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

Snakeskin Road by James Braziel

Promo copy:

After losing her husband to the merciless desert of southeast Alabama, Jennifer Harrison vows to flee with her unborn child intact. But safe passage to the fabled North may be nothing more than an illusion, as life-threatening dust storms brutally take down travelers, friends, and family. It is under these conditions that a young girl named Mazy, abandoned by her mother, comes under Jennifer’s care.

Their only hope may be a smuggler willing to transport them to the free zones of the Midwestern Territories…if they’re willing to sell themselves into indentured servitude for three years. But can anyone guarantee Mazy’s freedom? Or a place for Jennifer’s child? Or will it again lead to a life on the run, hunted by lawmen desperate to bring them back from where they came?

No Prisoners (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) by Karen Traviss

Promo copy:

The Clone Wars rage on. As insurgent Separatists fight furiously to wrest control of the galaxy from the Republic, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine cunningly manipulates both sides for his own sinister purposes.

Torrent Company’s Captain Rex agrees to temporarily relieve Anakin Skywalker of Ahsoka, his ubiquitous–and insatiably curious–Padawan, by bringing her along on a routine three-day shakedown cruise aboard Captain Gilad Pellaeon’s newly refitted assault ship. But the training run becomes an active–and dangerous–rescue mission when Republic undercover agent Hallena Devis goes missing in the middle of a Separatist invasion.

Dispatched to a distant world to aid a local dictator facing a revolution, Hallena finds herself surrounded by angry freedom fighters and questioning the Republic’s methods–and motives. Summoned to rescue the missing operative who is also his secret love, Pellaeon–sworn to protect the Republic over all–is torn between duty and desire. And Ahsoka, sent in with Rex and six untested clone troopers to extract Hallena, encounters a new and different Jedi philosophy, which shakes the foundation of her upbringing to the core. As danger and intrigue intensify, the loyalties and convictions of all involved will be tested. . . .

The Dresden Files: Storm Front by Jim Butcher, Mark Powers (Adapter), and Ardian Syaf (Illustrator)

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

Galaxy Quest (Deluxe Edition)

Promo copy:

For four years, the courageous crew of the NSEA Protector — "Commander Peter Qunicy Taggart" (Tim Allen), "Lt. Tawny Madison" (Sigourney Weaver), and "Dr. Lazarus" (Alan Rickman) — set off on thrilling and often dangerous missions in space…and then their series was canceled!

Now, twenty years later, aliens under attack have mistaken the Galaxy Quest television transmissions for "historical documents" and beamed up the crew of has-been actors to save the universe. With no script, no director, and no clue, the actors must turn in the performances of their lives in this hilarious adventure Jeffrey Lyons (NBC-TV) calls "The funniest, wittiest comedy of the year."

"An exceptionally funny science-fiction comedy." Bob Stephens, San Francisco Examiner

"Whip smart and loudly funny!" Dennis Cunningham, WCBS-TV

"An affectionate, often clever and unflaggingly funny satire." Jonathan Foreman, New York Post

"A fast, loose, and very funny parody that pulls off the not-so-simple feat of tweaking Trekkies and honoring them." Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

"…a thoroughly satisfying comedy — and a respectable space adventure, as well." Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Features

Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Audio: French, Spanish Dolby Digital Stereo
Deleted Scenes
Dubbed: French, Spanish
Featurettes: Historical Documents – The Story Of Galaxy Quest: Never Give Up, Never Surrender – The Intrepid Crew Of The NSEA Protector; By Grabthar’s Hammer, What Amazing Effects; Alien School – Creating The Thermian Race; Actors In Space; & Sigourney Raps
Interactive Menus
Original Theatrical Trailer
Scene Selection
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Thermian Language Audio Track

Ten years later and still just as funny when it first premiered. While all the extras are worthwhile, there has never been anything quite like "Sigourney Raps."

Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy

Promo copy:

Prepare to embark on an epic three-part adventure starring the legendary crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise as they sacrifice their lives, ship, and freedom to save the universe from imminent destruction. Spanning across three motion pictures, the Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy is the ultimate story of heroism, duty and friendship that will thrill old and new fans alike. The films have been digitally remastered and The Wrath of Khan has been fully restored in high definition with brilliant picture quality and 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround EX.

INCLUDES:
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN
STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK
STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME

OVER 90 MINUTES OF ALL-NEW SPECIAL FEATURES

Every two years or so Brandy and I visit her hometown Tulsa. Since the trip centers around her old friends and family, Brandy appeases me with a visit to Gardner’s.

A cross-pollination of a Mexican restaurant, coffee shop, a tax accounting business, and a bookstore, the large shop inhabits all of what once must have been a strip mall. In my five stops during the previous ten years, the coffee shop has never been open, I’ve never eaten in the restaurant, and I’ve never availed myself of their tax services, but I have bought countless books.

The bookstore, which takes up most of the space, sells mostly used books with a smattering of comics, dvds, and cds thrown in. Oddly, they promote themselves as comic shop as well. The meager graphic novel selections, three spinner racks of new comics, handful of superhero toys, and the mediocre sampling of used comics makes it one of the worst comic book specialty shops ever.

My first two Gardner’s trips spoiled me. All books were half cover and if there was a minimum, it was so low to not be of consequence. On my third visit, some of the books were priced as collectibles (ie not half price and often far more than the original cover price), but the minimum remained low. For my most recent visit, a $2.95 minimum was instituted, but with far fewer collectibles. Also, for an unfathomable reason, the gave me a 20% discount on my purchases.

Even with the high minimum, Gardner’s remains a must see whenever I get to Tulsa. They have a large and varied book collection. Every time I go, it seems I focus on a different subject. This time I found nothing but crime fiction.

The fine selection included Victor Gischler‘s first three crime novels: Gun Monkeys, The Pistol Poets, and Suicide Squeeze. Between my enjoyment of Go-Go Girls of Apocalypse and the Stark-like opening line of Gun Monkeys (“I turned the Chrysler onto the Florida Turnpike with Rollo Kramer’s headless body in the trunk, and all the time I’m thinking I should’ve put some plastic down.”) lead me to buying them all.

In a similar vein, I picked up the Hard Case Crime reprint of the prolific Robert Terrall‘s long out of print thriller Kill Now, Pay Later. As a fan of hard-boiled crime fiction, the Hard Case line is required reading and finding one I don’t have is always a thrill.

Responsible for one of the better books from Hard Case Crime (A Touch of Death), the extraordinary Charles Williams remains one of the most respected and best practitioners of hard edged fiction. So as you can guess, acquiring a new-to-me Charles Williams makes for a great day at the bookstore. I got the Perennial Library edition of The Wrong Venus. The back cover copy ends with “Together they create a story of romance, larceny, and very blunt romance.” What’s not to like?

Crime fiction in a completely different vein, the 1966 Signet edition of P. G. Wodehouse‘s Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves was picked up for Brandy, who is very curious about the series (mostly thanks to her brother’s fascination). Interestingly, the back cover advertises “FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PAPERBACK THE LAST JAMES BOND NOVEL—IAN FLEMING’S THE MAN WITH GOLDEN GUN.”

Throughout the forties, Dell published some 500 paperbacks with maps on the back covers. Known as mapbacks, the series covered a wide range of genres but is perhaps best-remembered for their mysteries. I picked up a beautiful copy of Too Many Bones by Ruth Sawtell Wallis (Dell 123). It is very unusual to find mapbacks in this excellent condition.

My final four books were titles that I pick up fairly frequently: John Dunning‘s Booked To Die, Carl Hiaasen‘s Double Whammy, Patrick Süskind‘s Perfume, and Joe R. Lansdale‘s Cold in July. I purchased all four with the intent of giving them to others. The Hiaassen and Lansdale stayed in Tulsa with my father-in-law and Süskind with a friend. I’m sure the Dunning will find a home soon.

My review of the recent two volume hardback collection of the legendary Humbug from Fantagraphics appears in the latest San Antonio Current.

Check out the rest of my review.

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

Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie

Promo copy:

Springtime in Styria. And that means war.

There have been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. Armies march, heads roll and cities burn, while behind the scenes bankers, priests and older, darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king.

War may be hell but for Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, the most feared and famous mercenary in Duke Orso’s employ, it’s a damn good way of making money too. Her victories have made her popular – a shade too popular for her employer’s taste. Betrayed and left for dead, Murcatto’s reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die.

Her allies include Styria’s least reliable drunkard, Styria’s most treacherous poisoner, a mass-murderer obsessed with numbers and a Northman who just wants to do the right thing. Her enemies number the better half of the nation. And that’s all before the most dangerous man in the world is dispatched to hunt her down and finish the job Duke Orso started…

Springtime in Styria. And that means revenge.

BEST SERVED COLD is the new standalone novel set in the world of Joe Abercrombie’s First Law Trilogy.

Rasl #4 by Jeff Smith

Picks up right where the first collection left off! Earlier this year, I wrote this about the first book:

The Imago Sequence and Other Stories by Laird Barron

Promo copy:

To the long tradition of eldritch horror pioneered and refined by writers such as H.P. Lovecraft, Peter Straub, and Thomas Ligotti, comes Laird Barron, an author whose literary voice invokes the grotesque, the devilish, and the perverse with rare intensity and astonishing craftsmanship. Collected here for the first time are nine terrifying tales of cosmic horror, including the World Fantasy Award-nominated novella "The Imago Sequence," the International Horror Guild Award-nominated "Proboscis," and the never-before published "Procession of the Black Sloth." Together, these stories, each a masterstroke of craft and imaginative irony, form a shocking cycle of distorted evolution, encroaching chaos, and ravenous insectoid hive-minds hidden just beneath the seemingly benign surface of the Earth.

Part One.

More in Part Three.

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

Shadow Valley by Steven Barnes

Promo copy:

In Great Sky Woman, “daringly epic in scope,” (Publishers Weekly), Steven Barnes’s Great Sky Woman unveiled the world of a prehistoric people in the shadow of modern-day Mount Kilimanjaro. Now, in Shadow Valley, the astounding sequel, we follow the Ibandi people’s odyssey through a land where everything has changed-a land from whose ashes will grow the roots of civilization and the enduring truths of love, family, forgiveness, and faith.

After the catastrophic eruption of Father Mountain, the Ibandi are divided, desperate, and afraid. Most have followed the only person in whom they still believe: young Sky Woman, who was on the great mountain when it exploded and who, along with Frog Hopping, returned to tell the tale. Nurtured by an elder whose searing visions have left her blind, Sky Woman nonetheless doubts her own visionary powers as she follows a path she can hardly discern-across savannah and parched plains-to find a valley of plenty for a people on the brink of collapse.

But in fact, Sky Woman and Frog were not the only survivors of the mountain’s explosion. Another man has emerged from the destruction, vengeance pulsing in his veins, to lead a separate group of Ibandi into a vicious and reckless act of war. Soon these two strands of survivors will meet, through chance, desperation, and sheer willpower. In a world in which every moment is lived on the edge between life and death, where animal and human predators can strike in an instant, where the gods themselves seem lost, and dreams entwine with reality, a people’s destiny rushes toward them. The Ibandi must make a last, violent stand against complete destruction.

In this hypnotic, thrilling, and beautiful novel, Steven Barnes explores relationships between friends and lovers, leaders and followers, strangers and allies. At once visceral and soaringly insightful, Shadow Valley is about who we are as human beings today as seen through the wondrous prism of our distant past.

Death’s Head: Day of the Damned by David Gunn

Promo copy:

The third installment in the Death’s Head military science fiction series, charting the adventures of Sven Tveskoeg and his band of the baddest military enforcers in the universe

David Gunn returns with his compulsively readable military science fiction series, continuing a story that has the scope of a Philip K. Dick novel-turned movie adaptation—think Bladerunner, Total Recall, Minority Report, or A Scanner Darkly. Death’s Head: Day of the Damned is action-packed, with high-tech weaponry, violence, great set pieces, a compellingly conflicted hero, and a Star Wars-like evil empire.

Kings and Assassins by Lane Robins

Promo copy:

Controlled by an aristocracy whose depraved whims bow to neither law nor god, the kingdom of Antyre is under siege from the only man who can save it. He is Janus Ixion, the new Earl of Last, a man whose matchless fighting abilities and leadership strike terror in Antyre’s powerful noble houses.

For Janus is the illegitimate son who has returned from the brutal slums to reclaim his birthright, and will go to any lengths to become king and reverse his country’s decline. But with a conquering foreign prince sowing chaos throughout the kingdom, Janus must battle the terrifying power of Antyre’s forgotten god, one who has gifted Janus’s vengeful wife with mysterious and dangerous skills. As Antyre nears irrevocable collapse, Janus’s manipulations and all-consuming ambition will force him and his country to choose between the rule of resurgent gods, or a victor’s throne of ashes.

Part Two.

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

Barjo

At long lost, I acquired the French film version of Philip K. Dick’s Confessions of a Crap Artist. The critically acclaimed film has long been out of print in the US. Thanks to Rodger Turner of SF Site for filling that gap in my PKD collection.

The Queen’s Bastard (The Inheritors’ Cycle, Book 1) by C.E. Murphy

Promo copy:

In a world where religion has ripped apart the old order, Belinda Primrose is the queen’s secret weapon. The unacknowledged daughter of Lorraine, the first queen to sit on the Aulunian throne, Belinda has been trained as a spy since the age of twelve by her father, Lorraine’s lover and spymaster.

Cunning and alluring, fluent in languages and able to take on any persona, Belinda can infiltrate the glittering courts of Echon where her mother’s enemies conspire. She can seduce at will and kill if she must. But Belinda’s spying takes a new twist when her witchlight appears.

Now Belinda’s powers are unlike anything Lorraine could have imagined. They can turn an obedient daughter into a rival who understands that anything can be hers, including the wickedly sensual Javier, whose throne Lorraine both covets and fears. But Javier is also witchbreed, a man whose ability rivals Belinda’s own . . . and can be just as dangerous.

Amid court intrigue and magic, loyalty and love can lead to more daring passions, as Belinda discovers that power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

Shadow Magic by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett

World’s End (Age of Misrule Book One) by Mark Chadbourn

Promo copy:

When Jack Churchill and Ruth Gallagher encounter a terrifying, misshapen giant beneath a London bridge they are plunged into a mystery which portends the end of the world as we know it. All over the country, the ancient gods of Celtic myth are returning to the land from which they were banished millennia ago. Following in their footsteps are creatures of folklore: fabulous bests, wonders and dark terrors As technology starts to fail, Jack and Ruth are forced to embark on a desperate quest for four magical items – the last chance for humanity in the face of powers barely comprehended

This one looks interesting PLUS it’s got a pretty John Picacio cover!

More in Part Two.

My latest Nexus Graphica, where I discuss Blazing Combat and Jack Kirby’s The Losers, is now available for your reading pleasure.

I also review Jan’s Atomic Heart, Chicken with Plums, and Showcase Presents Ambush Bug.

Awakening, I nervously eyed the precarious stack of books on my bedside table. The pile, arranged all akimbo, teetered above my head.

A recent acquisition, Showcase Presents: Ambush Bug proudly sat atop the stack. This b&w collection features all of Ambush Bug’s hilarious appearances prior to the most recent mini-series Ambush Bug: Year None. I had previously owned much of this book, but hadn’t read them in years. They are even funnier now than when they first appeared some 20 years ago.

Directly under the nearly 500 page trade paperback, the mass market of Laurie R. King’s third Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes novel A Letter of Mary lead to much of the precarious nature of the stack. Like the first two novels, A Letter of Mary intelligently and skillfully relates the adventures of the elderly Holmes and his young wife Russell. These novels are among some of the finest Holmes pastiches and come highly recommended.

Another recent acquisition, Chicken With Plums is the latest from Persepolis author Marjane Satrapi. Brandy read this and insists I read it. She called Chicken With Plums "sad and beautiful." Brandy really "enjoyed the way she told the story."

Although I had previously read all of the stories in Sanctified and Chicken-Fried: The Portable Lansdale, I am reviewing select tales for a forthcoming hush-hush project. More details later…

Sitting under the Lansdale, Fantagraphic’s Blazing Combat collects all four issues of the groundbreaking Warren comic. I discuss this volume (and a few others) in the upcoming May 1 Nexus Graphica.

Digging even deeper unearths Showcase Presents: The Brave and the Bold – The Batman Team-Ups, Vol. 1 These often strange Bob Haney-scripted self-contained tales make for some enjoyable bedtime reading.

At the base of the stack, A People’s History of Sports in the United States is a compendium of Dave Zirin’s sportwritings. In an alternate vein similar to Howard Zinn’s classic study The People’s History of the United States, Zirin examines US history though sports. Read about 1/3 of the book, which offers some fascinating insights into American culture.

After realizing the pile wasn’t going anywhere, I took the books down, re-stacked them, and started my day.

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

Dames, Dolls, And Gun Molls: The Art of Robert A. Maguire by Jim Silke

Promo copy:

In the course of his long and illustrious career, renowned illustrator/painter Robert A. Maguire created gorgeous cover images for more than a thousand books and worked for virtually every mainstream publisher in the U.S. Best known for his incomparably sexy "femme fatale" images for pulp paperbacks in the 1950s and 1960s, Maguire built a long and legendary career showcasing character portraits that were iconic and beautiful, painting subjects that felt simultaneously real and sensually compelling. Now, art historian and living pin-up legend Jim Silke casts his curatorial eye toward Maguire’s long and fascinating career in his first art collection/artist biography, Dames, Dolls, and Gun Molls. With a keen eye for criticism and his trademark style and wit, Silke explores the legacy of an artist whose work is known by millions the world over.

This book is ever bit as beautiful as one might expect.

The Pretender’s Crown (The Inheritors’ Cycle, Book 2) by C. E. Murphy

Promo copy:

Fiercely intelligent, beautiful, and ready to claim her birthright, she navigates a dangerous world torn between war and witchpower.

Seduction and stealth are Belinda Primrose’s skills–weapons befitting the queen’s bastard daughter, a pawn of espionage conceived by Lorraine, ruler of Aulun, and her lover and spymaster, Belinda’s father. Now an accomplished assassin, Belinda uncovers the true game her father never intended her to play. For Belinda has found her witchpower, a legacy born from something not of this earth. In a treacherous world where religion and rebellion rule, Lorraine is now in a position to sweep over the countries of Echon and to back her chosen successor to the throne: Belinda.

But Belinda is no longer anyone’s pawn. Lured by the sensual dark magic of Dmitri, envoy to a neighboring throne, yet still drawn to the witchlord embrace of her former lover, Javier, Belinda knows that she has entered a realm where power and control go to those who can master and manipulate their fiercest desires. For the witchpower depends on the skill its wielder holds.

The Sheriff of Yrnameer by Michael Rubens

Promo copy:

Hailed by Stephen Colbert as "a science fiction book your grandmother will love–if she’s a lustful, violent lady," this mordant, fast-paced, witty tour of a delightfully improba­ble science fiction world combines The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy with The Magnificent Seven.

Our hero, Cole, is having a bad day. His sidekick has run off with his girlfriend. His ride has been disintegrated by an officious traffic robot. And the spaceship he’s stolen to escape from a tentacled alien bounty hunter turns out to be filled with freeze-dried orphans. Reluctantly compelled to deliver the de­fenseless, fluid-less children to safety, Cole recruits a support team of humans, aliens, and one friendly–if cognitively challenged–computer. Their destination: the mysterious Yrnameer, thought to be the last untrammeled planet in the galaxy. Imagine their consternation, then, when they arrive to find it threatened by Cole’s archenemy, the most infamous outlaw in the cosmos.

Will Cole and his band of men and assorted oth­ers be able to defeat the vicious Runk? Will Yrnameer remain unspoiled and unsponsored (and unpronounceable)? Will the orphans be rehydrated? Get all the answers right here, in a rollicking first out­ing from a new comedic talent.

The Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker

Promo copy:

Appealing to boys and girls alike, this beguiling adventure explores classic fantasy themes from a unique young heroine’s perspective. Nine-year-old Emma loses everything she has in a fearsome storm and finds herself alone in the wilderness of the Dunes—an area desolate since the mysterious disappearance of a resort known as the Grand Wenlocke. Finding a friend in Winston, the ghostly bellboy who wanders the Dunes, Emma learns that it has been more than 100 years since the hotel with an unsavory reputation vanished; but, unbeknownst to either of them, the long slumbering resort has just begun to stir. Allying herself with a motley crew of companions—the ghost bellboy, a kindhearted cook, a pirate with a heart of gold, and the imperious young heir to the Wenlocke fortune—Emma soon learns that things are not always as lost as they seem, especially if you have a brave heart and good friends.

More in Part Two.