I've been working on something but I'm finding it tough going. I was thinking about not doing anymore of these Book Haul posts but as I don't want a post-drought either I'll settle for some easy content instead while I take my time editing the shit out of the difficult one. (there's actually a few big posts I'm working on but that last one has picked up some steam recently and is nearing its end or its discontinuation.)
So, feast and rejoice! Here be Book Porn!
Let's focus on the more intriguing parts first.
The three boxes to the left.
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| Roadside Picnic; the inspiration for the move 'Stalker' and the Stalker video games. |
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| Something Wicked This Way Comes |
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| Mythago Wood |
These mugs were inspired by the Sci-fi and Fantasy masterwork editions published by Gollancz.
I found these on the Bookdepository site and didn't wait too long to pick them all up.
Oddly, only one of these three has actual artwork from a fantasy Masterwork edition. Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way comes. A quick search online reveals all three works of art come from artist Autun Purser's Project Fantastic Travel Destinations.
It also explains why these mugs are titled according to the book's location and not the title, though the author's name is present.
Go give that site a look; if you're a genre lover it'll be worth your time. The plateau of Leng one might be my favourite. Utter Lovecraftian bleakness.
As you can see these books are all similarly themed trade paperbacks. They were published in 2008 by Gollancz. The story goes that besides the Sci-Fi Masterworks and the Fantasy Masterworks series there was supposed to be a third series, namely the Horror Masterworks series.
As the reception of the Fantasy Masterworks was less than anticipated Gollancz decided not to continue with plans for the Horror Masterworks. In 2007 they tried again, but on a smaller scale, keeping every collection limited to just 8 books. That year they lead with the Beautiful Future Classic series for Sci-fi. In 2008 the Ultimate Fantasies Sequence for fantasy, which needs not be talked about here as I did an informative post on it a little while ago.
And for horror they published the Terror... wait.
The Terror 8. Here with missing matching edition of Fevre Dream. Because online sellers are too lazy to actually be accurate in picture, description and ISBN numbers...
These books are rather hard to get and Fevre Dream is precisely the book that made me hold off on trying to acquire these 8 books before. Until last year somewhere I had never even seen the elusive blue cover of the Terror 8 books. That is until I found the Caustic Cover Critic Blog, who gave a good but dismissive look at the 8 books. Gollancz Horrors
It made me slightly more comfortable with going after these books as I could plainly see that all 8 covers were indeed matching.
In a harried month of comparing Ebay descriptions with what information I had, I got lucky with 7 out of 8 books, but not the one I was actually worried about... Naturally.
So the hunt continues, at a leisurely pace of course, I don't have much time to read these days. And on the days that I work, I don't even have the inclination to when I come home. So there's no rush, though I would like to have a complete set.
Onwards.
I have an upcoming post about the Michael Moorcock Collection soon. Something to kick off, hopefully, a long line of posts, stretching into the future. Several things have kept me from committing to it though. The sheer scope of Moorcock's Multiverse for one. The blog is another, specifically, the fear that I will never manage to keep a meaningful blog going. I don't easily share stuff, and it's sometimes hard to keep that up. Regardless, I do have some personal goals that I feel I have to post on the blog. They mostly concern favourite books and some personal stuff besides.
It's a different sort of blog to what I was expecting this to be. But I feel like this might be more comfortable. A comfortable groove into which I'm settling.
Be yourself, don't try to be anything other than who you are, because every seat but yours is taken; you wouldn't believe how that message has been hammered into me over the past few weeks. Movies, series, books, games and comics; bizarrely they've all had that message directed at me over the course of the last month. I figure I should listen and do what comes natural.
Another ramble, another personal tidbit, so now about those three books:
These three books are added to the Moorcock shelf, to wait a while before they are read. The Eternal Champion will be read (reasonably) soon, as will Hawkmoon: The History of the Runestaff.
Count Brass will probably not be for this year. The reason for that will become apparent in the first Moorcock collection blog post.
The Goon Library Editions 3 and 4, still wrapped in their protective plastic. Normally edition 2 should've been on the pile this month as well but something has gone wrong at the DPD center where it got checked in by the book's sellter; it hasn't moved since. I've mailed the seller, but as they haven't contacted me back I'm looking into contacting the DPD center.
And here's some galactic horror with the Southern Cross volume 1 and Nameless.
I've already read Southern Cross.
I found it appalling. I Already started a blog post on it, but I (might) have abandoned it since I'm really uncomfortable giving negative opinions. And believe me, I have nothing positive to say about it.
Nameless then, by Grant Morrison I haven't read yet. But I'm pretty sure it'll be good. I took a glance at the first few utterly bewildering pages and figured that, with some open-mindedness it shouldn't be a problem. I'm looking forward to it.
Here is book 2 of the Manifest Delusions series.
Book 1, Beyond Redemption, was some of the utterly darkest grimdark I've ever read. So its sequel is another one I'm looking forward to, though I doubt I have time to read it anytime soon, which is a real shame.
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| I do think that is Bedeckt, which is a very disturbing notion. I mean, I knew he was scarred, but Jesus man... |
Ever wondered what kind of man writes this kind of mad fiction?
At the very least; you know he has a sense of humour.
I'm not sure right now if he has another book in the Manifest Delusions setting, either out now or upcoming, but I'll buy it if it exists. I got a pre-order for Evil is a Matter of Perspective, which will be out later this month in trade paperback from online sellers. Evil is a grimdark fantasy short fiction collection with such writers as Fletcher himself, Theresa Frohock, whose Miserere I loved, brian Staveley, Janny Wurts, Scott Bakker and others. I missed out on the kickstarter for the book, but I'm happy to have a trade paperback without all the toppings If I can't get them with.
I still feel as if somehow Beyond Redemption was a fluke. But its dedication to themes of mental ilness and the magic system built upon that, the utterly horrible characters, the shocking events and violence in the book, not to mention the master plan of the main villain, have made me a fan.
I only hope book 2 will be half as good as the first. (shit, I'm really not a fan of hyperbole, what I meant is that; of course it should be as good as book 1)
Here is a bittersweet little comic. Bittersweet because of the feelings it summons, not because it might be bad because I haven't actually read it yet.
Bittersweet because Penny Dreadful's first 2 seasons were a good example of an utterly immaculate Horror show.
It fell on its face, a bit, in season 3, like, though not as bad or as hard as, say, that other 2-season perfect horror show; Hannibal. But Penny Dreadful season 3 was not as it should have been.
And John Logan's bullshit post-finale propaganda was utterly insulting. It didn't help with me trying to forgive the show. Don't get me wrong, I loved what season 3 was doing, and I believe , for instance, that the central plotline; Vanessa's story, would have ended this way regardless in either five seasons or 6. Those final scenes with her would have been (hopefully) the same, had they been put in season 5, they were that good. It was mostly just everything else that I had a problem with. The rushing, the dismissal of several key characters and plotlines. The hackneyed lobbing together of every plotline there at the end. But mainly: We Were Promised More. I might have more to say on this at a later time, either in a potential review of the comic or in a look at the series itself but for now I'll leave it be. |
| A pretty good likeness too, Eva Green, everybody. |
Romans. Demons. Swords. Blood. Where have you been all my life?
No I'm exagerating. I don't like Romans; dirty fascists. The old ones, I mean.
I don't have a problem with current day Romans.
Though I'm not fond of the Vatican, I suppose.
Don't know much about it and will keep it thus, until I start reading it.
I've saved the best for last, of course.
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| A little bent, but right now that is ok. |
This is Gollancz's Future Classic edition of Hyperion. One of my most favourite books ever (read).
I suppose the spikes are meant to summon up imagery of the book's metal monster; the Shrike. It's a little too abstract though. If I was to have designed the cover I think I would've used an negative and stylised image of the Shrike Tree. Spikes and corpses, but somehow minimalist. Maybe the focus on one spike with a body impaled on it just barely visible.
But Hell I'm not an artist so it really is fine the way it looks. I mean, how would the Shrike look compressed in time if not as a ball of spikey singularity?
Here is some more pictures, in different angles, since I haven't seen many pictures of these books online. I figured someone might be served by me showing the book from multiple angles.
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