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Year: 2016

Goth Chick News: Marvel and Ghosties and Disney, Oh My

Goth Chick News: Marvel and Ghosties and Disney, Oh My

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Marvel The Haunted Mansion-smallBack in March I explained the odyssey undertaken by Black Gate photog Chris Z and I to obtain copies of Marvel Comics’ just released Haunted Mansion #1, a one-off series of five issues inspired by my favorite ride in the park.

No shocker there.

But now that the fifth and final issue is about to be released on July 27th, it’s time to explain why all you pseudo-grownups need to own this collection and not pass them over thinking they’re targeted only at the kiddies.

You see, early in the first issue readers encounter a ghost. This part is expected of course, as Haunted Mansion lore tells us there are 999 of them living inside the manor.

Only this ghost isn’t of the “grim, grinning” sort, as described in the attraction’s theme song. No siree, this ghost is serious, horror-comic stuff; all bones and menace and flailing sword.

Remember, this is Marvel as much as Disney.

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Was Homer a Historian After All? A Look at The Trojan War: A New History

Was Homer a Historian After All? A Look at The Trojan War: A New History

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The Trojan War A New HistoryImagine if the Trojan War happened pretty much as Homer described it? How would modern archaeology, scholarship, and our understanding of war help us understand the events of the Illiad?

Yes, on the face of it, Barry Strauss’s The Trojan War – A New History is an odd book. It’s a bit like John Morriss’s Age of Arthur, which took Nennius and Geoffrey of Monmouth more or less at their word, much to the derision of other Dark Age historians.

However, this isn’t a Dark Osprey flight of fantasy; Strauss is well aware that he’s doing a “just suppose” kind of history and he does make a good argument as to why we should at least consider Homer as more journalist than fabulist.

For a start, Homer was (probably) based on the coast of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey was the home to many Greek colonies), and may have had access to local historical sources, including traditions reflecting the Trojan point of view.

The interventions of the gods mirror the rhetoric of numerous Middle Eastern inscriptions in which kings and Pharaohs do mighty deeds while the gods hold their hands in person. The Trojans and their allies also feel authentic to “Asia,” and the rhetoric and political landscape matches what we now know of the milieu.

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New Treasures: The Transference Engine by Julia Verne St. John

New Treasures: The Transference Engine by Julia Verne St. John

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The Transference Engine-smallI love discovering new authors, and Julia Verne St. John’s debut The Transference Engine, a fantastical steampunk novel of magic and machines set in an alternate 1830s London, looks like a particularly intriguing discovery. The ISFB reports that “Julia Verne St. John” is actually a pseudonym for Irene Radford, author of the Dragon Nimbus novels and the six books in the Merlin’s Descendants series, but what the heck. I still think it counts as a debut.

RT Reviews says, “It’s oddly delightful to read a ripping Victorian, steam-powered yarn set in a world where Byron, Shelley, Polidori, etc., are mostly known… as depraved necromancers and mad scientists,” and that’s just about the most enticing one-sentence review I’ve read all year.

Madame Magdala has reinvented herself many times, trying to escape Lord Byron’s revenge. She destroyed the Transference Engine Byron hoped to use to transfer his soul into a more perfect body and perpetuate his life eternally. A fanatical cult of necromancers continues Byron’s mission to force Magdala and Byron’s only legitimate child — Ada Lovelace — to rebuild the machine and bring Byron back.

Magdala now bills herself as the bastard daughter of a Gypsy King. She runs a fashionable London coffee salon and reading room while living a flamboyant lifestyle at the edge of polite society. Behind the scenes, she and Ada Byron King, Countess of Lovelace, use the massive library stored at the Bookview Cafe to track political and mercantile activity around the world. They watch to make certain the cult of necromancy surrounding Lord Byron, the poet king who worshipped death, cannot bring him back to life.

On the eve of Queen Victoria’s coronation in June of 1838, rumors of an assassination attempt abound. Both the Bow Street Runners and Magdala’s army of guttersnipe spies seek to discover the plot and the plotters. Who is behind the mysterious black hot air balloon that shoots searing light from a hidden cannon, and who or what is the target? And who is kidnapping young girls from all walks of life?

Desperately, Magdala and her allies follow the clues, certain that someone is building a new Transference Engine. But is it to bring back the dead or destroy the living?

This edition also includes a special bonus story, “Dancing in Cinders.”

The Transference Engine was published by DAW on July 5, 2016. It is 320 pages, priced at $7.99 for both the print and digital editions. The gorgeous cover is by Chris McGrath. Read an excerpt here.

Fantasia 2016, Day 1: Outlaws and Angels

Fantasia 2016, Day 1: Outlaws and Angels

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Fantasia 2016Thursday, June 14: as good a day as any to begin an adventure. I walked downtown that afternoon under looming clouds to Concordia University’s EV Building, where I picked up my accreditation for the 2016 edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival. I’d been looking forward to writing about this year’s festival for Black Gate virtually since last year’s had ended. Now things were finally about to begin. A laminated press pass, a festival schedule, a thick program book: the guide to the adventure unfolding over the next three weeks, to fantasy and horror and science fiction and a lot more.

Fantasia is a genre film festival that traditionally has a strong focus on Asian film. I’ve covered it for Black Gate both of the last two years, and I’m looking forward to doing it again, especially since this year marks the twentieth edition of Fantasia (spread over twenty-one years). Once again I’ll be posting in a diary format, covering the films I see in the order they’re shown while also reporting on special events accompanying the screenings — interviews, presentations, and whatever else comes along. I’ll try to get the posts up as quickly as I can, but realistically I’ll be seeing so many movies from now until the festival ends on August 3 that I don’t know when I’ll have time to type up my notes. There’ll probably be scattered posts from now until then, with a flood of posts following through August. We’ll see.

The festival proper began for me that Thursday evening at the De Sève Theatre, the smaller of the two main Fantasia theatres. I saw a western named Outlaws and Angels, which intrigued me since one of the leads is surnamed Eastwood. In this case, that’s Francesca Eastwood, daughter of Clint. I thought the casting choice was fascinating, and was also struck by writer/director J.T. Mollner’s decision to shoot the movie on 35mm film. I wondered how these things would work out; and besides, the only other movie showing at the same time was Kickboxer: Vengeance, a relaunch of the Jean-Claude Van Damme series from the 80s. Having seen the first three seasons or so of Community, I knew I’d only be able to think of that movie as Kickpuncher. Outlaws and Angels seemed like the clear choice.

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Nathan Ballingrud on Robert Marasco’s Burnt Offerings

Nathan Ballingrud on Robert Marasco’s Burnt Offerings

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Burnt Offerings-small Burnt Offerings-back-small

A few days ago, I came across this concise review by Nathan Ballingrud, author of North American Lake Monsters and The Visible Filth.

I just finished reading Burnt Offerings, by Robert Marasco. Forty-three years after its publication, it still packs a wallop. Second only to Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House in my personal pantheon of haunted house novels. Respect to Valancourt Books for bringing it, along with so many other forgotten horror novels, back into print. (Also, check out that beautiful art by Pye Parr, who also did the art for The Visible Filth.)

I wasn’t even aware that Valancourt Books had done a reprint of Marasco’s classic horror novel — but I was very glad to hear it! Two years ago, when I returned from the World Fantasy Convention in Washington, D.C, I wrote about my delight in discovering their magnificent back catalog in the Dealer’s Room, saying:

As they proclaim proudly on their website, Valancourt Books is an independent small press specializing in the rediscovery of rare, neglected, and out-of-print fiction… their small table was piled high with dozens of beautifully designed trade paperbacks reprinting long-out-of-print horror paperbacks, chiefly from the 70s and 80s. All it took was one glance to see that Valancourt Books has two significant strengths. First, their editorial team has excellent taste. They have reprinted work by Stephen Gregory, R. Chetwynd-Hayes, Hugh Walpole, Charles Birkin, Jack Cady, Basil Copper, Russell Thorndike, John Blackburn, Michael McDowell, Bram Stoker, and many, many others. And second, their design team is absolutely top-notch. Their books are gorgeous, with beautiful cover art and striking visual design.

Burnt Offerings was originally published in 1973 by Delacorte Press. I ordered the new edition two days ago; it is 230 pages, priced at $14.99 in trade paperback. See the complete details at the Valancourt website.

The 2016 Hugos: Short Fiction Ballot Thoughts

The 2016 Hugos: Short Fiction Ballot Thoughts

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The Builders Daniel Polansky-smallHere are my compiled thoughts (as promised) on the stories nominated in the short fiction categories for the 2016 Hugo.

(Versions of these posts appeared earlier on my blog, Strange at Ecbatan.)

A quick word on my voting philosophy: I am not planning to reflexively rank Rabid Puppy entries below No Award. I am of course disgusted by the Rabid Puppy antics, and I feel that many more worthy stories were kept off the ballot by the Rabid choices. And if a story is bad enough, it will certainly be off my ballot, with No Award the last choice. (That’s always been my approach.)

But, this year in particular, many of the nominees supported by the Rabid Puppies were either unaware of that, or aware and quite clearly not happy with that. Also, I don’t want to reduce the meaningfulness of the win for those worthy winners – if they finish first and No Award is second, to my mind it to some extent delegitimizes their wins, through no fault of their own. Better to have been chosen the best with everyone voting on merit than voted best simply because all the other choices were automatically rejected regardless of quality.

I’m going to comment only on the short fiction. In the other categories, I mostly don’t know enough about the nominees. All the novels look worth reading, but I doubt I’ll finish them all by the deadline.

I have seen four of the movies, and two of them I think are excellent, in very different ways. These are The Martian and Mad Max: Fury Road. I still need to see Ex Machina. I thought The Force Awakens and Age of Ultron were both OK, but not much better than that.

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Series (Space) Fantasy: The Indranan War by K.B. Wagers

Series (Space) Fantasy: The Indranan War by K.B. Wagers

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Behind the Throne KB Wagers-small After the Crown KB Wagers-small

You know what long hot summers call out for? A long, satisfying space fantasy… with blasters, smugglers, deadly court intrigue — and, of course, a Space Princess. Orbit Books has just the thing. They’re launching a brand new space fantasy series next month: The Indranan War, by newcomer K.B. Wagers. Book One, Behind the Throne, arrives in trade paperback August 2.

Hailimi Bristol escaped from the suffocating court life of Indrana at the age of 19 and changed the course of her life. She became a universally feared gunrunner and, eventually, captain of her own ship. Twenty years later, though, her life is turned upside down by the death of her best friend and lover, the destruction of her ship, and her own effective kidnapping by Royal Trackers tasked with bringing her home. But why? After twenty years?

Because Princess Hailimi Bristol is the only remaining heir to the Indranan throne.

Her sisters have been killed and her mother is ill. Is it a plot by Indrana’s enemies to restart the war that killed her father? Or is it a cabal of men from within Indrana’s own matriarchal society seeking to change centuries of rule by women? For on Indrana, men are second to women and not all are as accepting of that as they seem.

Caught in a whirlwind of plots and assassination attempts, poor Hail longs for the “simple life” of running guns and smuggling. But she can’t run back to that old life. For if she runs away again, Indrana will enter an unnecessary war with the neighboring kingdoms, millions will die, and the Bristol name will disappear forever.

The next book in the series, After the Crown, will be released next year. Behind the Throne will be published by Orbit Books on Aug 2, 2016. It is 42 pages, priced at $14.99 in trade paperback and $9.99 for the digital edition. The cover was designed by Lauren Panepinto.

Future Treasures: Welcome to Deadland by Zachary Tyler Linville

Future Treasures: Welcome to Deadland by Zachary Tyler Linville

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Welcome to Deadland-smllZachary Tyler Linville won the first Nerdist Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novel Contest. His winning entry, the zombie apocalypse novel Welcome to Deadland, will be published by Nerdist/Inkshares early next month. The tale of a ragtag group of survivors who may well be humanity’s last hope, Welcome to Deadland is getting some early praise from folks like Jonathan Maberry (“Heartbreaking, compelling and highly recommended!”) and Scott Kenemore (“A powerful new voice in the horror genre… Welcome to Deadland opens doors that most of us would prefer to quietly tiptoe past.”)

A widespread disease has ravaged humanity — symptoms include: animalistic rage, violent outbursts, and a ravenous hunger for human flesh. The few people left are thrust together to fight for their lives, before the world becomes overrun by the infected. Asher, Wendy, and Rico try to reach an abandoned theme park, hoping for sanctuary. Although fear of the infected is ever-present, the group finds themselves facing some very human concerns, as well as new adversaries.

Asher is Wendy’s only friend, and she fears that she’ll lose him if he ever discovers the dark secret she’s been harboring. Reeling from heartbreak, Asher clings to Wendy as he struggles to heal. Rico is a seventeen-year-old rebel used to ditching school and partying all night — but can he outgrow his debauched behavior in order to protect a six-year-old boy who has suddenly fallen under his care? These three will have to overcome their own demons in order to save not only themselves, but the last vestiges of humanity.

Welcome to Deadland will be published by Nerdist/Inkshares on August 9, 2016. It is 414 pages, priced at $24.99 in hardcover and $7.99 for the digital edition. The cover was designed by Girl Friday Productions.

Beneath Ceaseless Skies 203 Now Available

Beneath Ceaseless Skies 203 Now Available

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Beneath Ceaseless Skies 203-smallBeneath Ceaseless Skies was nominated for a World Fantasy Award earlier this month (alongside Black Gate, we humbly point out), and I must say, they make for some very stiff competition. BCS is one of the top markets for adventure fantasy, and it just started buying longer stories. At only $15.99 for a full year, it’s a terrific bargain. I finally bought a subscription back in May, and I’ve been heartily enjoying it.

Issue #203 of Beneath Ceaseless Skies is dated July 7 and features fiction by Mishell Baker and Rachael K. Jones, a podcast by Rachael K. Jones, and a reprint by Aliette de Bodard. Here’s the complete Table of Contents.

“Fire in the Haze” by Mishell Baker
And yet everywhere I looked, my periphery supplied ghosts of him: lounging indolently on a couch, reaching up to add a final stroke to a poem, bowing over my hand. And there, of course, pausing at the foot of the narrow stairs to the grand bedchamber. Looking over his shoulder, a half smile adorning the human face he wore even when we were alone.

“The Night Bazaar for Women Becoming Reptiles” by Rachael K. Jones
Hester’s skin itched all over, and she longed for cool sand sliding against her bare belly. One, two, three eggs into her mouth, one sharp bite, and the clear, viscous glair ran down her throat. The shells were tougher than she expected. They tasted tart, like spoiled goat’s milk. She waited for the change, but the sun crawled higher and nothing happened.

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Who Still Reads 1950s Science Fiction?

Who Still Reads 1950s Science Fiction?

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The Heinlein Juveniles-small

Over at his blog Auxiliary Memory, James Wallace Harris has posted a heartfelt and clear-eyed tribute to the science fiction of the 1950s, and asks the question: Is there more to classic SF than mere nostalgia?

Personally, I believe the best science fiction books written in the last twenty-five years are better crafted than the best science fiction written in the 1950s. Now I’m talking about writing, storytelling, characterization, plotting, and all the mechanics of creating a book… So, why bother reading old science fiction at all?… The 1960s seems to be the oldest science fiction that many modern readers discover, with books like Slaughterhouse Five, Dune, A Wrinkle in Time, Stranger in a Strange Land, The Left Hand of Darkness and The Man in the High Castle.

Time is hard on science fiction. It doesn’t age well… The real question is: Are these old science fiction books still readable, still lovable, by later generations who have no nostalgic ties to the past? Who still reads 1950s science fiction?…

The 1950s were strange in that people thought civilization was coming to an end and hoped to expand civilization across the galaxy. What a schizoid dichotomy. And I grasped that as a kid. Maybe that’s the trip that got laid on me that I’m trying to understand. To me, the absolutely best inheritance I received from the 1950s were the Heinlein juveniles I first discovered in 1964, when I was still twelve (the Golden Age of Science Fiction). In fact, all my reading of science fiction feels like it’s been downhill ever since I first read Have Space Suit-Will Travel, Tunnel in the Sky, Time for the Stars, The Rolling Stones, Red Planet, Starman Jones, Farmer in the Sky, Between Planets, Space Cadet, Citizen of the Galaxy, The Star Beast and Rocketship Galileo. There were other young adult SF from the 1950s that I loved; books by Andre Norton, Isaac Asimov, Donald Wollheim, and the whole series from Winston Science Fiction. But the Heinlein twelve were always the pinnacle of SF for me.

Read the complete article (with plenty of gorgeous cover scans) here.