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"Welcome to Count Gore De Vol's Tomb of Dark Delights. I'm J. L. Comeau, horror writer and resident Tomb Keeper. I have been charged with the daunting task of sorting and cataloging the Count's vast library of horror, science fiction and fantasy. Take a torch from the wall and follow me down the stone stairway into the darkness deep beneath the Dungeon. It's cold and damp down here--perfect for the kind of reading we're going to do. Never mind the shambling figures in the shadows, they're probably just some friends of ours looking for a good book. If you click on the cover, you'll be taken to a wonderful place where you can buy the book.
Now, let's reach into the musty stacks and see what we can find..."
To learn more about the Exciting CD recording of some of J.L. Comeau's best stories, Click Here!
(Clicking on the covers gives you more information and prices from Amazon.com and other outlets.)
THE
DOUBLE HUMAN by James O’Neal
I’m already a fan of this hard-hitting writer of gritty, realistic genre fiction
after having reviewed his earlier novel, THE HUMAN DISGUISE, down here in the
Tomb last year. This sequel (which can easily be read as a stand-alone novel),
THE DOUBLE HUMAN, is just as riveting, and I’m going to recommend that fans of
science fiction, horror, noir mystery and police procedural click on the cover
graphic and grab a copy of this high octane heart-stopper. Our world has become
a shattered, poisoned landscape due to nuclear war and a crippling plague that
has left most areas of the United States completely uninhabitable. The tattered
remains of humanity have fled to safer zones of habitation, and the government
has walled off major cities in order to control violence and mass migrations.
Miami Florida has become a lawless prison state where bio-terror is finding a
firm foothold. Florida United Police Force Detective Tom Wilner is dispatched
into the chaos to track down a serial killer called “The Vampire”, who is a
member of the Undead; i.e., not human. Wilner is a veteran of the quarantined
area, and his sure-footed inquiry into the nature of the serial deaths leads him
into an emotionally charged relationship with a teacher who lives and works amid
the devastation. The stakes could not be higher and THE DOUBLE HUMAN could not
be more exciting and addictive. You’ve gotta read this one, terror fans. For
more about the author, please visit
www.JamesOnealBooks.com.
THE
STAINLESS STEEL RAT RETURNS by Harry Harrison
I have been reading and loving The Stainless Steel Rat series for decades now,
and each novel in the series just keeps getting better! Brilliantly snarky but
remarkably affable, James “Slippery Jim” Bolivar DiGriz is a Special Corps
agent, an interstellar con-man, a total bad-ass, and a very funny guy. He’s
currently living in splendor on the planet Moolaplenty (heh) when a backwater
cousin, Elmo, makes an unwanted visit to the DiGriz estate, bringing with him a
spaceship load of hungry, noisy pigs. Long lost cousin Elmo commences to help
himself to the DiGriz’s hospitality and bank account, forcing Jim and his
beautiful wife, Angelina, back out into space on a wild planet-hopping journey
that will have you gasping with laughter. And thus the Stainless Steel Rat is
off on another larcenous adventure into the galaxy to appropriate the gravitons
he needs to keep his ever-present cocktail glass filled with top-shelf booze. He
also needs to figure out how to get rid of Elmo and those annoying pigs.
Hilariously satiric and deftly wrought, Mr. Harrison has certainly not lost his
touch; indeed, the decades have honed his writing to an exquisitely sharp point.
I love The Stainless Steel Rat (and, oh, he’s such a rat!), and you will, too.
If you’ve missed this series, get on board--it’s one of the greatest. For more
about Harry Harrison, head over to
www.HarryHarrison.com.
One-oh-three, one-oh-three--it’s a magic number, TombRats! Why? Because our
Fangtastic Leader, Count Gore De Vol, has been staked out and interviewed in the
newest Rue Morgue Magazine, issue 103! Gore tells it like it is, recounting his
checkered past as a horror host! (Oooh, he’s been such a baaaaaaaad boy!) You’ll
also find additional interviews with The Count’s horror host cohorts, Dr.
Sarcofiguy, Karlos Borloff, Dr. Gangrene, Svengoolie, Penny Dreadful, and Mr.
Lobo! Grab yourself a copy and find out what being a horror host is all about!
This week, TombRats, we’re going to trip the dark fantastic with two marvelous
fantasy novels from three of the best genre writers working today!
BEOWULF’S
CHILDREN by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes
This trio of science fiction titans have already proved they can rock the
fantasy genre with their bestselling novel LEGACY OF HEOROT, and they’re back
with an epic sequel to that novel that hails from legendary literary origins.
The descendants of Beowulf are ignorant of the Great Grendel Wars fought by
their parents and grandparents when they first arrived on planet Earth. These
descendants of Beowulf have grown up on an island paradise called Camelot, but a
group of young rebels are determined to leave the island and see the world at
large. There are monsters—grendels—barring their way, and the monsters they
encounter are larger and more ferocious than the ones their parents fought to
found their island keep. As the young warriors set out to discover the greater
world beyond Camelot, they discover that the most dangerous monsters lurk in
their own hearts. Fast-paced, believable and peopled by memorable characters,
the authors prove why they find themselves on the bestseller lists again and
again.
THE
REMARKABLE LIFE AND VOYAGE OF BRENDÁN OF CLONFERT, ONE OF THE MOS T BELOVED
IRISH SAINTS by Morgan Llywelyn
During the rise of the Catholic Church, an epic quest was undertaken by Saint
Brendan the Navigator to find the Isle of the Blessed One. Brendan guided a
group of monks on a perilous journey into the uncharted oceans in search of
Paradise. Bard of the Irish language, Morgan Llywelyn, has conjured a mystical
tale of bravery and miracles, human strength and spiritual transcendence with
her retelling of the life of St. Brendan, whose dedication to discipline and
remarkable strength of character became legend and, ultimately, an enduring
saint who is second in Catholic Christian lore only to Saint Patrick. Fantasy
fans will enjoy the lively reimagining of one of the most enduring legends of
medieval times. History meets legend in this stirring Celtic myth written with
heart and great beauty. St. Patrick might have driven the snakes out of Ireland,
but it was St. Brendan who made it possible for St. Patrick to do so! I think
St. Brendan deserves a drinking day in his honor, too! How about blue beer for
St. Brendan’s Day, to commemorate his amazing ocean journey? Yeah! Cheers!
Grand horror and fantasy literature is on the menu this week, TombRats, and
your bumbling and crumbling old TombKeeper is hungry for more! Whip out your
Cheetos and kick back with these masters of fiction! Yummy!
THE
GHOST QUARTET edited by Marvin Kaye
Marvin Kaye is a celebrated anthologist who specializes in things that go bump
in the night, and his newest, THE GHOST QUARTET, includes four original novellas
from masters of darkness Brian Lumley, Orson Scott Card, himself and Tanith Lee.
Grand Master of Horror, Brian Lumley, most widely known for his acclaimed
NECROSCOPE series, opens the anthology with “The Place of Waiting”, in which a
skeptical writer discoverers the ultimate truth about the existence of ghosts on
the moors of Devon, England. Orson Scott Card of ENDER series fame puts a new
spin on Shakespeare’s most famous ghost, portraying the murder of the titular
“Hamlet’s Father” as an execution for heinous crimes for which young Hamlet may
or may not wish to extract revenge. The editor, Marvin Kaye, sets his nimble and
chilling tale, “The Haunted Single Malt”, in a Scottish tavern where the
tale-spinning patrons are given a most unusual brew. Multiple award winner
Tanith Lee’s “Strindberg’s Ghost Sonata” is a powerful story about a poor man
grateful to have been rescued from certain death by a group of strangers who
inhabit a haunted Russian tenement building, only to find that death might have
been a far better fate than what is about to occur. The volume closes with
fascinating and entertaining afterwards from each of the authors. This is the
perfect quartet of ghost stories for discerning readers of spooky fiction.
MUSE
AND REVERIE by Charles de Lint
Master of urban fantasy Charles de Lint returns to his magical world of Newford
with thirteen stories woven among the inhabitants his otherworldly city of
creative artists and musicians who are not bound by the restrictions of normal
physical laws. These thirteen beautifully wrought tales draw the reader ever
forward into the town the author has conjured. A comic book artist’s imagined
subject, a fairy, becomes the artist’s constant critic; a painter who has been
lost in the woods for more than a decade finds a way out by painting a portal on
the wall of a cave; the game and engaging Crow Girls find employment as
department store elves at Christmastime; and, in my favorite tale in this
collection, “The Hour Before Dawn”, we are treated to a deliriously funny
explanation of what the witching hour is “all about”. Incorporating folklore
from many backgrounds into his magical mixture of urban fantasy, Mr. de Lint
once again makes us glad to revisit the enchanted town of Newford. Often
astonishing and always unanticipated, these tales bring whimsy, beauty and
sometimes disquiet to the alleyways, backseats of cabs, quaint little shops,
homes and inhabitants of a city set on the edge of reality. For more about the
author, visit www.charlesdelint.com.
This week, TombRats, I have two exquisite small press books for you that
demonstrate why small publishers are so vital to the survival and evolution of
literature. In these two volumes you will discover mind-bending experimental
prose and poetry that expands the mind and feeds the soul. And entertains!
Enjoy.
NULL
IMMORTALIS: NEMONYMOUS TEN edited by D. F. Lewis
This volume, the tenth and very last of the acclaimed Nemonymous series of dark
experimental stories, provides a fitting coda to a group of anthologies that
celebrates the strangeness, elegance and sheer artistry of the writer’s
imagination set free from the constraints of mainstream marketing. Each story is
perfect gem in its own right, and I will touch on a few that I feel are most
representative of the whole. William Meikle opens with a deftly circular story,
“Turn Again”, which encompasses the thematic thrust of the anthology as well as
providing the concept for the subtle, visually compelling front and back cover
art. Margaret B. Simon’s story, “Troot”, is a short, sharply crafted tale of a
clerk’s realization that his present reality parallels a terrible past. Steve
Rasnic Tem’s “The Green Dog” is a wondrous and moving story about a man, his
dog, and a mysterious mirror—told from the dog’s point of view. “Holesale” by
Rachel Kendall features a disgraced market trader who is now in the business of
selling miniature black holes. “FIRE” by Roy Gray is a witty and thoughtful tale
of what one man is thinking as he faces a firing squad. In “Lucien’s Menagerie”
by David M. Fitzpatrick, a woman must spend the night with her own horrific
memories in order to inherit her ex-husband’s house. Stephen Bacon’s tale of
creeping weirdness, “The Toymaker of Bremen”, follows a young boy, separated
from his parents, who is subsequently adopted by a couple whose backwoods home
is filled with bizarre toys and objects. “Haven’t You Ever Wondered?” by Bob
Lock features the anthology’s editor as a character and draws references from
earlier anthologies in the Nemonymous series. NULL IMMORTALIS includes a
fascinating conceptual requirement of its writers: a character by the name of
Tullis must be included in each story, and the inclusion of so many Tullises
deepens the already delightful weirdness of the anthology as a whole. (The
reason for the Tullis characters is revealed on the last page of the anthology.)
NULL IMMORTALIS: NEMONYMOUS TEN is a triumph of creativity and craft that
resonates in the reader’s mind long after the final page has been turned. Bravo!
Only 200 copies of this limited edition anthology will be available for
purchase. Please contact the editor at
dflewis48@hotmail.com to query about availability
and price.
THE
CITY OF A THOUSAND GODS by Marge Simon and Malcolm Deeley
I have long been a fan of award-winning writer/artist/poet Marge Simon and now,
having read THE CITY OF A THOUSAND GODS, I am a brand new fan of Malcolm
Deeley’s work as well. Gorgeously conceived, written and illustrated, this slim
volume details a vivid mélange of differing beliefs, convictions and principles
within the confines of a single city. The story of the city is told through
interwoven vignettes, flash fiction and poetry, all seen through the eyes of two
city dwellers, a pragmatic and questioning young woman (and former thief) named
Ayven and the Judge Magistrate Cadoc, a priest of the Sixfold Visage. Together,
Ayven and Cadoc examine the many faiths of their city and how the sects,
religions, beliefs have affected their own beliefs. The volume opens with descriptions of each of the city’s
faiths and a list of Significant Events in the City’s History. Thus armed with
background information about the fantastical city of myriad beliefs, the reader
moves through a fabulous landscape in the capable company of the authors, who
beckon us ever inward and forward through a colorfully illustrated land of
delights, wonders and terrors. As Malcolm Deeley explains in his wise
Introduction, “Not even a thousand gods would be enough to answer all the
questions posed to that silent, eloquent sky”. Indeed. Fantasy fans will find
themselves immersed in this city’s grand tales and brilliant full-colored
illustrations. THE CITY OF A THOUSAND GODS is a masterful and heady volume that
shines a brilliant light upon the fundamental questions of the universe.
This week, TombRats, I’ve plucked a pair of crowd-pleasers from Count Gore’s
Teetering Towers of Terror Tomes! If your age range is anywhere between 12 and
112, you will love these great fantasy and science fiction books!
THE
BIRD OF THE RIVER by Kage Baker
Specifically written for young adult readers, this is a posthumously published
fantasy novel that the late, great Kage Baker set in her The Anvil of the World
and The House of the Stag cosmology. Teen sister Eliss and her ten-year-old
half-brother, Alder, board a gigantic river barge after the death of their
mother, Falena, who did not survive her addiction to an opium-like drug called
Yellow Weed. Elder sister Eliss takes charge of daily survival as they steam
down the river toward an uncertain future. The barge, named The Bird of the
River, is a permanent home for a collection of colorful and unusual folk who
become a second family to Eliss and Alder. Eliss keeps herself and Alder alive
by performing menial tasks upon the barge, and she soon learns that the river is
rife with dangerous currents and pirates. Eliss soon becomes renowned as a
masthead spotter who scans the river for sunken vessels and submerged logs,
alerting the captain to the dangers before them. Alder follows the path of his
elders by studying with a Yendri priest. Eliss, in her role as spotter, embraces
the responsibilities of her job, emerging as an independent young woman who
discovers a pattern of piracy and deceit on the river plied by the great barge,
The Bird of the River. This is a thrilling, beautifully realized and
magnificently written epic fantasy adventure from one of the greatest fantasists
of the 21st century.
GO,
MUTANTS! By Larry Doyle
Author of I LOVE YOU, BETH COOPER, Larry Doyle, returns with a deeply funny YA
scifi novel that will keep readers of all ages laughing out loud. In the manner
of 1950’s science fiction potboiler films, GO, MUTANTS! is set in our world two
decades after the alien invasion has occurred and the resultant mixed company
has changed the face of the planet. Aliens and alien-human hybrids are
commonplace, but it’s really awfully hard to be a cool teen when you have an
external, pulsating brain on your head… J!m Anderson is an alien hybrid whose
father led a failed alien invasion, and his mother is a sexy cat woman who works
as a cocktail waitress. Poor J!m! It’s all so embarrassing! J!m is a source of
hilarity and bullying at his high school, and his romantic fantasies involving a
purebred human schoolmate, Marie Rand, are driving him wild. Marie’s father is a
classic mad scientist who keeps Marie’s mother’s disembodied head alive and
floating in a pan of disgusting muck, making any romantic liaison with J!m a
star-crossed impossibility. With everything against them, how will J!m ever win
Marie’s love? It’s a crazy funny story filled with jokes, scifi B-film
references and drive-in movie lore that will delight fans of science fiction,
humor and B-movie films. Puberty meets the atomic age in this hilarious tale of
hormones, aliens and monsters. For more about the author, be sure to visit
www.LarryDoyle.com.
Sexy supernatural novels are hot, hot, hot, so we’re vamping it up this week
with a couple of sizzling supernatural novels from hot paranormal romance
thriller author Allison Brennan!
ORIGINAL
SIN by Allison Brennan
This is the first entry in a projected seven-novel paranormal suspense series
featuring Moira Donnelly, a witch specifically bred by her evil mother, Fiona,
leader of an evil occult coven, to become a conduit between heaven and hell.
When Fiona unleashes the seven deadly sins, which are in fact fallen angels, her
daughter Moira is joined by a sexy young former seminarian named Rafe in a
battle royale to fend off the demons coming down hard on their small California
town with plans to take over the world. The fallen angels are the entities who
formed a union with Lucifer during the battle with Archangel Michael, and Fiona
and her occult group are bringing down the darkness with their evil powers to
manipulate darkness to take over the planet. Moira and the smoldering Rafe
Cooper must track down Fiona to thwart the evil that Moira’s mother is
orchestrating. Filled with fast-moving battles with demons and a heavy romantic
subtext, ORIGINAL SIN will thrill fans of True Blood and Twilight.
CARNAL
SIN by Allison Brennan
Author Allison Brennan continues the seven-novel paranormal suspense/romance
serial that began with ORIGINAL SIN with CARNAL SIN. In this second fast-paced
thriller, the small California town of Santa Louisa has been nearly obliterated
by the raging supernatural war of darkness and light being waged by the deadly
fallen angels led by Moira Donnelly’s evil mother, Fiona. The demon Lust has
burst forth and is moving toward Los Angeles. Moira awakes with blood on her
hands—literally—and she and her seductive partner, Rafe Cooper, must return to
the battle in order to save the world. Moira has doubts about Rafe, wondering if
he might be a pawn of Lust, but she knows that she must move forward against the
demons and, indeed, her own mother, a queen of the underworld who has unleashed
Hell on earth. Moira must track down the demon Lust and return him to the
netherworld from which he has been released by her mother, Fiona, all the while
on the run from the authorities who do not believe that the paranormal war is
raging. Sexy, hot, and action-packed, I recommend CARNAL SIN to fans of
supernatural romance thrillers. For more about the author, please visit
www.AllisonBrennan.com.
One of my stories is featured in the new book: "Dead Set: A Zombie Anthology!" Take a look at the trailer in The Auditorium!
The TombKeeper has a story in this
anthology that's to benefit the "Scares That Care" Charity. For more details, just click on the cover!
To get even more information about these titles, including some of the best prices on the Internet, just click on each of the book covers and you'll be connected to 
To visit the individual writer's website, just click on any underlined name.
Become the Tomb Keeper's Apprentice!
The Tomb Keeper could use some help, and you could become her apprentice by recommending--in 25 words or less--your favorite horror, fantasy, or science fiction book currently in print. If chosen, you will be named The Tomb Keeper's Apprentice and your name and recommendation will appear on The Tomb WebPage for a period not to exceed one month. In addition, I will sneak out to you an autographed photo of Count Gore De Vol!
EMAIL YOUR RECOMMENDATION TO THE TOMBKEEPER
About the Tomb Keeper (Or, who is this person of mystery)
J. L. (Judy) Comeau is an award winning short story writer whose work has appeared internationally in major horror and dark fantasy anthologies such as the Borderlands series, Best New Horror, The Years' Best Horror, the Hot Blood series, and the Dark Voices series in the UK. She is an active member of the Horror Writer's Association, and she lives in the Washington, DC area where she also teaches short story writing. Click on FIREBIRD to read one of her most anthologized stories.
You are invited to visit the Tomb Keeper's very own website, by clicking on the eyes below!
To learn more about the Horror Writer's Association, just click on their logo!
J.
L. Comeau has enlisted actress Leanna Chamish to record several of her horrific stories on CD.To here a Real Audio sample of this exciting new release, click on the cover image below!
For more information on how to purchase this CD, Click Here!
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