C Z's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 11 Jan 2025 17:19:54 -0800 60 C Z's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Elektra Lives Again 59971 80 Frank Miller 0785108904 C Z 4 3.76 Elektra Lives Again
author: Frank Miller
name: C Z
average rating: 3.76
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves:
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]]> Preacher, Book 1 5428776
After merging with a bizarre spiritual force called Genesis, Texan preacher Jesse Custer has become completely disillusioned with the beliefs to which he had dedicated his entire life. Now possessing the power of "the word," an ability to make people do whatever he utters, Custer begins a violent and riotous journey across the country. Joined by his gun-toting girlfriend Tulip and the hard-drinking Irish vampire Cassidy, Custer loses faith in both God and man as he witnesses dark atrocities and improbable calamities during his exploration of America.

This new collected edition features an all-new introduction by series writer Garth Ennis.]]> 335 Garth Ennis 140122279X C Z 5 4.41 2009 Preacher, Book 1
author: Garth Ennis
name: C Z
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
shelves:
review:

]]> Transformers #1 (2023) 199320458 38 Daniel Warren Johnson C Z 5 Great start!

I was reading Transformers as long as I can remember reading, I grew up with MARVEL UK, came of age with G2, was running comic stores when Dreamwave launched, and when IDW and IDW 2.0 launched.
This is my favourite first issue of a Transformers series in the history of the brand, it has been a long time since we've had a G1-esque tabula rasa. I've enjoyed the soft launch with Void Rivals and look forward to seeing where the Skybound Energon Universe takes us. Highly recommended.]]> 4.53 Transformers #1 (2023)
author: Daniel Warren Johnson
name: C Z
average rating: 4.53
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/08
date added: 2023/11/08
shelves:
review:
Great start!

I was reading Transformers as long as I can remember reading, I grew up with MARVEL UK, came of age with G2, was running comic stores when Dreamwave launched, and when IDW and IDW 2.0 launched.
This is my favourite first issue of a Transformers series in the history of the brand, it has been a long time since we've had a G1-esque tabula rasa. I've enjoyed the soft launch with Void Rivals and look forward to seeing where the Skybound Energon Universe takes us. Highly recommended.
]]> <![CDATA[Jim Spaceborn: The Unknown Galaxy]]> 28788282 56 Frank Madsen 8788982033 C Z 5
Sure, multimedia tie-ins weren't exactly new when this came out (1989/1990) but they were new to Lego, who generally prefer to let the stories play out in the minds of the children playing with Lego.

This story creates a new protagonist that is easily created with a white Spaceman and a baseball hat, and a robot that is easily assembled from fairly easily available pieces. It creates a world for these characters, creates a backstory for the Blacktron faction, an antagonist (Lord Kazak) and a beautiful large space cruiser that none of us could ever hope to build back in the day.

A great storybook for Fans of Lego for all ages.]]> 5.00 1986 Jim Spaceborn: The Unknown Galaxy
author: Frank Madsen
name: C Z
average rating: 5.00
book published: 1986
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/10/27
shelves:
review:
It's not Shakespeare, but it's worthy of 5 stars because this book does a lot of things that are very common place now, and it does them very well.

Sure, multimedia tie-ins weren't exactly new when this came out (1989/1990) but they were new to Lego, who generally prefer to let the stories play out in the minds of the children playing with Lego.

This story creates a new protagonist that is easily created with a white Spaceman and a baseball hat, and a robot that is easily assembled from fairly easily available pieces. It creates a world for these characters, creates a backstory for the Blacktron faction, an antagonist (Lord Kazak) and a beautiful large space cruiser that none of us could ever hope to build back in the day.

A great storybook for Fans of Lego for all ages.
]]> <![CDATA[The play of Daniel Keyes: Flowers for Algernon]]> 18377 128 Bert Coules 0435232932 C Z 3 4.09 1993 The play of Daniel Keyes: Flowers for Algernon
author: Bert Coules
name: C Z
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1993
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/08/23
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Vol. 1]]> 13528705
COLLECTING: ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN (2011) 1-5]]> 136 Brian Michael Bendis 0785157131 C Z 3 4.27 2011 Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Vol. 1
author: Brian Michael Bendis
name: C Z
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/04/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe #1]]> 25761388 47 Garth Ennis C Z 5 3.66 1995 Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe #1
author: Garth Ennis
name: C Z
average rating: 3.66
book published: 1995
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/11/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers]]> 12505374 172 James Roberts 1613771266 C Z 5 4.50 2010 Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers
author: James Roberts
name: C Z
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/05/29
shelves:
review:

]]> Saga #1 18867493 66 Brian K. Vaughan 1106927028 C Z 5 4.20 2012 Saga #1
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: C Z
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/10/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Strangers in Paradise, The Collected volume 1]]> 611140
Meet Katchoo and Francine and learn how they deal with everyday issues in their own special way! Francine is unable to hold a meaningful and loving relationship with Freddy (who only wants to get into her pants). When Freddy breaks up with Francine, all hell breaks loose as Francine's roommate and longtime friend, Katchoo, decides to exact her revenge.

Included in this edition are the entire contents of the three-issue mini-series (Antarctic Press, 1993), the five-page story from Negative Burn #13(Caliber Press, 1993), plus additional artwork and pinups detailing the evolution of the story and characters.]]> 80 Terry Moore 1892597004 C Z 3 4.04 1994 Strangers in Paradise, The Collected volume 1
author: Terry Moore
name: C Z
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2016/12/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Biology of Strangeness: Poems of Anarchy, Alchemy & Entropy]]> 29558687
This collection of poetry presents snapshots of the everyday � hideously decaffeinated mornings; scattered newspaper pages; insomniac nights in the company of cats; school buses; Hawaiian shirts � viewed through a fractured, surrealist lens. It offers kaleidoscopic new perspectives onto grand, universal themes, like memory, ageing, human conflict, loneliness and the quest to create better art. It’s a celebration of the majesty of language and its staggering capacity to make us feel, think and understand.

Elegant, yet earthy, Essig’s style is rich with texture and detail. His work is suffused with a warmly wry humour that complements his often stark and steely realism.

Mike Essig is a veteran of Vietnam and a retired English teacher. He’s also been recruited by the muse as a poet, like he hasn’t already been through enough.]]> 108 Mike Essig C Z 5 4.00 The Biology of Strangeness: Poems of Anarchy, Alchemy & Entropy
author: Mike Essig
name: C Z
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/03/21
shelves:
review:

]]> The Sex Lives of Monsters 18300362 54 Helen Marshall 0987695916 C Z 0 to-read 4.26 2013 The Sex Lives of Monsters
author: Helen Marshall
name: C Z
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/03/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> ReejecttIIon - a number two 27833342 ReejecttIIon, it’s likely you’ll discover: colorful short stories, funny flash fiction, hilarious cartoons, riveting reviews, wondrous anagrams and other assorted skits and titbits of under-achieving literary genius.

If you’re lucky, you might come across sci-fi tales about the privatization of words, horror stories about hair and ruminations on indie writing. It’s also possible that you’ll find commentary on the hazards of greedy literary agents and stories about washed up movie directors who receive financial backing from space aliens.

Publisher’s Meekly calls it: “a thought-provoking fable about technological hubris and the hazards of bioengineering.� (*This may or may not be referring to Jurassic Park and not ReejecttIIon.)

Reader’s Indigestion says: “this book quietly stands as one of the most powerful statements of the Civil Rights movement.� (*This may or may not actually refer to To Kill a Mockingbird and not ReejecttIIon.)

But why not read this seriously comical scattergun book and see what you can discover about ReejecttIIon for yourself?]]> 125 Daniel Clausen C Z 0 to-read 3.80 2016 ReejecttIIon - a number two
author: Daniel Clausen
name: C Z
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/03/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Lightbulb In The Darkness 25245091 94 Joshua Amos Graff C Z 0 to-read 5.00 2013 A Lightbulb In The Darkness
author: Joshua Amos Graff
name: C Z
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/30
shelves: to-read
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]]> Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness 6860432 Already a bestseller and award-winner in Europe, Johnny I See a Darkness vividly portrays the unpredictable life of a loner, patriot, outlaw, and music rebel, making this unique biography a compelling read for multiple generations of graphic novel and music fans.]]> 224 Reinhard Kleist 0810984636 C Z 0 to-read 3.96 2006 Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness
author: Reinhard Kleist
name: C Z
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/30
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Beats: A Graphic History 4018150
What began among a small circle of friends in New York and San Francisco during the late 1940s and early 1950s laid the groundwork for a literary explosion, and this striking anthology captures the storied era in all its incarnations—from the Benzedrine-fueled antics of Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Burroughs to the painting sessions of Jay DeFeo’s disheveled studio, from the jazz hipsters to the beatnik chicks, from Chicago’s College of Complexes to San Francisco’s famed City Lights bookstore. Snapshots of lesser-known poets and writers sit alongside frank and compelling looks at the Beats� most recognizable faces. What emerges is a brilliant collage of—and tribute to—a generation, in a form and style that is as original as its subject.]]> 208 Paul M. Buhle 0809094967 C Z 0 to-read 3.49 2009 The Beats: A Graphic History
author: Paul M. Buhle
name: C Z
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/30
shelves: to-read
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]]> Howl 8744427
First published in 1956, Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" is a prophetic masterpiece—an epic raging against dehumanizing society that overcame censorship trials and obscenity charges to become one of the most widely read poems of the century.]]> 223 Allen Ginsberg 0062015176 C Z 4 4.03 1956 Howl
author: Allen Ginsberg
name: C Z
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1956
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/01/29
shelves:
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]]> Fortune 69 26131753
He posts his suicide note on Fortune-69.com, his digital playground of choice, but things don't go exactly as planned. When Trigger unexpectedly wakes up the next morning, he quickly learns two things: at some point during the night he unknowingly posted an inspirational message that was deleted by moderators, and that he now has a legion of anonymous followers who want to follow his every command.

Trying to find a way to cope with his bizarre family history, Trigger finds himself tangled up with a sexually liberated cosplayer who pushes him to his limits and a mysterious hacker, intent on changing the world through digital anarchy.]]> 193 David Heath C Z 4 4.19 2015 Fortune 69
author: David Heath
name: C Z
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/01/29
shelves:
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]]> Gulag 101 28434037
Reznick's style favours realness over beauty, directness over decoration. Sensitive while avoiding sentimentality, Reznick writes with a savage and soul-baring sincerity that cuts right to the bleeding, beating heart of the human condition.]]> 74 Nico Reznick C Z 5 4.50 2016 Gulag 101
author: Nico Reznick
name: C Z
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/01/29
shelves:
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]]> Huck Finn Is Dead 28417559 Mike Essig 1311812202 C Z 5 5.00 Huck Finn Is Dead
author: Mike Essig
name: C Z
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
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date added: 2016/01/29
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]]> <![CDATA[Huck Finn Is Dead: Selected Poems]]> 28249091 26 Mike Essig C Z 5 5.00 Huck Finn Is Dead: Selected Poems
author: Mike Essig
name: C Z
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
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date added: 2016/01/29
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]]> Never Forgotten 27031169 52 Mike Essig 1517355206 C Z 5 5.00 2015 Never Forgotten
author: Mike Essig
name: C Z
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/01/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Propaganda Monkeys - Twenty Poems From My Twenties: 1996 - 2006]]> 26186432 Propaganda Monkeys: Twenty Poems From My Twenties is a short collection of punch-packing poetic pieces bursting with youthful vision, confusion and yearning. Amongst its pages, you’ll discover: vivid political anger, reflections on love, scepticism towards the plugged-in Capitalist world, a little bit of no-nonsense nonsense, personal moments of coping with depression, a sprinkle of wry humour, and a contemporary dose of boundary pushing, beat pumping verse, from when author Harry Whitewolf was just a cub.]]> 58 Harry Whitewolf C Z 0 to-read 4.71 2015 Propaganda Monkeys - Twenty Poems From My Twenties: 1996 - 2006
author: Harry Whitewolf
name: C Z
average rating: 4.71
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/29
shelves: to-read
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]]> New Beat Newbie 25276818
Political poems like Kissinger Can Kiss My Ass and Frack Off ride alongside conspiracy themed odes like Illuminate Me Illuminati and Fly Your False Flags. There are beat homages ( Cider With Snyder, The New Beat Newbies ), mystical musings ( Bye Bye Bao Bao, Mystic Prison ), poems mimicking and mocking the modern age ( #Smiley Face, Googling Goo ), as well as tales of timeless hedonism ( Legless Pub Crawls, Malbec Green Bottle Neck ).

Both comic and tragic, angry and compassionate, this collection of new poems is ultimately Whitewolf's howling for a peaceful revolution. Beginning with rhythmic baby new beats.]]> 94 Harry Whitewolf 1508645833 C Z 0 to-read 4.39 2015 New Beat Newbie
author: Harry Whitewolf
name: C Z
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Trainspotting (Mark Renton, #2)]]> 135836 ''The best book ever written by man or woman . . . Deserves to sell more copies than the Bible" �Rebel Inc

THE BESTSELLING NOVEL THAT INSPIRED DANNY BOYLE’S CULT FILM

Described by The Sunday Times as "the voice of punk, grown up, grown wiser and grown eloquent," Trainspotting follows the lives of a group of Scottish junkies. Its bleak depiction of drug addiction is vivid and brutal, and has lost none of its power to shock. Choose the book that outraged the critics. Choose the literary phenomenon that defined a generation. Choose Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh.]]> 431 Irvine Welsh 0099465892 C Z 5 4.16 1993 Trainspotting (Mark Renton, #2)
author: Irvine Welsh
name: C Z
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/01/29
shelves:
review:

]]> Spark 23815122

"If his work doesn't make you think, I suggest getting your doctor to prescribe a course of fluoride tablets, subscribe to the Daily Mirror and vote in this year's X Factor." - The Canary


"This is the best book I've read in years." - - Kevin Cole, author of Days of Throbbing Gristle


Jake Miller has just been shot by a member of the British Counterterrorism Unit. As he lies on his bedroom floor, wondering if he’s going to bleed out, he attempts to put the last few months of his life into perspective. One minute he’s starting a high-flying job in the corporate banking sector; the next minute he’s commanding a legion of disaffected computer users known as Generation Y-bother. They know Jake only by his hacking name Spark and the videos he uploads to his Youtube account, but they’re hell-bent on helping him bring about the end of the world as we know it. The problem is not everybody’s on board his battleship�

Spark is Rupert Dreyfus� debut novel which takes aim at neoliberalism. With his dry wit and social conscience, Dreyfus has since gone on to carve a name for himself in the literary scene.]]> 299 Rupert Dreyfus C Z 0 to-read 4.27 2014 Spark
author: Rupert Dreyfus
name: C Z
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Rebel's Sketchbook 25966456
"In his tales of bored and jobless layabouts, internet superstars, corrupt politicians and weary observers of socio-economic collapse, Dreyfus manages an equally coy and poisonous dissertation on 20-something British life." - Pop Matters

Maniac world leaders; talentless boybands; Westminster politicians; social media idiots; zero-hour contracts. Rupert's first collection of short stories uses transgressive fiction, black comedy and satire as a weapon for shooting down all of these and more. Keeping the spirit of rebellion alive, The Rebel's Sketchbook is set to become one of the most controversial releases in a generation.]]> 260 Rupert Dreyfus 1514748959 C Z 0 to-read 4.51 2015 The Rebel's Sketchbook
author: Rupert Dreyfus
name: C Z
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Over Glassy Horizons: Poetry From The Margins]]> 26836267 63 Nico Reznick C Z 5 currently-reading Whimper, written in response to Allen Ginsberg's Howl, is worth the 99p alone.

Reznick's style is hard to define; it's more about being honest than being pretty, although there's something oddly beautiful about the brutal truthfulness of the writing. It's guttural and sincere, and there's evidently a touch of Charles Bukowski's influence at work here, which is no bad thing. ]]> 4.60 2015 Over Glassy Horizons: Poetry From The Margins
author: Nico Reznick
name: C Z
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/10/01
date added: 2015/12/03
shelves: currently-reading
review:
There really isn't a weak poem in this collection. The contents are widely varied in terms of style and subject matter; from whimsical musings about feline overlords through blistering attacks on figures of hate, to heartfelt introspection and on-the-money social commentary. One poem Whimper, written in response to Allen Ginsberg's Howl, is worth the 99p alone.

Reznick's style is hard to define; it's more about being honest than being pretty, although there's something oddly beautiful about the brutal truthfulness of the writing. It's guttural and sincere, and there's evidently a touch of Charles Bukowski's influence at work here, which is no bad thing.
]]> Anhedonia 25346087
He’s emotionally uninvestable: incapable of experiencing pleasure or joy without resorting to unhealthy extremes, Alex’s days are divided between sofa-mining and grief-surfing; shiftily rummaging down the backs of display model couches for fallen coins and notes, and cynically manipulating strangers� grief for his own depraved gratification.

As his self-destructive behaviour escalates and his self-loathing deepens, Alex is relentlessly, savagely cross-examined and berated by the voice of his own conscience, which speaks to him in the sneering, righteous tones of a retired TV news show host. When Edie � a former grief conquest, now wise to his scam � shows up out of his sordid past, he’s not sure if she’s here to save him or destroy him, and he can’t decide which is the more terrifying prospect.

Anhedonia is a darkly comic study of the way human beings fetishise death; a story about the struggle to find meaning in the disconnected jumble of reality TV, deodorant ads and celebrity murderers; a tribute to the best of our culture and an indictment of the worst.

Edited by C Z Hazard, Cover by Jay Heath
]]> 297 Nico Reznick C Z 5 currently-reading
This is an amazingly strong debut novel, in the tradition of Fight Club or The Wasp Factory, with a similar sense of urgency and satisfyingly transgressive style. There's just something [i]authentic[/i] about this book; something soul-baringly honest and intense.

The characters are vivid and investable, their relationships feel real and I genuinely cared about their individual story arcs. The narrative, though largely character-driven, is solid and fluently executed, and the protagonist's voice is distinct and deeply appealing. The style is effortlessly slick, yet rewardingly gritty, and the tone is gleefully dark.

The subject matter and some of the scenes are quite uncomfortable, but that's sort of the point, and fans of the transgressive genre should be thoroughly satiated with this offering. ]]> 4.38 2015 Anhedonia
author: Nico Reznick
name: C Z
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/05/03
date added: 2015/12/03
shelves: currently-reading
review:
A perfect balance of humour, tragedy and insight; lyrical, dark, moving, comedic and surprisingly uplifting.

This is an amazingly strong debut novel, in the tradition of Fight Club or The Wasp Factory, with a similar sense of urgency and satisfyingly transgressive style. There's just something [i]authentic[/i] about this book; something soul-baringly honest and intense.

The characters are vivid and investable, their relationships feel real and I genuinely cared about their individual story arcs. The narrative, though largely character-driven, is solid and fluently executed, and the protagonist's voice is distinct and deeply appealing. The style is effortlessly slick, yet rewardingly gritty, and the tone is gleefully dark.

The subject matter and some of the scenes are quite uncomfortable, but that's sort of the point, and fans of the transgressive genre should be thoroughly satiated with this offering.
]]> Supreme Power, Volume 2 333723 High Command, Hyperion, the Blur and Nighthawk have a long-overdue showdown with the super-powered serial killer who's been terrorizing the nation. In Hyperion, Mark Milton suddenly finds himself both alone and hunted now that the world knows his dark secret.

Collecting: Supreme Power 13-18, Supreme Power: Hyperion 1-5]]> 264 J. Michael Straczynski 0785121331 C Z 4 3.92 2006 Supreme Power, Volume 2
author: J. Michael Straczynski
name: C Z
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/12/02
shelves:
review:

]]> Supreme Power, Volume 1 333732 Collecting: Supreme Power 1-12, Avengers 85-86]]> 352 J. Michael Straczynski 078511369X C Z 5 4.05 2005 Supreme Power, Volume 1
author: J. Michael Straczynski
name: C Z
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2015/11/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Generic Vampire Novel #937: Part Two - Horrorcaust]]> 27359405 194 C.Z. Hazard C Z 5 currently-reading 4.50 Generic Vampire Novel #937: Part Two - Horrorcaust
author: C.Z. Hazard
name: C Z
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2015/11/16
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Generic Vampire Novel 937 Part One - American Sexy]]> 23490994
With mainstream success, Shamus comes face to face with the real blood-sucking parasite: the media. Everyone wants a piece of Shamus, as the mass hysteria surrounding his novel and the fight for control of his intellectual property threaten to tear his mind and conscience apart.

When fact starts mirroring fiction with deadly results, can the writer be held responsible? Can anyone achieve mainstream popularity without selling their soul? Can any piece of fiction make the leap from one medium to another with its core intact? What exactly is Parma ham, and why do people insist on serving it with rocket? All of these questions and more will be asked, if not answered.

The first of a two-part satirical vampire novel, for people who may already dislike vampire fiction, new-media, the film industry, hyperbole, social media, the 24-hour news culture and other day-to-day trappings of post-millennial life.

Edited by Nico Reznick, with a cover by Jay Heath.]]> 210 C.Z. Hazard C Z 5 my-stuff
Although I am usually my own worst critic, and I would not have released this if I didn't think it had real merit and was ready for public consumption.

Ultimately, it's up to the public to decide if it's any good, I can merely say it is ready.]]> 4.57 2014 Generic Vampire Novel 937 Part One - American Sexy
author: C.Z. Hazard
name: C Z
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2014/12/19
date added: 2015/11/16
shelves: my-stuff
review:
Well, of course I like it. I wrote it.

Although I am usually my own worst critic, and I would not have released this if I didn't think it had real merit and was ready for public consumption.

Ultimately, it's up to the public to decide if it's any good, I can merely say it is ready.
]]> Not In The Eye 26387472 172 C.Z. Hazard 1503050149 C Z 5 4.60 2013 Not In The Eye
author: C.Z. Hazard
name: C Z
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2015/11/02
shelves:
review:

]]> Not In The Eye 17409882
In a future so near that it may already be upon us, Western society faces cultural bankruptcy. Our creative heritage has been looted, recycled and plagiarised to the point of exhaustion. The entertainment industry has traded artistic merit for commercial success and mass appeal. Everything is just a rehash of something that came before. Nothing is original.

When a radical new phenomenon erupts (quite literally) onto the porno scene, it changes the industry forever, and forces audiences, jaded by endless reiteration, to sit up and take notice. It’s a watershed moment in these culturally bereft times, and � for a select few � it’s a chance to make some serious money.

But wherever there’s serious money to be made, you can bet there’s a lawsuit just around the corner.

Join Indigo Julius, self-styled godfather of NuGonzo� journalism, as he searches for the story behind the story behind the most controversial porn sensation in history, and examines its far-reaching consequences. Across a series of probing interviews with the stars of this media spectacular, Indigo brings you their compelling � if often conflicting � versions of events, as everyone tries to stake a claim in this pornographic goldrush.

Novella, 27,000 words

Edited by Nico Reznick, with a cover design by Nick Calloway.]]> C.Z. Hazard C Z 5 my-stuff, currently-reading 4.20 2013 Not In The Eye
author: C.Z. Hazard
name: C Z
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2015/10/30
date added: 2015/10/30
shelves: my-stuff, currently-reading
review:
I'm biased obviously, but the responses from people who have read it so far have been very encouraging. I welcome all reviews and all feedback. Thanks.
]]> <![CDATA[Generic Vampire Novel #937: Part One - American Sexy]]> 25346086
With mainstream success, Shamus comes face to face with the real blood-sucking parasite: the media. Everyone wants a piece of Shamus, as the mass hysteria surrounding his novel and the fight for control of his intellectual property threaten to tear his mind and conscience apart.

When fact starts mirroring fiction with deadly results, can the writer be held responsible? Can anyone achieve mainstream popularity without selling their soul? Can any piece of fiction make the leap from one medium to another with its core intact? What exactly is Parma ham, and why do people insist on serving it with rocket? All of these questions and more will be asked, if not answered.

The first of a two-part satirical vampire novel, for people who may already dislike vampire fiction, new-media, the film industry, hyperbole, social media, the 24-hour news culture and other day-to-day trappings of post-millennial life.

Edited by Nico Reznick, with a cover by Jay Heath.]]> 211 C.Z. Hazard C Z 5 4.29 2014 Generic Vampire Novel #937: Part One - American Sexy
author: C.Z. Hazard
name: C Z
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2015/10/30
shelves:
review:

]]> I Am Legend 14064
By day he is the hunter, stalking the undead through the ruins of civilisation. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for the dawn.

How long can one man survive like this?

]]> 160 Richard Matheson 1857988094 C Z 5 4.06 1954 I Am Legend
author: Richard Matheson
name: C Z
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1954
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2015/10/29
shelves:
review:

]]> The Stranger 49552 The Stranger has long been considered a classic of twentieth-century literature. Le Monde ranks it as number one on its "100 Books of the Century" list. Through this story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on a sundrenched Algerian beach, Camus explores what he termed "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd."]]> 123 Albert Camus C Z 0 to-read 4.04 1942 The Stranger
author: Albert Camus
name: C Z
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1942
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/10/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Crime and Punishment 7144 671 Fyodor Dostoevsky C Z 0 to-read 4.26 1866 Crime and Punishment
author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
name: C Z
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1866
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/10/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1)]]> 43763
Louis and Claudia travel Europe, eventually coming to Paris and the ragingly successful Theatre des Vampires--a theatre of vampires pretending to be mortals pretending to be vampires. Here they meet the magnetic and ethereal Armand, who brings them into a whole society of vampires. But Louis and Claudia find that finding others like themselves provides no easy answers and in fact presents dangers they scarcely imagined.

Originally begun as a short story, the book took off as Anne wrote it, spinning the tragic and triumphant life experiences of a soul. As well as the struggles of its characters, Interview captures the political and social changes of two continents. The novel also introduces Lestat, Anne's most enduring character, a heady mixture of attraction and revulsion. The book, full of lush description, centers on the themes of immortality, change, loss, sexuality, and power.
source: annerice.com]]> 346 Anne Rice 0345476875 C Z 1 4.04 1976 Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1)
author: Anne Rice
name: C Z
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1976
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2015/10/29
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review:

]]> The Shining (The Shining, #1) 11588 497 Stephen King 0450040186 C Z 0 to-read 4.28 1977 The Shining (The Shining, #1)
author: Stephen King
name: C Z
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1977
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/10/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Macbeth 8852
This shocking tragedy - a violent caution to those seeking power for its own sake - is, to this day, one of Shakespeare’s most popular and influential masterpieces.]]> 249 William Shakespeare 0743477103 C Z 4 3.90 1623 Macbeth
author: William Shakespeare
name: C Z
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1623
rating: 4
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date added: 2015/10/29
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]]> I Am Legend and Other Stories 547094 Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth...but he is not alone. Every other man, woman, and child on Earth has become a vampire, and they are all hungry for Neville's blood.

By day, he is the hunter, stalking the sleeping undead through the abandoned ruins of civilization. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for dawn.

How long can one man survive in a world of vampires?

I am legend --
Buried talents --
The near departed --
Prey --
Witch war --
Dance of the dead --
Dress of white silk --
Mad house --
The funeral --
From shadowed places --
Person to person.]]> 317 Richard Matheson 031286504X C Z 5 4.02 1954 I Am Legend and Other Stories
author: Richard Matheson
name: C Z
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1954
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2015/10/29
shelves:
review:

]]> Vampire$ 843588
You don't just kill vampires for the money; you do it for the satisfaction. You do it because somebody has to. You do it no matter what it does to you. And you drink a lot. Some jobs just suck. This one bites.

But nobody does it better than Jack Crow, the leader of VAMPIRE$ Inc. His crack team of hunters takes down the blood suckers with a lethal combination of cojones and crossbows.

After members of Jack's team are ambushed and slaughtered, however, the survivors need to rethink their strategy. With a new recruit from the Vatican, a priest who's not afraid to wield a stake, and a sharpshooter loaded up with silver bullets, it's payback time. The only problem is that the vampires have no intention of going down easy. They have their own hit list, and Jack Crow's name is scrawled in blood right at the top.]]> 368 John Steakley 0451451538 C Z 0 to-read 3.76 1990 Vampire$
author: John Steakley
name: C Z
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1990
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/10/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Batman: Lovers & Madmen (Batman Confidential, #2)]]> 2239436 144 Michael Green 1401216838 C Z 0 3.90 2008 Batman: Lovers & Madmen (Batman Confidential, #2)
author: Michael Green
name: C Z
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/12/19
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Secret Warriors, Vol. 4: Last Ride of the Howling Commandos]]> 8721963 ComicBookRecources.com raves that Secret Warriors is "a surprisingly tense and engrossing black-ops story".

Collecting: Secret Warriors 17-19, Siege: Secret Warriors]]> 112 Jonathan Hickman 0785147594 C Z 4 to-read 3.86 2010 Secret Warriors, Vol. 4: Last Ride of the Howling Commandos
author: Jonathan Hickman
name: C Z
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/12/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Secret Warriors, Vol. 2: God of Fear, God of War]]> 7065106
Collecting: Secret Warriors 7-10, Dark Reign: The List Secret Warriors]]> 128 Jonathan Hickman 0785143068 C Z 4 to-read 3.85 2010 Secret Warriors, Vol. 2: God of Fear, God of War
author: Jonathan Hickman
name: C Z
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/12/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Secret Warriors, Vol. 3: Wake the Beast]]> 7966445
Collecting: Secret Warriors 11-16]]> 144 Jonathan Hickman 0785147578 C Z 4 to-read 3.80 2010 Secret Warriors, Vol. 3: Wake the Beast
author: Jonathan Hickman
name: C Z
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/12/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Secret Warriors, Vol. 1: Nick Fury, Agent of Nothing]]> 6559834
Collecting: Secret Warriors 1-6, material from Dark Reign: New Nation]]> 168 Brian Michael Bendis 0785139990 C Z 4 to-read 3.87 2009 Secret Warriors, Vol. 1: Nick Fury, Agent of Nothing
author: Brian Michael Bendis
name: C Z
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/12/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Boys, Volume 12: The Bloody Doors Off]]> 16077548 170 Garth Ennis 160690373X C Z 3 to-read 4.14 2012 The Boys, Volume 12: The Bloody Doors Off
author: Garth Ennis
name: C Z
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/12/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Boys, Volume 11: Over the Hills with the Swords of a Thousand Men]]> 13609842 144 Garth Ennis 1606903411 C Z 3 to-read 4.25 2012 The Boys, Volume 11: Over the Hills with the Swords of a Thousand Men
author: Garth Ennis
name: C Z
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/12/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Gun Machine 14739231 308 Warren Ellis 0316187404 C Z 5 to-read 3.81 2012 Gun Machine
author: Warren Ellis
name: C Z
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2014/12/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Sock 361956 Twisting the buddy cop story upside down and inside out, Penn Jillette has created the most distinctive narrator to come along in fiction in many years: a sock monkey called Dickie. The sock monkey belongs to a New York City police diver who discovers the body of an old lover in the murky waters of the Hudson River and sets off with her best friend to find her killer. The story of their quest swerves and veers, takes off into philosophical riffs, occasionally stops to tell a side story, and references a treasure trove of 1970's and 1980's pop culture.

Sock is a surprising, intense, fascinating piece of work.
]]> 228 Penn Jillette 0312328052 C Z 5 3.46 2000 Sock
author: Penn Jillette
name: C Z
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2014/12/19
date added: 2014/12/19
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]]> The Titanic's Mummy 11982306 David J.H. Smith C Z 4 4.00 2011 The Titanic's Mummy
author: David J.H. Smith
name: C Z
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/10/31
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review:

]]> Casting Shadows Everywhere 18106575
Nick is a professional burglar and makes Jake his apprentice. They stalk suburban neighborhoods night after night, ransacking houses for jewelry and sweet valuables. Nick teaches Jake the finer points of breaking and entering along with his dark philosophy - that there is no right or wrong in the world, just a series of events that happen without meaning.

At first, adopting Nick's callous worldview helps Jake get over his fears and confront his tormentors, but he also unleashes an aggression in himself he never thought possible. And as he learns more about his cousin, he realizes that Nick's crimes go way beyond burglary.

In the end, Jake must face not only the monster in his cousin but also the one in his own heart.]]> 248 L.T. Vargus 1490329951 C Z 4
This is a very simple book; a first person linear coming of age story. But don't be fooled; writing simple is hard, and the author here nails it!

The narrative is strong despite the protagonists best efforts to distract himself from proceedings, and the no-bullshit matter of fact story-telling surrounding the big moments of the second and third acts are excellently handled.

Huge kudos to the author, now a "buy on sight" addition to my reading list.]]> 3.79 2013 Casting Shadows Everywhere
author: L.T. Vargus
name: C Z
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2014/06/05
date added: 2014/06/05
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I finished reading this last night, after only a few days reading. I don't have as much time to read as I used to, so shorter books I can power through that don't waste energy, effort or time I'm a big fan of.

This is a very simple book; a first person linear coming of age story. But don't be fooled; writing simple is hard, and the author here nails it!

The narrative is strong despite the protagonists best efforts to distract himself from proceedings, and the no-bullshit matter of fact story-telling surrounding the big moments of the second and third acts are excellently handled.

Huge kudos to the author, now a "buy on sight" addition to my reading list.
]]> Transition 6436659
Among those operatives are Temudjin Oh, of mysterious Mongolian origins, an un-killable assassin who journeys between the peaks of Nepal, a version of Victorian London and the dark palaces of Venice under snow; Adrian Cubbish, a restlessly greedy City trader; and a nameless, faceless state-sponsored torturer known only as the Philosopher, who moves between time zones with sinister ease. Then there are those who question the Concern: the bandit queen Mrs. Mulverhill, roaming the worlds recruiting rebels to her side; and Patient 8262, under sedation and feigning madness in a forgotten hospital ward, in hiding from a dirty past.

There is a world that needs help; but whether it needs the Concern is a different matter.]]> 404 Iain M. Banks 0316071986 C Z 1 3.87 2009 Transition
author: Iain M. Banks
name: C Z
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2009
rating: 1
read at: 2014/06/03
date added: 2014/06/03
shelves:
review:
Gave up half way, this did nothing for me. I usually love Banks too.
]]> <![CDATA[Dinosaurs, Aliens and the Shop That Sells Everything]]> 21870813 278 Duncan Saunders 190958729X C Z 4
The story is solid, with chapters clearly leading into the next showing steady plot progression, and even seemingly random detours have a nice way of feeding back into the main narrative.

I felt that the main character was a little too "everyman", and I finished the novel feeling that I didn't know much about the main character or what motivates him outside of some vague notion of "doing the right thing", but I suspect this was intentional to allow child readers to become the main character themselves, whilst instilling nice moral values throughout.

Excellent debut novel, and I eagerly anticipate another.]]> 4.67 2014 Dinosaurs, Aliens and the Shop That Sells Everything
author: Duncan Saunders
name: C Z
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/06/03
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review:
This is a really enjoyable read, even as an adult approaching the novel with a cynical world view.

The story is solid, with chapters clearly leading into the next showing steady plot progression, and even seemingly random detours have a nice way of feeding back into the main narrative.

I felt that the main character was a little too "everyman", and I finished the novel feeling that I didn't know much about the main character or what motivates him outside of some vague notion of "doing the right thing", but I suspect this was intentional to allow child readers to become the main character themselves, whilst instilling nice moral values throughout.

Excellent debut novel, and I eagerly anticipate another.
]]> <![CDATA[The Sandman, Vol. 7: Brief Lives]]> 25105 256 Neil Gaiman 1563891379 C Z 5 4.55 1993 The Sandman, Vol. 7: Brief Lives
author: Neil Gaiman
name: C Z
average rating: 4.55
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2014/03/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)]]> 34
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit.

In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.
--back cover]]> 398 J.R.R. Tolkien 0618346252 C Z 3 4.36 1954 The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: C Z
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1954
rating: 3
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date added: 2013/12/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Scalped: Rez Blues (Scalped, #7)]]> 13126709
Collects: Scalped #35-42.]]> 192 Jason Aaron 0857682423 C Z 5 4.54 2011 Scalped: Rez Blues (Scalped, #7)
author: Jason Aaron
name: C Z
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2013/11/25
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Invisibles, Volume 1: Say You Want a Revolution]]> 22347 224 Grant Morrison 1563892677 C Z 3 3.96 1994 The Invisibles, Volume 1: Say You Want a Revolution
author: Grant Morrison
name: C Z
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/11/18
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter]]> 6149789
Darwyn Cooke’s beautifully stylized artwork perfectly compliments the hard-hitting action as originally written by legendary crime author Richard Stark. Parker is arguably one of the hardest hard-boiled characters in all of crime fiction and the original novels feature stories and prose that are as uncompromising as he is. This graphic novel adaptation perfectly matches the style and tone of Stark’s noir world.

The Hunter is the story of a man who hits New York head-on like a shotgun blast to the chest. Betrayed by the woman he loved and double-crossed by his partner in crime, Parker makes his way cross-country with only one thought burning in his mind � to coldly exact his revenge and reclaim what was taken from him!

Winner of the 2010 Eisner Award for Best Adaptation from Another Work.]]> 140 Darwyn Cooke 1600104932 C Z 3 4.19 2009 Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter
author: Darwyn Cooke
name: C Z
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/11/18
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review:

]]> The Death of Grass 941731
In Britain, where green fields are fast turning brown, the Government lies to its citizens, devising secret plans to preserve the lives of a few at the expense of the many.

Getting wind of what's in store, John Custance and his family decide they must abandon their London home to head for the sanctuary of his brother's farm in a remote northern valley.

And so they begin the long trek across a country fast descending into barbarism, where the law of the gun prevails, and the civilized values they once took for granted become the price they must pay if they are to survive.]]> 224 John Christopher 0722122977 C Z 3 3.87 1956 The Death of Grass
author: John Christopher
name: C Z
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1956
rating: 3
read at: 2013/11/15
date added: 2013/11/15
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]]> <![CDATA[Regeneration (Regeneration, #1)]]> 5872 Regeneration, one in Pat Barker's series of novels confronting the psychological effects of World War I, focuses on treatment methods during the war and the story of a decorated English officer sent to a military hospital after publicly declaring he will no longer fight. Yet the novel is much more. Written in sparse prose that is shockingly clear—the descriptions of electronic treatments are particularly harrowing—it combines real-life characters and events with fictional ones in a work that examines the insanity of war like no other. Barker also weaves in issues of class and politics in this compactly powerful book. Other books in the series include The Eye in the Door and the Booker Award winner The Ghost Road.]]> 256 Pat Barker 0140236236 C Z 4 4.04 1991 Regeneration (Regeneration, #1)
author: Pat Barker
name: C Z
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1991
rating: 4
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date added: 2013/11/13
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]]> <![CDATA[The Ocean at the End of the Lane]]> 15783514
Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. It is a stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.]]> 181 Neil Gaiman 0062255657 C Z 4 4.00 2013 The Ocean at the End of the Lane
author: Neil Gaiman
name: C Z
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/11/13
shelves:
review:

]]> Avengers, Vol. 3 15789260 COLLECTING: AVENGERS 18-24, AVENGERS 24.1]]> 184 Brian Michael Bendis 0785151176 C Z 3 3.54 2012 Avengers, Vol. 3
author: Brian Michael Bendis
name: C Z
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/09/13
shelves:
review:

]]> New Avengers, Vol. 4 15746841 168 Brian Michael Bendis C Z 3 3.37 2012 New Avengers, Vol. 4
author: Brian Michael Bendis
name: C Z
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/07/05
shelves:
review:

]]> The New Avengers, Vol. 3 15789263 COLLECTING: NEW AVENGERS 16.1, 17-23]]> 184 Brian Michael Bendis 078515180X C Z 3 3.49 2009 The New Avengers, Vol. 3
author: Brian Michael Bendis
name: C Z
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/07/05
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Boys, Volume 12: The Bloody Doors Off]]> 17087286 0 Garth Ennis 1781164762 C Z 0 to-read 4.44 2012 The Boys, Volume 12: The Bloody Doors Off
author: Garth Ennis
name: C Z
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> In Cold Blood 168642
As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.]]> 343 Truman Capote 0679745580 C Z 4 4.08 1966 In Cold Blood
author: Truman Capote
name: C Z
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1966
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/02/22
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review:

]]> The Audacity of Hype 6788260 311 Armando Iannucci 1408701979 C Z 4 3.51 2009 The Audacity of Hype
author: Armando Iannucci
name: C Z
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/02/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Love All the People: Letters, Lyrics, Routines]]> 248090 384 Bill Hicks 1845291115 C Z 4 4.05 2004 Love All the People: Letters, Lyrics, Routines
author: Bill Hicks
name: C Z
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2004
rating: 4
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date added: 2013/02/21
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]]> Hellblazer: Pandemonium 3191206
Constantine is taken from the comfort of his London home to the brutal climates of Iraq due to military coercion, but also because of his interest in a mysterious, beautiful Iraqi agent whose true allegiances are kept in shadow.]]> 126 Jamie Delano 1401220355 C Z 3 3.98 2008 Hellblazer: Pandemonium
author: Jamie Delano
name: C Z
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/02/21
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]]> Hellblazer: The Fear Machine 2382804 238 Jamie Delano 1401218628 C Z 4 3.80 1998 Hellblazer: The Fear Machine
author: Jamie Delano
name: C Z
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1998
rating: 4
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date added: 2013/02/21
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]]> <![CDATA[Hellblazer: The Devil You Know]]> 320814
Collects Hellblazer #10-13, Hellblazer Annual and The Horrorist #1-2.]]> 264 Jamie Delano 1401212697 C Z 4 4.05 2007 Hellblazer: The Devil You Know
author: Jamie Delano
name: C Z
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/02/21
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]]> Hellblazer: Rare Cuts 95393 160 Jamie Delano 1401202403 C Z 4 4.15 2005 Hellblazer: Rare Cuts
author: Jamie Delano
name: C Z
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2005
rating: 4
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date added: 2013/02/21
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review:

]]> Hellblazer: Original Sins 133017 Original Sins collection is a loosely connected series of tales of John's early years where Constantine was at his best and at his worst, all at the same time.

Collects Hellblazer #1-9.]]> 256 Jamie Delano 1563890526 C Z 4 4.13 1988 Hellblazer: Original Sins
author: Jamie Delano
name: C Z
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1988
rating: 4
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date added: 2013/02/21
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]]> Shatterday 416059
Contents:

· Introduction: Mortal Dreads · in
· Jeffty Is Five · ss F&SF Jul �77
· How’s the Night Life on Cissalda? · ss Chrysalis, ed. Roy Torgeson, Zebra, 1977; Heavy Metal Nov �77
· Flop Sweat · ss Heavy Metal Mar �79
· Would You Do It For a Penny? · Harlan Ellison & Haskell Barkin · ss Playboy Oct �67
· The Man Who Was Heavily into Revenge · ss Analog Aug �78
· Shoppe Keeper · ss The Arts and Beyond, ed. Thomas F. Monteleone, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977
· All the Lies That Are My Life · na Underwood-Miller; Columbia, PA Oct �80
· Django · ss Galileo #6 �78
· Count the Clock That Tells the Time · ss Omni Dec �78
· In the Fourth Year of the War · ss Midnight Sun #5 �79
· Alive and Well and on a Friendless Voyage · ss F&SF Jul �77
· All the Birds Come Home to Roost · ss Playboy Mar �79
· Opium · ss Shayol #2 �78
· The Other Eye of Polyphemus · ss Cosmos SF&F Magazine Nov �77
· The Executioner of the Malformed Children · ss Iguanacon Program Book, 1978
· Shatterday · ss Gallery Sep �75; Science Fiction Monthly v2 #8 �75]]> 304 Harlan Ellison 0425071650 C Z 4 4.18 1978 Shatterday
author: Harlan Ellison
name: C Z
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1978
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/02/21
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review:

]]> I, Robot (Robot, #0.1) 41804
I, ROBOT

They mustn't harm a human being, they must obey human orders, and they must protect their own existence...but only so long as that doesn't violate rules one and two. With these Three Laws of Robotics, humanity embarked on perhaps its greatest adventure: the invention of the first positronic man. It was a bold new era of evolution that would open up enormous possibilities—and unforeseen risks. For the scientists who invented the earliest robots weren't content that their creations should ' remain programmed helpers, companions, and semisentient worker-machines. And soon the robots themselves; aware of their own intelligence, power, and humanity, aren't either.

As humans and robots struggle to survive together—and sometimes against each other—on earth and in space, the future of both hangs in the balance. Human men and women confront robots gone mad, telepathic robots, robot politicians, and vast robotic intelligences that may already secretly control the world. And both are asking the same questions: What is human? And is humanity obsolete?

In l, Robot Isaac Asimov changes forever our perception of robots, and human beings and updates the timeless myth of man's dream to play god. with all its rewards—and terrors.
--front flap]]> 224 Isaac Asimov 0553803700 C Z 4 4.22 1950 I, Robot (Robot, #0.1)
author: Isaac Asimov
name: C Z
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1950
rating: 4
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date added: 2013/02/21
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]]> <![CDATA[I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream]]> 415459 I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream contains seven stories with copyrights ranging from 1958 through 1967. This edition contains the original introduction by Theodore Sturgeon and the original foreword by Harlan Ellison, along with a brief update comment by Ellison that was added in the 1983 edition. Among Ellison's more famous stories, two consistently noted as among his very best ever are the title story and the volume's concluding one, Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes.

Since Ellison himself strongly resists categorization of his work, we won't call them science fiction, or SF, or speculative fiction or horror or anything else except compelling reading experiences that are sui generis. They could only have been written by Harlan Ellison and they are incomparably original.

CONTENTS
"I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream"
"Big Sam Was My Friend"
"Eyes of Dust"
"World of the Myth"
"Lonelyache"
"Delusion for Dragonslayer"
"Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes"]]> 134 Harlan Ellison 0441363954 C Z 4 3.93 1967 I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream
author: Harlan Ellison
name: C Z
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1967
rating: 4
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date added: 2013/02/21
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]]> <![CDATA[The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick 4: The Minority Report]]> 156724 Many thousands of readers consider Philip K. Dick the greatest science fiction mind on any planet. Since his untimely death in 1982, interest in Dick's works has continued to mount and his reputation has been further enhanced by a growing body of critical attention. The Philip K. Dick Award is now given annually to a distinguished work of science fiction, and the Philip K. Dick Society is devoted to the study and promulgation of his works.

This collection includes all of the writer's earliest short and medium-length fiction (including some previously unpublished stories) covering the years 1954-1964.

"A useful acquisition for any serious SF library or collection" -- Kirkus

"The collected stories of Philip K. Dick is awe inspiring". -- The Washington Post

"More than anyone else in the field, Mr. Dick really puts you inside people's minds". -- Wall Street Journal

Volume 4/5. Includes stories from 1954-1964:
- Autofac (1955)
- Service Call (1955)
- Captive Market (1955)
- The Mold of Yancy (1955)
- The Minority Report (1956)
- Recall Mechanism (1959)
- The Unreconstructed M (1957)
- Explorers We (1959)
- War Game (1959)
- If There Were No Benny Cemoli (1963)
- Novelty Act (1964)
- Waterspider (1964)
- What the Dead Men Say (1964)
- Orpheus with Clay Feet (1987)
- The Days of Perky Pat (1963)
- Stand-By (1963)
- What'll We Do with Ragland Park? (1963)
- Oh, to Be a Blobel! (1964)

Other editions of this volume have the same stories, and were published under these titles:
- The Days of Perky Pat,
- The Minority Report,
- The Minority Report and Other Classic Stories.

]]> 396 Philip K. Dick 0806512768 C Z 4 4.22 1987 The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick 4: The Minority Report
author: Philip K. Dick
name: C Z
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1987
rating: 4
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date added: 2013/02/21
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]]> Ubik 22590
Esta mordaz comedia metafísica de muerte y salvación (que podrá llevar un cómodo envase) es un tour de force de amenaza paranoica y comedia absurda, en la cual los muertos ofrecen consejos comerciales, compran su siguiente reencarnación y corren el riesgo continuo de volver a morir.]]> 288 Philip K. Dick 8498000831 C Z 3 4.11 1969 Ubik
author: Philip K. Dick
name: C Z
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1969
rating: 3
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date added: 2013/02/21
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]]> <![CDATA[The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick 2: We Can Remember it for You Wholesale]]> 22581 Many thousands of readers consider Philip K. Dick the greatest science fiction mind on any planet. Since his untimely death in 1982, interest in Dick's works has continued to mount and his reputation has been further enhanced by a growing body of critical attention. The Philip K. Dick Award is now given annually to a distinguished work of science fiction, and the Philip K. Dick Society is devoted to the study and promulgation of his works. This collection includes all of the writer's earliest short and medium-length fiction (including some previously unpublished stories) covering the years 1953-1955

"A useful acquisition for any serious SF library or collection." -- Kirkus Reviews

"The collected stories of Philip K. Dick is awe inspiring." -- The Washington Post

"More than anyone else in the field, Mr. Dick really puts you inside people's minds." -- Wall Street Journal

Volume 2/5. Contents:
- The Cookie Lady
- Beyond the Door
- Prominent Author
- We Can Remember it for You Wholesale
- Jon's World
- The Cosmic Poachers
- Progeny
- Some Kinds of Life
- Martians Come in Clouds
- The Commuter
- The World She Wanted
- A Surface Raid
- Project: Earth
- The Trouble with Bubbles
- Breakfast at Twilight
- A Present for Pat
- The Hood Maker
- Of Withered Apples
- Human Is
- Adjustment Team
- The Impossible Planet
- Imposter
- James P. Crow
- Planet for Transients
- Small Town
- Souvenir
- Survey Team.

Other editions of this volume are titled:
- We Can Remember it for You Wholesale and Other Classic Stories [by Citadel],
- Second Variety,
- Adjustment Team
Editions published by Citadel include "We can remember..." instead of "Second Variety" into Volume 2.

]]> 381 Philip K. Dick 0806512091 C Z 4 4.22 1987 The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick 2: We Can Remember it for You Wholesale
author: Philip K. Dick
name: C Z
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1987
rating: 4
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]]> The Man in the High Castle 216363
This harrowing, Hugo Award-winning novel is the work that established Philip K. Dick as an innovator in science fiction while breaking the barrier between science fiction and the serious novel of ideas. In it Dick offers a haunting vision of history as a nightmare from which it may just be possible to wake.]]> 259 Philip K. Dick 0679740678 C Z 3 3.64 1962 The Man in the High Castle
author: Philip K. Dick
name: C Z
average rating: 3.64
book published: 1962
rating: 3
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]]> Surface Detail (Culture, #9) 7937744
With the assistance of one of its most powerful - and arguably deranged - warships, Lededje finds herself heading into a combat zone not even sure which side the Culture is really on.

A brutal, far-reaching war is already raging within the digital realms that store the souls of the dead and it's about to erupt into reality. It started in the realm of the Real & that is where it will end. It will touch countless lives and affect entire civilizations, but at the center of it all is a young woman whose need for revenge masks another motive altogether.]]> 627 Iain M. Banks 0316123404 C Z 3 4.24 2010 Surface Detail (Culture, #9)
author: Iain M. Banks
name: C Z
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2010
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Look to Windward (Culture, #7)]]> 12016
Also journeying to Masaq' is Major Quilan, an emissary from the war-ravaged world of Chel. In the aftermath of the conflict that split his world apart, most believe he has come to Masaq' to bring home Chel's most brilliant star & self-exiled dissident, the honored Composer Ziller. Ziller claims he will do anything to avoid a meeting with Quilan, who he suspects has come to murder him. But the Major's true assignment will have far greater consequences than the death of a mere political dissident, as part of a conspiracy more ambitious than even he can know--a mission his superiors have buried so deeply in his mind that even he can't remember it.

Hailed by SFX magazine as "an excellent hopping-on point if you've never read a Banks SF novel before," Look to Windward is an awe-inspiring immersion into the wildly original, vividly realized civilization Banks calls the Culture.]]> 496 Iain M. Banks 0743421922 C Z 3 4.20 2000 Look to Windward (Culture, #7)
author: Iain M. Banks
name: C Z
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2000
rating: 3
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]]> The Algebraist 12009 434 Iain M. Banks 1597800449 C Z 3 4.04 2004 The Algebraist
author: Iain M. Banks
name: C Z
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2004
rating: 3
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]]> Matter (Culture, #8) 886066
Only the sister is not what she once was; Djan Seriy Anaplian has become an agent of the Culture's Special Circumstances section, charged with high-level interference in civilisations throughout the greater galaxy.

Concealing her new identity � and her particular set of abilities � might be a dangerous strategy. In the world to which Anaplian returns, nothing is quite as it seems; and determining the appropriate level of interference in someone else's war is never a simple matter.

Cover illustration by Debra Lill]]> 593 Iain M. Banks 1841494186 C Z 3 4.09 2008 Matter (Culture, #8)
author: Iain M. Banks
name: C Z
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2008
rating: 3
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]]> Excession (Culture, #5) 12013 Excession, the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section orders Diplomat Byr Gen-Hofoen to steal the soul of a long-dead starship captain. By accepting the mission, Byr irrevocably plunges himself into a conspiracy: one that could either lead the universe into an age of peace or to the brink of annihilation.]]> 500 Iain M. Banks 0553575376 C Z 3 4.20 1996 Excession (Culture, #5)
author: Iain M. Banks
name: C Z
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1996
rating: 3
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]]> Use of Weapons (Culture, #3) 12007
The woman known as Diziet Sma had plucked him from obscurity and pushed him towards his present eminence, but despite all their dealings she did not know him as well as she thought.

The drone known as Skaffen-Amtiskaw knew both of these people. It had once saved the woman's life by massacring her attackers in a particularly bloody manner. It believed the man to be a burnt-out case. But not even its machine intelligence could see the horrors in his past.

In this brilliant, multilayered book, Iain Banks explores once again the universe of the Culture, which he has previously visited in Consider Phlebas and The Player of Games. Ferociously intelligent, both witty and horrific, Use of Weapons leaves no doubt that Banks is now the outstanding writer of science fiction in Britain.]]> 411 Iain M. Banks 185723135X C Z 4 4.18 1990 Use of Weapons (Culture, #3)
author: Iain M. Banks
name: C Z
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1990
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)]]> 8935689
Within the cosmic conflict, an individual crusade. Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans sought it. It was the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, actually to find it, and with it their own destruction.]]> 467 Iain M. Banks 1857231384 C Z 4 3.86 1987 Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)
author: Iain M. Banks
name: C Z
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1987
rating: 4
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date added: 2013/02/21
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]]> <![CDATA[The Player of Games (Culture, #2)]]> 18630 293 Iain M. Banks 0061053562 C Z 4 4.28 1988 The Player of Games (Culture, #2)
author: Iain M. Banks
name: C Z
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1988
rating: 4
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]]> Flowers for Algernon 18373 Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, the powerful, classic story about a man who receives an operation that turns him into a genius...and introduces him to heartache.

Charlie Gordon is about to embark upon an unprecedented journey. Born with an unusually low IQ, he has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that researchers hope will increase his intelligence � a procedure that has already been highly successful when tested on a lab mouse named Algernon.

As the treatment takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment appears to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance, until Algernon suddenly deteriorates. Will the same happen to Charlie?]]> 311 Daniel Keyes 015603008X C Z 5 4.19 1966 Flowers for Algernon
author: Daniel Keyes
name: C Z
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1966
rating: 5
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]]> Миры Альфреда Бестера. Том 1 8421799 448 Alfred Bester 588132207X C Z 4 4.39 1995 Миры Альфреда Бестера. Том 1
author: Alfred Bester
name: C Z
average rating: 4.39
book published: 1995
rating: 4
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]]> Golem 100 460959 384 Alfred Bester 0749301260 C Z 4 3.13 1980 Golem 100
author: Alfred Bester
name: C Z
average rating: 3.13
book published: 1980
rating: 4
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]]> Psychoshop 18196
Half finished upon Bester's death, and completed by Zelazny, Psychoshop envisions a commercial establishment that attracts customers from Edgar Allan Poe to a sorcerer intent on fabricating the Beast of Revelations. Brimming with wit and imagination, scandalously sexy and fabulously strange, Psychoshop is science fiction as you've never read it before.]]> 207 Alfred Bester 0679767827 C Z 3 3.61 1998 Psychoshop
author: Alfred Bester
name: C Z
average rating: 3.61
book published: 1998
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[We'll Always Have Paris: Stories]]> 4161926
In We'll Always Have Paris—a new collection of never-before-published stories—the inimitable Bradbury once again does what few writers have ever done as well. He delights us with prose that soars and sings. He surprises and inspires, exposing truths and provoking deep thought. He imagines great things and poignantly observes human foibles and frailties. He enchants us with the magic he mastered decades ago and still performs flawlessly. In these pages, radio voices become indomitable flesh and the dead arise to recapture life. There is joy in an eccentric old man's dance for the world and wonder over the workings of humankind's best friend, O Holy Dog. Whether he's exploring the myriad ways to be reborn, or the circumstances that can make any man a killer, or returning us to Mars, Bradbury opens the world to us and beckons us in.

Get ready to travel far and wide once again with America's preeminent storyteller. His tales will live forever. We will always have Bradbury—and for that reason, we are eternally blessed.]]> 224 Ray Bradbury 0061670138 C Z 4 3.55 2009 We'll Always Have Paris: Stories
author: Ray Bradbury
name: C Z
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2009
rating: 4
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]]> S Is for Space 550202
Chrysalis
Pillar of Fire
Zero Hour
The Man
Time in Thy Flight
The Pedestrian
Hall and Farewell
Invisible Boy
Come into My Cellar
The Million-Year Picnic
The Screaming Woman
The Smile
Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed
The Trolley
The Flying Machine
Icarus Montgolfier Wright]]> 211 Ray Bradbury 0553232487 C Z 4 4.11 1966 S Is for Space
author: Ray Bradbury
name: C Z
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1966
rating: 4
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]]> R is for Rocket 886229
He can make you see things that have never been seen by human eyes.... feel things that no flesh-and-blood creature has ever felt. He can create visions so compelling that they literally seem to dance before your eyes. He can push you back to the beginnings of time and then suddenly, without warning, thrust you forward t the outmost limits of the future. He can make you so much a part of his strange worlds that you literally scream to get out.

Seventeen breathtaking stories by the master of the weird and wonderful, including the space-age classic, FROST AND FIRE.]]> 184 Ray Bradbury 055325040X C Z 5 4.13 1962 R is for Rocket
author: Ray Bradbury
name: C Z
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1962
rating: 5
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]]> The Illustrated Man 24830 The Illustrated Man has remained in print since being published in 1951 is fair testimony to the universal appeal of Ray Bradbury's work. Only his second collection (the first was Dark Carnival, later reworked into The October Country), it is a marvelous, if mostly dark, quilt of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. In an ingenious framework to open and close the book, Bradbury presents himself as a nameless narrator who meets the Illustrated Man--a wanderer whose entire body is a living canvas of exotic tattoos. What's even more remarkable, and increasingly disturbing, is that the illustrations are themselves magically alive, and each proceeds to unfold its own story, such as "The Veldt," wherein rowdy children take a game of virtual reality way over the edge. Or "Kaleidoscope," a heartbreaking portrait of stranded astronauts about to reenter our atmosphere--without the benefit of a spaceship. Or "Zero Hour," in which invading aliens have discovered a most logical ally--our own children. Even though most were written in the 1940s and 1950s, these 18 classic stories will be just as chillingly effective 50 years from now. --Stanley Wiater

Contents:

· Prologue: The Illustrated Man · ss *
· The Veldt [“The World the Children Made”] · ss The Saturday Evening Post Sep 23 �50
· Kaleidoscope · ss Thrilling Wonder Stories Oct �49
· The Other Foot · ss New Story Magazine Mar �51
· The Highway [as by Leonard Spalding] · ss Copy Spr �50
· The Man · ss Thrilling Wonder Stories Feb �49
· The Long Rain [“Death-by-Rain”] · ss Planet Stories Sum �50
· The Rocket Man · ss Maclean’s Mar 1 �51
· The Fire Balloons [“‘In This Sign...’”] · ss Imagination Apr �51
· The Last Night of the World · ss Esquire Feb �51
· The Exiles [“The Mad Wizards of Mars”] · ss Maclean’s Sep 15 �49; F&SF Win �50
· No Particular Night or Morning · ss *
· The Fox and the Forest [“To the Future”] · ss Colliers May 13 �50
· The Visitor · ss Startling Stories Nov �48
· The Concrete Mixer · ss Thrilling Wonder Stories Apr �49
· Marionettes, Inc. [Marionettes, Inc.] · ss Startling Stories Mar �49
· The City [“Purpose”] · ss Startling Stories Jul �50
· Zero Hour · ss Planet Stories Fll �47
· The Rocket [“Outcast of the Stars”] · ss Super Science Stories Mar �50
· Epilogue · aw *]]> 186 Ray Bradbury 000712774X C Z 4 4.14 1951 The Illustrated Man
author: Ray Bradbury
name: C Z
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1951
rating: 4
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]]>