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Twit Publishing Presents: Pulp! - Summer/Fall 2011
Fantastic Tales of Treachery and Danger! Slay dragons in the space western A Stranger in Ferrview, unmask demon kings in Darmok and the Mermaids of the Sea, and take what you’re due in the crime noir Good Fences Make Good. Outwit an enamored faerie princess in James and the Gentry, test your time traveling pinball prowess against Radon's Daughter, and play cloak and dagger in A Reversal of his Fortunes.
268 pages, Paperback
First published July 17, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 27, 2012
A Stranger in Ferrview by Frank R Sjodin
With a mysterious space monster and a space hero called into take it down you can really feel the sense of excitement and wonder in this story(told from a young boy's perspective), even thought it was recently written I think it would fit perfectly into a Golden Age Sci-Fi collection.
The Man in the Barn by D.L. Chance
Story has a Men in Black feel to it, but in a good way. It's sort of one of those stories where an alien race warns us that we are on the wrong path, but it has enough of a twist to make it interesting and enjoyable.
Darmok and the Mermaids of the Sea by Ethan Nahte
A hero with strange abilities that can take on pretty much anyone plus the allure of scantly clad women.. There were no surprises in this story, but finely written and a must for sword and sorcery readers.
Darwin's Demons by S C Hayden
Being a fan of the Fortean Times magazine I quite enjoyed this one. A fictional take on a typical article. Sort of like the day in the life of a Cryptozoologist. A must read for mermaid fans.
A Reason for Living by David M DeMar
I loved the banter between the two characters in this, a clash of two different generations and I can definitely relate, it's quite shocking what people call 'music' these days Haha I just made myself sound so old. Even though the probable outcome of the story is revealed early on it was still very enjoyable.
Good Fences Make Good by Chris O'Grady
I enjoyed the story, and even though it had a pulpy feel in some areas it felt out of place in the anthology. The action scenes were great and it shows you no matter how tough you think you are there's always someone out there who could most probably kick your ass without breaking a sweat.
Wonderboy by Charles Martin and Will Weinke
Anne Fredrick is the secret bastard daughter of a superhero, so you can imagine she has some issues. I think Charles and Will did a great job of imagining what it must be like to grow up with a father the whole world loves. A hero with a secret. A secret that takes up the latter half of the story. I appreciate the story is part of a series and I got what the secret it was, I think it could have been executed a bit better, it lacked that punch I was expecting. Not exactly a bad thing, it's all the more reason to find the rest of the series and find out more.
James and the Gentry by Kevin Lauderdale
Quite enjoyed this story. Had a light-hearted feel to it, Reggie, a gentleman and his valet James are thrown into a spot of bother when James rescues a faerie from a bull, a princess no less and as per custom she is no indebted to him and they must get married, and as breathtaking as she is he just doesn't feel it and doesn't want to live in the faerie world, and not only that a past flame of his is betrothed to his best friend Flippy, with limited time they have to figure out how to escape the marriages. I enjoyed the James character the most and hope to stumble across more of his stories in the future.
Radon's Daughter by Julie Jansen
This story had an ethereal/noir feel to it. Detective Weatherford is investigating a case involving a cashed cheque, but everyone in the bar says she should leave saying she's in for more than she bargained for. It's not long before she discovers the cause of her problems, a possessed pinball machine that compels people to play it until they disappear. A mystery she will need all the the help she can get to solve.
The Ball C Griffiths Knowles
I liked the characters in the story and the writing itself, but the plot of the story was a little dull to be honest, it felt like an interlude between grander/more action type scenes in a novel. A sky captain sends his wife into flirt with a prince and get information about a possible invasion, but he soon regrets it when he sees how friendly things get. He falls apart, but luckily his friends and his wife keep things on track until there's unexpected development. I think Mr Knowles should develop this into a novel, I think it would work quite nicely. Especially with how popular steampunk is at the moment.
A Reversal of his Fortunes by J Boyer (I couldn't find any site linked to J Boyer)
The MC is a hitman and he has a dinner appointment with his client. What follows is a polite stand off between the two characters, while compelling it could have been more intense. Without giving more of the story away that's about all I can say.
The Lone Rider by David P Fisher
Having not read many Western stories I'm not sure how this stacks up, but it was an enjoyable tale. Could have done with a bit more tension maybe, other than that the story was well structured and you get the sense that Brant Steele the Lone Rider in question wasn't someone you would want to mess with.
Stirrings in Hell by Davin Kimble
A lot of thought was put into this story, it felt like a story that could have easily been expanded into a novel, the characters were complex and the intricacies if their relationships worked well. Normally stories about hell bore me, or just have too much blood and guts, but this one had a human factor to it. It made something as vague as hell an interesting place.
Weep Not, Fair Freya by Robert Penson (another that seems to have no info online)
A ship has malfunctioned and travelled past the very end of the universe. It's just black all around them, but they are not alone. They all see the apparition, but none of them will admit it. It's interesting how the story unfolds and how they all crack one by one. I think a great choice for the last story in the book.
With a mysterious space monster and a space hero called into take it down you can really feel the sense of excitement and wonder in this story(told from a young boy's perspective), even thought it was recently written I think it would fit perfectly into a Golden Age Sci-Fi collection.
The Man in the Barn by D.L. Chance
Story has a Men in Black feel to it, but in a good way. It's sort of one of those stories where an alien race warns us that we are on the wrong path, but it has enough of a twist to make it interesting and enjoyable.
Darmok and the Mermaids of the Sea by Ethan Nahte
A hero with strange abilities that can take on pretty much anyone plus the allure of scantly clad women.. There were no surprises in this story, but finely written and a must for sword and sorcery readers.
Darwin's Demons by S C Hayden
Being a fan of the Fortean Times magazine I quite enjoyed this one. A fictional take on a typical article. Sort of like the day in the life of a Cryptozoologist. A must read for mermaid fans.
A Reason for Living by David M DeMar
I loved the banter between the two characters in this, a clash of two different generations and I can definitely relate, it's quite shocking what people call 'music' these days Haha I just made myself sound so old. Even though the probable outcome of the story is revealed early on it was still very enjoyable.
Good Fences Make Good by Chris O'Grady
I enjoyed the story, and even though it had a pulpy feel in some areas it felt out of place in the anthology. The action scenes were great and it shows you no matter how tough you think you are there's always someone out there who could most probably kick your ass without breaking a sweat.
Wonderboy by Charles Martin and Will Weinke
Anne Fredrick is the secret bastard daughter of a superhero, so you can imagine she has some issues. I think Charles and Will did a great job of imagining what it must be like to grow up with a father the whole world loves. A hero with a secret. A secret that takes up the latter half of the story. I appreciate the story is part of a series and I got what the secret it was, I think it could have been executed a bit better, it lacked that punch I was expecting. Not exactly a bad thing, it's all the more reason to find the rest of the series and find out more.
James and the Gentry by Kevin Lauderdale
Quite enjoyed this story. Had a light-hearted feel to it, Reggie, a gentleman and his valet James are thrown into a spot of bother when James rescues a faerie from a bull, a princess no less and as per custom she is no indebted to him and they must get married, and as breathtaking as she is he just doesn't feel it and doesn't want to live in the faerie world, and not only that a past flame of his is betrothed to his best friend Flippy, with limited time they have to figure out how to escape the marriages. I enjoyed the James character the most and hope to stumble across more of his stories in the future.
Radon's Daughter by Julie Jansen
This story had an ethereal/noir feel to it. Detective Weatherford is investigating a case involving a cashed cheque, but everyone in the bar says she should leave saying she's in for more than she bargained for. It's not long before she discovers the cause of her problems, a possessed pinball machine that compels people to play it until they disappear. A mystery she will need all the the help she can get to solve.
The Ball C Griffiths Knowles
I liked the characters in the story and the writing itself, but the plot of the story was a little dull to be honest, it felt like an interlude between grander/more action type scenes in a novel. A sky captain sends his wife into flirt with a prince and get information about a possible invasion, but he soon regrets it when he sees how friendly things get. He falls apart, but luckily his friends and his wife keep things on track until there's unexpected development. I think Mr Knowles should develop this into a novel, I think it would work quite nicely. Especially with how popular steampunk is at the moment.
A Reversal of his Fortunes by J Boyer (I couldn't find any site linked to J Boyer)
The MC is a hitman and he has a dinner appointment with his client. What follows is a polite stand off between the two characters, while compelling it could have been more intense. Without giving more of the story away that's about all I can say.
The Lone Rider by David P Fisher
Having not read many Western stories I'm not sure how this stacks up, but it was an enjoyable tale. Could have done with a bit more tension maybe, other than that the story was well structured and you get the sense that Brant Steele the Lone Rider in question wasn't someone you would want to mess with.
Stirrings in Hell by Davin Kimble
A lot of thought was put into this story, it felt like a story that could have easily been expanded into a novel, the characters were complex and the intricacies if their relationships worked well. Normally stories about hell bore me, or just have too much blood and guts, but this one had a human factor to it. It made something as vague as hell an interesting place.
Weep Not, Fair Freya by Robert Penson (another that seems to have no info online)
A ship has malfunctioned and travelled past the very end of the universe. It's just black all around them, but they are not alone. They all see the apparition, but none of them will admit it. It's interesting how the story unfolds and how they all crack one by one. I think a great choice for the last story in the book.
October 31, 2011
First off - thanks to the publishers for sending me a copy of this collection of PULP! as part of the Goodreads - Firstreads program.
Second, let me just say, I am a big fan of the short story. I've tried to write them and I think it's a more difficult task than it seems to chuck out a really good one. And that is why, just by percentages, so many short story collections are hard to read and not completely satisfying. Usually, if you have 10-15 stories, you're lucky to get more than 5 good ones...and that is the case here - where not even half were worth it. Without a real cohesive theme or reason for these stories to be together - the collections is VERY uneven in both craft and genre. Luckily, at least a few stories were well done and worth the read - but others weren't just ok, but rather poor and innocuous. My favorites: Man in the Barn, Radon's daughter, Reason for Living, Darwin's demons, Stranger in Ferrview and Stirrings in Hell
Second, let me just say, I am a big fan of the short story. I've tried to write them and I think it's a more difficult task than it seems to chuck out a really good one. And that is why, just by percentages, so many short story collections are hard to read and not completely satisfying. Usually, if you have 10-15 stories, you're lucky to get more than 5 good ones...and that is the case here - where not even half were worth it. Without a real cohesive theme or reason for these stories to be together - the collections is VERY uneven in both craft and genre. Luckily, at least a few stories were well done and worth the read - but others weren't just ok, but rather poor and innocuous. My favorites: Man in the Barn, Radon's daughter, Reason for Living, Darwin's demons, Stranger in Ferrview and Stirrings in Hell
January 26, 2012
UPDATE!
Like I already said, I have a hard time NOT finishing a book. So, I did read through this one all the way since I also thought it was not fair to the authors stories that came after I stopped. And I was right, the last two stories were the best one in the book in my opinion. They were more in my direction of interest. So..just for those..I will give an extra star!
I also want to thank the publisher for the copy of this book. Unfortunately..i did not finish it. It rarely happens to me that I don't finish a book..but after taking forever to get through a couple of the stories, I gave up. And let me say that it has nothing to do with the book! It is just not my type of book. The stories are written nicely and they do captivate you, but for me there was just not enough strangeness or mystery or even fantasy. I was always waiting for the big ending of the stories..but they never came. I really want to point out that the book is a good read..just not for me..
Like I already said, I have a hard time NOT finishing a book. So, I did read through this one all the way since I also thought it was not fair to the authors stories that came after I stopped. And I was right, the last two stories were the best one in the book in my opinion. They were more in my direction of interest. So..just for those..I will give an extra star!
I also want to thank the publisher for the copy of this book. Unfortunately..i did not finish it. It rarely happens to me that I don't finish a book..but after taking forever to get through a couple of the stories, I gave up. And let me say that it has nothing to do with the book! It is just not my type of book. The stories are written nicely and they do captivate you, but for me there was just not enough strangeness or mystery or even fantasy. I was always waiting for the big ending of the stories..but they never came. I really want to point out that the book is a good read..just not for me..
November 21, 2012
This publication introduces my wizard warrior character Darmo. If you enjoy Robert E. Howard's work (i.e. Conan, Kull, Solomon Kane) and Karl Edward Wagner (Kane) then you would possibly enjoy "Darmoks and the Mermaids of the Sea".
This book is available here as a softcover or e-book. If you'd prefer an autographed copy from me feel fre to contact me or visit me at a convention. I generally make the shows in Dallas, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Memphis.
This book is available here as a softcover or e-book. If you'd prefer an autographed copy from me feel fre to contact me or visit me at a convention. I generally make the shows in Dallas, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Memphis.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews