/12 Pyr edition Part II

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

Night Sessions
by Ken Macleod
Cover by Stephan Martiniere

Promo copy:

A bishop is dead. As Detective Inspector Adam Ferguson picks through the rubble of the tiny church, he discovers that it was deliberately bombed. That it’s a terrorist act is soon beyond doubt. It’s been a long time since anyone saw anything like this. Terrorism is history….After the Middle East wars and the rising sea levels—after Armageddon and the Flood—came the Great Rejection. The first Enlightenment separated church from state. The Second Enlightenment has separated religion from politics. In this enlightened age there’s no persecution, but the millions who still believe and worship are a marginal and mistrusted minority. Now someone is killing them. At first, suspicion falls on atheists more militant than the secular authorities. But when the target list expands to include the godless, it becomes evident that something very old has risen from the ashes. Old and very, very dangerous…

The Kingmakers (Vampire Empire, Book 3)
by Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith
Cover by Chris McGrath

Promo copy:

Concludes the popular, genre-crossing, epic trilogy of a war between vampires and humans
A war to the death.

Empress Adele has launched a grand crusade against the vampire clans of the north. Prince Gareth, the vampire lord of Scotland, serves the Equatorian cause, fighting in the bloody trenches of France in his guise as the dashing Greyfriar. But the human armies are pinned down, battered by harsh weather and merciless attacks from vampire packs.

To even the odds, Adele unleashes the power of her geomancy, a fear- some weapon capable of slaughtering vampires in vast numbers. However, the power she expends threatens her own life even as she questions the morality of such a weapon.

As the war turns ever bloodier and Adele is threatened by betrayal, Gareth faces a terrible choice. Their only hope is a desperate strike against the lord of the vampire clans—Gareth’s brother, Cesare. It is a gamble that could win the war or signal the final days of the Greyfriar.

The Vampire Empire trilogy rushes to a heart-wrenching conclusion of honor and love, hatred and vengeance, sacrifice and loss.

London Eye (Toxic City Book One)
by Tim Lebbon
Cover by Steve Stone

Part I

Books received 7/29/12 Pyr edition Part II was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

DVDs received 7/27/12

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

Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season One [Blu-ray]

Promo copy:

For the first time ever, you can experience all 25 season one episodes in glorious 1080p high definition, with true high definition visual effects and English language digitally remastered 7.1 sound – or with the original audio. You’ll witness new picture detail and depth and enjoy spectacular visual effects that have been painstakingly re-created from the original film elements… not upconverted from videotape! Join Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the entire crew of the Enterprise on a voyage to the next generation… of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Features:

    95 Minutes Of New Documentaries Features All New Cast and Crew Interviews
    Energized: Taking the Next Generation to the Next Level
    Stardate Revisited: The Origin of Star Trek: The Next Generation
    Original Episodic Promos
    Archival Launch Footage
    Featurettes

Seeking Justice

Promo copy:

This action-packed thriller stars Nicolas Cage as Will Gerard, a happily married family man whose quiet life is turned upside-down when his wife, Laura (January Jones), is brutally attacked one night while leaving work.

At the hospital, waiting for news about his wife’s condition, Will is approached by Simon, (Guy Pearce) who proposes an intriguing offer: Simon will arrange to have a complete stranger exact vengeance on Laura’s attacker, in exchange for a favor from Will in the near future. Distraught and grief-stricken, Will consents to the deal, unwittingly pulling himself into a dangerous underground vigilante operation. While continuing to protect his wife from the truth, he quickly discovers that his quest for justice could lead to frightening and deadly consequences.

Directed by Roger Donaldson (The Bank Job, The Recruit), with story by Robert Tannen and Todd Hickey and screenplay by Robert Tannen, Seeking Justice also stars Harold Perrineau (ABC’s “Lost,” upcoming Inferno: A Linda Lovelace Story) and Jennifer Carpenter (Showtime’s “Dexter,” Quarantine).

The Super Hero Squad Show: The Infinity Gauntlet Vol. 4

Promo copy:

The final stand of the Super Hero Squad is upon us! Join your favorite Squaddies (Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Wolverine, Ms. Marvel, Falcon and the Hulk) as they take on the Dark Surfer once and for all in the battle that determines the fate of the universe! Action! Laughter! Tears! Laughter resulting in tears! These final chapters in the hilarious superpowered saga of The Super Hero Squad Show has it all! Squaddies, hero up!

Featuring the special guest voice talents of Ty Burrell (Modern Family), Jane Lynch (Glee), Michael Dorn (Star Trek: The Next Generation), James Marsters (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Kevin Sorbo (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys) and Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee!

DVDs received 7/27/12 was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Kickback (2006)

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Quote:
“I thought we all lived happily together, Micky … scratching each other’s backs. Giving and taking … so what’s up?”

 

This seems to an original graphic novel first published in France with this American edition from Dark Horse. The script and art is by David Lloyd who is best known, of course, as the artist on V for Vendetta but I also have a couple of Night Raven books that he did for Marvel.

The story follows Joe Canelli, a crooked cop in a crooked city. Everything is peaceful in Franklin City until one of the main gang leaders is taken out. Rather than starting a gang war, this event shatters the reciprocal agreement between the cops and the gangs with cops being taken out and violent reaction from the police on the gangs. Against this background, Canelli has to discover who he can trust as he investigates the cause of the disturbance and finds that he has to choose sides between what he thought was right and wrong.

This is a nice crime caper that I enjoyed reading. The story is not too original and parts of it reminded me strongly of the film Magnum Force. But the art is great and I love Lloyd’s colour palette which is perfect for this noirish tale. The one aspect of Lloyd’s art that I don’t like is that the faces of characters are sometimes not too well defined and it can be difficult to recognise characters when they reappear in the story. Other than that a good little book that I am glad I took a chance on.

Movies, Gorillas, Fringe, and Sex: ArmadilloCon 34

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It’s time once again for ArmadilloCon.

As per usual, I’ll be speaking on several panels and even having a reading.

Hope to see everyone there!

Best SF/F Movie Series of the all time
Fri 8:00 PM-9:00 PM San Antonio
A. de Orive, R. Klaw*, B. Mahoney, R. Rogers, J. Rountree, H. Waldrop
Hobbits vs. Avengers? Star Wars vs. Star Trek? Aliens vs. Predators vs. Terminators? Our intrepid panelists attempt to ef the ineffable and address the truly deep questions: What constitutes not just a great SF/F movie, but an outstanding series?

Apes and Zeppelins
Fri 9:00 PM-10:00 PM Trinity
C. Brown, B. Crider, S. Cupp, M. Finn*, R. Klaw, J. Lansdale, J. Nevins, D. Webb
Last year Joe Lansdale tossed down the gauntlet at the Apes in SF panel, challenging all comers to produce a story worthy of a classic cover from Zeppelin Tales: “The Gorilla of the Gasbags”. Our valiant panelists discuss their responses.

Fringe: Why We Like It — or do we still?
Sat 11:00 AM-Noon San Antonio
B. Hale, R. Klaw*, G. Oliver, D. Potter, R. Rogers
How did this show become so watchable and interesting? Has it maintained its promise, or jumped the shark?

Reading
Sat 2:00 PM-2:30 PM Pecos
Rick Klaw

(I’ll be reading either my apes in film essay from The Apes of Wrath or if I finish it in time my “Gorilla of the Gasbags” challenge story.)

Signing
Sat 4:00 PM-5:00 PM Dealers’ Room
B. Crider, S. Cupp, M. Finn, R. Klaw, D. Webb

Sequels, Reboots, & Prometheus
Sun Noon-1:00 PM San Marcos
A. Allston, A. de Orive, R. Klaw*, A. Martinez, J. Perez
Summer SF Spectaculars: the good, the bad, the re-done and the over-done

Future Sex: The Shape of Things to Come
Sun 2:00 PM-3:00 PM Trinity
C. Brown, M. Maresca, R. Klaw, J. Nevins, P. Roberts*, F. Stanton
As humans reshape their society, their bodies, their culture, how will the most intimate of activities change?

Movies, Gorillas, Fringe, and Sex: ArmadilloCon 34 was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Why So Serious…?

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[ Distorted Mood: Distorted ]
Sheesh. It’s really been almost four years since I blogged here. Thanks, FacBoo and Zyngag!

So I keep thinking about this Colorado thing… I’m hoping blathering about it will get some of it off my chest, and off my mind.

What if that sick monster, whose name I won’t even repeat, was conducting some kind of twisted social or psychological experiment? What if the rumored “person of interest” now being observed was also to have been at that movie theater, as the caped hero who saves the day, and just never showed up?

I have no idea why my brain keeps nibbling at it. That shooter is so creepy. This f*cking catastrophe hits closer to home than usual. It’s like he opened fire in a church, the way it feels to me.

LittleLeagueComic.tumblr.com

Fables: Covers (2008)

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Quote:
“If you’ll look again at any given Fables cover … in addition to being a compelling illustration that makes you want to read the story inside, it’s a story in itself.”

 

Something a little different this time. This is a beautiful oversized, hardback book collecting James Jean’s work as a cover artist on Fables. The book collects covers from the main series (#1-10 and 12-75), standalone books (The Last Castle and 1001 Nights of Snowfall) and the wraparound covers for the first 10 trade paperback collections.

The format of the book is pretty rigid. There is a double page spread for each single issue. The left hand page consists of preliminary sketches and paintings along with a relevant quote from the script for that issue and a thumbnail of the final cover as published. The right hand page is a full page reprint of the cover normally without logos, issue numbers, barcodes and other text or graphic elements unless these form an integral part of the design of the image.

The wraparound covers are treated slightly differently. These get 4 pages devoted to them. The first two have have the preliminary sketches, drawings and paintings with a thumbnail of the final cover and a short commentary from Jean himself on the cover. The next two pages is a reproduction of the cover alone without logos etc.

It goes without saying that if you love Jean’s work then you will love this book. It shows which covers went through a number of iterations before settling on a final image and which seem to have been fully formed from the start. Amazing as the final covers are, some of my favourite illustrations are clean line drawings – the details are amazing and sometimes get lost in the colouring process. Visit his web site which has lots of examples of his other work.

Aurora – Some thoughts

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[ Shocked Mood: Shocked ]
[ Listening to CBC Radio Currently: Listening to CBC Radio ]
A Facebook friend commented on the blaming for the horrific events in Aurora on the Joker. A discussion ensured and these were my thoughts. I wanted to capture them somewhere more permanent than Facebook, so I pasted them here.

Quote:
I find it fascinating that in a country where you can get a gun for opening a bank account, that they are quick to condemn a fictional character for this tragedy. Last I heard, we don’t even know if the Joker link is true, it is based on a statement by a New York cop who may or may not have heard it from a former New York cop who now works in Aurora. Who knows if the shooter said it seriously or at all? But sure enough, the media is running with it.

So let’s imagine the Joker is his inspiration, what if he’d never been created? I bet someone disturbed enough to walk into a theater and shoot people would have found someone else to fixate on and model himself after. Perhaps a real person? Al Capone? Jesse James? Would we then be talking about banning teaching history in schools? Removing history books from the library and bookstores? No. We wouldn’t.

And yet every time one of these things happens, there is a knee jerk reaction to blame something else for creating the situation, instead of doing the deep soul searching as a society that is really required. Why is it that semi-automatics are available to any member of the general public in the US? Why is it the mentally ill are so hard to treat? Why can’t politicians think beyond the next election cycle and look to affect real change for the better? Why does someone think wondering why no one in the theatre was armed and shooting back, blaming the victims as it were, is acceptable?

The reality is this man was in need of help, and those around him missed the signs, big time. For him to have gathered that much weaponry and ammunition, someone had to have know. Given the sheer amount of money that has been spent in the last ten years in the US on terrorism prevention, why is it still possible for one man buy so many weapons and explosives off the web? How could the FBI, Secret Service and NSA not be tipped off or be monitoring this?

Let’s also ask, what about mental health awareness? Why are we not trained from a young age to recognize when someone is deep trouble like we are with a heart attack? Why don’t I know what to do beyond call 911 when someone is in trouble with a mental breakdown? Are the police even trained? (I know the answer to that one already, and for the vast majority, it is no.)

But no, sadly our leaders, political, media and legal, are going to continue with the shallow "blame everyone else" and "find a short term solution" that they do after every one of these events.

And then the next one will happen and nothing will have changed.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier (LWR)

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[ Amused Mood: Amused ]
[ Listening to CBC Radio Currently: Listening to CBC Radio ]
You want to know what Alan Moore was thinking about as he was writing The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier?

Sex.

Sex. Sex. Sex. Sex. Sex. Sex. Sex. Sex.

Oh yeah, and sex.

This book is supposed to be the hidden history of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Gathered as a series of different clippings, such as articles, postcards, and "boys comics", by the government in a Black Dossier to document the actions of the league. These clippings are stolen by Mina Harper and Alan Quartermaine, and it is their story of escaping with the dossier that weaves the book together.

As they read the dossier, so do we, and a very interesting story it presents. We get the altered history of England, a place where literary characters are real, with various incarnations of the League working to bring down enemies of the Crown. We also see how much the government changed under an Orwellian inspired government after the war, and how our once heroes are now fugitives from Justice.

Did I mention there was lots of sex? Almost every piece of work has sex and nudity woven through it. The comic story of Orlando, the gender switching companion to Prospero and Sinbad who literally had sex with ever character of historical significance they encountered. The further adventures of Fanny Hill who also seems to have sex with everyone she encounters. There is even some totalitarian pornography tucked in with an exert from a pulp novel. Even Mina and Alan are lying around in various positions involving nudity, bathing, post-coital bliss.

I get that many of the memorable female characters in literary history that would be likely to take up with the league are the sexually scandalous ones, but I wonder if Moore was not attracted to them because of sexual promiscuity rather than their tendency to take risks. Would he have chose chaste Elizabeth Bennett for the league, even though she is seen as an early feminist heroine by many readers.

This is the most sexual of Moore’s works that I have read, and I have to wonder if he was going through Andropause at the time of crafting this.

The better parts of the book are the cartoons, as Moore shows his ability to tell story and create character. Some of the articles are interesting, but others seem at times to be a chance for Moore to write like Shakespeare.

It’s a good read, but not to the same level as the earlier volumes.