Author Archives: Keith West

A Visit to Cooger and Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show

something wicked this way comesSomething Wicked This Way Comes
Ray Bradbury
Avon, 304 pgs.
mass market paperback $7.99
ebook $3.99 Kindle Nook

I first read this book something like 35 years ago, give or take, probably in 5th grade. I reasonably certain it had to have been before spring break of my 6th grade year, because that was the year of the tornado. After we rebuilt the house, I got to have a room of my own. This is relevant because I envisioned the room I shared with my brother as Will’s room as I read the book.  (Assuming my memory isn’t playing tricks on me.)

There’s a risk when you return to a beloved novel from your youth. Will it live up to the memory? Often it doesn’t.

The advantage here is that after so many years, I didn’t remember more than a few scenes from the book, primarily the Dust Witch coming after the boys in the balloon in the middle of the night. Other than a few general things, I didn’t recall much.

I’m pleased to say that the novel held up quite well. It was better than I remembered. Continue reading

Invoking Dark Gods

Dark GodsDark Gods
T. E. D. Klein
mmpb, Bantam, $3.95, 1986, 263 p.

One of the top practitioners of horror fiction in the latter half of the previous century is also one of the most frustrating.  T. E. D. Klein has published very little after making a name for himself in the 1970s and 80s.

His first collection, Dark Gods, is a perfect example of what an author can accomplish in an understated manner.  The four novellas in this volume are strong examples of that type of horror.  Perfect reading for Halloween. Continue reading

At 75% Off, I Couldn’t Resist

Copy of 20141009_133837The second hand bookstore that’s going out of business has now reduced inventory to 75% off.  This is like offering catnip to cats.  I’ve broken the titles up into 4 loosely related groups.  Makes it easier to see them in a picture that way.

First, Joel Rosenberg.  I’ve never read any of his books, but years ago a friend recommended them.  They look like a lot of fun.  Not all of them are Guardians of the Flame series, but most of them are.  I think I got the whole set.  The other two (D’Shai and Hour of the Octopus) seem to be a blend of fantasy and mystery.

20141009_133650The next group is general fantasy, with an emphasis on sword and sorcery.  The Glen Cook is a reading copy.  The copy I have is signed.   I’m in the process of obtaining more of Kurtz’s Deryni novels.  I’m not sure I’ll read all of them, but I’ve heard the earlier ones are good and aren’t as depressing as the later books.  The Oron books I’m not too sure about.  David C. Smith has written several different S&S series, but I’ve not read any of them.  I know nothing about this series.  The Hour of the Dragon is, of course, something I’ve got other copies of, but I thought I would grab this one on general principles.

20141009_133437I’ve got the Chad Oliver volumes of Classics of Modern Science Fiction, but,  hey, this Chad Oliver.  These were originally published when I was in college, although the first few volumes may have come out when I was in high school.  It’s been too long to be sure.  Not all of the volumes appealed to me at the time (still don’t), so I didn’t try to collect them.  I may try to accumulate a set and see if I can get anything for it on ebay.  The Leinster I hadn’t seen in this edition.  I also love the cover of Medea, although I’ve got a trade paper copy of this one.  It’s hard to go wrong with a Freas cover.

20141009_133932The final selection is science fiction.  I’ve been eyeing the Mike Shepherd/Moscoe books for a while.  (Shepherd and Moscoe are the same person.)  I’ve liked pretty much everything I’ve read by Michael Bishop.  My reading has been confined to short stories mostly, so I thought I would give his novels a try.  Ditto for Robert Thurston.  Simak is always worth reading.  I’ve got this particular title, but still.  Finally, I read some of the shorter pieces that make up The Expediter in high school when they were published in Analog and thought I’d see if they were as good as I remembered.

The store is still open, although some of the best stuff is starting to disappear.  (I missed a set of H. Rider Haggard because I waited.  Blasted cash flow.)  I’m sure I’ll pop in again before too long.

A Review of Shane Berryhill’s Bad Mojo

Bad MojoBad Mojo
Shane Berryhill
Ragnarok Publications
Paper $13.95
ebook $3.99

If you like your supernatural thrillers with a strong Southern ambience, then Shane Berryhill’s Bad Mojo might be just your glass of tea (sweet tea, of course).

Ash Owens (short for Ashley, but don’t you dare call him that) is a veteran who came home from the Middle East with a monster. Literally. He keeps it in check with help from a conjure woman named Zora Banks. They now work together, solving problems for the residents of Chattanooga. Of course most of their clients are from the supernatural community, which lends their cases an added element of risk.

Ash is approached by a Senator of his acquaintance to help find the missing wife of a Congressman who is running for governor. She’s disappeared into the supernatural community and is hooked on drugs. Oh, and if Ash can find the missing woman’s diary, well then, all the better.

You can see where this is going to go. Of course it isn’t going to be that simple… Continue reading

Angry Robot Sold

Angry Robot has been sold.  The publisher reports on its website that American entrepreneur Etan Ilfeld bought Angry Robot along with two other publishers, Watkins Publishing and Nourish, from “administration”.  I think that’s British for bankruptcy, but I could be wrong.

Regardless, I find this to be concerning.  Earlier this year, Angry Robot canceled their YA line (Strange Chemistry) and their mystery/crime line (Exhibit A) with little warning.  When that happened I was afraid something like this would follow.  Angry Robot has been one of the top publishers in the field IMO.  They’ve certainly published some new and innovative voices and brought a number of authors from outside the US and England to the attention of a wider readership. Their titles show much more variety than those of some of the bigger publishers.

According to Mike Underwood, Angry Robot will resume publishing in March.  I hope so, but I’m skeptical.  Things can happen.  The new owner plans to form a new media company.  I hope it works out for him.  And I especially hope it works out for the Angry Robot authors.

Two New Kickstarters of Interest

My post for Amazing Stories last week covered three Kickstarters that were active at the time.  Just after the post went live, I learned of two more.  Since the next few posts for Amazing are already planned, I’m going to mention them here as they might be of interest to some of you.

temporally out of order

Temporally Out of Order by Justin Adams

First, Temporarlly Out of Order.  This is an anthology built around the theme of devices being temporally out of order.  What that means is up to the authors and how they choose to interpret it.  Authors currently involved in the project include David B. Coe, Laura Anne Gilman, Faith Hunter, Stephen Leigh, Gini Koch, Seanan McGuire, and Laura Resnick.  If stretch goals are met, then Jack Campbell, Jean Marie Ward, and Juliet E. McKenna will contribute stories.  And finally, there will be a period of open submissions, provided the project is successful.

The second project is another anthology, this one called The Bard’s Tale.  It’s a collection of, what else, stories about bards.  The thing that makes this anthology stand out is that each story also has a recipe associated with it.  The recipes come from a variety of sources, including authentic medieval cookbooks. The authors involved are Donald J. Bingle, Dylan Birtolo, Tracy Chowdhury, Maxwell Alexander Drake, Stephanie Drummonds, Ed Greenwood, Sarah Hans, Gabrielle Harbowy, Rosemary Jones, C.S. Marks, Muffy Morrigan, Daniel Myers, Brian Pettera, Aaron Rosenberg, and Kelly Swails.  There are a number of cool rewards, stretch goals, and add-ons with this one.

So these are two of the latest Kickstarters that have caught my eye.  Check them out.  If these anthologies turn out to be as good as they look, then I may have stop reading books published by New York and limited myself to indie titles, including titles funded by Kickstarter.  But that’s a rant for another evening.

Lou Anders Leaves Pyr to Write Full Time

Lou-Anders-smallLocus Online reported Friday that Lou Anders, long-time editor at Pyr Books, was stepping down to pursue writing full time.  John O’Neill at Black Gate added some details this morning.

Under his leadership, Pyr became one of the freshest and most innovative imprints in the field while still staying true to the field’s roots.  Some of my favorite titles and series from the last few years were from Pyr.  I’ve got a stack of books that came out over the last few months that I’ve not had a chance to get to.

Anders recently published his first novel, Frostborn, a fantasy for middle grade readers.  In fact, this was one of the things Anders did at Pyr that impressed me.  He began acquiring titles aimed at YA readers.  I’ve met Lou briefly a few times over the years.  The most recent was at Fencon in 2012.  One of the things we talked about was the need for gateway books aimed at YA and middle grade readers.  He’s putting his money (and his career) where his mouth is.  Adventures Fantastic wishes him the best of luck.

Rene Sears has served as Anders’ assistant.  She will step up as interim editor.  I also wish her the best of luck.  She’s got some big shoes to fill, but I’m sure can handle it.

Travelling Through Northwest Passages

TimeNorthwest Passages
Barbara Roden
Prime Books
hardcover $24.95 (out of stock)
ebook $6.99 Kindle Nook Weightless

I’ve chosen to officially kickoff my Halloween related posts with Northwest Passages by Barbara Roden.  Barbara is one half of the team behind Ash-Tree Press, the other half being her husband Christopher.  (You could say I unofficially started with Maplecroft or possibly Bleeding Shadows.)

I chose this particular volume because it’s been a while since I read any ghost or spook stories in the classical vein.  If you’re familiar with Ash-Tree Press, you know they’re the foremost publisher of ghost stories in the world.  So you would expect an author like Roden to know her stuff.  You’d be right, too. Continue reading

What to Read While Waiting for Abercrombie’s Next Book

ScourgeoftheBetrayer-2Scourge of the Betrayer
Jeff Salyards
Night Shade Books
hardcover $24.99
trade paper $14.99
ebook $24.99 Kindle ($12.99 at this writingNook ($13.99 at this writing) Baen ($6.00 at this writing)

If you like your fantasy gritty and dark, with layers of plots and schemes, then Jeff Salyard’s debut novel will probably be right up your alley.

It’s been out for a while, but as regular readers of the blog will know, I’m a bit behind.  And I have no idea why the ebook is priced the same as the hardcover.  I sure didn’t pay that much.  (This wasn’t a review copy.)  Baen has the book at a reasonable price, which is where I got  my copy.

But I digress.  This isn’t a rant about ridiculous ebook prices.  This is a rave about how good this novel is.  If Salyards can keep up this level of quality with the rest of the series, he’ll be a major player in the field. Continue reading