Monday, December 8, 2008
“Conan: The Hand of Nergal” Collection by Timothy Truman & Tomás Giorello (Reviewed by Robert Thompson)
Official Conan Wikipedia WebsiteOfficial Robert E. Howard Website
Order “Conan: The Hand of Nergal” HERE + HERE
Read A Preview HERE
ABOUT CONAN — THE HAND OF NERGAL: A mysterious curse lingers, following Conan as he attempts to return to his homeland, where a great darkness awaits in the doomed city of Yaralet…
This latest collection in Dark Horse's smart, innovative Conan series finds the young Cimmerian chased by both unfinished business from his past and a strange, mystical waif who seeks to deliver a dire warning to the wandering barbarian.
Fleshing out Robert E. Howard’s unfinished “Hand of Nergal” tale, Timothy Truman weaves several Conan plot threads together in an ambitious culmination of ideas, and his skill at characterization is apparent in both his handling of Howard’s beloved, iconic hero and a colorful supporting cast of thieves, royalty, seasoned soldiers, magicians and demons.
Argentine artist Tomás Giorello brilliantly illustrates pulse-pounding battles as well as riveting moments of suspense and heartbreak, aided by color artists JD Mettler and José Villarrubia.
CLASSIFICATION: Not much needs to be said here. It’s Conan after all. So expect plenty of thrilling sword & sorcery action including savage battles, copious bloodshed, monsters, dark magic, a touch of black humor, and scantily clad women…
FORMAT/INFO: “Conan: The Hand of Nergal” graphic novel is 152 pages long and contains Conan issues #47-50, plus a Prologue written by Kurt Busiek (Astro City, Avengers, Superman) and illustrated by Cary Nord. “The Hand of Nergal” is the sixth graphic novel collection—after Rogues in the House—in Dark Horse’s ongoing Conan comic book series which began in 2003 with Kurt Busiek and Cary Nord. “The Hand of Nergal” graphic novel also includes a Foreword by Mark Finn, an Afterword by Timothy Truman, a sketchbook showcasing Tomás Giorello’s stunning pencils, and a map.
“Conan: The Hand of Nergal” Hardcover was released to comic book stores on September 17, 2008 in both Hardcover and Trade Paperback editions, and made available on Amazon.com on October 1, 2008. Conan is published by Dark Horse.
ANALYSIS: I’ve read a few of Robert E. Howard’s stories, seen the films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, watched some episodes of the animated television show, read some of the comics, and I’m a huge fan of Frank Frazetta’s paintings. But when it comes to Conan mythology, especially the comics, I’m hardly an expert. In fact, the last time I read a Conan comic book was back in 2003 when Kurt Busiek and Cary Nord debuted on the new ongoing series from Dark Horse—I only read 3-4 issues—and before that, I vaguely remember reading some older comics.
So, with “The Hand of Nergal”, I can hardly comment on the graphic novel’s performance compared to other Conan comic book adaptations. Nor can I really validate the accuracy of this graphic novel’s Conan in relation to Robert E. Howard’s vision—although it does seem fairly faithful. What I can tell you though is that “The Hand of Nergal” is an all-around solid comic book experience.
In other words, both Timothy Truman’s writing and Tomás Giorello’s illustrations are duly capable in their respective areas, and seemed to complement one another well. Each is not without issues however. Of the former, I thought Timothy’s narrative prose got a bit heavy-handed at times, the characters were stereotypical, and the subplot involving Gunderman was lacking—particularly the anticlimactic meeting between the two—while the plot itself was straightforward and unoriginal, especially if you’re familiar with sword & sorcery tales or H.P. Lovecraft. As to the latter, Giorello’s illustrations are not as striking as Cary Nord’s, but a lot of that I think has to do with the dull inking & coloring which seemed to weaken Tomás’ pencils rather than enhance them.
All complaints aside, I enjoyed reading “The Hand of Nergal”. And, as an added bonus, the graphic novel reminded me why I like sword & sorcery so much in the first place, Conan in particular, and thanks to it, my interest in Conan comic books has now been renewed…
AUTHOR/ARTIST BIOS:
Throughout his twenty-plus-year career, Timothy Truman has emerged as one of the most distinctive voices in comics as well as one of its most original artistic storytellers and stylists. Notable works include Grimjack, Scout, Hawksworld which received a 1991 European Haxtur Award, and Jonah Hex, his critically acclaimed collaboration with writer Joe. R. Landsdale, which received the Bram Stoker Award.
Tomás Giorello studied comics art at the Villagran Studio for nearly five years and began his career working for various Argentine publishers. In the mid-1990s he found work in the U.S. through S.Q. Productions, Chaos Comics and Heavy Metal magazine. Since then, he has worked with Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, and Wizards of the Coast and is now the regular artist for the ongoing Conan series.
This latest collection in Dark Horse's smart, innovative Conan series finds the young Cimmerian chased by both unfinished business from his past and a strange, mystical waif who seeks to deliver a dire warning to the wandering barbarian.
Fleshing out Robert E. Howard’s unfinished “Hand of Nergal” tale, Timothy Truman weaves several Conan plot threads together in an ambitious culmination of ideas, and his skill at characterization is apparent in both his handling of Howard’s beloved, iconic hero and a colorful supporting cast of thieves, royalty, seasoned soldiers, magicians and demons.
Argentine artist Tomás Giorello brilliantly illustrates pulse-pounding battles as well as riveting moments of suspense and heartbreak, aided by color artists JD Mettler and José Villarrubia.
CLASSIFICATION: Not much needs to be said here. It’s Conan after all. So expect plenty of thrilling sword & sorcery action including savage battles, copious bloodshed, monsters, dark magic, a touch of black humor, and scantily clad women…FORMAT/INFO: “Conan: The Hand of Nergal” graphic novel is 152 pages long and contains Conan issues #47-50, plus a Prologue written by Kurt Busiek (Astro City, Avengers, Superman) and illustrated by Cary Nord. “The Hand of Nergal” is the sixth graphic novel collection—after Rogues in the House—in Dark Horse’s ongoing Conan comic book series which began in 2003 with Kurt Busiek and Cary Nord. “The Hand of Nergal” graphic novel also includes a Foreword by Mark Finn, an Afterword by Timothy Truman, a sketchbook showcasing Tomás Giorello’s stunning pencils, and a map.
“Conan: The Hand of Nergal” Hardcover was released to comic book stores on September 17, 2008 in both Hardcover and Trade Paperback editions, and made available on Amazon.com on October 1, 2008. Conan is published by Dark Horse.
ANALYSIS: I’ve read a few of Robert E. Howard’s stories, seen the films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, watched some episodes of the animated television show, read some of the comics, and I’m a huge fan of Frank Frazetta’s paintings. But when it comes to Conan mythology, especially the comics, I’m hardly an expert. In fact, the last time I read a Conan comic book was back in 2003 when Kurt Busiek and Cary Nord debuted on the new ongoing series from Dark Horse—I only read 3-4 issues—and before that, I vaguely remember reading some older comics.So, with “The Hand of Nergal”, I can hardly comment on the graphic novel’s performance compared to other Conan comic book adaptations. Nor can I really validate the accuracy of this graphic novel’s Conan in relation to Robert E. Howard’s vision—although it does seem fairly faithful. What I can tell you though is that “The Hand of Nergal” is an all-around solid comic book experience.
In other words, both Timothy Truman’s writing and Tomás Giorello’s illustrations are duly capable in their respective areas, and seemed to complement one another well. Each is not without issues however. Of the former, I thought Timothy’s narrative prose got a bit heavy-handed at times, the characters were stereotypical, and the subplot involving Gunderman was lacking—particularly the anticlimactic meeting between the two—while the plot itself was straightforward and unoriginal, especially if you’re familiar with sword & sorcery tales or H.P. Lovecraft. As to the latter, Giorello’s illustrations are not as striking as Cary Nord’s, but a lot of that I think has to do with the dull inking & coloring which seemed to weaken Tomás’ pencils rather than enhance them.
All complaints aside, I enjoyed reading “The Hand of Nergal”. And, as an added bonus, the graphic novel reminded me why I like sword & sorcery so much in the first place, Conan in particular, and thanks to it, my interest in Conan comic books has now been renewed…
AUTHOR/ARTIST BIOS:Throughout his twenty-plus-year career, Timothy Truman has emerged as one of the most distinctive voices in comics as well as one of its most original artistic storytellers and stylists. Notable works include Grimjack, Scout, Hawksworld which received a 1991 European Haxtur Award, and Jonah Hex, his critically acclaimed collaboration with writer Joe. R. Landsdale, which received the Bram Stoker Award.
Tomás Giorello studied comics art at the Villagran Studio for nearly five years and began his career working for various Argentine publishers. In the mid-1990s he found work in the U.S. through S.Q. Productions, Chaos Comics and Heavy Metal magazine. Since then, he has worked with Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, and Wizards of the Coast and is now the regular artist for the ongoing Conan series.
3:01 AM | 
Posted by
Robert |
2008 FAVORITES:
1) “The Audacity of Hope” by Barack Obama
2) “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier” by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill. Even more Post-Modern than the first two books, and post-modernity doesn't always make for an emotionally engaging read, but Moore always finds something interesting and surprising in every tale.
3) “Firestarter” by Stephen King. Not one of his best, by a long shot, but it was one of the few early Kings that I hadn't read.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2009:
None. I like to be surprised by stumbling across them in the bookshop.
ON THE HORIZON FOR MARK CHADBOURN:
Slightly embarrassed by the number of trees I'm killing in 2009. Don't blame me . . . blame the publishers!
“World’s End” (Age of Misrule Book One). US Release Date: May 26, 2009. Published by Pyr Books.
“The Burning Man” (Mass Market Paperback). UK Release Date: June 11, 2009. Published by Gollancz.
“Darkest Hour” Age of Misrule Book Two). US Release Date: June 23, 2009. Published by Pyr Books.
“Always Forever” Age of Misrule Book Two). US Release Date: July 28, 2009. Published by Pyr Books.
“The Lord of Silence”. Release Date: July 28, 2009. Published by Solaris.
“Destroyer of Worlds”. UK Release Date: August 20, 2009. Published by Gollancz.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A two-time winner of the British Fantasy Award, Mark Chadbourn is the author of twelve speculative fiction novels, one non-fiction book, two novellas, a graphic novel, and numerous short fiction. He is also a screenwriter for BBC television drama. For more information, please visit the author’s Official Website and Official Blog.
1) “The Audacity of Hope” by Barack Obama
2) “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier” by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill. Even more Post-Modern than the first two books, and post-modernity doesn't always make for an emotionally engaging read, but Moore always finds something interesting and surprising in every tale.
3) “Firestarter” by Stephen King. Not one of his best, by a long shot, but it was one of the few early Kings that I hadn't read.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2009:
None. I like to be surprised by stumbling across them in the bookshop.
ON THE HORIZON FOR MARK CHADBOURN:
Slightly embarrassed by the number of trees I'm killing in 2009. Don't blame me . . . blame the publishers!
“World’s End” (Age of Misrule Book One). US Release Date: May 26, 2009. Published by Pyr Books.
“The Burning Man” (Mass Market Paperback). UK Release Date: June 11, 2009. Published by Gollancz.
“Darkest Hour” Age of Misrule Book Two). US Release Date: June 23, 2009. Published by Pyr Books.
“Always Forever” Age of Misrule Book Two). US Release Date: July 28, 2009. Published by Pyr Books.
“The Lord of Silence”. Release Date: July 28, 2009. Published by Solaris.
“Destroyer of Worlds”. UK Release Date: August 20, 2009. Published by Gollancz.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A two-time winner of the British Fantasy Award, Mark Chadbourn is the author of twelve speculative fiction novels, one non-fiction book, two novellas, a graphic novel, and numerous short fiction. He is also a screenwriter for BBC television drama. For more information, please visit the author’s Official Website and Official Blog.
NOTE: For more author responses, please visit Fantasy Book Critic's 2008 Review/2009 Preview index HERE.
2008 FAVORITES:
“Death by Black Hole” by Neil DeGrasse Tyson
“Mind Plague” by Jeff Carlson
“The Devil's Disciple” by Richard Dawkins
“Metal Swarm” by Kevin J. Anderson
“The Masks of God, Vol III” by Joseph Campbell
“In War Times” by Kathleen Ann Goonan
“Spindrift” by Allen Steele
“The War Within” by Bob Woodward
“Bangs, Crunches, Whimpers, and Shrieks” by John Earman
“Slanted Jack” by Mark Van Name
“Breakfast in the Ruins” by Barry Malzberg
“God Is Not Great” by Christopher Hitchens
“Brighten to Incandescence” by Michael Bishop
“Bleak House” by Charles Dickens
“Boom!” by Tom Brokaw
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2009:
“WWW: Wake” by Robert J. Sawyer. Release Date: April 7, 2009. Published by Ace Books.
“Mind Plague” by Jeff Carlson. Release Date: TBA. Published by Ace Books.
ON THE HORIZON FOR JACK MCDEVITT:
“Cryptic: The Best Short Fiction of Jack McDevitt”. Release Date: February 27, 2009. Published by Subterranean Press.
“Time Travelers Never Die”. Release Date: November 2009. Published by Ace Books.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jack McDevitt is the author of several science fiction novels and numerous short fiction including the Academy Series and the Alex Benedict novels. He has been nominated for the Nebula Award fourteen times, winning in 2006 for his novel, “Seeker”. For more information, please visit the author’s Official Website.
“Death by Black Hole” by Neil DeGrasse Tyson
“Mind Plague” by Jeff Carlson
“The Devil's Disciple” by Richard Dawkins
“Metal Swarm” by Kevin J. Anderson
“The Masks of God, Vol III” by Joseph Campbell
“In War Times” by Kathleen Ann Goonan
“Spindrift” by Allen Steele
“The War Within” by Bob Woodward
“Bangs, Crunches, Whimpers, and Shrieks” by John Earman
“Slanted Jack” by Mark Van Name
“Breakfast in the Ruins” by Barry Malzberg
“God Is Not Great” by Christopher Hitchens
“Brighten to Incandescence” by Michael Bishop
“Bleak House” by Charles Dickens
“Boom!” by Tom Brokaw
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2009:
“WWW: Wake” by Robert J. Sawyer. Release Date: April 7, 2009. Published by Ace Books.
“Mind Plague” by Jeff Carlson. Release Date: TBA. Published by Ace Books.
ON THE HORIZON FOR JACK MCDEVITT:
“Cryptic: The Best Short Fiction of Jack McDevitt”. Release Date: February 27, 2009. Published by Subterranean Press.
“Time Travelers Never Die”. Release Date: November 2009. Published by Ace Books.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jack McDevitt is the author of several science fiction novels and numerous short fiction including the Academy Series and the Alex Benedict novels. He has been nominated for the Nebula Award fourteen times, winning in 2006 for his novel, “Seeker”. For more information, please visit the author’s Official Website.
NOTE: For more author responses, please visit Fantasy Book Critic's 2008 Review/2009 Preview index HERE.
2008 FAVORITES:
Earlier this year I reread, for perhaps the tenth time, “Hello Summer Goodbye” by the unjustly neglected Michael G. Coney. First published in 1975, it tells the story of Drove and Pallahaxi-Browneyes on a distant alien world. They are not human, but stilk, a humanoid race. In a short prefatory note to the novel, Coney says: “I have assumed my aliens to be humanoid and, being humanoid, to be subject to human emotions and frailties. I have assumed their civilisation to be at the stage of development approximate to our year 1875…” The planet undergoes long periods of summer and a winter lasting some forty years, and is made real by some brilliant world-building: the tidal effect of the grume, at which time the sea water thickens; ice-devils which inhabit tidal pools and have the ability to freeze the water when prey enters the pool; and the lorin, the pacific, furry co-habitees of the planet, with whom the destiny of the stilk is inextricably linked. To quote Coney's introduction again: “This is a love story, and a war story, and a science-fiction story, and more besides.” It is also Coney's finest intermeshing of character, incident and event; a sensitive account of growing up and the experience of first love, with one of the finest endings in modern SF.
An excellent collection I read last month is: “The Turing Test” by Chris Beckett. He's not as well known or as recognized as he should be; he's one of the best SF short story writers in the business. He's preoccupied with questions of identity and self-perception. His characters are forever questioning notions of themselves and their place in reality. His strength is delineating the psychology of the outsider, and depicting artificial intelligence and humanity's relation to it. The collection's high point is in the stunning “Karel's Prayer”, a Dickian homage about self-perception, the notion of reality and religious belief. Al Reynolds states in his insightful introduction that Beckett should “be on the radar of anyone who professes concern for science fiction as a literary form.”
Another good one was “Stealing Light” by Gary Gibson. It features Dakota Merrick who, framed for destroying a populated asteroid belonging to a murderous criminal, is forced to take the only escape route available, working as a pilot for the Freehold as they attempt to raise a derelict faster-than-light vessel. The problem is that the alien Shoal control the secret of 'transluminal flight', and proscribe humanity from using it. Gibson takes us through a series of conceptual breakthroughs, each revealed scenario raising the stakes and expanding the sense of wonder, as feisty Dakota is by turns shown as a puppet used by malign forces and as the mistress of her own destiny. It's a satisfying wide-screen epic in the tradition of (Peter F.) Hamilton and (Stephen) Baxter, from an up and coming Scottish writer.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2009:
“Seeds of Earth” by Michael Cobley. UK Release Date: March 5, 2009. Published by Orbit Books.
“The Accord” by Keith Brooke. Release Date: February 24, 2009. Published by Solaris.
“Ark” by Stephen Baxter. UK Release Date: September 17, 2009. Published by Gollancz.
“Marcher” by Chris Beckett. UK Release Date: January 1, 2009. Published by Dorchester.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Eric Brown has been a published writer since 1987 with an extensive bibliography that features several novels, five novellas, and seven children’s books as well as over eighty short stories which have won the author two British Science Fiction Awards. His latest works include “Starship Summer” (PS Publishing), “Helix” (Solaris Books) and “Necropath”, Book One of The Bengal Station Trilogy. Eric also writes a monthly SF review column for The Guardian. Upcoming releases include the second Bengal Station novel, “Xenopath” (June 2009). For more information, please visit the author’s Official Website.
Earlier this year I reread, for perhaps the tenth time, “Hello Summer Goodbye” by the unjustly neglected Michael G. Coney. First published in 1975, it tells the story of Drove and Pallahaxi-Browneyes on a distant alien world. They are not human, but stilk, a humanoid race. In a short prefatory note to the novel, Coney says: “I have assumed my aliens to be humanoid and, being humanoid, to be subject to human emotions and frailties. I have assumed their civilisation to be at the stage of development approximate to our year 1875…” The planet undergoes long periods of summer and a winter lasting some forty years, and is made real by some brilliant world-building: the tidal effect of the grume, at which time the sea water thickens; ice-devils which inhabit tidal pools and have the ability to freeze the water when prey enters the pool; and the lorin, the pacific, furry co-habitees of the planet, with whom the destiny of the stilk is inextricably linked. To quote Coney's introduction again: “This is a love story, and a war story, and a science-fiction story, and more besides.” It is also Coney's finest intermeshing of character, incident and event; a sensitive account of growing up and the experience of first love, with one of the finest endings in modern SF.
An excellent collection I read last month is: “The Turing Test” by Chris Beckett. He's not as well known or as recognized as he should be; he's one of the best SF short story writers in the business. He's preoccupied with questions of identity and self-perception. His characters are forever questioning notions of themselves and their place in reality. His strength is delineating the psychology of the outsider, and depicting artificial intelligence and humanity's relation to it. The collection's high point is in the stunning “Karel's Prayer”, a Dickian homage about self-perception, the notion of reality and religious belief. Al Reynolds states in his insightful introduction that Beckett should “be on the radar of anyone who professes concern for science fiction as a literary form.”
Another good one was “Stealing Light” by Gary Gibson. It features Dakota Merrick who, framed for destroying a populated asteroid belonging to a murderous criminal, is forced to take the only escape route available, working as a pilot for the Freehold as they attempt to raise a derelict faster-than-light vessel. The problem is that the alien Shoal control the secret of 'transluminal flight', and proscribe humanity from using it. Gibson takes us through a series of conceptual breakthroughs, each revealed scenario raising the stakes and expanding the sense of wonder, as feisty Dakota is by turns shown as a puppet used by malign forces and as the mistress of her own destiny. It's a satisfying wide-screen epic in the tradition of (Peter F.) Hamilton and (Stephen) Baxter, from an up and coming Scottish writer.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2009:
“Seeds of Earth” by Michael Cobley. UK Release Date: March 5, 2009. Published by Orbit Books.
“The Accord” by Keith Brooke. Release Date: February 24, 2009. Published by Solaris.
“Ark” by Stephen Baxter. UK Release Date: September 17, 2009. Published by Gollancz.
“Marcher” by Chris Beckett. UK Release Date: January 1, 2009. Published by Dorchester.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Eric Brown has been a published writer since 1987 with an extensive bibliography that features several novels, five novellas, and seven children’s books as well as over eighty short stories which have won the author two British Science Fiction Awards. His latest works include “Starship Summer” (PS Publishing), “Helix” (Solaris Books) and “Necropath”, Book One of The Bengal Station Trilogy. Eric also writes a monthly SF review column for The Guardian. Upcoming releases include the second Bengal Station novel, “Xenopath” (June 2009). For more information, please visit the author’s Official Website.
NOTE: For more author responses, please visit Fantasy Book Critic's 2008 Review/2009 Preview index HERE.
2008 FAVORITES:
I didn't read a great deal this year—always the case when I've got a novel to finish—but I did work my way through a handful of Cormac McCarthy's novels: “No Country For Old Men”, “Child of God” and “Blood Meridian”. That last has got to be one of the bleakest pieces of fiction I've ever read, but the language is so dazzling, so out there on its own in terms of inventiveness and quality, that, personally, I would follow him into the deepest pits of hell to see what he produced next.
I also read—because I was asked to write an introduction—Joel Lane's novella “The Witnesses Are Gone” (to be released in 2009 by PS Publishing), a harrowing tale about a cineaste who discovers an old film by an enigmatic director called Jean Rien. As the protagonist tries to find out more about the film and its creator, he is dragged into a strange hinterland where nothing is as it seems and the truisms of self, identity and reality are distorted. It's a brilliant piece of work and well worth investigating, as is anything by this award-winning British writer, who has not received the adulation his work deserves. Check out his novels, published by Serpents Tail in the UK . . . his is a unique voice.
ON THE HORIZON FOR CONRAD WILLIAMS:
2009 should be pretty busy for me. I've got two novels coming out: “One” from Virgin (April 2, 2009) and “Decay Inevitable” from Solaris Books (August 2009). I'm also putting together material for a new collection to be published by PS Publishing in 2010 which will be called “Penetralia” . . . but maybe I should talk about that next year!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Since the late 80s, horror/dark fantasy author Conrad Williams has sold around 80 short stories and has published three novels (Head Injuries, London Revenant, The Unblemished), four novellas (Nearly People, Game, The Scalding Rooms, Rain), and a short story collection “Use Once Then Destroy”. He’s also won the Littlewood Arc Prize, the British Fantasy Award, and the International Horror Guild Award. For more information, please visit the author’s Official Website.
I didn't read a great deal this year—always the case when I've got a novel to finish—but I did work my way through a handful of Cormac McCarthy's novels: “No Country For Old Men”, “Child of God” and “Blood Meridian”. That last has got to be one of the bleakest pieces of fiction I've ever read, but the language is so dazzling, so out there on its own in terms of inventiveness and quality, that, personally, I would follow him into the deepest pits of hell to see what he produced next.
I also read—because I was asked to write an introduction—Joel Lane's novella “The Witnesses Are Gone” (to be released in 2009 by PS Publishing), a harrowing tale about a cineaste who discovers an old film by an enigmatic director called Jean Rien. As the protagonist tries to find out more about the film and its creator, he is dragged into a strange hinterland where nothing is as it seems and the truisms of self, identity and reality are distorted. It's a brilliant piece of work and well worth investigating, as is anything by this award-winning British writer, who has not received the adulation his work deserves. Check out his novels, published by Serpents Tail in the UK . . . his is a unique voice.
ON THE HORIZON FOR CONRAD WILLIAMS:
2009 should be pretty busy for me. I've got two novels coming out: “One” from Virgin (April 2, 2009) and “Decay Inevitable” from Solaris Books (August 2009). I'm also putting together material for a new collection to be published by PS Publishing in 2010 which will be called “Penetralia” . . . but maybe I should talk about that next year!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Since the late 80s, horror/dark fantasy author Conrad Williams has sold around 80 short stories and has published three novels (Head Injuries, London Revenant, The Unblemished), four novellas (Nearly People, Game, The Scalding Rooms, Rain), and a short story collection “Use Once Then Destroy”. He’s also won the Littlewood Arc Prize, the British Fantasy Award, and the International Horror Guild Award. For more information, please visit the author’s Official Website.
NOTE: For more author responses, please visit Fantasy Book Critic's 2008 Review/2009 Preview index HERE.
2009 is upon us and that means another Year-End Review/Preview from Fantasy Book Critic. Last year’s article (Read HERE) which included Joe Abercrombie, Daniel Abraham, Kevin J. Anderson, Elizabeth Bear, Kristen Britain, Kate Elliott, Joe Haldeman, J.V. Jones, Jay Lake, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., Mike Resnick, Patrick Rothfuss, R.A. Salvatore, Brandon Sanderson and many others turned out to be pretty successful. So, I’ve decided to do it again this year :)
As before, the article will be centered around the point of view of authors, including their favorite books read in 2008, any releases they have coming out in 2009 or upcoming projects, and titles they are looking forward to themselves. I am changing a few things however. For starters, instead of a single long post, I’m going to publish each author’s contribution as a separate blog post that will be linked below alphabetically. So, this page will be updated regularly as I post new contributions and can be reached via the banner at the top of the website or the link provided in each individual post. Also, the article will include Year-End lists from the writers of Fantasy Book Critic :)
Lastly, the artwork provided for this year’s banners is courtesy of Todd Lockwood. A long-time favorite of mine, Todd has won twelve Chelsea Awards and two World Fantasy Awards for his work which includes Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Wizards of the Coast and numerous book and magazine covers as well as his own art book, “Transitions: Art of Todd Lockwood”. Currently, Todd Lockwood is working on the next Drizzt Do’Urden book cover, then will be doing a piece for Draconomicon, C.J. Cherryh’s “Conspirator”, Tom Lloyd’s “The Grave Thief”, a Magic card, Steven Erikson’s “Dust of Dreams” and much more. In short, expect Todd Lockwood to be a mainstay in the worlds of fantasy and science fiction for years to come…
FANTASY BOOK CRITIC REVIEWERS:
Fábio Fernandes
Liviu C. Suciu
Robert Thompson
AUTHORS:
Lou Anders
Kevin J. Anderson
Sarah Ash
Jonathan Barnes
Josh Bazell
Jedediah Berry
**Drew Bowling
Marie Brennan
Peter V. Brett
Kristen Britain
Eric Brown
Kristin Cashore
Mark Chadbourn
Michael Cobley
Stephen Deas
David Devereux
David Anthony Durham
David Farland
Jaine Fenn
**Mark J. Ferrari
Pamela Freeman
Gary Gibson
Felix Gilman
Mark Henry
Jim C. Hines
Susan Hubbard
Stephen Hunt
Gwyneth Jones
Jasper Kent
Kay Kenyon
Tom Lloyd
Paul McAuley
Jack McDevitt
Juliet E. McKenna
L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
David Moody
Patrick Ness
Mark Charan Newton
David Oppegaard
Tim Pratt
Robert V.S. Redick
Mike Resnick
Lane Robins
Brian Ruckley
Ekaterina Sedia
Darren Shan
Jeff Somers
Jeffrey Thomas
Eldon Thompson
Carrie Vaughn
Conrad Williams
Liz Williams
Janny Wurts
As before, the article will be centered around the point of view of authors, including their favorite books read in 2008, any releases they have coming out in 2009 or upcoming projects, and titles they are looking forward to themselves. I am changing a few things however. For starters, instead of a single long post, I’m going to publish each author’s contribution as a separate blog post that will be linked below alphabetically. So, this page will be updated regularly as I post new contributions and can be reached via the banner at the top of the website or the link provided in each individual post. Also, the article will include Year-End lists from the writers of Fantasy Book Critic :)
Lastly, the artwork provided for this year’s banners is courtesy of Todd Lockwood. A long-time favorite of mine, Todd has won twelve Chelsea Awards and two World Fantasy Awards for his work which includes Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Wizards of the Coast and numerous book and magazine covers as well as his own art book, “Transitions: Art of Todd Lockwood”. Currently, Todd Lockwood is working on the next Drizzt Do’Urden book cover, then will be doing a piece for Draconomicon, C.J. Cherryh’s “Conspirator”, Tom Lloyd’s “The Grave Thief”, a Magic card, Steven Erikson’s “Dust of Dreams” and much more. In short, expect Todd Lockwood to be a mainstay in the worlds of fantasy and science fiction for years to come…
FANTASY BOOK CRITIC REVIEWERS:
Fábio Fernandes
Liviu C. Suciu
Robert Thompson
AUTHORS:
Lou Anders
Kevin J. Anderson
Sarah Ash
Jonathan Barnes
Josh Bazell
Jedediah Berry
**Drew Bowling
Marie Brennan
Peter V. Brett
Kristen Britain
Eric Brown
Kristin Cashore
Mark Chadbourn
Michael Cobley
Stephen Deas
David Devereux
David Anthony Durham
David Farland
Jaine Fenn
**Mark J. Ferrari
Pamela Freeman
Gary Gibson
Felix Gilman
Mark Henry
Jim C. Hines
Susan Hubbard
Stephen Hunt
Gwyneth Jones
Jasper Kent
Kay Kenyon
Tom Lloyd
Paul McAuley
Jack McDevitt
Juliet E. McKenna
L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
David Moody
Patrick Ness
Mark Charan Newton
David Oppegaard
Tim Pratt
Robert V.S. Redick
Mike Resnick
Lane Robins
Brian Ruckley
Ekaterina Sedia
Darren Shan
Jeff Somers
Jeffrey Thomas
Eldon Thompson
Carrie Vaughn
Conrad Williams
Liz Williams
Janny Wurts
**New
Official David Oppegaard WebsiteOfficial The Suicide Collectors Myspace
Order “The Suicide Collectors” HERE
Read An Interview via The Soulless Machine Review
AUTHOR INFORMATION: David Oppegaard holds a B.A. in English Literature from St. Olaf College and an M.F.A. in Writing from Hamline University, and was a finalist for the Indiana Review Fiction Award and the Iowa Fiction Award. “The Suicide Collectors” is his first novel. David’s second book, “Wormwood, Nevada”, was recently picked up by St. Martin’s Press.
PLOT SUMMARY: The Despair has plagued the earth for five years. Most of the world’s population has inexplicably died by its own hand, and the few survivors struggle to remain alive. A mysterious, shadowy group called the Collectors has emerged, inevitably appearing to remove the bodies of the dead. But in the crumbling state of Florida, a man named Norman takes an unprecedented stand against the Collectors, propelling him on a journey across North America. It’s rumored a scientist in Seattle is working on a cure for the Despair, but in a world ruled by death, it won’t be easy to get there…
CLASSIFICATION: “The Suicide Collectors” blends horror with drama and traces of the fantastic (futuristic technology, supernatural elements), and adds a unique twist to the post-apocalyptic blueprint.
FORMAT/INFO: Page count is 320 pages divided over five Parts, twenty-nine numbered chapters and an Epilogue. Narration is in the third-person, almost exclusively via Norman, except for the Epilogue. “The Suicide Collectors” is self-contained, but does leave room for possible sequels. December 9, 2008 marks the North American Hardcover publication of “The Suicide Collectors” via St. Martin’s Press. Cover designed by Michael Collica.
ANALYSIS: Post-apocalyptic tales—whether you’re talking about novels, comic books, television, movies or videogames—are, for the most part, a dime a dozen. So when I heard about David Oppegaard’s “The Suicide Collectors”, I was immediately intrigued by the book’s original concept: a near future Earth where ninety percent of mankind has been wiped out by suicide. Of even more interest were the Collectors, an enigmatic group of dark-robed, seemingly inhuman people who collect the bodies of the deceased for some unknown purpose…
Of course, what’s a concept without substance? Fortunately, David’s debut novel is much more than a neat idea. The prose, while not flashy, is consistent and accessible. The characters—which included Norman, his neighbor and friend Pops, an eleven-year-old girl named Zero, the Mayor, etc—are endearing backed by strong dialogue and banter. And the novel is excellently fast-paced, propelled by a number of riveting questions such as: What horrors will Norman and Pops encounter on their trek across America? What caused the Despair? Is there really a cure in Seattle? Who or what are the Collectors? What do they do with the bodies they collect? What is the Source? And can the Despair be stopped?
On a personal note, I was particularly moved by some of the book’s more shocking and profound moments including two little girls who viciously murder an old woman, a house covered in sheets of paper which is basically one massive suicide note, a cult that worships the Source, this one very horrific scene in a church, and the desperate acts (post-Despair) that people are forced to commit in the name of compassion. There were also a couple of intriguing ideas discussed about what caused the Despair—one revolved around the dead of the world during the past million years unifying in its desire for revenge against the living:
“They’d suck all the life out of the world, greedy for its warmth, and they’d laugh as remaining husks killed themselves one by one, until the entire world was dead, together again at last.”
Negatively, there is an unlikely coincidence in the novel and much of the story’s ambiguous answers might leave the reader unfulfilled, but these are minor issues compared to the book which, as a whole, is striking and memorable.
CONCLUSION: “The Suicide Collectors” reminded me somewhat of The Stand, Robert R. McCammon’s “Swan Song”, The Road, and various other post-apocalyptic tales in the way that it observes such familiar themes as life, death, the resiliency of the human spirit, religion, etc., but possesses enough distinguishing features of its own to ensure a worthwhile reading experience. In short, “The Suicide Collectors” is an impressive first novel by an author in David Oppegaard who I expect to see a lot more of in the future…
PLOT SUMMARY: The Despair has plagued the earth for five years. Most of the world’s population has inexplicably died by its own hand, and the few survivors struggle to remain alive. A mysterious, shadowy group called the Collectors has emerged, inevitably appearing to remove the bodies of the dead. But in the crumbling state of Florida, a man named Norman takes an unprecedented stand against the Collectors, propelling him on a journey across North America. It’s rumored a scientist in Seattle is working on a cure for the Despair, but in a world ruled by death, it won’t be easy to get there…
CLASSIFICATION: “The Suicide Collectors” blends horror with drama and traces of the fantastic (futuristic technology, supernatural elements), and adds a unique twist to the post-apocalyptic blueprint.
FORMAT/INFO: Page count is 320 pages divided over five Parts, twenty-nine numbered chapters and an Epilogue. Narration is in the third-person, almost exclusively via Norman, except for the Epilogue. “The Suicide Collectors” is self-contained, but does leave room for possible sequels. December 9, 2008 marks the North American Hardcover publication of “The Suicide Collectors” via St. Martin’s Press. Cover designed by Michael Collica.
ANALYSIS: Post-apocalyptic tales—whether you’re talking about novels, comic books, television, movies or videogames—are, for the most part, a dime a dozen. So when I heard about David Oppegaard’s “The Suicide Collectors”, I was immediately intrigued by the book’s original concept: a near future Earth where ninety percent of mankind has been wiped out by suicide. Of even more interest were the Collectors, an enigmatic group of dark-robed, seemingly inhuman people who collect the bodies of the deceased for some unknown purpose…
Of course, what’s a concept without substance? Fortunately, David’s debut novel is much more than a neat idea. The prose, while not flashy, is consistent and accessible. The characters—which included Norman, his neighbor and friend Pops, an eleven-year-old girl named Zero, the Mayor, etc—are endearing backed by strong dialogue and banter. And the novel is excellently fast-paced, propelled by a number of riveting questions such as: What horrors will Norman and Pops encounter on their trek across America? What caused the Despair? Is there really a cure in Seattle? Who or what are the Collectors? What do they do with the bodies they collect? What is the Source? And can the Despair be stopped?
On a personal note, I was particularly moved by some of the book’s more shocking and profound moments including two little girls who viciously murder an old woman, a house covered in sheets of paper which is basically one massive suicide note, a cult that worships the Source, this one very horrific scene in a church, and the desperate acts (post-Despair) that people are forced to commit in the name of compassion. There were also a couple of intriguing ideas discussed about what caused the Despair—one revolved around the dead of the world during the past million years unifying in its desire for revenge against the living:
“They’d suck all the life out of the world, greedy for its warmth, and they’d laugh as remaining husks killed themselves one by one, until the entire world was dead, together again at last.”
Negatively, there is an unlikely coincidence in the novel and much of the story’s ambiguous answers might leave the reader unfulfilled, but these are minor issues compared to the book which, as a whole, is striking and memorable.
CONCLUSION: “The Suicide Collectors” reminded me somewhat of The Stand, Robert R. McCammon’s “Swan Song”, The Road, and various other post-apocalyptic tales in the way that it observes such familiar themes as life, death, the resiliency of the human spirit, religion, etc., but possesses enough distinguishing features of its own to ensure a worthwhile reading experience. In short, “The Suicide Collectors” is an impressive first novel by an author in David Oppegaard who I expect to see a lot more of in the future…
Congratulations to Bill Spangler (Pennsylvania) and Anita Yancey (Georgia) who were both randomly selected to win a COPY of Roberto Bolaño’s “2666” courtesy of Farrar, Straus & Giroux!!! “2666” was officially released in the U.S. on November 11, 2008 and is available in two different formats: a Hardcover and a Three-Volume Paperback set. A review of “2666” is forthcoming from Fábio Fernandes :)
Congratulations also to Paul Keyser (Florida), Rachel Storey (Texas), Timothy Selig (Wisconsin), Louise Clarke (UK), Steve Wilson (UK) and Hugo Gomes (Portugal) who were all randomly selected to win a SET of Brent Weeks’ The Night Angel Trilogy courtesy of Orbit Books!!! “Beyond the Shadows”, the third and final book in the trilogy, was released in the US on November 25, 2008 and in the UK today, December 4, 2008. For more information, please read Fantasy Book Critic’s review of “The Way of Shadows” HERE and look for future reviews of “Shadow’s Edge” and “Beyond the Shadows”.
In news, Gollancz are delighted to announce that they have acquired world rights for the first three novels in an exciting and innovative historical fantasy series that recounts the trials and triumphs of an eternal werewolf living through the ages of human history. The first book is entitled “Wolfsangel” and is slated for publication in the Summer of 2010.
The deal was negotiated by Judith Murray at Greene and Heaton on behalf of her author M.D. Lachlan.
Simon Spanton said: “As soon as I started reading Wolfsangel I knew that Judith had sent me something special. A tale that combines the Vikings, Norse Mythology, the myth of the werewolf and a narrative that spans centuries was always going to be ambitious. That Wolfsangel realized that ambition while also giving you vivid and believable characters, that it was as good in its evocation of atmosphere as it was in its depiction of action marked it out as something very special indeed. I’m delighted to welcome M.D. to Gollancz and look forward to making his series a long-lasting success both here in our markets and in translation.”
NOTE: This news has me excited for a couple of reasons. One, Gollancz always does a great job of discovering new talent and Lachlan sounds like he will continue that tradition. And two, I think the market could use a great werewolf epic :)
Moving on, to celebrate the recent release of “Fast Ships, Black Sails”, the new pirate anthology from Ann & Jeff VanderMeer and Night Shade Books, Keep to the Code are hosting an exclusive promotional video featuring contributors performing a reading from the collection, accompanied by a jaunty sea shanty from Danny Fontaine and the Horns of Fury. The video can be viewed HERE along with an exclusive downloadable story from Neil Williamson.
Finally, from December 8th through December 12th, there will be a blog tour in support of “The Stowaway” which is co-authored by New York Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore and his son, Geno Salvatore. For more information about the book and the authors, a sample chapter, audio clip, tour schedule, and more, please visit HERE. You can also read Fantasy Book Critic’s review of “The Stowaway” HERE.
Congratulations also to Paul Keyser (Florida), Rachel Storey (Texas), Timothy Selig (Wisconsin), Louise Clarke (UK), Steve Wilson (UK) and Hugo Gomes (Portugal) who were all randomly selected to win a SET of Brent Weeks’ The Night Angel Trilogy courtesy of Orbit Books!!! “Beyond the Shadows”, the third and final book in the trilogy, was released in the US on November 25, 2008 and in the UK today, December 4, 2008. For more information, please read Fantasy Book Critic’s review of “The Way of Shadows” HERE and look for future reviews of “Shadow’s Edge” and “Beyond the Shadows”.
In news, Gollancz are delighted to announce that they have acquired world rights for the first three novels in an exciting and innovative historical fantasy series that recounts the trials and triumphs of an eternal werewolf living through the ages of human history. The first book is entitled “Wolfsangel” and is slated for publication in the Summer of 2010.The deal was negotiated by Judith Murray at Greene and Heaton on behalf of her author M.D. Lachlan.
Simon Spanton said: “As soon as I started reading Wolfsangel I knew that Judith had sent me something special. A tale that combines the Vikings, Norse Mythology, the myth of the werewolf and a narrative that spans centuries was always going to be ambitious. That Wolfsangel realized that ambition while also giving you vivid and believable characters, that it was as good in its evocation of atmosphere as it was in its depiction of action marked it out as something very special indeed. I’m delighted to welcome M.D. to Gollancz and look forward to making his series a long-lasting success both here in our markets and in translation.”
NOTE: This news has me excited for a couple of reasons. One, Gollancz always does a great job of discovering new talent and Lachlan sounds like he will continue that tradition. And two, I think the market could use a great werewolf epic :)
Moving on, to celebrate the recent release of “Fast Ships, Black Sails”, the new pirate anthology from Ann & Jeff VanderMeer and Night Shade Books, Keep to the Code are hosting an exclusive promotional video featuring contributors performing a reading from the collection, accompanied by a jaunty sea shanty from Danny Fontaine and the Horns of Fury. The video can be viewed HERE along with an exclusive downloadable story from Neil Williamson.
Finally, from December 8th through December 12th, there will be a blog tour in support of “The Stowaway” which is co-authored by New York Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore and his son, Geno Salvatore. For more information about the book and the authors, a sample chapter, audio clip, tour schedule, and more, please visit HERE. You can also read Fantasy Book Critic’s review of “The Stowaway” HERE.Welcome to the December 2008 edition of Fantasy Book Critic’s monthly Spotlight for Graphic Novels. Previous spotlights are listed at the end of this article. Please note that the following is not a comprehensive list of graphic novels released throughout the month, but rather a list of titles that I’m personally interested in or that I believe readers of speculative fiction might enjoy. Also, please be aware that all of the releases dates listed are taken from Amazon.com and that readers might be able to find the titles at an earlier date online or at your local comic book store:
“The Fantastic Worlds Of Frank Frazetta” written & illustrated by Various. Cover by Frank Frazetta. Release Date: December 1, 2008. Published by Image Comics. In the tradition of Frank Frazetta’s Death Dealer Deluxe HC, “The Fantastic Worlds Of Frank Frazetta” showcases Frazetta’s first fully approved comics as they’ve never been seen before.
This oversized hardcover edition collects four classic Frank Frazetta-based tales by some of the industries' top creators including Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre, City of Dust), Joshua Ortega (The Escapist, Gears of War), Rick Remender (Fear Agent, Gigantic, The Iron Giant) and Tim Vigil (Faust)…
Enter the savage world in “Dark Kingdom” as Red Morgan conquers demons to avenge his family. America’s icon Teddy Roosevelt battles Mayan gods and Martians in “Creatures” to protect his country and the world. Enter “Swamp Demon” as the battle against good and evil wages on in the land of Iparsia. And two horror classics come toe to toe in “Dracula Meets the Wolfman!” Also includes new, never-before printed bonus material.
Official Frank Frazetta Website
Order “The Fantastic Worlds Of Frank Frazetta” HERE
Read A Preview HERE
“Daniel X: Alien Hunter” written by James Patterson and Leopoldo Gout (Ghost Radio). Illustrated by Klaus Lyngeled & John Girin. Release Date: December 1, 2008. Published by Little, Brown and Company.
With an exciting new James Patterson narrative in graphic novel format, Daniel X continues his quest in a full-color, action-packed adventure...
Long ago, after his parents' brutal murder, Daniel inherited the coveted List of Alien Outlaws and assumed his father's role as Alien Hunter. With his supreme abilities, like being able to shape-shift and conjure up long-dead family members out of thin air, Daniel is ready to take on the scum of the universe.
Number 7 on the list—grand-master of an interplanetary game of destruction that could result in the eventual take-over of earth—is his next target. In a journey that takes him through the bowels of Tokyo and into other realms, Daniel ingeniously tracks the insectile mastermind. But when #7 reveals his true and terrifying powers, Daniel must enlist the help of #7's own son before he finds himself at the center of the most high-stakes game yet…
Official James Patterson Website
Order “Daniel X: Alien Hunter” HERE
Read Reviews via Y Pulse
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s Review of “The Dangerous Days of Daniel X”
“Caliber: First Canon Of Justice Volume 1” written by Sam Sarkar. Illustrated by Garrie Gastonny and Imaginary Friends Studios. Release Date: December 3, 2008. Published by Radical Comics.
The Arthurian legend of Excalibur is reborn in the Old Pacific Northwest. A land in which shamans replace wizards, gunfighters walk where knights once stood, and a mystical gun will change the world in place of the sword of legend.
It is here that the Indian shaman Whitefeather, discovers Caliber, a tattooed six gun imbued with supernatural power that can only be fired by one man. When aimed it brings down the heavens, firing lightning itself from its barrel. Driven by visions of the apocalypse and the one who can prevent it, the mystic searches for the lawgiver, Arthur Pendergon. For in a land where lawlessness runs rampant, it will be Arthur’s destiny to set balance to the scales of justice…
Official Radical Comics Website
Order “Caliber” HERE
Read A Preview HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s Review of “Caliber”
NOTE: “Caliber” is being produced and directed for film adaptation by John Woo (Mission Impossible 2, Face/Off, Broken Arrow).
“Hercules: The Thracian Wars Volume One” written by Steve Moore (2000AD, Doctor Who, America’s Best Comics). Ilustrated by Admira Wijaya and Imaginary Friends Studios. Release Date: December 3, 2008. Published by Radical Comics.
Fourteen hundred years ago, a tormented soul walked the Earth that was neither man nor god. Hercules, powerful son of Zeus, the king of gods, received nothing but suffering his entire life. After twelve arduous labors and the loss of his family, this dark, world-weary soul turned his back on the gods, finding his only solace in bloody battle.
Over the years he warmed to the company of six similar souls—Iolaus, Autolycus, Amphiaraus, Tydeus, Meleager, and Atalanta—their only bond being their love of fighting and the presence of death. These men and woman never question where, why, or whom they go to fight . . . only how much they will be paid.
Knowing this, King Cotys of the Odrysae hired these Greeks as mercenaries to train his men into a great army that would unite the warring tribes of Thrace. But there is more to Cotys’ motives than building a nation, and only Hercules and his companions stand in the way of a terrible plot against Greece and Olympus itself…
Official Radical Comics Website
Order “Hercules” HERE
Read A Preview HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s Review of “Hercules”
NOTE: “Hercules” is being produced and developed for film adaptation by Spyglass Entertainment, Peter Berg’s (Hancock, The Kingdom) Film 44 and Radical Pictures.
“Freakangels” Hardcover written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Paul Duffield. Release Date: December 10, 2008. Published by Avatar Press. Twenty-three years ago, twelve strange children were born in England at exactly the same moment. Six years later, the world ended. This is the story of what happened next…
Welcome to Whitechapel, some years from now, just barely above ground in a flooded England, where a clan of eleven strange people with purple eyes—the Freakangels—have carved out some sort of a life for themselves. A life that starts to show big cracks when a girl called Alice from Manchester turns up with a shotgun and a grievance, having met the lost, prodigal last Freakangel, who had very different ideas about what they should do with themselves and this flooded future England. Because the Freakangels have a big secret—something very bad is their fault…
Warren Ellis' hugely popular webcomic is beautifully illustrated in jaw-dropping detail by Paul Duffield, and every page is as much a work of art as it is a compelling and multi-layered story. Volume One collects the first 24 episodes of the “Freakangels” webcomic and also comes available in a Standard Trade Paperback and Limited Edition Hardcover signed by both Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield, and limited to only 1,000 copies.
Official Freakangels Website
Official Warren Ellis Website
Official Paul Duffield Website
Order “Freakangels” HERE
Read Reviews via Wit War
“Rasl” by Jeff Smith. Release Date: December 10, 2008. Published by Cartoon Books.
Cartoon Books proudly presents Jeff Smith's new adventure series, “Rasl”—a stark, science fiction series about a dimension-jumping art thief, who races through space and time searching for his next big score, while trying to escape his past. In this first of three graphic novels, Rasl faces an assassin's bullet and stumbles across a mystery that not only threatens to expose his own illicit activities, but could also uncover one of the world’s most dangerous and sought after secrets…
Jeff Smith is the ten-time Eisner Award and ten-time Harvey Award-winning cartoonist and creator of the self-published comic book series “Bone”.
Official Jeff Smith Website
Order “Rasl” HERE
Read A Preview HERE
Read Reviews via Bookreporter
“Mesmo Delivery” by Rafael Grampá. Release Date: December 10, 2008. Published by AdHouse Books.
“Mesmo Delivery” is the full-color sequential debut of Eisner Award-winning Brazilian creator & cartoonist Rafael Grampá. The story is one of mystery and action, as Rufo, an ex boxer, must deliver the goods while promising to NEVER open or inspect his cargo. Mayhem ensues as the precious cargo becomes the goal of others. Wizard calls it “Convoy meets The Twilight Zone”…
Official Rafael Grampa Blog
Order “Mesmo Delivery” HERE
Read An Interview HERE
Read Reviews via ComiXology + Wizard
“Dead Space” written by Antony Johnston (Stealing Life, Queen & Country) and illustrated by Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night, Hatter M, Fell). Release Date: December 17, 2008. Published by Image Comics. “Dead Space” is a prequel to the all-new blockbuster sci-fi survival horror game from Electronic Arts:
In the future, earth's natural resources are spent. Instead, vast mining operations known as planetcracks are conducted in faraway star systems, literally ripping open whole planets to plunder their resources.
One such operation is taking place on the barren planet of Aegis VII. But then a survey team from the preparatory mining colony discovers what appears to be an alien artifact—an artefact with potentially great religious significance to the minority church known as Unitology.
As madness and hysteria grip the colony, security officer Bram Neumann must unravel the tangle of secrets that connects the artefact, the church and the mining company's own agenda . . . before a wave of horror is unleashed on the colony…
Dead Space is available on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. Winner of the E3 Game Critic's Award for Best Action/Adventure Game of 2008, Dead Space is a must buy for any fan of sci-fi and horror games!
The “Dead Space” Hardcover collects issues #1-6.
Official Dead Space Website
Official Antony Johnston Website
Official Ben Templesmith Website
Order “Dead Space” HERE
NOTE: Antony Johnston also scripted the excellent game which I have had the pleasure of playing and beating :) I’ve also seen the prequel “Dead Space” anime and have been looking forward to this graphic novel…
“Silverfish” by David Lapham. Release Date: December 23, 2008. Published by Vertigo Comics.
Multiple Eisner Award-winner David Lapham (Stray Bullets, Murder Me Dead, Detective Comics, Young Liars) brings his unique brand of stark crime noir and dark, gritty realism to Silverfish, an original graphic novel replete with betrayal, double lives and family annihilators that will plunge itself into your gut and keep twisting until its bloody conclusion. This acclaimed graphic novel is now available in paperback…
What starts as a childish prank for her father's affection turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse for 16-year-old Mia when she discovers her beautiful new stepmom Suzanne's secret possessions: an address book, a stash of money and a knife caked in blood.
Mia makes the fateful mistake of phoning Daniel, a murderer from Melanie's past, who believes he's possessed by a demonic silverfish. And at midnight, on the boardwalk of a sleepy seaside town, Mia's survival will depend not only on whether Suzanne is good or evil, but whether Mia can find out which before Daniel reaches them…
Official David Lapham Wikipedia Website
Order “Silverfish” HERE
Read A Preview HERE
“Dead, She Said” written by Steve Niles and illustrated by Bernie Wrightson. Release Date: December 29, 2008. Published by IDW Publishing.
Legendary comic book artist Bernie Wrightson (Swamp Thing, House of Mystery, Frankenstein) inks his own work for the first time in more than two decades. And joining Wrightson on this noir horror tale is the writer who has revitalized both genres in comics, Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre, City of Dust).
Detective Coogan knows well that there are some pretty shady freaks out there in the big city. What he didn’t know was that some of those freaks aren't even human! He learns it the hard way, and ends up on the wrong side of a bullet in this new series that mixes horror and noir into a tightly wound nightmare of twists and turns…
Official Steve Niles Website
Official Bernie Wrightson Website
Order “Dead, She Said” HERE
Watch the Book Trailer HERE
Previous Spotlights:
October 2008
November 2008
“The Fantastic Worlds Of Frank Frazetta” written & illustrated by Various. Cover by Frank Frazetta. Release Date: December 1, 2008. Published by Image Comics. In the tradition of Frank Frazetta’s Death Dealer Deluxe HC, “The Fantastic Worlds Of Frank Frazetta” showcases Frazetta’s first fully approved comics as they’ve never been seen before.This oversized hardcover edition collects four classic Frank Frazetta-based tales by some of the industries' top creators including Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre, City of Dust), Joshua Ortega (The Escapist, Gears of War), Rick Remender (Fear Agent, Gigantic, The Iron Giant) and Tim Vigil (Faust)…
Enter the savage world in “Dark Kingdom” as Red Morgan conquers demons to avenge his family. America’s icon Teddy Roosevelt battles Mayan gods and Martians in “Creatures” to protect his country and the world. Enter “Swamp Demon” as the battle against good and evil wages on in the land of Iparsia. And two horror classics come toe to toe in “Dracula Meets the Wolfman!” Also includes new, never-before printed bonus material.
Official Frank Frazetta Website
Order “The Fantastic Worlds Of Frank Frazetta” HERE
Read A Preview HERE
“Daniel X: Alien Hunter” written by James Patterson and Leopoldo Gout (Ghost Radio). Illustrated by Klaus Lyngeled & John Girin. Release Date: December 1, 2008. Published by Little, Brown and Company.With an exciting new James Patterson narrative in graphic novel format, Daniel X continues his quest in a full-color, action-packed adventure...
Long ago, after his parents' brutal murder, Daniel inherited the coveted List of Alien Outlaws and assumed his father's role as Alien Hunter. With his supreme abilities, like being able to shape-shift and conjure up long-dead family members out of thin air, Daniel is ready to take on the scum of the universe.
Number 7 on the list—grand-master of an interplanetary game of destruction that could result in the eventual take-over of earth—is his next target. In a journey that takes him through the bowels of Tokyo and into other realms, Daniel ingeniously tracks the insectile mastermind. But when #7 reveals his true and terrifying powers, Daniel must enlist the help of #7's own son before he finds himself at the center of the most high-stakes game yet…
Official James Patterson Website
Order “Daniel X: Alien Hunter” HERE
Read Reviews via Y Pulse
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s Review of “The Dangerous Days of Daniel X”
“Caliber: First Canon Of Justice Volume 1” written by Sam Sarkar. Illustrated by Garrie Gastonny and Imaginary Friends Studios. Release Date: December 3, 2008. Published by Radical Comics.The Arthurian legend of Excalibur is reborn in the Old Pacific Northwest. A land in which shamans replace wizards, gunfighters walk where knights once stood, and a mystical gun will change the world in place of the sword of legend.
It is here that the Indian shaman Whitefeather, discovers Caliber, a tattooed six gun imbued with supernatural power that can only be fired by one man. When aimed it brings down the heavens, firing lightning itself from its barrel. Driven by visions of the apocalypse and the one who can prevent it, the mystic searches for the lawgiver, Arthur Pendergon. For in a land where lawlessness runs rampant, it will be Arthur’s destiny to set balance to the scales of justice…
Official Radical Comics Website
Order “Caliber” HERE
Read A Preview HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s Review of “Caliber”
NOTE: “Caliber” is being produced and directed for film adaptation by John Woo (Mission Impossible 2, Face/Off, Broken Arrow).
“Hercules: The Thracian Wars Volume One” written by Steve Moore (2000AD, Doctor Who, America’s Best Comics). Ilustrated by Admira Wijaya and Imaginary Friends Studios. Release Date: December 3, 2008. Published by Radical Comics.Fourteen hundred years ago, a tormented soul walked the Earth that was neither man nor god. Hercules, powerful son of Zeus, the king of gods, received nothing but suffering his entire life. After twelve arduous labors and the loss of his family, this dark, world-weary soul turned his back on the gods, finding his only solace in bloody battle.
Over the years he warmed to the company of six similar souls—Iolaus, Autolycus, Amphiaraus, Tydeus, Meleager, and Atalanta—their only bond being their love of fighting and the presence of death. These men and woman never question where, why, or whom they go to fight . . . only how much they will be paid.
Knowing this, King Cotys of the Odrysae hired these Greeks as mercenaries to train his men into a great army that would unite the warring tribes of Thrace. But there is more to Cotys’ motives than building a nation, and only Hercules and his companions stand in the way of a terrible plot against Greece and Olympus itself…
Official Radical Comics Website
Order “Hercules” HERE
Read A Preview HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s Review of “Hercules”
NOTE: “Hercules” is being produced and developed for film adaptation by Spyglass Entertainment, Peter Berg’s (Hancock, The Kingdom) Film 44 and Radical Pictures.
“Freakangels” Hardcover written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Paul Duffield. Release Date: December 10, 2008. Published by Avatar Press. Twenty-three years ago, twelve strange children were born in England at exactly the same moment. Six years later, the world ended. This is the story of what happened next…Welcome to Whitechapel, some years from now, just barely above ground in a flooded England, where a clan of eleven strange people with purple eyes—the Freakangels—have carved out some sort of a life for themselves. A life that starts to show big cracks when a girl called Alice from Manchester turns up with a shotgun and a grievance, having met the lost, prodigal last Freakangel, who had very different ideas about what they should do with themselves and this flooded future England. Because the Freakangels have a big secret—something very bad is their fault…
Warren Ellis' hugely popular webcomic is beautifully illustrated in jaw-dropping detail by Paul Duffield, and every page is as much a work of art as it is a compelling and multi-layered story. Volume One collects the first 24 episodes of the “Freakangels” webcomic and also comes available in a Standard Trade Paperback and Limited Edition Hardcover signed by both Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield, and limited to only 1,000 copies.
Official Freakangels Website
Official Warren Ellis Website
Official Paul Duffield Website
Order “Freakangels” HERE
Read Reviews via Wit War
“Rasl” by Jeff Smith. Release Date: December 10, 2008. Published by Cartoon Books.Cartoon Books proudly presents Jeff Smith's new adventure series, “Rasl”—a stark, science fiction series about a dimension-jumping art thief, who races through space and time searching for his next big score, while trying to escape his past. In this first of three graphic novels, Rasl faces an assassin's bullet and stumbles across a mystery that not only threatens to expose his own illicit activities, but could also uncover one of the world’s most dangerous and sought after secrets…
Jeff Smith is the ten-time Eisner Award and ten-time Harvey Award-winning cartoonist and creator of the self-published comic book series “Bone”.
Official Jeff Smith Website
Order “Rasl” HERE
Read A Preview HERE
Read Reviews via Bookreporter
“Mesmo Delivery” by Rafael Grampá. Release Date: December 10, 2008. Published by AdHouse Books.“Mesmo Delivery” is the full-color sequential debut of Eisner Award-winning Brazilian creator & cartoonist Rafael Grampá. The story is one of mystery and action, as Rufo, an ex boxer, must deliver the goods while promising to NEVER open or inspect his cargo. Mayhem ensues as the precious cargo becomes the goal of others. Wizard calls it “Convoy meets The Twilight Zone”…
Official Rafael Grampa Blog
Order “Mesmo Delivery” HERE
Read An Interview HERE
Read Reviews via ComiXology + Wizard
“Dead Space” written by Antony Johnston (Stealing Life, Queen & Country) and illustrated by Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night, Hatter M, Fell). Release Date: December 17, 2008. Published by Image Comics. “Dead Space” is a prequel to the all-new blockbuster sci-fi survival horror game from Electronic Arts:In the future, earth's natural resources are spent. Instead, vast mining operations known as planetcracks are conducted in faraway star systems, literally ripping open whole planets to plunder their resources.
One such operation is taking place on the barren planet of Aegis VII. But then a survey team from the preparatory mining colony discovers what appears to be an alien artifact—an artefact with potentially great religious significance to the minority church known as Unitology.
As madness and hysteria grip the colony, security officer Bram Neumann must unravel the tangle of secrets that connects the artefact, the church and the mining company's own agenda . . . before a wave of horror is unleashed on the colony…
Dead Space is available on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. Winner of the E3 Game Critic's Award for Best Action/Adventure Game of 2008, Dead Space is a must buy for any fan of sci-fi and horror games!
The “Dead Space” Hardcover collects issues #1-6.
Official Dead Space Website
Official Antony Johnston Website
Official Ben Templesmith Website
Order “Dead Space” HERE
NOTE: Antony Johnston also scripted the excellent game which I have had the pleasure of playing and beating :) I’ve also seen the prequel “Dead Space” anime and have been looking forward to this graphic novel…
“Silverfish” by David Lapham. Release Date: December 23, 2008. Published by Vertigo Comics.Multiple Eisner Award-winner David Lapham (Stray Bullets, Murder Me Dead, Detective Comics, Young Liars) brings his unique brand of stark crime noir and dark, gritty realism to Silverfish, an original graphic novel replete with betrayal, double lives and family annihilators that will plunge itself into your gut and keep twisting until its bloody conclusion. This acclaimed graphic novel is now available in paperback…
What starts as a childish prank for her father's affection turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse for 16-year-old Mia when she discovers her beautiful new stepmom Suzanne's secret possessions: an address book, a stash of money and a knife caked in blood.
Mia makes the fateful mistake of phoning Daniel, a murderer from Melanie's past, who believes he's possessed by a demonic silverfish. And at midnight, on the boardwalk of a sleepy seaside town, Mia's survival will depend not only on whether Suzanne is good or evil, but whether Mia can find out which before Daniel reaches them…
Official David Lapham Wikipedia Website
Order “Silverfish” HERE
Read A Preview HERE
“Dead, She Said” written by Steve Niles and illustrated by Bernie Wrightson. Release Date: December 29, 2008. Published by IDW Publishing.Legendary comic book artist Bernie Wrightson (Swamp Thing, House of Mystery, Frankenstein) inks his own work for the first time in more than two decades. And joining Wrightson on this noir horror tale is the writer who has revitalized both genres in comics, Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre, City of Dust).
Detective Coogan knows well that there are some pretty shady freaks out there in the big city. What he didn’t know was that some of those freaks aren't even human! He learns it the hard way, and ends up on the wrong side of a bullet in this new series that mixes horror and noir into a tightly wound nightmare of twists and turns…
Official Steve Niles Website
Official Bernie Wrightson Website
Order “Dead, She Said” HERE
Watch the Book Trailer HERE
Previous Spotlights:
October 2008
November 2008
AUTHOR INFORMATION: M.L.N. Hanover is a pseudonym for Daniel Abraham, author of The Long Price Quartet (A Shadow in Summer, A Betrayal in Winter, An Autumn War) fantasy series. He has also written numerous short fiction that has appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, Realms of Fantasy, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Gardner Dozois’ Year’s Best Science Fiction anthology and The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror. Among his published stories, “Flat Diane” won the International Horror Guild Award for Best Short Story and was nominated for the Nebula, while “The Cambist and Lord Iron: a Fairytale of Economics”—collected in 2007’s Logorrhea, edited by John Klima—was nominated for a 2008 Hugo Award for Best Novelette.
Daniel is also the coauthor of “Hunter’s Run” (Reviewed HERE) with George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois; contributed to “Inside Straight” (Reviewed HERE), a mosaic novel in GRRM’s Wild Cards universe; and wrote the Wild Cards comic book miniseries, “The Hard Call”, which will be released as a collected graphic novel on March 31, 2009. Upcoming releases include “The Price of Spring”, the final volume in The Long Price Quartet.
PLOT SUMMARY: When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayné Heller travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn that it's all hers—and vaster than she ever imagined. And along with properties across the world and an inexhaustible fortune, Eric left her a legacy of a different kind: his unfinished business with a cabal of wizards known as the Invisible College.
Led by the ruthless Randolph Coin, the Invisible College harnesses demon spirits for their own ends of power and domination. Jayné finds it difficult to believe magic and demons can even exist, let alone be responsible for the death of her uncle. But Coin sees Eric's heir as a threat to be eliminated by any means—magical or mundane—so Jayné had better start believing in something to save her own life.
Aided in her mission by a group of unlikely companions—Aubrey, Eric's devastatingly attractive assistant; Ex, a former Jesuit with a lethal agenda; Midian, a two-hundred-year-old man who claims to be under a curse from Randolph Coin himself; and Chogyi Jake, a self-styled Buddhist with mystical abilities—Jayné finds that her new reality is not only unexpected, but often unexplainable. And if she hopes to survive, she'll have to learn the new rules fast—or break them completely…
CLASSIFICATION: Straight up, “Unclean Spirits” is an urban fantasy novel with all the familiar trimmings: Female heroine, first-person narrative, a contemporary urban setting, paranormal elements, humor, romance, et cetera. Aside from some profanity though, “Unclean Spirits” is fairly lighthearted and might appeal more to fans of Kim Harrison, Carrie Vaughn and Patricia Briggs than of darker series like Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake novels. Just a warning to Daniel Abraham fans though—“Unclean Spirits” is nothing like The Long Price Quartet, “Hunter’s Run” or his other works. In fact, it doesn’t even feel like you’re reading a Daniel Abraham novel which is why the pseudonym makes perfect sense :)
FORMAT/INFO: “Unclean Spirits” is 336 pages long divided over twenty-six chapters and an Introduction, and is dedicated to John Constantine of Hellblazer fame. Aside from the Introduction, the narrative is in the first-person exclusively via the protagonist, Jayné Heller. The book can be read as a standalone story, but is the opening volume in a series titled The Black Sun’s Daughter. December 2, 2008 marks the Trade Paperback publication of “Unclean Spirits” via Pocket Books. Cover art provided by Cliff Nielsen.
ANALYSIS: In his short time as a published author, Daniel Abraham has displayed impressive range including his unique Asian-influenced fantasy series The Long Price Quartet, coauthoring a science fiction novel, penning an awarding-winning horror short story as well as an economic fairy tale, and tackling superheroes in both comic book and mosaic novel format. Now with “Unclean Spirits”, Daniel Abraham—under the pseudonym M.L.N. Hanover—takes on urban fantasy . . . with mixed results…
“Unclean Spirits” starts out impressively enough with a brief, but engaging Introduction that offers readers a tantalizing glimpse into the world of riders—or ‘unclean spirits’—(spiritual parasites that have magical powers and take over peoples’ bodies) that we were about to enter, and continues to impress with Jayné’s (pronounced zha-nay) likeable narrative voice and spunky attitude, the story’s fast pacing, and some wonderful first impressions like Jayné’s first meeting with the 200-year-old cursed Midian Clark and a pulse-pounding encounter with a group of demon assassins. Unfortunately, after the main players—Aubrey, Ex and Choygi Jake—are introduced and the main plotline established which involved taking out the leader of the Invisible College, Randolph Coin, the book starts to lose its luster.
For one, the plot involving the assassination of Randolph Coin is incredibly simplistic. In a nutshell, Coin is connected to a lot of bad stuff that has happened over the centuries—including Midian’s curse—and killing him “would undo everything it’s done in the physical world.” So with that in mind, “Unclean Spirits” mainly follows Jayné and her new colleagues as they try to come up with a plan to kill Coin and successfully execute that plan. That’s pretty much it. No clever misdirection, no shocking surprises, and no engaging subplots to complement the story.
Compounding the problem is a number of additional issues, one being the vastly underdeveloped and one-dimensional villains. Another is how little information is provided about riders, the Pleroma, the Invisible College and other supernatural aspects that show up in the book. Worst of all though is how the novel’s storyline and paranormal elements take a backseat to uninteresting television-like drama such as Jayné’s complicated attraction to Aubrey, Jayné’s identity/confidence crisis, Midian not being who he said he is, Ex’s responsibility issues and so on.
Now there’s nothing wrong with adding a little drama to a story. Every urban fantasy series has some, and it adds depth and personality to the characters. It’s just with this case, there was a bit too much drama going on and not enough story, action and the paranormal. As a result, “Unclean Spirits” felt like one really long prologue or TV show pilot where not much happens aside from establishing characters and setting up a few basic plotlines to be continued…
CONCLUSION: Between the novel’s energetic pacing, Jayné’s undeniable charm, and the intriguing concept behind the riders, “Unclean Spirits” is a solid entry in the urban fantasy genre. It is also a flawed entry with unrealized potential. But with a more even balance of drama, story and action; a greater emphasis on the paranormal; and perhaps a little more edge; I think the next Black Sun’s Daughter novel could be something special…
Daniel is also the coauthor of “Hunter’s Run” (Reviewed HERE) with George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois; contributed to “Inside Straight” (Reviewed HERE), a mosaic novel in GRRM’s Wild Cards universe; and wrote the Wild Cards comic book miniseries, “The Hard Call”, which will be released as a collected graphic novel on March 31, 2009. Upcoming releases include “The Price of Spring”, the final volume in The Long Price Quartet.
PLOT SUMMARY: When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayné Heller travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn that it's all hers—and vaster than she ever imagined. And along with properties across the world and an inexhaustible fortune, Eric left her a legacy of a different kind: his unfinished business with a cabal of wizards known as the Invisible College.
Led by the ruthless Randolph Coin, the Invisible College harnesses demon spirits for their own ends of power and domination. Jayné finds it difficult to believe magic and demons can even exist, let alone be responsible for the death of her uncle. But Coin sees Eric's heir as a threat to be eliminated by any means—magical or mundane—so Jayné had better start believing in something to save her own life.
Aided in her mission by a group of unlikely companions—Aubrey, Eric's devastatingly attractive assistant; Ex, a former Jesuit with a lethal agenda; Midian, a two-hundred-year-old man who claims to be under a curse from Randolph Coin himself; and Chogyi Jake, a self-styled Buddhist with mystical abilities—Jayné finds that her new reality is not only unexpected, but often unexplainable. And if she hopes to survive, she'll have to learn the new rules fast—or break them completely…
CLASSIFICATION: Straight up, “Unclean Spirits” is an urban fantasy novel with all the familiar trimmings: Female heroine, first-person narrative, a contemporary urban setting, paranormal elements, humor, romance, et cetera. Aside from some profanity though, “Unclean Spirits” is fairly lighthearted and might appeal more to fans of Kim Harrison, Carrie Vaughn and Patricia Briggs than of darker series like Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake novels. Just a warning to Daniel Abraham fans though—“Unclean Spirits” is nothing like The Long Price Quartet, “Hunter’s Run” or his other works. In fact, it doesn’t even feel like you’re reading a Daniel Abraham novel which is why the pseudonym makes perfect sense :)
FORMAT/INFO: “Unclean Spirits” is 336 pages long divided over twenty-six chapters and an Introduction, and is dedicated to John Constantine of Hellblazer fame. Aside from the Introduction, the narrative is in the first-person exclusively via the protagonist, Jayné Heller. The book can be read as a standalone story, but is the opening volume in a series titled The Black Sun’s Daughter. December 2, 2008 marks the Trade Paperback publication of “Unclean Spirits” via Pocket Books. Cover art provided by Cliff Nielsen.
ANALYSIS: In his short time as a published author, Daniel Abraham has displayed impressive range including his unique Asian-influenced fantasy series The Long Price Quartet, coauthoring a science fiction novel, penning an awarding-winning horror short story as well as an economic fairy tale, and tackling superheroes in both comic book and mosaic novel format. Now with “Unclean Spirits”, Daniel Abraham—under the pseudonym M.L.N. Hanover—takes on urban fantasy . . . with mixed results…
“Unclean Spirits” starts out impressively enough with a brief, but engaging Introduction that offers readers a tantalizing glimpse into the world of riders—or ‘unclean spirits’—(spiritual parasites that have magical powers and take over peoples’ bodies) that we were about to enter, and continues to impress with Jayné’s (pronounced zha-nay) likeable narrative voice and spunky attitude, the story’s fast pacing, and some wonderful first impressions like Jayné’s first meeting with the 200-year-old cursed Midian Clark and a pulse-pounding encounter with a group of demon assassins. Unfortunately, after the main players—Aubrey, Ex and Choygi Jake—are introduced and the main plotline established which involved taking out the leader of the Invisible College, Randolph Coin, the book starts to lose its luster.
For one, the plot involving the assassination of Randolph Coin is incredibly simplistic. In a nutshell, Coin is connected to a lot of bad stuff that has happened over the centuries—including Midian’s curse—and killing him “would undo everything it’s done in the physical world.” So with that in mind, “Unclean Spirits” mainly follows Jayné and her new colleagues as they try to come up with a plan to kill Coin and successfully execute that plan. That’s pretty much it. No clever misdirection, no shocking surprises, and no engaging subplots to complement the story.
Compounding the problem is a number of additional issues, one being the vastly underdeveloped and one-dimensional villains. Another is how little information is provided about riders, the Pleroma, the Invisible College and other supernatural aspects that show up in the book. Worst of all though is how the novel’s storyline and paranormal elements take a backseat to uninteresting television-like drama such as Jayné’s complicated attraction to Aubrey, Jayné’s identity/confidence crisis, Midian not being who he said he is, Ex’s responsibility issues and so on.
Now there’s nothing wrong with adding a little drama to a story. Every urban fantasy series has some, and it adds depth and personality to the characters. It’s just with this case, there was a bit too much drama going on and not enough story, action and the paranormal. As a result, “Unclean Spirits” felt like one really long prologue or TV show pilot where not much happens aside from establishing characters and setting up a few basic plotlines to be continued…
CONCLUSION: Between the novel’s energetic pacing, Jayné’s undeniable charm, and the intriguing concept behind the riders, “Unclean Spirits” is a solid entry in the urban fantasy genre. It is also a flawed entry with unrealized potential. But with a more even balance of drama, story and action; a greater emphasis on the paranormal; and perhaps a little more edge; I think the next Black Sun’s Daughter novel could be something special…
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