New Cover Art: Kill The Dead by Richard Kadrey (EOS)

Eos just released the cover art for KILL THE DEAD, the second in Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim series.  While I've read Kadrey's BUTCHER BIRD and found it excellent, I have yet to start on this series, so I have some catching up to do!  Here are the blurb and the cover, which I love...it really sets the mood and sells the book...

"What do you do after you’ve crawled out of Hell to wreak bloody revenge? If you’re Stark you turn to bounty hunting, tracking and decimating whatever rogue monsters you’re paid to kill. Stark hates the work, but he needs the money, especially the big bucks Lucifer is offering. In town as an advisor on a biopic of his life, Lucifer needs protection, and he wants Stark as his bodyguard. But the gig isn’t all bad; there is the very sexy, very hot French porn star Brigitte Bardo, a friend of Lucifer’s in LA to remake her reputation as a legit actress. While it isn’t love, it’s pretty damn good, and after 11 years of demonic chastity, it’s enough for now.

Stark has enough trouble juggling a diva devil and a scorching French bombshell without a zombie plague to complicate matters. And just what happens when a human-angel half-breed is bitten by the living dead? His human side begins to die, transforming him into an unstoppable angel of death—a killing machine devoid of emotion or thought, with no regrets or future to worry about. Not a bad way to be when you’re choices are limited. Now, Stark has to decide...if he does finds a cure for the zombie infection, will he take it?"

Review: 12 Burning Wheels by Cesar Torres (M-Brane SF)

12 BURNING WHEELS is the new collection by Cesar Torres.  It is the result of his challenging himself to write a short story a day for twelve days.  There was no common theme, no editor to work with; Torres just wrote to write.  I found it a beautiful, sensual collection with no two stories quite alike but read together, they provide a unique look into the bizarre landscape of Torres's mind.

Torres writes with a very sure hand and the tales in this collection is range from the erotic to the creepily horrorific.  The pace is very fast and because of the nature of the project some of the stories end abruptly, begging for further expansion, so I hope that Cesar revisits some of his worlds very soon!

All the stories are quite good but here are my favorites:

"The Broken Chest" is a story of of the relationship between a father anf daughter and immediately reminded me of the early works of Tanith Lee, beautiful!

"The Scryer" is weird and wonderful and the world of the Worm Queens needs to be explored further!

"Honey" is a retelling of the Greek Circe myth, from her point of view - beware her wrath!

"Mantis Love" is the most upbeat tale in the collection and was very touching as well.  There weren't a lot of kids out when I was in high school as there is today and I always applaud the young people that are proud of who they are at such a crucial age.

"Tincture DRK-01"...Cesar, LOVED IT!  Love potions always come with a price...

"We Merge" reads as if its from a larger work but it is still an action packed piece and compelling intoduction to Dax the Spider's world...

and "Lemonade..."; again, I believe part of a larger piece and another snapshot of a weird, colorful world...

I really enjoyed each of these short peeks into Cesar's mind and at the same time was sad there wasn't more to read to whet my appetite.  I definitely look forward to reading more of Cesar's work and recommend you do the same.  In the meantime, pick up a copy 12 BURNING WHEELS here  http://bit.ly/dwwpUZ  from Amazon.

Review: The Blue Moon Cafe by Rick R. Reed (Amber Allure)

I am loving that werewolves are making a comeback in horror fiction!  So it was with huge excitement that I plunged into Rick R. Reed's new book, THE BLUE MOON CAFE.

Terror has struck the gay community of Seattle.  Someone (or something) is killing gay men right in the heart of the gay district of the city and the murders are so violent that the authorites have no clue as to who is committing the crimes...or if the killer is even human.

Thad is unemployeed and single and is becoming dissatisfied with the recent downturn his life is taking.  Then one day, he wanders into The Blue Moon Cafe, a new Italian bistro that's just opened.  Here he meets Sam Lupino, the restaurant's owner, who is everything that Thad wants in a man-handsome, dark and passionate.  The attraction is mutual and after a dinner that satisfies one appetite and whets another, Thad takes Sam home.  The sex is rough and incredible and Thad  finds himself falling for Sam...but Sam is full of secrets.

Thad also meets Jared who is blond and sexy, and while Thad finds Jared attractive, he is too hung up on Sam and getting to the bottom of where Sam disappears to during the full moon to give in to that attraction...and the violent killings are continuing, and striking closer to home.

This was a great read and that is due in large part to Rick's expert handling and blending of the two storylines he has going here; the romance building between Thad and Sam is fraught with passion but also mystery since Thad feels Sam has secrets he's not telling him.  Then there's also the snapshots we get into the killer's mind as it continues it's bloody attacks on the gay men of Seattle.  Rick early on creates a creepy suspense and builds on it throughout the tale; he also captures Thad's confusion and insecurity about Sam equally well and as the book races to it's conclusion, secrets are revealed and more lives are put in danger when  the two storylines converge in a bloody yet satisfying climax.

I believe there is more to the story then what Rick's revealed to us so far.  There is definitely room for a sequel and then there's the question of a certain character that comes to the rescue just in the nick of time.  Let's hope Rick doesn't leave us hanging for too long and we hear more from Thad, Sam and Jared very soon. 

I highly recommend this book for you horror and werewolf lovers out there.  It will be a great addition to your library.  You can buy THE BLUE MOON CAFE here http://amberquill.com/AmberAllure/BlueMoonCafe.html .

And I also remind you to keep a lookout for ON THE EDGE, Rick's forthcoming collection due out this summer!

Press Release: Angry Robot Books To Join Osprey Publishing

On Tuesday May 11 Angry Robot Books issued this press release on its website, detailing its move from HarperCollins to Osprey:

Following an acclaimed first year of publishing, the revolutionary science fiction imprint Angry Robot Books has parted company with HarperCollins UK. It will now run as an independent publishing imprint, with the full backing of niche publishing experts, Osprey Publishing.

Angry Robot will continue to operate from its Nottingham base and with its existing team under Marc Gascoigne, its founder and publisher. Marc said: “With the support of HarperCollins UK, my team and I have worked very hard on Angry Robot since it was founded. We have a great publishing programme in place and a dedicated bunch of supporters, the Robot Army, as well as some excellent sales of our first titles in the UK and an imminent launch into the USA. We are very pleased to have become part of the burgeoning Osprey empire. They understand our business and the enthusiasts who drive it.”

Chris Michaels, HarperCollins Digital Publisher, Fiction/Non-Fiction, who helped set-up Angry Robot, said: “Having helped build the foundations for a successful future, we are delighted that the Angry Robot team has found a new publishing partner in Osprey. We believe this will help them develop their niche offering, supported by Osprey’s specialist sales and marketing teams. We wish them good luck for the future.”

Marc Gascoigne added, “Our publishing programme for 2010/11 will be basically unaffected by these changes. There will be a short break while the transition is sorted out, but we will be re-launching in September 2010 and then it will be business as usual.”
Osprey’s move is a reflection of the company’s continuing strategic drive into niche communities that share a deep enthusiasm for their interest or hobby, whether it be military history (Osprey Publishing), heritage (Shire Books), or science fiction and fantasy.

Richard Sullivan, Marketing Director at Osprey commented: “We have a great deal of experience of serving specialist niches with a very tight product focus. Angry Robot is a great fit with our existing businesses. We are very excited about the opportunity to enter into a new market and we are looking forward to helping Angry Robot, its authors and its readers go to some exciting places.”