There’s been a lot of discussion around the web about self-publishing. Some people swear by it and believe that it does a better job of getting quality works to readers. Others believe that it’s all vanity and that if the books were any good, then a traditional publisher would grab them. Since I really don’t have an opinion one way or the other, I decided that maybe I should look at some of the self-published science fiction and see what is out there. I ended up choosing In Her Name: First Contact by Michael Hicks. The book is the first book in a trilogy, but the trilogy is the second trilogy in the series (if that makes sense). Hicks had a trilogy about a war between humans and an alien species. This book (and trilogy) is about the beginning of the contact between the two races and how the war started. So this is kinda like starting at Phantom Menace rather than A New Hope, but I’d rather not make any Star Wars comparisons. So, let’s check out the story.
Author Archives: Mark S
Continuum Season 1 Review
One of the best science fiction shows in recent memory just finished it first season and almost no one saw it. The reason for so few people seeing it is that it was only available in Canada. The Showcase channel in Canada is the only place you could have seen Continuum. Despite the name, it’s not related to Stargate: Continuum, but is (was?) a time traveling police procedural with an interesting timeline and mythology. So, let’s see what Continuum is all about;
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Damned Busters by Matthew Hughes
I first saw the second book in the To Hell and Back trilogy (Costume Not Included) and thought it looked interesting, but decided to wait and read the first book, Damned Busters, instead (since I hate starting in the middle of series). And I’m glad I did. Matthew Hughes has written a funny, subversive wish-fulfillment story about a man who got a chance to be a superhero and what it entailed. The story is quite funny, with wonderful characters and deserves a much wider audience. Let’s check out what happened.
Baby’s in Black by Arne Bellstorf
It’s a subject that’s been covered numerous times, most notably in the 1994 movie Backbeat. The Beatles (I’m sure you’ve heard of them) spent several months playing in Hamburg, Germany. While there, they not only honed their musical ability and stage presence, but they also lost a member of the band and gained a new look. Arne Bellstorf’s new graphic novel Baby’s in Black, covers this same material, but it really only focuses on German photography student Astrid Kirchherr who falls in love with the music and with art-student-turned-bass-player Stu Sutcliffe. So, let’s see what’s different about Baby’s in Black.
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
After reading and enjoying Horns, I decided to give Joe Hill’s first novel, Heart-Shaped Box, a read. Not to spoil the review, but I enjoyed Heart-Shaped Box, but still like Horns better. I think Hill is probably one of the better horror writers around right now and I’m excited to read new stories from him. I might check out his Locke and Key series next. So, let’s see what’s in the box.
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Wolverine by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller
I’ve never been much of an X-Men fan. I’ve read some of the classic storylines and see a couple of the movies, but I never was much of a fan. And, back in the 1980s, Wolverine always seemed like a perfect Marvel character. His lack of background and powers could be used to fit him into any storyline. But there was rarely any stories that explored his character. So, Chris Claremont and Frank Miller had a discussion when they shared a car ride back from the San Diego Comic Convention and came up with a new definitive (for the time) Wolverine storyline in the four issue mini-series aptly named Wolverine. Without changing the character or giving a backstory (or origin), they set a new direction for the character that made him a lot more interesting than a wild animal of a man. Let’s see what happened.
The Dark Knight Rises review
As you can tell, I’m about a week (or two) behind in reviewing movies. As I get older, it gets harder to co-ordinate seeing movies with friends on opening weekends. So I finally pulled my friend out of packing for his move so that we could see The Dark Knight Rises. Overall I kind of liked it, but not as much as The Dark Knight (and I disliked Batman Begins). But I had a number of problems with the film. So let’s check it out. WARNING: Spoilers ahoy.
Alphas Season 2 Premiere
Alphas was an interesting show in season 1. It had a great cast of characters and some interesting stories. I was curious whether or not it could keep up the quality in season 2. So, let’s check out the season premiere of season 2 and see what’s going on.
Alif the Unseen by G. Willow WIlson
I hadn’t heard of G. Willow Wilson previously. In fact the first time I heard of her was when I saw the rave reviews for her new novel Alif the Unseen. So, I decided that with all the rave reviews, I should at least give the book a chance. Am I glad that I decided to. Wilson has spun a fun mashup of jinn and hacking that I haven’t seen previously. Wilson has a great voice and does a great job telling the story she wants, not the story you expect to read. So, let’s see what the book is about.
The Amazing Spider-Man movie review
It was with a certain amount of trepidation that I approached the new reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, The Amazing Spider-Man. For the most part, I had enjoyed the Tobey Maguire movies (except for the horrible 3rd film), so I was a bit ambivalent about the reboot. Clearly the third movie showed that the previous creative team had lost their way, but did we really need to see the origin story again? So I finally broke down and went to go see the movie. Overall I was disappointed, but there were some good parts that make it likely that I might enjoy a sequel. Let’s see what it was about.