Books of the science fiction and fantasy variety, with an emphasis on tie-in novels for the television shows we can’t live without.
As someone who knows diddly about comics, I’m just going to throw it out there that I have no idea what “Photo Subscription Variant” means. But these are some awesome covers. I kind of like the photo covers, but I actually like the drawings best.
So does this mean they really are comics and not graphic novels? Yeah, I still don’t know the difference.
Who doesn’t want an ultimate companion for a beloved show? But, uh, there’s a problem with this one, for Grimm. The book doesn’t come out until March 2014. Seems kind of … delayed. Or slow. Or maybe short-sighted is a better word. Or maybe there’s something in the book that can’t be there until the show has aired most of season 3. Or maybe they know something we don’t and the series is almost over and this will be the final word on all the Grimm goodness to be found on ABC this season.
Or maybe I’m stretching, like a short person for the toilet paper in Walmart (could it really get any higher up on the shelves?). It just seems to me that the best time to release something like this is when the series is just getting started with a new season. I mean, I believe there’ll be another season to come after this one, but the reality is, it isn’t guaranteed, at least as far as I know it’s not. Then again, maybe I don’t know a lot. Except that I’m short, and that Walmart hates short people. Thank God for Amazon.
So, here it is anyway. Just remember, you can pre-order if you want, but that’s going to be one long wait…
The book claims to be a 176 page paperback and it certainly does have a pretty cover. I might buy it just for that. Not that the picture is anything special (seriously, it’s the same one used on the comic book unless it gets changed), but just the way it’s put together with the title and the flourishes. Like I said, it’s pretty.
A full behind-the-scenes guide to the show, from costumes to special effects to make up and more, with exclusive production designs and images direct from the ABC studios!
Acclaimed show runners David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf reveal all about the development and ongoing creation of the show.
Read interviews with the entire cast of the show, including David Giuntoli (lead character Nick), Silas Weir Mitchell (Monroe), Bitsie Tulloch (Juliette Silverton) and more!
Links:
Available from the publisher at Penguin Random House
How can I watch and enjoy the new Sleepy Hollow series as much as I do without knowing at least a little bit about the source material? I’m sure, at some point, I’ve watched a movie or cartoon or something, that tells the original tale, but I don’t remember when that might have been. So, a visit to Project Gutenberg later, I now have a copy of both the story in both ebook and audiobook format so I can get to it asap. :)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving is a true classic and I can’t believe I haven’t bothered to read it before now.*
Amazon has a bunch of 99 cent versions but how much you want to bet most of those are just a repackaged version of what’s available at Project Gutenberg made by some enterprising individuals…? I’d bet a lot. I could be wrong, though, and I admit to that in advance.
Either way, I’m looking forward to giving this a read.
*Lies. I can totally believe it because there are very few classics I actually like.
On November 8, Aunt Marie’s Book of Lore is going to be available. You can get it now of course, but if you do, you won’t actually get it; it’ll be a pre-order.
Billed as “the real book of monsters,” it seems to me to be a clever little tie-in with the series that the more die-hard fans will get a kick out of. I love the idea of it, and I hope it lives up to the description that I’ve quoted below.
THE REAL BOOK OF MONSTERS, WEAPONS AND POTIONS AS SEEN IN THE SHOW!
This in-universe book explores the monsters, weapons and potions in Grimm with detailed pictures and descriptions. The book is Aunt Marie’s recording of the supernatural creatures she and her fellow Grimms have to defeat!
Inspired by the classic Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, Grimm is a cop-drama with a twist! A detective discovers he has the ability to see supernatural beings, including a reformed ‘Big Bad Wolf’ and the witch-like Hexebiester, along with many others.
And holy crap. Somebody thinks they’re going to like it…
Screencap: November 3, 2013
So there you go. Just one more thing to spend money on if you like Grimm.
Titan Books; November 8, 2013; 128 Page 11×8 Inch Paperback
You can find this book at most online book stores.
Honest to God, I don’t really know the difference between comics and graphic novels, since neither are something I usually read. However, this is Grimm, and God knows I’ve about become obsessed with this show. Whatever it is, it has 112 pages.
See? Here are some screenshots of the interior. Beware, these screenshots could contain spoilers, so keep that in mind!
Comic or graphic novel? Is there really a difference? I’m all for someone enlightening me on this issue.
Never-before-told stories, set in the world of the acclaimed NBC series, Grimm, by the show creators themselves! Homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt, joined by his mother Kelly, Hank, and Monroe, uncover family secrets long buried during their adventure in Europe. Hunted by Verrat soldiers, their quest to destroy the Coins of Zakynthos reveals dark secrets and promises death for a member of the cast!
From the sample pages on Amazon, it sounds like there’s going to be a lot of Nick’s kicking-ass mom in this book, and of course, a revisit of the Coins of Zakynthos myth from season 1 and season 2.
Available on November 19.
The upcoming Grimm books…
On November 5th, the first of the Grimm books will be available. I have no idea how these stories will fall in with the canon of the series, but it should be a lot of fun to find out.
So yeah, as I suspected, but not as I’d hoped, the cover image of The Icy Touch hasn’t changed much. They managed to get the title on there now, but I had to post a largish image just so it could be seen.
But, while grabbing the image, I noticed there’s a second book on the way.
Like the former cover for The Icy Touch, the cover image for The Chopping Block seems to be a place holder. I guess when it’s finally published, they’ll add the title in the spot where “Book 2” now resides.
Back in the 19th century a Wesen and a Grimm fight to the death. The Grimm wins, but the Wesen’s son escapes and vows revenge. In the present day, Captain Renard sends Nick and Hank to investigate an international crime cartel named Le Touche Givre (The Icy Touch). They discover this deadly gang is run by Wesen, and is involved in various illegal activities, including forced prostitution and drug pushing. As they close in on the gang, Nick begins to realize that their charismatic and dangerous leader is just as intent on tracking him down…
From the publisher: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/226806/grimm-the-icy-touch-by-john-shirley/
A cache of bones is found in a shallow grave in local woods… Meanwhile missing persons cases in Portland seem to be on the increase. As more bones are discovered, Portland homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt and his partner Hank Griffin investigate – but there seems to be no connection between the victims… A brand-new original story set in the Grimm universe.
From the publisher: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/226807/grimm-the-chopping-block-by-john-passarella/
I’m not usually on the lookout for cheap books because I tend to be a reader who wants now whatever it is I want to read and waiting for a bargain isn’t in my nature.
That’s not to say I never run across bargains though, and today I did.
The Breakers Series: Books 1-3
So what’s it about?
In the Breakers series, humanity faces not one apocalypse, but two: first a lethal pandemic, then a war against those who made the virus. This collection includes the first three books and is over 1000 pages (350,000 words) of post-apocalyptic survival.
See the little screencap (11/3/13)? Apparently a lot of people like this set. :)
Including Breakers, Meltdown, & Knifepoint, this bundle isn’t the complete Breakers set, but it definitely will give you a good start on the series. I personally haven’t read these books, but I have started reading The Cutting Room, which is a serial (now complete) by the same author, Edward W. Robertson.
I’m not a big fan of serialized fiction. I love series, but series and serials aren’t remotely the same when done correctly. However, this one has caught my attention, with its creepy cover and interesting description. The cover doesn’t say zombies to me, but it certainly does right by the apocalypse. Regardless, I love the atmospheric covers. The autistic character is a big draw too, since I enjoy characters who are a bit out of the ordinary. If there’d been only one book here, I’m not sure I would have picked it up yet but it looks like the story is going to be worth it.
Links:
This Plague of Days Season One (The Zombie Apocalypse Serial)
This Plague of Days, Season Two (The Zombie Apocalypse Serial)
Jaimie Spencer is a strange autistic boy caught in a fight for survival as the Sutr-X virus spreads across the United States. While governments lie to their citizens to quarantine victims and isolate cities, the inexorable mind virus brings civilization as we know it to an end. Sutr-X sweeps away all we knew, but the plague doesn’t stop there. As the virus mutates to become Sutr-Z, Britain falls as the zombies rise.
The war for the future has begun and the greater numbers are on the side of the infected. Terrorists created the plague and made ordinary civilians into rabid bio-weapons. The Ungrateful Living and the rabid cannibals all share one thing in common: they are just like you.
It’s done. The end. The Legacy series is over.* And I’m a few months late with this post. Oops. Here’s all the books in the series, for those who might be interested.
One reviewer wasn’t that pleased with the way the series turned out. I wouldn’t know. I gave up reading after Homecoming because I don’t like reading series in progress. The series came back to mind recently though, after I received a notice from Fandemonium that some out of print books in the Stargate Atlantis series were now available—books I meant to pick up but just hadn’t gotten around to it. Anyway, back to the unhappy reviewer.
…while it’s not the unedited dreck which I usually give one star, it was a colossal disappointment. Especially considering the strong start in Homecoming. Since I’ve already detailed much of how, in my opinion, the series went off the rails in my reviews for The Furies and Secrets, I’ll try not to reiterate too much. It’s somewhat difficult, however, because many of the faults in this final volume originated elsewhere.
It made me want to go back and dig up the other reviews mentioned, but then I came to my senses. If I pick the rest of these books up now, I don’t want to be aware of any glaring issues before I read them. I’d rather not ask for trouble if I can help it.
*Apparently, it’s not really over after all. But I’ll save that for another post.
Lookie what I just found! Grimm: The Icy Touch by John Shirley has a November 5, 2013 publication date.
Now this is something I’ve been waiting for and didn’t even realize it.
As a huge fan of Grimm, seeing that they’ve moved to media tie-in books excites me for the future of this series and the universe it has created. Especially after that season 2 finale on Tuesday (May 21) that’s still currently available to watch on the Grimm video page at NBC.com.
Portland homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt discovers he is descended from an elite line of criminal profilers known as “Grimms”, charged with keeping balance between humanity and the mythological creatures of the world.
The book can be bought at most online books stores.
I’m assuming the book is going to get a better description at some point and possibly a better cover that actually makes use of the title…
Then again, television media tie-in novels aren’t known for their fantastic covers and mostly use stock images of the cast.
The book’s cover does say “Book 1” which could indicate a possible series of books are already planned and that this isn’t just a one-off release.
On top of that, I’m not sure it’s realistic to hope for it, but I would love to see Amazon make a deal with the owners of Grimm for their new Kindle Worlds program. I know I’d try my hand at it! I adore the show, have written some (inappropriate) fan fiction that I’d never be able to use in that way, but I’d certainly be willing to give a shot to a more plausible, sticks-to-the-known-canon, story. In fact, I have one in progress that I abandoned at about the 5,000 word mark about a year ago that I’d probably revisit.
