Stay tuned into 2022 for more interviews, more reviews and commentary, in all forms of media and lots more Fantasy, Horror, Weird Fiction, Science Fiction.
Be certain to click to make the image grow to its original size. May you be blessed, find hope and endure the coming year, with grace, power, and glory!
All copyright reserved TOHO Studios ©
Welcome to my Christmas Week
By Alex Ness
December 20, 2021
I pray that all of the readers here have had a lovely holiday season so far. Whatever your holiday, whatever who you celebrate it with, may it be a blessing to you. I tend to give books as gifts, so, if you find these books interesting, I hope you might pursue finding them to make the reading life of others that much more interesting or fulfilled.
OPEN SKIES
By Yolande Kleinn
Published by Yolande Kleinn
Copy acquired by reviewer, not provided by publisher
Eleazar Dantes is a capitalist in a future era, where there are wars that cross galaxies, between distinctly different species. But in the massive chaos of war on earth, let alone war in the stars, lives get lost in the disasters, and not all are dead, not all are injured, some are simply missing. Dantes hires a pair of finders, people who are hired to locate whatever they are paid to locate, to find his daughter. Finders who find what they seek is one thing and the purpose, but this story offers danger, and a deeper threat. Acts of heroism always cost more with bounty hunters, but these are out for a simple payment. All the while of the quest to find someone, is an additional focus upon the pair finders, and how they work together, and find themselves amidst the stronger pull of a relationship. Can a person who is asexual and cold towards another respond to a entreaty of love? Can a pair of different beings, who struggle to create a bond do so without romance or sexual attraction? What is love but a commitment to the other being's well being?
I think the work was subtle, and in construction well written. I liked the characters and I think where some might see an odd connection between two people, I see love as a wrench in the machine. If you fall in love, whoever you fall in love with, and it isn't conventional, you will be emotionally irrational, and make choices that are risky. Having an asexual partner might be different, but finding where the two might connect is probably worth the investment. I think some will go into this as a cop buddy film but find something more difficult to analyze. (Think the Buzzcocks or Fine Young Cannibals "'Ever Fallen in Love With Someone You Shouldn't've"). I did have one small issue. The matte cover is very hard for me to touch, glossy works far better. I have certain touch related issues, but I don't know that this is an issue I suspect others have. I say this because whenever I see a matte or glossy cover choice is offered, I see most people choosing matte.
THE LAST OBLIVION: Best Fantastic Poems of Clark Ashton Smith
By Clark Ashton Smith
Published by Hippocampus Press
Review copy provided by me... when I was mad from the lack of sleep.
“Bow down: I am the emperor of dreams;
I crown me with the million-colored sun
Of secret worlds incredible, and take
Their trailing skies for vestment when I soar,
Throned on the mounting zenith, and illume
The spaceward-flown horizons infinite.”
I am a fan of Clark Ashton Smith, but I didn't know about this book. That is, until I went 4 days without sleep, not even a momentary doze. My eyes were strawberry red, and I had 20 dollars in my paypal account. I thought, wait, a new collection of a favorite Weird Fiction poet? OH HELL Yeah. I wasn't thinking properly, in as much as I have uses for my money, and I needed it for a project. But, gone mad from lack of dreams, I bought a book by a dreamer and king of imaginary stories. When it arrived I was happy with the physical look, the editorial work, and the cover art and back cover. The poems are brilliant. But as a fan, I think you should know why I bought it, and even with my condition at the time, I can say this, it was good purchase of a great product.
RPGs ADAPTATIONS
About Getting Reviews from Me
First off, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email at Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have a post box, although I regret that. It was a crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.
MY LINKS:
My Poetry Blog AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com
My Published Work AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
My Amazon Page Amazon.com/author/AlexNess
Lovecraft Styled Horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com
Atlantis and other Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com
I have an email list for my blog AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com If you are interested please send me an email asking to join the list. Send an email toAlexanderness63@gmail.com to join the list. I promise never to sell the list or share it.
All works and art remain the property of the owners/creators and nothing more than fair use is asserted.
After having finished writing this article I just learned that author Anne Rice has passed away. I had chatted with her 3 times and she was very kind to me, a fan press writer. I liked her books more and more as I grew more mature, and I especially appreciated her honesty as a writer, because I think honesty helps make horror stories create a mood with more power. If you believe the human typical lives depicted, what happens to them because all the more dangerous. I can't say at 80 years of age that she died too soon, she had a good life, but humans are selfish, and people, ideas and things we love, we wish to live forever. My taste changed in life, but I grew to like her more, with every passing year. Rest in Piece, Anne Rice.
According to a number of articles I've read in historical times of
profound darkness people read dark fiction. They watch it as well. They
become entertained by the thing they are endangered by. This feeling of
entertainment while within an event or experience explains why certain
dark concepts work well in comics. The Crow features an undead vigilante
hero who slays those who committed crimes. Johnny the Homicidal Maniac
had a steady following, and many who read it report it lets them act, in
fiction, in ways that wouldn't be allowed in real existence. As Covid
is a global plague, not yet fully fatal for the species, it is limiting
and damaging to our lives. Perhaps the fiction about plagues offers
solace in experiencing and feeling a comradery in the fight. And of
course, we don't know where the path will lead us, so perhaps seeing how
others survived the battle gives hope for our situation.
The Last Man -- Mary Shelley
A Journal Of the Plague Year -- Daniel Defoe
The Scarlet Plague -- Jack London
Ammonite -- Nicola Griffith
Pale Horse/Pale Rider -- Katherine Anne Porter
Nordenholt's Million -- JJ Connington
I am not able to say which book is best, but most modern readers will find the first three to be somewhat archaic in style and grammar. Now, as a historian I actually enjoy that, but modern eyes and minds might be less thrilled. I love Mary Shelley, she was brilliant, and I'd go for The Last Man first, but all the others are quality reads.
FILMS TO VIEW:
The Andromeda Strain
28 Days Later
Pandemic
Patient Zero
Outbreak
Influenza 1918
Influenza 1918 is a historical documentary of the 1918 pandemic. Alfred Crosby was a fantastic scholar who looked at the issues that created the future path. Intellectual developments, disease, and trade all affect the world we live in, but rarely is it an event. I showed this film in a course I taught, and the students were slack jawed and gobsmacked as a result. It isn't fiction, it is scary as hell truth. The Andromeda Strain is brilliant, even aged, it is a high quality work. 28 Days Later is a dark and frightening future look of a pandemic. Pandemic was not really moving but I've heard people say they enjoyed it. Outbreak is an Andromeda Strain idea, but uses some stupid action scenes to make it more modern minded. I include Patient Zero, but it isn't in the same league as the others, however, for a limited budget and limited view of what it was showing, it has an intelligent idea as the foundation.
COMICS TO READ:
Y the Last Man
2020 Visions
Baltimore: The Plague Ships
Black Hole
Pandemica
The Strain
All of these books, except Pandemica which I've not read even as it was highly recommended to me, are worth reading. Y the Last Man was a solid combination of idea, writing and art that takes an idea woven since humans told stories, and tells it brilliantly. Baltimore The Plague Ships is dark and worthwhile. Black Hole comes highly recommended by my buddy Steve Olle. The Strain does a great job of adapting a work from one media for comics. But the best buy would be 2020 Visions by the mad genius Jamie Delano. It predicts a plague, depicts the genuine and presciently predicted divide between dominant versus defiant culture groups. It is dark, but is truly a vision of what we are going through and it is done with a morose sense of 'Hey death, screw you!', that is also humorous. There have been a couple versions of 2020 in Tpb form, and I think Jamie is going to release a deluxe version
A CAT'S CHRISTMAS
She waits eleven months for the season and perfect opportunity. Her
name is Katya, a cat princess, a being who hunts and stalks the moment,
to kill the decorated tree, and destroy the pretty wrapped boxes. She
loves that the humans in her life allow her this time, every year, they
speak to her, in their silly scolding voices, Don't Don't Don't they
say. But she knows, that in secret they DO want her to kill the tree, and
destroy the boxes. It is her gift to them to take the pretty tree and
tip it, take the decorations and spread them through the house. And
they say Don't but she knows, they mean DO.
About Getting Reviews from Me
First off, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email at Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have a post box, although I regret that. It was a crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.
MY LINKS:
My Poetry Blog AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com
My Published Work AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
My Amazon Page Amazon.com/author/AlexNess
Lovecraft Styled Horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com
Atlantis and other Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com
All works and art remain the property of the owners/creators and nothing more than fair use is asserted.
Final note: Please remember, there is no such thing as wild or tame. Every animal in the wild can be your pet, so long as you don't mind the bite marks, claw marks, the bleeding, the loss of limbs, poisoned wounds and instant death.
END OF THE YEAR: Rituals and Gifts
By Alex Ness
December 7, 2021
RITUALS I DO FOLLOW TO END THE YEAR
As I have a couple college degrees in history and try to write about the past, people often assume I am someone who elaborately celebrates and creates rituals during holiday seasons to remember the past. I understand why they might think that, but contrary to this line of thinking, I don't do that. It might seem logical and something a person who tries to know the history of human kind would do, I've a rather different way of dealing with life, the past, and holidays. Being adopted at birth and not knowing my history did affect my desire to know history and to know answers to life's questions. At the same time, I was not bitter about life's origins, as I can't blame or assume if I didn't know. I had two very stern and perfectionist parents by adoption, and they dominated my early life. My DNA family and particular life circumstance were a mystery, however, my parents from day one let me know I was adopted, and while I didn't have the answers about my secret origins, it didn't burn in me to know answers specifically.
History for me was a tool to learn and a doorway to understand all of life's issues from the perspective of here is what humans do, and perhaps this is the reason why they do it. Not a study of minutia, but of the broad themes and events so that a big picture can be seen and understood. Additionally, while people assume a historian would dwell in the era of study, I don't dive so deep that I enter a mindset or outlook that includes entering that time, in any way other than scholarly. For instance, I love learning about Feudal Japan, but I don't go to events or conventions in Samurai costume, and I don't own a sword from that era. I celebrate the past in certain ways, but I see the human past as a period of time when we knew less, and behaved less wisely because we weren't able to know all we know now. The duration of our species' time on earth is less interesting to me to know details, as it is to know what contributed from any specific moment in time to our lives today. I do celebrate the holidays and end of the year with three rituals, and formerly did four or five.
I watch the Army Navy Game of college football. It is a way to celebrate those who have dedicated their life to defending the country. They represent the future and the accomplishments of the men and women of the military academies and is often a spirited exciting game. My way of getting into it is to wear my US Army t-shirt for one half, and my US Navy hat for the second half. I don't actually care who wins, it is the epitome of celebrating those who serve, rather than a desire to side with the victorious team.
I watch the movie A Christmas Story. It is set in the late 30s or early 40s and has a charm about it. The film story and cast, reminds me of my father, because the movie father was a grumpy man who loved his kids, imperfectly, but secretly he shows his love at Christmas by making Santa's work easier by giving something special. My father wasn't known for extravagance and spending. At Christmas he took an active role in trying to make my brother and I happy. Someone I love referred to my father as a stern man, another called him cheap, but he wasn't cheap. Cheap implies someone choosing poor quality over good quality simply due to cost. He was born in 1929, so he understood the cause for thrift, and he lived in the era of the Great Depression. So rather than flood us year round, he chose the end of the year holidays to express himself.
Last on my list I try to hand write and send 5 cards to family and friends. I used to write many more people, but, my handwriting has declined and people either didn't appreciate my effort, or worse, complained about the handwriting. I aimed at those who I might not see during the year, but I appreciate their presence in my life, wherever they live.
And then there are the rituals for me at the end of the year that have become far less frequent. One was the making of Clam Chowder for either the Christmas Eve buffet that I used to try to do, or for Christmas day. However, with my inability to gather with family or friends for most of two decades, due to health issues and life events, I fell out of that ritual or even doing it in general. As my parents are gone and my health is usually bad, I am rarely able to attend gatherings. (Without detail, I have a need to be near a restroom if I eat. The condition has a name, but people usually don't realize how difficult it can be. It happens to people most often after having had their gallbladder removed).
I did also try to give "Secret Santa" gifts by surprise through the mail to people, but it cost money, various people either didn't acknowledge it, let alone say thanks, and it became a painful reminder to me that whatever my desire to share meant to me, others weren't interested. On facebook one year I sent out 5 of these secret packages via mail, and two of the recipients deleted me shortly after receiving them. I don't know the reason for each, it might have been for a myriad of actual reasons, but whatever the cause, it hurt. For good reason, cost, effort, time and result, I am going to limit this in the future.
IDEAS FOR THINGS TO GIVE AND RECEIVE
End of the year holidays often bring results and final tallies, after months of planning and action. When the year is ended and a new one is slotted to begin, we have a month of various cultural celebrations, religious and non-religious, and often there comes an exchange of gifts. I have more things in my office than I can read, and more than I can watch, and more than I can listen to. So this is a suggested list of items, that I think would be great, but don't buy them for me.
I've written about Faeries and Elves, and King Arthur legends and myths.
These books are deeply woven in their lore, and I find each book to be
magnificent. Edmund Spenser wrote using myth and legend to tell the
greatness of Queen Elisabeth I (7 September 1533-24 March 1603).
Similarly Shakespeare wrote in a time when the perceived era of myth and
legend were closer to the time of the writer's life. His style of
writing is a perfect match to the subject. Lord Dunsany is a big
favorite of mine, and he writes from a place of reverence for the
material, a whimsy and wit, but some find his work too archaic. Well his
writing is brilliant, intricate and elaborate as well. The Ancient Art
of Faery Magick is a wonderful work that any fan of the subject would
enjoy.
Nausicaa is the first Manga I loved, and the story is about a heroic
princess, who flies across the Valley of the Wind. In Manga the story is
well detailed and perfect. In Anime not as perfect. But perhaps I
haven't seen the Japanese language version in far too long.
First off, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email at Alexanderness63@gmail.com.
I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll
follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have a post
box, although I regret that. It was a crushing defeat to no longer
have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product
it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my
home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will
always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email,
I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so
you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.
MY LINKS:
My Poetry Blog AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com
My Published Work AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
My Amazon Page Amazon.com/author/AlexNess
Lovecraft Styled Horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com
Atlantis and other Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com
I have an email list for my blog AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com If you are interested please send me an email asking to join the list. Send an email toAlexanderness63@gmail.com to join the list. I promise never to sell the list or share it.
All works and art remain the property of the owners/creators and nothing more than fair use is asserted.
Final
note: Please remember, there is no such thing as wild or tame. Every
animal in the wild can be your pet, so long as you don't mind the bite
marks, claw marks, the bleeding, the loss of limbs, poisoned wounds and
instant death.
Super siblings save the world: Red Panda & Moon Bear 2! PRAISE FOR RED PANDA & MOON BEAR:
In their second amazing graphic novel, these Cuban American kids are getting even better at using their powers to protect the community... but has their luck just run out? When an evil curse descends upon the city of Martí, it’s up to Red Panda and Moon Bear to put a stop to it... but it won’t be easy! First, they’ll have to solve weird mysteries, fend off new monsters, and uncover the secret history of their neighborhood. With their trusty dog companions and some magical new friends by their side, Red Panda and Moon Bear must find a way to defeat Mal de Ojo — The Evil Eye — and keep it from ruining the lives of everyone they love! Red Panda and Moon Bear (Book 2): The Curse of the Evil Eye by Jarod Roselló |
Returning in a gorgeous new paperback format: the astonishing first prose novel from the legendary Alan Moore — an epic yet intimate portrait of a single English town across the whole span of human history.
In a story full of lust, madness, and ecstasy, we meet twelve distinctive characters that lived in the same region of central England over the span of six thousand years. Their narratives are woven together in patterns of recurring events, strange traditions, and uncanny visions.
Throughout, the image of the fire resonates between the tales, while Moore finds a different voice for each character – though most are inherently duplicitous in some manner, leading to a further commentary on the disparity between myth and reality, and which is more likely to endure over time.
With a new cover design by John Coulthart.
Voice of the Fire (25th Anniversary Edition) by Alan Moore
ISBN 978-1-60309-507-5 | Diamond: NOV210422 | $14.99 (US) | 304 pages
Softcover prose novel | 5" x 8" | for mature readers (16+)
Co-Published by Top Shelf Productions (USA) and Knockabout (UK).
Coming MARCH 2022!
Pre-order from your comic shop | IndieBound | Top Shelf | elsewhere
Junkwraith, the debut graphic novel from Swedish cartoonist Ellinor Richey, is coming in about six weeks... and the early reviews are glowing!
Take the opportunity to pre-order Junkwraith from your favorite shop, and mark your calendar for January 23rd, when you can e-meet Ellinor Richey in conversation with Hannah Templer(Cosmoknights) in an virtual launch party at Mysterious Galaxy Bookshop!
Junkwraith
by Ellinor Richey
ISBN 978-1-60309-500-6 | Diamond: JUN210472 | $24.99 (US) | 320 pages
Full-color softcover graphic novel with flaps
6.5" x 9" | for young adults and up (13+)
Coming JANUARY 2022 — Read a 12-page preview!
Pre-order from your comic shop | IndieBound | Top Shelf | elsewhere
