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Previous Staff Picks
Staff Picks for
July/August 2007
Sam's Staff Picks
Another Fine Myth / Myth Conceptions by Robert Asprin
Books One and Two of Asprin's bestselling Myth series are now together in this two-in-one omnibus. In Another Fine Myth Skeeve was a magician's apprentice, until an assassin murdered his master - leaving Skeeve alone with Aahz, a powerless demon the old magician had summoned from another dimension as a practical joke. Then in Myth Conceptions Skeeve was summoned to the court of Rodrick the Fifth of Possiltum to audition for the position of Court Magician. Unfortunately for everyone, he got the job.
$7.99
Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings
Long ago, so the Storyteller claimed, the evil God Torak sought dominon and drove men and Gods to war. But Belgarath the Sorcerer led me to reclaim the Orb that protected men of the West. So long as it lay at Riva, the prophecy went, men would be safe.
But that was only a story, and Garion did not believe in magic dooms, even though the dark man without a shadow had haunted him for years. Brought up on a quiet farm by his Aunt Pol, how could he know that the Apostate planned to wake dread Torak, or that he would be led on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger by those he loved - but did not know?
For a while, his dreams of innocence were safe, untroubled by knowledge of his strange heritage. For a little while…
$6.99
Widdershins by Charles De Lint
Jilly Coppercorn and Geordie Riddell. Since their first appearance in Charles De Lint's tales, their friends and readers alike have been waiting for them to realize what everbody else already knows: that they belong together. Now, in Widdershins a stand-alonenovel of fairy courts set in shopping malls and the Bohemian street scene of Newford's Crowsea area, their story in finally being told.
Before it's over, we'll find ourselves plunged into the rancorous and sometimes violent conflict between the magical North American "animal people" and the more newly arrived fairy folk. We'll watch as memories - and Geordie, attempting to help, is sent someplace even worse. And we'll be captivated by the power of love and determination to redeem ancient hatreds and heal old magics gone sour.
To walk "widdershins" is to walk counterclockwise or backwards around something. It's a classic pathway into fairy realm. It's also the way people often back slowly into the relationships that matter, the real ones that make for life.
$14.95
Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein
In this "billy sook," which was a 20-year work-in-progress, readers are introduced to Runny Babbit and his friends Toe Jurtle, Skertie Gunk, Goctor Doose, and Millie Woose, and are encouraged to plunge headlong into this phonemic flip-flop world of funny poems. "So if you say, 'Let's bead a rook/That's billy as can se, '/You're talkin' Runny Babbit talk, /Just like mim and he." Complete with signature comical bold line drawings that provide visual clues, the poems require concentration to translate the silly phrases: "Runny fad a hamily -/Matter of fact, he had/A sother and two bristers, /A dummy and a mad."
$17.99
Griffin & Sabine by Nick Bantock
It all started with a mysterious and seemingly innocent postcard, but from that point nothing was to remain the same in the life of Griffin Moss, a quiet, solitary artist living in London. His logical, methodical world was suddenly turned upside down by a strangely exotic woman living on a tropical island thousands of miles away. Who was Sabine? How can she "see" what Griffin is painting when they never met? Is she a long lost twin? A clairvoyant? Or a malevolent angel? Are we witnessing the flowering of a magical relationship or a descent into madness? This stunning visual novel unfolds in a series of postcards and letters, all brilliantly illustrated with whimsical designs, bizarre creatures, and darkly imagined landscapes. Inside this book, Griffin and Sabine's letters are to be found nestling in their envelopes, permitting the reades to examine the intimate correspondence of these inexplicably linked strangers. This truly innovative novel combines a strangely fascinating story with lush artwork in an altogether original format.
$17.95
Lelia's Staff Picks
Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
"Suppose you were walking down a country lane someday and came across a flock of sheep. What would you do? Hope they wouldn't suddenly decide to stampede and mow you down? Ignore them and walk past? Not me. I'd be checking out each one to see who is Miss Maple or Othello or Mopple the Whale or any of the other delightful sheep in this book.
When I first picked it up, I thought this would be just another cute animal sleuth mystery. After only a few pages, I knew I was wrong. This flock of charming Irish sheep finds their shepherd murdered and,being a rather educated group, they decide they need to solve his murder. George, you see, used to read to them every night and they've learned quite a lot about humans although, unfortunately, he never finished reading their first detective novel so they're not entirely sure what they're doing. Led by Miss Maple, they set out to do their best detecting, with shades of Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, determined to find the killer since the village humans don't seem to be working at it very hard.
The mystery here is fairly slight with a neat twist at the very funny denouement but the character development of the sheep is wonderful, equal to some of the best human character development I've read. You just can't help liking these animals and wanting to know more and more about them individually. They have much more interesting backstories than you might imagine and you'll come away from this book being absolutely sure there's a lot more to the woolly beasts than you ever dreamed all those times you've driven past them in a field. I bet you'll never ignore sheep again."
$22.95 prior to 25% new hardcover discount
The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells
"The Invisible Man, owes an obvious debt to Frankenstein, as it explores the nature of mankind, asking whether an invisible man will still be bound by the morality that seems natural to us. Seems like a natural thing, doesn't it? But listen to the story Wells tells, and the doubt he places on a thing seemingly obvious: A researcher working (more or less) as a graduate student in physics, discovers a treatment that will make himself invisible. Griffin -- our invisible man -- may well be morally bankrupt before he takes the treatment. He begins by making himself invisible to avoid paying his rent -- and, as he sneaks out of the building, he sets it afire as a "lesson" for his landlord. He steals money entrusted to his father -- and causes his father to suicide in shame . . . but that's only the beginning . . ."
$4.95
The Right Hand of Amon by Lauren Haney
"In the year 1464 B.C., during the reign of the Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut, Lt. Bak is commander of the Medjay police in the frontier fortress city of Buhen. Assigned to oversee the honor guard accompanying a golden idol of the god Amon on its journey up the Nile, Bak inadvertently stumbles upon the slain corpse of a soldier. And unless the loyal and able policeman can unravel the tangled mystery surrounding the murder, more deaths will surely follow, leading to far greater crimes that could imperil an empire."
$6.99
Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
"In the Forest of A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh, we never see any "Hostile Animals" as one the size of a piglet might fear, but instead we see a community of toy animals - Pooh Bear, Piglet, Rabbit, Eeyore, Owl, Kanga, Roo, and Tigger - who accompany their friend, Christopher Robin, on his "expeditions." Companionship, safe adventuring, and the acceptance of characters' flaws and foibles are common themes throughout, and the episodes tend to have a similar form in which characters meet, adventure together, and then either reconcile if need be or, more frequently, return to their homes - in Pooh's case, usually for some honey."
$11.99
Watchers by Dean Koontz
"Cross Lassie with E.T., add a touch of The Wolfen and a dash of The Godfather, and you get a sense of some of the ingredients in this supernatural thriller, which should move Koontz ( Strangers a notch closer to Stephen King's high-rent district. When Travis Cornell, Koontz's appealing hero, encounters a stray dog while hiking, he quickly realizes that the animal is most unusual and that something terrifying is stalking them both. The encounter with the dog is the beginning of a tightly woven plot involving genetic manipulation that has created two extraordinary animals; one is the dog, named Einstein, the other is a murderous hybrid called "The Outsider." Hunted down by both the government and a professional killer who has learned the secret of the animals, Travis, Einstein and Nora Devon, a lonely woman befriended by man and canine, attempt to escape their pursuers all the while knowing that a confrontation with The Outsider is inevitable."
---Publisher's Weekly
$7.99
Andrew's Staff Picks
Speak Of The Devil by Richard Hawke
"It's a beautiful Thanksgiving morning in New York City. Perfect day for a parade, and Fritz Malone just happens to have drifted up Central Park West to take a look at the floats. Across the crowd-filled street he sees a gunman on a low wall, taking aim with a shiny black Beretta. Seconds later, the air is filled with bullets and blood.
Fritz isn't one to stand around and watch. A child of Hell's Kitchen and the bastard son of a beloved former police commissioner, Fritz is all too familiar with the city's rougher side. As the gunman flees into the park, Fritz runs after him. What he doesn't know is that he is also running into one of the most shocking and treacherous episodes of his life.
Though Fritz assumed that chasing down bad guys is perfectly legal, the cops hustle him from the scene and deliver him to the office of the current commissioner, who informs Fritz that someone dubbed " Nightmare" has been taunting the city's leaders for weeks, warning of an imminent attack on the citizenry. What's worse, Nightmare has already let the officials know that the parade gunman was a mere foot soldier and that there's more carnage to come unless the city meets his impossible demands. The pols don't dare share this information with anyone-not even the NYPD. What they need for this job is an outside man. And in Fritz they think they've got one."
[Note: Richard Hawke is actually Tim Cockey, author of the excellent Hitchcock Sewell "Hearse" mysteries, writing under a pseudonym. "Speak of the Devil" is slightly darker than his earlier work, but just as good.]
$7.99
Lost Echoes by Joe R. Lansdale
"Since a mysterious childhood illness, Harry Wilkes has experienced horrific visions. Gruesome scenes emerge to replay themselves before his eyes. Triggered by simple sounds, these visions occur anywhere a tragic event has happened. Now in college, Harry feels haunted and turns to alcohol to dull his visionary senses. One night, he sees a fellow drunk easily best three muggers. In this man, Harry finds not only a friend that will help him kick the booze, but also a sensei who will teach him to master his unusual gift. Soon Harry's childhood crush, Kayla, comes and asks for help solving her father's murder. Unsure of how it will affect him, Harry finds the strength to confront the dark secrets of the past, only to unveil the horrors of the present."
$13.95
The Vengeful Virgin by Gil Brewer
"What beautiful 18-year-old would want to spend her life taking care of an invalid? Not Shirley Angela. But that's the life she was trapped in-until she met Jack. Now Shirley and Jack have a plan to put the old man out of his misery and walk away with a suitcase full of cash. But there's nothing like money to come between lovers-money and other women…"
$6.99
Jonathan Strange And Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke
"At the dawn of the nineteenth century, two very different magicians emerge to change England's history. In the year 1806, with the Napoleonic Wars raging on land and sea, most people believe magic to be long dead in England--until the reclusive Mr Norrell reveals his powers, and becomes a celebrity overnight.
Soon, another practicing magician comes forth: the young, handsome, and daring Jonathan Strange. He becomes Norrell's student, and they join forces in the war against France. But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic, straining his partnership with Norrell, and putting at risk everything else he holds dear."
$7.99
Transmetropolitan: Lust For Life by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson
"Outlaw journalist Spider Jerusalem has become a household name in the future City he calls home. This latest collection of twisted tales showcases Spider's horrific yet funny screeds on subjects as diverse as religion, politics, and his ex-wife's cryogenically frozen head (which has been stolen). "Transmetropolitan" has been called "brilliant future-shock commentary" (Spin), and this new volume shows why."
$14.99
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