Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.
Underground Written by Jeff Parker Art by Steve Lieber
Promo copy:
A conflict over Stillwater Cave forces two rangers to flee deep under the mountains, first to escape pursuers, and then the most deadliest threat – the cave itself! This volume collects the critically acclaimed mini-series by Jeff Parker and Steve Lieber and includes extra material including a Wesley Fischer solo story.
Salute the Dark (Shadows of the Apt, Book 4) by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Promo copy:
The vampiric sorcerer Uctebri has at last got his hands on the Shadow Box and can finally begin his dark ritual – a ritual that the Wasp-kinden Emperor believes will grant him immortality – but Uctebri has his own plans both for the Emperor and the Empire. The massed Wasp armies are on the march, and the spymaster Stenwold must see which of his allies will stand now that the war has finally arrived. This time the Empire will not stop until a black and gold flag waves over Stenwold’s own home city of Collegium. Tisamon the Weaponsmaster is faced with a terrible choice: a path that could lead him to abandon his friends and his daughter, to face degradation and loss, but that might possibly bring him before the Wasp Emperor with a blade in his hand – but is he being driven by Mantis-kinden honour, or manipulated by something more sinister?
The Game from Where I Stand: A Ballplayer’s Inside View by Doug Glanville
Promo copy:
An insider’s revealing look at the hidden world of major league baseball
Doug Glanville, a former major league outfielder and Ivy League graduate, draws on his nine seasons in the big leagues to reveal the human side of the game and of the men who play it.
In The Game from Where I Stand, Glanville shows us how players prepare for games, deal with race and family issues, cope with streaks and slumps, respond to trades and injuries, and learn the joyful and painful lessons the game imparts. We see the flashpoints that cause misunderstandings and friction between players, and the imaginative ways they work to find common ground. And Glanville tells us with insight and humor what he learned from Jimmy Rollins, Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, Barry Bonds, Curt Schilling, and other legendary and controversial stars.
In his professional career, Glanville experienced every aspect of being a player—the first-round pick, the prospect, the disappointment, the can’t-miss, the cornerstone, the veteran, the traded, the injured, the comeback kid. His eye-opening book gives fans a new level of understanding of day-to-day life in the big leagues.
Watch for my review in the next couple of weeks.
More in Part III