How to Archer
The Ultimate Guide to Espionage and Style and Women and Also Cocktails Ever Written
Paperback | Kindle Edition
Written by Sterling Archer
HarperCollins/It Books
Released date: January 17, 2012
Price: $15.99

As Mel Brooks once said, “Merchandising!” You can’t be a successful anything these days unless you have a t-shirt, or a CD, or a book, or a million other knick-knacks for fans of the show to buy. Which is why we can now call FX’s Archer a successful show, due the release of How to Archer: The Ultimate Guide to Espionage and Style and Women and Also Cocktails Ever Written. The book is ostensibly written by series star Sterling Archer and explains how you too can become the world’s greatest covert agent. Or at least how to be the second best, because no one can be a better spy than Archer [...]

Phoenix Rising
A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel
Paperback | Kindle
By Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
HarperCollins Voyager
Release Date: April 26, 2011

You know how everyone says to never judge a book by its cover? Well, I did… and boy, was it worth it! I was intrigued by the title Phoenix Rising, or rather the subtitle — A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel — but was snared by the art on the front. Going in with an expectation of sexy, steampunk fantasy I was happily rewarded with an excellent introduction to the characters. Agents Braun and Books came to life immediately. Even better, they continued to grow slowly throughout the book keeping me interested in not just the plotline, but in the character development as well. As with any steampunk novel this book is full of mechanized gadgets, well described and alluring. I might perhaps be doing this book an injustice by labeling it so, as it does have all the earmarks of an excellent fantasy-mystery. That said, it was a well-written, highly entertaining romp [...]

Tales From Development Hell
The Greatest Movies Never Made?

New Updated Edition
Paperback | Kindle
By David Hughes
Titan Books
Release Date: February 28, 2012

The Lowdown

For every movie that gets released each year hundreds or thousands more don’t even make it past the script stage. Some even get cancelled just as filming is about to begin. It’s all part of working in the business. Writers know this. Those who are just starting out with dreams of one day writing for the movies scour trade publications such as Daily Variety and Hollywood Reporter and camp out in Internet chat rooms and film fan forums to read in wide-eyed wonder at the joy they found in news stories about young screenwriters who sold their first script to a major studio for untold sums of money. Sometimes those stories are true, but for most screenwriters before you manage to sell one script you will have to write another ten or twenty that will get tossed in some studio executive’s waste basket or get locked away in your desk drawer for the rest of time [...]

Star Trek: The Rings of Time
The Original Series
By Greg Cox
Paperback | Kindle
Simon and Schuster | Pocket Books
Release date: January 31, 2012

Star Trek: The Rings of Time brings together several things that I love: the original Star Trek series, the Space Program, and the planet Saturn. The book begins in the year 2020 with the crew of the U.S.S Lewis & Clark preparing to make the first manned mission to the planet Saturn.

Heading up the 21st century mission to Saturn is NASA astronaut Colonel Shaun Christopher aboard the U.S.S. Lewis & Clark. If you’re a fan of the original Trek series, then you might recall that surname as one of importance. Captain John Christopher, Shaun’s father, was a U.S. Air Force pilot who had a brush with the U.S.S. Enterprise after the ship went through a time warp that brought them to the late 1960s in the episode Tomorrow Is Yesterday [...]

Monsters Are Just Like Us
Written and drawn by Super Ugly
Action Lab Comics
Release Date: February 22, 2011
Cover Price: $12.95

Have you ever wondered about the habits and daily lives of monsters? Would you be surprised to learn that they engage in mundane activities just like the rest of us? Writer/artist Super Ugly has spilled the beans and given us an inside look at the everyday lives of monsters.

Through the efforts of Super Ugly, we learn that Monsters Are Just Like Us. Monsters alternates between pages with text and hilarious pictures telling us things like “They never clear a paper jam, just like you!” and “They think ‘double-decaf, non-fat, no foam latte’ is coffee just like you!” My personal favorite is “They sing along with Miley Cyrus in the shower, just like you!” Unlike most books that show monsters rampaging and frightening people, Super Ugly shows monsters at work, at home, and at play [...]

Knits For Nerds
30 Projects: Science Fiction, Comic Books, Fantasy
Paperback | Kindle
By Joan of Dark, a.k.a. Toni Carr
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Release date: February 21, 2012

Geek goddess and Roller Derby maven Toni Carr, a.k.a. Joan of Dark, has whipped up the amazing Knits For Nerds as her “gushy love letter to the nerd community.” That love is palpable in every beautifully photographed and neatly arranged page of this how-to guide for geek garb.

Inspired by the handmade costumes and adornments worn by sci-fi convention attendees, Carr has created 30 knitting patterns for such projects as Hobbit Feet Slippers, Trek Girl Dress, Big Bang Sweater Vest (for girls and guys!), and the Super Awesome Fantastic Mega Cute Manga Leg Warmers [...]

A Hard Day’s Knight
A Novel Of The Nightside
by Simon R. Green
Hardcover | paperback | Kindle
Ace Books
Paperback Release Date: December 27, 2012

Welcome to the Nightside, the darkest part of London, where it is always three o’clock in the morning. A Hard Day’s Knight is the eleventh book in the Nightside series from Simon R. Green and it is one of his best. Magical swords, threat of another interplanary war, and lots of folks trying to kill our hero, John Taylor. But let’s be honest, someone is ALWAYS trying to kill John.

We step into this story right after the last book and for poor old John, the hits just keep on coming! Someone sent him a package and inside is nothing less than Excalibur! No Lady of the Lake for this guy, just the regular old mail. As soon as he touches it, however, all of Nightside seems to know that he has it and of course they want to take it from him [...]

The Thorn and the Blossom: A Two-Sided Love Story
Hardcover | Kindle
By Theodora Goss
Quirk Books
Release date: January 17, 2012

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, fantasy author Theodora Goss gifts us with her beautiful new book, The Thorn and the Blossom. (Check out the book trailer below.) This enchanting love story unfolds on two-sided accordion-bound pages.

Evelyn Morgan, an American college student studying abroad, recounts her story on one side while Brendan Thorne, son of a Cornish bookseller, tells us his on the other. Each makes us privy to the secrets they can’t share with each other [...]

Zombies vs. Robots: Pammi Shaw: Creator of Gods and Also Blogger
By Brea Grant
Kindle
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 18, 2012

The Zombies Vs. Robots comics were one of the first big hits for IDW Publishing. Naturally, they continued the story with mores miniseries with Zombies vs. Robots vs. Amazons, and then Zombies vs. Robots Aventure and ZvR: UnderCity. In UnderCity, the character of Pammi Shaw is introduced. She is also the “author” of the blog entries that comprise this short story, Zombies vs. Robots: Pammi Shaw: Creator of Gods and Also Blogger [...]

Hell & Gone
By Duane Swierczynski
Paperback | Kindle
Mulholland Books | Hachette Book Group
Release date: October 31, 2011

In Hell & Gone, a former cop named Charlie Hardie is on the brink of death after a brutal shootout. The group known as The Accidental People has taken him against his own free will to a secret underground prison that holds the most dangerous criminals around the world. The worst part about the prison is that Charlie has been appointed the warden. With any attempt to escape the prison, a death mechanism will be triggered and will kill everyone inside the prison. Charlie must find a way out of the prison and save his family from The Accidental People who have their sights set on killing them if Charlie doesn’t comply [...]

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Written by Mark Twain
Illustrations by Eric Powell
Hardback
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 24, 2012

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as adapted by Eric Powell is more than just a newly illustrated accompaniment to Mark Twain’s classic novel. Recently, new editions of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn have been released replacing the controversial language of the 19th century original. However, publisher IDW and artist Eric Powell made the conscious decision to release this adaptation as it was initially published. This illustrated version represents an independent publisher rejecting the idea of censoring an American classic. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn illustrated by Eric Powell is a wonderful way to revisit this piece of classic American literature [...]

The Sigh
Hardcover
Written and Illustrated by Marjane Satrapi
Translated by Edward Gauvin
Archaia Entertainment
Release date: November 8, 2011

The English translation of Marjane Satrapi’s The Sigh was released back in November and I had the good fortune of getting a review copy of this amazing fairy tale.

The Sigh tells the story of Rose, whose merchant father promises to bring back gifts for her and her two sisters from an extensive trip overseas. After much anticipation, the girls are delighted when he finally returns home bearing the requested gifts –– all except for Rose. Her father had not been able to find the seed of a blue bean that Rose had asked for. In her disappointment, Rose lets out a deep sigh, which unwittingly summons the mysterious eponymous creature to their door [...]

The Child Thief
By Brom
Paperback | Kindle
HarperCollins Voyager
Release date: August 27, 2010

The prologue to artist Brom‘s novel The Child Thief begins with a girl who is afraid of an abusive stepfather, which leads into the appearance of Peter Pan, who has come to “save” this child from the certain doom she faced at the hands of the malevolent step-parent. But in Brom’s world, things are not as clear cut as they seem. When people grow up, they often start to see the odd perversity in the idea that a teenage boy who is perpetually young can bring little boys to an island with no grown-ups (and seemingly no problems), which ties into the whole Michael Jackson and Neverland Ranch issues. But in this version of the tale, Peter Pan is about as similar to his Disney incarnation as Robin Williams is to Justin Bieber [...]

Crooked Hills
Written by Cullen Bunn
Earwig Press
Release Date: May 7, 2011

I cannot think of a more difficult genre to write in then young adult horror. On one hand you have to maintain an element of fright and suspense to keep the genre true to its form. On the other hand as a writer you have to carefully construct frightening scenarios as to not traumatize young readers (at least not too much).

Cullen Bunn seems to have found that sweet spot with his latest young adult horror novel Crooked Hills. What Cullen Bunn has done here is create something that is often scary and nerve wracking, but at its core a testament to the spirit of childhood adventure [...]

Geektionary
Paperback | Kindle
Written by Gregory Bergman and Josh Lambert
Adams Media
Release date: January 16, 2011

There is a common misconception that all geeks like the same things. While it is true that some franchises like Star Wars seem to be universally loved by all geeks, there are several different geek categories. Explaining this to a nongeek used to be a difficult task and would require a clever video or PowerPoint presentation… until now.

The Geektionary is a helpful guide to the many different genres of geekdom. There is individual chapters on Science Fiction, Comic Books, Anime and Manga, Science, and even a chapter on Sports. Of course, there are also chapters on Gaming and Television and the Movies [...]

One Buck Horror Anthology: Vol. 4
Kindle
Edited by Christopher Hawkins, Kris M. Hawkins
Written By Erath Juarez, Mark Onspaugh, Nick A. Zaino III, M.R. Jordan, Kristine Ong Muslim
Coronis Publishing
Release date: December 2, 2011
Price: $0.99

The latest volume from One Buck Horror brings us another treasure trove of quick and dark treats from authors around the globe. The One Buck Anthologies are new to me, so I was kind of shocked that it was such a tiny tome (where the hell have I been?). While I enjoyed all five stories, I’d be willing to pay a whole five bucks to read longer, better developed short stories. Then again, I am the Book Slave and I live to read; you, dear readers, may appreciate the fact that you can finish a whole One Buck story before your laptop can finish booting, and the whole eBook in between ordering and receiving your tall mocha-latte-chino-thingy.

My descriptions for the stories in One Buck Horror Anthology: Volume 4 are intentionally brief and worth about two cents. Buy the book; it’s worth the meager investment of both time and money — only 99 cents — to discover promising new authors [...]

Darth Paper Strikes Back
An Origami Yoda Book
By Tom Angleberger
Amulet Books
Hardcover
Release Date: August 23, 2011

Darth Paper Strikes Back was extraordinarily entertaining. Granted, I went into it without much as far as expectations go. I was unsure how much I was going to enjoy a young adult novel, especially a sequel to another one I had never read. But, lo and behold, it was cute and I found myself reminiscing about my middle school years. Not that I had a lot of Star Wars stuff or anything. Okay, maybe I did, don’t judge me! But in all honesty, the book deals more with interpersonal relations between students than with anything Lucasfilm-ish [...]

Before I Go to Sleep
Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle Edition
By S.J. Watson
Harper Collins
Release date: June 14, 2011

Before I Go to Sleep is the thrilling debut novel by S.J. Watson (watch the book trailer below). Here’s a little back-story on how I found this gem in that vast pile of rubble known as the internet. A couple of months ago while perusing one of the countless advice-for-writers websites I’ve been known to haunt, I stumbled upon an ad in the sidebar for a book. Like most people who spend too much idle time online, I’ve trained myself to ignore most ad content that isn’t flashing, twirling, or talking at me on autoplay. But this was a simple book ad with a picture of a book cover, a title, and an unfamiliar author’s name. I’ve probably seen thousands of them. But something made me click on S.J. Watson’s Before I Go to Sleep. An hour later, I’d read the synopsis and then a very generous excerpt of the book and had totally forgotten the website that linked me to this treasure or whatever writing advice I’d hoped to glean from it. I knew I had to buy this book and immediately added it to my ever-growing list of “must-reads.” [...]

Practical Jean
By Trevor Cole
Paperback | Kindle
Harper Perennial
Release Date: October 11, 2011

In Practical Jean, Jean Vale Horemarsh lives a nice small town life with her not so wonderful husband and her small town friends. After taking care of her dying mother, Jean has a change of heart on how to live life. She thinks that people should die at the happiest moments of life rather than growing old and dying of an illness. Jean decides to give this gift of dying at your happiest moment to her best friends. She decides that she has to kill her friends.

When I first read the description for this book, it sounded like something very new and creative to read. I started to read the book and it took me a few chapters to really dig into the story. After reading for some time, I found myself enjoying where the story was going [...]

Angelfall
By Susan Ee
Penryn & the End of Days, Book 1
Kindle
Feral Dream
$2.99
Release date: May 21, 2011

A post-apocalyptic novel set in a world where angels have taken over (not the cute Valentine’s Day card, but the biblical “we destroy everything in our path” type), Angelfall establishes a version of Earth that has become a wasteland and battle ground for the squabbles between angels and fallen angels. In the midst of this, a teenage girl, Penryn, finds herself caught up in the angel drama when she witnesses a fight and gets caught in a skirmish between some feuding angels. One minute Penryn carries her younger sister, Paige, down a flight of stairs, and the next, she witnesses the Archangel Gabriel dying (apparently, there’s footage of him being gunned down from the pile of rubble that was Jerusalem) [...]