My first blog entry over at Tor.com plays the game "Six Degrees of Michael Moorcock."

I establish connections between Moorcock and Kevin Bacon, H. P. Lovecraft, William Shakespeare, Britney Spears(!), Will Eisner, Danielle Steele, and Billie Holliday.

This was a fun one to write and research.

Scott Shaw’s sensational Comic Book Gorillarama bills itself as "The Temple of Four-Colour Simian Worship!" The biographies of simian stars, notable first appearances, and other features/histories alone constitute enough ape love to justify Shaw’s pronouncement. Then there are the galleries.

With nearly 500(!) simian covers, Comic Book Gorillarama offers the largest such collection that this ape fan has ever seen.

The famous:

Strange Adventures #8 by J. Winslow Mortimer (May, 1951)

The obscure:

Web of Evil #9 (December, 1953)

The very old:

Mischievous Monks of Crocodile Isle by F.r. Morgan (1908) The first appearance of a simian in a comic

And the odd:

Dorothy Lamour, Jungle Princess #3 (August, 1950)

As if this wasn’t enough, Shaw demonstrates his extraordinary ape geekitude with the impressive Ape Art Show, featuring a wide array of incredible artists including Jeff Jones, Frank Cho, Don Marquez, Mike Mignola, Carmine Infantino, Arthur Adams, and Frank Frazetta.

Click on images to enlarge

Frank Frazetta

Don Marquez

Arthur Adams

Mike Mignolia

Enough of me. Swing on over to Shaw’s paean to the comic book simian, the incredible Comic Book Gorillarama.

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

Ares Express by Ian McDonald

Promo copy:

A Mars of the imagination, like no other, in a colorful, witty SF novel, taking place in the kaleidoscopic future of Ian McDonald’s Desolation Road, Ares Express is set on a terraformed Mars where fusion-powered locomotives run along the network of rails that is the planet’s circulatory system and artificial intelligences reconfigure reality billions of times each second. One young woman, Sweetness Octave Glorious-Honeybun Asiim 12th, becomes the person upon whom the future—or futures—of Mars depends. Big, picaresque, funny; taking the Mars of Ray Bradbury and the more recent, terraformed Marses of authors such as Kim Stanley Robinson and Greg Bear, Ares Express is a wild and woolly magic-realist SF novel, featuring lots of bizarre philosophies, strange, mind-stretching ideas, and trains as big as city blocks.

Law Abiding Citizen

Promo copy:

Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. When the killers are caught, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), a hotshot young Philadelphia prosecutor, is assigned to the case. Over his objections, Nick is forced by his boss to offer one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice. Fast forward ten years. The man who got away with murder is found dead and Clyde Shelton admits his guilt. Then he issues a warning to Nick: Either fix the flawed justice system, or key players in the trial will die. Soon Shelton follows through on his threats, orchestrating from his jail cell a string of spectacularly diabolical assassinations that can be neither predicted nor prevented. Only Nick can stop the killing and finds himself in a desperate race against time facing a deadly adversary who seems always to be one step ahead.

Legends:The Enchanted Issue #0 by Nick Percival

Promo copy:

Following the same standard for our debut miniseries Hercules: The Thracian Wars and Caliber: First Canon of Justice, Radical Publishing presents a special $1 introductory issue for the upcoming hardcover graphic novel by award-winning illustrator Nick Percival (Dead of Night).

You think you know them… Think again!

Violently ripped from the pages of folklore emerge the Enchanted, supernatural immortals living in a dark, steampunk, creature-infested world where nature, technology and foul magic are in constant conflict. When the twisted, burnt remains of the half-wooden, half-mechanical warrior, Pinocchio are discovered, wolf-hunter Red Hood and giant-killer Jack realize the fragile rules of their existence have been shattered. With the help of the other Enchanted (the mercenary Goldilocks and psychic exterminators Hansel and Gretel), Jack and Red team up on an adventure to stop whatever, or whoever, is destroying their powers and murdering their kind.

More in Part II

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

Aladdin: Legacy of the Lost Issue One Written by Ian Edginton Art by Patrick Reilly

Promo copy:

From the mystical city of Shambhalla to the ends of the Earth comes a tale of magic, mystery and the motivations of power. It is the world of Ala ad-Din, better known as ALADDIN.

Thief, gambler, liar and cheat, Aladdin’s reckless soul falls under the eye of the sorcerer Qassim, who has spent his life scouring the sands for the Dreaming Jewel. This lost relic of shattering power will enable Qassim to steal the magic of the Djinn of the Lamp and reshape the world in his own malicious design. But to do so, he requires a mystical ability carried within Aladdin’s blood…power that not even Aladdin himself knows about. An epic adventure that twists the classic saga into dark, unexplored territories with multi-Eisner nominated writer Ian Edginton!

Dragonfly Falling (Shadows of the Apt 2) by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Promo copy:

Two young companions, Totho and Salma, arrive at Tark to spy on the menacing Wasp army, but are there mistakenly apprehended as enemy agents. By the time they are freed, the city is already under siege. Over in the imperial capital the young emperor, Alvdan, is becoming captivated by a remarkable slave, the vampiric Uctebri, who claims he knows of magic that can grant eternal life. In Collegium, meanwhile, Stenwold is still trying to persuade the city magnates to take seriously the Wasp Empire’s imminent threat to their survival. In a colorful drama involving mass warfare and personal combat, a small group of heroes must stand up against what seems like an unstoppable force. This volume continues the story that so brilliantly unfolded in Empire in Black and Gold – and the action is still non-stop.

The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade: The 11½ Anniversary Edition Written by Mike Krahulik Art by Jerry Holkins

Promo copy:

> open book

The book is now open.

> read book

Entitled The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade, it details the history of a comic strip called Penny Arcade. The comic appears to catalog the lives of two young men who are utterly steeped in popular culture.

Each chapter gathers into a coherent beam of savory trivia, strange facts, formerly mysterious origins, biographical information, interviews, inaugural conventions, an unlikely charity, and comic strips. You get the sense that some of the content may be apocryphal—for example, the part where they eat a whole wolf basically comes out of nowhere. Also, if one of them really did become “King of the Britons,” you’re sure you would have heard about it somewhere else.

> close book

You close the book and place it back on the shelf. Maybe next time.

More in Part I

I certainly have made it no secret that I am one of approximately 400,000 Americans (2.5 million worldwide) afflicted with multiple sclerosis. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society offers perhaps the best overall definition of the disease.

The NMSS does far more than define MS. They provide news, education, and material support for MS sufferers (I received my first cane through them). The group spearheads research efforts, offering grants and the like. The non-profit organization relies completely on donations to fund their philanthropic endeavors. Along these lines, the MS sponsors several annual fundraising events, most notably the regional Walk MS and Bike MS.

The 150 mile two-day ride from Houston to Austin (the MS 150) has become a staple April cycling event with thousands of regional participants. The only downside to the riders is the contacting your friends to beg for money. Worthy cause or not, it sucks.

Tim League, founder of the extraordinary Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, came up with this unique solution.

It’s that kind of creative thinking that placed the Alamo Drafthouse at #1 on Entertainment Weekly‘s 2005 list of "10 Theaters doing it right." And yet another reason that the Alamo Drafthouse is my favorite movie theater.

To order tickets or learn more about this event, visit the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

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

How to Defeat Your Own Clone: And Other Tips for Surviving the Biotech Revolution by Kyle Kurpinski and Terry D. Johnson

Promo copy:

Send in the clones! On second thought, maybe not.

CAN IT READ MY MIND?
WILL IT BE EVIL?
HOW DO I STOP IT?

Find out the answers to these and other burning questions in this funny, informative, and ingenious book from two bioengineering experts who show you how to survive—and thrive—in a new age of truly weird science.
For decades, science fiction has been alerting us to the wonders and perils of our biotech future—from the prospects of gene therapy to the pitfalls of biological warfare. Now that future looms before us. Don’t panic! This book is all you need to prepare for the new world that awaits us, providing indispensable cautionary advice on topics such as

• bioenhancements: They’re not just for cyborgs anymore.
• DNA sequencing and fingerprinting: What’s scarier than the government having your DNA on file? Try having it posted on the Internet.
• human cloning: Just like you, only stronger, smarter, and more attractive. In other words: more dangerous.

Our future may be populated by designer babies, genetically enhanced supersoldiers, and one (or more!) of your genetic duplicates, but all is not lost. How to Defeat Your Own Clone is the ultimate survival guide to what lies ahead. Just remember the first rule of engagement: Don’t ever let your clone read this book!

Shadowline: Starfishers Trilogy Volume One by Glen Cook

Promo copy:

The vendetta in space had started centuries before "Mouse" Storm was born with his grandfather’s raid on the planet Prefactlas, the blood bath that freed the human slaves from their Sangaree masters. But one Sangaree survived – the young Norborn heir, the man who swore vengeance on the Storm family and their soldiers, in a carefully mapped plot that would take generations to fulfill. Now Mouse’s father Gneaus must fight for an El Dorado of wealth on the burning half of the planet Blackworld. As the great private armies of all space clash on the narrow Shadowline that divides inferno from life-sheltering shade, Gneaus’ half- brother Michael plays his traitorous games, and a man called Death pulls the deadly strings that threaten to entrap them all – as the Starfishers Trilogy begins.

Star Wars Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth by Karen Miller

Promo copy:

Planet by planet, darkness creeps across the galaxy. Among warriors and generals, among ordinary beings living in far-flung worlds, the fear will not go away: We are losing this war. . . .

Anakin Skywalker feels it, too. The Separatist Alliance, with ruthlessness and treachery, is beating the Republic to every strategic target. But after a costly clash with General Grievous for the planet Kothlis, Anakin has a mission that will focus his anxious mind. Alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi, he is posing as a long-lost native of Lanteeb, an impoverished world on the Outer Rim. This seemingly unimportant planet has drawn the interest of the Seps—and Anakin and Obi-Wan soon discover the disturbing reason: A scientist enslaved by General Lok Durd is drawing on Lanteeb’s one natural resource for a devastating bioweapon. Now Anakin and Obi-Wan have entered the eye of a storm. Their presence has been exposed, Lok Durd’s plans unveiled, and a fight has begun for survival behind enemy lines—and a chance of winning a war that must be fought at any cost.

Chill by Elizabeth Bear

Promo copy:

Sometimes the greatest sin is survival.

The generation ship Jacob’s Ladder has barely survived cataclysms from without and within. Now, riding the shock wave of a nova blast toward an uncertain destiny, the damaged ship—the only world its inhabitants have ever known—remains a war zone. Even as Perceval, the new captain, struggles to come to terms with the traumas of her recent past, the remnants of rebellion aboard the ship still threaten the crew’s survival.

Yet as Perceval’s relatives Tristen and Benedick play a deadly game of cat and mouse in pursuit of a traitor through a vast ship that is renewing itself in strange and dangerous ways, an even more insidious threat is building in a place no one ever thought to look. And this implacable enemy could change the face of the ship forever if a ragtag band of heroes cannot stop it.

More in Part II

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

Tails of Wonder and Imagination edited by Ellen Datlow

Promo copy:

From legendary editor Ellen Datlow, Tails of Wonder collects the best of the last thirty years of science fiction and fantasy stories about cats from an all-star list of contributors. The Stephen King Story is UNCOLLECTED, and has not been in print since the Horrorstory III anthology.

Red Inferno: 1945 by Robert Conroy

Promo copy:

In April 1945, the Allies are charging toward Berlin from the west, the Russians from the east. For Hitler, the situation is hopeless. But at this turning point in history, another war is about to explode.

To win World War II, the Allies dealt with the devil. Joseph Stalin helped FDR, Churchill, and Truman crush Hitler. But what if “Uncle Joe” had given in to his desire to possess Germany and all of Europe? In this stunning novel, Robert Conroy picks up the history of the war just as American troops cross the Elbe into Germany. Then Stalin slams them with the brute force of his enormous Soviet army.

From American soldiers and German civilians trapped in the ruins of Potsdam to U.S. military men fighting behind enemy lines, from a scholarly Russia expert who becomes a secret player in a new war to Stalin’s cult of killers in Moscow, this saga captures the human face of international conflict. With the Soviets vastly outnumbering the Americans—but undercut by chronic fuel shortages and mistrust—Eisenhower employs a brilliant strategy of retreat to buy critical time for air superiority. Soon, Truman makes a series of controversial decisions, enlisting German help and planning to devastate the massive Red Army by using America’s ultimate and most secret weapon.

The Conqueror’s Shadow by Ari Marmell

Promo copy:

With The Conqueror’s Shadow, Ari Marmell brings a welcome seasoning of wit to the genre, proving that dark fantasy can address the enduring questions of good and evil and still retain a sense of humor. Playful yet intense, sharply sarcastic yet deeply sincere, The Conqueror’s Shadow announces the appearance of a unique talent—and an antihero like no other.

They called him the Terror of the East. His past shrouded in mystery, his identity hidden beneath a suit of enchanted black armor and a skull-like helm, Corvis Rebaine carved a bloody path through Imphallion, aided by Davro, a savage ogre, and Seilloah, a witch with a taste for human flesh. No shield or weapon could stop his demon-forged axe. And no magic could match the spells of his demon slave, Khanda.

Yet just when ultimate victory was in his grasp, Rebaine faltered. His plans of conquest, born from a desire to see Imphallion governed with firmness and honesty, shattered. Amid the chaos of a collapsing army, Rebaine vanished, taking only a single hostage—the young noblewoman Tyannon—to guarantee his escape.

Seventeen years later, Rebaine and Tyannon are married, living in obscurity and raising their children, a daughter and a son. Rebaine has put his past behind him, given up his dreams of conquest. Not even news of Audriss—an upstart warlord following Rebaine’s old path of conquest—can stir the retired warrior to action.

Until his daughter is assaulted by Audriss’s goons.

Now, to rescue the country he once tried to conquer, Rebaine once more dons the armor of the Terror of the East and seeks out his former allies. But Davro has become a peaceful farmer. Seilloah has no wish to leave her haunted forest home. And Khanda . . . well, to describe his feelings for his former master as undying hatred would be an understatement.

But even if Rebaine can convince his onetime comrades to join him, he faces a greater challenge: Does he dare to reawaken the part of him that gloried in cruelty, blood, and destruction? With the safety of his family at stake, can he dare not to?

Jade Man’s Skin by Daniel Fox

Promo copy:

In this soaring epic, Daniel Fox weaves the ancient myths and legends of feudal China into a fantasy world of brutal war and brittle passion, immortal gods and mystical creatures.

With the long-chained dragon now free and the rebels’ invasion smashed by her exultant fury, the balance of power has changed. Young emperor Chien Hua is no longer struggling for survival; now he is ambitious to strike back. As treacherous General Ping Wen whispers in the emperor’s ear, not even Chien Hua’s beloved concubine or his most trusted bodyguard can reason with him. Worse, prolonged exposure to magical jade is changing him radically: His increasingly godlike powers are making him dangerously rash.

But with the dragon patrolling the skies above and the strait beneath, the emperor’s forces have no hope of launching a counterattack—until a goddess moves to interfere. Yet neither the clash of armies nor the opposing wills of goddess and dragon can decide ultimate victory or defeat. The fate of the war lies in the blood-deep bonds between the dragon and the boy Han, her jailer and her liberator—and in the prices both will pay for their freedom.

More in Part I

My review of Robert Jackson Bennett’s Mr. Shivers appears in the Feb 3rd San Antonio Current.

As you probably gathered I didn’t think too highly of Mr. Bennet’s effort. Though…

Visit the San Antonio Current site to check out what else I had to say about Mr. Shivers.

The latest "Nexus Graphica" hearkens back to my "Geeks With Books" days as I provide a guide to which graphic novels a neophyte should attempt first.

I go on to discuss several other graphic novels– good and bad for new readers– such as Sin City, Persepolis, Asterios Polyp, Bone, and V for Vendetta.

Check out the whole column at Sf Site.

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

Ghosts of Manhattan by George Mann

Promo copy:

1926. New York. The Roaring Twenties. Jazz. Flappers. Prohibition. Coal-powered cars. A cold war with a British Empire that still covers half of the globe. Yet things have developed differently to established history. America is in the midst of a cold war with a British Empire that has only just buried Queen Victoria, her life artificially preserved to the age of 107. Coal-powered cars roar along roads thick with pedestrians, biplanes take off from standing with primitive rocket boosters, and monsters lurk behind closed doors and around every corner. This is a time in need of heroes. It is a time for The Ghost. A series of targeted murders are occurring all over the city, the victims found with ancient Roman coins placed on their eyelids after death. The trail appears to lead to a group of Italian American gangsters and their boss, who the mobsters have dubbed "The Roman." However, as The Ghost soon discovers, there is more to The Roman than at first appears, and more bizarre happenings that he soon links to the man, including moss-golems posing as mobsters and a plot to bring an ancient pagan god into the physical world in a cavern beneath the city. As The Ghost draws nearer to The Roman and the center of his dangerous web, he must battle with foes both physical and supernatural and call on help from the most unexpected of quarters if he is to stop The Roman and halt the imminent destruction of the city.

This looks like a lot of fun!

Heartland (The Codex of Souls) by Mark Teppo

Promo copy:

Seek the Light! Embrace the Heartland! Markham returns to Paris where he lost his love – and nearly his life! The ancient order of manipulative magicians that once cast him out is now in turmoil… a turmoil made all the greater by the swaths of destruction that Markham tried to avert in the Pacific Northwest. Teamed with an unlikely partner, Markham seeks to overturn the corrupt remains of an order no longer able to police its own practitioners. Yet, he can’t escape the feeling that he’s still just a pawn in a larger game. The second novel of the Codex of Souls further explores the strange occult world first introduced in Lightbreaker. Mark Teppo’s vision of a magical underworld is a non-stop adventure that continues to bring new light to the occult origins of our history.

Blonde Bombshell by Tom Holt

Promo copy:

A comedy of intergalactic proportions, from one of the funniest writers in genre fiction.

That’s all it says. Really.