Mark Martinez
A good summary of the options for mobile writing with tablets or phones. The narrative is time-sensitive since hardware and software are constantly changing, but it's current as I write this and I found some useful information.
I've been reading and enjoying Kadrey's Sandman Slim novels recently, but I wasn't familiar with any of his earlier books. To my surprise, this book was sitting on a shelf in my office. I must have bought it years ago with several other New Ace Science Fiction Specials. Published in 1988, Metrophage is set in a hellish 21st century Los Angeles. With Japanese, Mexican and Middle Eastern corporations and oil cartels in control of a drug-addicted, modified populace, nearly every character is thinking about survival and little else. It's a bleak look our future, with an unsettling ending, in that nearly all the characters we might want to care about are dead and Jonny, who's been drifting with the tide, trying to make sense of what's happened around him, has been picked up by another wave and is heading out of town. Kadrey's story got me thinking. Are we almost in his hell?
Now that IDW Publishing is about to publish a comic book adaptation of the Star Trek episode, The City on the Edge of Forever, based on Harlan Ellison's original, unfilmed teleplay, I decided it was about time I read said teleplay. Elwood's book includes six plays, with Ellison's script up front and center, along with an introduction by the cantankerous writer. The history of the personalities involved isn't nearly as interesting as the story itself. Reading the script with all the camera and stage directions allowed me to screen the episode in my mind. I found Ellison's original story to be more high concept than the version that was broadcast, but it has all the right grace notes: the wondrous discovery of the Guardians of Forever (yes, that's right, Guardians plural), Kirk falling for Edith Keeler, Spock's logical concern for his friend and the possible consequences of Kirk's emotional state, and the ultimately tragic outcome. There is also a minor, but compelling character named Trooper, new to those of us who have only seen the television episode. Would Ellison's story have worked if filmed as he wrote it? My guess is yes, it would have been fine. At the same time, the rewritten version is not nearly the catastrophe that Ellison makes it out to be. If you are a Trekkie like me, this is definitely worth taking the time to read. There is a more recent publication that contains the script, [b:The City on the Edge of Forever: The Original Teleplay 216177 The City on the Edge of Forever The Original Teleplay Harlan Ellison https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387701962s/216177.jpg 209287], with much more from Ellison about his involvement with Star Trek. I haven't read this book, but I have a copy buried somewhere in one of the piles of books in my home. I'm looking for it. You should too, but not in my home. Look in yours. Oh. One last thing. There are five other plays. I didn't read them. Maybe someday.
A good coffee table reference for Star Trek comics. There isn't an index, so if you're looking for something specific, you have to browse. The summaries of each issue are pretty thorough. This is where the author, Alan Porter, spent most of his time. The British Star Trek comics get a very good treatment. The comic covers and original art are nice to see in print. Most of the original art reproduced in the book can be found on the web. I found the chapter with interviews less interesting than the rest of the book. Maybe it was the email interview format. The disconnected answers kind of disconnected me from the chapter. Writing elsewhere, Porter said that he had to leave out the timeline and info about foreign reprints. IDW comics were also omitted. Nevertheless, this is a must-have book for Star Trek comics fans.
The two-volume adaptation of Larsson's best seller is competent and complete. There were a few moments in this second volume where I was a little confused and lost the narrative thread, but I found it again. If you're a fan of the novels, you'll probably enjoy the grahpic novel.
Somehow I missed reading this book, the first Star Trek novel, by veteran science fiction author Mack Reynolds. While not a shining example of Trek lit, the oddities are amusing. I've also read all the early Star Trek novels published by Pocket Books. I think Reynolds only had a few episodes to guide him, but his work is no worse than the Pocket Star Trek tales that came later and in some ways, I think he had a better understanding of the characters.
It's been years since I read Ringworld. When I learned about this graphic novel I was curious. The black & white manga style graphic novel is an interesting read. It reminds me about the things that annoyed me in Niven's tale, so they've captured the spirit of his story well. The art is eye-catching and amusing. I wish it were all in one volume, but I plan to buy the next volume when it comes out.
After reading all five volumes of the Bloom County Library, I'm amazed we're still wading thru the same shit that Mr. Breathed lampooned more than twenty years ago. I'm laughing and crying.
Tough and reckless newspaper photographer gets himself involved with dames, gunmen, and murder. This reprint of one of the first graphic novels is mostly a curiosity. The story isn't very interesting and the art is average.
Reading this last volume of Breathed's comics, I realized that I missed quite a few of the Opus Sunday strips. None of the local newspapers carried it. Like the previous collections, I can only marvel at the craziness we seem to be reliving over and over again. Kind of scary too. Scratch that. Without Opus to help navigate life, it's frakkin' terrifying.
Anne Hillerman's storytelling skills aren't quite as smooth as her father's, but this is a good first novel and I think she'll grow into the world of Leaphorn, Chee and Bernie. She made a good decision to focus on Officer Manuelito who has a more complex life than her colleagues.
Ensign Janos is the prime suspect in the murder of an officer aboard the U.S.S. Trident. The investigation stirs up old memories for Captains Elizabeth Shelby and MacKenzie Calhoun. Of course, there's also another pesky threat to the Federation and a sad goodbye.
Peter David is one of the most prolific and consistently entertaining Star Trek writers. Some Trekkies may find fault with his occasionally irreverant view of the Trek universe. I like his stuff.
Stone and Anvil was published simultaneously in hardcover by Pocket Books and as an eBook. The hardcover comes with a CD-ROM containing eBook versions of Mr. David's previous New Frontier novels and short stories. The eBook I read came from Palm Digital Media. I admit to purchasing the eBook because it was much, much cheaper than the hardcover.
The Mysterious Press Anniversary Anthology: Celebrating 25 Years
Detective Senior Inspector O'Yee does the Government Bug Man a solid! Definitely one of the good guys.
Wow! Basically these guys are black-ops killers on horseback. Set shortly after WW2, the fellows on the Rostron outfit operate outside the law, mostly in the American west, taking care of threats to the United States when local law enforcement and the FBI can't get the evidence they need. This time around, everything goes to hell in Oklahoma City over some atomic secrets and the boys in the outfit are willing to do whatever is necessary to get away. I lost count of the people they killed. This series was published in the UK. What were they thinking? Weird!
I've never read the comic strip, but I can understand the appeal of the character from Falk's novel. I'll be spending more time with the Phantom.
A fascinating story pf near future tech and its implications. The ending feels a bit too idealistic, but perhaps I'm too much of a pessimist.