A Natural History of Dragons is a book I must read. And soon. It has been on my radar for quite a while. While I was dithering, I contacted Marie about an interview, and in the process learned about another recent novel. So, here are her thoughts on writing, psychic schools, and genre. Continue reading
Brian McClellan is the author of the upcoming PROMISE OF BLOOD, the first in the Powder Mage Trilogy (Orbit, April 2013). Here he discusses age conventions in Epic Fantasy…
The young farm boy is so common in fiction that it’s become a cliché. I grew up reading about farm boys, or some other young, naive laborer, in the works of David Eddings, Tad Williams, Robert Jordan, or William Goldman. My favorite movie as a kid – Star Wars – centered around a farm boy who, like those in the books I liked, yearned for adventure and then was booted out of his home in a twist of fate and became savior of the nation! Or country. Or world. Or galaxy.
You get the point.
So why the young farm boy? Continue reading
Enemies don’t need to be alive to be deadly
For Chess Putnam, finding herself near-fatally poisoned by a con psychic and then stopping a murderous ghost is just another day on the job.
As an agent of the Church of Real Truth, Chess must expose those looking to profit from the world’s unpleasant little poltergeist problem – humans filing false claims of hauntings – all while staving off any undead who really are looking for a kill.
But Chess has been extra busy these days, coping with a new “celebrity” assignment while trying on her own time to help some desperate prostitutes. Someone’s taking out the hookers of Downside in the most gruesome way, and Chess is sure the rumors that it’s the work of a ghost are way off base. But proving herself right means walking in the path of a maniac, not to mention standing between the two men in her life just as they – along with their ruthless employers – are moving closer to a catastrophic showdown. Someone is dealing in murder, sex, and the supernatural, and once again Chess finds herself right in the crossfire.
Not to long ago, I read the first book in Stacia Kane’s Downside Ghosts series, Unholy Ghosts. I thought it marked the beginning of an interesting, original and well-written Urban Fantasy series. Unholy Magic brings us more of the same, which is certainly no bad thing. While flawed, this is still an entertaining, quick read.
The novel starts off with Chess infiltrating and illegal séance, which doesn’t exactly go as planned. It’s a good introduction, and allows for a little more world-building. Not to mention a very good explanation of what ghosts are in this reality (just in case a new reader has started here, I suppose, but it’s also a good reminder for returning fans):
“A real ghost – a real ghost was something to inspire nightmares. A real ghost, outside of Church control, wasn’t going to have a nice little chat with its mommy or beloved friend. A real ghost was going to have one thing on what remained of its mind, and one thing only: to kill. To steal the energy of everyone it came near, to use its life-force to make itself stronger, a parasite that would grow fat on the blood of its victims.”
Once again, Chess has been assigned a special case by the Church: a famous TV star and comedian’s McMansion is apparently haunted by a whole host of angry specters, and the Church would very much like her to get to the bottom of things. Especially since the ghosts seem to be getting angrier and more malevolent as time passes. It’s an interesting case, because unlike many other potential hoaxes, the celebrity has no financial reason to try to scam the Church.
In the meantime, Chess’s one-time number-one drug dealer, Bump, is having a spot of ghost trouble as well. Teamed up again with Bump’s enforcer, Terrible, Chess investigates the site of a grisly murder, the distinct marking on the dead prostitute pointing to a much older case. To make things even worse, Chess’s sort-of-lover Lex, who is also a member of a rival gang, tells her that they’re experiencing a similar problem in their own territory and with their own whores. This puts her in a very delicate situation which, as the novel progresses, we realise she is not wholly prepared to handle properly.
Unholy Magic follows a similar structure to Unholy Ghosts: a few similar narrative tricks and methods are used at similar points during the novel, for example. But, instead of making this feel like we’re just reading the same novel with different names, it gave the setting a familiar, comfortable feel – not unlike that you’d find from a much-longer established series, or perhaps a thriller series. The two seemingly-unconnected cases tick over while we also get to see more of Chess’s life – the delicate balancing of professional responsibilities and side-jobs, not to mention her “handling” of her worsening substance abuse. Unholy Magic builds to a nice, big and explosive climax, too, as Chess and some allies storm a ghost bordello (really).
This novel seems to focus even more on her addictions (there does not appear to be any drug or stimulant she is unwilling to use frequently). Her predicament is best highlighted during a particularly brutal withdrawal scene, after Chess is caught by a blizzard at the star’s home without her stash and forced to stay overnight. When you add in the (potential) ghosts sightings while she’s there – feverish, in pain, and going mad – you can perhaps imagine how much of a nightmare this is for her. Our heroine is seriously spiraling out of control. Her addictions aren’t portrayed in a preachy manner, but there’s no denying the “lesson” here, given how bluntly and plainly it’s written. It certainly makes Chess an unusual protagonist, and I like the added “grittiness” (for want of a better word) that her illness gives her. Kane’s done a great job of incorporating this into the novels, and the considerations Chess must make – to keep her addictions secret, as well as to maintain her substance abuse – and the lengths she’s willing to go to are well-written.
“It would have been better if she’d been able to squeeze out a tear, but the Cepts she’d taken didn’t allow it. It was hard enough to feel emotions when she was high, let alone emotions intense enough to make her weep. Hell, that was one reason why she kept taking the fucking things, wasn’t it?”
As in Unholy Ghosts, Terrible is one of my favourite characters. In this novel, he acts as Chess’s conscience on a number of occasions, and there are developments in their friendship. Not all of them good – he gets are beating in this novel: emotionally, most of all, but he doesn’t come out physically unscathed by the end of the novel, either…
Overall, this was a good follow up to Unholy Ghosts. Chess’s drug abuse and the romantic/sexual elements of the story were more prominent, as the antagonist has been using a particularly sinister and deviant form of sex-magic in their evil shenanigans. The magic is wild and invasive, and Chess’s reaction to it is visceral and horrible (sensitive as she is to it as a result of the magic Church tattoos that cover her torso):
“Oh, fuck…Sex roared over her skin, immolating her like a corpse in a crematory oven, reducing her to nothing in a second. She barely existed; her body jerked in a painful, hideous, hateful orgasm she didn’t want, couldn’t control. And she was back in bed, fourteen years old, hating what they were doing to her, hating herself because she couldn’t help liking it, too, and shame washed through her like a red ocean full of dirty needles and broken glass tearing her skin from her bones. Her throat went raw but she kept screaming. Her tattoos seared like fresh brands. She was sinking, falling…”
It did sometimes feel like the actual supernatural investigation and the weird-goings-on were peripheral to the romantic elements; or as though Chess’s investigations were just a framework within which Kane could paint a picture of a seriously messed up drug addict – one who is slowly but surely ruining her personal life (not to mention her psyche) by perpetuating a punishing cycle of addiction, abuse and degradation (she sleeps with a lot of people just to escape, or because she’s simply too high to say no).
“When had being an addict gotten so fucking hard? So exhausting? It had been so easy for so long; she had a steady supply, she kept to herself, nobody bothered her. Now she was constantly up to her ears in intrigue and complications, being torn in every direction but her own, all thanks to her need for those pills.”
It will be certainly interesting to see how the events at the end of this novel shape up in book three (lots of game-changing things happen at the end of this one).
Unholy Magic is a quick-paced, interesting read. I wasn’t as impressed with it as I was with the first book, but by no means have I been convinced to not catch up with the rest of the series.
I still consider this a recommended series.
The ever-awesome Gail Simone will be taking over writing duties for their fan-favourite series, RED SONJA!
Published by Dynamite Entertainment, Simone’s run will kick off with a brand-new #1 issue, to be published in July 2013. Hopefully this means it’ll be good for new readers… Interior art for the series will be provided by Walter Geovani
Red Sonja is a character I’ve been aware of for many years, and I remember watching the Red Sonja movie, many moons ago. In fact, I believe I even had a bit of crush on Brigitte Nielsen, who portrayed the titular character in that 1985 movie. It was released when I was only two years old, but I think I must have seen it around the age of eight or nine… For nostalgia’s sake, here’s the trailer:
Anyway, back to Simone and the comic. I haven’t had a lot of past reading experience of Simone’s work, and have actually only read the first nine issues of her current, storied run on DC’s New 52 Batgirl series (which is rather excellent).
In the recent past she has also worked on DC’s pre-New 52 Birds of Prey, Secret Six, Welcome to Tranquility and Wonder Woman. Simone got her start in comics writing for Bongo Comics, home of The Simpsons, after which she worked on a run on Marvel Comics’ Deadpool, and later, Agent X.
Covers for the new Red Sonja series will be drawn by some of the top female artists in comics today, including: Nicola Scott, Colleen Doran, Jenny Frison, Stephanie Buscema, and one of my personal favourite artists, Fiona Staples (of Saga fame) – with more high-profile female cover artists yet to be announced, apparently.
Fiona Staples’s Cover Art
To help kick off the celebration of Gail’s take on “The She-Devil with a Sword”, which coincides with Emerald City Comic Con, Dynamite will be giving away limited edition premium prints featuring art from an upcoming Nicola Scott cover (possibly there will be a selection of variants? The press release was a little unclear), which Simone will be present to sign.
Colleen Doran’s Cover Art for #1 (above) & #2 (below)
Here’s what Gail had to say about the series:
“It’s like this… even most of the best female heroines when I was a kid were pretty polite. What I love about Sonja is that she isn’t polite, she says what she means and if you give her any lip about it, hello, sword in the gut. She’s smart, she has a heart, she has some compassion. But when it’s go time, she’s a hellraiser, a mad general, she’s a sword-edge virtuosa, she’s death on wheels.* She is the woman you never want to mess with. I can relate, Sonja. No offense to all her guy writers, but THIS Red Sonja is about sex and swords! It’s everything you love about Red Sonja, except with more monsters getting stabbed in the eye.”
* Points for not saying “in heels”…
Nick Barrucci, CEO & Publisher of Dynamite Entertainment, was effusive in his praise for Simone, stating that the new Red Sonja is “a character [Gail] was born to work on.” There was even a smiley-face emoticon in the press release, which was… Different. Barrucci continues, in an ebullient manner:
“I have wanted to work with Gail for years, and it’s incredibly exciting that her first choice in working with us is Sonja. A strong-willed female with fiery red hair writing about a strong-willed female with fiery red hair – AND A SWORD! It is a dream come true that this project has finally come to fruition! Gail and Sonja’s will be the blades that cut the deepest to her enemies chagrin!”
I’m still exploring Dynamite Comics’ titles and back-catalogue, working my way through select established series and new titles as-and-when I can afford them (or just when I get the chance). I haven’t yet managed to find one that has completely hooked me as much as some of Marvel’s or DC’s (well, really, Vertigo’s), or even as much as certain Image (Skullkickers, No Place Like Home, Witchblade & The Darkness), or newly-discovered-by-me Oni Press (The Sixth Gun). But then, I still have a lot to try. What I have read has been high quality (in terms of content and production), though – The Spider and Pathfinder (written by Skullkickers’ Jim Zub) have been particularly good.
Fans of the SFF side of CR’s focus should also know that bestselling fantasy author Peter V. Brett has also dabbled in writing for Red Sonja, with first the one-shot Red Sonja Blue [review link], and currently the four-part Red Sonja Unchained.
Brett’s Red Sonja Blue and Red Sonja Unchained #1 & #2
(The first three of Brett’s superb Demon Cycle series are currently available: The Painted Man, The Desert Spear and The Daylight War; as well as a pair of novellas, The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold.)
So, consider yourself informed. Roll on July, I can’t wait to give Simone’s Red Sonja series a read.
Ok, technically, this isn’t actually an “Upcoming” novel (it was published at the very end of February). It was self-published by Clines a while ago, but has recently been picked up by a traditional publisher. It sounds pretty interesting, and I really must get around to reading it (I’ve had a copy on my Kindle for quite a while…).
Stealth. Gorgon. Regenerator. Cerberus. Zzzap. The Mighty Dragon. They were heroes, using their superhuman abilities to make Los Angeles a better place.
Then the plague of living death spread around the globe. Billions died, civilization fell, and the city of angels was left a desolate zombie wasteland.
Now, a year later, the Mighty Dragon and his companions protect a last few thousand survivors in their film-studio-turned-fortress, the Mount. Scarred and traumatized by the horrors they’ve endured, the heroes fight the armies of ravenous ex-humans at their citadel’s gates, lead teams out to scavenge for supplies — and struggle to be the symbols of strength and hope the survivors so desperately need.
But the hungry ex-humans aren’t the only threats the heroes face. Former allies, their powers and psyches hideously twisted, lurk in the city’s ruins. And just a few miles away, another group is slowly amassing power… led by an enemy with the most terrifying ability of all.
The Shattered Pillars is the second book of Elizabeth Bear’s The Eternal Sky trilogy, and the sequel to Range of Ghosts. It’s a series I’ve been meaning to read, but I wasn’t in the US to pick up a copy of the first book when it first came out, and by the time I returned, I was swamped with other books for review. I will make more of an effort to get around to this series, though. Soon…
Set in a world drawn from our own great Asian Steppes, this saga of magic, politics and war sets Re-Temur, the exiled heir to the great Khagan and his friend Sarmarkar, a Wizard of Tsarepheth, against dark forces determined to conquer all the great Empires along the Celedon Road.
The Shattered Pillars will be published by Tor on March 19th 2013.
It should be no secret to long-time readers of the blog that I am a fan of the Gotrek & Felix fantasy series from Black Library. First conceived of and written by William King, then ably continued by Nathan Long, the series continues to grow – now with a growing roster of authors writing about the two heroes and the ever-extending cast of companions, enemies and peripheral characters.
Gotrek and Felix: unsung heroes of the Empire, or nothing more than common thieves and murderers? The truth perhaps lies somewhere in between, and depends entirely upon whom you ask…
A collection of timeless tales featuring the Slayer Gotrek Gurnisson and his human companion Felix Jaeger. From the undead-ridden marshes of Hel Fenn, where an ancient evil lurks, to the court of a skaven lord in the depths of a dwarf hold, the duo face excitement, danger and intrigue at every turn.
Gotrek & Felix: The Lost Tales will be published by Black Library in August 2013. It features novellas written by Josh Reynolds, David Guymer, Jordan Ellinger,* and Frank Cavallo. The book is edited by Laurie Goulding.
* Hopefully not the one I just bought today… Don’t like doubling-up…
This is pretty self-explanatory:
But, you know, in this case where there’s a will there is not necessarily a way. I love that people offer me free books, and that many do so with a comment along the lines of “If you could just give it a look-see? Please?”
But, if I do say yes, but don’t review it IMMEDIATELY, then it’s probably because I’m busy. Or I ended up not liking it.
The long-awaited third book in The Demon Cycle
On the night of a new moon all shadows deepen.
Humanity has thirty days to prepare for the next demon attack, but one month is scarcely enough time to train a village to defend themselves, let alone an entire continent caught in the throes of civil war.
Arlen Bales understands the coreling threat better than anyone. Born ordinary, the demon plague has shaped him into a weapon so powerful he has been given the unwanted title of saviour, and attracted the attention of deadly enemies both above and below ground.
Unlike Arlen, Ahmann Jardir embraces the title of Deliverer. His strength resides not only in the legendary relics he carries, but also in the magic wielded by his first wife, Inevera, a cunning and powerful priestess whose allegiance even Jardir cannot be certain of.
Once Arlen and Jardir were like brothers. Now they are the bitterest of rivals. As humanity’s enemies prepare, the only two men capable of defeating them are divided against each other by the most deadly demons of all: those that lurk in the human heart.
After finishing The Desert Spear, it was not long before I had to dive into The Daylight War. I’d come late to the series, so I hadn’t been champing at the bit quite as much as other fans, but after finishing book two, I could certainly see why people were so very eager. The third book in the series continues to build on the excellent foundations of The Painted Man and The Desert Spear, as the story moves ever forward. This is an addictive, immersive and excellent fantasy novel. Continue reading
Writers: Dan Slott, Stan Lee, Mark Waid, Bob Gale | Artists: John Romita, Jr., Marcos Martin, Colleen Doran, Mario Alberti | Inks: Klaus Janson | Colors: Dean White, Jose Villarrubia, Javier Rodriguez
The return of Doctor Octopus, Daredevil, a wedding you never predicted, and the return of one of the most important people in Peter Parker’s life. Doc’s back in town, but it’s only a prelude to darker days ahead as Spidey unknowingly prepares for a gauntlet he can’t predict. Also, several short features showcase some rarely-explored aspects of both Spidey and Peter’s life. And, finally, the second most important wedding day of Peter Parker’s life.
Collects: Amazing Spider-Man #600-601, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #36,
& material from Amazing Spider-Man Family #7
The book is rather uneven. It’s bitty, highly episodic, and the tone veers all over the place, dependent on the writer. The humour works at times, but at others it feels like it is trying so hard, it’s difficult to like it at all (imagine the quippiness of Gilmore Girls, but with a wall-crawling super-hero). It took longer than I expected to read all of this, as I just couldn’t get sucked in. It is not, however, without its moments. Thankfully, the book improved, once we got beyond the first, mammoth issue.
First up, let me just deal with the “Spider-Man Covers You’ll Never See!” features, which are sprinkled throughout the book. They’re crap, and pointless. Moving on…
Issue #600 of Amazing Spider-Man is 101 pages long, including the cover and back-matter/extras (I was reading this via the comiXology app), and man did it drag at times. I’m not wholly new to Spider-Man or the characters that surround him. I’ve read a number of issues from all over the series chronology, as well as other Spidey series. So I wasn’t exactly lost while reading this, but there were times when I just wondered why the hell I should care at all.
“LAST LEGS”
Writer: Dan Slott | Art: John Romita, Jr. | Inks: Klaus Kanson | Colors: Dean White
In this story, Spidey’s incessant quipping was frankly exhausting. Maybe 10% of the comments, retorts and jokes were enough to raise a smile. That is certainly not a success rate that one might expect from such a popular series. Doctor Octopus is a complete cartoon, and his dialogue is just awful and cliché, and had me cringing on almost every page. I was very disappointed. The story dragged, the wedding stuff preparations and Spidey’s ongoing conflict with Mayor Jameson were simply tedious. I’ve read some later Spider-Man stuff written by Slott, and it’s clear to me that he got much better over time, as he became more comfortable with the characters. Given what I know about Superior Spider-Man, and the end of Amazing Spider-Man (issue #700), I can see some foreshadowing.
“IDENTITY CRISIS”
Writer: Stan Lee | Art: Marcos Martin | Colors: Javier Rodriguez
In this first back-up-style story, Spidey has visited a shrink. He reflects on his many, many years of adventures. The writing was a little weak, but the premise was strong: Spider-Man basically goes through all the (very) weird events and experiences that have happened over the course of the 600 issues of the series to this point. There’s a nice, knowing nod and a wink regarding the comics industry’s tendency to upend the lives of their various characters, not to mention ret-conning, poor artistic and narrative decisions, and other things like that. It was amusing, but I do think it could have been better, if written by someone else.
“MY BROTHER’S SON”
Writer: Mark Waid | Art: Colleen Doran | Colors: Jose Villarrubia
This short tale is told from the perspective of Uncle Ben. He’s reflecting on his insecurities about raising Peter, after the death of his father. We see how much he worries about his nephew, how much he misses his brother. It builds nicely, and eventually Ben and Peter confront his concerns. It’s calm, not at all melodramatic. And it is actually a wonderful, moving story. Superb.
“IF I WAS SPIDER-MAN”
Writer: Bob Gale | Artist: Mario Alberti
This story has slightly rougher artwork than the previous stories, but it is a fun story of kids philosophizing (as they are wont to do) about how they would “be” Spider-Man, if they got the chance. They go through all of the things that would be so cool, and the ways in which they’d use their powers for celebrity and other selfish purposes. But then move on to the concerns they have.
“It’s just WRONG — that Spider-Man is cool, but BEING Spider-Man isn’t cool. That’s, like, so totally messed up.”
Tell me about it, thinks Peter Parker, as he wanders past…
“THE BLESSING”
Writer: Marc Guggenheim | Artist: Mitch Breitweiser | Colors: Elizabeth Breitweiser
Aunt May, pre-wedding to Jameson Snr., is visiting Uncle Ben’s grave. She talks to him, going over her various fears, her worry that she might appear to be replacing Ben. It’s a short diversion. Sweet story, interesting art style, but thin and ruined by a silly, schmaltzy ending.
“FIGHT AT THE MUSEUM”
Writer: Zeb Wells | Artist: Derec Donovan | Colors: Antonio Fabella
Wells is also the author of the first few issues of the awesome Avenging Spider-Man. However, this is just another quick jolt of making fun of past bad decisions (the Spider Mobile, in this case). It’s fine, but too short to really do anything beyond make long-time fans chuckle. (In itself, no bad thing, it’s true.)
“VIOLENT VISIONS”
By: Kelly, Fiumara, Chuckry & VC’s Caramagna
This was a very dark and very cool short: it’s clearly a prologue, of sorts, for “The Gauntlet” storyline, which ran from #6??-#6?? (and was collected into five books). I’m quite intrigued by this upcoming story, now, I must say. I had been cool on this whole series (despite picking up the first two collections from #600) at this point, but this short certainly made me sit up and take note.
***
Writer: Mark Waid | Artist: Mario Alberti | Colors: Andres Mossa
Which brings us, after waaay too long, to issue #601. This one features a famous cover – of Mary Jane Watson, sitting suggestively on the couch, breasts pressed together, as Spidey swings off out the window. I have a feeling someone recreated this at some point, perhaps the guy behind Collectors…?
This issue finally picks up the main story from the end of #600. Mary Jane Watson has returned to New York, which has distracted Peter no end. It kicks off the morning after the wedding, with Peter waking up, very hung-over. He turns over, and sees a woman in his bed, who he believes is MJ. Unfortunately for Peter, it’s not his former flame. Michelle (his not-exactly-platonic-anymore roommate) is especially pissed after Peter calls her “MJ”. Naturally: “You’re the reason there’s a waiting period on handguns!” she screams at him.
The issue had a lot of talk about economic downturn and hard economic and employment times (the issue was published in 2010, so that’s not surprising).
“THE BEST VERSION OF MYSELF”
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis | Artist: Joe Quesada | Colors: Morry Hollowell
This was another pretty cool back-up story: Spidey drops in on Luke Cage’s wife, Jessica Jones, and their baby daughter (she used to be a super-hero, apparently). They talk about Jones’s memories of the first time she ever saw Spider-Man, and how much of an impact it had on her own career as a super-powered-person. Spider-Man convinces her that the best way for her to instill the idea of “With great power comes great responsibility” is to show her the best side of herself, rather than to just tell her. (This story continues in New Avengers, apparently.)
***
And last, but by no means least, we get to Annual #36.
Writer: Marc Guggenheim | Artist: Pat Oliffe | Inks: Pat Oliffe & Andy Lanning | Colors: Antonio Fabela
The whole Parker and Jameson wedding party has schlepped up to Boston for a special dinner. This, sadly, meant that a lot of the issue was written in a “Bahstin” accent. Rookie, bad writer mistake. It was fine for one or two speech bubbles, but after that, it quickly got old and annoying (not to mention inconsistent). Mid-way through the dinner, some crazy dude called “Raptor” interrupts Peter in the bathroom (uncool), and just starts wailing on him. It turns out, Raptor believes Peter is Ben Reilly – Peter’s clone from a long-running Spider-Man story-arc, The Ben Reilly Epic. There’s more to come from this story, later in the series, and I’ll be interested to see how it unfolds.
I think the annual should have been placed at the start of the book: chronologically, it would’ve made far more sense, being set before the wedding. It’s not a bad way to finish a book, though. Despite the “Bahstin” accents…
***
So, overall, this book is very hit-and-miss. It’s long, but the first issue makes it feel so much longer. There are moments of excellent story-telling; but there are also swathes of dull, drawn-out and boring sections. If you want to start on Amazing Spider-Man, then there may be a better point either earlier or later in the series. I’ll be investigating later collections (I have already read the follow up to this book, Red-Headed Stranger), so I might be able to give new readers a suggestion for a better starting-point.
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