Made in DNA
In the future the poverty line has risen to engulf the middle class, the oceans have risen to swallow the coasts, the US government is a puppet to multinational corporations, the police have been privatized, and super AIs known as semblants hold corporate shareholder meetings while their flesh-and-blood counterparts get laid.
This is the world of ex-cop Richard Candle who has just come out of an ‘UnMinding' prison term meant for his VR-addicted ex-rockstar brother. Unfortunately for Candle, the day of his release is just the beginning of his new life on the run from Grist, the powerful and maniacal multinational leader who tried to have Candle's brother incarcirated to begin with. Forced into the back alleys of the criminal world he once worked as a cop, he must dodge murderous AIs, flying guns and a nasty faux-sentient pollution plague dubbed the Black Wind to try and save himself and his brother.
An excellent read for cyberpunk, post-cyberpunk and science fiction fans.
Written first in 1959, this Romeo and Juliet tale of forbidden love is set in feudal Japan when Ieyasu Tokugawa was making his last steps toward unifying the country.
The Iga and Kouga ninja clans have been at war for 400 years. Only a truce brokered by the famed Hanzo Hattori has kept the two clans from engaging in a bloody battle that would destroy one or both. Instead, they have been mixing the bloodlines of their most accomplished ninja for countless generations. The results are more mutant monsters than human.
When Tokugawa calls for an end to the truce so that he may use the two clans in a deadly battle of supernatural chess, eighteen of the twenty ninja chosen to play the game out are ready. The other two, the leaders of their respective clans, who hope to bring the clans together... are in love.
What follows is a mash of gore and corpses.
Great ninja fantasy. I took one star off because the writer spoke (albeit only very occasionally) to the audience directly from the year 1959 and make comparisons. But it was slightly annoying.
Before “if you touch my junk” became an Internet meme, Matthew Revert published this gem about worlds where school authorities lend their junk to students for presentations; tiny, ejaculated builders cover their procreators in layers of tile; scientists try to reverse menstration in women; and earphones play nothing but the sounds of masturbation.
A MILLION VERSIONS OF RIGHT is a collection of “terribly unusual short fiction” that will burn in the reader's mind long after the book has been digested. And while not for the squeamish or the prudish, it is highly recommended for those who love the outlandish.
Witty and well-written, readers will be hard-pressed to find talent like Mr Revert. He sits clearly and proudly with the likes of Carlton Mellick III, D. Harlan Wilson, Gina Ranalli, and the other scions of the bizarro fiction tradition heralded by writers like Franz Kafka.
even though I was never a “skater” kid (I was more like a “Greg”) and I was nowhere as adventurous as the author in my youth, it's apparent all youths pretty much feel the same things. this is a fantastic read. it really brings back some memories.
A virtual smorgasbord of who's who in this anthology of space colonization, but you shouldn't just look at the authors, take special note of the amazing editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt as well. Smart and savvy, Bryan seeks out work that defines the enthusiasm that still resides in the hearts of many folks around the world (but that many space programs have forgotten about). The human spirit is want to drive itself forward, to “seek out” potential. Beyond the Sun is exactly that, and it is more. It is an anthology of mostly new work (just three reprints) that represents the new and open-mindedness of the current generations – their thoughts, fears, loves, desires and lifestyles. This anthology is not just amazing for its authors, but for the fantastic vision of the editor who brought it to fruition.
Sex, semen and sharks pwn the world in a carnographic future when extreme sports and the porn industry have married to create the ultimate past time: BUKKAKE BRAWL!
When an Aphrodite 9400 shoves a stiletto through a client's eye, the man's ‘bodyguard' calls Zendyne, the company who made the love doll. They send Lee, who designed the doll. What Lee discovers is an escaped combat AI who convinces him to help her further. Lee knows however that it is not going to be easy. Zendyne is going to lay blame for death of a client at his feet. That is the least of his troubles though when an all-but inhuman assassin literally knocks on his front door to kill him.
I enjoyed the hell out of this book. It's a fantastic post-cyberpunk techno-thriller. The characters, moods, ideas, and environments were all well thought-out and executed. I hate to be as cliche as saying it was a page-turner, but it was. I finished it off in less than a week. It literally enthralled me. And after conversing with the author (he's an easily accessible on FaceBook), I was slightly disappointed to hear that he concentrates on non-fiction these days. However, I wish him the best. That said, I'll be the first in line to catch any new fiction he publishes.
I loved this book from start to finish. Sexy and unapologetic, it is an awesome men's adventure romp with all the sex and violence you expect from the genre.
Sadly this book is now out of print and hard to find. I was able to use a combo of eBay listings and online used book sellers to grab both this title and its sequel KING'S MATE.
Murphy does not disappoint.
Plot (taken from the blog of Brad Mengel @ http://my.opera.com/AggressorBrad/blog/show.dml/139670):
“Su-Lin is the daughter of adventurer Chinese Kelly and his mistress at the Shan Tal Cloister. After the death of her parents, Su is raised at the Cloister and trained in the arts (scholarly, martial and erotic). She then leaves as a companion for Rene Cartes, who marries her on his death bed.
Wealthy from this union, Su-Lin avenges her husband's death and discovers he was a top intellegence agent. Su-Lin then takes over his network and becomes a freelance agent. In this adventure Su-Lin is between assignments when she is contacted by an old friend who alerts her to a cloning technique called Quantum Growth which can make a full grown copy of any person...”
Insane!
Jordan Krall goes nuts with this book of three interwoven novellas centered around the town of Thompson, New Jersey. Mobsters, corrupt police officers, mutant ex-soldiers, the visage of Barbara Stanwyck, and a donkey named Little Bing Bong populate the streets bringing mayhem and death to the average squid-obsessed denizen.
This is bizarro fiction at its best. And if you aren't familiar with “bizarro” yet, never fret, SPB is an easy read with likable characters and a tangible atmosphere. Witty and well thought out, this novel will grab you.
Su-Lin Kelly is a clone, and yet, still a woman. With a mysterious past, she works with her partner-lovers to solve the mystery of missing chess masters. Stumbling upon a privately owned island, a self-made despot, and chess game to the death, she pits her incredible intelligence against the world's best.
Sexy, cruel, and as unapologetic as the first novel (THE GIRL FACTORY), KING'S MATE is a fantastic men's adventure novel with a female protagonist who uses her body and mind to every advantage.
If you love great pulp work, this last novel of Su-Lin Kelly's adventures is not to be missed. Out of print, you will want to search eBay and online used book shops.
As an author of erotica/sex fiction myself, I can appreciate a title like “Fucked by the Lake Monster”. Truly, the very words intrigued me. Monster sex is usually regulated to the “furry” world (anthropomorphic) of werewolves or vampires, and so it's rare to see something as bold as lake monster sex.
And as I dove in (pun intended), I was immediately taken in by the characterization of both the female protagonist and the monster. Champy has been hiding along the shores of Lake Champlain for years, and as it gets harder and harder to find a female to mate with... well, a monster needs some sexual healin' now and then too.
A great build up and climax, and a teaser to keep us coming back for more.
FIVE STARS - The space opera genre has always had a place in my heart. It represents that dashing, daring knight-in-shining-armor side of my ego that hopes someday I'll dive headlong into an adventure of epic proportions. Raygun Chronicles is a masterpiece by editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt featuring twenty-five fantastic new tales by both familiar and indie authors alike to tickle the space-exploration-adventure ego. This isn't your father's sci-fi (exciting as it was), this is a grand new take on all that fun with room to boot to surprise readers.
While this book gives an interesting insight into the lives of those who are born on ‘the other side of the tracks' and tells a compelling story, it suffers from a lackluster narrative. (Which is not the fault of the localizer.) Description is minimal and sophmoric even at the best of times. Those with no experience living in Japan or with Japanese culture (especially Bubble Era culture of the 80s) will be lost. SPEED TRIBES is a much better book on the same subject. Though I praise Ms Tendoh for her efforts and certainly wish her well in life as it seems she got the short end of the stick, I can only recommend this book to expats who have lived in Japan for an extended period of time.
A civil war rages in Hell over the publication of a book that tells the true story of love between a demon and human. Demons and humans fighting together against Hell's overlords to create something new... a place where they can be free to love each other.
Set in the Biblical Hell, this novella is an autobiography of the protagonist, Frank Lyre (as told in third-person). Frank, a man sentenced to eternal damnation for being an atheist, witnesses the descent of God in to the realm of demons; through this event, he comes to understands something very big is happening. When he sees his former wife is among God's entourage, it is a bittersweet reunion as he is torn between his growing love for a demon who has shown him favor, and a chance to make it into Heaven.
Beautiful Hell is not the book you think it's going to be. It isn't preachy or anti-religious or blasphemous, and in fact, leaves religion out of the picture for the most part, showing instead, a ‘human' side to EVERY SINGLE character in the book. It was poetic and extremely thoughtful, even during the scenes of violence and sex. In my opinion, the author took great care to create the world of The Creator (of the story) and what steps The Creator might take to understand and quell a rebellion in Hell.
Great entertainment from the author of PUNKTOWN.
Living with his Kiwi fruit girlfriend, Charles has been working at the same bakery since his father (a former employee) abandoned him there as a boy. Now he struggles to understand the changes in world as two mafia fruit murder each other in his shop. However, he only manages to make things worse after he decides to dispose of the bodies the only way he knows how... by turning them into fruit-filled pastries!
Eric Hendrixson is a master of novella-length fast-paced fiction. Not a word is wasted and not a scene unneeded, Hendrixson punches out a bizarro novel with cool intent. Brutal, funny, fast-paced, smart and entertaining. Readers with a love of humor will ‘gobble' this novella up!
Enter a young couple trying to have a child; a hidden, dark past; and psychological trauma that one cannot run from – combine it all for a creepy, on-the-edge-of-your-seat read.
I'm a not a fan of psychological-trauma horror to honest. It sits on that level that disturbs and makes me uncomfortable. That, however, is the power of Shane McKenzie's writing. It is what also kept me turning page after page, reading to an inevitable ending that I knew I could not escape with this short story.
Dark, haunting and not for the faint of heart.
A bizarro take on zombie apocalypses, Kevin Strange integrates time travel, trailer trash, giant robots, out-of-body experiences, evil entities and presidents in a non-stop whirlwind story that will leave you breathless. A great read for those who enjoy satiric science fiction.
Lyrical and dream-like, the narrative is atypical, choosing to steer well clear of most plot devices and characterizations one might expect from the science fiction or vampire genres. Delightfully refreshing and imminently immersive.
Notably “missing” here, too, is the gore-filled splatter one might expect from a vampire novel. However, while the vampires do kill, it all happens in the background, and there is more humanity in the vampires than in the world around them. Trapped in a never-ending loop of time, the vampires must learn to escape their assumed fate while simultaneously promoting it.
This is not an action novel, it's not exploitation, and it's not horror. I would call it experimental literature bizarro.
While dated, this is a fantastic look into the Showa Era youth tribes of Japan–from porn stars to biker punks.
A Song of Death in a Multicultural Dystopia
Samuel Pointe is a high-tech, deadly mercenary living in the class-divided ruins of a dystopian Los Angeles where the rich watch stoically from on-high while the squalid masses rip each other to pieces in gang wars for the simplest of needs. A master of martial arts, his edge over his over-pumped, battle-addled, blood-crazed opponents is his calm, which allows him to read them, and move to a song of death.
While hired by a corporate magnate to become the chief marketing personality for a learning machine manufactured by the Mitsu Corporation, Samuel has business to conduct in the name of vengeance and justice for his murdered family and old compatriot.
The first book in series of four, LOM Book One is a no-holds-barred slaughter fest of martial arts and car duels along the highways and streets of the Los Angeles basin's most popular destinations. This is old-school cyberpunk written by an old school author native to the SoCal area. Bringing to it his intimate knowledge of martial arts, gritty street life, multiculturalism, and LA, Frank Lechuga's debut novel will not disappoint.
This isn't high brow Chicano literature, this is mean street-machine, bullet-riddled Xicano science fiction!
Lucas Thorn's first book in the Nysta series gut-punches both the reader and the protagonist right off the start. Though punctuated with chuckle-worthy pop culture references and humor, the book is a nasty, bile-flavored read through and through. True to the title, it is a tale of revenge; death following Nysta as she single-mindedly focuses on destroying the jackwagons who murdered her husband.
This is a fantastic indie novel: well-written, well thought-out, and well-edited. Fantasy lovers will be hard-pressed to find a better work. On par with the Elric novels, Game of Thrones, the Drizzt novels and the other legendary tales of swords and sorcery.
Take note though, adult violence and language are used copiously, but are well-warranted within the world of the work.
Queen Kegel is a Naked Lunch-esque dive into alternate dimensions and a deep mystery of epic proportions. While working as a standalone piece of fiction, the author uses metafictional devices to whip the protagonist (Callie, herself) and her jack-of-all-trades/cohort Sarchasmo across fiction timelines of her own production. Tying much of her work together into a grand narrative while keeping the reading experience both enjoyable and thrilling. Liberally laced with sex, drugs and adult language, QK is a fantastic work of fiction for those tired of the same old schlep the big publishing houses tout and the smaller places are too chicken to touch. Bizarro smutpunk!
Space Vampires by Colin Wilson is a NOT-TO-BE-MISSED science fiction classic from 1976. As the source material for the “erotic” science fiction movie Lifeforce, it starts off with the discovery of a fantastic starship that has traveled tens of thousands of years, and is discovered by the human race in 2080. The derelict carries a cargo of supposed corpses of (at least) two types of aliens – one squid-like and the other humanoid (supposed humans from Earth). Unbeknownst to the British space agency explorers, it also harbors a third alien – space vampires.
Not all is what it seems, and three of the vampires are unleashed upon the fertile playground of Earth. It soon becomes a race against time to find them. (This is where the novel and the movie depart. Pleasantly so though as each of the two mediums becomes a brilliant work of its own.)
The characters, setting and plot are all plausibly written and properly motivated. The fantastic turn of the book is the engagement at which author Colin Wilson tackles the idea of not just vampirism in general, but in fact, energy vampirism (i.e. “lifeforce”), and eventually what he dubs “benevolent vampirism”. Seemingly well-researched (or at least well thought-out), Colin discusses it through the characters and plot like a chess master almost as if he is delivering an extremely engrossing college lecture, without being pedantic or speaking down to the reader.
The only drawback to the book itself (and this is small) is the slow pace of how the characters discover what is happening, and the lack of perhaps some traditional “action” that readers may expect in such a book. Make no mistake on two point though, 1) this is a fantastic book if you love SF that makes you think, and 2) it has several sex scenes which though are rather “plain” in their description in the book, are played up in the film version. So if you are looking for titillation, I recommend enjoying the book and then enjoying the movie after for full effect.
If you ever enjoyed the Hammer's Slammers series, then BBDC is a fantastic short title for you. Sentient battle tanks slug it out with alien menaces from beyond the stars. Plenty of action and realistic character development that goes a long way toward revealing the real threats to humankind (and machinekind). In a century when thinking machines are still in their infancy, this work will give you good reason for pause, to consider the consequences of putting machines on the frontlines of tomorrow's battles.