Mark Martinez
A giant teleporting frog, a flaming sword and an EMP. Part thriller, part horror, and part farce. Jonathan Wood is a little demented, but tells a good story. One more in the series to go.
There must be a slight flaw in my character because I couldn't put this book down. Li Kao and Number Ten Ox are right up there with the greatest of mythical heroes. More wine please.
Keith R. A. DeCandido concludes his crossover tale weaving together the adventures of Archer, Kirk, Sisko, Picard, and Janeway. The Maquis discover a third weapon, while Picard and Klag of the IKS Gorkon must deal with the fourth and most terrible weapon. This duology is a fun read.
Published in mass market paperback by Pocket Books.
It's three years later and nearly everyone associated with Excalibur and Trident has moved on in some way or another, except their creator, writer of stuff Peter David. He continues to crank out entertaining books like the world is ending tomorrow. Does he know something we don't? If only he didn't write so many stories that end with the words to be continued ...
Published in hardcover by Pocket Books.
I have mixed feelings about this book. The premise of a zombie private investigator solving his own murder is intriguing and Dan Chambeaux is a likable fellow. I found the story amusing. Ghosts, zombies, vampires and werewolves all needing legal help, the services of a P.I. and body care products made me laugh. But this is the first book in a series. I'm just not sure if I like these characters enough to follow their adventures.
An exciting book and a good backstory for the Twenty Palaces series. I hope we'll see more of Ray Lilly and Annalise Powliss someday.
I'm not sure why, but this non-fiction tale about building an efficient baseball team was fascinating. Maybe the attention paid to supporting characters inside and outside of baseball by author Michael Lewis is what grabbed and held my interest.
Published in paperback by W. W. Norton.
Reading Miriam's tale left me punch-drunk. I guess I'll be picking up more of Wendig's work.
Another wild ride Downtown with Sandman Slim. Can't keep up with all the movie references. We need a video playlist. Anyone know of such a beast?
A bare bones adaptation of the film with grainy color photos. I guess the audience was young adults, but this is a pretty violent movie and the story is one death after another.
I have a hundred or so books, mostly novels, stacked around my house, waiting to be read, but as soon as Gibson's new collection of nonfiction arrived, I cracked it open and couldn't put it down. His travelogues and insight into our Borgification are fascinating. An amazing writer.
I've had this book on a shelf for a very long time and finally got around to reading it. John Wyndham wrote “The Day of the Triffids” seventy years ago in 1951, but if he were alive and writing today, I don't think his story would be very different. Nothing about his post-apocalyptic vision of Britain seems out of place. The idea that large, chubby, venomous plants developed in secret somewhere in Russia might become the dominant species is only moderately more disturbing than some of the things that we humans are doing to ourselves. Wyndham suggests that a few humans would survive, but only be letting go of the past and changing behavior. What an optimist! I guess you had to be an optimist in post-war Britain. Nevertheless, the story is compelling, even when most of the characters are flat and little under-developed.
Michael McGarrity returns with the latest installment of his series featuring Santa Fe Police Chief Kevin Kerney. Kerney travels outside of New Mexico and becomes a murder suspect. The case has ties to Santa Fe, the FBI, and a Vietnam KIA. Smooth reading.
Published in hardcover by Dutton.
This graphic novel collects the four-issue mini-series published by Oni Press. The story is by Greg Rucka, illustrated by Steve Lieber with additional artwork by Frank Miller, Matt Wagner, Mike Mignola, and Dave Gibbons. Rucka's tale about a U.S. Marshall serving in Antarctica and investigating multiple murders on the ice, is lean and taut. The black and white artwork fits the stark location and the main character's personal demons nicely.
Published in trade paperback by Oni Press.
The cartoon Clone Wars adventures continue to be entertaining, both the stories and the art. Writers and artists include the Fillbach brothers, Justin Lambres, Rick Lacy, Ryan Kaufman, Haden Blackman, and Dan Jackson. Good for kids and adults.
Published in trade paperback by Dark Horse Books.
Of the various Star Trek television series that have aired over the years, my favorite is Deep Space Nine. Unlike the rest, this series had an engaging backstory, intrigue, and a little mysticism thrown in for good measure. I was disappointed when the series ended, but evidently others feel the same way. A host of authors have continued the DS9 saga in print and this collection of short stories features their work. Read it.
Of particular interest are the stories by Andrew J. Robinson, the actor who plays Garak, Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels, and Jeffrey Lang.
This book, part of the tenth-anniversary DS9 celebration, was edited by Marco Palmieri and published in trade paperback by Pocket Books.
Although I've seen most of the movies based on this novel in the last 25 years, I never got around to reading it until now. I also downloaded the Audible.com edition and listened to about two-thirds of the story narrated by a fellow named John Lee, who did a sensational job voicing all the characters. Dumas' book was every bit as exciting as I hoped it would be.
Yet another fine Elmore Leonard novel. I don't think he can write a bad story, but most people already know this. You'll find the usual slightly discordant collection of characters, situations, twists and turns. Read it if you haven't already, then read it again, just for fun.
Quentin Tarentino directed an equally fine film adaptation titled Jackie Brown, starring Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Robert De Niro, and others.
Published in paperback by Dell.
Given the way our world seems to be spiraling out of control, Rule 34 looks like a plausible and very scary future.