Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived at the Geek Compound.
How to Fake a Moon Landing: Exposing the Myths of Science Denial
by Darryl Cunningham
Promo copy:
Is hydro-fracking safe? Is climate change real? Did the moon landing actually happen? How about evolution: fact or fiction? Author-illustrator Darryl Cunningham looks at these and other hot-button science topics and presents a fact-based, visual assessment of current thinking and research on eight different issues everybody’s arguing about. His lively storytelling approach incorporates comics, photographs, and diagrams to create substantive but easily accessible reportage. Cunningham’s distinctive illustrative style shows how information is manipulated by all sides; his easy-to-follow narratives allow readers to draw their own fact-based conclusions. A graphic milestone of investigative journalism!
Fascinating use of the graphic medium. More on this later.
Nightshade and Damnations
by Gerald Kersh
Introduction by Harlan Ellison
Promo copy:
An expedition in South America uncovers a terrifying race of men without bones who literally suck the life out of their prey. A man in 20th century London makes a horrifying discovery about a monster found off the coast of Brighton in 1745. A sea captain goes ashore on a deserted island and finds what seem to be the bones of a previously unknown species of monster, only to learn that the bones tell a much more tragic tale than he could ever have imagined. A war correspondent, none other than Kersh himself, is sailing to America when he meets a strange man who claims to be 438 years old. These are the plots of just a few of the weird tales you will find in this book.
Gerald Kersh (1911-1968) was a brilliant and inventive writer acclaimed in his time for his gritty novels of London life and his often bizarre short fiction, but he has unfortunately become neglected since his death. This volume includes an introduction by award-winning science fiction author Harlan Ellison, who also selected the eleven stories that appear in this collection and which represent the very best of Kersh’s short fiction. Includes: “The Queen of Pig Island”, “Frozen Beauty”, “The Brighton Monster”, “Men Without Bones”, “Busto Is a Ghost, Too Mean to Give Us a Fright!”, “The Ape and the Mystery”, “The King Who Collected Clocks”, “Bone for Debunkers”, “A Lucky Day for the Boar”, “Voices in the Dust of Annan”, “Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo?”
The definitive Kersh collection finally returns to print! In danger of being forgotten, Kersh was one 20th century’s finest writers of the bizarre and should be experienced by all fans of the unusual.
The Mammoth Book of Black Magic
Edited by Mike Ashley
Promo copy:
Delve into the fascinating world of witchcraft and magic and let this enthralling compilation act as your guide to a realm beyond anything you’ve experienced, as you explore the stunning world of hexes, sorcery, and powerful enchantments.
This is a reprint of The Mammoth Book of Sorcerer’s Tales (Carroll & Graf, 2004).
Cherubs!
by Bryan Talbot and Mark Stafford
Cover by Mark Stafford
Promo copy:
Falsely accused of Heavens first homicide, five churlish cherubim escape to New York in pursuit of the renegade archangel Abbadon on the eve of the Apocalypse! Befriended by exotic dancer Mary and chased by unstoppable Seraphim terminators, the Cherubs alone stand against Hell’s hordes as Satan prepares to make war, not love! From Eisner Award winner Bryan Talbot and Hades-hot indie artist Mark Stafford, Cherubs! is an outrageous, irreverent, supernatural comedy-adventure that’s heaven sent and hell bent! Featuring four previously unpublished issues of the Cherubs! comic-book series.
I previously reviewed Cherubs! in Nexus Graphica:
Reminiscent of works by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Cherubs tromps through some well-trodden turf in an often hilarious and profound manner. Accused of Heaven’s first homicide, five churlish cherubim flee to New York in pursuit of the real criminal, the renegade archangel Abbadon. Befriended by exotic-dancer Mary and pursued by unstoppable Seraphim terminators, the Cherubs alone stand against the impending Apocalypse. The acclaimed Talbot (One Bad Rat, Alice in Sunderland) and cartoonist Stafford skewer a wide range of supernatural-inspired pop culture icons from Buffy to Scooby-Doo by way of Harry Potter, not to mention the abundant hypocrisies inherent within Christianity. Similar to the dwarfs of Disney fame, the five unique, diminutive protagonists often bicker and play among themselves, trading barbs and banter throughout. Stafford’s underground-inspired art lends the proper touch of chaos and levity to the proceedings. While at times missing the mark and perhaps a tad too long, the excellent Cherubs provides an enlightening, intelligent, and humorous entertainment.