New Cover Art

Via The Mad Hatter's Bookshelf:

"Superhero novels have always been something I look forward to when they aren't focused on traditional heroes from comics. A few of my favorites include Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman showing the flip side of things centering on the Supervillian and Ex-Heroes by Peter Climes, which combines a zombie apocalypse and Superheroes. There is also Carrie Vaughn'sAfter the Golden Age delving into what it is like to grow-up without powers among Superheros and Ian Tregillis's Bitter Seeds combining alt history, dark magic, and Nazi Supermen. This year there are a couple books that fit into this vein that have caught my eye.

First up is Paul Tobin's debut Prepare to Die!. Tobin has worked in the comics for the past few years most notably on Spiderman, but his first novel looks to take a darker and more introspective tone on the subject of  super ones. The cover definitely screams superpower. Here's the description of Prepare to Die!:

Nine years ago, Steve Clarke was just a teenage boy in love with the girl of his dreams. Then a freak chemical spill transformed him into Reaver, the man whose super-powerful fists can literally take a year off a bad guy’s life.

Days ago, he found himself at the mercy of his arch-nemesis Octagon and a whole crew of fiendish super-villains, who gave him two weeks to settle his affairs–and prepare to die.

Now, after years of extraordinary adventures and crushing tragedies, the world’s greatest hero is returning to where it all began in search of the boy he once was . . . and the girl he never forgot.

Exciting, scandalous, and ultimately moving, Prepare to Die! is a unique new look at the last days of a legend.

Prepare to Die! will be released in June from Night Shade Books.

Christopher L. Bennett is best known as the author of many Star Trek and and Marvel Superhero novels so it is no huge surprise that his first non-established property work melds Space and Superheroes with Only Superhuman. Given all the books on post-humans and genetic manipulation in the future I'm actually surprised this hasn't been done before. The slated perspective works really well and I like the art, but I'm not sure it gets across that the character is a superhero. I guess it is a case of spandex = superheroes. Here's the blurb:

In the future, genetically engineered superhumans, inspired by classic Earth comic book heroes, fight to keep the peace in the wild and wooly space habitats of the Asteroid Belt

2107 AD: A generation ago, Earth and the cislunar colonies banned genetic and cybernetic modifications. But out in the Asteroid Belt, anything goes. Dozens of flourishing space habitats are spawning exotic new societies and strange new varieties of humans. It’s a volatile situation that threatens the peace and stability of the entire solar system.

Emerald Blair is a Troubleshooter. Inspired by the classic superhero comics of the twentieth century, she’s joined with other mods to try to police the unruly Asteroid Belt. But her loyalties are tested when she finds herself torn between rival factions of superhumans with very different agendas. Emerald wants to put her special abilities to good use, but what do you do when you can’t tell the heroes from the villains?

Only Superhuman is a rollicking hard-sf adventure set in a complex and fascinating future.

I've always been a fan of the galactic series such as Green Lantern Corp, Guardians of the Galaxy, the Infinity Gauntlet, and especially anything Thanos related so I definitely want to see Bennett's take about Superheroes in space.   Only Superhuman will be out mid-October from Tor. "


I've always been a fan of superhero fiction myself and don't think there's enough of it outside of the comic book medium, so when I saw this post on the Mad Hatter blog I was very excited.  Both novels sound great and I will definitely be on the lookout for them!

Happy reading!

12 Days of Monsters, the 4 Book Club and Help Lovecraft eZine

This week's web surfing:

Over at the Weird Fiction Review,  in celebration of the annual International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts (IFCA), they are presenting "12 Days of Monsters"; the theme of the conference is "The Monstrous Fantastic" and guests of honor are China Mieville and Kelly Link.  Highlights of the 12 days include an interview with Mieville, the first web publication of Link's "Pretty Monsters" as well as monstrous fiction, comics, art and favorite monsters.  Check out the full week's schedule of the 12 days here.

Meanwhile the Robot Overlords have signed a new two book deal with Adam Christopher, author of Empire State and the forthcoming Seven Wonders. The new deal includes the sequel to Empire State, titled The Age Atomic, to be published May 2013 and a stand alone novel called Hang Wire to follow within a year.  This deal makes Christopher one of only three authors to have placed four books with Angry Robot.  For details on the new deal, click here.

Michael Davis, publisher of the quite awesome Lovecraft eZine, put out a call for help to readers of the magazine for donations to keep the March and April issues on track.   And his call was answered!  The two issues have been saved but it never hurts to continue to lend a helping hand; the eZine is a place to read great fiction in the Lovecraftian vein and also an invaluable resource to the uninitiated to the famous author and his Cthulu Mythos.  Help Mike and his family keep the magazine going!

Happy reading!

New Cover Art: THE INEXPLICABLES by Cherie Priest

THE INEXPLICABLES is the 5th book (including CLEMENTINE) in  The  Clockwork Century series by Cherie Priest.  Not sure if this is the final version but here is the official blurb:

Rector “Wreck ‘em” Sherman was orphaned as a toddler in the Blight of 1863, but that was years ago. Wreck has grown up, and on his eighteenth birthday, he’ll be cast out out of the orphanage. 

And Wreck’s problems aren’t merely about finding a home. He’s been quietly breaking the cardinal rule of any good drug dealer and dipping into his own supply of the sap he sells. He’s also pretty sure he’s being haunted by the ghost of a kid he used to know—Zeke Wilkes, who almost certainly died six months ago. Zeke would have every reason to pester Wreck, since Wreck got him inside the walled city of Seattle in the first place, and that was probably what killed him.Maybe it’s only a guilty conscience, but Wreck can’t take it anymore, so he sneaks over the wall.

The walled-off wasteland of Seattle is every bit as bad as he’d heard, chock-full of the hungry undead and utterly choked by the poisonous, inescapable yellow gas. And then there's the monster. Rector's pretty certain that whatever attacked him was not at all human—and not a rotter, either. Arms far too long. Posture all strange. Eyes all wild and faintly glowing gold and known to the locals as simply "The Inexplicables."

In the process of tracking down these creatures, Rector comes across another incursion through the wall -- just as bizarre but entirely attributable to human greed. It seems some outsiders have decided there's gold to be found in the city and they're willing to do whatever it takes to get a piece of the pie unless Rector and his posse have anything to do with it.

THE INEXPLICABLES should be released November 13.

Miscellany

From this week's cruising of the 'net:

At Apex Magazine Julia Rios has a thoughtful article on speculative fiction that examines gender and sexuality; you can check it out here.  It makes for great reading!

If you enjoy the art of drag and the queens behind it as much as I do, then RuPaul's Drag Race ( on Logo TV) is the show for you!  And two of the blogs that I follow had art and recaps of this week's episode posted almost immediately!

First up is The Sellout from Chad Sell.  He is an artist and illustrator with his own webcomic Manta-Man,and every week Chad creates fan art from highlights from Drag Race.  This week was a great episode and here is just one of the pieces he drew, of contestant Sharon Needles:

You can see more of Chad's art and his Manta-Man comic on his website.

Amanda at Humor and Spice also reviews the episode and even grades the contestants.  Amanda is a big fan of pop culture, music and reality tv, so check out her blog for all kinds gossip and other must reads!

More author signings happening at Strange Chemistry, where they announced A E Rought has joined the family.  Check out the details here.  I can't wait to see the first titles from the YA arm of Angry Robot; each new one announced sounds better and better!