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

The Best of Michael Moorcock

Promo copy:

From the legendary author of the Elric sagas, a Science Fiction Grand Master, a platinum album-receiving rock star, and the controversial editor of the New Wave’s New Worlds, this definitive collection captures the incomparable short fiction of one of science fiction and literature’s most important contemporary writers.

These exceptional stories range effortlessly from the genre tales that continue to define fantasy to the author’s critically-acclaimed mainstream works. Classic offerings include the Nebula award-winning novella "Behold the Man," which introduces a time traveler and unlikely messiah that H.G. Wells never imagined, "The Visible Men," a recent tale of the ambiguous and androgynous secret agent Jerry Cornelius, the trilogy "My Experiences in the Third World War," where a Russian agent in an alternate Cambodia is powerless to prevent an inevitable march toward nuclear disaster, and "A Portrait in Ivory," a Melibone story of troubled anti-hero Elric and his soul-stealing sword, Stormbringer.

Newer work handpicked by the expert editing team includes one previously unpublished story and three uncollected stories. With all of his finest stories finally collected in one volume, this book is a long-overdue tribute to an extraordinarily gifted, versatile and much-beloved author.

Contents

Introduction by John Davey
A Portrait in Ivory
The Visible Men
A Dead Singer
Lunching with the Antichrist
The Opium General
Behold the Man
A Winter Admiral
London Bone
Colour
My Experiences in the Third World War:
*Going to Canada
*Leaving Pasadena
*Crossing into Cambodia
Doves in the Circle
The Deep Fix
The Birds of the Moon
The Cairene Purse
A Slow Saturday Night at the Surrealist Sporting Club
Afterword by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer

The Best of Michael Moorcock is REQUIRED reading for all Revolutionaries!

Desolation Road by Ian McDonald

Promo copy:

Nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award!

It all began 30 years ago on Mars, with a greenperson. But by the time it all finished, the town of Desolation Road had experienced every conceivable abnormality from Adam Black’s Wonderful Travelling Chataqua and Educational Stravaganza (complete with its very own captive angel) to the Astounding Tatterdemalion Air Bazaar. It’s inhabitants ranged from Dr. Alimantando, the town’s founder and resident genius, to the Babooshka, a barren grandmother who just wants her own child grown in a fruit jar; from Rajendra Das, mechanical hobo who has a mystical way with machines to the Gallacelli brothers, identical triplets who fell in love with and married the same woman.

RASL No. 5 by Jeff Smith

Promo copy:

Time is running out for Rasl, the world’s first inter-dimensional art thief. He must surrender his secrets or spend eternity chasing the lizard-faced killer through parallel worlds trying to save the people he loves. Hunted and confused, Rasl keeps his date with the parallel universe’s version of his ex-lover Maya. And what an evening it is!

Earlier this year, I wrote this in Nexus Graphica about the first RASL collection:

The Sheriff of Yrnameer by Michael Rubens

Promo copy:

Meet Cole: hapless space rogue, part-time smuggler, on a path to being full-time dead. His sidekick just stole his girlfriend. The galaxy’s most hideous and feared bounty hunter wants to lay eggs in his brain. And the luxury space yacht Cole just hijacked turns out of be filled with interstellar do-gooders, one especially loathsome stowaway, and a cargo of freeze-dried orphans.

Reluctantly compelled to deliver these defenseless, fluidless children to safety, Cole gathers a misfit crew for a desperate journey to the far reaches of the galaxy. Their destination: the mysterious world of Yrnameer, the very last of the your-name-heres—planets without corporate sponsors. But little does Cole know that this legendary utopia is home to a murderous band of outlaws bent on destroying the planet’s tiny, peaceful community.

Follow Cole’s adventures through a delightfully absurd science-fiction universe, where the artificial intelligence is stupid, dust motes carry branding messages, and middle-management zombies have overrun a corporate training satellite. In the spirit of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, The Sheriff of Yrnameer is sci-fi comedy at its best—mordant, raucously funny, and a thrilling page-turner.

Nightchild (Chronicles of the Raven) by James Barclay

Promo copy:

It all began with a tidal wave…A new power is coming that will sweep aside the four colleges of magic-a power manifested in four-year-old Lyanna. If, unknowing, she unleashes her full force, she will destroy the land of Balaia. With freak storms already battering the continent, it’s clear she is already wreaking havoc on the mana flows holding the fabric of the world together. Must she be stopped? Should she be helped? Once again, five years after they saved Balaia by sealing the rip in the dragon dimension, the Raven must gather to face an agonizing, heartbreaking mission. Can they kill a child? Can they afford not to? Their dilemma will pit friend against friend, father against mother, Raven against Raven.

I imagine when preparing for a trip, most people concern themselves primarily with clothing, money… that sort of thing. Not me, the foremost thing on my mind is what reading material should I bring.

Sure, I bring the essentials.. change of underwear, clean clothes, toothbrush, etc but I spend a lot of time figuring out the perfect selection of titles for the trip. I live in fear that I will run out of things to read.

During the nineties when I was traveling a lot to promote Mojo Press, I developed a method for determining the optimal selections, which I still use. Several factors include the reason for the trip, where I’m going, and how long I’ll be gone all figure in.

If I am going to a science fiction or comic book convention, I never read any sort of fantastical works. By the time my day at a con is finished, the last thing I want is yet more fantastic. No science fiction, no fantasy, no horror, and no comics. For those occasions, I crave westerns, crime and/or some contemporary fiction.

When attending a non-genre book show, science fiction and westerns are the best. Preferably nothing that has to do with contemporary issues.

Vacations have their own set of rules as well. Generally, location plays into it. When we go to West Texas to visit my mother-in-law, westerns are completely out. I’ll get enough of that reality on the drive up and the time we spend in Amarillo. Something urban and gritty–ideally a Hard Case Crime-style story or perhaps the East Coast stylings of Philip Roth– fills the bill.

For the bi-annual sojourns to Tulsa, almost anything goes. Tulsa gives off a different vibe with its odd combination of middle America, the South, and the West. Thankfully, I am always promised a trip to Gardner’s, so no matter what I bring, I can always get more.

Brandy and I took a trip to New York City last year. That was all about the westerns. Something to get me away from the city and slow the mind down at night.

Several rules apply to any trip.

*Always bring at least two books. Not only might you finish the first before you get home, but what happens if you don’t like your initial selection? Then you’re stuck having to pick up something on the fly. This leads to overspending and often bad choices.

*Mass markets are preferable to trades or hardcovers. You can pack more choices and they weigh less.

*Never read horror while traveling. Last thing you need is something that makes you uptight and/or paranoid. And if the horror doesn’t achieve that, why are you are reading it anyway?

*No comics. They are clunky to carry and are read far too quickly.

*Stay away for anything that requires your complete attention. You won’t have it to give. Reading on trips is meant for relaxation. Leave the Umberto Eco at home.

Sometimes, it works out perfectly such as with my recent trip to Pittsburgh. Since it was quick (left Austin at 4 PM on Wed and returned on Thurs at 10 PM) and the focus was on robot toys, I decided on a western (Hanging Judge by Elmer Kelton) and a crime novel (Grifter’s Game by Lawrence Block). I devoured most of the Kelton on the trip up and finished it in the hotel room that night. I read the Block during the return trip. Neither are heavy thinkers but generally well-written, entertaining reads.

I actually buy used books to keep around my house for future journeys. Lots of mass market paperbacks awaiting my next trip!

A week or so back, I wrote about my forthcoming trip to Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University for the unveiling of the Bossa Nova Robotics line. My first piece about the event also happens to be my first contribution as a guest blogger for Wired‘s Geek Dad.

Read more about these amazing robots at Geek Dad.

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

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Written by Neil Gaiman Art by Andy Kubert

Promo copy:

Best-selling author Neil Gaiman (The Sandman) joins a murderer’s row of talented artists in lending his unique touch to the Batman mythos for this Deluxe Edition hardcover! Spotlighting the story "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" from Batman #685 and Detective Comics #852, Gaiman joins artist Andy Kubert and inker Scott Williams for a story that shines a new light on the Batman mythos. Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? also collects Gaiman stories from Secret Origins #36, Secret Origins Special #1, and Batman Black And White #2. This collection is not to be missed!

Bart Got a Room

Promo copy:

Nerdy high school senior Danny has spent six hundred bucks on the hotel room, the limo and the tux for his prom. He’s only missing one thing – the girl. Hampered by well intentioned but clueless advice from his newly divorced parents and unsympathetic mocking from his best friends, Danny battles peer pressure, teen angst and his own raging hormones as he desperately searches for a prom date. Danny’s luckless quest turns to panic when he learns that even Bart – the school’s biggest dweeb – has secured not only a date but also a hotel room for the night.

Madame Xanadu: Disenchanted Written by Matt Wagner Art by Amy Reeder Hadley

Promo copy:

Legendary creator Matt Wagner (MAGE, GRENDEL, SUPERMAN/BATMAN/WONDER WOMAN: TRINITY) and rising star artist Amy Reeder Hadley, present Vertigo’s newest ongoing fantasy epic MADAM XANADU.

Centuries long and around the far reaches of the globe, her tale winds before the ageless fortuneteller, whose powers of sight can change the course of human events.

As the mysterious past of Madam Xanadu is slowly unraveled, Wagner takes us on a journey throughout her history, from a medieval kingdom beset by foul sorcery to the court of Kublai Khan. Eventually Madam Xanadu returns to Europe as mystic advisor to Marie Antoinette, and as political tensions begin to boil, the Phantom Stranger makes his return. This time he seeks to kick-start the revolution and ensures that Paris’s streets run red – a blood sacrifice that will keep certain demonic forces at bay.

Readers will also be happy to discover that the fan-favorite character Death from THE SANDMAN makes a special appearances Madam Xanadu wagers her immortality in a game of chance against.

One of the most underutilized characters in the DCU, it’s nice to see this intriguing character getting her own magazine.

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

How to Make Friends with Demons by Graham Joyce

Promo copy:

William Heaney is a man well acquainted with demons. Not his broken family – his wife has left him for a celebrity chef, his snobbish teenaged son despises him, and his daughter’s new boyfriend resembles Nosferatu – nor his drinking problem, nor his unfulfilling government job, but real demons! For demons are real, and William has identified one thousand five hundred and sixty-seven smoky figures, dwelling on the shadowy fringes of human life, influencing our decisions with their sweet and poisoned voices. After a series of seemingly unconnected personal encounters with a beautiful and captivating woman met in the company of an infuriating poet, a troubled and damaged veteran of Desert Storm with demons of his own, and an old school acquaintance with whom he shared a mystical occult ritual, William Heaney’s life is thrown into a direction he does not fully comprehend. Past and present collide. Long-dormant choices and forgotten deceptions surface. Secrets threaten to become exposed. To weather the changes, William Heaney must learn one thing: how to make friends with demons!

(Originally issued in the UK as Memoirs Of A Master Forger)

Child of Fire by Harry Connolly

Promo copy:

Ray Lilly is living on borrowed time. He’s the driver for Annalise Powliss, a high-ranking member of the Twenty Palace Society, a group of sorcerers devoted to hunting down and executing rogue magicians. But because Ray betrayed her once, Annalise is looking for an excuse to kill him–or let someone else do the job.

Unfortunately for both of them, Annalise’s next mission goes wrong, leaving her critically injured. With the little magic he controls, Ray must complete her assignment alone. Not only does he have to stop a sorcerer who’s sacrificing dozens of innocent lives in exchange for supernatural power, he must find–and destroy–the source of that inhuman magic.

House of Windows by John Langan

Promo copy:

When a young writer finds himself cornered by a beautiful widow in the waning hours of a late-night cocktail party, he seeks at first to escape, to return to his wife and infant son, but the tale she weaves, of her missing husband, a renowned English professor, and her lost stepson, a soldier killed on a battlefield on the other side of the world, of phantasmal visions, a family curse, and a house… the Belvedere House, a striking mansion whose features suggest a face, hidden just out of view, draws him in, capturing him.

What follows is a deeply psychological ghost story of memory and malediction, loss and remorse. This unnerving tour-de-force, exploring the literary haunted house, from Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, and H. P. Lovecraft to today, incorporates family trauma, abstract art, literary criticism, the occult Dickens, and the war in Afghanistan. From John Langan (Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters) comes House of Windows, a chilling novel in the tradition of Peter Straub, Joe Hill, and Laird Barron.

The Grave Thief (Book Three of the Twilight Reign) by Tom Lloyd

Promo copy:

For Isak, the time for heartless decisions and ruthless action has come if he is to save the land from its oppressors…

Scree has been wiped from the face of the Land in a brutal demonstration of intent. While those responsible scatter to work on the next step in their plan, the stakes are raised—all the way to the heavens—as the Gods themselves enter the fray. Returning home to a nation divided by fanaticism, Lord Isak is haunted both by the consequences of his actions in Scree and by visions of his own impending death. As the full extent of Azaer’s schemes become clearer, he realises prophecy and zealotry must play their part in his battle-plans if there is to be any chance of surviving the coming years. As a white-eye, Isak has had to embrace the darker parts of his own soul, but now the savage religious fervour sweeping his nation must also be accepted and turned to purpose, in the name of survival. With the battle lines vague and allegiances uncertain, the time for heartless decisions and ruthless action has come. Two figures oppose Isak and his allies: the greatest warrior in history, who dreams of empire and Godhood, and a newborn baby whose dreams have no limit.

This past weekend, I spent time with my youngest nephew Stanley.

Saturday, Stanley and I saw Monsters Vs. Aliens. We both found the movie cute, but nothing spectacular. Afterwards, we went to my mother’s house, where I stayed the night. Stanley was nearing the end of a week long visit with his grandmother.

A very good speller (he was second in his school’s spelling bee), Stanley wanted to play Scrabble. Scrabble is a family tradition. I first started playing my mother around ten (as she did with her folks). When I was thirteen, we started playing a game a week. My mom doesn’t believe in letting you win. She’ll teach you strategy, but doesn’t give in because you are child. It wasn’t until I was fifteen when I finally beat her. And I earned it.

His grandmother beat the ten year old Stanley the night before, and as expected, I won this game. But he made a good showing and his first play was “naive.” Pretty impressive!

Stanley like his big brother is definitely a geek but of a slightly different variety. While his brother loves wargames and computers, Stanley prefers action video games (which makes the whole Scrabble thing weird), but has no interest in the computers themselves or games that take a lot of planning. Stanley loves telling jokes and watching goofy movies.

After Scrabble, we watched Horton Hears A Who, which is far superior than the rest of the current crop of Dr. Seuss movies.

Sunday morning, Stanley and I played Pokemon Stadium on the NS64. It’s the only game console at my mother’s house and the only two player game. What a stupid game. Poor controls and interactivity. Why was this popular?

I then shared with him some Linux-based games from my laptop. He really enjoyed the intense, high speed action of the top scrolling shoot ’em up Chromium B.S.U. and several other games, but his favorite was Sling Shot, a deceptively simple two-player game where you attempt to blow up your enemy’s ship. The complications arise when dealing with planetary gravities. Since on every game, the planets are different sizes and in different places, each round is unique.

Sunday afternoon, my mom and I returned Stanley to his dad, and I went home. I look forward to spending more time with him and introducing him to even more geek stuff.

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

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation by Tim Hamilton

Promo copy:

"Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn ’em to ashes, then burn the ashes." For Guy Montag, a career fireman for whom kerosene is perfume, this is not just an official slogan. It is a mantra, a duty, a way of life in a tightly monitored world where thinking is dangerous and books are forbidden.

In 1953, Ray Bradbury envisioned one of the world’s most unforgettable dystopian futures, and in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the artist Tim Hamilton translates this frightening modern masterpiece into a gorgeously imagined graphic novel. As could only occur with Bradbury’s full cooperation in this authorized adaptation, Hamilton has created a striking work of art that uniquely captures Montag’s awakening to the evil of government-controlled thought and the inestimable value of philosophy, theology, and literature.

Including an original foreword by Ray Bradbury and fully depicting the brilliance and force of his canonic and beloved masterwork, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is an exceptional, haunting work of graphic literature.

Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? Deluxe Edition Written by Alan Moore Art by Curt Swan et al

Promo copy:

An unforgettable hardcover collection of WATCHMEN writer Alan Moore’s definitive Superman tales that is sure to appeal of readers of his BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE graphic novel. Moore teams with Curt Swan, the definitive Superman artist from the 1950’s through the 1970’s, to tell the final adventure of the Man of Steel featuring his last stand against Lex Luthor, Brainiac and his other foes in "WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW?". This volume also includes Moore’s classic early collaboration with WATCHMEN illustrator Dave Gibbons, "FOR THE MAN WHO HAS EVERYTHING", in which Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman find Superman held captive by the villain Mongul in the Fortress of Solitude and dreaming of an idyllic life on Krypton courtesy of a wish-fulfilling parasitic plant known as the Black Mercy. Both tales are considered two of the top five all-time best Superman stories among fans.

The rare first team-up adventure between the Man of Tomorrow and Swamp Thing, the character that first brought Moore to notoriety in the United States, is included as an additional bonus.

Flight Volume Six edited by Kazu Kibuishi

Promo copy:

Anthology of stories by

JP Ahonen
Graham Annable
Bannister
Phil Craven
Mike Dutton
Michel Gagné
Cory Godbey
Rodolphe Guenoden
Steve Hamaker
Kazu Kibuishi
Andrea Offermann
Richard Pose
Justin Ridge
Rad Sechrist
Kean Soo

Beautiful book!

Chuck Written by Peter Johnson and Zev Borow Art by Jeremy Haun and Phil Noto

Promo copy:

The 6-issue miniseries based on the hit NBC television series is collected in one exciting volume! Series co-executive producer Peter Johnson (SUPERNATURAL: RISING SON) and series writer Zev Borow take Chuck Bartowski and his friends on a globe-trotting, action-packed adventure too big for television! Will Chuck survive his first trips to Japan, South America, Eastern Europe and Singapore?

Solomon Kane: Castle of the Devil Written by Scott Allie Art by Mario Guevara

Promo copy:

Robert E. Howard’s vengeance-obsessed adventurer begins his supernatural adventures in the haunted Black Forest of Germany in this adaptation of Howard’s "The Castle of the Devil." When Solomon Kane stumbles upon the body of a boy hanged from a rickety gallows, he goes after the man responsible – a baron feared by the peasants from miles around. Something far worse than the devilish baron or the terrible, intelligent wolf that prowls the woods lies hidden in the ruined monastery beneath the baron’s castle, where a devil-worshiping priest died in chains centuries ago.

On June 26th, I tweeted:

Now all can be revealed.

On Thursday, July 9, I will be in Pittsburgh at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie-Mellon University to attend the much anticipated unveiling of the Bossa Nova Concepts robotic line.

Look out for more info in future Geek Curmudgeon blogs on the when and where of my article on this event.

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

Implied Spaces by Walter Jon Williams

Promo copy:

From Walter Jon Williams, the celebrated and influential author of Hardwired, Voice of the Whirlwind, and Angel Station comes Implied Spaces, a new novel of post-singularity action, pyrotechnics, and intrigue. Aristide, a semi-retired computer scientist turned swordsman, a scholar of the implied spaces, seeking meaning amid the accidents of architecture in a universe where reality itself has been sculpted and designed by superhuman machine intelligence. While exploring the pre-technological world Midgarth, one of four dozen pocket universes created within a series of vast, orbital matrioshka computer arrays, Aristide uncovers a fiendish plot threatening to set off a nightmare scenario, perhaps even bringing about the ultimate Existential Crisis: the end of civilization itself! Traveling the pocket universes with his wormhole-edged sword Tecmessa in hand and talking cat Bitsy, avatar of the planet-sized computer Endora, at his side, Aristide must find a way to save the multiverse from subversion, sabotage, and certain destruction.

Lightbreaker by Mark Teppo

Promo copy:

Markham has returned to Seattle, searching for Katarina, the girl who, a decade ago, touched his soul, literally tearing it from his body. But what he discovers upon arriving is dark magick – of a most ancient and destructive kind! An encounter with a desperate spirit, leaping destructively from host to host, sets Markham on the trail of secretive cabal of magicians seeking to punch a hole through heaven, extinguishing forever the divine spark. Armed with the Chorus, a phantasmal chain of human souls he wields as a weapon of will, Markham must engage in a magickal battle with earth-shattering stakes! Markum must delve deep into his past, calling on every aspect of his occult training for there to be any hope of a future. But delve he must, for Markham is a veneficus, a spirit thief, the Lightbreaker…

Passage at Arms by Glen Cook

Promo copy:

The ongoing war between Humanity and the Ulant is a battle of attrition that Humanity is losing. Humans do, however, have one technological advantage – trans-hyperdrive technology. Using this technology, specially designed and outfitted spaceships – humanity’s climber fleet – can, under very narrow and strenuous conditions, pass through space undetected. "Passage at Arms" tells the intimate, detailed, and harrowing story of a climber crew and its captain during a critical juncture of the war.

More in Part 1.

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

Moon Flights by Elizabeth Moon

Promo copy:

Over the past two decades, few authors have garnered the critical acclaim and fan following of Elizabeth Moon, Nebula Award-winning author of The Speed of Dark, The Deed of Paksenarrion, and Remnant Population. Moon Flights, the definitive Elizabeth Moon short story collection, represents the highlights of an impressive career. Gathering together fifteen tales of fantasy, alternative history, and science fiction, Moon Flights features an original story, "Say Cheese," set in the Vatta’s War cosmology, and an all-new introduction by Anne McCaffrey, legendary creator of the Dragonriders of Pern series.

After the Downfall by Harry Turtledove

Promo copy:

From Harry Turtledove, the master of alternate history, comes After the Downfall, a novel of magic, epic warfare, and desperate choices. 1945: Russian troops have entered Berlin, and are engaged in a violent orgy of robbery, rape, and revenge. Wehrmacht officer Hasso Pemsel, a career soldier on the losing end of the greatest war in history, flees from a sniper’s bullet, finding himself hurled into a mysterious, fantastic world of wizards, dragons, and unicorns. There he allies himself with the blond-haired, blue-eyed Lenelli, and Velona, their goddess in human form, offering them his knowledge of warfare and weaponry in their genocidal struggle against a race of diminutive, swarthy barbarians known as Grenye. But soon, the savagery of the Lenelli begins to eat at Hasso Pemsel’s soul, causing him to question everything he has long believed about race and Reich, right and wrong, Ubermenschen and Untermenschen. Hasso Pemsel will learn the difference between following orders… and following his conscience.

The Princes Of The Golden Cage

The King’s Daughters

by Nathalie Mallet

Promo copy:

The first two installments in the Prince Amir series.

The Princes Of The Golden Cage

Prince Amir lives in a lavish and beautiful cage. He lives in a palace with hundreds of his brothers, all barred by law from ever leaving the palace until he, or one of his brothers, becomes the next Sultan. Living under constant threat of death at the hands of his scheming brothers, Amir has chosen a life of solitude and study. His scholarly and alchemical pursuits bring him under suspicion when his brothers begin to die from seemingly supernatural means. Amir finds himself thrown together with his brother Erik, the son of a barbarian princess. Together they must discover the dark secret that is stalking the halls of their golden cage.

The King’s Daughters

Far to the north of the hot desert land of Telfar lies the frozen kingdom of Sorvinka. Prince Amir has traveled there, leaving his sultanate in the hands of his half-brother Erik as he seeks to ask the king, the father of the beautiful Princess Eva, for her hand in marriage. But Sorvinka has grown dangerous during Princess Eva’s absence, as she and Amir discover to their terror, when their force of guards and eunuchs is cut down by ruthless brigands. And upon their arrival, their welcome to Eva’s family stronghold is as bitterly cold as the land itself. Accustomed to the golden cage of his upbringing, Prince Amir must navigate his way through the strange and cold-blooded customs of the Sorvinkans, and somehow find the truth behind the kidnapping of the king’s youngest daughter, the Princess Aurora, by the Sorvinkan’s traditional enemies, the neighboring Farrellians. But what can a stranger in a foreign land do?

More in Part 2.