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I realize this came out in July but for me this books came our early in the year and if I can start every year off with a new Lynch book I’m a Robotech live action film away from nirvana, other publishers are scrambling to be fighting for second place early in the years. Two years in a row Lynch set the tone for the year. FBS is in preliminary negotiation (sounds all serious - my herald is taking care of it) to speak to Mr. Lynch very soon so be out on the look out! |
I have a review/interview set up for December (when the book will be released). This book is the first in a sequence and is a mixture of a bunch of works I love - and the best thing is I don’t know which ones. Should be on every list. |
A recent discussion at FBS about the state of the stagnant mystery market reminded me of Chabon, one of our (American) great writers. Looking for innovation any writer of any genre can pull from? Here you go. Anybody who read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Kay, particularly comic fans and haven’t read more are missing out. He didn’t just write a great novel about comics - he’s a great writer who happened to write a great novel about comics. |
Visually this hardcover - that collects the first 11 issues - is out of this world and the presentation is first class. This is a extension of the Hip Flask work. The ‘lack’ of story I have seen some point out exhibit the incompetence of the greater comic/graphic novel review community. Every page is a story and arguably this - along with the related Hip Flask - is the best SF story I read this year. You know how many - especially comics - books hit a theme and they just get overbearing with it? This touches on many themes and lets it flow. |
The best of the Detective/SF/F hybrids I have read recently (and there are a lot of them). This is actually the second book, I’d recommend grabbing Majestrum as well. Reads like a commentary on commentary while never leaving the story; it’s legitimately funny, but not comical. I think at times Hughes has difficulties closing out novels, but this is a book I really still ponder and may be one of the two or three books I look back on with real fondness this year. |
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Every year you need to read a Science Fiction book about a bad ass coping in PKD’s future - this is 2007’s. I really enjoy his work, but I wasn’t so sure if Morgan was improving with his subsequent books (kind of like how I feel about Reynolds) but I think now his latest is now my favorite. |
A holdover from my mid-year list. I really like what I said about it then and I’m probably dumber now than I am then so: It’s this versace-grunge SF that has as much substance as style. Upon entering Armstrong’s it takes a moment to get your bearing, not due to an overly fantastic or futuristic departure from what we know, but because the truth surrounds us - and it’s ugly. |
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Forget the naysayers, the Marvel babies, the people who just can’t live without seeing a character Jim Lee, Tod McFarlane or Rob Liefeld drew in the early 90’s starring in a book, or the tired DC purist who want there DC to remain in that place where nobody wants to read it. We can even forget the people who just want to say it’s an accomplishment just to maintain a weekly schedule on a high profile book. This was the best story in comics to anybody that enjoys actual storylines from the Big 2. All this crap about examining ‘the corners’ of the DC universe - fuck that - welcome to the DC Universe. Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman live here to. |
This is a science fiction book, not a horror novel, and kind of replaced my annual Aylett diet for the year but I’m continually intrigued with what I read from Mamatas because more than most he truly comes off as toying and experimenting out of personal interest and sometimes that creates platforms but it’s not the intent it seems to be in the majority of books. Real interesting POV with the protagonist that makes you think similar roles you have read have been missing something. Soft Skull (the publisher) generally has some awesome books all around. |
A late edition here. Su Tong’s My Life as Emperor is one of my favorite all time reads so when I heard about this book I jumped on it like a blind frog. I’m glad this arrived when it did (and that it isn’t that long). Tong has quickly become one of my favorite writers. I look forward to all of Cannongate’s Myth series that also include efforts by Ali Smith and Sarah Vickers. Get more info here - this looks sweet. |
Ran from the ASOIAF boards pimps this a lot and this a beautiful product. If you enjoy classic Sword and Sorcery with an incredible depth to history, pantheon etc - this is probably the product to buy because they simply don’t write books like this anymore. Anyone doing an S&S anthology and isn’t looking at what Smylie is doing is vying for second place. This guy is embarrassing you. |
This book’s major accomplishment is that its written in the interest of relaying a story, not playing a role and you see this most in the portrayal of young emotions and relationships. That is it a debut speak on a couple of things. One, Barzak arrived a long time before he wrote this book, and two somebody at some publisher knows what the fuck they are doing . Review next week. |
Everybody else is going to have some biography of some obscure mystic or some collection of essays for the one non-fiction spot everyone will have on their lists. Once again you can leave it to me to keep it real. Being my age (called 20-something by people my age) and a comic collector as a kid one of the biggest events in my hobby surrounded formation of Image Comics and the exodus of some of the biggest names in the medium’s history and at that time rock star-like artists to from the two companies who dominated the industry to form their own company. It’s not going to win a Pulitzer but the comic fan of this era knows the lights were never brighter than it was in this era, this was when comics was big business (I mean a comic book artist was on jean commercials). All eyes were watching in this era, some were blinded and never returned, but it did happen, and it did have impact. Every list needs to let the author have its indulgences and this mine. I’m almost 30, let me look back on the second full decade of my life with fondness damn it! Plus, I need positive karma for some ammo if I’m going to get Travis Charest to draw the covers for Detective Chimp Absolute edition you will see on E-shelves in 2037 (which will come with a free cloned Chimp). |
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