Wrath Of The Lemming Men

Wrath Of The Lemming Men: A Penny Dreadful Review

            Enormous, suicidal rodent aliens. An android that Jane Austen wrote. A deserted amusement park. It can only be Isambard Smith’s latest adventure: Wrath Of The Lemming Men, by Toby Frost.

            Captain Isambard Smith’s crew must go undercover to investigate a shady corporation. They track the information they need to a planet that in no way shape or form mocks Disneyworld by way of a bloody battle at the British Museum (not the one on Earth). Meanwhile, a large angry rodent creature vows vengeance on Suruk the Slayer, which is perfect because Suruk has also vowed vengeance upon the large angry rodent creature. It is silly, absurd, and quite British. I adore Wrath Of The Lemming Men and I adore the bizarre mind of Toby Frost.

            An utterly nonsensical addition to a really ridiculous series, I give Wrath Of The Lemming Men four gears out of five. I loved it, I laughed out loud, and I’m going to read the next book. What more could one ask of a series?

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Steam Wars

Steam Wars, by Fred Perry: A Penny Dreadful Review

As I hope you know, Gearhearts is not the only Steampunk title from Antarctic Press. Here are my thoughts on Steam Wars, a delightful title from mastermind Fred Perry: I love this thing!
If you have ever wondered what a TIE fighter would look like as a dirigible, you need this comic. It is a fantastic mash up of Star Wars and Steampunk.  One immediately recognizes the opening scene as the start of A New Hope, yet it takes its own direction almost at once, traveling a peculiar parallel to the story of a particular space opera. It is full of clever references and groan-worthy puns, ie: Captain Hansel Lowe, the rogue who makes a habit of rescuing the princess, er, duchess. His companion and copilot is a large, hairy bear named Smokey. Yes, it is quite silly. Yet in classic Fred Perry style, serious and ridiculous share the same panel. On one hand, there is an engineer who is a bear, and on the other, there is an evil Quantum Dragoon who can make heads explode.  It has more of an edge than a pure parody, and I like that.  Steam Wars is quite well-balanced, and a great deal of fun.
I give Steam Wars five gears out of five.  It strikes a perfect balance of originality and homage to the source material. If you like Star Wars and Steampunk, if you’ve ever seen Steampunk Boba Fett and thought, “How cool,” you need to read this comic. I hope to see someone cosplaying a Quantum Dragoon at the next convention I attend with Antarctic Press.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,
Penny J. Merriweather