See Upcoming Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Releases
See Upcoming Mystery Releases
Staff Picks for January/February 2006
Andrew's Staff Picks
Stray Bullets Volume 1 by David Lapham
"For the first time ever, the complete award-winning first arc of Stray Bullets in paperback! Follow the lost lives of people who are savagely torn apart by events beyond their control: The innocent world of an imaginative little girl is shattered when she witnesses a brutal double murder. An introverted young boy on the verge of manhood gets a lesson on just how far is too far when he falls for a needy woman who lives life in the fast lane. Or party with a pair of low-rent hoods who learn what is really important in life just when they shouldn't. And even learn the story of the most infamous gangster who ever lived, Amy Racecar, who talks to God, lunches with the President, and just may be responsible for the end of the world. These are some of the tales that will rip out your guts and break your heart."
$19.95
Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris
"Set in our modern-day real world, Ex Machina tells the story of civil engineer Mitchell Hundred, who becomes America's first living, breathing superhero after a strange accident gives him amazing powers. Eventually tiring of risking his life merely to help maintain the status quo, Mitchell retires from masked crime-fighting and runs for Mayor of New York City, winning by a landslide. But Mayor Hundred has to worry about more than just budget problems and an antagonistic governor, especially when a mysterious hooded figure begins assassinating plow drivers during the worst snowstorm in the city's history!"
$9.95
Gotham Central: In the Line of Duty by Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, and Michael Lark
"Even with Batman on the job, the police of corrupt, crime-ridden Gotham City have their hands full. Such is the premise of the latest Batman serial, " Gotham Central," which focuses on crime fighters without costumes and superpowers. Resentful of but dependent on the shadowy figure they derisively call the Bat, Gotham's cops spend most of their time on mundane crimes--the primary case in this, the first " Gotham Central" story arc, is the murder of a teenage girl--but they invariably encounter Gotham's bizarrer crooks, too. In the opening pages, a member of the force is brutally killed by Mr. Freeze, and a third-rate villain called the Firebug figures indirectly in the murder investigation. Ed Brubaker and Rucka's intricate plotting and deft characterization are brilliantly realized by Michael Lark's noirish, muted artwork, which places Batman firmly in the street-level world of the cops rather than the other way around. This outstanding addition to the Batman universe, so to speak, should grab viewers of TV shows like " NYPD Blue" as well as regular Batman readers."
$9.95
The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore
"Taking a well-worn genre-flesh-eating zombies overrun the world and the unlucky surviving humans must deal with the gruesome aftermath-and approaching it from a purely character-driven point of view propels this series into the spotlight from out of nowhere. This collection of the first six issues of the ongoing series opens with police officer Rick Grimes awakening from a gunshot-induced coma. From here, he's immediately dragged into a world where dangerous revenants are shambling amok without any sort of an explanation. From the moment Grimes comes to, it's a harrowing battle to avoid hordes of decomposing zombies and a hope-against-all-odds search for his missing family. Grimes makes his way to Atlanta, the nearest large city where there may be other living people, and events take several unexpected turns upon his arrival, as he meets up with a rural encampment of survivors. Of course, as in recent hit movies 28 Days Later... and Dawn of the Dead, the last humans may turn out to be as much a danger as the zombies. Forceful scripting that gives the book a strong grounding in reality, crisp b&w artwork, a shocking final sequence and brisk, gory proceedings elevate this book from the trash heap of pedestrian horror comics."
$9.95
100% by Paul Pope
"Set in a gritty near-future, "100%" juggles three separate but interconnected stories that revolve around a downtown Manhattan nightclub catering to demimonde habitues including artists, erotic dancers (whose internal organs are projected onto viewscreens for the ultimate voyeuristic kick), prizefighters, barmaids, and busboys. The meandering story line isn't particularly plot-heavy, but Pope more than makes up for any narrative slackness by skillfully using the comics medium to convince, rather than simply tell, us about this slightly futuristic, highly recognizable world. In the end, "100%" is like a William Gibson novel filmed by Wong Kar-wai to a punk-rock soundtrack. Pope's gray-toned drawings, aided by his expressive brushwork, are highly detailed but remarkably clear; visual complexity never gets in the way of impressive storytelling. Pope is one of the few American artists--if not the only one--to have drawn " manga" for Japanese publishers and show the strong influence of Eurocomics, too. His globalized approach and emphasis on style over substance, which mirrors trends in other media, perhaps point to the future of the comics medium."
$24.95
Lelia's Staff Picks
Eye of Newt by Denise Dietz
"Sydney St. Charles is descended from a long line of witches. She owns an apothecary shop in Manitou Falls, Colorado, where she sells spells, potions and talismans. Sydney's charms are very popular, but it isn't witchcraft that has the town buzzing. Clive Newton, a member of the rock band The Newts, has been murdered. Then the band's manager dies in a fire. Sydney finds her attempts to help with the investigation are complicated by her growing attraction to amnesiac, "John Elway." She is also drawn into an ancient family mystery: a parallel murder that happened in Salem in 1692. Through an ancestor's journal, she learns far more than she expected about her own heritage - and also about the modern-day killer. In the end, Sydney must outwit a murderer who will go to any lengths to silence her."
$13.95
The Mistmantle Chronicles #1: Urchin of the Riding Stars by M. I. McAllister
"Urchin the squirrel believes he is destined for greatness. Dropped from the sky by a gull onto the island of Mistmantle, he is rescued by Crispin, captain to hedgehog King Brushen. He becomes Crispin's page and is quickly embroiled in the murder of the King's young son. When Crispin is framed for the crime and banished, Urchin remains on Mistmantle, working for another captain, Padra the otter. Eyewitness to a power struggle for the throne, he helps fight against cruel new laws and reveals the true murderer. This story will appeal to fans of Brian Jacques's Redwall series."---School Library Journal
$17.95
Whiskey on the Rocks by Nina Wright
"Still reeling from her husband's death, thirty-three-year-old realtor Whiskey Mattimoe is adjusting to a new life, which includes the embarrassing purse-snatching antics of her mischievious Afghan hound. That's bad for business, but not as bad as having clients die on the premises. When one of her properties turns into a murder scene, Whiskey becomes hopelessly tangled in a devious scheme involving identity fraud and priceless art. Dodging a house fire, break-ins, and attempts on her life, Whiskey manages to keep her sense of humor throughout the chaos with help from a part-time police force, her eight-year-old neighbor, and other eccentric characters in the Lake Michigan resort town of Magnet Springs."
$13.95
Skeleton Key by Jane Haddam
"Writer and ex-deb Bennis Hannaford visits a friend of her mother's in Connecticut when the woman's daughter, considered the most popular debutante coming out this season, is found brutally murdered. Widower and ex-FBI agent Gregory Demarkian, Bennis's lover, comes up from Philadelphia to help her out, and they both uncover some very dark and deadly secrets in the small town."
$6.50
Deadlier Than the Pen by Kathy Lynn Emerson
"In 1888, the murder of two female journalists in the New York City prompts newly widowed journalist Diana Spaulding to investigate the handsome horror author Damon Bathory in this historical mystery. Although her growing affection for Bathory makes her increasingly reluctant to pursue him, Spaulding is spurred on by her cigar-chomping boss Horatio Foxe in an adventure that pits her against a deranged artist, a matriarch with a bloodthirsty sense of humor, and a traveling acting troupe of egotistical men and jealous women. Written against the background of New York City during the height of yellow journalism, the novel brings to life not only the the fast-paced murder mystery that Spaulding investigates, but also the day-to-day realities and hardships of the gilded age."
$13.95
Laura's Staff Picks
Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
"This volume combines the first two novels in the popular "Vorkosigan" series, telling the story of Cordelia Vorkosigan nee Naismith from the day she met her then-enemy Lord Aral Vorkosigan through the boyhood of her son, Miles. A Hugo Award winner."
$15.00
Skinny Dip by Carl Hiassen
"A shady marine scientist suspects that his wife knows that he has been doctoring water samples so that a ruthless tycoon can continue polluting the Everglades, so he pushes her overboard from a cruise liner, but she's saved by former cop Mick Stranahan--and that's when the real adventure begins."
$12.95
The Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter
"A collection of tales featuring Peter Rabbit and his friends."
$11.99
A Demon in My View by Ruth Rendell
"Arthur Johnson's loneliness has perverted his desire for love and respect into a carefully controlled tendency for violence. One floor below him, a scholar finishing his thesis on psychopathic personalities is about to stumble upon one of Johnson's many secrets."
$11.00
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
"Emilio Sandoz, a brilliant Jesuit priest, seems like the perfect leader for the first expedition to an extraterrestrial culture. However, when Sandoz returns to Earth 20 years later as the mission's sole survivor, he is accused of unspeakable violence and depravity. Why?"
$14.95
