The 'Belated Happy World Book Day! / Books in the Post' Post!

Happy World Book Day, for the other day, everyone! Hopefully you all enjoyed what you were reading and supported at least one ‘proper’ bookshop by making a purchase. Don’t worry if you didn’t buy anything, I didn’t buy anything either; had every intention of buying a book (like I need any excuse really…) but the day kind of got away from me and now it’s Saturday… Never mind, there’s always next year (and a whole load of days in-between)

What’s the next best thing though? Coming home to find some awesome looking books already waiting for you of course! Have a look at the picture,

‘Sea Kings of Mars’ was a little treat to myself for passing my college course (go me!) As with the Clark Ashton Smith collection, I’ll be reviewing a short story here and there instead of posting my thoughts on the whole book; look out for those posts kind of soonish. This also seems like a good time to say that I love the term ‘planetary romance’ . Give me a little longer to figure out exactly why but, for now, lets just say it’s a much nicer way of saying ‘pulp’ :o)

But anyway…

The book on the left is a proof of Joe Abercrombie’s ‘Half a King’ and I’ll be reading that very soon (hoping it will whet my appetite to finally read ‘The Heroes’ and of course I’m interested to see Joe’s take on YA)

Out of the three books on display, the one I’m most intrigued by is Josh Malerman’s ‘Bird Box’, a horror novel that Harper Collins are predicting good things for (although they would say that, wouldn’t they?) I love to read a little horror every now and then, especially when it’s someone who isn’t one of the big names already taking up shelf space; the blurb definitely looks interesting…

Most people ignored the outrageous reports on the news.
But they became too frequent, they became too real. And soon, they began happening down the street.
Then the Internet died. The television and radio went silent.
The phones stopped ringing.
And we couldn’t look outside anymore.
Malorie raises the children the only way she can; indoors.
The house is quiet. The doors are locked, the curtains are closed, mattresses are nailed over the windows.
They are out there. She might let them in.
The children sleep in the bedroom across the hall.
Soon she will have to wake them. Soon she will have to blindfold them.
Today they must leave the house. Today they will risk everything.

What do you reckon?

‘Uber’ Vol.1 – Kieron Gillen, Caanan White (Avatar Press)

April 24, 1945. The world holds its collective breath as the war is only days away from ending. Russian troops move through Germany to the final objective... Hitler himself. As those around the mad dictator crumble, the much ridiculed threats of the "Wunderwafen" materialize. A new weapon is delivered, one with unstoppable power - a weapon like no other and with a madman pulling the trigger. The Ubers change the direction of World War II, providing a dark and uncompromising alternative history in a way that you've never seen.

I’ve never really been one for alternative histories in genre fiction; I’d much rather see something brand new than a reimagining of something that has already happened. This would explain why I’ve read very little by Harry Turtledove…
If you’re going to do some ‘history reimagining’ though, there isn’t a much better place to do it than the Second World War. A time of great upheaval where events were finely balanced and could go either way; there’s a lot of potential there for history to branch out in all sorts of directions. From a genre point of view, there’s also a lot of potential there to see how the rumoured Nazi occultism and experiments could have affected the outcome of the war.
I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for ‘super soldiers’ (from reading ‘Zenith’ as a kid) so had half an eye on ‘Uber’ anyway (amongst everything else I look out for in Forbidden Planet) but this was the first chance I’d actually had to really get to grips with the plot. I say ‘get to grips’, this first volume of ‘Uber’ ended up getting to grips with me and left me in a traumatised huddle. ‘Brutal’ is a word that I like to use to describe some of the books that I read but ‘Uber’ is the first book I’ve read that actually deserves the title…

Kieron Gillen is clearly of the school that says a Second World War fought by super soldiers will involve buildings falling down almost unnoticed amidst all the super powered violence perpetuated by the Ubers and their Allied counterparts. Gillen doesn’t pull a single punch and is very lucky to have someone like Caanan White along for artwork duties as he doesn’t pull any punches either (and is it any co-incidence that O’Connor looks like Captain America…?) The end result takes your breath away as Gillen and White combine to raise the intensity of super powered combat and leave it covered in the viscera that we’re all expecting. It’s gripping stuff and if you’re anything like me then you won’t be able to take your eyes off the page. ‘Hard hitting’ doesn’t even begin to cover what ‘Uber’ does to the reader.
Reading this far, you’d be forgiven for thinking that ‘Uber’ is just one big ‘super-soldier smack down’ (and to be fair, that’s the bulk of it) but there’s more to it than that. Gillen explores the resonations caused by what the Ubers do (atrocities and lots of them) and you get a real feeling of an alternate history starting to branch out from the stuff that really happened. Questions are raised and they’re good ones; that’s enough for me to make a note to come back and see what happens next. I mean, I know what’s mostly going to happen (bucket loads of wince inducing violence) but I do want to see where the plot goes at the same time.

I know it’s only March but I think I’ve found the best comic book I’m likely to read this year and I cannot wait to see where Gillen takes the plot next. If you were a fan of Ian Tregillis’ ‘Milkweed Triptych’ then you really need to be reading ‘Uber’ as well; that’s all there is to it.

Cover Art & Blurb, 'Smiler's Fair' - Rebecca Levene (Hodder)

I’ve pinched this from Hodderscape by way of No Cloaks Allowed (Gav – There are cloaks in ‘Smiler’s Fair’ mate. I know, I’ve seen them)

I read ‘Smiler’s Fair’ when it was on submission at Hodder and thoroughly enjoyed it; I’m really looking forward to seeing what it looks like post editing, hence this post. Having experienced the more thoughtful air to this book (not just any old fantasy), I find myself really appreciating the thoughtful tone of the cover. All the ingredients of the book are there but nothing is given away other than an eye catching design (which I think will look amazing on the hardback edition if Hodder do one). I like that.

Yron the moon god died, but now he’s reborn in the false king’s son. His human father wanted to kill him, but his mother sacrificed her life to save him. He’ll return one day to claim his birthright. He’ll change your life.
He’ll change everything.
Smiler’s Fair: the great moving carnival where any pleasure can be had, if you’re willing to pay the price. They say all paths cross at Smiler’s Fair. They say it’ll change your life. For five people, Smiler’s Fair will change everything.
Nethmi, the orphaned daughter of a murdered nobleman, who in desperation commits an act that will haunt her forever. Dae Hyo, the skilled warrior, who discovers that a lifetime of bravery cannot make up for a single mistake. Marvan, the master swordsman, who takes more pleasure from killing than he should. Eric, who follows his heart only to learn that love can exact a terrible price. And Krish, the humble goatherd, with a destiny he hardly understands and can never accept.
In a land where unimaginable horror lurks in the shadows, where the very sun and moon are at war, these people must discover how they fit into the world – and how to shape the world to suit themselves.

‘Smiler’s Fair’ will be published at the end of July and if I were you I’d read it. It’s worth your time (you can thank me afterwards).

‘Home’ – Poul Anderson

Is home where the hearth is or where government spending allocates it?

Yep, it’s time for another short story from Poul Anderson’s ‘The Queen of Air and Darkness’ collection. I’m not one for ‘full on’ reading resolutions this year but I do want to read older fiction as well as stuff that I wouldn’t normally pick up. ‘Home’ fulfils both of these criteria being a science fiction tale first published in 1966 (‘Orbit’ magazine, originally called ‘The Disinherited’) so here we go…

What happens when it becomes economically unfeasible to explore and colonise space? When there’s no money left, you really need to focus on what you have and make that work instead; that’s the concept underpinning ‘Home’ where Earth authorities have decided that the age of exploration is done (there’s nothing much out there anyway) and it’s time to bring everyone home. And that was the first thing that got me about this story; if resources are that stretched then why bring people home at all? More mouths to feed and all that, why not leave them out there? Especially if they’re actually happy where they are in the first place.

And that’s the real focus of this tale, what does ‘home’ mean when you’re making it on another planet entirely? Does anyone have that right? Obvious parallels are drawn with what happened to the American Indians; a little too obvious for me and a line that detracted from further exploration into the character of Yazkov Khan, the man sent to bring the scientific expedition (more like colonists now) home. Here’s a man whose job has essentially made him homeless and obeys the orders of the Earth Directorate even though he violently disagrees with their new mandate. There’s real conflict here but it’s only really hinted at in the final paragraph and that’s a bit of a shame. Khan is a really interesting character and deeper exploration of this could have lent ‘Home’ a lot more impact than it had (although, in fairness, I wasn’t expecting ‘Home’ to end the way it did, not at all).

What Anderson does do well is paint a picture of an idyllic existence that no-one would want to leave; a planet where the natives only real aspiration is to enjoy life, an aspiration that the human colonists are only just starting to understand and aspire to themselves. In that context then, the reader has to wonder whether the colonists are being brought home because of financial constraints or so that this Directorate doesn’t have to stretch quite so far in order to consolidate its power… Sinister undertones to a downbeat ending then.
‘Home’ gives its readers much to consider then and I certainly don’t regret the time spent reading it. I just couldn’t help but wonder if a little extra time spent fleshing out Khan, as a character, would have made this story even more thought provoking than it already is. Writing for magazines inevitably means word count but still, just a thought…

'Monster Massacre Vol.2' - Dave Elliott (Titan)

It takes a lot for me to cover up what I’m reading on the train; you’re talking to a passionate fan of all things genre related who thinks that the morning commute would be a lot more eye catching if people were honest about what they like to read. I know there are people out there who like reading ‘Roman Gladiator’ books but I’m pretty sure that most of the middle aged guys I see reading them want to read about men with swords but don’t want a dragon on the cover… I’m not like that and will happily read whatever the hell I want on the train, until today.

It wasn’t just the front cover either, when the stern looking elderly lady sat next to me I found myself automatically hiding the pages involving the scantily clad bounty hunter facing off against the even more scantily clad Yakuza lady (‘Queen’s Pet’, a very funny tale where things build up to a violent climax and then you can’t help but laugh at what comes next…). Maybe I’m just not as brazen about my ‘train reading’ as I thought I was. It’s safe to say that ‘Monster Massacre 2’ is a book that you should think twice about opening on a crowded train ;o)

As was the case with its predecessor though, ‘Monster Massacre 2’ is a lot of fun to read; basically a whole bunch of comic book creators going ‘no holds barred’ nuts on the page. This time round there is more of an emphasis on ‘gallery work’ over stories and visually stunning though it all was, I couldn’t help but wish that they’d used the space for more stories instead. There is some good stuff going on here and the collection as a whole could have really benefitted from more stories along the same lines. Well, that’s what I thought anyway; somewhere, another reviewer is probably bemoaning the number of stories crowding out all the really cool gallery stuff ;o) There’s probably enough of each to suit all tastes.

In terms of the stories on offer; when they work it’s incredible but when they don’t it swiftly becomes a bit of a mess. ‘Amplified’ looked promising but needed a couple more pages (that it didn’t have) so that we could actually see what the point of it was. ‘Bounty Journal’ spent a lot of the time looking good but with no discernible plot whatsoever.

When ‘Monster Massacre’ was good though, it was amazing. Highlights for me included Jennyson Robero’s ‘Turn Me On’ was chilling and very effectively drawn at the same time. ‘The Weirding Willows’ was clearly one for longer term fans (who would get a lot more out of it) but had enough of the surreal about it (a dinosaur that loves honey!) to engage me and I wouldn’t mind reading more. Reza Ilyasa’s ‘Hell-O-Kitty’ looked amazing with a hint of tragedy that nicely balanced out the action (as well as making the concept of gun toting cats taking down mechanoids seem totally plausible). The real highlight for me though was Basri and Gho’s ‘Rule My World’, absolutely beautifully drawn and a real lesson that you don’t need a lot of words to tell a story. The look on the lady’s face, right at the very end, meant there was no need for any words. Glorious stuff.

‘Monster Massacre 2’ is very definitely a mixed bag then but, for me, the good in it outweighed the bad. I wouldn’t mind seeing more stories next time though; there’s clearly a lot of good shorter work out there so why not include it?

'Big Books' and Comic Books...

I can’t remember the last time I read a ‘fat fantasy’, years ago I reckon and it was probably written by Steven Erikson (feel free to have a look and check for me, I have no inclination to do that right now or at all actually!) I used to love reading these books when I was a lot younger, nothing better than getting lost in a massive book for hours at a time, but I ended up reading much shorter books as, well… I love blogging and wanted to post about books as much as possible. Short books were the way forward here :o)

No longer though, I’m about a hundred and something pages into Anthony Ryan’s ‘Blood Song’ (a beast of a book at just over seven hundred pages long) and really enjoying myself with it. Am I gearing myself up for another crack at the ‘Malazan’ series? Maybe one day, I’m enjoying myself too much now to worry about that. Why didn’t I read ‘Blood Song’ sooner? I don’t know but I’m glad that I’m reading it now, that’s all that matters. All other books are having to wait this week so you might see a few more short stories than normal, it’s all good though :o)
To kick this week off then, here’s a couple of comics that I was reading on my phone last night whilst trying to get Elana to sleep on my shoulder… I’ve stopped buying trades just recently but might just have to start again if these two issues are anything to go by.

‘X’ #11 – Swierczynski, Maia (Dark Horse)

X’s hands were already full with Carmine Tango . . . Then Gamble reappeared! X thought he killed this suave assassin years ago, but the luck-obsessed murderer is still a player, taking his chances on revenge! Welcome to Arcadia, where the odds are bad . . . and the bads are odd!

Every time I think that Swierczynski and Maia have gone as brutal as they can they never fail to surprise me by ramping things up an extra notch. This issue, this means a stand up fight between X and Gamble where you feel every punch and kick land home. I couldn’t help but wince (a lot) but Maia’s handling of the fight scenes meant that I couldn’t take my eyes off it. There’s a real honesty to these scenes that makes you feel like you almost owe it to the characters to see it out with them. Brutal? Yes but also a very necessary depiction that leaves you in no doubt how the characters are feeling (very, very sore…)

The actual plot feels like it meanders a little (there is a big fight going on after all) but Swierczynski makes it clear that the payoff is almost here. Just wait one more issue and the game will completely change… He’d better not be messing me around because I will be there for that next issue.

If you like vigilante comics where the ‘hero’ pulls no punches then I’d be very surprised if you weren’t reading ‘X’ already.

‘Ghost’ #2 – DeConnick, Sook (Dark Horse)

An unlikely ally sneaks Ghost into a secret meeting, where a legion of disguised demons gather around Dr. October—until her cover is blown! Meanwhile, the very human serial killer prowling the streets of Chicago takes a personal interest in Sloane and Tommy!

Wow, it’s all happening here and it’s all good (albeit again, a tiny bit too drawn out for my tastes) . A human serial killer who drinks all your milk before killing you, demons running the city who seem quite content to wait for some kind of signal to engage the ‘masterplan’… Unless they are attacked that is and then it’s a big ol’ fight to the death between Ghost and a nightclub full of well-drawn monstrosities.

Ryan Sook is the standout creative type in this issue for me. Not that there’s anything wrong with Kelly Sue DeConnick’s plot and writing but there’s clearly a long game being played there and Ryan Sook is about the here and now. I’m talking about the moments where Ghost goes on the offensive in the nightclub or the moment, right at the beginning, where you realise just who is in the house. As a team, DeConnick and Sook really work well together but this issue, for me, is all about Sook and what he can do. It’s all good with a couple of moments that will make you gasp if I was anything to go by.

Cover Art - 'ACID' (Emma Pass)

Cover art like this makes me a little bit mad and a little bit sad, all at the same time. There's nothing wrong with the work itself but the overall affect is just... bland. If you took the title off the front, you wouldn't be able to pick this book out from dozens of others with the same kind of design. I get the thinking from a marketing perspective but I can't help but wonder if this thinking does the book itself an injustice. You want someone to read a book? Give it a cover that does something a little different and stands out because of it; the first thing someone sees on a book is the cover so make the most of that cover instead of essentially camouflaging it on the shelf.
The blurb actually looks interesting, I like a little bit of 'totalitarian police state' in my reading sometimes... :o)

2113. In Jenna Strong's world, ACID - the most brutal, controlling police force in history - rule supreme. No throwaway comment or muttered dissent goes unnoticed - or unpunished. And it was ACID agents who locked Jenna away for life, for a bloody crime she struggles to remember.

The only female inmate in a violent high-security prison, Jenna has learned to survive by any means necessary. And when a mysterious rebel group breaks her out, she must use her strength, speed and skill to stay one step ahead of ACID - and to uncover the truth about what really happened on that dark night two years ago.

What do you think of this cover?