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Post by cromagnonman on Oct 10, 2017 7:18:44 GMT
You're both absolutely right of course. Sincere apologies all round. That's what comes of venting one's spleen in the Witching Hour before first engaging the brain.
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Post by dem bones on Oct 16, 2017 16:33:21 GMT
Sci-Fi stuff salvaged from friend Richard's stall at yesterdays market. Never could resist a pretty cover. Gordon R. Dickson - The Genetic General (Digit, 1960) Blurb: Donal was of age and ready to go out among the star systems and make his name. But he paused, pondering the strange, indefinable force that seemed to drive him to his unknown destiny.
Then, after years of desperate exploits, Donal once more felt that hidden power that no living being could explain.
But time had run out. The great worlds in the far-flung galaxy had played their planet politics and now their two warring camps were on the eve of a fantastic final reckoning.
And suddenly Donal knew his destiny - to stop this suicidal struggle!First serialised in Astounding Science Fiction as Dorsai! (May - Nov 1959) Bart Somers - Beyond The Black Enigma (Paperback Library, Aug. 1965) Blurb: The Black Enigma could be anything from a mere vibration to the gaping maw of a hideous space beast. Whatever it was, special agent John Craig of the Alert Command had to destroy it before it devoured the universe!
Suave, handsome John Craig did not relish the assignment to conquer The Black Enigma. He would have preferred to continue romancing the beautiful Elva Marlowe – or any other of his many women.
But when Alert Command informed him that two space fleets had been consumed by the Enigma, and that the menacing blob was swelling steadily, Craig couldn't resist the challenge.
Armed with three incredible protective inventions, Craig set forth eagerly. But he soon found out that getting BEYOND THE BLACK ENIGMA was not going to be just another heroic stunt. If he failed in his mission, it could end his life and Planet Earth!John Mantley - The 27th Day ( Beacon Books, 1958) Blurb: Four human beings are kidnapped by an alien Intelligence Service. It interviews them 'somewhere in space' and presents each with a weapon 'a thousand times more powerful than the hydrogen bomb': this weapon, it tells them, will become harmless after twenty-seven days. The five are then returned to Earth, each of them swearing to the other to keep the whole matter secret.But the alien Intelligence Service has other ideas. It arranges for the story of their adventure - and their names - to be broadcast. What happens then to the nice Englishwoman, the German scientist, the tragic Chinese peasant, the bewildered Russian soldier and the cheerful young American? How long can they hold out against the power-maniacs in every nation who see in the weapon a chance to dominate the world?
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Post by cromagnonman on Oct 23, 2017 22:25:10 GMT
Part of the pickings from my latest trip to Baggins Book Bazaar: It goes without saying - naturally - that these were picked up in the belief that the contents would prove nowhere near as sleazy and exploitative as the covers suggest. Perish the thought. But both being examples of the 1981 crime wares of Leisure Books I hope fear that may well be a forlorn expectation.
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Post by dem bones on Oct 24, 2017 9:53:00 GMT
Part of the pickings from my latest trip to Baggins Book Bazaar: It goes without saying - naturally - that these were picked up in the belief that the contents would prove nowhere near as sleazy and exploitative as the covers suggest. Perish the thought. But both being examples of the 1981 crime wares of Leisure Books I hope fear that may well be a forlorn expectation. Never entered my head that Leisure would also publish something other than lowbrow horror titles. If these are crime equivalents of John Tigges and Mark Andrews, think you may need a stiff drink before tackling this pair. The Warning Call cover is especially classy.
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Post by andydecker on Oct 24, 2017 16:59:04 GMT
Never heard of the writers, and in the time of Leisure I read more crime than horror.
I like the covers. But like so many crime novels of the time I fear they may be underwhelming. But maybe you are in luck and they deliver what the somewhat restraint package promises.
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Post by jamesdoig on Nov 16, 2017 9:07:46 GMT
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Post by ropardoe on Nov 16, 2017 9:30:22 GMT
I had that edition of Vathek. And I married Things with Claws. Er, well, you know what I mean (I hope)!
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Post by jamesdoig on Nov 19, 2017 0:47:36 GMT
Picked this up the other day from the junk shop - he's always good and this is no exception: John Connolly
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Post by Dr Strange on Nov 20, 2017 10:22:27 GMT
I'm a huge fan of the Charlie Parker books - though I am getting increasingly surprised to see them still being labelled as "Crime" stories and appearing in the "Crime" sections in book shops. The last couple have headed well into Lovecraft territory.
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Post by ripper on Nov 25, 2017 9:39:53 GMT
The Devil's Kiss by John Hyde (NEL, 1984) I was originally given a copy as a Christmas present by a relative in 1984. In a moment of madness in the early 90s I gave it away, together with a pile of other books...a decision I have regretted ever since. If I remember correctly, the book is in the mould of Herbert's 'The Fog' with a WW2 developed nerve agent being accidentally released with predictable results for this kind of tale. I am looking forward to re-reading it, as I seem to remember quite enjoying it all those years ago.
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Post by dem bones on Nov 25, 2017 11:38:02 GMT
The Devil's Kiss by John Hyde (NEL, 1984) I was originally given a copy as a Christmas present by a relative in 1984. In a moment of madness in the early 90s I gave it away, together with a pile of other books...a decision I have regretted ever since. If I remember correctly, the book is in the mould of Herbert's 'The Fog' with a WW2 developed nerve agent being accidentally released with predictable results for this kind of tale. I am looking forward to re-reading it, as I seem to remember quite enjoying it all those years ago. I thought this sounded familiar, and sure enough, courtesy of Andy the Nightreader The Devil's Kiss.
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Post by ripper on Nov 25, 2017 20:46:52 GMT
The Devil's Kiss by John Hyde (NEL, 1984) I was originally given a copy as a Christmas present by a relative in 1984. In a moment of madness in the early 90s I gave it away, together with a pile of other books...a decision I have regretted ever since. If I remember correctly, the book is in the mould of Herbert's 'The Fog' with a WW2 developed nerve agent being accidentally released with predictable results for this kind of tale. I am looking forward to re-reading it, as I seem to remember quite enjoying it all those years ago. I thought this sounded familiar, and sure enough, courtesy of Andy the Nightreader The Devil's Kiss. It was a nice fast book to read, and I think I polished it off in a couple of sittings just after Christmas '84. I'm glad to see it has not escaped the attention of the Vault. It is a definite candidate for a 'Rivals of The Fog' section along with titles like Childmare by Nick Sharman, Plague Pit by Mark Ronson and Ladies' Night by Jack Ketchum; books in which some section of the population be it defined by area, gender or what-have-you, is driven to commit acts of violence against others.
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Post by dem bones on Nov 26, 2017 14:28:32 GMT
It was a nice fast book to read, and I think I polished it off in a couple of sittings just after Christmas '84. I'm glad to see it has not escaped the attention of the Vault. It is a definite candidate for a 'Rivals of The Fog' section along with titles like Childmare by Nick Sharman, Plague Pit by Mark Ronson and Ladies' Night by Jack Ketchum; books in which some section of the population be it defined by area, gender or what-have-you, is driven to commit acts of violence against others. Bedlam (a neurochemists experiment goes brilliantly wrong) surely qualifies, as does GNS's The Festering (A bad case of VD transforms a sleepy community into a bunch of boil-infested sex killers). Have not yet read Mr. Smith's The Camp, but the blurb suggests another Fog rip-off. As for Plague Pit, I don't think Mark Ronson ever topped it, though am currently reading Ogre and that's shaping up. Not dissimilar to The Blob except this time it's a giant killer amoeba on the rampage. Also features 'Daft Tom,' the peeping tom.
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Post by jamesdoig on Nov 27, 2017 7:15:57 GMT
I picked up a $50 ebay voucher and blew it on this Overstreet Price Guide to Horror Collectibles: Overstreet Nothing more than a glorified magazine with a bunch of articles - collecting Stephen King, collecting EC comics, collecting pulp magazines, collecting monster magazines, collecting vintage Halloween decorations. It's even got an interview with Scream Queen, Linnea Quigley. At least it's got this picture of the Aurora King Kong: kong
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Post by ripper on Nov 28, 2017 17:46:03 GMT
I picked up a $50 ebay voucher and blew it on this Overstreet Price Guide to Horror Collectibles: Overstreet Nothing more than a glorified magazine with a bunch of articles - collecting Stephen King, collecting EC comics, collecting pulp magazines, collecting monster magazines, collecting vintage Halloween decorations. It's even got an interview with Scream Queen, Linnea Quigley. At least it's got this picture of the Aurora King Kong: kong Anything with Linnea Quigley in it automatically gets an extra mark in my book
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