Category Archives: Paranormal

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope – DK Publishing

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Oscar-nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock teams up with Joss Whedon and comic book legend Stan Lee to provide an insider look at the unique experience that is the San Diego Comic-Con. An annual four-day event that originally showcased comic books and science fiction, the convention has expanded over the years to include film, horror, anime, manga, animation and video games. The largest event of its kind in the world, Comic-Con is the quintessential center of pop culture today. From what Comic-Con is, what goes on, and how it became what it is today, this illustrated companion to the film offers an unprecedented look at this annual event.

  • Includes interviews with Frank Miller, Matt Groening,Kenneth Branagh, Ellen Page and Seth Rogan

Morgan Spurlock was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary for Super Size Me. He followed up with the well received Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden(2008), and produced three seasons of his acclaimed television series 30 Days. Spurlock also conceived, wrote, and directed The Simpsons’ 20th Anniversary Special in 3-D. His feature-length adaptation of the New York Times Bestseller Freakonomics was released in Fall 2010. He is also the author of Don’t Eat This Book!, based on his documentary Super Size Me.- Publishers Website

I have never been to one of these festivals, but by the looks of it from inside these pages, it would have to be one of those most fantastical places, albeit, for a week or two.

The fans, the costumes, the panels, and of course the sneak peeks into movies or anything else you wanted to know about is all there.  It would be one of those one moments in time, where you would experience everything at once.  What a whirlwind!

I really loved the enthusiasm that the fans have for their most loved comic, movies, graphic novels and so much more.  What would you want to do there ? I think I would want to experience a little of everything.  That is if I had time to do so! Below, check out some of the costumes, fans, celebrities, and more inside the book.

Comic-Con Site – Comic-Con Twitter – Facebook – YouTube

The Bitternest Chronicles – Alan Draven

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If you are a fan of the gothic – horror genres, get ready !

The Bitternest Chronicles is set in Bitternest, a foggy city in Louisiana – Unusual things including the fog are anything but ordinary.

Combining five previously published short stories, and two brand new novellas that will have you turning page by page, taking hold of you until it is ready to let you go from the beginning.

The writing itself is addictive, it will grab hold of you until the story is finished.  You will feel the fog envelope you and take you away.  The scenes are appropriate to modern and past times, but will pull you in whatever Alan has dreamed up.
Pixie Dust Press

 

The Passage – Justin Cronin

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Absolutely Spectacular !!

Don’t be daunted in the least at the size of the book.  At a hefty 784 pages, this book will have you reading long into the night while flying through the book so much you won’t be able to put it down.  I know I had a really hard time doing that… putting it down.

It wouldn’t hurt either that Stephen King calls you in the middle of a nationwide interview on Good Morning America to gush about how good it is right?

A unique book that brings together some old and new concepts that are effortlessly welded together.

The Government is doing an experiment that intends to lengthen soldiers lives while in battle becomes the Andromeda Strain meets The Stand.

In this futuristic tale, a young girl is in the middle of a virus that has infected 12 men no one else would have paid attention to, given their circumstances.  But once the experiment goes terribly and horribly wrong, the American population starts to become infected by these “Vitals”, and it seems that the country is doomed forever.

The Vitals feed on human blood, they use it to survive, but then those people come back to life as these blood hunting, evil, daunting “Vitals” that only hunt at night.

As time goes on, civilization is crumbling, there are fewer and fewer humans to be found.  Amy, the young child travels across the country having these visions of where she needs to be at a certain time.  Along the way, in a different place, there are some humans that have fought against the Vitals for years, slowly becoming less and less.  Then comes the time that they have to leave their security zone to forage for more supplies.

All in all there are maybe 13 in the group.  Becoming smarter than the Vitals can pose to be a challenge, but as they find their way, they find there are actually more out there.

Amy needs to be at a certain place at a certain time, will she be able to get there? will the others still be alive? Is this the end of the world as everyone knows it to be?  Can Amy complete what she needs to do, before becoming one of “them”?

Now, I came across something interesting, this is not the only book.  There will be TWO MORE BOOKS ! One is being published sometime in 2012 – entitled The Twelve, and the third book entitled The City of Mirrors  in 2014.

Random House / Doubleday

Browse Inside

Find Subject Zero

The Passage Website

American Gods – Neil Gaiman

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This book was chosen by a group on twitter (1book1twitter – #1b1t).

Shadow has been waiting for this moment for the last three years.

He is being released from prison in a few days.  Little does he know that he will be released in a few hours following the deaths of his wife and his best friend, amid compromising circumstances.

As he is on his way home, he comes across a man who is named Mr. Wednesday.  He is propositioning him a job, one that will require little, but in the end may require more than the average job entails.  Shadow at first refuses, but, as the trip ensues, he accepts, which brings him into this fantastical world – hallucinations at first he thinks, but as Shadow goes deeper and deeper into the work, the people he meets it is more than he ever imagined that it would be.

The travelling across America and beyond, Shadow becomes aware of what his presence is really there for, what the meaning of life is for him, what it means to others.

“It’s just easier to just do the time.”  He paused.  Then, “You got to understand the god thing.  It’s not magic.  It’s about being you, but the you that people believe in.  It’s about becoming the concentrated, magnified, essence of you.  It’s about becoming the thunder, or the power of a running horse, or wisdom.  You take all the belief and become bigger, cooler, more than human.  You crystallize.”  He Paused.  “And then one day they forget about you, and they don’t believe in you, and they don’t sacrifice, and they don’t care, and the next thing you know you’re running a three-card monte game on the corner of Broadway and Forty-third.”

Futuristic, yet goes to the heart of a man’s sense of who he is, how he is changing, and what he will become.

One Book One Twitter or stop on by Crowd Sourcing

Neil Gaiman is on twitter @neilhimself – he may even answer you back

HarperCollins

Browse Inside

Leviathan – Scott Westerfield

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First off, I just have to say this is a gorgeous cover with all of the texture and colour this is one of my favorites.

Just at the beginning of WWI, some nations have taken to steam-powered machines and some have taken to more animatistic made machines that they use for battles.

Aleksander Ferdinand has been kidnapped after his parents were killed by their own people.  There are only a few who are still faithful to Aleksander and his beliefs, and have taken precautions to keep him safe.

Deryn, a girl who is clambering at the bit to be able to become a pilot has disguised herself to try and join the British Air Service.  With her taking chances the way she is one thought came to me – will she be discovered? what will happen if she is?

With war starting, will both sides be able to reclaim or overcome the other side to get what they want?

I have to say, this is a great book for kids who in my case with my son is a reluctant reader, and when this book arrived he was actually interested in what it was all about.  It is also great for those exploring what genre’s of books they will ultimately want to read in adulthood to help them decide.

My son is reading this at school and at home, it is really holding his attention, and he is actually talking about what he thinks may happen in the chapters he hasn’t read.  Will Deryn be discovered, will the war change things that were once quiet and calm? What will really happen when the machines take over Europe, or when the Animals take over? The humour is great as well I find it is quite agreeable for kids.  I did hear my son chuckling at a few passages while he read quietly and then asked what part he was at, and once he told me I chuckled as well.

Like I mentioned before, the texturization of the dust cover as well as the full colour diagrams and illustrations in the novel make it quite unique and would be a keepsake just for that alone.

Scott’s Website

Simon and Schuster

Dark Slayer – Christine Feehan

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dark slayerI have to say right off this was the perfect book when I read it.  I had read some pretty heavy literary works before this book and was in a sort of rut in choosing what I would read next.  I think you all know what I am talking about, I needed a break from those heavy topics, and this happened to be the exact right change.

Lately, there has been this craze not only in books but on television as well adding to the debate of Zombies or Vampires.  But when I looked at this book, it had caught my interest, so I broke down; this is a new departure for me this genre of Paranormal / Fantasy / Erotic Fiction type of work, so I hope a do a good job of relaying what the book was about.

Just a warning to you all, this has a fair amount of explicit sex, so I would recommend this book to only adults, and to exercise caution when buying this book for someone else.

Ivory has been betrayed by some of the members of her family hundreds of years ago.  As she was regenerating in the deep cavernous depths of the earth after being chopped into pieces and left for the wolves to eat her remaining body parts, she had become part of a pack of wolves that had befriended her and have been her family ever since.  She hunts vampires; it doesn’t matter if they are family members.

The search for an infamous one Xavier has been her ultimate goal since she has returned.  Xavier is the most vile, evil Vampire that uses his powers to overtake different parts of earth work for him in every way possible.  This even means spiders and any other animal or mineral that he can control.

One night while hunting, she comes along a scent that is that of a man, which just so happens to also be her life mate, who has recently escaped Xavier after being tortured and held captive for centuries.

Razvan has been branded a criminal, not to be trusted.  But when he encounters Ivory all of that changes, they team up to take down Xavier no matter what the damage or what comes in their way.

As long as they can stay alive doing it.

I enjoyed this novel immensely.  It was one of those well written books that keep you wanting to keep reading no matter what you need or have to do in real life.  I was also impressed that at the back of the book there were appendixes that she shares to better give you an idea of what the Carpathians are about, where they come from, chants and languages that they use.  With my family coming from an area close to the location she is talking about was interesting as well.

Dark Slayer debuted on the New York Times Bestselling list at number 1

Christine’s Website

Penguin / Berkley