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Post by dem bones on Apr 24, 2022 9:29:37 GMT
Justin Marriott [ed] - Paperback Fantastic: Vol 1 Scifi (Paperback Fanatic, April 2022) Catherine Jeffrey Jones, Sargasso of Space First of three intended Paperback Fantastic's with vol 2. Fantasy and Vol 3. Horror to follow in May and June respectively. Contributors Tim de Forest, Andreas Decker, Dave Karlen, John Peel, Jeff Popple, Scott Ranalli, Penny Tesarek, Tom Tesarek, Benjamin Thomas and the editor. 76 full colour pages of Reviews interspersed with 'Fantastic Factoids' and, of course, the all-important gallery of paperback artwork bizarre and beautiful, tentacled and terrible, slimy and bug-eyed. Am*z*n ukAm**on Commentary to follow if/ when I can fix lousy computer.
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Post by dem bones on Apr 27, 2022 18:02:15 GMT
Reviews of SF in paperbacks, pulps and comics. 70 reviews and ratings from genre fans Reviewed titles include important works from authors such as Harlan Ellison, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Andre Norton, Frederick Pohl, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, Poul Anderson, Bob Shaw, Ron Goulart, John Brunner, Spider Robinson, George R R Martin and many more.
Mini-essays on interesting aspects of the genre, including Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction comic, UK Edgar Rice Burroughs editions.
100+ full colour illustrations including original art, rare vintage paperback covers and comics. From what I gather, the All-review specials have proved among the most popular Fanatic spin-offs, the only gripe being that Mr. M opted for a black and white magazine to keep down the cover price. Paperback Fantastic addresses the complaint to provide the first of three full-colour theme issues stuffed with appraisals enthused, confused, bewitched, bothered and/ or bewildered. " ... Downbeat is probably the best word for this series. The future is grim, the characters are grim, and the hero is the grimmest of all ... It's been a long time since I've read such a refreshingly original and brilliant comic .... Quite frankly, I wouldn't have finished this book if I wasn't going to write a review .... great dollops of fun .... it's hard to summarize this story because I can't make any sense out of if it ... Well worth checking out! ... I found the novel very bland and often boring."Titles to come under the spotlight include the diverse likes of Frozen Hell (aka Who Goes There aka The Thing From Outer Space, etc.), A Canticle for Leibowitz, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Day the Martians Came, Armageddon 2419 AD, Planet of the Apes magazine, A Fighting Man of Mars, The Destruction of the Temple, Barbarella, Rim of the Unknown, Flash Gordon and The Space Willies.
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Post by dem bones on Jun 2, 2022 6:28:51 GMT
Out now Justin Marriott [ed] - Paperback Fantastic 2: Fantasy (Paperback Fanatic, May 2022) Jesse Santos, Dagar the InvinciblePaperback Fantastic is a new resource dedicated to reviewing genre fiction in its many forms — paperbacks, pulp magazines and comics. Issue Two is devoted to fantasy, with a focus on sword and sorcery, with reviews of over 70 key titles by fans of the genre. Illustrated with 100+ full colour reproductions of rare paperbacks, original art and classic comic books. Reviews include titles by authors such as Lin Carter, Karl Edward Wagner, Robert E Howard, Michael Moorcock, Fritz Leiber, Robert Jordan and including characters such as Conan, Kull, Kane, Elric, Red Sonja, Brak, Casca and more!
A valuable resource for any fan of fantasy fiction or paperback collector.Received yesterday. These 'Paperback Fantastic's are perhaps the most gorgeous of Paperback Fanatic's diabolical reign. In this instance, for 'fantasy' read 'sword & sorcery.' With contributions from Steve Carroll, S. Clayton Rhodes, Andreas Decker, James Doig, Ian Millsted, Roy Nugen, John Peel, Scott Ranalli, Penny Tesarek, Tom Tesarek, and Benjamin Thomas. 'Review' ASAP Available via: Am*z*n. ukAm**on.com
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Post by helrunar on Jun 2, 2022 15:42:29 GMT
That looks quite, quite fantastic (an Avengers reference, but it suits). Thanks Dem!
Oh those hunky men of the Sword & Sorcery paperbacks of yore, with their long streaming hair, insanely bulging musculature, and teasingly draped loincloths... SIGH.
H.
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Post by dem bones on Jun 10, 2022 10:46:38 GMT
Don Stivers: Les Edwards. "Don Stivers cover painting is a stinging rebuke to critics who claim sword & sorcery is puerile phallic fantasy and homoerotic." -Justin Marriott Gore in abundance, horror, black magic, bad sex, Xena; Warrior Princess - Sword & Sorcery ought to be so my thing, but somehow I could never get into it. While it's doubtful I'm any more likely to hunt down a bunch of heroic fantasy novels on the strength of Paperback Fantastic #2 — arguably the most beautiful-to-look-at Marriott publication to date — I will most definitely look forward to reading more reviews of same by Penny Tesarek, John Peel, et al. Format is as the SF issue, a full colour review special with 'Fantastic Factoid' interludes. Personal favourite commentaries include S. Clayton Rhodes on Casco 3; The Warlord by Barry Sadler of Ballad of the Green Beret fame/ notoriety; James Doig on L. Sprague de Camp's mid-sixties heroic fantasy anthologies for Pyramid; Andreas Decker on Marvel's Conan adaptations and Tanith Lee's Volkhavaar; Ian Millstead on Solomon Kane and Robert Holdstock's Mythago Wood ("On the face of it ... an enchanted forest story" though, according to Mr. Millstead, there's much more to it than that); Penny Tesarek on Anne McCaffey's Dragonsphere trilogy ("Finally, a series with a teenage girl as a main character who thought like a girl, made her own choices, acted on them, and didn't wait around for some guy to come and save her."), and the editor on Clark Ashton Smith's Tales of Science and Sorcery. Special mention to Steve Carroll for awarding the derisory 'one sword' to works by Gardner T. Fox (evidently The Druid Stone was no one off), Andrew J. Offutt, and Kenneth Bulmer in 'Manning Norvil' guise. A little disappointed at the lack of John Norman spread, but then the Gor novels received showcase enough in the first issue of what would become Paperback Fanatic, and anyway, there's surely enough material to warrant a volume 2? Nestor Redondo
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Post by helrunar on Jun 10, 2022 13:26:51 GMT
I'm laughing at that Don Stivers cover. Nope, nothing remotely homoerotic or phallic about it. LOL.
That issue sounds quite intriguing! I really need to read more books by the great Tanith Lee.
cheers, Hel.
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Post by andydecker on Jun 10, 2022 20:11:32 GMT
I really need to read more books by the great Tanith Lee. cheers, Hel. Everybody should read more books by the great Tanith Lee.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 14, 2022 19:21:02 GMT
Just arrived! Justin Marriott [ed.] - Paperback Fantastic Vol. 3: Horror (Aug. 2022) Blurb: Paperback Fantastic is a new resource dedicated to reviewing genre fiction in its many forms — paperback, pulp magazines and comics. Issue three is devoted to Horror, with reviews of over 65 key titles by fans of the genre. Illustrated with 100+ full colour reproductions of rare paperbacks, original art and classic comic books. Reviews include such titles as The Slime Beast, Seven Tickets to Hell, Two-fisted Zombies, Razorback, Tomb of Dracula and The Degenerates Mini essays on Vampirella, The Satan Sleuth, Charles Birkin, Peter Tremayne, the Dracula series and Signet Horror. A valuable resource for any fan of vintage horror fiction
Contributors: Steve Carroll, S. Clayton Rhodes, James Doig, Ian Milsted, Ray Nugen, John Peel, Jeff Popple, Scott Ranalli, Penny Tesarek, Tom Tesarek, Benjamin Thomas. Am*z*n. ukAm*z*nCheck the 'look inside' preview — it's beautiful!
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Aug 14, 2022 19:51:41 GMT
Just arrived! Justin Marriott [ed.] - Paperback Fantastic Vol. 3: Horror (Aug. 2022) Blurb: Paperback Fantastic is a new resource dedicated to reviewing genre fiction in its many forms — paperback, pulp magazines and comics. Issue three is devoted to Horror, with reviews of over 65 key titles by fans of the genre. Illustrated with 100+ full colour reproductions of rare paperbacks, original art and classic comic books. Reviews include such titles as The Slime Beast, Seven Tickets to Hell, Two-fisted Zombies, Razorback, Tomb of Dracula and The Degenerates Mini essays on Vampirella, The Satan Sleuth, Charles Birkin, Peter Tremayne, the Dracula series and Signet Horror. A valuable resource for any fan of vintage horror fiction
Contributors: Steve Carroll, S. Clayton Rhodes, James Doig, Ian Milsted, Ray Nugen, John Peel, Jeff Popple, Scott Ranalli, Penny Tesarek, Tom Tesarek, Benjamin Thomas. Am*z*n. ukAm*z*nCheck the 'look inside' preview — it's beautiful! Ordered!
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Post by helrunar on Aug 14, 2022 21:49:52 GMT
It's tagged as the "Number one new release in Antique and Collectible Books" on US Amazombie. Impressive!
H.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 18, 2022 15:49:27 GMT
From Peter Tremayne's The Ants to Zacherley's Midnight Snacks and Vulture Stew, by way of works by such diverse talents as Simon Raven, Guy N. Smith, Dan Simmons, Cyril Donson, Sandra Shulman, Mary Shelley, Robert E. Lory, T. E. D. Klein, Martin Jenson, Ron Goulart .... a mini-history of horror fiction through the eyes of the Paperback Fanatics. Mr. Marriott is AWOL from the contributors list, so we'll promptly reinstate him as, of the 69 entries, he wrote 38 (next most industrious contributor is James Doig with eight). I'm pretty sure that to have your book/ comic/ artwork make it into one of these all-review specials is the battle won, regardless the verdict of the person who felt moved to write about it. Bet I'm not alone in finding the "bad" reviews massive recommendations in themselves. On this occasion, it comes as little surprise when Cyril Dobson's Draco the Dragon Man receives its obligatory kicking, while others to achieve the coveted one skull & crossbones rating include Two Thousand Maniacs - the Comic (cautioning the reader "You would be a maniac to spend any time or money on this" good as guarantees everyone will), Kenneth Rayner Johnson's Homunculus ("A grossly endowed evil dwarf; a man-like creature of insatiable sexual appetite" - that's just the blurb), Jeffrey Konvitz's The Apocalypse, and 'John Silva's novelisation of The Island of Dr. Moreau which, to be honest, sounds so dreadful I can only admire the tenacity of John Peel — who also contributes a lovely piece on Conan-Doyle's The Horror of the Heights & Other Tales of Suspense — for lasting the distance. Of the favourable reviews, I liked Roy Nugen on Blood Of My Blood, Steve Carroll on Carrion Comfort (never had the stamina to tackle it), James Doig on The Ceremonies and the daunting Razorback (also like that he compares Gregory A. Douglas's The Unholy Smile to "a Gothic Romance on steroids," though he's not being complimentary on this occasion), Justin on Headhunter, The Dogs, Killer crabs, Devil Daddy and R. Chetwynd-Hayes's The Unbidden (he's thawing), Benjamin Thomas on The Beetle and Vampire$ (loved it, myself), Penny Tesarek on Mary Shelley (though, in common with the other Fantastic Focuses, it's too brief), John Peel on ACD and To the Devil - A Daughter — actually, it would be save a lot of time if I concentrated on the stuff I didn't get along with. Will let you know when I find it. Another plus is how several entries trigger jumbled memories of novels you know you enjoyed, but have largely forgotten over the years; in the present case, these would be Odour of Decay featuring "Sarah, the bookworm turned sex-fiend" and some terrific pre-punk 'seventies fashions; Sabat, the SAS trained defrocked priest turned Satanist-busting, Cannibal Cult crushing, vampire slayer whose sole weakness is an inability to quit masturbating at the most inopportune moments. A miserly two skull & crossbones awarded to The Village of Fear and a stingy three to The Slime Beast has decided me to revisit both soon as time permits, specially as they're both commendably short reads.
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Post by andydecker on Aug 18, 2022 19:25:27 GMT
It again is a great line-up. A lot of wonderful cover art and a few obscure novels everybody forgot.
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Aug 18, 2022 19:30:11 GMT
My copy has the cover printed the wrong way! It must be worth enormous amounts of money, right?
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Aug 18, 2022 19:32:54 GMT
It again is a great line-up. I have to mention you made me read Moorcock's Mars novels.
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Post by andydecker on Aug 18, 2022 20:10:54 GMT
It again is a great line-up. I have to mention you made me read Moorcock's Mars novels. Hope you liked it.
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