Author: Paul Elard Cooley

Genre: Horror/Psychological Thriller

Julia Rating: 10

Comments:
I just have to get one thing off my chest before this review.  Paul Elard Cooley is a bastard.  He ended Closet Treats in a place where I actually wanted to read a book 2, and I pretty much never actually read a whole entire series of books.  I still haven’t finished the Dark Tower Series and that’s by Stephen King.

As you may be able to gather from my whining, I really enjoyed this podiobook.  Paul E. Cooley does what he calls a “slow burn” in this story – where it starts out slow, then makes you wonder what’s REALLY going on, then makes you scared out of your skull, then makes you want to read more of his books.  I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and hope he will continue his writing and get to work on that second book.

Now, quick story synopsis: the basic gist of this story is: Trey Leger has a mental issue – he suffers from psychosis.  He sees eyes in the closet and is so afraid of closets that he can’t put his clothes in them.  That said, he is married and has an adorable boy named Allan.  He’s managed to set up a life for himself that works for him and his family.  That is, until the ice cream man.

Who is the ice cream man?  WHAT is the ice cream man?  Ah, well, you need to read the book to find out.  All I can say is that no one ever seems to fully see his face, and he seems to like children a little too much.

With Closet TreatsPaul Elard Cooley sticks to motto: “Where we don’t believe in happy endings”

Check out Shadowpublications.com for more info on Paul his works.  You cannot buy Closet Treats, but it’s on Podiobooks.com.  You can, however, support this author by buying his fantastic novella Tattoo on Smashwords or Amazon.

See ya on the other side.

Author: Robert R. Best

Genre: Horror

Julia Rating: 10

Comments: This is a book of nine short stories created by Robert R. Best. I have to say I found this set of stories really enjoyable to listen to. The cheerful mayhem created by the wide variety of things that kill (from a wife to a grandmother to a hooker) is tons of fun to listen to.

If I had to pick (and I am) I’d say “Hooker” and “The Wife’s Confession” are my two favorite in his collection, though “Nipping it in the Bud” is just damned creepy – as is “Boil Order”.

Anyway, for a quick and interesting collection of short stories in the horror/dark fantasy genre, check out All Kinds of Things Kill. It’s free for goodness sakes!

If you’d like to purchase a book to support this author – check out Robert R. Best on Amazon.com

Author: Mur Lafferty

Genre: Fantasy

Julia Rating: 10

Comments: This is the next book in the Heaven Series by Mur Lafferty. Our two main characters, Kate and Daniel are together again, but are now in hell with another daring and interesting mission. I can’t really give a whole lot more, or I’d be messing up Season One for you. Suffice it to say they have some crazy times, meet interesting gods and, by the end of the season, get so entangled in problems you (the reader) can’t see an easy way out for them.

I am thoroughly entranced by the Heaven series. It’s got awesome mythology, some steampunk, lots of fantasy and many interesting characters. So, I’d say, check that sucker out. It’s my understanding that this is a podiobook only, so you can either subscribe at the author’s website or at Podiobooks.com.

Author: Mur Lafferty

Genre: Fantasy

Julia Rating: 10

Comments: Mur Lafferty is one of those podcasting divas who has been doing podiobooks, podcasts and more. She has a whole “Murverse” with all her wonderful work.

Heaven – Season One is the first of the Heaven Series. This is basically a story about two close friends who die and go to heaven. They discover that heaven is far larger and different than anyone ever imagined.

This book has a ton of mythology, which I absolutely love. There is also unrequited love and a very sweet friendship in this one. Because of the religious aspect (it is called “Heaven” after all), some people might get offended, but I think if you take everything as fantasy-based, there’s nothing inherently offensive in this podiobook.

So, check it out and let me know what you think!

So, in honor of the undead becoming so interesting to this crazy world of ours – I want to dedicate a post to interesting and fun books/music/movies/podcasts/etc that have to do with zombies.

First of all, zombies truely terrify me. So much so that I actually couldn’t read the book World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, even though I’ve read little bits and pieces and found it riveting. It gave me nightmares for days, so I had to stop. But, a friend of mine who is very picky about books, loved it, so I’m recommending the book here. It’s a post-apocalyptic look at what the world would look like after zombies re-animated. It is a reflection on the past by war heroes and survivalists alike who experienced first-hand a full-out zombie war. Creepy, creepy stuff.

There is a fan site dedicated to the zombie apocolypse world as inspired by world war z called Tales of World War Z. There are some brilliant and terrifying stories in there. Check them out.

Next we have a less serious look at the walking dead issue – The Takeover, a podiobook/podcast presented by Mur Lafferty. This is a hilarious look at what it would be like to have your company taken over by Zombinc – a company run by zombies which provides low wage zombie labor to other companies. The only way to be promoted in the ranks of Zombinc is to, well, become a zombie.

When I listened to The Takeover, I was entranced by the amazing zombie theme songs Mur put on there – specifically a song called Re: Your Brains by Jonathan Coulton. Check it out, pretty darn hilarious.

Last but not least, zombie movies. These really doll out the nightmares for me – yes, even the funny ones like Shaun of the Dead. The only one that didn’t give me nightmares was Zombieland . I’m not sure why. Maybe (and this IS a spoiler folks, so skip to the next paragraph if you don’t want to be spoiled) it’s because of the zombie clown. I’ve always wanted to see one. A friend of mine and I had a joke that a zombie clown would be the ultimate worst nightmare scenario. Also, the number (or lack thereof) of zombies made the movie slightly more comforting.

The two movies above are funny, but the following are not funny, but extremely scary movies. I’m going to categorize them by speed of zombie:

- Dawn of the Dead – Super fast zombies with no explanation of how they came to be. The dead started rising one day. Freaky.

- Resident Evil- all three movies feature fast zombies, but the last two feature fast, mutant and possibly intelligent zombies. There is, however, a reason for the undead-ness. The t-virus which has spread to so many people continuously re-animates the dead body.

- 28 Days Later- fast and ferocious zombies. The movie is about a particularly horrible strain of rabies, called “Rage” getting loose in England. It’s extremely scary.  I couldn’t watch the whole movie in the middle of a bright, SoCal afternoon.

One more movie which is funny because it’s so cheesy is The Return of the Living Dead. Extremely campy and awesome. Also, it was released the year I was born, so it’s gotta be good, right?

Finally, I will give you some authors with non-infectious zombies – zombies which may turn against you, but they mostly just fight or stand there and moulder:

- Terry Pratchett’s Making Money , along with several other of his Discworld Novels.  His zombies have personality and character.

- Piers Anthony’s Xanth Series.  These are fighting zombies, reanimated corpses and such.

- Laurell K. Hamilton in Strange Candy. This is the traditional zombie, raised by a spell and not really so friendly.

I’m sure there are others, but those are the main ones I can come up with. Do you have any recommendations for zombie books/movies/podiobooks/podcasts?

As usual, please remember that I don’t get paid unless you click on an Amazon link in my site, then buy something. The recommendations to other sites I give you because I love them – not because they pay me. So, if you want to get something at Amazon, click on my links and buy from there. I get a small commission, you get a good deal on cool stuff. Win Win, yeah?

Sci Fi
For those friends and loved ones who love Science Fiction, try getting these books/book-like items:

- Old Man’s War or any other book by John Scalzi 
I reviewed Old Man’s Wara while back and now I’m getting it for several of my guy friends. Though it’s about seventy five year olds, I have to warn you there are blood, guts, sex and emotional trauma in this book. It is, after all, a book about war. Withthat said, I think this book is set at a wonderful pace and it really allows you to empathize with the characters and their strange circumstances.

- 7th Son: Descent by J.C. Hutchins
I admit I have not read the published version of Seventh Son: Descent, but I listened to the podiobookand I love J.C. Hutchins’ writing and his style. This is an extremely fast paced and violent sci-fi thriller. You’re welcome.

- The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
I got this book one year for Christmas and I love it. It’s got all the Hitchhicker’s books in one big fat book, plus a fun short about Zaphod Beeblebrox. Guaranteed to put a smile on Hitchhiker’s fans everywhere.

- I Will Fear No Evil or any other books by Robert Heinlein
I Will Fear No Evil is the first Heinlein book I ever read and is still my favorite to this day. As is normal for Heinlein, there is lots of free love in this book, but it’s also got some neat spiritual issues it addresses. Basically, if you were ever leery about the idea of a brain transplant, this book is for you.

- The Adoration of Jenna Fox (which I reviewed) by Mary Pearson
I reviewed this book sans spoilers. So, this is your spoiler alert. Don’t read on if you don’t want a spoiler. The Adoration of Jenna Fox is about a teen who wakes up after a year long coma to find that she not only doesn’t remember what simple words mean, but her body is over 50% synthetic. She has to overcome the normal emotional issues one would have a) being a teen and b) having been in a coma for a year. She also has to figure out for herself if she is, in fact, human.

- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Brave New World is a classic. It’s a bit like George Orwell’s 1984 set in the future. It involves a society which has banned history, books and bearing children (all babies are made in a bottle and – depending on where they go in society – their growth is aided or retarded). Also, the society refuses to allow its denizens to be unhappy by providing constant access to a pleasant, mostly side effect free drug so the citizens may forget their troubles. But, when a human from the “wild reservations” comes into this new, carefree society, how does he cope? Does he adapt, or reject this new society? This book is a very real look into human misery and the tendency for people to simply hide their problems, rather than deal with them openly. Spoiler is: this book does not have a happy ending.

- The Halo Books by Eric Nylund
If your kid or friend are into the wildly popular Halo video games, get them hooked on the book series. I actually did this with my ex-boyfriend who didn’t read and he really liked them – so much so that I picked up the book I bought him and read it myself. They are actually pretty darned good!

- The Immortals by Tracy HickmanThe Immortals is a book about the 10 second decision making society opting to put disease victims into massive concentration camps for them to die off in while a cure is being searched for. However, what the people of the short attention span don’t realize is there’s something much deeper going on, something which shows the world why politics and religion don’t mix and why some decisions need thought and research put into them. 

- Look Into the Sun by James Patrick Kelly
A wonderful Sci Fi story ultimately about a young man who has to go to another planet to come into his own and truly belong. If you want to get a taste of the story – check out Jim Kelly’s Free Reads podcast, wherein he reads the whole book to you in several episodes. This book is actually out of print, but the author (and humble Nebula and two time Hugo award winner), Jim Kelly, bought out the overstock of the book and is offering to sell a signed copy to you direct. Email him at Jim (@) JimKelly (dot) net to get your book, or contact me at JuliaScottDouglas (@) Gmail (dot) com and I’ll get you two in touch. I’m going to order one just for me – I love signed books.

-Escape Pod CDs
No Sci Fi fan’s collection of books would be complete without a subscription to Escape Pod(which is free). Barring that, get them one of the cds of this fantastic podcast of short fiction. I happen to love all three of the podcasts in the Escape Pod/Pseudopod/Pod Castle network, but Escape Pod is what any sci fi fan needs to accompany them through thier journey through short fiction. (I don’t get paid to recommend these guys, I just love them and the short stories they provide really are awesome.)

I hope these books/book-like items cover all bases on your friends and family who are sci fi fans! 

If you have any suggestions of books I should read or recommend, let me know!

Also, remember that if you shop at Amazonfrom the links I provide, I get a little commission if you buy something, so help a sister out!

Podiobook: Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword

Performed by: Tee Morris

Main Guest Performances: LeeAnn Maybry, Dani Cutler

Genre: Fantasy and Historical Fiction

Julia Rating: 10

Comments: Tee Morris created a fantastic character with Billibub Baddings – a dwarf detective living in the 1920s. This isn’t just any dwarf detective. Billibub originally came from Acryonis – a glorious land in which elves are wise, orcs are vicious and dwarfs are fierce (and prolific progenitors).

Poor Billy falls into the portal to oblivion during a battle in the “Great War” of Acryonis and lands in the Chicago public library in the 1920s.  Being a resourceful dwarf, Billy learns all about the new world he has adopted and becomes a gumshoe.

Trouble lands square in Billy’s lap when a dame walks into his private detective agency with a commission to find out why the right hand man of the world famous gangster, Alphonse Capone, has been murdered. Not only is it a dangerous job, but it leads Billy to a talisman from Acryonis – an item earth humans named the Singing Sword.  This sword contains deep magical powers which, if in the wrong hands, could end the world as we (and Billy) know it.

Tee Morris has put together a hilarious and solid story. I love Billy amd all his great analogies to items and people in Acryonis . Tee also has some fantastic quips and barbs for those detective and fantasy stories which take themselves far, far too seriously.

 Click Here to Buy Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword on Amazon