Lost worlds and ports of call

Month: November 2012 (Page 5 of 8)

Rock n Roll half marathon

Finished my fifth half marathon today, in a personal best of 1:43:06, despite persistent injury and limited training. Lack of serious training made itself known around mile 10, when I felt the leg strength fade. Turnover slowed drastically for two miles, then picked up again the last mile. I hope the injury finally heals in 2013 so I can keep working on my 1:35 goal pace.

Hyperactive undead

When did the zombie genre decide that shambling, staggering undead walkers no longer were cool or scary, but now zombies need to move like a cross between hyperactive ants and piranhas? The trailer for World War Z certainly makes the zombie horde look terrifying, but at what cost in terms of the story?

Anne Applebaum on life behind the Iron Curtain

Interesting and not completely uncritical review essay on The Guradian‘s web site on Anne Applebaum’s latest book, called The Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956. Heard a recent radio interview with Applebaum regarding the book, which focuses a great deal on popular culture as well as government, and the creation of dissent. Applebaum’s book on the Gulag was vast and illuminating, and I look forward to reading this book.

Jack Vance re-issues from Subterranean Press

Subterranean Press is one of the best modern small press publishers, with gorgeous covers, a wide range of authors, and a steady stream of new and classic books of fantasy, mystery, science fiction and horror. Their latest Jack Vance re-issue, Desperate Days, collects three Vance mysteries. Two of these are set in an imaginary county in northern California, and the third about a young woman on a steamship bound for Europe. Each of the books are virtually impossible to locate today; the first two might show up in a used mystery store or online, and the third appeared in two fairly limited publication runs. Kudos to Subterranean Press for re-issuing these books, and for their on-going effort to publish some of the earlier and harder to find Vance stories.

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