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By:
Little Willow,
on 1/8/2016
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Last year, I devoured the first Cemetery Girl graphic novel, The Pretenders, in one sitting. I am not always "into" stories in which the main character has amnesia - I am impatient and want to know what happened to the character, and I also really wish I could help them/heal them/restore their memories immediately - but the quick pace of this story offered intrigue and action rather than hemming and hawing, plus I liked the full-color illustrations...and I still felt the urge to help the protagonist and learn more about her.
Today sees the release of Book Two in the Cemetery Girl trilogy, Inheritance. Here's the cover summary:
She calls herself Calexa Rose Dunhill. She has been living - hiding out - in Dunhill Cemetery ever since someone left her there to die. She has no idea who wants her dead or why, but she isn't about to wait around for her would-be killer to finish the job.
Despite her self-imposed isolation, Calexa’s ability to see spirits - and the memories she receives from them - guarantees she'll never be alone, even among the deceased. The only living people she allows herself to interact with are Kelner, the cemetery's cantankerous caretaker, and Lucinda Cameron, an elderly woman who lives in an old Victorian house across the street. With their friendship, Calexa has regained a link to the world beyond tombstones and mausoleums.
Until the night she witnesses a murder that shatters her life - a life now under a police microscope - as their investigation threatens to uncover Calexa’s true identity...
Cemetery Girl: Inheritance was written by Charlaine Harris and Christopher Golden and illustrated by Don Kramer.
Attention Buffy the Vampire Slayer and True Blood fans: Here's a new anthology for your to sink your teeth into today!
Seize the Night is old-school vampire fiction at its finest. A blockbuster anthology of original, blood-curdling vampire fiction from New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors, including Charlaine Harris, whose novels were adapted into HBO’s hit show True Blood, and Scott Smith, publishing his first work since The Ruins.
Before being transformed into romantic heroes and soft, emotional antiheroes, vampires were figures of overwhelming terror. Now, from some of the biggest names in horror and dark fiction, comes this stellar collection of short stories that make vampires frightening once again.
Seize the Night was edited by New York Times bestselling author Christopher Golden and features all-new stories, including:
Up in Old Vermont by Scott Smith
Something Lost, Something Gained by Seanan McGuire
Blood by Robert Shearman
The Neighbors by Sherrilyn Kenyon
On the Dark Side of Sunlight Basin by Michael Koryta
Paper Cuts by Gary A. Braunbeck
Miss Fondevant by Charlaine Harris
In a Cavern, In a Canyon by Laird Barron
Whiskey and Light by Dana Cameron
We Are All Monsters Here by Kelley Armstrong
May the End Be Good by Tim Lebbon
Mrs. Popkin by Dan Chaon and Lynda Barry
Direct Report by Leigh Perry (Toni L.P. Kelner)
Shadow and Thirst by John Langan
Mother by Joe McKinney
The Yellow Death by Lucy A. Snyder
Last Supper by Brian Keene
Separator by Rio Youers
What Kept You So Long? by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Blue Hell by David Wellington
New England horror book fans should put the Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival on their calendars. The event is free and open to the public! Horror and suspense authors from New England and all around the Northeast U.S. will be selling and signing books throughout the event, and participating in panel discussions in the theater about New England Horror Tradition, what makes something scary, new fears, and childhood terrors. The event will conclude with a quintet of authors doing a live reading of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
When: Saturday, October 3rd, 2015 from 1 PM until 7:30 PM
Where:
ACT Theater Company
1632 Osgood Street
Osgood Landing
North Andover, MA 01845
Who: Authors signing and speaking that day include:
Joe Hill
Kelly Link
Brian Keene
Sarah Langan
Christopher Golden
Paul Tremblay
Caitlin Kittredge
Thomas Sniegoski
John Langan
Dana Cameron
Rio Youers
Toni L.P. Kelner
Myke Cole
Mary SanGiovanni
Leigh Perry
Bracken MacLeod
Jack M. Haringa
Jason Ciaramella
Kat Howard
John M. McIlveen
Glenn Chadbourne
Mallory O'Meara
Holly Newstein Hautala
Errick Danger Nunnally
Izzy Lee
Scott Goudsward
Gardner Goldsmith
Douglas Wynne
Kristin Dearborn
Jan Kozlowski
TT Zuma
Sponsored by ACT Theater Company, Andover Bookstore, and Vicious Circle.
FREE, and open to the public!
Click here to reserve FREE tickets through Brown Paper Tickets.
Signing schedule to come. Here is the panel schedule. (M) means moderator.
1 PM: Childhood Horrors - Paul Tremblay, Thomas Sniegoski, Holly Newstein Hautala, Scott Goudsward, Mallory O'Meara (M)
2 PM: Seize the Night: New Tales of Vampiric Horror - Christopher Golden (M), Rio Youers, John Langan, Leigh Perry, Dana Cameron
3 PM: The New England Horror Tradition - Jack M. Haringa (M), Caitlin Kittredge, Jason Ciaramella, Glenn Chadbourne, John M. McIlveen
4 PM: The Anatomy of Horror: What is Scary? - Sarah Langan, Kelly Link, Myke Cole, Errick Nunnally (M), Kat Howard
5 PM: We Get the Horror We Deserve - Joe Hill, Brian Keene, Izzy Lee, Mary SanGiovanni, Bracken MacLeod (M)
6 PM: Live Reading of THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE - Jack M. Haringa, Bracken MacLeod, Brian Keene, Kat Howard, John Langan, Gardner Goldsmith
Hey horror fans: Make sure you put Dead Ringers by Christopher Golden on your to-read list. The book is due out from St. Martin's Press this November. Here's the premise:
When Tess Devlin runs into her ex-husband Nick on a Boston sidewalk, she's furious at him for pretending he doesn't know her. She calls his cell to have it out with him, only to discover that he's in New Hampshire with his current girlfriend. But if Nick's in New Hampshire...who did she encounter on the street?
Frank Lindbergh's dreams have fallen apart. He wanted to get out of the grim neighborhood where he'd grown up and out of the shadow of his alcoholic father. Now both his parents are dead and he's back in his childhood home, drinking too much himself. As he sets in motion his plans for the future, he's assaulted by an intruder in his living room...an intruder who could be his twin.
In an elegant hotel, Tess will find mystery and terror in her own reflection. Outside a famed mansion on Beacon Hill, people are infected with a diabolical malice...while on the streets, an eyeless man, dressed in rags, searches for a woman who wears Tess's face.
Dead Ringers will be available November 3rd, 2015. In the meantime, check out Christopher Golden's newest novel, Tin Men, as well as my favorite standalone novel by Golden, The Boys Are Back in Town.
Mike Mignola, the creator of Hellboy, and Christopher Golden, a prolific writer, will collaborate on writing a new comic mini-series called Joe Golem: Occult Detective. This character originates from the 2012 illustrated novel, Joe Golem and the Drowning City.
Here’s more from the press release: “The new series takes place prior to the events of the illustrated novel Joe Golem and the Drowning City. Set forty years after an earthquake leaves Lower Manhattan partly submerged under 30 feet of water, Joe Golem must hunt a horrifying creature that is pulling children into the depths of the city’s canals.”
The art team includes Patric Reynolds (interior art), Dave Stewart (colors), and Dave Palumbo (covers). Dark Horse Comics will publish a total of five installments for this project. The first issue will be released in November 2015.
Christopher Golden's novel Tin Men will be hitting stores this June - and it's going to hit hard. While I can't say much for the sake of spoilers, I can tell you the mini-summary that the publisher is offering:
Brad Thor meets Avatar in this timely military thriller for the drone age, which spins the troubles of today into the apocalypse of tomorrow. A rocket ride of a read packed with high action, cutting-edge technology, and global politics, Tin Men begins with the end of the world as we know it and takes off from there.
I love sci-fi stories that are based in science and technology, stories that present us with possible, plausible situations that stir up society as we know it. Hello, Black Mirror. Oh, how I adore thee, Twilight Zone. And you all know how much I love Christopher Golden's writing. So of course I can't wait until Tin Men is released - even though I hope none of them attack my home.
Bonus points for those willing to discuss the various Cybermen storylines from Doctor Who with me. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Tin Men by Christopher Golden will be available June 23rd, 2015. Check out the awesome reviews it has received. (Yay, Publishers Weekly!)
Looking for a new series to add to your e-bookshelf? You can now get all four books of
The Menagerie series by Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski on your Kindle via
Amazon.com or
Amazon.co.uk!
I've said it before and I'll say it again -- this series rocks! If you like X-Men and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, you'll enjoy the mix of mischievous, powerful characters that make up The Menagerie: each legendary character has distinct abilities and mystical, mythical, and/or literary origins. Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski have taken various characters well-known from literature and mythology and made them their own. They've got Eve (yes, that Eve - who became a vampire after she fell from grace), Ceridwen, and Doyle (what's up, Sherlock?), among others.
Again, there are four books in the series, which you can get separately or all at once. Trust me, you're going to want to have the entire series on hand once you start the first one so you can read them back-to-back.
Let me know which character or story is your favorite in the comments below.
Fantastic news for one of my favorite people, Christopher Golden -- his spine-tingling book Snowblind has been optioned for a series! As reported in Deadline:
Universal TV, David S. Goyer Eye 'Snowblind' Limited Series
EXCLUSIVE: Universal Television and David S. Goyer have optioned TV rights to horror novel Snowblind, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christopher Golden (Ghosts Of Albion, Joe Golem And The Drowning City). The New England-set book, published earlier this year by St. Martin's Press, tracks the denizens of a town still reeling from the disappearance of over a dozen people who were snatched during a sinister snowstorm 12 years prior.
Goyer is coming off of Da Vinci's Demons and Man of Steel and will supervise development and executive produce alongside Golden and Pete Donaldson. Project is being developed as a limited series. Snowblind also comes with a choice celebrity endorsement from horror maven Stephen King: "Snowblind is instantly involving and deeply scary. It will bring a blizzard to your bones (and your heart) even in the middle of July. Throw away all those old 'it was a dark and stormy night'; novels; this one is the real deal. And watch out for that last page. It's a killer."
Read the entire article by Jen Yamato at Deadline.
Read my review of SNOWBLIND by Christopher Golden.
For immediate release
GOLDEN CELEBRATES 20th ANNIVERSARY
New York Times #1 Bestselling Author Christopher Golden Celebrates a Milestone
It all started with Of Saints and Shadows, a book which helped lay the groundwork for the genre we now call urban fantasy. Christopher Golden’s debut novel kickstarted a critically-acclaimed career that is still going strong two decades later.
Since the publication of his first novel in 1994, Golden has received accolades from Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, Peter Straub, Clive Barker, Charlaine Harris, Graham Joyce, The Boston Globe, New York Public Library, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and many more. The #1 New York Times bestselling author has won the Bram Stoker Award and been nominated many times for the Stoker, the Shirley Jackson Award, and others. His novels have been published in at least fifteen languages in countries around the world. Over the past twenty years, Golden has written dozens of novels, as well as comics and graphic novels, short stories, screenplays, radio plays, and an animated web series.
"I never could have imagined--twenty years ago, in a market that even then frequently saw books appear on the stands and go out of print in a matter of months--that OF SAINTS AND SHADOWS would still be in print, and never gone out of print, two decades later,” Golden says. “I've been a full-time writer ever since, but that first novel of the Shadow Saga is the one that started it all."
On June 1st, the Barnes and Noble bookstore in Salem, NH--where Golden made frequent signing appearances early in his career--will host a 20th anniversary celebration featuring cake, numerous giveaways, and author special guests including Brian Keene, Daniel Palmer, Mary Sangiovanni, Nate Kenyon, and Rio Youers. Golden will also be offering special online giveaways leading up to and on June 1st. http://www.christophergolden.com
Golden's next novel, TIN MEN--now in feature film development at Warner Brothers, will appear in 2015 from Random House, but the author will read from that novel for the very first time at the June 1st event, as well as from his most recent publication, SNOWBLIND, available now from St. Martin's Press.
Christopher Golden is available for interviews. Please email [email protected]
On the 20
th anniversary of the publication of Christopher Golden’s first novel, OF SAINTS AND SHADOWS, these fantastic authors and sites have shared their thoughts…
“Golden’s 1994 book is the template for a score of books that have been published in the years since its publication. Many of those books have been bestsellers. Reading
Of Saints and Shadows again after so long, I was amazed to realize how many elements now familiar in the vampire and thriller genres appeared in
Saints first. Golden’s imagination and expert plotting wove these elements into a startlingly original book, as exciting to read now as it was when it first appeared on the rack.
Of Saints and Shadows should be part of every genre writer’s library.”
--Charlaine Harris“Some of my editor friends tell me that horror fiction is finally starting to make a
comeback after the catastrophic boom and bust in the 1980s. If that's true, writers like Christopher Golden are a big part of the reason.”
--George R. R. Martin“Christopher Golden was writing kick-ass urban fantasy before the genre even had a name. The Peter Octavian novels are smart, fast-paced, lyrical and vicious.”--Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Rot & Ruin “Christopher Golden is one of the most hard-working, smartest, and most talented writers of his generation, and his books are so good and so involving that they really ought to sell in huge numbers. Everything he writes glows with imagination.”
--Peter Straub“Although
Of Saints and Shadows was not the first Christopher Golden novel I read, it was the novel that illustrated for me why it is he’s been so widely-read and well on his way to becoming a household name: from the very first — the
very first — this guy had a wizard’s ability to balance deeper themes with compelling plots that kept the reader from knowing they were being asked to see the worldview of a singular story-teller, one whose personal agendas never turn into lectures, and whose sense of pace, characterization, and overall story
form began where most writers arrive after only a dozen novels. Tis is to say, I’ve hated him for as long as I’ve been reading him, because i’ll never be this good of a story-teller. Never. I read all of his work, and will continue to do so, and have the anti-psychotic prescription bills to prove it. Yeah — he’s
that good.”
-- Gary A. Braunbeck“Golden combines quiet, dark, subtle mood with Super-Giant monster action. Sort of M.R. James meets Godzilla!”--Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy“It’s almost an entire generation since Christopher Golden put out his debut novel
Of Saints and Shadows, bit the bullet and became a full-time writer. In those intervening years he’s produced a staggering number of follow-up books, comics and stories whose standard remains embarrassingly high. At PS Publishing, we were fortunate enough to do the special limited signed hardcover edition of
The Boys Are Back In Town, a time-travel paradox that sits happily alongside Finney’s
Time And Again, King’s
11.22.63 and, in the short form, Heinlein’s ‘All You Zombies’. Here’s a fine chance for nature nuts to see the tiny acorn from which mighty oak trees have since grown: I tell ya . . .
Saints is as good now as it was then. And so’s Golden. Maybe even better. Damn his eyes!”
--Peter Crowther, author of
Songs of Leaving, publisher at PS Publishing
“A delightful read and a noteworthy debut by a writer who cares passionately about the stuff of horror.”--Douglas E. Winter, in Cemetery Dance“A breathtaking story that succeeds in marrying gore and romance, sex and sentiment. A brilliant epic.”--Dark News, Paris“Before Urban Fantasy was even a glimmer in our eyes, there was Golden’s Peter Octavian. ... Christopher Golden wrote the first Peter Octavian book back in the mid 1990's before Urban Fantasy was even a genre. While almost everyone gives credit to Charles De Lint and Laurell K. Hamilton for beginning our favorite genre, somehow Golden has been overlooked and I believe strongly he should receive credit as well as the worlds others have built after him have so many of the same characteristics.”--DangerousRomance.com“It has a refreshing take on the whole vampire mythology. This is quite impressive, seeing as it predates the current vampire trend by over ten years.”--Worlds Unimagined“Golden redefined vampires in his Shadow Saga series.”--SFRevu“A new book by Christopher Golden means only one thing: the reader is in for a treat. His books are rich with texture and character, always inventive, and totally addictive.”
--
Charles de Lint“One of the best contemporary writers of dark fantasy and horror. As good as Stephen King.”
--
The Green Man Review 
If you'd like to run this press release at your website or blog or in your magazine or newspaper, click here to download the PDF.
Attention filmmakers (and readers!)
Want to show the world what you can do AND spread the love of a good book? St. Martin's Press and Talenthouse are accepting 1-minute trailers for Christopher Golden's upcoming book SNOWBLIND. All of the submitted videos will be seen by some pretty cool folks - legitimate directors, writers, producers - and one will be selected to be the book's official trailer.
If you are interested, you should enter.
If you know other filmmakers - be they amateur or professional, adults or teens or kids - please let them know about this incredible opportunity.
Trust me. I've read the book, and it's amazing. With edge-of-your-seat tension and jaw-dropping twists, Christopher Golden's Snowblind blizzard is going to blow you away!
So what are you waiting for? Spread the word, gather a production team, and make that mini-movie!
Here's the official press release and all of the pertinent information. Good luck!
St. Martin's Press and Talenthouse invite amateur filmmakers to produce a short horror book trailer for SNOWBLIND, the highly anticipated novel by New York Times bestselling author Christopher Golden. The winning trailer will be heavily promoted and used as part of an integrated marketing and advertising campaign for the book and will also receive a consultation with one or more of the judges to discuss their work.
Helping St. Martin's Press judge the entries are:
FRANK DARABONT (Director, Writer, Producer) - The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Walking Dead, Mob City, among others.
DAVID S. GOYER (Writer, Director, Producer) - Man of Steel, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Blade, Da Vinci's Demons, among others.
DON MURPHY (Producer) - Transformers 1-4, Real Steel, Natural Born Killers, Vampire Academy, among others.
STEPHEN SUSCO (Writer, Producer) - The Grudge 1 and 2, Texas Chainsaw 3D, Red, High School, among others.
CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN (Author, Editor) - Of Saints and Shadows, Baltimore, Tin Men, The New Dead, among others.
For more information on how to enter:
http://www.talenthouse.com/create-a-video-for-snowblind
SNOWBLIND trailer competition guidelines
Video should be a maximum length of 1 minute.
The end shot of the trailer must provide the publication information for the book, including title, book image provided, and the publication information:
SNOWBLIND
On Sale
January 21, 2014
Wherever Books Are Sold
Choose one of the three options listed below:
1) Create a scene from pages 28 - 30 featuring Cherie, her dog, and the iceman. (See the book excerpt linked below.)
2) Create a scene from pages 48 - 51 featuring Isaac looking out the window at the ice men dancing in the snow in his yard, with Jake not believing him. (See the book excerpt linked below.)
3) Entrants are invited to create their own scenes or images inspired by a provided sample from Snowblind. These original trailers should capture the tone of the novel. For example:
- A woman sitting on her bed with the covers drawn up, hugging her knees, staring in terror at the window with the wind rattling the glass, snow piling up against it or pelting it.
- A woman smoking a cigarette outside a bar at night with the snow falling. She hears a sound, turns, looks terrified.
- An anchor reads the news about the blizzard and what happened twelve years ago and then the power goes out and you hear the whistling of the wind as snow whips across the screen, perhaps suggesting the image of evil features looking in.
The presence of the snowstorm/blizzard may suggest digital effects but they are not required.
Entrants may devise their own approach to representing the ominous presence of the storm and the fear of the townspeople.
Judges will consider many factors, including imagination and ingenuity.
Direct links to all of the necessary ingredients:
SNOWBLIND Novel Excerpt
About the book
St Martin's PRESS Logo
3D Book Shot SNOWBLIND
Judging Panel Official Bios
Get Snowblind:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
BAM
Indiebound
All aboard, comic book collectors and horror fans. Baltimore: The Infernal Train has arrived. Choo-choo....chew.
While Baltimore hides out in Budapest awaiting the arrival of the sadistic Judge Duvic, a strange woman shows up with a bizarre invention she promises will rid the world of vampire plague.
By Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, Ben Stenbeck, Dave Stewart. Published by Dark Horse Comics.
The first issue of The Infernal Train was released on September 4th. There will be three issues in this story. Issue #2 will be released in October. Issue #3 will be available in November.
If you haven't read any of the Baltimore comics yet, here's the backstory:
It all began with BALTIMORE, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire, which Christopher Golden calls "the coolest project [he's] ever been involved with." Written by Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola, this illustrated novella took Hans Christian Andersen's classic story and turned it into a gothic tale, complete with dark and stormy nights, strangers brought together by a mutual acquaintance, battlefields in war-torn countries, and, oh, yes, vampires. Months after a devastating plague ends World War I, Europe is suddenly flooded with deadly vampires. Lord Henry Baltimore, a soldier determined to wipe out the monsters, is on the hunt for the creature responsible for this chaos and his own personal tragedy. What he uncovers is a terror as horrific and frightening as any he's seen on the battlefield.
There's more to that story: Dark Horse Comics has published additional mini-series and graphic novels, and even more Baltimore stories are on the way. BALTIMORE: THE INFERNAL TRAIN is the newest mini-series in the line. This month, you can also pick up the third volume of collected Baltimore stories, BALTIMORE: A PASSING STRANGER AND OTHER TALES.
Check out Christopher Golden's site - specifically the Baltimore page - for more information on the series. Also check out the electronic press kit (EPK), which contain an excerpt of the first book, a video interview with the authors, the original press release, and more.
I have to tell you all what happened when I was writing this post, because it's a perfect example of how my life works: As I was typing up this post, I was watching the film Frequency, which I've easily seen a dozen times. It's one of those movies that, when I see it in the TV listings, I immediately click over to it. I have told people that I want to make a boxed set of Frequency and the book The Boys are Back in Town by Christopher Golden and sell it to people who, like me, are keen on causality and dig stories that show what happens in the present day when someone somehow changes the past.
So the end credits of Frequency rolled by, and I'm still typing away, and the next thing they show is an ad for the new TV series Sleepy Hollow, which I will definitely be sampling. Earlier today, I saw a billboard for the show and reminded folks to read Sleepy Hollow High by Christopher Golden and Ford Lytle Gilmore in the meantime.
Immediately following the Sleepy Hollow TV spot was an advert for Sons of Anarchy. I started cracking up. Not because SoA is a comedy (it definitely is not) but because the SoA comic book series was written by Christopher Golden, with art by Damian Couceiro, and it just so happens that it was profiled in USA Today earlier today. SAMCRO fans can pick up the first issue next Wednesday, the day after the show's season premiere. High-five to Boom! Studios for getting the perfect pub date - and the perfect author. Golden is not only a fantastic writer, but he's also a fan of the series, and he's certain to do it justice.
By:
Little Willow,
on 4/30/2013
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Looking for an awesome YA book that will take you out of this world? Love sci-fi/fantasy series? Check out my guest post at Teens Wanna Know! 
I've recommended five fantastic stories by Christopher Golden (Prowlers), Thomas E. Sniegoski (Fallen), Scott Westerfeld (Uglies), Justine Larbalestier (How to Ditch Your Fairy), and Holly Black (The Curse Workers). These books include angels, shapeshifters, surgeries, good luck, and bad luck, among other things. If you haven't read them yet, you should. If you have read them, let me know which one you liked the best.Check out my Otherworldly YA post at Teens Wanna Know and leave a comment!
In the world of Magic Zero, everyone and everything is magic.
Everyone, that is, except for Timothy. For his own safety, his kind father kept him hidden away for years, providing him with a safe haven and a chance at a decent - albeit magic-free - childhood.
When his father passes away, Timothy is flung back into the world. Now everyone knows he exists. Who can he trust? Where can he go? He must decide who his allies are - and quickly, because assassins are coming for him.
The books are packed with action, fantasy, and drama. Timothy is surrounded by intriguing, strong characters: a warrior who can blend in with his surroundings; a robot buddy of his own creation; firebreathing, war-torn dragons; a talking raven named Edgar; and Cassandra, a girl who may or may not be on the same side as her power-hungry grandfather.
You simply must put Magic Zero in the hands of kids who love magic and fantasy series. There's something here for everyone, whether you like the otherworldly creatures in The Spiderwick Chronicles or the battles and tribunals featured in Star Wars. This is a great introduction to the works of the imaginative and prolific authors Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski. Each author has released a multitude of titles individually, including Golden's chilling Shadow Saga (thankfully, these vampires do not sparkle) and Sniegoski's best-selling teen angel series The Fallen. Older readers (meaning teens and adults) should check out the pair's dark fantasy series The Menagerie, which I often compare to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and give to fans of the X-Men.
Back to Magic Zero: Is this for the Harry Potter crowd? Yes, no doubt about it. At the core of the story, you've got a boy who becomes an unlikely hero in a world filled with magic. The really cool flip in Magic Zero, what sets it apart from other books starring a Young Boy on a Magic Quest, is that Timothy's the only person who cannot wield magic. Also, we know this going into the book, rather than being a loss or gain of powers somewhere along the way. Magic Zero is inventive, the premise well-developed and executed. Just wait 'til you see what happens when Timothy approaches a door protected by magic. Also, there are dragons, robots, talking animals, and more, more, more. Steampunk aficionados, check out the alternate sources of energy used in these books; Star Wars fans, prepare thyself for a battle of epic proportions.
Here's the official book flap summary:
Timothy has great potential for power - no magic necessary - in this start to an action-packed fantasy series from two New York Times bestselling authors.
In Timothy's world, everyone has magical powers. Except him. He has spent his entire life as an outcast hidden on a remote island. When he is finally taken back to the city of his birth, Timothy is fascinated by the current of magic that fuels the world and mesmerized by the buildings and orbs that hang weightlessly in the sky. But he is also marked for death.
Assassins are watching his every move, and some very powerful people want him destroyed. Timothy can't imagine what threat he could possibly pose; after all, he wields no power in this world. Or does he?
The Magic Zero quartet, originally known as the Outcast series, features an unforgettable adventure. Read the books in order:
Magic Zero - available today, April 2nd!
Dragon Secrets - available today, April 2nd!
Ghostfire - coming in June
Battle for Arcanum - coming in August
Get the Magic Zero series online now!
The Graves of Saints, a brand-new Christopher Golden novel about Peter Octavian, is now available.
I'm excited. First of all, brand-new Christopher Golden novel. Those are magic words, and his words are magic.
Second of all, it's part of The Shadow Saga - If you like fictional vampires, then you need to read this inventive, thought-provoking, myth-twisting, heart-racing series RIGHT NOW.
Third of all, the previous novel, Waking Nightmares, ended on a what-just-happened-no-no-NO tragic turn of events, and the fallout from that starts Saints off with a bang.
But don't listen only to me -- Check out what other horror and fantasy writing juggernauts have to say about The Shadow Saga series:
"Christopher Golden was writing kick-@$$ urban fantasy before the genre even had a name. The Peter Octavian novels are smart, fast-paced, lyrical and vicious." - Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of The Dragon Factory and Rot & Ruin
"Christopher Golden scared the unholy $#!& out of me. Thank god I was reading with the lights on! WAKING NIGHTMARES is one deliciously terrifying, un-put-down-able book. Totally, compellingly creepy. (I hate him now and shall have to kill him because I'll never be able to sleep again.)" - Kat Richardson, author of the Greywalker novels
"Startlingly original." - Charlaine Harris, author of The Southern Vampire Mysteries which inspired the TV series True Blood
"A delightfully different take on vampires." - Kelley Armstrong, author of the Women of the Otherworld series and The Darkest Powers trilogy
Cover flap summary:
For centuries, Vatican sorcerers kept demons and monsters out of our world with the magic found in a grimoire called The Gospel of Shadows. Years ago, to save his people from madmen, Peter Octavian defeated those sorcerers and the Gospel of Shadows itself was banished from the Earth. Ever since, the evils and monstrosities lurking in parallel worlds have been waking to the realization that our magical defences are down - the barriers keeping them out of our world are crumbling.
With massive demonic incursions in locations around the world, Octavian should be focused on using his own sorcery to drive the evil out and rebuild our defenses. But a renegade vampire named Cortez has murdered the person Octavian loves the most and, even with his friends and allies around him, he is so lost in grief that he can think of nothing but revenge. There are others who can fight the darkness - mages and Shadows, witches and Reapers and vampire samurai - but only the warrior-mage, Peter Octavian, can defeat it.
If he will answer the call.
Additional Information
Published by Simon & Schuster UK
March 14th, 2013
368 pages
ISBN-10: 0857209647
ISBN-13: 9780857209641
eBook available:
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Read the entire series:
Throat Culture, the final volume in the Body of Evidence series by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala, begins by the sea and ends on a strong note.
Anyone that's worked in food service
could tell you a story or two about what goes in the kitchen and on the floor. There are the regular patrons, the menu changes, the interesting requests, the difficult co-workers, and more. After an employee at Oceana's By the Sea conducts a deadly experiment on the customers - just as, quote, "a field test to see how things work" - he decides not to stop there. Shortly thereafter, he taints the food at
a faculty luncheon at Somerset University - a luncheon celebrating the marriage of Criminology professor Frank Logan and English professor Shayna Emerson. And S
hayna's reaction to the tainted food lands her in the hospital, paralyzed.Enter Frank's daughter
, Jenna Blake, who works for the Medical Examiner's office and has both the personal and professional motivation to catch this guy. Readers who have followed Jenna through all ten novels in this series will be cheering her on as she investigates the crime that's hit so close to home - but will she go too far this time? As extremely sad as I am to see this series come to an end, I
am glad that the authors gave us such a solid final scene. That image has stuck with me, and it still strikes me when I re-read it. Jenna is a fiery, intelligent, and resourceful woman, and her strength and determination make her a great protagonist. The characters who surround her - Danny, Slick, Yoshiko, Hunter, Dyson, her friends, her family - matter to her, and to the readers. Throughout the course of the series, we've seen Jenna grow and change, but she's always stayed true to herself, and she's always fought for the victims, refusing to give up until she finds the perp or at least makes things better for those touched by the crimes. If there ever was another book in this line, and it was set a few years in the future, I wouldn't be surprised to find Jenna working Homicide or Undercover - and her partner would be Veronica Mars. Wouldn't that be awesome?
Cover flap summary:
"Could she have become infected without showing any symptoms herself? Could she be contagious?"
Wedding bells are ringing for Jenna Blake's dad, and she couldn't be happier for him. His new wife, Shayna, is just the greatest. And their wedding luncheon is perfect -- until the food arrives. When guests start experiencing unusual symptoms, Jenna knows something is terribly wrong. Then all too quickly, Shayna winds up paralyzed.
But Shayna's not the only victim. The mysterious illness begins to sweep Jenna's college campus, leaving two students dead. Doctors suspect that this is no ordinary virus. Highly unusual and destructive, it could only be the work of human hands.
While the Center for Disease Control is blanketing the campus, Jenna and the rest of the medical examiner's team scramble to put the pieces together. But the longer it takes to solve the puzzle, the more critical the situation becomes...
Because this virus is deadly -- and very contagious.
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Related Posts at Bildungsroman
Radar Recommendations: Body of Evidence series by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala
Book Review: Body Bags by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Thief of Hearts by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Soul Survivor by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Meets the Eye by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Head Games by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Skin Deep by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Burning Bones by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Brain Trust by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Last Breath by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala
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Take a deep breath and dive into Last Breath by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala. The ninth Body of Evidence novel finds protagonist Jenna Blake prepared to enjoy the summer between her freshman and sophomore years of college. Summertime and the livin' is easy, right?
Maybe not so easy. At least, not when you're working for a medical examiner and attempting to stop a serial killer who is drowning people left, right, and center and leaving the victims in public places.
I love the prologues in this series. Akin to the "cold open" of Law & Order or CSI, the Body of Evidence prologues tend to introduce us to our first victim. The prologue of Last Breath takes place in an aquarium, and deserves a Jaws-worthy underscore.
As with the other books in the line, Last Breath made me want to visit Boston right away. The locations are beautifully detailed. Jenna's emotional journey will pull in readers and keep them turning pages. Her strength is really tested in this book, and the events which take place in the last few chapters will change her forever.
If you like modern-day murder mysteries with characters, pick up the Body of Evidence series by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala. Check out the widget at the bottom of this post to get all of the books.
Cover flap summary:
"When a psycho wants to make a statement, and nobody gets it, he's only going to say it louder the next time."
Jenna thought spending her summer in Somerset would be quiet and relaxing. With classes over and the students home on break, the campus is a ghost town. But the summer is not chock-full of R&R. In fact, her latest case at the medical examiner's office is anything but quiet.
A psycho killer is on a rampage, drowning the victims in Boston's most public places. It seems everyone is talking about the murders, yet no one has any leads.
Then Jenna uncovers a key piece of evidence, and she is quickly drawn into the puzzle. But the closer they get to the killer, the more frequent -- and more violent -- the drownings become. And before Jenna realizes how deep in she's gotten, it's suddenly sink or swim time for her...literally.
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Related Posts at BildungsromanRadar Recommendations: Body of Evidence series by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala
Book Review: Body Bags by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Thief of Hearts by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Soul Survivor by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Meets the Eye by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Head Games by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Skin Deep by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Burning Bones by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Brain Trust by Christopher Golden
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Get ready for surf, sand, and murder. Talk about perfect timing: 
Brain Trust by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala has been re-released just in time for Spring Break. In the eighth Body of Evidence novel, college freshman Jenna Blake heads off to Florida with her best friend for a much-needed vacation. It's all fun in the sun until the girls witness a horrible accident - one they barely escape themselves, or so they think. Jenna quickly becomes convinced that it was no accident, and she learns more about the victim, she realizes he's not the only one who has been killed in this fashion. But who's next?
This is a really cool story, not only because of the tension (and nifty scientific factoids) that Golden and Hautala have in all of the BoE books, but also because the readers know early on who the perpetrators are - and can only helplessly watch (that is, read) as they work their way through their list of targets. Without giving anything away, let me just say the villains of the piece are creepy and calculating.
If you're looking for an awesome series of thrillers, pick up the Body of Evidence books by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala. You won't be sorry.
Cover flap summary:
"Maybe the odds are against the cases being connected, but I'd hate to find out that it was some contagious, horrible disease."
Spring break is prime time for R&R, fun in the sun, and all things low-key. So when Jenna Blake goes to Florida with her roommate, Yoshiko, the last thing she's expecting to find is another mystery. Well, you can take the girl out of the ME's office, but...
A series of seemingly natural deaths turn out to be suspicious when each of the bodies proves to have mysterious growths of some kind. Needless to say, despite Yoshiko's concerns that her roommate is missing the point of a vacation, Jenna can't stay away from this case.
After autopsies, another common denominator among the victims presents itself. And when further research reveals similar deaths in other states, Jenna starts to wonder if the deaths were indeed natural. As the body count climbs, Jenna's break gives way to a dangerous chase. With Slick and Danny back in Massachusetts, Jenna has only herself to rely on...for survival.
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Related Posts at Bildungsroman
Radar Recommendations: Body of Evidence series by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala
Book Review: Body Bags by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Thief of Hearts by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Soul Survivor by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Meets the Eye by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Head Games by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Skin Deep by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Burning Bones by Christopher Golden
Get all of the Body of Evidence books available for Kindle:
Amazon.com Widgets
Kelly from the Stacked blog rounded up a bunch of bloggers, booksellers, and librarians and asked them to list the YA novels they'd recommend to someone who is just starting to dip their toes in the waters of the Young Adult bookshelves. When she asked if I'd like to kick off this round, I replied, "Twist my arm!" Here are a dozen books to get you started.
Body Bags by Christopher Golden begins with the line: "It was a beautiful day to grow up." Body Bags is the first in a line of ten novels - collectively known as Body of Evidence - which follow Jenna Blake as she begins college and starts working as an assistant at the Medical Examiner's office. I highly recommend this series. Both adults and teenagers will discover plenty to relate to and enjoy in this line. Readers will find Jenna visiting crime scenes and autopsy rooms nearly as often as she's in her dorm. Her relatives, friends, and studies factor into the books just as much as serial killers and detectives. Throughout the series, Christopher Golden - and, later, collaborator Rick Hautala - created characters who are believable but anything but cookie-cutter. The quality of Body Bags is above and beyond most suspense novels, and it continues throughout the series, versus other series which lose the momentum after a few books, or series in which the books become carbon copies. If you enjoy medical thrillers with great characters, especially if you watch(ed) television series such as CSI or Profiler, or read or watch Rizzoli & Isles, then you need to read these books right now. You won't be sorry.
Read my review of the book, and the entire series.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart is, dare I say, a coming-of-age story. It's not about breaking the rules, nor it is about controlling others. It's about daring: daring to be yourself, daring to stand up for yourself, daring to step outside of your comfort zone, daring to change the world. This novel possesses all of the elements necessary for a good bildungsroman, following the protagonist's journey through her formative years. Both snarky and serious, this History is written by the victors: the memorable narrator and the author. Frankie is smart, grounded, and direct, but she also has a quirky side. Author E. Lockhart (The Boyfriend List, Dramarama) writes with heart and authentic feeling. History has an incredible conclusion, and Frankie becomes a remarkable young woman.
Read my full-length review of the book.
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen is about grief, acceptance, and everything in-between. It's about running - running for fun, running out of fear, running from yourself, running from the truth. It's also about to-do lists, kitchen messes, and really good waffles. It's about long conversations and comfortable silences. It's about forever, which is yesterday, today, and tomorrow - and forever is never long enough. Dessen is always good, and this is Dessen at her best.
Read my reviews of all Sarah Dessen's novels.
Deb Caletti writes really fantastic realistic novels. My favorite Caletti novel to date is The Nature of Jade, about an overachiever who has developed panic disorder. Jade doesn't know yet that she wants something more out of life - and that she is about to meet someone that will change her life.
Read my reviews of all of Deb Caletti's novels.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is an absolute staple of modern YA fiction. This story is an example of how to use first-person narration to connect readers to a largely silent and introverted protagonist - and how to reveal things slowly, to connect actions and emotions. This book is gritty and real without being gritty for the sake of it. Often imitated, never replicated, this book is what inspired the wave of YA books that tackle tough issues.
Check out my Speak playlist.
The Alison Rules by Catherine Clark. Wow, wow, wow. After her mother passes away, Alison is reluctant to confide in anyone other than Laurie, her long-time best friend. She pulls away from pretty much everyone else and decides to quietly lives by the rules she's made for herself. Read it, then share it.
Read my full-length review of The Alison Rules.
I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak, which you should go into completely spoiler-free, so I'm not going to tell you anything about it. Go read it, and when you're done, tell me what you think, because you will definitely have a reaction to how this story unfolds and how it turns out.
Check out my interview with Marcus Zusak - and then read The Book Thief.
Feathered by Laura Kasischke tells the story of two best friends who travel to Cancun for Spring Break. After an auspicious start, the unexpected happens, and their dream vacation turns into a nightmare which they can't simply escape by waking - which, perhaps, they cannot escape at all. Feathered wonderfully captures that feeling of freedom one gets while far from home, when it's possible (easier?) to be uncharacteristically impulsive. Fueled by the toxic intensity of perfect strangers, fast friends, and foreign cultures, the girls find themselves in an extremely dangerous situation, and, in the blink of an eye, everything changes. Every high school student who is planning a big-deal trip for Spring Break (or for any break) needs to read this book - and so do their parents, teachers, and chaperones. So do writers who aspire to craft stories with alternating points of view.
Read my full-length review of the book.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan is not your typical boy meets girl story. Sure, it starts when boy meets girl - but then boy asks girl to pretend to be his girlfriend for the next five minutes, and girl agrees. Over the course of one night, two perfect strangers fall in and out of love with life, music, friends, cars, food, the city, and maybe - just maybe - each other. This book definitely popularized multiple narrators in modern YA fiction.
Read my review of Nick and Norah - Check out my own Infinite Playlist
Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers shows that sometimes, what you don't do can be as consequential as what you do. Parker was a good girl. A nice girl. A cheerleader. A straight-A student. Then something happened. Something which changed Parker completely. Something she wishes she could change. Her mood, her grades, and her spirits have all plummeted. Haunted, Parker is no longer the girl she once was - and she doesn't want to be, not anymore. Courtney Summers' debut novel is not to be missed. When the characters speak, they sound authentic: some kids swear and some kids laugh while others toss out a word or two while swallowing down what they really want to say. Adult readers will quickly be transported to the halls of high school and feel as if they never left. Pick up Summers' other novels while you're at it, but start with this one.
Read my review of the book.
The Fallen by Thomas E. Sniegoski led the pack of immortal/angel fantasy/action stories that now line the YA shelves. The premise: Aaron has always known that he was adopted, but he never suspected he was half-angel - or that he could be a hero in the ultimate fight between good and evil. Fun fact: Before he portrayed Stefan Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries, Paul Wesley starred as Aaron Corbet in the film adaptation of Fallen - and Bryan Cranston from Breaking Bad played Lucifer!
Check out the Fallen website.
Looking for Alaska by John Green has energized a new generation of readers, writers, and all kinds of people searching for their great perhaps. It's thought-provoking, poignant, and lovely. Please read it.
Here's my Looking for Alaska playlist.
For those of you dropping by Bildungsroman for the first time, welcome! I'm Little Willow. Here's a quick intro to me and this blog: In addition to being a bookseller, blogger, and writer, I'm also an actress, singer, and webdesigner. I always have a script or a book in my hands and a song in my heart. I primarily review YA novels, hence the blog name:Bildungsroman: A novel whose principal subject is the moral, psychological, and intellectual development of a usually youthful main character. (dictionary.com)
Looking for additional YA staples and recommendations? Click through the blog and the corresponding archive for reviews, exclusive author interviews, and more. I have a slew of booklists I hope you'll check out, including:
Tough Issues for Teens
http://slayground.livejournal.com/74061.html
Coming-of-Age Novels
http://slayground.livejournal.com/178045.html
Transition Times / Set in School
http://slayground.livejournal.com/78353.html
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on 2/22/2013
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TweetLord Henry Baltimore, Vampire Hunter, is more strictly speaking the hunter of a specific vampire, as THE WIDOW AND THE TANK one-shot reminds us. For such a goal-oriented guy, he certainly leaves plenty of ash-piles along the way, not to mention the corpses of other creatures he may happen to encounter. Writers Mike Mignola and [...]
Baltimore: The Widow and the Tank by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden
A blood-curdling double feature! Eisner Award–winning horror master Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden present this horrific double feature about a widow with a not-quite-dead husband and a child-killing vampire taking refuge from something even worse.
Praise for the Baltimore series:
"It still takes something special to impose a unifying vision, and Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden have got it." - The Wall Street Journal
"These Baltimore miniseries over at Dark Horse have provided us with the type of genuine Gothic horror that we crave...this is a great read." - Complex
Get Baltimore: The Widow and the Tank from your local comic book store today! UPC: 7 61568 19678 8 00111
Find out where the story began: Read the illustrated novel Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire, the tale that inspired the subsequent comics and graphic novels.
When Lord Henry Baltimore awakens the wrath of a vampire on the hellish battlefields of World War I, the world is forever changed. For a virulent plague has been unleashed -- a plague that even death cannot end.
Now the lone soldier in an eternal struggle against darkness, Baltimore summons three old friends to a lonely inn -- men whose travels and fantastical experiences incline them to fully believe in the evil that is devouring the soul of mankind. As the men await their old friend, they share their tales of terror and misadventure, and contemplate what part they will play in Baltimore's timeless battle. Before the night is through, they will learn what is required to banish the plague -- and the creature who named Baltimore his nemesis -- once and for all.
Baltimore was named one of Booklist's Top 10 SF/Fantasy books of the year - and for good reason.
Learn more about this inspired gothic take on Hans Christian Andersen's story The Steadfast Tin Soldier.
Burning Bones by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala
Official book jacket summary:
"How do you burn someone to death in public, and not have anyone notice?"
Two people burst into flame, burned alive in front of plenty of eyewitnesses with no obvious cause. Spontaneous human combustion is a bizarre phenomenon, but according to published accounts, it happens. Could that be what occurred here? Or is it murder?
As Jenna Blake turns nineteen, she is getting over a recent breakup and is rekindling an old flame. Between her personal life and college, she has enough on her hands. The last thing she needs is another nasty little puzzle.
But the burn victims' clothes weren't flammable, the crime scenes reveal no evidence of arson, and none of the various witnesses can provide anything resembling a clue. In fact, she and Slick are just beginning to re-evaluate their faith in rational, scientific explanation when the fire claims another victim, and an incredible explanation presents itself. Even as they struggle with their discovery, the danger hits far too close to home...
My thoughts:
In the words of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's best guy friend, Xander Harris, "It's like the Human Torch - only it hurts." Unless you've experienced severe burns, one can only imagine how excruciating it must be to be injured much less killed in such a manner. In this book, the way that the killer burns his victims is (evil) genius.
And then what happens during the climax of the book - Wowza.
In Burning Bones, Jenna continues to juggle her professional, academic, and personal responsibilities. Throwing herself into her schoolwork and her work at the M.E.'s office helps her bounce back from her breakup. Though the books are narrated in third-person, readers can easily get in Jenna's mind, which is great not only when she's puzzling out crimes, but also when she's reminiscing about Animaniacs in one paragraph and referencing Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in the next - then, a page later, considering Shirley Jackson's novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Bibliophiles will see themselves in the line "Jenna was a constant reader" while people fascinated with medical facts and criminal profiling will love the discovery of evidence, research, and interrogation scenes throughout the novel.
Can you imagine Jenna working alongside with Abby from NCIS? I definitely can! Jenna is smart, and she is clever, and she's not about to let people think she's incapable of solving crimes due to her age or her gender. She's a strong female protagonist, often as bold as Lilly Rush on Cold Case (another character I admire and praise!) and while her youth and willfulness might get her into scrapes now and again, those elements also help her figure things out, as she's quick-thinking and often more open-minded than some of the older detectives, doctors, and scientists.
If you aren't already hooked, let me share with you the first line of the book:
If looks could kill.
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Another Body of Evidence thriller is now available as an e-book, and it's one of my favorites in the series!
Skin Deep by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala
"A girl is dead, and one of your best friends got his head cracked with a shovel, because some white guy didn't want to see them kiss.."When Jenna and Damon first began dating, neither worried too much about the other's skin color. After all, Somerset is a pretty liberal college environment. But when a black couple is attacked by a white man on campus, race relations become cause for frenzied peace rallies, protests, and debate for the entire student body. Suddenly, Jenna has her hands full investigating the attack - and defending her interracial romance...
Then a white student turns up dead at the hands of a black assailant.
As racial tension reaches a fever pitch on campus, the crimes continue, growing increasingly brutal. Strangely, in each case no two witnesses can form the same description of the perpetrator.
The people are looking for two young men. Until one assailant, pronounced dead at the crime scene, disappears...
Get it from Amazon.com
Get it from Amazon.co.ukSkin Deep is so good, people. If it opens up just one person's eyes...
And this quote:
There was magic in the world again. Hope.
Related Posts at Bildungsroman
Radar Recommendations: Body of Evidence series by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala
Book Review: Body Bags by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Thief of Hearts by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Soul Survivor by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Meets the Eye by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Head Games by Christopher Golden
Get all of the Body of Evidence books available for Kindle:
Amazon.com Widgets
Two more Body of Evidence thrillers are now available as e-books, including one of my favorites in the series!
Head Games by Christopher Golden
"They were my friends. I've known them almost my entire life. Maybe they both just lost it. But I think something's going on here, and I have to take a closer look."
Home from college on break, Jenna Blake is horrified to discover that a childhood friend has murdered his entire family -- and he's not the only one. During the next two days, several other area teens experience homicidal rages, but are later unable to explain or even recall their actions.
The police are leaning toward the popular explanation: brutality influenced by violence in movies and video games. But when Jenna investigates further, she begins to believe that someone is playing sinister head games with her former classmates...and with her, as well.
What Jenna needs is someone to take her seriously, but Slick is preoccupied with a mystery of his own, her father has taken off for France, and her college friends have all gone away for the holidays.
Jenna's on her own this time.
Get it from Amazon.com
Get it from Amazon.co.ukThere's a powerful message here: It's easier to blame violence in the media than to realize that humans can be inherently violent. I dislike violent video games and recently repeatedly turned down a friend's invitation to play a first-person shooter game. That's not for me. As a strong-minded person who is not being easily influenced by others, it was chilling to read about these seemingly well-adjusted characters who snapped due to something out of their control. Wowza.
Skin Deep by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala
"A girl is dead, and one of your best friends got his head cracked with a
shovel, because some white guy didn't want to see them kiss.."
When Jenna and Damon first began dating, neither worried too much about the other's skin color. After all, Somerset is a pretty liberal college environment. But when a black couple is attacked by a white man on campus, race relations become cause for frenzied peace rallies, protests, and debate for the entire student body. Suddenly, Jenna has her hands full investigating the attack - and defending her interracial romance...
Then a white student turns up dead at the hands of a black assailant.
As racial tension reaches a fever pitch on campus, the crimes continue, growing increasingly brutal. Strangely, in each case no two witnesses can form the same description of the perpetrator.
The people are looking for two young men. Until one assailant, pronounced dead at the crime scene, disappears...
Get it from Amazon.com
Get it from Amazon.co.ukSkin Deep is so good, people. If it opens up just one person's eyes...
And this quote:
There was magic in the world again. Hope.
Related Posts at Bildungsroman
Radar Recommendations: Body of Evidence series by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala
Book Review: Body Bags by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Thief of Hearts by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Soul Survivor by Christopher Golden
Book Review: Meets the Eye by Christopher Golden
Get all of the Body of Evidence books available for Kindle:
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[...] The Beat – Baltimore: The Widow and the Tank [...]
Mignola and everyone who works on the Hellboy universe at DH are really a gift to comic fans. It seems that everything fans complain about is actually handled well at DH. You get a lovely amount of characters, progressing storylines and there actually is a huge pay off if you read everything because it actually does all tie together. Or you can take great little one-shot stories like this.
I agree- it’s not just that the universe of all the comics is technically consistent but that it feels the same- even with diverse artwork and various writers. It’s real universe building and quite a feat.