Saturday, August 08, 2015
The Beatles Walk Across Abbey Road
Neatorama: It was Friday, August 8, 1969, around 11:30 in the morning. The Beatles had wrapped up recording what was to be their 12th and final album a few days previously. Although it wasn't opened stated, all four pretty much knew and realized this would be the final-ever Beatle product.
Friday, August 07, 2015
I For One Welcome Our New Arachnid Overlords
And Texas leads the way.
Gigantic 40-feet-tall spiderwebs found in Dallas: Any driver curious enough to step out of their car will see thousands of spiders working together to create this web. Of course this is highly unusual, since spiders are known to normally work alone.
Gigantic 40-feet-tall spiderwebs found in Dallas: Any driver curious enough to step out of their car will see thousands of spiders working together to create this web. Of course this is highly unusual, since spiders are known to normally work alone.
Cold Iron -- Stina Leicht
Most of you know that I don't ordinarily read long books. So why did I read Cold Iron, which is 650 pages long and is only the first volume in an epic fantasy series? Because I make exceptions. In this case, I've known Stina Leicht for a while, and I enjoyed both her first two novels. So I had a feeling that I'd like this one, too, and I did.I've heard the book described as "flintlock fantasy," whatever that is. I'm not as familiar with fantasy sub-genres as I used to be. What we have is two kingdoms at war. One of them, Eledore, is peopled by the kainen race, who seem to me to be humans with magical powers. Maybe they're elves. The Acrasian kingdom is populated by humans. They don't have magic, but they have the aforementioned flintlocks, which the Eledoreans look down upon. They prefer magic. This might be a mistake.
The principal characters are Nels, Suvi, and Itla. Nels and Suvi are Eledorean royalty, twins born to the queen, whose husband . . . I'll leave that for you to find out. Nels seems at times to have no magic at all, which causes him a great many problems. He becomes a soldier, which is a very low position, indeed, for Eledorean royalty. His sister, who does have magic, is destined to become the ruler. That's a good thing, since she's much more suited to the position than Nels. Itla is a healer, and she's Nels' love interest. All these characters are flawed in some way, and because they're stubborn or because others are stubborn, things don't go well for them or for the kingdom.
All the trappings of epic fantasy are in play: There are battles on land and sea, explosions, hand-to-hand combat, traitorous villains, alliances with others, threats from fearsome creatures. But the way Leicht handles things is very different from what you might expect. The roles of women are quite interesting, as are the ways sex is handled in the societies. The world-building is intriguing, and the story moves right along. If you like epic fantasy, with or without flintlocks, this is one you need to check out soon. Bring on the sequel.
Peculiar Professions: Forks in the Career Path
Peculiar Professions: Forks in the Career Path: Let's take a look at a selection of books dedicated to some of the more unusual career choices out there, and the experiences people have with them.
FFB: Gun the Dame Down -- Gil Brewer
Gun the Dame Down is just one of three novels included in a new Stark House triple-decker, although to call it a novel is a stretch, as it's only about 60 pages long. If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you know that's not a complaint. James Reasoner mentions in his review that it would have made a nice half of an Ace Double, and I agree. I can't imagine what other market Brewer could have been shooting for.William Death, private-eye (Brewer didn't write many p.i. novels that I'm aware of), takes on the case of a woman whose husband has been murdered. It's a weird household if there ever was one. The wife and her lover tell Death (okay, I wouldn't have named him that) that they'd planned to kill the guy, but they didn't. The husband's former wife is also living in the house, along with her sex-crazed teenage daughter and her son, who's mentally challenged to say the least.
Death has never worked on a murder case before. He's just a guy who does ordinary p.i. work, someone who's never had any kind of complicated case. He takes this one, however, but I doubt he'll ever take another one because in the course of 60 pages he takes more punishment that most tough guys take in an entire career. He's beaten (numerous times) slugged in the head with fists and pistols (too many times to count), shot, knocked out, and a few other things that I won't mention because at least one of them is too spoilery. He also meets a woman named Cadillac Smith, so if you thought William Death was too cute, you might really be upset by that one.
For such a short book, the plot is quite complex. I'm not sure I figured it all out. Or if I did, I'm not sure I got it all right. Doesn't matter. Things are moving so fast that you won't care. The action never slows down for a minute. As for the title, I have no idea how it fits the book. But it's a good one, so who cares?
There are two other formerly unpublished Gil Brewer novels in this package, so what are you waiting for? Get your order in now.
Thursday, August 06, 2015
George Cole, R. I. P.
The New York Times: George Cole, a British actor who as the young Scrooge foreshadowed Alastair Sim’s aging, coldhearted moneylender in a celebrated film version of “A Christmas Carol,” and who later developed a following as British television’s favorite rogue, died on Wednesday in Reading, England. He was 90.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Tampa Leads the Way!
NewsFix: HOUSTON, TX – Many know Houston as the “Bayou City”. But we might need to start calling it the “Bug City” after reading this. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (yeah, guess they count bugs too!) H-Town came in second, after Tampa, for the city with the most cockroaches! But why are these creepy crawlies calling Houston home?
Dry Stone Walls -- Robert J. Randisi
The protagonist of Robert J. Randsisi's new novel (the first in a series) is Truxton Lewis, a retired Captain of Detectives in the New York City Police Department. His wife having died, he's decided to travel around the country as a housesitter. His first job takes him to a small town in Kentucky, where he meets Max Beasley, a man who practices the dying art of building mortarless rock fences -- dry stone walls.Lewis is interested in the wall-building process and asks Lewis to let him help with the wall and learn how the work is done. Beasley is a curmudgeonly sort, but he agrees. It's not long, however, before a real estate developer is murdered, and Beasley is arrested for the crime. Lewis doesn't believe Beasley is guilty and decides to put his detective skills to use by investigating.
Randisi is a master at telling a fast-moving story, and he throws in several twists along the way to keep readers off balance. The investigative details all ring true, and Lewis is an intriguing new character. I'm sure he'll soon find another housesitting job, another body will turn up, and another adventure will begin. Check it out.
How Much High School Chemistry Do You Remember
How Much High School Chemistry Do You Remember
I don't even remember having some of this stuff, but I still got 7 right.
I don't even remember having some of this stuff, but I still got 7 right.
I Want to Believe!
Crab-like 'alien facehugger' in a cave is spotted on Mars by conspiracy theorists
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
First It was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
. . . and now it's the Chelsea gym assault: Busta Rhymes arrested, charged with assault after throwing protein drink at Chelsea gym worker
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Wednesday, August 05, 2015
Free for Kindle for a Limited Time
STAY OF EXECUTION is the first novella in a thrilling new hard-boiledWestern series by bestselling Amazon author Wayne D. Dundee (Manhunter’s Mountain, The Empty Badge) and BEAT to a PULP books. Based on characters created by Edward A. Grainger, author of the Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles adventures.
Croc Update (Dangling Modifier Edition)
Rare crocodile nest discovered on Virginia Key: After incubating for 84 days, a team from the University of Florida and the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science helped tag 13 crocs on July 26.
Billy Sherrill, R. I. P.
Legendary producer Billy Sherrill dies: Legendary producer, songwriter, arranger and Country Music Hall of Famer Billy Sherrill died in his home late Tuesday morning after a short illness. He was 78.
Mr. Sherrill's contributions to country music were numerous, and his impact on the genre was immeasurable. He was a pioneer of the smooth "countrypolitan" sound and its lush, layered musical arrangements that drew comparisons to Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound." Mr. Sherrill worked with artists ranging from Ray Charles to Jim and Jesse to Elvis Costello, but he is perhaps best known for producing hits such as Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" (which they co-wrote), Charlie Rich's "Behind Closed Doors," Johnny Paycheck's "Take This Job and Shove It" and George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," considered by many to be the greatest country song of all time.
Mr. Sherrill's contributions to country music were numerous, and his impact on the genre was immeasurable. He was a pioneer of the smooth "countrypolitan" sound and its lush, layered musical arrangements that drew comparisons to Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound." Mr. Sherrill worked with artists ranging from Ray Charles to Jim and Jesse to Elvis Costello, but he is perhaps best known for producing hits such as Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" (which they co-wrote), Charlie Rich's "Behind Closed Doors," Johnny Paycheck's "Take This Job and Shove It" and George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," considered by many to be the greatest country song of all time.
Tuesday, August 04, 2015
Robert Conquest, R. I. P.
The New York Times: Robert Conquest, a historian whose landmark studies of the Stalinist purges and the Ukrainian famine of the 1930s documented the horrors perpetrated by the Soviet regime against its own citizens, died on Monday in Stanford, Calif. He was 98.
Paging Ed Gorman
Iowa men busted for making meth inside a Taco Bell: Authorities are investigating a meth lab in a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Taco Bell, according to KCRG, the local ABC affiliate. Two men have been taken into custody, one of whom is a Taco Bell employee.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
I did a blurb for this book, so I'll just repeat it here: It’s 1988, and when p.i. Eliot Cross finds out that his father didn’t die the way Cross had been told long ago, Cross decides to find out the truth. He winds up in Cuba where nobody wants him to be, and he discovers not only the truth about his father but about secrets that others would rather have hidden. It’s a fast-moving tale of mystery and espionage that will engage you right from the start. Check it out. Tripl3 Cross: An Eliot Cross Adventure, John Hegenberger - Amazon.com
First It was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
. . . and now it's the Roswell man arrested after throwing spaghetti tantrum
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Free for Kindle for a Limited Time
Amazon.com: The Neon Boneyard eBook: Paul D. Brazill: Kindle Store: 'In the neon-soaked, blood-spattered hell-hole they call The City, Roman Dalton struggles to fight the forces of darkness, even when he becomes a creature of the night. Werewolves, vampires, zombies: they’re all just amateurs when it come to the real menace who haunts the streets. Let Brazill take you on a grim dark journey to hell and back. Bring lots of whisky: it’s a rough ride.' K A Laity, author of White Rabbit.
And You Thought Math Class Wasn't Useful
Agatha Christie's whodunnits mystery's can be solved with maths: The daunting mathematical formula is k r, δ, θ, c=f{rk δ θP,M, c(3≤4.5}
And an English class might've been useful for the headline writer.
And an English class might've been useful for the headline writer.
I Want to Believe!
Existence of ghosts proven
Sheriff Dan Rhodes doesn't, however. Be sure to read Between the Living and the Dead to learn all about it.
Sheriff Dan Rhodes doesn't, however. Be sure to read Between the Living and the Dead to learn all about it.
Overlooked Movies: Dirty Little Billy
Back in the '70s the revisionist western was a thing, so a revisionist Billy the Kid movie was a natural. And if you're going to revise Billy the Kid, who'd been played in th past by, among others, Paul Newman, Robert Taylor, and Roy Rogers, why not cast Michael J. Pollard? I can't think of a more unlikely leading man in any role, much less Billy the Kid.The movie is what we now call an origin story. Pollard plays Billy Bonney, who arrives in Coffeyville, Kansas, with his mother and stepfather, whose plan is to become a farmer and make Billy one, too. Coffeyville is one of the muddiest towns ever put on film, and nobody there ever takes a bath. The actors spend most of the film covered in grime. Pollard is a wimp and a weasel who falls in with a bad crowd and loves it. He gives a truly creepy performance, but then what would you expect? He's Michael J. Pollard.
A lot of time is spent in a nasty-looking saloon, but there are occasional outbursts of violence, including the one at the end, where Billy comes into his own. In fact, I guess we could call this a coming-of-age movie, too, since Billy gets initiated into sex and killing. At the end we can see where he's headed.
My feeling is that this version of Billy the Kid isn't any more true than others we've seen on film. It's a very different version, though, and nowhere nearly as romantic as the earlier ones. There's nobody in the movie to like very much, certainly not Billy, but if you're looking for a western that's far from run-of-the-mill, here it is.
Monday, August 03, 2015
First It was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
. . . and now it's the Facebook Feud: Nickeous Lamont Jenkins arrested after pointing revolver at family over Facebook feud
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Sunday, August 02, 2015
Cilla Black, R. I. P.
NY Daily News: LONDON — Big-voiced British singer Cilla Black, a product of Beatles-era Liverpool who became a national treasure over a 50-year music and television career, has died. She was 72.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
EQMM Podcast with Josh Pachter
PodOmatic: Join us this month for a story set in 1980s Bahrain. Part of a series begun in EQMM in 1984, "The Night of Power" (EQMM September 1986) has recently been republished in the collection The Tree of Life (Wildside Press). It is read for us here by the author, Josh Pachter, a frequent contributor of fiction and translations to our magazine.
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