New Movie: SUCKERPUNCH (03/2011)

Two blogs that I faithfully read, Temple Library Reviews and Muzophile, both posted items about SUCKERPUNCH, the upcoming movie from Zack Snyder.  Here is a quote from Snyder, which Harry (TLR) pulled from Wikipedia:

"Set in the 1950s, it tells the story of Baby Doll (Browning), who is trying to hide from the pain caused by her evil stepfather and lobotomy. She ends up in mental institution and while there she starts to imagine alternative reality. She plans to escape from that imaginary world but to do that she needs to steal five objects before she is caught by a vile man. She has 5 days to escape before being lobotomized. In order to cope with the situation, she enters the hyper-real world of her imagination, and the lines between reality and dream begin to blur. She is joined with friends who are inmates from the institution. Lessons learned in the said fantasy world could help the girls escape their real-world fate..."


Sounds good to me!  Now see the trailer:
 


WOW!  I don't know about you but I can't wait to see and hear more about this movie!  Stay tuned...

Contest: Win a FREE, Signed Copy Of Rick R Reed's Gay Erotic Collection ON THE EDGE

From Rick R Reed's blog (http://rickrreedreality.blogspot.com/) comes an exciting contest for a free, SIGNED copy of his new gay erotica collection, ON THE EDGE:

I'm proud to announce the release of my collection, ON THE EDGE from Amber Allure (the LGBT imprint of Amber Quill Press). This book is especially for you if you're one of those people who just doesn't cotton to the idea of an e-book and prefers the look, smell, and experience of a real print book. ON THE EDGE collects eight of my stories that were previously only available in electronic format before. Check out the descriptions of each story below.


To win a FREE, autographed copy of ON THE EDGE, all you need to do is the following:


1. Leave a comment below.

2. Be sure to leave an e-mail address so I can get in touch if you're a winner.

3. Bonus points for reposting news of this contest/release on your Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace. Even more bonus points if you click on the link at the right to subscribe by e-mail to this blog.


That's it. Good luck!

Synopsis

In Rick R. Reed’s haunting, mesmerizing, suspenseful, and romantic world, his gay male characters live on the edge, often literally as well as figuratively. In this new collection, you’ll take a wild ride with some of literature’s most unforgettable characters. Along the way, you’ll be moved—to tears, to laughter, to uneasiness, and sometimes, to arousal. As Bette Davis once said, “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”

Previously available only in electronic format, these eight stories of Gay Erotica and Romance have now been combined for a paperback edition! Included are the tales...

Superstar 
A story about promises made, promises broken, and dreams unfulfilled. Yet ultimately, it’s about realizing that love can come along when one least expects it—and in the unlikeliest of places.

Through The Closet Door 
A tale that brings to painful life the consequences of coming out of the closet when you’re married. Gregory’s mask is slipping, pulled down by the allure of a handsome neighbor and the demands of a desire that only gets louder the more he tries to quiet it.

Riding The El At Midnight 
When the gorgeous and twisted Mark boards a northbound el train, he is looking for love in all the wrong places. Finding Julio aboard that same train, Mark thinks, is the answer to his dreams. But are his dreams nightmares?

Fugue 
Slip into the dungeon playroom of a master and his boy. But in the boy’s mind, a dream state takes him places the master could not imagine...places where the established order turns upside down.

Incubus 
Two men, one predator, and a violent crime equal a journey into hellish nightmare territory. This tale merges horror with a tragic love story and the result is...chilling.

Man-Amorphosis 
I awoke one morning from uneasy dreams to find my penis had transformed itself into a vagina... Thus begins the story of a very unusual day...

No Place Like Home 
Trannies and Psychos and Bears...oh my! Burl discovers—in a hilariously bizarre quest—that there really is no place like home.

Pottery Peter 
One long hot summer. Three gorgeous men. And a burning triangle set down in the middle of a factory filled with sweaty men with bulging biceps.

Angry Robot and Lauren Beukes News

Today from Angry Robot:

A brief reminder – Lauren Beukes (author of the fantastic, critically-acclaimed MOXYLAND) is making a rare visit to the UK this month from her native South Africa, and we’ve lined up three events where you can meet her, and get your books signed.


Not only that, to celebrate her visit we’ve teamed up with Forbidden Planet to bring you an Angry Robot first – a limited edition hardcover of her forthcoming novel, ZOO CITY. It’s already attracted a lot of attention, and for very good reason!

You can order a copy of  ZOO CITY from Forbidden Planet, here. Better still, come along to her signing. There are just 100 copies being sold through Forbidden Planet, so you’re going to have to get one soon to avoid disappointment! This is a very limited limited edition.

Lauren will be signing ZOO CITY at the London Forbidden Planet Megastore from 6.00-7.00pm on Thursday July 29th. Come along and say “Hi” and pick up a copy of the book. I’ll also be there (Lee) despite my wife’s protestations (she doesn’t object to Lauren – the signing is halfway through our holiday, so I’ll be leaving our cottage in Wales to come along to the event).

British Science Fiction Association
The night before Lauren’s signing at Forbidden Planet she will be the special guest at the July meeting of the British Science Fiction Association, where she will be reading from ZOO CITY, prior to an interview. There will be a Q&A session at the end, and you don’t have to be a member of the BSFA to attend. There may be one or two other Angry Robot authors there, too, as well as Marc Gascoigne – Angry Robot’s Publishing Director.

The reading / interview will be at the upstairs bar of:

The Antelope Tavern, 22 Eaton Terrace, Belgravia, London SW1W 8EZ (nearest tube station is Sloane Square on the District and Circle lines).

The reading will commence around 7.00pm, but people usually start gathering in the downstairs bar from 5.00pm onwards.



British Fantasy Society
Lauren will also be the guest at the first BFS Open Night of the year. Well, not Open Night so much as Open Afternoon. For those of you who might find it hard to get to central London on a weekday evening, Lauren’s BFS event is on Saturday 31st July from 1.00pm until 5.00pm at The George pub on The Strand, WC2R 1AP (nearest tube station: Temple). And again, you don’t have to be a member to attend, though you can join on the day if you wish.



So, those dates again:

Wednesday 28th July: BSFA meeting - 7.00pm onwards (but any time from 5.00 for general chit-chat and beerage)

Thursday 29th July: Forbidden Planet signing – 6.00pm until 7.00pm (see here for details)

Saturday 31st July: BFS meeting – 1.00pm until 5.00pm

New Cover Art: Harbinger Of The Storm by Aliette de Bodard (Angry Robot)

Here is the cover for the next OBSIDIAN AND BLOOD novel, HARBINGER OF THE STORM.  It will be available from Angry Robot in the UK in January 2011 and February in the US and Canada.  I've been waiting to see what's been happening with Acatl, so definitely looking forward to this book!

Review: Ask The Fire by Dennis Paddie (Lethe Press)

ASK THE FIRE is the new novel by poet/playwright Dennis Paddie. It is an ambitious piece of myth making. Paddie blends a unique spiritual vision with the high octane action of a spy novel and reimagines the mysteries of the Knights Templar in a new, daring way.  Add to all this the free loving of the 60s, a secret history of homosexuality and the horrific 9/11 attacks and you get a fascinating book; I read it and then read it again (thus delaying this reviewer's post), it was that compelling. This is a new kind of thriller and I look forward to more of the same from Paddie. If you enjoy fast paced action, conspiracy theories and intrigue, this novel will definitely whet your appetite while it adds new dimensions to the thriller genre.


You can get ASK THE FIRE here:  http://www.amazon.com/Ask-Fire-Dennis-Paddie/dp/1590212487