Release the FURY

Its that Day! Book 6 in the BRUTAL Saga FURY is live here! Grab it and leave a review!

We follow Gathelaus on his way to reclaim his kingdom, and along the way he finds a out of the way territory plagued by a terrible monster named Fiendal.

This is a twist on Beowulf and I've wanted to do this for a long time, Beowulf was something I read in the first grade (I'm sure it was a watered down version but all the important elements were there) and obviously I've been hooked on Heroic fantasy ever since.

Love the cover by J Caleb Design, the man is amazing.

Below is the amazon blurb.

When you face a dragon, better a stout heart than a sharp sword… 

Gathelaus the Sellsword returns to his stolen kingdom, only to find himself on a bleak and barren shore, far from the capitol. Rumors abound of a dragon terrorizing the land and he is determined to deal with the legendary monster.

But after assassins waylay him, he is forced off course through a haunted wood, where more monsters haunt in the dark places. To save the noble few, spells, blades and dragons won’t stop the Sellsword from leaving a swath of righteous carnage in his wake…

FURY is an action-packed heroic fantasy in the vein of classic pulp fiction meets Ragnarok. If you like dragons, larger-than-life characters, and witty humor, then you’ll love James Alderdice’s gritty tale.

Buy FURY to get lost in a bloody sword and sorcery adventure today!

Three for Three: Pulp-Ridden Reviews

A new twitter acquaintance Jesse Abraham Lucas posted about doing a three for three indie review challenge here. He even posted a great review of Fangs of the Dragon here

So I'm joining in and posting a few quick reviews of some shorts. Novels are coming soon, because I'm long overdue.

Here we go:

Horishi Tom: Tales from the Storm  by C. R. Langille

from the description:
Utah Territories, 1867

Jeremiah Redford lost everything when his family was brutally taken from him. His quest to bring them back from the dead lands him in the abandoned mining town of Angus, Utah. What he finds in the town tests his sanity and his very soul. 

Be careful what you wish for because you might just find it.

This is a quick dark western-horror read. I found out about it at LTUE from Cody himself, He stopped by and grabbed copies of Scavengers and Cold Slither, so I'm grateful. We started talking western horror and that's when he told he me this was out. So I grabbed it. It is short, but Langille has a gift for spine chilling language and atmosphere. I'd love to see something longer from him. 4 stars

Moonlight in the Valley, by Wilson Harp

I'd been meaning to check this one out for awhile too. This had a different take than the usual tale, letting us in on the monsters (werewolves) point of view I liked the pack dynamic, in fighting and such. Plus it had a nice twist on their antagonists - the good guys. A certain LONE masked man and his Indian sidekick who both go unnamed but you can figure it out. It's not without its faults, though, the language didn't grab me and I didn't care for the lead werewolf. 3 stars

Weird Menace Volume 1, by James Reasoner, Bill Crider, John C. Hocking, Robert E. Vardeman, Scott Dennis Parker, and Keith West

This collection of new tales headed up by James Reasoner is an awesome new collection done in the spirit of the weird menace tales of the thirties and forties, all the action adventure, mad scientists and spicy danger with a damsel in distress you can shake a stick at. I bought it awhile back to support my friend Keith West (no relation) and finally got around to reading - sorry I took so long.

These stories grab you by the throat (with zombified hands) and you gotta fight to let go and move on to the next one. A lot of fun for anyone who enjoys the old school pulps. I need to grab the next one.

Preparing to Pimp Thyself

Happenings!

My weird west collection COLD SLITHER print copy is up over on Amazon - though I'm not doing the real launch push just yet - I've got the kindle set for pre-order and I'm hoping to push that on August 30th for the sake of rankings etc. In fact I don't think as of this post the kindle slot is even up yet.


I'm excited that the book is finally done- considering I had wanted to release it on my birthday two months ago. But I think its an amazing book that a lot of people will get a kick out of. I was tickled pink that one of my friends said he thought the first Porter tale = Cold Slither itself reminded him of a Conan type yarn.

I made a banner for use at the upcoming Salt Lake Comic Con - it was fun trying to come up with something that I hope will grab attention at our booth and hopefully entice some book buyers. I used the Horror Flick font - same thing I used on my new business cards - gotta love that retro pulpy look.

I do know I'm on at least one panel each day at SLCC
The Rocketeer on Thursday
Mental Health in Popular Culture/Entertainment on Friday
and a Choose Your Own Apocalypse game with the Space Balrogs on Saturday.

I've got a lot more book reviews lined up shortly that I'll be trying to post up on before summer is over.

Oh and I finally put together a mailing list newsletter because I've been hearing how necessary that is for self-promotion etc - so there's that BURNT OFFERINGS - https://tinyletter.com/DavidJWest

Now back to work on just novels for the foreseeable future this year.

Book Review: Monster Hunter International

I'm still strapped for time and have turned to audio books as of late to keep up with reading (which my TBR pile is still horribly overdue) and the latest book I've listened to is Larry Correia's first Monster Hunter International.

It's a great pulp ridden read, full of witty dialogue and blood soaked ichor. Larry really knows how to tease out mysteries to keep you going and wondering about what happens next as well as compelling action scenes and enough monsters and creature references from beyond - to appeal to all of my faithful readers (YOU).

Like Hellboy it mixes all kinds of pulpy things I love and sets it in the modern era, and like Hellboy I'm kicking myself that I took so long to get around to reading it. I've personally known Larry for several years and he is a pretty cool dude. I'm really looking forward to catching up on the multiple books I've got to catch up on. 

We begin Owen Pitt discovering his boss is a werewolf and about to eat him - following the American Dream, he sends his boss out a fourteen story window killing him and getting a job offer with the worlds premier monster killing outfit = MHI.

I don't want to throw in any spoilers as Pitt along with the reader discovers this secret world kept from the public at large, but needless to say its a lot of action-packed fun. Loads of little monster references (and others) that I really got a kick out of = inside type jokes etc that you don't need to be friends with Larry to get by any means. Great stuff is set up for the sequels but its also a very well done self contained novel. Larry is a writer that I greatly admire from both his writing work ethic and the mantra he told me over dinner at Fantasycon = "First and foremost - please the reader." I may be paraphrasing that but it hit home and MHI does it in spades.

Highly recommended.

I had no end of Larry's fans commenting "Mini Me" jokes when I shared this on facebook.

Monstrous Perspective

The Blog: Fortean World recently posted a very familiar article to me about the Beast of Gevaudan, it follows :

The Beast Of Gevaudan

In the 1760s, an area of south-eastern France was terrorised by an enormous, wolf-like beast. The animal attacked and killed over 70 people, most of which were children, by leaping on them and landing a fatal bite to the throat.

General descriptions of the creature refer to reddish fur with black stripes and a large, long-snouted head with short, pointed ears. Some cases also mention exceptional leaping abilities as well as bullet-proof skin and an alleged ability to stand bipedally.

Both military attempts, led by Captain Jean-Baptiste Duhamel, as well as attempts by a famous wolf hunter named Denneval (under direct employment of King Louis XV) to kill the beast failed.

Although the singular identity of the Beast of Gevaudan has never been 100% determined, many large wolves and even an escaped hyena were killed in the area as suspects of at least some of the attacks.

I LOVE the film Les Pacts Des Loups or Brotherhood  of the Wolf, I've mentioned it before here numerous times, in any case, it wasn't long after reposting this snippet on my tumblr page when I saw another picture that gave me pause and had me wonder at how we all have preconceptions that can lock our brains into thinking that answers have to come in one set way or another - its this way with stereo instructions, philosophy and religion, all too often we have to open our minds and find a way outside our own blinders.

This photograph, that I imagine most of you have already seen, would have seemed monstrous to the French of the 1760's and no doubt it is still scary today - especially if it is coming for you, and I found myself wondering if this diseased creature could possibly be that particular beast??? Further research said that Bears can be susceptible to rabies as well, though anything with rabies couldn't survive as long as said Beast was attacking people, not to mention being clever about it. I suppose there may be something to the idea that a creature can get a taste for human flesh and be wily about it, lions and tigers certainly do. So just some theories on a a cryptid I've thought about.

The Thunder Rolls...

I didn't have a table of contents until a day or so ago and now that the ebook for both volumes of  Thunder on the Battlefield are available here it is.

Thunder on the Battlefield: Sword
Featuring

G. Jerome Henson: “THE HORDE”

Jay Requard: “PAPER DEMONS”

D.T. Neal: “THE WOLF & THE CROW”

John F. Allen: “FOREST OF SHADOWS”

Marcella Burnard “EMISSARY”

David J. West: “THE DOGS OF WAR”

Alexis A. Hunter: “THE RED HAND”

James R. Tuck “WHERE THE RED BLOSSOMS WEEP”

Loriane Parker: “THIEF OF SOULS”

W. E. Wertenberger: “THE GNAWED BONE”

Stephen Zimmer “ALL THE LANDS, NOWHERE A HOME”

J.S. Veter “THE WITCH OF RYMAL PASS”
 
Thunder on the Battlefield: Sorcery
Featuring

Jeffe Kennedy: “NEGOTIATION”

Alex Hughes: “THE FOURTH RULE”

Selah Janel: “THE RUINS OF ST. LOUIS”

Steve Grassie: “MARK OF THE WARRIOR”

James R. Tuck: “ANGELS OF SCRAWL”

M.B Weston: “THE CHERUBIAN, THE LINDWORM, AND THE PORTAL”

Brady Allen: “GRINDING THE GEARS”

S.H. Roddey “BLACK ICE”

Steven S. Long: “THE TWO FIRES”

D.A. Adams: “ACROSS THE WILDS”

Mark Taverna “DARK GENESIS”

Steven L. Shrewsbury “WHORE OF JERICHO”

G. Jerome Henson: “THE HORDE”

Jay Requard: “PAPER DEMONS”

D.T. Neal: “THE WOLF & THE CROW” 

John F. Allen: “FOREST OF SHADOWS” 

Marcella Burnard “EMISSARY” 

David J. West: “THE DOGS OF WAR”

Alexis A. Hunter: “THE RED HAND”

James R. Tuck “WHERE THE RED BLOSSOMS WEEP”

Loriane Parker: “THIEF OF SOULS”

W. E. Wertenberger: “THE GNAWED BONE” 

Stephen Zimmer “ALL THE LANDS, NOWHERE A HOME”

J.S. Veter “THE WITCH OF RYMAL PASS”

- See more at: http://seventhstarpress.blogspot.com/2013/08/full-list-of-authors-for-both-thunder.html#sthash.72Z2d87q.dpuf

G. Jerome Henson: “THE HORDE”

Jay Requard: “PAPER DEMONS”

D.T. Neal: “THE WOLF & THE CROW” 

John F. Allen: “FOREST OF SHADOWS” 

Marcella Burnard “EMISSARY” 

David J. West: “THE DOGS OF WAR”

Alexis A. Hunter: “THE RED HAND”

James R. Tuck “WHERE THE RED BLOSSOMS WEEP”

Loriane Parker: “THIEF OF SOULS”

W. E. Wertenberger: “THE GNAWED BONE” 

Stephen Zimmer “ALL THE LANDS, NOWHERE A HOME”

J.S. Veter “THE WITCH OF RYMAL PASS”

- See more at: http://seventhstarpress.blogspot.com/2013/08/full-list-of-authors-for-both-thunder.html#sthash.72Z2d87q.dpuf

Thunder on the Battlefield: Sword

Featuring

G. Jerome Henson: “THE HORDE”

Jay Requard: “PAPER DEMONS”

D.T. Neal: “THE WOLF & THE CROW” 

John F. Allen: “FOREST OF SHADOWS” 

Marcella Burnard “EMISSARY” 

David J. West: “THE DOGS OF WAR”

Alexis A. Hunter: “THE RED HAND”

James R. Tuck “WHERE THE RED BLOSSOMS WEEP”

Loriane Parker: “THIEF OF SOULS”

W. E. Wertenberger: “THE GNAWED BONE” 

Stephen Zimmer “ALL THE LANDS, NOWHERE A HOME”

J.S. Veter “THE WITCH OF RYMAL PASS”

- See more at: http://seventhstarpress.blogspot.com/2013/08/full-list-of-authors-for-both-thunder.html#sthash.72Z2d87q.dpuf

Thunder on the Battlefield: Sword

Featuring

G. Jerome Henson: “THE HORDE”

Jay Requard: “PAPER DEMONS”

D.T. Neal: “THE WOLF & THE CROW” 

John F. Allen: “FOREST OF SHADOWS” 

Marcella Burnard “EMISSARY” 

David J. West: “THE DOGS OF WAR”

Alexis A. Hunter: “THE RED HAND”

James R. Tuck “WHERE THE RED BLOSSOMS WEEP”

Loriane Parker: “THIEF OF SOULS”

W. E. Wertenberger: “THE GNAWED BONE” 

Stephen Zimmer “ALL THE LANDS, NOWHERE A HOME”

J.S. Veter “THE WITCH OF RYMAL PASS”

- See more at: http://seventhstarpress.blogspot.com/2013/08/full-list-of-authors-for-both-thunder.html#sthash.72Z2d87q.dpuf

Thunder on the Battlefield: Sword

Featuring

G. Jerome Henson: “THE HORDE”

Jay Requard: “PAPER DEMONS”

D.T. Neal: “THE WOLF & THE CROW” 

John F. Allen: “FOREST OF SHADOWS” 

Marcella Burnard “EMISSARY” 

David J. West: “THE DOGS OF WAR”

Alexis A. Hunter: “THE RED HAND”

James R. Tuck “WHERE THE RED BLOSSOMS WEEP”

Loriane Parker: “THIEF OF SOULS”

W. E. Wertenberger: “THE GNAWED BONE” 

Stephen Zimmer “ALL THE LANDS, NOWHERE A HOME”

J.S. Veter “THE WITCH OF RYMAL PASS”

- See more at: http://seventhstarpress.blogspot.com/2013/08/full-list-of-authors-for-both-thunder.html#sthash.72Z2d87q.dpuf

Thunder on the Battlefield: Sword

Featuring

G. Jerome Henson: “THE HORDE”

Jay Requard: “PAPER DEMONS”

D.T. Neal: “THE WOLF & THE CROW” 

John F. Allen: “FOREST OF SHADOWS” 

Marcella Burnard “EMISSARY” 

David J. West: “THE DOGS OF WAR”

Alexis A. Hunter: “THE RED HAND”

James R. Tuck “WHERE THE RED BLOSSOMS WEEP”

Loriane Parker: “THIEF OF SOULS”

W. E. Wertenberger: “THE GNAWED BONE” 

Stephen Zimmer “ALL THE LANDS, NOWHERE A HOME”

J.S. Veter “THE WITCH OF RYMAL PASS”

- See more at: http://seventhstarpress.blogspot.com/2013/08/full-list-of-authors-for-both-thunder.html#sthash.72Z2d87q.dpuf

Thunder on the Battlefield: Sword

Featuring

G. Jerome Henson: “THE HORDE”

Jay Requard: “PAPER DEMONS”

D.T. Neal: “THE WOLF & THE CROW” 

John F. Allen: “FOREST OF SHADOWS” 

Marcella Burnard “EMISSARY” 

David J. West: “THE DOGS OF WAR”

Alexis A. Hunter: “THE RED HAND”

James R. Tuck “WHERE THE RED BLOSSOMS WEEP”

Loriane Parker: “THIEF OF SOULS”

W. E. Wertenberger: “THE GNAWED BONE” 

Stephen Zimmer “ALL THE LANDS, NOWHERE A HOME”

J.S. Veter “THE WITCH OF RYMAL PASS”

- See more at: http://seventhstarpress.blogspot.com/2013/08/full-list-of-authors-for-both-thunder.html#sthash.72Z2d87q.dpuf

Thunder on the Battlefield: Sword

Featuring

G. Jerome Henson: “THE HORDE”

Jay Requard: “PAPER DEMONS”

D.T. Neal: “THE WOLF & THE CROW” 

John F. Allen: “FOREST OF SHADOWS” 

Marcella Burnard “EMISSARY” 

David J. West: “THE DOGS OF WAR”

Alexis A. Hunter: “THE RED HAND”

James R. Tuck “WHERE THE RED BLOSSOMS WEEP”

Loriane Parker: “THIEF OF SOULS”

W. E. Wertenberger: “THE GNAWED BONE” 

Stephen Zimmer “ALL THE LANDS, NOWHERE A HOME”

J.S. Veter “THE WITCH OF RYMAL PASS”

- See more at: http://seventhstarpress.blogspot.com/2013/08/full-list-of-authors-for-both-thunder.html#sthash.72Z2d87q.dpuf

A Good Home For the Spoon

My short story, A Good Home for the Spoon, is now available in issue #17 of Dark Eclipse and hey, I'm actually sharing a table of contents with Clark Ashton Smith, that's pretty cool, my first with one of the Great Old Ones = "Klarkash-Ton".

My tale has the dubious honor of being the only thing I have written thus far, where I deliberately try to sound like another author, in this case I wrote as if it were a snippet of Hemingway's experiences in 1920's Paris, and therefore a "lost" chapter of A Moveable Feast, one of my personal favorites.

His wife actually did lose a suitcase full of his writings on the train and the notebooks turned up again decades later, Hemingway then reworked them into what was to become in my arrogant opinion his posthumous opus A Moveable Feast.

While he steered clear of writing anything supernatural, I thought, what if there was something that could be written off later as an absinthe fueled experience, so I brought that into play to beg the question of what really happened when Papa got all bashed and cut up one night.

I also based the tiny silver spoon off my personal baby spoon that my mother recently gave me. This pic is close but not quite right.

Here is the table of contents...

Issue #17 of Dark Eclipse includes some great short stories including "Consummate Justice" (Gerry Griffiths), "Sink" (Bill Morrow), "A Good Home for the Spoon" (David J. West), "Beimini" (Ryan Neil Falcone), "Tangible Evil" (Kathy Busse and Kimberly Yerina) "Over Time" (Christine Proctor) "Dead Ends" (Richard J. O'Neill) and "The Beast of Averoigne" (a classic short story by Clark Ashton Smith). Columns and articles includes "The Chimerical Dark: Remodeling Hill House: From Book to Movie to Remake" (Sean Davis), "Book Review: Specter Spectacular: 13 Ghostly Tales" (reviewed by Rin Gardner), "Lovecraftian" (Manny Frishberg), "Books to Die For" (Nicholas Paschall), "Book Review: The Dark Man" (reviewed by Kurt Reichenbaugh) and "Bits of the Dead" (Jay Wilburn). And don't forget we have horror poetry in in each issue including poems by M. Sullivan, Dawn Napier and Hitcher.

And for the Nook - props to Keith for making me think

The Ball is Rolling

I'm feeling pretty slick. Space Eldritch is coming October 29th,  an excerpt of my tale "Gods in Darkness" is up on Cold Fusion Media
This of course is my big Lovecraftian science fiction piece, which I actually tried to channel how would I do a near modern day Sword & Sorcery tale. It takes place in the indeterminate 60's during the hidden heyday of the U.S./Soviet space race.

AND

I have been told that my tale, "Rolling in the Deep" should be available on Halloween itself in the
A Flame in the Dark: Monsters anthology.
This particular tale is one of my Porter Rockwell weird westerns, though it takes place largely at sea. Lot of interesting motivations gelled together for this. This collection was put together with the idea that Faith had to play a big part, so I crafted a  Porter (Samson) meets a Lovecraftian Elder God (Philistine God, Dagon) Sorry, no wicked Delilah this time round. YES, I loved the Adele title so much I stole it-I think I blogged I was gonna do that last year.

They posted the table of contents last week, I only saw it just now.

"Visitor Bob," a unique look at the bogeyman by Ellen C. Maze
"Divide and Conquer," wherein author Greg Mitchell looks at a different kind of vampire
"Running Late," a vampire tale by Pauline Creeden
"Closet Commentary," Teric Darken's tale of voices in the night
"Willing Blood," A vampire tale with a twist by Kat Heckenbach
"We Create Them," Thomas Smith's look at poverty through a lens of horror
"Invisible Intruder," by Stoney Setzer
"Twelfth Night," a Christmas story by Sean Philips
"Psychobabble, Toil, and Trouble," in which Stephen McQuiggan laments the loss of our monsters
"Of the Lake," JR Roper's tale of aquatic terror
"More Lives," a cat tale by Dana Bell
"Smoke," a good old-fashioned werewolf story or is it? by Jeremy Tyler
"Cornhusker," a tender, coming-of-age story (mua ha ha ha) by Tim Ward
"Holy Angels," Delphine Boswell's story of a church's uninvited guest
and of course
"Rolling in the Deep," a decidedly Lovecraftian tale by David West

 AND

What gave Papa Hemingway that head-wound?

Find out in my tale "A Good Home for the Spoon".
It is supposed to be up on November 1st in  Dark Eclipse Magazine
This one is my lost chapter of Hemingway's A Moveable Feast (one of my all time favorites)
I tried to make the piece fit as if it had been left out for some reason, perhaps because Papa wasn't sure himself if it was true or simply an absinthe induced nightmare.

This is my only tale where I have deliberately tried to sound like another writer.


So having three stories come out in one week is making feel like this writing thing is working out.

St. Rockwell and the Dragon

This is the illustration of Porter Rockwell by Davin Abegg for my weird western novella "Fangs of the Dragon" in Monsters & Mormons. 

Here is a snippet~

A mountain of a man stepped forward, creating a hush among the tribe. Thick and strong, he looked down on Porter scrutinizing him. “You are Mormonee?” he asked, bringing his bare chest to Port’s nose.

Amanda said, “This is Big Bear.”

“Yeah, I’m Mormonee,” answered Port. “He is probably the second biggest Indian I’ve ever seen.”

“Do you wear the sacred robes?” asked the grinning giant.

“Yes.”

“Show me.”

Port opened his shirt revealing the garments. “Satisfied?”

“The woman is Mormonee too?”

“Yes.”

“She will show me?” He smirked.

Port shoved Big Bear, “That’s enough. Can we talk or not, Many-Buffalo? Or do I have to teach some manners to your boy?”

Amanda shook her head.

Big Bear knocked Port’s hat off.

“Tell him! I’m here to take care of things and if they don’t help me, I can’t help them!” shouted Port. “But I’m not here to play games.”

Many-Buffalo stood impassive, then nodded to Big Bear.

The giant lunged, grasping Port in a bear hug, trapping his arms and lifting him off the ground. The gathering laughed as Many-Buffalo shouted in triumph.

Struggling to breath, let alone move, Port asked, “What’d he say?”

“He said, if you are the best the Brigham can offer, he doesn’t need help,” cried Amanda over the din.

Big Bear’s laughter boomed into Port’s face.

“Wheat! They ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Big Bear’s hug cracked Port’s back and grew tighter, forcing air from his lungs and still the big man laughed.

Looking Big Bear square in the eye, Port winked and then slammed his thick forehead into Big Bear’s nose repeatedly. The huge man, blinded and bloodied, dropped Port, who landed on his feet. Porter slammed Big Bear an uppercut to the chin, dropping the man-mountain. Rounding on Many-Buffalo, Port snarled, “Was he the best you got?”

Amanda translated.

Many-Buffalo frowned, but motioned for Port and Amanda to follow.

Amanda picked up Port’s hat, then handed it to him saying, “You know, might doesn’t always make right.”

“Didn’t I just prove that?”

Monsters and Mormons

Monsters & Mormons the biggest anthology I have been a part of yet was released last night - 29 tales of science fiction, fantasy, horror, alternate history, action and steampunk. I've only had a chance to read a couple others entries but I'm looking forward to this wide swath of strange tales by a host of great writers and artists-a number of which I feel comfortable calling my friends and enemies.


Fangs of the Dragon: a 16K weird western novella is my biggest release of the year and one of the works I've had the most fun writing ever.



Grab your six-gun, a blessed bowie knife and get an ebook HERE now or pre-order a massive paperback.

Read Just Lately

Beowulf, translation by Sean Heaney

I reread Beowulf every few years as it is the book which put me on the road to a fascination with monsters. I read it for the first time when I was in first grade and the idea of a Dark Age hero battling hand to hand enthralled me.

Granted it was a abridged version for children (that I have since found a copy of that very same edition for my kids) but the theme was still there. I have read several different translations and treasure the Heaney version above the others-for one it is a handsome hardback but also it contains both the original olde English opposite Heaney's translation. I have used that side by side comparison to examine Heaney's prose choice and even compare the wording for the sake of my own opinions.

I reread it again because I am composing an American Beowulf as of this writing ~ Killer Instinct. Its a weird western with Porter. I've been wanting to do my own version of the epic poem and especially of Grendel for quite some time-and the time is right.

Oh yeah in regard to the review-you know I love this. Highly recommended for anyone into fantasy and heroics-DON'T think you know the story from that abominable Gaiman/Zemekis version.

Gaiman never understood the heroics and could only gripe at book signings/readings about Angelina Joile playing the demon mother of Grendel? Yeah, that made sense??? A seductress demon played by Jolie-whats the complaint Gaiman? It was your weak adaptation that ruined the story.

Read the poem-skip the movie.

Conan:The Hand of Nergal by Robert E. Howard, adapted by Timothy Truman and Tomas Giorello

This has a great foreword by Mark Finn. The art by Giorello is top notch and considering that the version I was raised on, as it were, was the posthumous Lin Carter collaboration this was pretty good-not perfect mind you but pretty good.

I instantly got the inside joke that the demon scion of Nergal- ELA D'SNAL = Lansdale as in Joe Lansdale author of Conan:Songs of the Dead, Bubba Ho-Tep and bazillion other yarns of weird fiction.

While it was interesting that Nestor the Gunderman from Hall of the Dead and Rogues in the House is back in this particular thread (albeit zombiefied) I found the climax with him rather unsatisfying-almost like what was the point of even including him? Just like Julia Roberts in Oceans 13. Neither presence really brought anything to the table.

Still it was a good adaptation and Dark Horse is king in my book right now graphic novels

including

The Amazing Screw-On Head (and other curious objects) by Mike Mignola

As mentioned a couple weeks ago, I am quite the fan of Mike Mignola's work-particularly Hellboy. This collection is different-it throws a collection of six strange tales together and only the first even has the Amazing Screw-On Head-who is apparently a secret service type robot serving Abraham Lincoln.

It is funny with some tongue in cheek quips and the usual Mignola fascination for odd architecture, archeology & anachronism AND it works. Mignola states there are no more Screw-On Head stories and that's a shame. I am especially interested in more for the sake of his eclectic villains~Emperor Zombie, Dr. Snap and an unnamed Vampire Madame.

Some of it may drift into strange tangents, but if you delight in the absurd and Mignola in general you will like it.

The Thin Man, by Dashiell Hammett

I have greatly enjoyed the movie versions of Hammett's stories (Maltese Falcon, The Silver Key) but had never actually read them-so this is a first. Its a pretty straight forward Noir, a genre Hammett spearheaded, and while Mr. Charles is no Sam Spade he is intelligent and capable, perhaps a raging alcoholic, but intriguing nonetheless.

Hammett has a way of composing dialogue that pulls you along and keeps you guessing. I have to read the Maltese Falcon and Red Harvest sometime soon.



The Book of Werewolves, by Sabine Baring-Gould

Baring-Gould is the kind of man I imagine inspired the previous authors (excepting the anonymous author of Beowulf) A prolific author, archaeologist and composer (he wrote Onward Christian Soldiers!)

He has collected here the definitive study on Werewolves. Published in 1865 it has remained an engaging read full of useful information for crypto zoologists and speculative fiction authors-I have to wonder if Robert E. Howard read the many french tales collected herein for the sake of In the Forest of Villefere and Wolfshead and I am positive Mignola has read this based off Hellboy story lines. And yes I have a couple werewolf stories up my sleeve at the moment.

Covering Lycanthropy across the ages and continents Baring-Gould leaves no stone unturned-grim as they may be. Some of these accounts are as gruesome (or worse) as anything you can imagine the worst of serial killers commit today.
The last few chapters are not for the squeamish.
But being a Parson! Baring-Gould was not writing to titillate or shock-he was giving the facts.

Inspired by his own encounter outside of Vienna, he compiled this book in an effort to understand the phenomenon. Don't write a werewolf tale without having read this.