Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.
Unchained and Unhinged by Joe R. Lansdale
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These short pieces, are, like The King and Other Stories, a collection of easy to read stories and articles that are designed to be treats for my readers. Nothing to hurt the head, but perhaps something to make you smile, or even think a little–but not too much.
The stories in The King were all pretty much pulp and absurdist pieces. This collection contains a few stories of weight, even though they are short.
The bottom line is they are designed for immediate consumption, the perfect kind of story for the busy day. Because, if you’re like me, even on my busiest day, I like to find a few moments to read, even if it’s only a chapter from a novel, a scene I’ve enjoyed reading before, a short story, or, what we used to call short-shorts. The articles though a little less flash like, are still quick reads and are probably best appreciated by those who like to read about writing and writers.
Again, I thank all of you who have bought my short story collections and novels and comic books. Stay with me. I keep having new stories come to visit all the time. They’re friendly, and they like to meet other readers other than me. Here are a few of the friendlier ones. They aren’t complex friends, but you couldn’t find any more well meaning than these.
Embrace the Night Eternal by Joss Ware
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Everything they knew is gone.
From the raging fires, five men emerge with extraordinary new powers. They must learn how to survive this dark, ravaged world . . . but they cannot do it alone.
Simon Japp will never forget his violent past. But when civilization is all but destroyed, he sees his chance for redemption. Blessed with a strange "gift," he’s determined to help the resistance against the Strangers, the mysterious force that stalks them at every turn. He can’t afford to get distracted, even by the stunning, soft-spoken woman fighting by his side . . . Sage Corrigan has learned to be careful where she places her trust. But she sees something good in Simon, even if he can’t see it in himself. Posing as lovers to infiltrate a group key to their fight, they find that their staged affection soon develops into a desire that will leave them fighting for their lives in the night eternal . . .
Feed (Newsflesh, Book 1) by Mira Grant
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The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.
NOW, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives-the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.
Iron Man: Virus by Alex Irvine
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THE ONLY HOPE AGAINST THE ULTIMATE DECEPTION
In the clear blue skies above Long Island, two airplanes collide. Tony Stark watches the scene in horror and wishes he had the technology that is almost within his reach—a new hyperintelligent instant control system that could have given the aircraft advance warning. But Stark, an obsessive, increasingly troubled recluse, doesn’t know that his invention has been compromised.
In fact, the collision was a carefully crafted hit on Madame Hydra, the final stage in Arnim Zola’s plan to seize control of HYDRA and get rid of Iron Man once and for all. The cunning adversary has already infiltrated Stark Industries security to develop a version of the instant control mechanism that will take over the armored suit and turn it against Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D. While Tony races to track down the source of the intrusion, Zola unleashes direly ingenious computer viruses and the ultimate secret weapon: a murderous clone army based on Stark’s most trusted friend. A puppet master of self-replicating terror, Zola is plunging a city into a war that threatens to consume all in its wake.
The Unit by Terry DeHart
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Jerry Sharpe is an ex-marine and, for him, survival means protecting his family by any means necessary.
Susan is learning just how far a mother will go for her children. But how far will she go for a man she doubted before the bombs fell? As Jerry’s training and instincts take over, she is certain of one thing — her children need her.
Melanie was going to go to college. Now, she is struggling to find a way to live in a world gone mad without losing sight of what she believes in.
Scotty has a new mission – more than survival. He was saved, and he’ll be damned if he won’t fight for what’s right.
And Bill — Bill was locked up, but the power went out and the guards left. Now he and his fellow inmates have realized that everything is free for the taking…if you’re strong enough to hold on to it.