Weird Wild West

The Weird Wild West: A Penny Dreadful Review

            I love a bit of magic and weirdness in my frontier towns. Last December, eSpec Books released an anthology that delivers that in spades. The Weird Wild West, edited by Misty Massey, Emily Lavin Leverett, and Margaret St. Graw, contains many, many great tales of odd goings on.

            There are a great many stories in this anthology, so you will not leave disappointed, no matter what you’re looking for. Aliens, vengeful ghosts, shapeshifters, mad science, and necromancy run rampant across the weird wests of the authors’ imaginations.

            If I had to pick a favorite, it would be a toss up between “Blood Tellings,” by Wendy Wagner, and “Frank and Earnest,” by Tonia Brown. The first is the tale of a boy mature beyond his years. He speaks with the spirits of the dead. The local sheriff needs his help solving a murder in a house haunted by a malicious entity. The ending is beautiful. The second story involves the worst outlaws in the west and a kitten who defeats a mad scientist.

            The variety in this anthology is fantastic. I highly recommend The Weird Wild West for bite-sized adventures in a frontier that isn’t quite ordinary. I rate it four gears out of five.

Your Correspondent from the Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Space Captain Smith

Space Captain Smith: A Penny Dreadful Review

            You know it is going to be a wonderful book when you start chuckling on the first page. I laughed all the way through Space Captain Smith by Toby Frost, and I bet you will, too.

            Isembard Smith is a desk-clerk from the British Empire, which spans several planets. He is given a run-down spaceship, a pilot who is a sexbot who faked her credentials, and a mission he was never supposed to complete. He must transport a magical hippie chick to a safe location, despite aliens and cultists who want to use her for their own nefarious purposes.

            Toby Frost is a comic genius. He has an excellent grasp of the absurd. Space Captain Smith is loaded with satirical jibes and pop culture references. There’s a cyberpunk planet, there’s a War of the Worlds Martian, and there’s a chapter entitled, “Ho-Down Of The Damned.” This is a silly, silly book. It reminds me a bit of Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy with a Steampunk twist.

            I give this silliness four and a half gears out of five. It is an excellent addition to any adult’s library. Space Captain Smith is the perfect book-shaped companion for when you need a good laugh and feel like reading something with aliens in.

Your Correspondent from the Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

The Cold Hell

The Cold Hell: A Penny Dreadful Review

          A brutal taster of a series that sounds fascinating, “The Cold Hell” is a short story by Augusto Chiarle published by DieGo Comics Publishing. Thanks to Kickstarter, the Shadow of Mars saga is set for publication. In fact, as I write this, the first book, Clockwork, should be available. I know I would love to find a copy.
          Mr. Chiarle drops us into the middle of a Polish winter with an engineer who loves his family. Inevitably, something horrific happens. It is an intoxicating taste of a fascinating world. Due to a Martian invasion, the power structure of the world is not as we know it. There's a portion of that in this story, but I would love to know more.
          This story does exactly what it intends: it makes the reader hungry for more of this world. Four gears all around. I highly recommend examining this saga from DieGo Comics Publishing.

Your Correspondent from the Bookstore,
Penny J. Merriweather

The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume 2

The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume Two: A Penny Dreadful Review

            Aliens! Aliens have invaded England. They came from Mars and decimate the countryside with their heat rays! Only the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (and one gentlewoman) stand in their way!

            In this comic, every piece of fiction or myth written about England is true, from The Island of Dr. Moreau to The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde. The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, is in a way, the ultimate mash-up fanfiction. It is glorious. Yes, the League must defeat the aliens from The War Of The Worlds, while dealing with treachery in their ranks. It was rumored that the common cold eliminated the alien menace… it did not.

            This volume includes even more literary references than the last. I only recognized about three fourths of them – I recommend reading The Princess Of Mars and The War Of The Worlds and generally the entirety of Victorian classical literature before picking up The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume Two. Or volume one, for that matter.

It seems that once the creators got the origin story out of the way they could have more fun exploring the world they’d created. Volume Two is glorious and bloody, able to get deeper into character development.

            Volume Two earns four point five gears out of five, just like its predecessor. It is adventurous and dark, though this one has a touch more sick humor. (It is Mr. Hyde that displays this humor, so it is quite twisted indeed.) Again, this is not in the least appropriate for children, but it is a Must Have in your Steampunk library.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Territory 51

Territory 51: A Penny Dreadful Review, by Penny J. Merriweather

            An alien spaceship crashes to Earth right on top of a train about to be robbed by a gang of outlaws in 1873. The aliens emerge, and let’s just say this does not end well for the outlaw gang. I shan’t spoil the story by James Heffron, but I will tell you that the horrifying aliens can shapeshift and require gold to repair their damaged ship.

            The comic is Territory 51, a new series put out by Law Dog Comics.  I acquired the first issue, and enjoyed it immensely. The story seems interesting, and I like the art quite a bit.

            The art by Patrick K. LaHotch and Chad Fidler is fantastic. They can capture a feeling so well. I especially love the way they do eyes – so much expression in so few lines. The play of light and shadow across the panels is exquisite as well. Quite brilliant and a pleasure to view.

            The second issue is set to come out in September 2013, and you will definitely want to read it. I give this title four gears out of five. I look forward to seeing where this story goes.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather