"Beyond All Weapons" by L. Ron Hubbard

"Beyond All Weapons"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multicast performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio
Approx. 2 hours.

I have figured it out, right before I start any audio book which is 10 hours or more of listening time, I'm going to fill in with an intermission of one of these L. Run Hubbard audio pulps. Back in the day before a movie the audience would get treated to a cartoon, serial or news reel. Well these audio pulps released by Galaxy Audio are just like those serials, and some of the stories are "cartoony," in that they are fun and short. These larger than life characters and interesting adventures are the perfect fit for a two hour audio enjoyment.

One of the main reasons for the audio enjoyment is the great acting. In researching these stories, I found they put the actors in the same room at the same time so they can see what each other is doing and work off that, much like the old time radio shows. Another feature is the original music composed specifically for each book. Very creative and innovative audio book production by Galaxy Audio.

The latest in my adventures is the book "Beyond All Weapons," a collection of stories that were originally published in the science-fiction pulps of the 40s and 50s. This audio book contains three sci-fi stories that demonstrate Hubbard's science fiction mastery but also the stories in this particular edition seem to be a bit more brainy. In fact the first one is a very neat explanation of Einstein's theory of Relativity as it pertains to space travel.

Let me sum up each story one by one.

"Beyond All Weapons", originally published in "Super Science Stories," January, 1950 is about the colonists of Mars wanting to get away from and destroy the tyrannical war mongers that have taken over Earth and threaten to take over Mars. The fighters have recently acquired a new fuel that will enable them to reach light speed and take the "refugees" out of the system. They manage to have enough for ships to arrive at a new habitable planet after 9 days, covering several thousand light years. Once settled on the planet they make a weapon that will enable them to return to Earth and defeat the tyrannical government. But returning to Earth they find all life gone. The twist in the story not only gives the brain a good physica problem to solve but Hubbard has also built in a bit of a morality tale into this story that will leave thinking philosophically.

"Strain," originally published in Astounding Science Fiction, April 1942, tells of a prisoner of war and how the enemy tortures him to find the secrets of an impending invasion. This story is one of futility and pain as the officer does everything he can think of to escape and once that is determined to be an unobtainable goal he becomes determined not to share the secrets. Once again Hubbard throws that inevitable twist in the story that would leave a fan of "The Twilight Zone," gasping.

The final story "The Invaders," originally published in Astounding Science Fiction, January 1942, is a little more of a light-hearted story, especially when compared to the previous two emotional stories. This one tells of a technician that was sent to a nebula where a rare and valuable crystal is being mined. However the miners are under constant attack from beings that seem to adapt to each weapon being used. The technician is sent to create a new weapon that will destroy the creatures so the crystal can be mined safely. The officer in charge of the the mining facility seems to do everything to keep the technician from destroying the creatures. The technician wants to explore outside the nebula and deep inside, with no real concern for the creatures, but the officer just wants his weapon. Eventually the problem is solved but I will warn you, this one is very deep philosophically and yet a bit humorous.

All in all these pulps bring back the years of the pulp magazines of the mid 20th century and bring back some fun stories that should not be forgotten.

"Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers" By Grant Naylor

"Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers"
By Grant Naylor
Multicast Performance
BBC radio broadcast of Abridged audiobook
Approx 3 hours.


Recently I watched the entire 8 seasons of the British space comedy TV series, Red Dwarf. I didn't watch the series much when it actually aired (on PBS here in the states), but I did catch a few episodes and thought them to be funny...very funny actually, with that great sarcasm and dry wit that the Brits do best. After watching all 8 seasons, I kept asking, "Is that all?" It couldn't be there was too much more fun to be had. The actors were brilliant in their roles as a diverse set of characters pretty much marooned in space, at least until season 7, then things got weird (weirder?). Anyway as I found out that wasn't all. There are books out there, my fave, cool, let me at 'em. I found that the first book had been broadcast on BBC Radio with the original cast and that's the one I had to get. After all Douglas Adams made some great strides in the retelling of his "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" on BBC Radio, so this had to be great. Yes it was and more so.

Here's the premise of the series "Red Dwarf;" Dave Lister is one of the lowliest crew members on the interstellar mining ship Red Dwarf. He's the guy that cleans the gunk out of the chicken soup vending machines. Arnold Rimmer is is boss of sorts. Dave is a laid back curry eating, beer drinking, cigarette smoking slob who just wants to go back to Earth. Arnold Rimmer is the overachiever that never can pass his officer's exam. They are bunk mates on the Red Dwarf. On the last day of their lives, okay last day of Rimmer's life, Dave is placed in time stasis as punishment for bringing an unquarantined animal (a cat by the name of Frankenstein) on board. Time stasis is a pretty cool punishment, if you ask me. The punished is locked in and for the time of sentence (3 years in Lister's case) time goes by for everyone else and not you, okay you lose 3 years of pay in this case, but to the punished it only takes a moment.

Alright, so Lister is locked into stasis. The Red Dwarf then has a core meltdown creating hydrogen bomb effect on board, thus all lifeforms destroyed but electronics and the ship are fine. So Lister is release out of stasis 3 million years later after all harm of radiation has passed and he finds himself not only alone on the ship but alone in the universe, yes the human race is extinct. So the ships computer, Hollie, revives Lister's bunkmate, Rimmer, as a hologram. The technology is so energy consumptive that the ship's resource can only support one hologram. The problem is what Hollie thinks may save Lister's sanity, actually may cause him to go insane, picture "The Odd Couple" in space and you have the comedy makings of this fiasco.

It is soon discovered that during the 3 million years that infamous cat of Lister's was safe behind cargo bay doors and reproduced over the timespan and eventually the cats evolved over 3 million years into Felis Sapiens. Humanoids but still cats at heart, any cat lover would love this character. Later in this book after discovering a crash landed Earth space craft the crew is rounded out with Kryten, a mechanoid, a robot designed to serve.

This audiobook is basically a retelling of the first season of the series and a portion of season two. The additional material is what makes this a big bonus. Not only do you get the retelling but also some back story, like how Lister got to be on the Red Dwarf, more information on the evolution of Cat, and some extra fun information.

If you are a fan of Red Dwarf, you'll love this audio book, If you have never watched a single episode, check out this audio book and then get ready for the urge to watch the series.

"First Lord's Fury" Book six of the Codex Alera by Jim Butcher

"First Lord's Fury"
Book six of the Codex Alera
by Jim Butcher
Published November 2009 by ACE


Shakespeare said,"there is no new thing under the sun." and The Bible says the same, (Ecclesiastes 1:9-14 NIV) "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." So I've often wondered if writers will ever run out of material to write about. After some pondering I've somewhat come to agree with Billy S. and the Bible, but I think it's all a matter of how you tell it. The reason I bring this up is that while reading this final book in the "Codex Alera," by Jim Butcher, I found myself comparing the events in this book (and series as a whole) to some of my other favorites in fiction. While the uneducated would call it stealing, I definitely don't see it that way and accepted the fact that Jim Butcher is a master story teller and if he borrows ideas, or just simply comes up with ideas that have been used by others, the bully for him. In fact the real genius in these books is that Butcher takes several different elements in fiction and rolls them up to create a gooey sticky delicious fantasy adventure that should be on everyone's reading list.

Let me first give you my comparisons. First we have the major enemy of the land of Alera, the Vord. The Vord is an unrelenting hive-mind enemy led by a single queen. They assimilate those they conquer (as well as creating bug like creatures) and their goal is total destruction until there is nothing but Vord. I found myself comparing the Vord to a combination of The Borg, from the Star Trek Series' and the bugs from Starship Troopers. They did share qualities but Jim Butcher created the ultimat destructive force when he created the Vord.

The series of books follows the life of Tavi, later Gaius Octavian. A young man that could not control the magic of "furies." The furies are representations of the elements, earth, water, fire, air, steel and those that control them usually specialize in a particular fury element and have powers related to those furies. For example, those that control air furies can fly, steel and earth furies have extreme strength and so on. As the series progress it is learned that Tavi had the power of fury-crafting somewhat hidden by his mother so he would be safe. Also as the series progressed Tavi not only learned fury-crafting but became better at it than any other Aleran. This aspect reminded me of the progression of the powers and secrets behind J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.

During the telling of the tale of Tavi, and as he grows stronger, he must travel to other lands and recruit help from many forces and races to bring a war to the evil that is the Vord. He recruits the Murat a fighting race that take on the resemblance of the different animals they "bond" with. He recruits the Canim, a wolf like race that, as it turns out, was run out of their lands by the Vord. this aspect reminds me of the entire "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Once again I have to say, yes they have similarities, but Jim Butcher finds a way to meld these ideas into an entertaining series. So while there may be nothing new, Jim Butcher has found a way to make it seem new in this wonderful tale. Therefore, it's all in the storytelling.

Now to talk about this book. Basically there are three fronts for the final battle between the Alerans ( now including the Canim and the Murat); The hive itself where the Vord Queen has taken Tavi's mother hostage, and directs her swarm of Vord alongside Lady Invidia, a traitor to her kind. The northland and into the city of Reva with Tavi and his forces of Aleran Legions and Canim warriors. This one is constantly moving to what will be the final battle in the third and final front in the war Calderon. This is the safest place in all Alera and the battles from the fortified city are some of the best in the series.

As the three fronts merge into one final battle site the characters all grow stronger and as the reader I became completely immersed in their lives and at times kept wanting to put the book down, only because I did not want it to end. After all this is the final book in the series. Tavi learns Kitai is pregnant, traitors are exposed and dealt with and assassination attempts are thwarted.

So with all the melding of great ideas and the super storytelling ability of Jim Butcher, the Codex Alera comes to an end with one of the greatest battles ever and leaving the reader wanting more.

Thank you Jim Butcher.

"The Crossroads" By L. Ron Hubbard

"The Crossroads"
By L. Ron Hubbard
Multicast performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio
and Golden Age Stories
Approx. 2 hours

I have found my new addiction, Pulp magazine audio books. The old pulps full of short stories by great authors seem like a thing of the past. I don't know of any magazines that print short stories within any genre like they used to back in the mid 20th century. Some of the best science-fiction writers practiced their arts in those magazines. Golden Age Stories and Galaxy Press have taken over 150 stories by L. Ron Hubbard and have produced their own pulps, in the printed books they include some of the original artwork that went along with the stories and the books can contain from one to five stories within a genre. The many genres Mr. Hubbard wrote in were; Sea Adventure, Far Flung Adventure, Air Adventure, Westerns, Fantasy and my favorite, Science-Fiction.

Galaxy Audio (part of Galaxy Press, of course) has produced each of these "pulps" into what I would term Pulp Audio books. They have kept them affordable at 2 hours of stories for only $9.95 (2 discs). I understand they are also available as downloads, and sometime ask me about the super cool ePulp (a fully loaded iPod).

The great thing about Galaxy Audio is that they have taken these fantastic tales with larger than life characters and created some great listening. Like the printed books re-create the old pulps, the audio versions, with their multi-cast acting, sound effects and superb incidental music, re-create the old time radio dramas. The larger than life characters are superbly acted out and seem to be even larger than larger than life.

Here are the three stories included with this audio book:

"The Crossroads"
Originally published in February, 1941 issue of "Unknown Fantasy Fiction," may seem a bit like a lesson in capitalism and socialism. Farmer Eben Smith is fed up with the government paying him to bury his surplus produce in order to fix the economy when there are people starving in the world. So, Eben loads up his cart with some of his surplus, hooks up the horse and decides to take the food to the city and share the wealth, while making a little bit of money as well. Eben finds himself lost at a very strange crossroads. The crossroads consists of four very different roads: the wheel rutted road he's traveling, a white dusty trail, a road that consists of large boulders, and a shiny metal road. The travelers on each road seem to have something to barter, but once the barter starts each society represented by a road goes into turmoil. I guess this is what happens when a farmer falls into a nexus of time.

"Borrowed Glory"
Originally published in October, 1941 issue of "Unknown Worlds," Is a bit of a romantic story that tells of two magical beings that make a bet that a human cannot have everything he/she wants and then give it back after only 48 hours. One of the being seeks out an elderly woman that is on her death bed with no friends or family. She has led her life hanging in the background and is dying a lonely woman. Given the chance to love and be happy for 48 hours is a perfect chance for her. She soon meets a rich playwright and falls in love. The star-crossed lovers complete their whirlwind romance by getting married. As the woman approaches her 48th hour she leaves her husband and tells him not to look for her. As any man in love would do, he tracks her down, and in true L. Ron Hubbard form brings a conclusion to the story which may surprise you.

"The Devil's Rescue"
Originally published in October, 1940 issue of "Unknown Fantasy Fiction," a sailor is lost at sea after all the members of his ship have died just as they round The Cape of Good Hope. After he spends a week alone in a small lifeboat, he is rescued by a mysterious ship with an even more mysterious crew. He soon finds himself rolling bones to save his skin. This story is one that shows the jack-of-all-trades background of L. Ron Hubbard. Hubbard was once a sea-farin' man and his use of the terminology really shines here, as a former Navy man I loved hearing the nautical terms to push the story along.

Once again another collection of larger than life stories to lose yourself for a couple of hours.

"Destiny's Drum" by L. Ron Hubbard Multicast Performance Produced 2010 by Galaxy Audio

"Destiny's Drum"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multicast Performance
Produced 2010 by Galaxy Audio
Approx 2 hours.

Recently I've been listening to the Galaxy Audio releases of the old L. Ron Hubbard science-fiction stories from the days of the pulps, 30s-40s. As I would do the research and find out more about these writings I found that they are also releasing other genres of L. Ron Hubbard's multitude of fictional short stories and novellas. The other genres are; westerns, tales from the Orient, far flung adventure, air adventure, sea adventure, mystery and fantasy. I have read some of the fantasy and they were just as fun to read, or listen to, as in this case. So I decided to try another genre. The far flung adventure caught my fancy so I picked out the title "Destiny's Drum." And once again my commutes were fun, while listening to this novella.

Before I get into the meat of the story, once again I would like to spout a little praise on the production of these audio books. Galaxy Audio mixes just the right amount of sound effects to keep the listener lost in the story, yet not too much to overpower the production. The acting in these stories, as well as the narration, really keep the feel of the time in which the original stories were written. They come across as old radio serials, with moments of urgency and humor mixed in with just the right amount to not sound hokey. I almost expect the end of each chapter to end with the narrator booming in, "Tune in next week for more daring adventures..." No matter what genre the stories, Galaxy Audio makes listening fun and exciting.

The story behind "Destiny's Drum" is that a renegade by the name of Phil Sheridan lands on the shores of the forgotten Indonesian island o f Kamling. He's captured by a primitive tribe (could they be cannibals?) and taken to their camp to meet their leader. It turns out the tribe's leader is Jose Emanuel Batista, slave trafficker, murderer, con-artist now tyrant.

Portuguese Joe, as Batista is otherwise known, knows of Sheridan's past and decides he doesn't need him meddling in his island paradise, so he sentences Sheridan to be killed in front of a firing squad. Sheridan cons the con-man and makes his escape into the jungle on the island. Where he runs into the island's true King, and another con-man turned gold miner. In order to get off the Island Sheridan has to get past Portuguese Joe and his tribe of Muslim cannibals, so he recruits the help of the miner and the king to overpower Batista.

This is a continuous island adventure that keeps you waiting for the next chapter, in fact I found myself taking the long way a couple of times just so I could listen for a little longer. One thing to keep in mind, this is an L.Ron Hubbard story so expect some very interesting twists and turns in the plot and the story may go a direction you aren't expecting. Just when you think you got it figured out and you're having fun listening to the story, it turns out you're still having fun, but it's not what you think.

Howard The Duck (Trade Paperback) by Steve Gerber Published 2002 by Marvel Comics

Howard The Duck (Trade Paperback)
by Steve Gerber
Published 2002 by Marvel Comics


When I first started "seriously" collecting comics I was collecting Spider-Man and anything by Todd McFarlane, including his Spider-Man stuff. I then realized that the rock band KISS had some comics, so I sought out the 2 Marvel Kiss comics and then Marvel's Kissnation. I did some further research and found that the very first appearance of KISS in comics was in issue 13 of the original "Howard the Duck." This issue also featured Spider-Man so it was a win-win. I soon found out that it was a win-win-win, because the issue revealed the subtleties of Howard the Duck and his troubled life. When I was younger I remember seeing my dad read a couple issues of the comic, I tried but being a kid, I just didn't get it then. Howard was a political-social commentary comic book, and at the time was a bit over my head. But then reading those back issues in my adult life, I found some very creative writing and some funny stuff.

Fast forward to the late 90s and I'm struggling to keep up with all the comics I want to collect. Spider-Man has about 7 different titles, Todd Mcfarlane has branched out and KISS launches another comic book under the Vertigo comics label. I'm starting to get tired of collecting, keeping up seems to be work and the fun has gone out of the reading because of this. In 2002 I learn that Marvel is relaunching the "Howard the Duck" series and this time they'll do it some extra justice because they are releasing it under the Max list of titles. The Max sub branch are a bit darker and definitely more adult themed. For starters the characters can use the "F-word." But alas at this time the comics industry has burned me out and I just quit buying comics.

Now this series only lasted 6 issues and I never gave it a chance, so when I see the trade paperback compiling all 6 issues into one I had to pick it up and see what I missed. I'm glad I did. No, it didn't get me back into collecting again but it did provide a great time reading a funny social satire in the form of a comic book. I thought it very weird that the cover had a picture of a mouse in a Howard costume (including the inevitable cigar) but that was soon explained.

Before I talk about the storyline in this one I should maybe give a little background on Howard. Years ago Howard was down in the dumps and about to commit suicide when he was sucked into some sort of space time vortex that transported him from his alternative planet where the dominant sentient life form was evolved from ducks, not apes. He finds himself crash landed in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Here he is befriended by Beverly Switzer. Through many adventures he and Beverly become pretty close but a human and a duck in love? That's just wrong. During one of these adventures Beverly is tricked into marrying Dr. Bong ( a bell headed evil villain).

So life continues for Howard & Beverly in the year 2002 and they find themselves living in a shack in a junkyard, because they can't find jobs. Beverly is then offered a job paying $125,000 a year. It all sounds too good to be true, well, that's because it is. The job is weird in that they are testing the appeal of boy bands on gay men. Well if a member of a new boy band doesn't test high enough, his body is thrown back into the DNA tank and an new band member is manufactured. Oh yeah and the C.E.O. of this company, Howard's arch-nemesis, Dr. Bong. Dr. Bong basically only hired Beverly to try to win her back.

Things get even weirder when Howard confronts Dr. Bong at the testing labs/DNA labs and Howard is thrown into one of the DNA tanks. Howard is turned into a Rat, er..uh, a mouse. Howard's DNA becomes unstable and soon Dr. Bong makes one final attempt at getting Beverly back by calling homeland security and telling them Osama el-Braka is hiding in the junkyard. After the army and girl scouts destroy the shack they find that there is no Osama or a duck (remember, Howard's a mouse now) so they apologize and leave. But this leaves the pair homeless.

Beverly and Howard end up staying at a metaphysical halfway house full of strange beings and then making an appearance on the Iprah show with guest Dr. Phlip. Iprah becomes posessed by Deuteronomy a heavenly experiment gone wrong, that was supposed to replace God because he's on a bender on Earth. Howard then learns the truth of existence and is told the secrets of God, Earth and Life.

Very entertaining stuff here, great social commentary and very unique looks at religion and government. Another aspect to remember is that this is a comic book so there are some pictures to look at as well. And as is tradition with any Howard the Duck comic, look closely at all the frames in the comics and you'll see many hidden pictures and further commentary. Oh yeah KISS makes an appearance in this collection as well.

"A Matter of Matter" by L. Ron Hubbard

"A Matter of Matter"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multicast performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio
through goldenagestories.com
Approx. 2 hours

Once again I get the chance to revisit the days when sci-fi ruled. Going back to the Golden Age of sci-fi you have to remember that then the stories were sold to various pulp magazine publications such as "Astounding Science Fiction," "Startling Stories," and "Thrilling Wonder Stories." Through these pulps you could get your weekly fix of some great science-fiction through various authors. L. Ron Hubbard wrote hundreds of stories during this time and many in the sci-fi genre. Galaxy Press has started releasing a line of books (12 titles/year since 2008) each with a collection of Hubbard's short stories. These books are released in their own "pulp" version or as audio books.

This audio book contains 4 stories including the main title, "A Matter of Matter," with a cast of performers and narrated by R.F. Daley. Daley delivers the stories in a manner that immediately blasts the listener back to a simpler time, when these stories could have been aired on a nightly radio broadcast. The entire production reminds me of the old radio shows yet they still have a fun modern feel to them.

One thing I have gathered from listening to these audio books is that L.Ron Hubbard knew how to throw a twist on a story. The events of the stories are a great tale in and of themselves but Hubbard throws a wily twist at the end that could put an old "Twilight Zone" episode to shame. These twists are not entirely out of the blue, yet they do keep the listener guessing.

Here's a rundown of each story in this collection.

"A Matter of Matter"
First appearing in "Astounding Science Fiction" in August of 1949, this story tells of a young man eager to become king of his own world and through an advertising flyer he finds he can purchase a planet. There are many planets out there so the capitalists on Earth have decided to sell them off. Chuck Lambert is one of those suckers, er, uh, I mean customers. The day comes when Chuck's final payment is made and he blasts off for his planet. According to the contract he must spend 11 years on the planet. He lands on the planet to find out he's been suckered. Everything is opposite for him on this planet. The air suffocates him, yet there is green grass and plants, the water is refused by his stomach and the gravity makes him float. Chuck has been suckered. Or has he?

"The Conroy Diary"
First appearing in "Astounding Science Fiction" in May of 1949, tells of a man whose outer space adventures are a series of outlandish and comical tales that there is no way they can be real. Everyone laughs at the stories being published, then when the author of these stories is taken to court for unpaid taxes he is forced to reveal his sources and income. This could lead to the fall or surge of the exploration of space depending on how the case comes out.

"The Planet Makers"
First appearing in "Thrilling Wonder Stories" October, 1949, is the perfect story of how some folks will do anything to get out of a contract. A major corporation has paid to have a planetoid terraformed, but the contract says if ahead of schedule the contractors will be paid millions in bonuses, if late the corporation gets the planet for free. Sleepy Mcgee the head engineer, never gets upset when delays happen and equipment breaks down, even when the corporate big wig yells and screams, he just goes on playing poker via radio link with another engineer. Will the plantoid ever get completed?

"The Obsolete Weapon"
First appearing in "Astounding Science Fiction" May, 1948, is a great time travel story. A young soldier fighting Germans in WWII Italy finds himself blasted back to the time of Nero and finds himself as a spectacle in the Colosseum. With his modern weapons of war, the lions, elephants and slaves are no match, but when Nero feels threatened and sends out the legions he finds himself in need of a miracle.

All four of these stories make for a great 2 hours spent listening to some "old timey" science fiction that is very enjoyable.

"Lifeblood" Book 2 of the Vampire Files by P.N. Elrod

"Lifeblood"
Book 2 of the Vampire Files
by P.N. Elrod
read by Barett Whitener
Produced 2009 by Blackstone Audio


Once again P.N. Elrod has created a fun read in the second installment of The Vampire Files, with "Lifeblood." What makes these books fun is that they are not just another book about vampires but they are the film noir of vampire novels. Did you ever read any of the old detective magazines with stories about a private investigator of sorts cracking the case while at the same time narrating every little detail? Well that's what you can expect from The Vampire Files.

Barrett Whitener reads them in the fashion that brings up pictures of Humphry Bogart or William Powell as the detective. His delivery is perfect for the first person telling of these stories. Especially when he has to deliver such lines as; "That thought chafed at me like starched underwear." or "The knife was so sharp it hurt to look at it." These are classic examples of the language from the style these books are written in and Barrett Whitener knows how to deliver them.

Jack Fleming was an investigative journalist in Prohibition-era New York but when he died he became a Vampire and moved to Chicago. In P.N. Elrod's vampire mythology vampires exchange blood with a human and after the human dies they may or may not become a vampire. The logic behind this is that if in every case of blood "sharing" the human became a vampire, the world would be overrun by vampires. Makes sense. In Jack's case, he was sent by the paper to cover the world premiere of the movie "Dracula" starring Bela Lugosi. There he meets Maureen and they discuss the possibilities, they fall in love and she tells Jack she's an honest to goodness vampire. The inevitable blood exchange happens, with neither of them knowing if it'll take. Maureen then leaves saying someone is after her and Jack never hears from her again. In the meantime (book one of the series) Jack is killed and comes back as a vampire. He also becomes associated with a private investigator in Chicago, Charles Escott.

In this book, it has been 5 years since Maureen disappeared and up until now Jack has been running ads in the personal columns in several newspapers nationwide asking if she is safe. (remember it is the mid 1930s and Craigslist has yet to be invented) The five years past Jack has been faithful to finding Maureen, but he has now fallen in love with a nightclub singer he rescued in book one. So he stops he ads. His current love is about to hit it big with a radio broadcast performance and Jack is ready to move on.

The problem with stopping the ads is that it brings Jack to the attention of people who have been also looking for Maureen. One of these is a nearly comical team of vampire hunters named Braxton and Webster. Braxton owned a bookstore in New York specializing in rare books, especially those on the occult, he has been hunting Maureen and when Jack stops the ads he knows Jack has been changed. The other is Maureen's younger sister, now 82 years old (yes, vampirism keeps you looking young). The sister is wanting to find Maureen because she is dying, she wants Maureen to turn her into a vampire.

What soon becomes a hunt for the truth Jack and Escott have to solve the mystery of the never before heard of sister of Maureen and at the same time keeping the vampire hunters at bay.

With some great mysteries to be solved and even a few laughs thrown in "Lifeblood" is worth the listen whether you are a detective or vampire fan.

"In Odd We Trust" Written by Queenie Chan & Dean Koontz

"In Odd We Trust"
Written by Queenie Chan & Dean Koontz
Illustrations by Queenie Chan
Published 2009 by Del Rey

Have you ever read a comic book? I love comic books. Stephen King turned his "Dark Tower" series into a comic book series, Clive Barker has some comics based on some of his stories and so has Dean Koontz. It looks like Dean Koontz "Frankenstein" series is out in comic book form. What a great genre for authors such as these. There is a specialized genre of comics originated by the Japanese called "Manga." Manga comics not only tell great stories but feature some very unique illustrations. At the same time Manga comics have some fun quirks, like large eyes, extremely large tear drops to show sadness or exasperation, but they are very fun to read.

That's what this review is about. Dean Koontz created the series of "Odd Thomas" books (4, so far) that tells the story of a young humble every man that has 2 special gifts. The first and foremost is that he sees dead people. Not only does he see them but he does something about it. Let me explain further for the uninformed. Odd Thomas (yep, that's the name his parents gave him) sees the recently departed or rather, souls that have died but haven't yet moved on. Usually the reason they haven't moved on is that they've been murdered and Odd must solve their murder before they can move on. There is the exception of one soul, that of "The King," Elvis himself. Odd doesn't know why "The King" hasn't moved on or why he has chosen Odd's home town of Pico Mundo, California, to hang out, but he is pretty good company. The recently departed cannot talk, Odd doesn't know why and this makes things a bit harder when it comes to solving murders. By the way, in the later books by Dean Koontz, Elvis moves on and Frank Sinatra hangs out with Odd.

This manga comic is a prequel to the books written by Koontz and is co-written by Manga author/illustrator Queenie Chan. Queenie Chan has published several manga novels through TokyoPop.

This story is full of the twists and turns that Dean Koontz puts into every Odd Thomas novel. A child in Pico Mundo has been murdered and since Odd can see the boy's ghost, it is up to Odd to solve this crime. It turns out the kid's nanny is being stalked and when the stalker tried to deliver an eerie letter to the nanny the little boy was home from school early and the stalker killed him. What happens next is that Odd must find out who the killer/stalker is and keep him from killing another easy target.

Remember this is a Dean Koontz novel as well as a Queenie Chan manga and just when you think you have it solved, another turn in the story comes up and throws it all out of whack. The illustrations that push the story along are brilliant and the story follows great in the Odd Thomas collection.

"Under the Dome: A Novel" by Stephen King Published 2009 by Scribner

"Under the Dome: A Novel"
by Stephen King
Published 2009 by Scribner

When it comes to horror Stephen King is the master, but he doesn't always write about horror, sometimes Stephen King writes about the human condition and how human beings treat other human beings, and when looked at under the Stephen King magnifying glass that can be pretty horrific.

When I first picked up this huge book, I thought, "When am I going to find the time to read a 1,500+ page book?" Well, I did find the time and am I glad I did. During the reading of this book I felt as though I were hovering above the microcosm of the town of Chester's Mill, Maine and observing the trapped insects within. Stephen King has taken the faithful reader on many adventures which are epic sagas, for example; "The Stand," The Dark Tower series, "The Shining," "It," and others. These books not only tell a story but they tell a story on a grand scale that would astonish Tolkien or Herbert. "Under the Dome" definitely falls into this grand scale, not only because of the length of 1,500+ pages, but because of the depth the reader gets to know the characters involved.

The premise of the story is pretty much, "What would happen if all of a sudden a town was covered in a dome?" The answer to that is, "It depends on who lives in that town." That's what happens to the small town of Chester's Mill. A dome of unknown material and origin surrounds and covers the town all of a sudden on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Being a typical Stephen King novel the initial affects are pretty gruesome; a woodchuck gets sliced in half with one side on the dome and one on the other, a plane flying in the dome hits the dome itself, crashes, and sends body parts flying, a woman gardening at the edge of where the dome materializes gets her hands cut off, and many birds flying nonchalantly smash into the dome and die. All of this within the first 50 pages!

What happens next is where the true epoch begins. The U.S. government tries to bust the dome from the outside with missiles and learns the strange phenomenon is impermeable. Inside the dome is a former soldier, Dale Barbara, who after Afghanistan wants to simply blend in and not be noticed. But the President jumps him up to Colonel and says he's in charge until the threat is gone.

The problem with that is a greedy politician and religious zealot, "Big Jim" Renfield. Rennie, to his friends, is the second selectman in this town and uses the dome to try and become a dictator. The issue with Big Jim is that he has also used the town, his church and the local Christian radio station to become the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of meth-amphetamine. He was under investigation by the state's attorney general and the local sheriff but since the dome happened he sees himself as exonerated and in charge.

Rennie soon starts recruiting the town's bullies as police officers and declares his own form of Marshall law. He closes down the grocery stores, ceases all sales of liquor and even starts a food riot to show how he knows best. Rennie sees Barbara as a threat to his power and soon pins 4 murders (which were committed by Rennie and his son) on now Colonel Barbara and arrests him. Rennie then begins to brainwash the public into thinking the government sent Barbara into the town to create the dome and conduct an experiment on the little town.

This book takes the reader in depth into the struggle for power and shows just how corruptible people can be. I will admit that the explanation of the dome's creation lacks a little umph but that is not really the main ideal behind the story so I'll let that one slide, although it did seem a bit of a juvenile way to end the book. No matter how it ends, the total consumption of this book is a great adventure.

House Harkonnen Book 2 of the Prelude to Dune series by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson

House Harkonnen
Book 2 of the Prelude to Dune series
by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson
Read by Scott Brick
Produced by Tantor Audio
approx 26.5 hours (unabridged)



After the death of his father,Frank Herbert, Brian Herbert discovered some manuscripts left behind with more information on the universe of Dune. Teaming up with Kevin J. Anderson they began a quest to add more stories to the "Duneverse" based on these manuscripts and their own talents in writing Science Fiction. The first was the "Prelude to Dune" series. This book "House Harkkonen" was the second in this series.

Tantor Audio has re-released these books in audio book form and this time they aquired the award winning voice of Scott Brick. Back when I first started listening to audio books Scott Brick was the first reader I heard. After hearing his performance I became a huge fan of audio books. There's a reason Mr. Brick has won so many awards. His voice is completely adjustable to any genre and his talents are fully expressed when reading a book with multiple characters. When expressing the voice of another speaker in the dialogue in the book he can, with the subtlest of changes, change characters so the listener is treated to what nearly sounds like a multi-cast performance. At the same time he can add the characters emotions into the voice to the utmost perfection. Scott Brick is no stranger to the "Dune" series, he has voiced many of the audio books so he knows the material and I would have to say he is the perfect choice for the re-issue of these books.

"House Harkkonen" gives even more information on the buildup of what created the situations leading to the epic novel "Dune," by Frank Herbert.

This book takes place approximately 20 years after the Book "House Atreides" and about 30 years prior to the original "Dune" series. Shaddam Corrino IV is the emperor and his Bene Gesserit wife, Anirul produces only daughters, leaving him without an heir to the throne. The emperor is aware of the Bene Gesserit ability to determine the sex of their children and grows annoyed at Anirul for not giving him a son. Along with this stress factor for the Emperor the Tleilaxu have yet to produce a synthetic equal to the Spice Melange. This was the reason the planet of Ix was taken over and House Vernius went renegade.

Dominic Vernius is still in hiding as a renegade but his children, Kailea and Rhombur, are living with Duke Leto Atreides on Caladan. Leto arranges fro Rhombur to take in a concubine from the Bene Gesserit, and Kailea becomes Leto's concubine. Kailea gives birth to Victor the son of Leto and heir to House Atreides, but due to politics and the fact that Kailea is considered renegade Leto cannot marry her. Besides, the Bene Gesserit have other plans with Jessica, the daughter of Vladimer Harkonnen and a Bene Gesserit witch. Leto does arrange to have a lady-in-waiting to help Kailea. Kailea's lady-in-waiting, Chiara, is actually a Harkonnen agent sent to poison Kailea's mind against Leto. Kailea and Chiara scheme to assassinate Leto thus making Victor the Duke and Kailea a Regent. But the plan backfires and the planned explosion kills young Victor and mutilates Rhombur. Kailea then kills Chiara and commits suicide unable to face what she has done.

The Tleilaxu offer to make a ghola,a clone, of Victor in exchange for the barely alive body of Rhombur Vernius. Leto ultimately refuses, after much soul-searching, knowing that the Tleilaxu intend only harm towards House Vernius. Instead, Leto hires Dr. Wellington Yueh, an expert in the field of cybernetics, to fashion a cybernetic replacement body for Rhombur. Leto and Jessica fall deeply in love, leading Jessica to decide to conceive a son for Leto's sake, directly disobeying the Bene Gesserit's order that she have a daughter.

Baron Harkonnen grows weaker due to his disease, but he becomes more vicious, destroying his half-brothers life (figuratively first then literally). A Suk doctor determines the cause of the illness is from the Bene Gesserit he raped. Harkonnen seeks reveng on the witches but through mind tricks they show him who is really in charge. Meanwhile, the Baron's brother, Abulurd, uncovers an illegal stockpile of spice on Lankiveil. Rather than turn his brother in to the Emperor, Abulurd, a benevolent ruler and the polar opposite of his brother Vladimir, uses the stockpile to benefit his people. Upon discovery of this, Glossu Rabban, Abulurd's firstborn son, strangles his father to death, an act which earns him the nickname of "Beast." Baron Harkonnen also kidnaps Abulurd's other son, Feyd-Rautha, and tries to raise him as his own.

We are also introduced to Gurney Halleck. Gurney's village is raided and his sister is taken away. He later finds she is forced to work in a "pleasure house" for the Harkonnen military. He tries to rescue her but is capture and made a slave. He then tries to attack Rabban, but is outnumbered and Rabban punishes him by killing his entire family. Gurney escapes to Salusa Secundus to help Dominic Vernius with his attacks against the empire.

Dominic learns of the atrocities going on on Ix and gathers all his stockpiles of atomics to the south polar region of Arrakis in order to deliver them to the homeworld of the Emperor and destroy the House Corrino. But his plan is discovered and the Sardukar guards are sent to stop him. Instead he detonates the atomics destroying most of the south pole area of Arrakis.

On Arrakis it is learned that the Bene Gesserit have been mixing with the Fremen in order to blend prophecies of the Qwissatz Hadderach and the myths of the Missionaria Protectiva.

And this is only scratching the surface of this wonderful adventure into the Duniverse.

"Mortalis" Part 1 book 4 of the "Demon Wars Saga" by R. A. Salvatore

"Mortalis" Part 1
book 4 of the "Demon Wars Saga"
by R. A. Salvatore
Multicast performance
Produced by GraphicAudio
Approx. 6 hours.

The "Demon Wars Saga" by R.A. Salvatore consists of two trilogies and this book, "Mortalis," to bridge between the two trilogies. The first trilogy tells of Elbryan the Ranger, Pony the warrior, Bradwarden the Centaur, Avelyn the monk, and Juraviel the elf as they battle the demon dactyl, Bestesbulzibar and protect the land of Corona from his evils. "Mortalis" covers mainly the life of Pony after the war, and develops some new characters.

Once again GraphicAudio continue to produce this saga in audio book form with their "Movie in your Mind" concept. R.A. Salvatore provided the great story but GraphicAudio brings it to life with outstanding acting, super sound effects and subtle, yet effective incidental music.

In part one of Mortalis we learn the Touel'alfar, the elves in the land of Corona, have taken Elbryan and Pony's son and have begun his training as a ranger to replace Nightbird (Elbryan). TheTouel'alfar have also begun the training of another ranger, Brynn Dharielle, a To-Gai girl whose family was killed during the war. The To-Gai are proficient horsemen, and Juraviel returns to find Bradwarden and have him find her a strong horse for her training.

During this time after the defeat of the demon dactyl the Abellican church and the King of Honce-the-bear are at odds. With the fall of Father Abbot Marquart and the evils he brought on the King wants to take away the church's powers. Many monks within the church seek a restructuring and look to rebuilding the church on the premises taught by Avelyn Desbris, in that the church should help the population not rule over them.

It is also discovered that the plague has been brought to the lands of Honce-the-bear. Rose colored circles with a white ring appear on the skin of those afflicted and the church has no power against the plague and wants to cover up the affect of the disease upon the land. While one monk believes more should be done.

In the meantime King Ursul is looking for an heir to the throne and if Pony turns down the church to become Mother Abbess, he may seek her out to be queen. However the Kings concubine has other plans and starts to show jealousy toward the way the King "eyes" Jilesponie (Pony). Pony in the meantime is still grieving over the death of her husband Elbryan and returns to Dundalis, their hometown.

With the excellent production quality from GraphicAudio and the attention grabbing story by R. A. Salvatore the separation of the book into 3 parts feels like one of the old movie serials, I can't wait for the next episode.

"Bloodlist" Book one in the "Vampire Files"

"Bloodlist"
Book one in the "Vampire Files"
by P.N. Elrod
Published 1990 by Ace Books

One of the latest trends on the internet is what is called a "mashup," where two different items are combined to make a single unique item. The trend has been mainly in combining two different songs and making a new song. The trend has come into the literature world with some recent publications like "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies," where the classic Jane Austen novel, "Pride & Prejudice" has been combined with some zombie battles by Seth Grahame-Smith. Well before this was an internet meme, P.N. Elrod created a unique mashup with the combining of the film noir type detective story and the supernatural world of vampires, in her Vampire Files series.

I love the old detective stories where the detective gets into many tight situations before finally solving the mystery. The best part of those old stories is that they are told in first person with the detective telling the story, and the descriptive language with quotes like,"You'll always be a two-bit cannon. And when they pick you up in the gutter dead, you're hand'll be in a drunk's pocket." P.N. Elrod continues this great language tradition and even throws in some vampires into the mix making this series pretty fun, if this first book is a good representation.

Jack Fleming, former newspaperman has learned that when you die you lose your memory. Jack seems to have a problem remembering who killed him. The last thing he remembers is waking up on the beach with holes in his shirt where the bullets entered and exited his body. Oh yeah, I should say Jack died human but thanks to his girlfriend, he woke up a vampire. Jack takes on the job of solving the crime of murder, his own. Jack's investigation takes him to Chicago where somehow his death is connected with that town's mobsters. The timeline of this story takes place during the years just after prohibition and yes the mobsters are still running gambling joints and night clubs.

Jack gets some help from a former actor turned private investigator named Charles Escott and with Escott's ability to put on stage make-up and act out roles manages to get behind the scenes of a local gambler and mob boss and find out why he was killed and then try to exact revenge.

The interesting aspect of this story is how Jack discovers the various new powers being a vampire offers. He's able to disappear at will and to control people's minds at times. Jack has to visit the Chicago stockyards for his dinner, since he doesn't like to take blood from people, he'd rather dine on the cows, at least to some degree.

If you are a fan of the old detective stories or a fan of vampires you'll enjoy this book, if you are a fan of both, be prepared to enjoy some literary bliss.

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"Time's Eye" A Time Odyssey, Book One by Arthur c. clarke and Stephen Baxter

"Time's Eye"
A Time Odyssey, Book One
by Arthur c. clarke and Stephen Baxter
read by John Lee
Produced by Blackstone Audio
Unabridged Approx. 11.5 hours


When It comes to science-fiction there are some authors that just have to be read. Any true sci-fi fan has read at least one Arthur C. Clarke novel, the most often mentioned would be "2001, a Space Odyssey." "2001..." was only book one of what turned out to be a four book odyssey in Arthur C. Clarke's future vision of religion, intelligence and mystery. This time around Sir Clarke has teamed up with Stephen Baxter to create another odyssey through space and time.

The total series came out to three books but the third book was published as the final chapter in the series and yet did not conclude the plot. The final book was published in December of 2007 and Arthur C. Clarke died in March of 2008 so we may never really know if there was a fourth book intended. However each of these books can be read as independent works of great science-fiction.

Blackstone audio has recently produced the first book, "Time's Eye," with John Lee as the reader. John Lee does what seems like a nearly impossible task of singlehandedly voicing the characters and brings them to life by using a diverse range of accents. This is no easy job since the characters range from British soldiers from the 1880s, ancient Greeks, Macedonians, Babylonians, Mongolians, Afghanis, Russians and Texans. John Lee keeps each character separate with their own accent and attitude.

The premise of this book creates a great "What if?" scenario. What if Alexander the Great were to battle Ghengis Khan? That question is answered in what turns out to be a great mashup of historical figures in a new world.

The story begins with an Australopithecus being (the possible missing link) observing a silver orb in the sky. She is then captured by British Empire (circa 1880) soldiers who are guarding a fort in India. The discovery of this strange creature and the floating silver orb is interrupted by the crash of a strange flying object. This object turns out to be a U.N. peacekeeper helicopter with its 3 crew members from the year 2037. The British Soldiers investigate the crash and soon befriend the crew, even though 2 of the crew turn out to be of Indian and Afghan descent.

After talking with each other the time castaways figure out they are some how in a strange timeslip that has something to do with these suddenly appearing "eyes," the silver orbs. Soon the 2037 castaways, the moderns, discover that they are not the only ones from 2037. Floating above the Earth, or whatever this newly formed planet consisting of slices of various times from Earth's history is, a Russian Soyuz capsule is returning from the space station and gets caught in the timeslip and returns to earth. They contact each other using ham radios and more is learned as the 2 cosmonauts and one astronaut from Texas, send pictures from space of the new planet they dub "Mir."

With no ground control the Soyuz capsule lands in the middle of Mongolia. The ruler of the nomadic tribes of Mongolia is the great Genghis Khan. One of the warlords immediately beheads one of the cosmonauts, leaving the other two to think fast. They go to Genghis Khan as emissaries of Heaven. Back in India, the armies of Alexander the Great meet up with the British soldiers and the first band of Moderns. Both groups decide to trek to Babylon, since that is the location of a mysterious radio signal each group of Moderns has detected.

After many months the two groups reach Babylon to battle for rights of the land.

In what turns out to be a very interesting social commentary on the ideas of peace and humankind's ability to hold the peace, Arthur C. Clark and Stephen Baxter have created an intriguing time odyssey.

"All Together Dead" Book 7 of the Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris

"All Together Dead"
Book 7 of the Southern Vampire Series
by Charlaine Harris

Once again I dive into the world of telepath/part fairy Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie is a bar maid from Bon Temps, Louisiana that has a special gift/curse of telepathy and can hear people's thoughts, but only Human people. You see, in Sookie's world, vampires have "come out of the coffin," which is to say they have revealed themselves to the world and want to live alongside humans. With the invention of synthetic blood (True Blood) they no longer have to hunt humans for food. So humans and vamps live side by side, but that's not all. All sorts of creatures from the supernatural world live in the world, only they are waiting to see how the vamps fare before revealing themselves.

Sounds simple, right? Not really, especially not for Sookie, because with Sookie's curse she has never been able to maintain a relationship with a fellow human. Then walks in Bill Compton a vampire from the civil war era. Vamps seem to be blank when it comes to the brainwaves Sookie tunes in on. So she fell in love with Bill and they dated for a while. Then Bill went back to his former lover/maker and this pretty much ended their relationship, then to make matters worse the she finds that the Vampire Queen of Louisiana actually commanded Bill to seduce her because her gift could benefit the queen. Sookie then found herself working for the vamps and solving mysteries, but with Bill and her finished she dated other people, a werewolf and a weretiger. The latest, Quinn, a weretiger seems to be THE relationship.

In this latest episode in Sookie's life Louisiana has just been ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. I should mention here that the author, Charlaine Harris, did a very good tribute to the devastation and the rebuilding that hit Louisiana during this "real life" event. This book has some really nice references to the troubles still affecting that area of the U.S.

The world's Vampire community has decided to hold a major trade show, this trade show also includes some major events that affect the vampire world. The main event is the trial of the Queen of Louisiana to decide whether she is guilty of murder in the death of her husband, the King of Arkansas. As you may recall in the last book the King tried to kill the Queen and then he would take over both states, but Sookie foiled that plan and the King got offed.

The trade show or summit is being held on the shores of Lake Michigan in a newly built vampire-friendly hotel built to look like the Great Pyramid of Giza. With all the vampires in one place this seems like a perfect place for the vamp hunting Fellowship of the Sun Church to strike. Also many vampires don't want the Queen of Louisiana to succeed in her trial. So Sookie has to solve not one by many mysteries as she "enjoys" being with the Queen at the summit.

While this book was not one of the better books in the series, it did provide a nice homage to the victims of Katrina, and did have some mysteries that featured some serious twists and turns. I'm ready for the next book now.

"The Demon Apostle (Part 3 of 3)" The Demon Wars Saga Book 3 by R. A. Salvatore

"The Demon Apostle (Part 3 of 3)"
The Demon Wars Saga Book 3
by R. A. Salvatore
Multicast performance
produced by GraphicAudio (2009)
approx 5 hours.

R.A. Salvatore created a world of fantasy in which the magicks rested in gemstones, the elves trained one ranger in each generation to protect the forests and people of the outlying areas of the kingdom of Honce-the-Bear, and the Abellican church seeks power over the the state. In this magical Land of Corona, wherein lies Honce-the-Bear, there are many mythical and magical creatures; elves, centaurs, dwarves, giants, and goblins, but the enemy of man turns out to be none of these. Instead man's worst enemy is himself, especially in the form of Religion and Politics.

GraphicAudio has produced the first three books in Salvatore's "Demon Wars Saga" and this audio book brings to a close the third book in the first trilogy of the Demon Wars. Each book in the trilogy has been divided into three parts making it, in my opinion, easier to consume the "Movie In Your Mind" production. While each segment leaves you ready to dive into the next installment, with the superb sound effects, music and acting, the mind needs the intermission. If only enough time to grab more popcorn and begin the next.

In this final section of the final book of the first trilogy of "The Demon Wars Saga," Elbryan the Ranger, Bradwarden the centaur and Roger Lockless have escorted 5 Abellican monks to Mount Aida on a quest to view the place where the renegade Abellican monk-named-heretic, Avelyn Desbris died defeating the demon dactyl Bestesbulzibar. This battle, while defeating the physical form of the demon, released the demon's spirit so it could possess the father of the Abellican Church Father Abbott Markwart. Markwart has, under possession of the demon, has turned the church in a direction away from God and the young monks wish to turn the Church back by possibly canonizing Avelyn. Markwart will do all he can to stop this.

Back in Palmaris, one of the major cities of Honce-the-Bear, Elbryan's wife and disciple of Avelyn (she can battle with the best and use the magic of the gemstones), Pony, is pregnant with Elbryan's child and in hiding. When Father Abbott Markwart pays a political visit to Palmaris, Pony tries to exact revenge on the man who killed her adopted parents by attempting to assassinate Markwart throught he magic of the gemstones. Her plot seems to have succeed by sending a lodestone through Markwart's skull, but to the amazement of the monks the father abbot survives. He now seeks revenge on Pony. In a battle between the spirits of Pony and Markwart, Markwart removes the baby from Pony. Pony believes the baby to be killed but the elves Belli'mar Juraviel and queen of the elves, Lady Dasselrond, take the baby back to the elven lands.

These events all come to their apex in a battle between the powerful Markwart and the spirit of the demon within and Elbryan and Pony. With superb sound effects in this production you will easily lose yourself in the land of Corona and the magical battles within.

"52" Parts 1 & 2 by Greg Cox

"52" Parts 1 & 2
by Greg Cox
Multicast performance
Produced by GraphicAudio
Approx 12 hours

"52" was a weekly comic published by DC comic beginning May of 2006. This comic covered a year in the DC Universe where just following the "Infinite Crisis" The world's greatest superheroes were missing but there was no lack of super powered heroes. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are missing after saving the world, the universe, and the multi-verse from a version of Lex Luthor trying to make his perfect world. But the world is not without its superheroes. The main heroes in this year long comic publication are a mixed batch of interesting characters.

Booster Gold and his robot/computer sidekick , Skeets, are in Metropolis. Booster is a time traveler from the 25th century and with the aid of Skeets they prevent crimes and disasters by referring to the timeline recorded in Skeets memory.

Supernova, whose identity is unknown and at the same time key to the entire "52" plot line, is a hero that makes a sudden appearance in Metropolis, surprising both Clark Kent and Booster Gold.

Black Adam, who was originally a villain, an opposite to Captain Marvel/Shazam. At the beginning of "52" Black Adam is somewhat of a dictator over the country of Khandaq. He is trying to form an alliance with countries like, Iraq, Iran et. al. to protect their citizens. A world wide crime organization called Intergang tries to gain support from Black Adam by offering him a woman they captured as a slave. Black Adam retaliates and kills the gang representatives and through her frankness the woman becomes Black Adam's wife. After showing Black Adam "how to be good," he takes her to the Rock of Eternity, once guarded by the wizard Shazam, now guarded by Captain Marvel. There he pleads his case and she becomes Isis. Isis and Black Adam seek out Isis brother who was enslaved by Intergang. When he is found he has been severely beaten by Intergang to the point he cannot walk. Black Adam gives the boy some of his own powers and he becomes Osiris. Now Black Adam has a family similar to that of the Marvel family. But Intergang is not happy with Black Adam's rejection.

The Question and Officer Montoya play the parts of catalysts between all the goings on. First they thwart a terrorist bombing attempt at Black Adam's wedding. Then they prevent the death of the new Bat-Woman, by stopping intergang and their twisted religion of crime from sacrificing Gotham City's new hero. Montoya discovers The Question has terminal cancer and discovers he has been training her to become the new Question.

Through the one year publication of the comic Booster Gold becomes an anti-hero, Skeets begins taking on an evil identity bent on domination. Super Nova takes Booster's place as Metropolis' new hero and through the help of Rip Hunter, another time traveler attempts to stop Skeets' evil plans. (Great time travel paradoxes in this plot line.) Black Adam saves his country from famine, only to have his family destroyed by the Four Horsemen and he then seeks his revenge on the Horsemen, Intergang and the scientists that created them and starts World War III. Montoya and Nightwing then assist Bat-Woman in protecting Gotham City from Intergang.

With a sprinkling of some of DC's minor superheroes; Nightwing, Captain Marvel and a few others the world is protected, but is it enough, these new heroes are a big help as the Multiverse attempts to be recreated.

Greg Cox novelized this year long publication and GraphicAudio in all their audio splendor brought the comic back to full color production with sound.

"Definitely Dead" Book Six of The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris

"Definitely Dead"
Book Six of The Southern Vampire Mysteries
by Charlaine Harris
Published 2006 by Penguin Group (USA)


You know, I still can't figure out what it is about these books that have me eager to read the next book in the series, but that is the case in Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries based on the life of Sookie Stackhouse. I was intrigued when I read a short story from the Sookie Stackhouse world, and then when HBO made the series "True Blood," I just had to read the first book. Now here I am finished with book 6 and eager to get into book 7. Normally I'm not one to go for romance stories featuring vampires, I would rather stake the undead than kiss one, but Ms. Harris has thrown in enough other creatures from the supernatural world that keeps the books lively and entertaining. In this book we have vampires (of course), werewolves, were-panthers, were-tigers, demons, fairies and witches. Let me warn you now before you read too much further into this review that if you haven't read any of the books in the series, this book has some spoilers you may want to wait to read about. In this book a lot is found out about Sookie and her bloodline, Vampire Bill and his relationship with Sookie and a few other surprises.

If you have read the books up to this point you will realize that Sookie doesn't have the greatest luck with suitors. So far she's been with two vampires, Bill & Eric, and a werewolf, Alcide Herveaux. She has also been "hit on" by a were-panther. But here in "Definitely Dead," Bill is dating another woman, Eric is trying to stay away and Alcide is dating another woman. She finally tells Calvin, the were-panther, that she's not interested. So with all the bad luck with men, can Sookie find someone? That answer seems to be yes and he's in the form of a were-tiger, Quinn. Quinn and Sookie met when Quinn was moderating the battle for pack leader in the Shreveport werewolf pack. As we begin book six Quinn asks Sookie for a date and she accepts. If you're wondering why she doesn't just date a regular human, well that's where her "disability" slips in. You see, Sookie is telepathic, she can read the thoughts of all humans, and that really puts a damper on human relations. With the supernatural folk, Sookie seems to draw a blank, but every once in a while she can pick something up from the supes.

Some background info you should know is that Sookie once killed Alcide's former girlfriend, a were-fox, by the name of Debbie Pelt. But no one knows this and everyone thinks that after Alcide abjured her she just took off. Not only did Sookie kill her but Eric hid the body, the bad thing is that this was when Eric was an amnesiac, now he doesn't know where he hid the body. This is probably for the good but Debbie's family is eagerly searching for her. Also, in Sookie's background (told in the short story "One Word Answer" in the compilation "Bite" {2005}) Sookie's cousin, Hadley, has crossed over to being a vamp, and the lover of the Louisiana Vampire Queen.

So with that in mind, Quinn and Sookie are attacked by two freshly bitten young weres as they are leaving the theatre from their date. Quinn then warns the Shreveport pack that since Sookie was a friend of the pack they should not allow this to happen. Sookie then has to go to New Orleans to attend the party celebrating the marriage of the Queen of Louisiana and the King of Arkansas. This marriage is purely a political thing, but Sookie soon discovers there is something more going on.

Sookie and Quinn are captured and make their escape through a Louisiana swamp. Sookie and the witch landlady for Hadley's apartment, Amelia are attacked by a freshly made vampire and a major war begins between two vampire factions. All this action and Sookie manages to out wit the bad guys and manage to maintain that level of humor that is Sookie Stackhouse in the Southern Vampire Mysteries. These books are really fun to read.

"Eldest" Inheritance, Book Two by Christopher Paolini

"Eldest"
Inheritance, Book Two
by Christopher Paolini
Published 2005 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Christopher Paolini continues to amaze me. After reading "Eragon," the first book in what is book one of the Inheritance series (three books have been written and it is rumored there is a fourth book on the way.), I was totally sucked in to the fantasy world where dragons, elves, dwarves and magicians exist and an evil king has tried to destroy all Dragon Riders. Now with book two I just couldn't hardly put the book down. When finishing the first book I looked up information on the author and found out the book was written when he was only 15 years old. An amazing feat in and of itself, but to be able to create this fantasy world with many depths that's a serious job for any author,no matter what the age. This second book was published when the author was in his early 20s so now that he's got his style and his world created the books can only get better, as this one does.

In book one, "Eragon," the reader was taken on a quest in which Eragon and his Dragon, Saphira, learned of the reason behind their bonding and the development of their skills as Eragon sought revenge on the Ra'zac for the killing of his uncle. He eventually was taken to the Varden, both to save Arya (the elf that sent the dragon's egg to Eragon, and to escape King Galbatorix's wrath. Along the way Eragon learns his travelling companion, Brom, is a former rider. They also are rescued at one point by Murtagh who joins them on their trip to the Varden, although he says he cannot complet they journey to Farthen Dûr, the home of the Varden. When they arrive in Farthen Dûr, Eragon is led to the leader of the Varden, Ajihad. Ajihad imprisons Murtagh after finding out that he is the son of Morzan, Galbatorix's right hand man.

"Eldest" begins three days after the events of the preceding novel, "Eragon," in the dwarf city of Tronjheim, inside of a hollowed mountain of Farthen Dûr. Farthen Dûr is in the southeastern part of Alagaësia, the continent in Paolini's world where all this action takes place. Eragon must complete his mission and be trained as a dragon rider, to do so he must journey to Ellesméra, the elven capital city located in the forest Du Weldenvarden, on the northern portion of Alagaësia. Before he leaves,Eragon must attend the funeral for the fallen leader of the Varden, Ajihad. Ajihad is ambushed and killed, with Murtagh while Ajihad's other guards are assumed dead. At his funeral, Ajihad's daughter Nasuada is elected to command the Varden. Eragon travels to Ellesméra where he meets Oromis and his dragon Glaedr, the only dragon and Rider secretly alive besides the Eragon and Saphira and Galbatorix. Oromis and Glaedr, however, are both crippled, and so cannot fight Galbatorix and must hide instead to avoid Galbatorix hunting them down. Eragon and Saphira are taught the use of logic, magic theory, scholarship, and combat, among other things.

Back in Farthen Dûr, Nasuada chooses to move the Varden from Tronjheim to Surda, to mount an attack on the Empire. The Varden suffers financial troubles, so Nasuada decides to fund the Varden and the war with Lace. The lace is magically produced and they can sell it cheap. One night when Nasuada is in her room, Elva saves her from an assassination attempt. Elva is the child which Eragon and Saphira blessed, the problem is that this was before Eragon was adept at the ancient language used in magic and accidentally curses her to BE a shield rather than TO BE shielded. Elva locates the assailant, who is killed after unwillingly surrendering information to Varden magicians about a subversive group based in Surda called the Black Hand, who is plotting to kill Nasuada. Nasuada later attends a meeting with key figures in Surda's government to discuss a potential upcoming battle against the Empire. They learn that the conflict is coming sooner than they initially suspected, and mobilize forces to attack, as well as sending for help from the dwarves.

Eragon continues his training, but is discouraged when the scar on his back, caused by the Shade he killed, causes him to have seizures. At the ancient elven ceremony, the Agaetí Blödhren, Eragon is altered by a spectral dragon. The changes alter his senses, and enhance his abilities, as well as healing all of his wounds. Reinvigorated, Eragon continues training until he learns that the Empire will soon attack the Varden in Surda. He leaves without completing his training, to aid the Varden in battle, much like Luke Skywalker left Yoda before his training was finished. I just found this a very neat similarity.

Meanwhile, Roran, Eragon's cousin, is hunted by the Ra'zac in Carvahall. He eventually persuades the entire village to attack the Ra'zac in the night, and succeeds in driving them off. After more conflicts with the village, the Ra'zac manage to kidnap Katrina, Roran's fiancée. Roran then stirs the village to mobilize, departing on a journey to join the Varden in Surda. He leads them to Narda, and then by sea to Teirm. In Teirm, they meet Jeod, who helps them pirate a new vessel from Teirm. Pursued by sloops from the Empire, the vessel manages to escape through a whirlpool, and eventually makes it to Surda, arriving just as the Battle of the Burning Plains is about to begin between Surda and its allies, and the Empire.

When conflict begins, Eragon is able to repel the opposing army using magic. Eventually, a Dragon Rider appears in favor of the Empire. The hostile Dragon Rider kills the dwarf king Hrothgar, and soon begins to fight with Eragon. The Dragon Rider is soon unmasked by Eragon and is revealed to be Murtagh. Murtagh tells Eragon that he was kidnapped and forced into loyalty by Galbatorix after a dragon hatched for him. Murtagh outmatches Eragon, but shows mercy due to their old friendship. Before leaving, Murtagh reveals that Eragon is his brother, and takes Eragon's sword as well. Ultimately, Galbatorix's army is forced to retreat after the arrival of the dwarves and the departure of Murtagh and Thorn. In the end, Eragon and Roran decide that they will seek out Katrina together.

Lots of adventure, lots of excitement all very well portrayed and with some magical storytelling that will suck you into this alternate world.

"Dead as a Doornail" The Southern Vampire Mysteries book 5 by Charlaine Harris

"Dead as a Doornail"
The Southern Vampire Mysteries book 5
by Charlaine Harris
Published 2005 by Ace books


Damn you Charlaine Harris, Sookie Stackhouse, & HBO's "True Blood" series. You got me addicted to an fun series of books. Okay, that's a bit harsh..how about just, "Darn you?" While most of the blame for my addiction goes to Charlaine Harris, I have to also blame HBO for turning these books into a series. I watched the first episode and was hooked and then had to read the books, now I'm hooked on those. I guess there are worse situations.

Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries not only contain vampires but they also contain most of the folk from the supernatural world, there are werewolves weretigers, werepanthers, shape shifters of all sorts, menads, fairies, witches, goblins and even dwarves of myth. Not only that but each story is a real mystery thriller that is fun to solve, at least for the reader, maybe not so much for Sookie Stackhouse, who is always getting beat up.

Sookie Stackhouse is a bar-maid at Merlotte's bar in Bon Temps, Louisiana. She has what she calls a disability, she can hear other people's thoughts. She tries her best not to but sometimes it is necessary. Sookie also lives in a world where vampires have "come out of the coffin," in other words, the vampires have let the world know they exist. It's not such a bad thing because now they can drink a newly concocted synthetic blood (True Blood) and not have to feed off humans. Not all the vamps are full supporters of this which lead to some chilling moments. Sookie's boss, Sam, is the owner of Merlotte's and he has a secret, he's a shape-shifter. Now this is the interesting part, shape shifters and other mythical folk have not let their presence be known to the world, they are waiting to see how the vamps fare.

So now you have the back story, here's what goes on in this book.

Vampires, were-creatures, shifters and one fairy godmother are all up against a sniper with an apparent aversion to non-humans. As if trying to discover who's behind the shootings isn't enough, the telepathic Sookie has to cope with a few other distractions: her "Were" friend, Alcide Herveaux, needs her help in his father's bid to become the next leader of the local werewolf pack; her boss gets shot; her house partly burns down. So as you can see Sookie's calendar is full.

These books are very creatively written and, being told from Sookie's point of view, provide some great humorous moments. Humor, romance, supernatural beings, mysteries to solve all wrap up into some great stories that bring out the Scooby Doo feeling for adults. Check them out they are fun.

"Infinite Crisis" parts I & II by Greg Cox

"Infinite Crisis" parts I & II
by Greg Cox
multicast production
Produced by Graphic Audio
approx 12 hours total

I think I may have become addicted to GraphicAudio audio book productions. These guys really know how to suck you into a story and leave you, in this case, feeling as beat up as the superheroes involved. I mean that in a good way, the sound effects, music and acting puts you in the middle of the action and you feel every punch thrown. With all the action in a comic book, the transition to novelization of a series and then to audio book there lies the potential of losing some of the ambiance created by the brightly colored panels, but here's where GraphicAudio shines. Not only do you get all the ambiance, you are placed dead in amongst the action.

Infinite Crisis was a seven-issue limited series of comic books published by DC Comics beginning in October 2005. It was written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez. The series storyline was based on the 1985 series "Crisis on Infinite Earths" and it revisits characters and ideas that were from the earlier work. Greg Cox then took that series and created the novelization of the series. Then we move to audio book "Movie in your Mind" form from GraphicAudio. GraphicAudio released the production in two 6 hour segments.

For years, the rift between the Justice League's leaders has been widening. Batman's paranoia has given birth to an army of robotic assassins. Batman created the Brother Eye satellite to make sure "meta-humans" don't abuse their super powers. Somehow the satellite is hijacked and begins it's jihad against superheroes.

Wonder Woman has declared herself judge, jury, and executioner, taking a foe's life in an act that was broadcast worldwide. Superman is under the influence of mind control. With the Justice League divided and a super-villain coalition openly targeting the heroes, ordinary civilians find themselves caught in the crossfire.

The heroes have lost their way, their values, and their responsibilities. Only those who understand the true meaning of sacrifice are prepared to rectify this crisis-a crisis that originated in an alternate era when infinite earths collided in a cosmic cataclysm that erased history and lives. And those who survived are looking to restore all they have lost, regardless of the consequences.

In an epic adventure with battles taking place all around the world and even into the center of the universe every comic book fan will enjoy listening for their favorite hero. Nearly every superhero ever created by DC Comics makes an appearance and even some new ones.

Be prepared to be completely blown away with a great story by Greg Cox, created by DC Comics, and converted into a "Movie in your Mind" by GraphicAudio.

"Out At Night" by Susan Arnout Smith

"Out At Night"
by Susan Arnout Smith
Published 2009 by Minotaur books


If you're into romantic/detective thrillers you just might be interested in picking up "Out at Night" the latest book by Susan Arnout Smith. But I'll warn you, if you are interested in the back story of the main character, Grace Sescanso, you may want to first read "The Timer Game." This book is the second book featuring Grace Descanso, Grace won't talk about why, but she quit medicine altogether. Now, five years later, Grace is a crime scene tech in San Diego, going to AA meetings, scraping by and living to be a mom to five-year old Katie. Most of this is gathered from this book but it really seems as though most of the pieces of Grace's life story are missing and actually detract from what could be a great murder mystery/thriller.

The story opens with Grace on vacation with her 5 year old daughter, Katie. Grace has never told Katie about her father, but Katie's father, from the bits and pieces I could gather in this story, is a rich actor named Mac. They all 3 begin bonding in the Bahamas on vacation when Grace gets a call from her uncle, an FBI agent in California saying she needs to return because of a murder. Here's another missing piece of the background of Grace, apparantly there was a huge rift created in the family, when Grace's father married a woman the family didn't approve. The real mystery at this point is whether Grace is needed to solve the crime, babysit her cousin or is she suspected of murder.

Thaddeus Bartholomew, a history professor, is forced at gunpoint to drive to a soy field. As he lies dying, he leaves a message on his answering machine at home in Morse code: find Grace Descans-. Cut off before finishing, the FBI need to know why he asked for Grace. The plot thickens when it is discovered he was a protester at one of Grace's lectures on DNA profiling of suspects. That is the only time Grace has ever seen the man, but when she investigates the murdered man's home she finds a wall full of photographs of various people, one of those photos is Grace.

The big scare in the area is a terrorist threat towards a world conference on genetically modified foods. As it turns out Grace's cousin is pregnant and in tight with the most violent of these protester's. Grace's uncle wants her to find how deeply mixed is his daughter/Grace's cousin.

Grace uncover's the plot to wreak havoc at the conference in a deadly way and uncovers a plot to rid the world of the Caucasian race.

Once you get past the missing pieces of Grace's past the latter part of the book becomes a thrilling race against time to stop the terrorists.

"Dead to the World" Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 4 by Charlaine Harris

"Dead to the World"
Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 4
by Charlaine Harris
published by Ace, 2004

Continuing in the world of the Southern Vampires and the supernatural events in the life of Sookie Stackhouse, here's book 4, "Dead to the World." This book for me marked a bit of a milestone in the Charlaine Harris creations. This milestone is that this is the book that becomes more like the world of my favorite author, Jim Butcher. After all it was Jim Butcher that got me interested in the Charlaine Harris books.

What I mean by this is that when Jim Butcher writes his Harry Dresden novels he combines as many creatures as possible in his tales of the supernatural. Which makes sense, really, because if there is one creature in the supernatural world there has to be more. Charlaine Harris started this series of books with vampires and some hinting toward shape-shifters. By the 3rd book she had vampires, menads, shape-shifters and werewolves. In this 4th book she introduces the reader to witches, Wiccans and fairies. Thus creating a fun read in the supernatural world, and not just a romance series involving vampires. I will admit there were times in this book where I let out a displeasing sigh when the romance novel would burst out of the pages. But, Ms. Harris knew to keep that as a minor point and to move on with some great supernatural horror and adventure, oh, and some really funny dialogue. You gotta have your comic relief.

The stories are all told by the main character Sookie Stackhouse, a bar-maid in Bon Temps, Louisiana with the gift of telepathy. In this installment (which takes place just weeks after the previous book, "Club Dead") Sookie is ready for the New Year and her resolution is to not get beat up, a resolution that seems to be hard to keep when you run around with vampires and werewolves.

After leaving Merlotte's, the bar in which Sookie works for Sam the shape-shifter, Sookie sees a nearly naked man running in the cold night. From there things just get weirder. She stops to help the man. The nearly naked man turns out to be Eric Northman, the vampire sheriff for that area of Louisiana. The problem is that Eric does not know who Sookie is and worse yet he doesn't know who he is.

As the story unfolds it is discovered a coven of witches have moved into Shreveport, where Eric maintains his area from a bar called Fangtasia. By the way, the vampires are the only supernatural creature that, in the world created by Charlaine Harris, have made themselves known to the world. Vampire rights are an issue in this world. Fangtasia is mainly a "tourist" bar where normal people can come to stare at vampires while the vampires sip on "True Blood," the synthetic alternative to human blood.

Eric refuses the witches and they curse him. This curse sends him to Bon Temps without his memory. Sookie gets help from her brother, Jason, sending him to buy clothes and "True Blood" for Eric. Eric's second in command Pam, meanwhile tries to locate the witches so that the vamps can retaliate.

To add woe to Sookie's now Eric-babysitting service, Jason comes up missing. Thinking the witches may have kidnapped him so Sookie will reveal where she is hiding Eric, Sookie joins the retaliation by helping to recruit the werewolves of Shreveport and the Wiccans of Bon Temps.

In what turns out to be an explosive battle against this dark witch coven by Wiccans, werewolves and vampires, Charlaine Harris has written in an adrenaline fueled thriller with some great humorous moments.

These books just keep getting better.

"Club Dead" (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 3) by Charlaine Harris

"Club Dead"
(Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 3)
by Charlaine Harris
Published by Ace Books, 2003


So are you a fan of HBO's "True Blood," yet? HBO has adapted the first two novels in the Southern Vampire Mysteries series by Charlaine Harris, and if they stay true to form then the next season should cover the events from this book, "Club Dead." If so we should have some fun with werewolves and shapeshifters on the series, so be prepared.

I actually started reading this series after I read a short storie in the book of "My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding." I picked up that book because it contained a Jim Butcher story revolving around his Harry Dresden wizard character. I read the Charlaine Harris story based on the world of the Sookie Stackhouse vampires and found the writing to be very fun. So I gave the first book a chance. A few months after I read that first book I found out HBO was doing a series based on the book and felt that synchronicity had hit with my reading again. That and the books are a fun romp in the supernatural world of vampires, shapeshifters and the occasional werewolf. I will warn you this is another vampire series where everyone wants to be in love with a vampire rather than staking their blood-sucking hearts, but some get staked and as a narrator of her life in the world where vampires have "come out of the coffin," Sookie Stackhouse has a fun way of looking at life with the undead.

In this book Sookie's vampire boyfriend, Bill, has been acting secretively, and is on a mission for the Queen of Louisiana Vampires. Yes the vamps have queens and kings for each state, also within each state there is a region that is ruled by a sheriff. The sheriff for the region of Louisiana in which Sookie lives (Bon Temps) is Eric Northman a large viking vampire. Bill is supposed to work for Eric and the queen goes through Eric, except this time the mission Bill is on Eric does not know about. Before Bill leaves on this mission, he tells Sookie that if he does not return after a set time she is to look on his computer and share the information found there.

A couple of days later Sookie is attacked by a werewolf outside Merlotte's, the bar where she works, but Bubba the vampire is there to kill the werewolf. Bubba has got to be one of the funniest minor characters created in this vampire series, you see, Bubba is Elvis Presley, yes the King himself. It seems the coroner on duty when Elvis died was a vamp and a huge fan. The problem is that due to the inexperience of the vamp, the drugs coursing through the King's body and the dead too long aspect some problems occurred in the turning of Elvis/Bubba. Those problems are that Elvis doesn't really remember who he was and he's a bit dimwitted. So the Louisiana vampires now use Bubba as an errand boy and try to keep him out of the public eye and clear of any household pets as he likes to drink the animals' blood (cats being a particular favorite). Bubba is always cheerful, goodwill radiating from his fearsome smile. And will only sing when he feels like it. Sookie says that “though every now and then, he exhibited a streak of shrewdness” he follows directions quite literally.

Sookie then learns that the werewolf was sent to find her because Bill is being held captive and being tortured for some information. Sookie was supposed to have been captured to provide extra leverage in Bill's torture, but the only thing they knew about her was that she lived in Bon Temps, Bill had not given up any information under torture.

Eric then enlists Sookie and her talents to find Bill. Sookie's talents, which I should mention at this time are that she is a telepath, she can hear people's thoughts. So undercover with a werewolf, Alcide Herveaux, Sookie goes to Jackson, Mississippi to find Bill. Even though Eric has dropped the bombshell on her that Bill was planning on leaving Sookie to be with his former lover and maker, Lorena.

In Jackson, Sookie and Alcide create sexual tension between themselves (yep another love interest for Sookie), visit a Supernatural creature bar where they meet a goblin, hide the body of a dead werewolf, save a vampire from being staked by a religious fanatic, Rescue Bill and stake a vampire. All in a week for Sookie Stackhouse.

By the way, rumor has it that the guy who played Flash Thompson in the Spider-man movies, Joe Manganiello, will be portraying Alcide in the 3rd series of True Blood.

So if you like the light-hearted, horror-tinged supernatural tales you really should check out this fun series. Nothing serious here, just fun.

Lunar Park by Bret Easton Ellis Published by Picador USA, 2005

Lunar Park
by Bret Easton Ellis
Publisher by Picador USA, 2005


Bret Easton Ellis, author of modern classics such as "Less Than Zero" and "American Psycho" takes the reader into an uncategorized genre with this novel, "Lunar Park." What at first seems like a memoir listing the trials and tribulations of a young man that becomes a famous author while still in college ("Less Than Zero") and then becoming part of the Literary Brat pack and living the Rock and Roll lifestyle. Bret becomes an addict and loves the groupies the fame and the drugs. But this book takes an odd turn and the reader realizes this is no memoir. The book soon becomes a sort of a haunted house horror novel.

Basically what has happened in "Lunar Park" is that Bret has written himself in as a main character with a haunting past. The drugs, no ability to maintain a lasting/meaningful relationship and a verbally abusive father. The Bret Easton Ellis in the novel may not be too far from the real life Bret Easton Ellis, but keep in mind, it is a novel.

Bret Easton Ellis has lived the most extreme of celebrity lifestyles and even fathered a child with a model, Jayne Dennis. The only problem is that he denied he was the father (he claims that Keanu Reeves is the father). After years of continuously hitting bottom; there are tales of his publisher having to send a handler out with him on book tours to make sure he does not imbibe, but most of them quit, not able to handle the downfall.

Finally Bret's ex-girlfriend decides to take him in and maybe establish a family and help Bret get better. She has not only Bret's son, now 11, but also a 4 year old fathered by a record industry mogul. This already doomed family moves into a "McMansion" in suburbia in the northeast United States. They send their children to elite schools and keep the kids medicated on all the latest drugs, Ritalin, etc.

Bret decides to throw a Halloween party and this is where the horror begins. He soon becomes haunted by his father, who ignored him as a child but once Bret became rich and famous, tried to become part of his life. He is also strangely being haunted by the main character from his novel "American Psycho." All this while trying to become closer with his son and trying to form family bonds and dealing with the communities strange string of murders and missing children.

At the apex of this haunting story, the family is chased from their home by a carnivorous toy, and the home they are living in changing form into the home in which Bret was raised.

Very interesting story and some very good haunting, this horror story definitely would give Stephen King a run for his money.