Anders Monsen

Lost worlds and ports of call

Book added: The final Matthew Corbett novel

December 9, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Leviathan (Lividian Publications, 2024) was published in November 2024, by Lividian Press.

This is the 10th and last book in Robert R. McCammon’s series about the “problem solver”, Matthew Corbett. Several publishers have been involved with these books, from Lividian Publications, to Cemetery Dance, to Subterranean Press, to River City, which published the first book in the series: Speaks the Nightbird.

I read a bunch on McCammon books in the 1990s — They Thirst, Night Boat, Stinger, The Wolf’s Hour, Swan Song. Then, after 1992 there was a gap where McCammon appeared to have published no new fiction, until Speaks the Nightbird was published in 2002. This book was a change from the horror fiction for which he was known, and a switch from mass market hardcover editions to a smaller, specialized publisher. (I guess, in the minds of major publishers back then, the horror market was mostly limited to Stephen King and Dean Koontz.)

By chance, (sixteen years after it was initially published!) I found a copy of Speaks the Nightbird in a used bookstore in 2018. I almost left it there. I was used to a different McCammon, a more modern setting for his stories. This book was set in America around the year 1700, and seemed the opposite of the Robert McCammon that I knew. But, I bought the book, read it and enjoyed it. I didn’t see any other McCammon books for several years, until in 2022 I discovered that the sequels to Speaks the Nightbird had been published, starting way back in 2007. These books were all published in limited editions, and all long since sold out from the publisher. Only by chance did I see some of them listed online, usually well above the publication price, even the trade editions.

2022 was around the time I started to relax about buying books online, vs. buying books in person of from booksellers with traditional print catalogs (or, if online, direct from publishers). I’d left Austin by 2006, a city which had one SF bookstore (RIP, Adventures in Crime and Space) and an independent store like Book People where you could occasionally find interesting books. By then, I’d also stopped attending science fiction conventions, where dealers who carried books from specialized publishers sold unique and out of print books. In other words, I lived in a book desert when it came to specialized publishers.

In terms of the online options such as ABE Books and eBay, I was late to the game. But, when at last I discovered them, I tried to figure it out. In some cases, I was lucky. In other cases, I made mistakes. Sometimes it worked. At times, I paid premium prices for crappy books or ended up with beat up copies at what I thought were acceptable prices. Still, I was able to get most of McCammon’s books that I lacked, and all but one of the Corbett books in hardcover editions. Published first by Subterranean Press, then Cemetery Dance, then Lividian Publications, the series continued. McCammon stated that Leviathan would be his last and final book in the Corbett series. In early November 2024, I ordered my copy online from Alabama Booksellers, and received the signed copy on December 2nd.

Many years ago, my brother-in-law went to a SF or horror convention in Alabama. He brought me back an inscribed copy of the Dark Harvest edition of McCammon’s Swan Song. This book remains one of my most treasured books. I have a few other signed McCammon books—Subterranean Press editions of Blue World and The Border, the Dark Harvest edition of They Thirst, a handful others—yet that Dark Harvest edition of Swan Song is one that will always among my most treasured possessions. I’ve never met McCammon, and probably never will, but seeing that inscription made out to me is beyond thrilling.

The Matthew Corbett books have been a mix of exciting and annoying. Corbett doesn’t seem very smart. He often falls into situations, and ends up being lucky when he makes it through at the end. He’s more a survivor than a hero. Still, each setting is unique, the characters fascinating. That events take place around the turn of the 17th century, from the end of the 1600s to the start of the 1700s, make it even more thrilling.

With the Corbett Saga done, it will be interesting to see what McCammon writes next.

Book added: The final ICE novel

December 7, 2024 / / 0 Comments

For several years I only owned the first novel in F. Paul Wilson’s ICE trilogy, Panacea, in the TOR mass market hardcover edition. Then, earlier this year I bought the other two books in the series, The God Gene, and, The Void Protocol, also in the TOR hardcover editions. A few months later, I found copies of the first and second book in the series in the limited edition states from small press publisher, Gauntlet Press, both of them online for reasonable prices. However, the third book, The Void Protocol, eluded me at the time.

Then, a couple of months after I bought The God Gene, a Gauntlet Press edition of The Void Protocol appeared online for $15. Bidding drove up the price to $39 (plus taxes and shipping…ugh), and I ended up with a copy. Published by Gauntlet Press and limited to 500 signed and numbered copies (plus some lettered copies), this edition now joins its brethren on my bookshelves. My copy is #35, whereas my copy of The God Gene is the lettered edition “M,” and Panacea is #70. Not that I’ve ever cared about getting the same exact numbers (or letters).

The compulsion to acquire the Gauntlet Press editions is a strange one. I own all the Repairman Jack novels in Gauntlet Press editions. I bought these books for cover prices the moment they were announced, months before the TOR books came out, starting with Conspiracies, back in 1999. I was a fan of the Repairman Jack books, and getting numbered & signed copies of back then was something new to me. While I owned some signed books, or books that I managed to get signed in person, the idea of numbered copies was something I discovered through an FPW forum (now fairly quiet or defunct). Once you have a few of such books in a series, like Repairman Jack, you almost want to collect them all.

Meanwhile, The ICE trilogy, as well as two other FPW trilogies, were books that I initially bought as mass market hardcovers. Thus, I was somewhat reluctant to shell out more money for the Gauntlet Price books, though once I learned of their existence I wanted them. Now, I have a set of two of those three trilogies. Does this make me want the third and last one? Yes, but still I hesitate. Maybe I’ll find copies online at my prices, maybe not. I currently have 25 of the FPW Gauntlet Press books. I only lack three solo GP books, plus two that were published in collaboration with Borderlands Press.

Books added: A pair of little yellow ones

November 22, 2024 /

A Little Yellow Book of Carcosa and Kings, by Robert W. Chambers was published in 2022 by Borderlands Press. Limited to 500 copies, it quickly went out of print. I found a copy online recently for a decent price vs. the usual “twice the going rate or far higher” prices usually listed for out of print books.

This book is numbered and signed by editor Lisa Morton, as Chambers died quite a few years ago. I’ve read a couple of Chambers’ short stories in paperback collection that contains more of his stories than the Borderlands Press book. Those stories weren’t as gripping as some other writers from the same time period, but apparently he has a strong core of fans. It contains the four stories related to the King in Yellow: “The Repairer of Reputations,” “The Mask,” “In the Court of the Dragon,” and “The Yellow Sign.”

A Little Yellow Book of Perilous Tales, by Sax Rohmer (2024). This latest entry in Borderlands Press’ little books series is edited by one of my favorite writers, F. Paul Wilson. Wilson’s written his own imitations/pastiches of Rohmer’s Yellow Peril tales. So, what better writer to bring out a new collection of Rohmer than someone familiar with Rohmer’s work, someone who lacks all fear in the publishing world? Also limited to 500 copies, and signed by Wilson, it’s the fourth “yellow” books in this series. (In both this case, and for Chambers, the “yellow” in the title certainly applies).

I’ve never read anything by Rohmer, but I’m familiar with the name. Born Arthur Henry Ward, Rohmer was a English novelist whose first published story appeared in 1903. Rohmer died in 1959, succumbing (ironically) to Asian flu. Noted for his “Fu Manchu” tales, Rohmer’s work first arose in the aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion. This makes sense, given the “yellow peril” nature of his tales.

Perilous Tales collects four stories, three of which feature another Rohmer character, Madame de Medici. Wilson’s made his own spin on this character in his Repairman Jack novels, plus a couple of short stories. “The Zayat Kiss,” a non-Medici tale, features an early appearance of Fu Manchu. There’s a great introduction by Wilson, which covers his interest in and literary relationship to Rohmer. He also wrote brief prefaces to each story. Such small details are highly valued, at least by me.

As far as the series of Little Books from BP goes, I now only lack seven books. All of those seven are in the hard-to-find or damned-expensive variety. All of those seven are long out of print, so finding them at “acceptable” prices will be a matter of luck. It will be interesting to see where this series goes, as there are many possibilities, both in terms of the past and the present.

Social media? You are the product, and they want to control you

November 16, 2024 /

A few years after I left a certain social media platform, I reluctantly signed up once again. I did this since some organizations from whom I need to get information only have an online presence on said platform. I don’t know why they can’t set up their own site, instead of getting locked into another platform. Once I created my account, I locked down all privacy settings, checked that group for information, and then left. The mind within that platform didn’t like it.

The next day, I received an email that my account had been suspended. I had 180 days in which to appeal my suspension.

At first, I thought it was a phishing attempt. I had posted nothing, done nothing aside from looking at one organization’s pages for information. Next, I searched online for any text similar to the email message. It appeared legit. Instead of clicking a link in the email, I went to said social media site. Sure enough, the account had been suspended. Once I clicked on the suspension message, it told me that I had neglected to add a profile picture. I added a picture, and clicked the button to appeal.

Many days later, still no word. I suspect this type of suspension is triggered within the system of that platform, and since I locked down all privacy settings and left the account alone, in less than 24 hours their bots decided this was not enough of an engagement. Thus: suspension. It’s now been several days since I complied with the request that caused the suspension. I’ve heard nothing. According to the message, the appeal can take up to180 days. I suspect that it’s actual people (not some algorithm) reviewing said appeals. Much like government bureaucracy, they’ll get to it when they get to it. It may even take 180 days and then the account is vaporized, forgotten, rendered into oblivion.

Should those 180 days pass with no action, I don’t really care. I found what I looked for, and that platform no longer matters to me. However, it just seems like poor customer service to drive someone away less than 24 hours after they sign up for that platform.

Meanwhile, due to politics, certain people are leaving another social media platform for supposed alternatives. Why not create your own sites, I wonder. Is everything politics now? Certain famous people have declared they’re leaving a once busy platform, citing toxicity. I inhabit only a tiny corner of that platform, and don’t pay attention to anything else. Choice is good. Let’s hope these leavers find what they’re looking for in the other places.

Books added: Link, O’Brien, Reamy

November 15, 2024 /

Kelly Link has published several short story collections, such as Magic for Beginners, Get in Trouble, Stranger Things Happen, and others. The Book of Love is her first novel, as far as I’m aware. I picked this up in a local bookstore, having enjoyed reading several of her short stories.

It’s a hefty book, clocking in at over 600 pages, which is a massive step up for someone known more for short fiction. The copy that I bought is apparently a second printing, which is a good sign for Link, especially since it was released in this year. There’s an OCD element in me that kicks myself for not checking to see if it was a first edition, but what the heck.

Checking the list of publications, I see that I’ve missed two books: Pretty Monsters, and White Cat, Black Dog. There was a big gap between Get in Trouble (2016), the last collection of hers that I have, and White Cat, Black Dog (2023). Not sure how I missed that book, as Link’s one of those current writers of short fiction that always brings interesting things to light.

At the same book store where I bought the Link novel, I saw a pair of books by Tim O’Brien. I almost bought one, called The Things They Carried, until I learned that my wife already had a copy. The other book was the trade paperback edition of America Fantastica, his latest novel. Running short on time as we needed to be somewhere else, I made a mental note to return to that store for the book. However, that same night I went to another bookstore, and found a hardback first edition of the same novel.

This is O’Brien’s first novel in two decades, which in an of itself is an amazing fact. A glance at the cover’s synopsis reminds me of the novels of Neal Barrett, Jr. I’ve not read anything by O’Brien, but I was looking to try new things and his name had cropped up recently when discussing current American fiction with someone.

The name Tom Reamy has cropped up now and then recently in collections by other writers. Several other writers who knew Reamy praised him as a writer with great promise. Reamy died at the age of 42, in 1977, while working away at a story on his typewriter, which is the quintessential writer’s death. I don’t think I’ve seen any copies of his books in new or used book stores over the years, and I bought this one online.

Under the Hollywood Sign is a collection of most of Reamy’s stort stories, published in a limited edition of 750 copies by Subterranean Press in 2023. It collects stories from his 1978 collection, San Diego Lightfoot Sue and Other Stories, plus two others. A novel, Blind Voices, was published posthumously. One of the stories apparently had been sold to Harlan Ellison’s ill-fated anthology, The Last Dangerous Visions. While many of the stories that originally sold to Ellison for that book were withdrawn, the book itself finally was published this year, edited by J. Michael Straczynski. JMS is known more for Babylon 5, but as the executor of Ellison’s estate, is on a mission to bring Ellison’s fiction and legacy back into the public eye.

Books added: More F. Paul Wilson

October 28, 2024 /

Over the years, Gauntlet Press has published many of F. Paul Wilson’s books, often (but not always!) limited to 500 copies, and usually priced at $60 (or higher, if lettered vs. simply numbered and signed). I own the complete set of the main “Repairman Jack” novels from Gauntlet, but at some point I drew the line with the two trilogies of “Young Jack” and “Jack’s Early Years.” The first trilogy was centered around Jack as a teenager living on the edge of the Jersey Pine Barrens. The second trilogy picked up a few years later, as Jack arrived in New York as a college dropout, and before he picked up the “Repairman Jack” monicker.

However, as a result of recent impulsive actions and approachable prices, I now have all three books in one the Gauntlet Press “early years” trilogy, Cold City, Dark City, and Fear City (published between 2012 and 2014). All three are signed books, and fit in nicely with my other Gauntlet Press books. For some strange reason the second book in the trilogy is limited to 400 copies, while books one and three are limited to 500 copies!

Another trilogy, under the monicker “ICE,” includes the novels, Panacea, The God Gene, and The Void Protocol. When I first heard of these books, I went the Tor hardcover route. Then, I found a copy of Panacea online for a bargain price. When I recently stumbled across the Gauntlet Press edition of The God Gene, I submitted a bid and ended up the winner. This copy is marked “M” as part of a lettered edition, vs. the typical numbered editions that I’ve owned of the Gauntlet Press books. Now that I have two of the three books in Gauntlet editions, the third volume beckons.

I also bought, at what I consider a reasonable rate, the first book in a(nother) trilogy, one that was a collaboration between FPW and Tom Monteleone, published by Borderlands Press. The trilogy is called the Nocturnia Chronicles, aimed at the young adult market. The first book in this series is called Definitely Not Kansas (published in 2013).

The title seems to be a play on a line from the famous movie, The Wizard of Oz (“Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore,” if I remember it correctly). The books were published as a collaboration between two small press publishers, Borderlands Press and Gauntlet Press, with the hardcover edition limited to 350 copies, and signed by both authors (paperback editions also were published). The signature sheet is slightly smaller than the book, which is a bit of a head scratcher. The book contains an afterword section by Wilson and Monteleone where they describe how they conceived of the series (FPW’s comments also appear in the third volume of his short story compilation, The Compendium of F). The next two books in this series—Family Secrets and The Silent Ones—now are on my radar.

Lastly, Double Threat and Double Dose were a pair of linked books published by Gauntlet in partnership with Borderlands, in 2022 and 2024. I recently won an online auction for the Gauntlet/BP editions., and read both books over the course of a weekend. They fit into Wilson’s “Secret History” world. While most of the Secret History books take place on the East Coast, these two books take place in the Southern California desert. They’re also a riff on one of his earlier books, Healer, switching the gender of the main character, and placing her in the present vs. somewhere in space in a future history. There are some loose ends in the book that probably never will get resolved, but on the whole they were an enjoyable read. Aside from the link to Healer, there’s also a link to his novella, Wardenclyffe, the ICE trilogy, and maybe some other Easter eggs that I didn’t catch.

As an aside, I have some quibbles with the design team at Gauntlet Press, as well as Borderlands Press. First, there is no consistency with the “City” books in the covers. Neither the spine nor the front cover use a consistent font, with Cold City on the spine in massive bold white text, and Dark City and Fear City in smaller text but one in all caps and the other in title case. When all three books are side by side, aside from the word “city” in the title, they look like they’re published by different companies. Second, why publish two books limited to 500 copies, and one limited to 400? This makes absolutely no sense, but then Gauntlet was never consistent with the Repairman Jack novels. Although most are limited to 500 copies, four are limited to 475 copies, one to 450, and one just to 375. Maybe there are no more than 375 completist collectors…

The same criticism of design consistency could be said for the Nocturnia books; although I only have the first one, I have seen images of the second and third books. If a publisher knows they’re going to have a trilogy on their hands, maybe keep the design somewhat consistent? This isn’t just an issue with these books. The Tor hardcovers of the teenager Repairman Jack started out one way, then completely changed. Maybe that was a marketing move; the person in charge of the first book left, or someone decided they weren’t moving fast enough. In the case of small press publishers, unlike someone like Tor Books, you’re likely not seeing your book in the local Barnes & Noble, so please make it a point to come up with a plan for all the books in that series.

At least Double Dose and Double Threat are somewhat consistent in design, although whoever printed the cover of the first one, clearly didn’t measure the book, as the red border of the spine bleeds at least a quarter of an inch onto the front cover. As far the font used for Wilson’s name on the books, the designer should be ashamed, as certainly they had far better fonts to pick from than a Courier wannabe? Also, the lettered edition of Double Threat apparently merits a bonus “afterword,” which is frustrating. Then again, maybe that was the incentive to shell out more money for that edition.

Books added: William Kent Krueger x5

October 26, 2024 /

There are moments when fate kicks you in the nuts, and there are moments when fate allows you some joy. Today contained the latter. One day, I dropped by a used bookstore on a whim. There, I scanned the shelves for publishers and authors that I look for, expecting nothing. However, as I looked at the “K’s” for William Kent Krueger, I saw one book that I wanted. Then, to my surprise, I saw another, and another. In total, there were five out of 19 Krueger books that I lacked, and they were all there!

Each book carried a sticker price of $8.49, but as I’d found none at the two local bookstores that carried current books, where the price for Krueger’s books was $17 or more, I didn’t hesitate. Now, I finally have all of the 19 of the books in that series (a new one was published in hardcover this year, so I have to wait a while to get that one). I do feel bad that I didn’t send the author any money, but I have bought several books new vs. used. In this case, I’ve only found them used. Sorry, WKK!

I first stumbled across Krueger’s Cork O’Connor books in 2021 when I saw the title of one of the books, Boundary Waters. This story is likely a post for another time, but in 2019 I signed up for a trip to the boundary waters, which is a series of lakes and rivers in Minnesota and Canada. I was supposed to take a trip there in 2020, starting from somewhere in Canada. Well, we all know what happened in 2020, so that trip never happened.

But, with the boundary waters on my mind, I bought Krueger’s book, and from that point on I was hooked into another series. Since then, I’ve read most of his other books in that series, almost all of them out of sequence. With these five books, I now get the opportunity to “close the loop,” so to speak, and read the rest of the books. It’s going to be tough, as some great people die in these books. Heaven’s Keep, the first on my list to read, might be the hardest one. Having read ahead, I know what tragedy happens in that book, and it ain’t fun, folks, it ain’t fun.

Book added: Vance’s Star King

October 26, 2024 /

I bought my first Jack Vance book back in 1985, after hearing a recommendation for this author from Øyvind Myhre. Myhre’s a Norwegian SF and fantasy author, whom I read mostly between 1984 and 1988. In 1985 I was at a conference, and Myhre mentioned Vance as one of his favorite authors. When I returned home, I went straight away to a bookstore to look for books by Vance. I found one or two, and he quickly became my favorite author.

In 1987 I was in the US for three weeks. There I attended two week-long seminars, with a week in-between. That week, I crashed at someone’s house in New Jersey. While there, I took the bus and train into New York, and found some used book stores. I returned home with a stack of books, including many DAW editions of Jack Vance books. In 1988, I was back in the US, on a permanent basis. I found more Vance paperbacks. Once I began to widen my search, I started to acquire every Vance book I could find, mostly in hardback. I sought out every Underwood-Miller edition I could afford. At that time, some were bought for $15, which I thought was a great deal of money then. Now, some of these books are listed for ten times what I paid.

It’s been many years since I read all of Vance’s books. It’s also unusual these days to find any Vance book in paperback in the used bookstore (and even rarer in a bookstore that sells current books). Of the many Vance books I still have in paperback, 14 are DAW editions. (Most of my Vance books are in hardback now). I hardly ever look at the “V’ section while in used book stored in town.

However, I recently came across a pristine copy of the DAW edition of Vance’s Star King. This is the first of the five Demon Prince books. I own the Underwood-Miller books in hardcover, and only one of the DAW books in paperback—The Palace of Love. Other copies I’ve seen in book stores have been broken, mangled ones. This copy was in superb condition, and carried a sticker price of less than $4.

Yes, I deprived someone from discovering Jack Vance. Still, I wanted this book. Originally published in 1964, this DAW book was printed in September, 1978. I love the DAW covers, the yellow spines, the numbers listed on the covers, and even the smell of them. Finding any of the old DAW paperbacks in great shape these days is getting harder and harder, at least in my narrow locale. Perhaps if I went to other bigger cities I might have better luck.

In the past, I’ve tended to ignore some of the Vance paperbacks if I had them already in hardback. I’ve missed out on at least two DAW books in great shape for that reason (Nopalgarth and the Magnus Ridolph collection), and I still regret those decisions. Once, I had the Grafton (UK) editions of the Lyonesse trilogy, and I gave those away. That still gnaws at me.

My criteria these days? Be in good shape, and I’ll get it. After all, there is no other writer like Jack Vance. And, there never will be another writer like Vance.

Getting back into running

October 26, 2024 /

I’ve run and participated occasionally in races on and off in my life, and on three different continents. In middle school in Zambia, I ran track and cross country, once finishing third in my school in what I remember as a thrilling race down to the wire (for third place, not first or second). I quit running shortly after that, for personal reasons. When I moved back to Norway for a few brief years, I ran for fun, unaware of local races or events, even though I lived half an hour away from the famous Knarvikmila 10K.

After moving to the US, it took a decade before I thought about running again. I ran my first ever event in 1997, the Capitol 10K, in Austin, Texas. I thought (in my naiveté) that I might run it in 45 minutes, but ended up 10 minutes slower after struggling up the long hill along 15th street. If I remember correctly, the then governor, George W. Bush, was the MC who tried to fire up the crowd before the start. “Dub” was an avid runner, though far from a popular person, in Austin at least.

It took another 10 years before I picked up running again, as after the Capitol 10K I had knee surgery to clean out some scar tissue that caused my knee to lock up if I stood in one place for more than a few minutes (a great conversation starter). By then I’d moved to San Antonio. One day, after walking to the local Blockbuster (RIP), I decided to run home. It took a mix of running and walking, but after that first evening, I started trying to run again. In 2009 I ran my second 10K with almost no training, along a local hilly course, and struggled to finish. The next year, I chopped 10 minutes off my time, and was hooked.

Since then, I’ve run four marathons, a dozen half-marathons, over 20 5Ks, some 10Ks and 10 milers, and a few distances in-between and beyond. In that time I’ve also dealt with multiple injuries and distractions. After my last half-marathon, back in 2018, I took six years off running altogether, due to other commitments that left zero time for running. Then, in 2023 those commitments ended, and I started running seriously again. Of course, I picked up an injury, and had to cancel two half-marathons scheduled for January/February in 2024.

This year, post injury, I’ve tried to find a balance in my running to avoid injury. This meant dialing back intensity and distance, and seeing past running paces only in the rear view mirror. I ran a 15K trail run in March, where I learned that the hip injury had not completely gone away, and taking off two months meant my fitness level had returned to near zero. During the Summer I ran two Parkruns, one in England, the other in Ireland. This Fall I’ve run a handful of races/events, ranging from 5Ks to 10K, with a 10 miler looming in a few days. Although I’ve placed in the top three (or first) in my age group, I tend to look mainly at my finish time. Looking at that time, I then bemoan how far away it is from just a few years ago. All my personal bests are behind me, it seems.

Yes, I’m nothing but a “hobby jogger.” Running, to me, is a way to clear my mind. Races aren’t so much a way to measure myself against others, but myself. I set new goals now, since I’m older, slower, and with six lost years, almost starting back at “level zero.”

Where I live, summers are hot. I’m also not a morning person, so I tend to run in the evenings. In the Fall, with night falling faster, the long runs usually mean wearing a headlamp to avoid cars and rocks. Winter, however, are usually mild, so the next few months may mean cooler weather, which is always better for runners. So far though, it’s been 90s and 80s all the way, even into late October. Plus, when the sun beats down on you, it feels like the weight of the world.

Will I run another marathon? I don’t know. I’m planning to run some half-marathons in 2025, so we’ll see how that goes. I’d love to do the FjordViking, in Knarvik, Norway. Here you run a half-marathon, 10K, and 5K in the same day. I’ve always wanted to run Knarvikmila, the 10K there, but if I’m going to make the trip, I almost have to try for that trifecta. As far as marathons, I’ve entered some lotteries, failed them all, and so I’ll only run another one if I get in. Maybe, at that point, I’ll take my training seriously.

So, here’s to all the runners out there, from the speedy ones to the social ones.

Books added: McCammon, Wilson

October 26, 2024 /

I went slightly above my hard budget for this entry in the Borderlands Press little book series, Robert McCammons’s A Little Amber Book of Wicked Shots. Although most of the “little books” are limited to 500 copies, in this case they splurged and went up to 750. I’m not quite sure why exceptions to the 500 number rule have been made in a fairly small number of cases.

Whenever I’ve seen this McCammon book for sale, it’s usually been for over $100. In this case, two books popped up around the same time and for the same amount–each for $75. When I expressed interest in one of these books, and the seller enticed me with a slight discount, I went ahead and bought it. As a McCammon fan, I dove into the book right away.

McCammon’s book contains three short stories, each preceded by a recipe for a unique drink mix—hence the title of “Wicked Shots”. The drink itself appears in each story, but isn’t an integral part of it. The first story is about a serial killer of children who encounters a ghost, with drastic results. Set in the late 1950s in Alabama, it’s a chilling tale set in a particular time, but featuring a type of killer who knows no bounds in time. The second, about a former professional hockey player in New York, bleeds into fantasy and alternate realities. The third, about the dog-eat-dog corporate world, lacks a little power compared to the other two stories.

With this book, I’m now down to eight out of the 60 plus books in the Borderlands Press little book series that I lack. Of course, those remaining eight books are the hardest and most expensive books to find (four are from Series I alone). Twice I’ve missed out on bids for one particular author. As far as the others, each copy that I’ve seen for sale has been outside my budget. All save one of these books are early in the series. For some unknown reason, the one that’s more recent is either hard to find, or it’s priced far beyond other books published around the same time. De gustibus, I guess.

F. Paul Wilson’s novella, The Peabody-Ozymandias Traveling Circus & Oddity Emporium, published by Necessary Evil Press, has eluded me in a couple of attempts to buy the book. When I found it for sale online at Half Price Books for $50, I gritted my teeth and paid the sum. Published back in 2007 and limited to 500 signed, numbered copies and 26 lettered copies, of which this is #133. From what I’ve experienced, this book usually sells for $100 for more. This copy has some faint spotting at the top, but otherwise looks in good condition.

TPOTCOE, to shorten the title, is comprised of material originally published in the HWA anthology, Freak Show, with added material to flesh it out and make it a coherent story. As it’s not included in The Compendium of F, Wilson’s three book set of collected short stories, I had to get this book. Also, I used to own a paperback copy of Freak Show, but lent it out years ago and it was never returned.

The story fits into Wilson’s wide-ranging Secret History of the World, in this case about a traveling circus of “freaks,” all touched by the Otherness, all apparently eager to see it take over the Earth.

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