Byte Marks (vol.1 / no.6)

The Dresden Files (SciFi, Sundays 9-10pm)
Episode 1 "Birds of a Feather"

Want a recap? I was going to write a concise overview, but look what the SciFi Channel posted:

I've been having these dreams.

Now, I'm a wizard-for-hire-in the phone book and everything-and I face the stuff of nightmares regularly. Lately, I've been dreaming about me and Dad when I was a kid and he was a lousy stage magician. This was after my mother-a wizard like me-died, and Dad was trying hard to keep me out of the family business.

Bob says having this dream all week means something, and maybe the old spirit is right, but that isn't my biggest concern-it's Scott.

When he hired me, I figured he's a normal kid who let the monsters in his closet get to him, and I blew him off. But Bob kept hounding me to check Scott's situation out just in case. He's persistent, and probably pissed that I ruined a powerful talisman called a Doom Box that he was building.

So I reluctantly asked Melissa, one of my sources, to check High Council records for any mention of Scott. She said she found nothing about Scott. I played it safe, and gave the kid a protection symbol to keep the nasties out.

Along the way, I met Scott's teacher, Ms. Timmons. That last part's important, because right then I got a call from Murphy, the Chicago cop who sometimes hires me to help with the weird cases. This time, it was a woman who'd been skinned, but her clothes had been left intact and bloodless.

Looking at pictures in the victim's apartment, it was clear that Timmons was the victim. She had to have been dead when I met her. She'd been killed and replaced by a skinwalker, who was now wearing a Timmons suit.

I ran to Scott's house, but he'd already been taken-by Ravens, who're neutral, and can't be stopped by my protection symbol. I theorized that the Ravens are working for the skinwalker. Melissa, too. She lied about Scott not being on the High Council's radar. Scott has huge magic potential.

Then the skinwalker herself showed up and blew my theory all to hell by torturing me to find Scott.

Whoops. Bob, who hates the sight of my blood even more than I do, caved and gave up the Ravens. "Timmons" left to track Scott, but it took a while.

I got to the Ravens first, and Bob whipped up another Doom Box. I convinced them to let Scott go home to his mother while I took care of the skinwalker.

She couldn't resist the Doom Box-which lived up to its name and disintegrated her. Bob does good work.

This isn't the last time someone's gonna come after Scott, especially once his powers start to manifest. His mother promises to call me if something else happens, but still, I worry...

All in all a good premiere for this fledgling series. Some of the acting left a lot to be desired, but then it is SciFi... not sure if I should be expecting Shakespeare in the Park. It was intrigueing enough to draw me back next week, and I suppose that's good enough... for now.

2.75 out of 5 stars

Heroes (NBC, Mondays 9-10pm)
Episode 12: "Godsend"

From Yahoo TV: Picking up two weeks after recent events, Nathans determination to save a comatose Peter forces him to turn to Simone for help. Isaacs puzzling "Hiro vs. T-Rex" painting inspires Hiro and Ando to search for the pictured samurai sword. Jessica struggles against Nikis decision to turn herself into police. With his associate Eden dead and Matt on his heels, H.R.G. tries to focus on his orders regarding Sylar. After being offered a choice by the Haitian, Claire struggles with changes her decision has wrought. Taking up his fathers quest, Suresh attempts to share information about who is "on the list" of people with special abilities and the threats to their lives. Meanwhile, a new hero makes a shocking debut.

Could this show be any better? Once again Ali Larter amazes me with her acting chops as Nikki/Jessica deals with life in prison. Hiro steals the show...again... with his breath of fresh air innocence. And we get a new hero: the Invisible Man. Highlight for me was the Cheerleader and the Haitian. Their scene together really throws a curveball into the mix. As the story unfolds, I am glued to ongoing tapestry of television perfection.

Anybody else get the creeps from Radioactive Guy sitting in his shack and setting off little explosions in the palms of his hands?

Awesome stuff.

4.99 out of 5 stars

Byte Marks (vol.1 / no.5)

As a long time comic fan, I am one of the voices that can be heard decrying the state of the industry. I can offer up a laundry list of all the things I think that are wrong in the four color world. It is always a pleasure for me to be able to shine a light on what is right in comics.

One of the shining examples of what is right is Scott and Benita Story's Johnny Saturn. Take tight storytelling and old school artwork, toss them in a blender with the best of what has come before and the hope of things to come and Johnny Saturn is what is born from that volatile concoction.

Johnny Saturn, for me, is definitely a throwback to those heady days of mid-twentieth century "mystery men", ala The Shadow, Doc Savage, and even The Batman (as originally conceived). He is the embodiment of that spartan work ethic and sure moral center that is largely missing in todays comics.

Johnny Saturn is hard-boiled, tooth and nail heroism that invokes the old school stylings of Jack Kirby, Wally Wood, Joe Simon, and Gil Kane, but matched with that peculier blend of modern angst and classic art that has been the trademark of creators like Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons.

Johnny Saturn is larger than life in a way that can only be showcased by the "street-level" adventures of a man of mystery. It is a snapshot of reality, played out on a grand stage, with all the inner turmoil that is wrestled with by we, the readers, and that's what makes Johnny Saturn tick. We know we are lesser men than Johnny Saturn, but his will and moral fibre are inspiring, and that kids, is what comics were meant to do. Not to be masterbatory fantasies, but inspiring tales that show us what we can be...

Johnny Saturn, in summation, rocks.

'Nuff Said...

Visit Scott Story's MySpace for more information...

4 out of 5 stars

Byte Marks (vol 1 / no 4)

The Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud by Julia Navarro

All right DaVinci Code fans, I know you're out there. Time to stand up and be counted. For me, every time a publisher releases a book like Navarro's Brotherhood, Dan Brown's magnum opus rises a notch. Treading familiar ground, do not expect the roller coaster, adreneline pumping exploits found in Brown's best seller. No, Julia Navarro offers up a dull and plodding epic that bounces between centuries like an epeleptic ping pong game. A monster hit worldwide, The Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud is simply dreadful. Originally published in Spanish, I am forced to wonder if perhaps something was lost in translation.

A quick recap: Someone's trying to steal the Shroud of Turin, art cops and Knights Templars are on the case, and I really couldn't have cared less.

1.75 out of 5 stars


Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

I was really late to the game on this one. Koontz burned me a long time ago. His books just didn't do it for me and I swore off of them... Finally, after twenty years, I bit the bullet and took up the challenge of reading Odd Thomas. "Oh, it's different from his early works," they said. "You'll love it."

Damn if they weren't right.

If you have not read this book then you are doing yourself a disservice. Koontz breathes the sort of life into loveable Odd and his terrific supporting cast of characters that they will become fast friends. The novel paces itself, building tension here and there like a prize fighter setting up a haymaker. In the end, it's not a preternatural horror that punches you in the gut, but something far more personal and moving.

I fell in love with Odd... I think you will too.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Byte Marks (vol. 1 / no.3)

The Resurrection and the Life by Brian Keene (Biting Dog Press)

It's a good thing I'm no Christian or I would be overwrought with worry over Brian Keene's immortal soul. I'm pretty sure that if Yahweh had a say in this, Brian would be bookmarked for a one-way ticket to Hell. And that, for we readers, is a good thing. Keene turns the biblical tale of Lazarus on its ear and visits upon the Christ a meeting with Ob, that irrepressable Iburr from his popular zombie novels The Rising and City of the Dead.

As always, Keene delivers the goods with a well thought out yarn that fits well into the mythos of his previous works, even if he writes from a totally different section of his brain. In fact, Keene does a fantastic job of showing us just how much he has grown as a scribe. This is more than a well-written Brian Keene story and much more than another entertaining jaunt through a furtile, albeit dark mind. This is Brian Keene creating a work of art.

And speaking of art, I would be remiss if I didn't mention George Walker's rather sizable contribution to this work. His woodcuts are a thing of beauty and firmly establish this as one of the premiere literary works of the twenty-first century. Walker just might be the real story in this tale as his woodcuts invoke Revere's Club Dumas images diabolique from the fictional Nineth Gate.

The good news: this is the literary equivelant of water turned to wine.

The bad news? It's a signed limited and sold out...

Keene promises to release this in a short story collection in the near future. I only hope that he has the rights to reproduce the art as well, for they go hand in hand.

Kudos to Biting Dog Press for producing an awe-inspiring edition that will leave people talking about it for years to come.

4 out of 5 stars

Byte Marks (vol. 1 / no. 2)

If asked to describe THE LEBO COVEN by Stephen Mark Rainey in a single word that word would be chilling.

After ten years, Barry Riggs returns home to find that his brother Matt has vanished. The brothers parted company on bad terms, but Barry is intent on figuring out what happened. With the aid of a childhood acquaintance, Jennifer Brand, Barry enters into a world far darker than he realized was possible.

What follows is a spine-tingling, edge of your seat roller coaster ride that conjures up black and white magick that is palpable and real. Rainey is a master storyteller who weaves his own brand of magic with intricate pacing and a delicate hand that just as swiftly knocks you back and leaves you breathless. It is a beautiful thing to bear witness to.

The endgame will leave you stunned and will sit within the dark recesses of your skull long after you’ve put the book away. It is quite simply one of the finest horror novels I've read and is a shining hope for horror's future as we sail into the 21st Century. If Dennis Wheatley and Hugh Cave were to have coupled, this would be their offspring.

If unbridled horror, with a touch of that old Lovecraftian charm, is your cup of tea then look no further. Thrills and chills await within the pages of The Lebo Coven.

4.25 out of 5

Byte Marks (vol. 1 / no. 1)

Welcome, travelers, to the premiere of Byte Marks... Sit back, have a smoke if you're so inclined, perhaps a nip of spirits to set the mood, and relax. Together we are about to embark on experiment of sorts, an exploration, if you will, of the best and worst that horror has to offer and how it is sifted through the dark recesses of my own gray matter. Sometimes you'll agree. Other times not. Be that as it may, herein lies my examination... Feel free to comment on the subject matter yourself. All opinions are welcome here... Now, are we comfy? Good. Let's get down to the business at hand...

Aegri Somnia (Apex Publications / edited by Jason Sizemore and Gill Ainsworth)

Aegri Somnia, Latin for "fevered dream", is a loose collection of horror shorts from the ambitious Jason Sizemore and his Apex Publications. Anthologies are often very hit and miss, especially when launched by small press publishing houses. I am happy to say that Aegri Somnia more than met my expectations of what a good horror anthology should be.

This is a varied assortment of writing styles from some of the brightest voices in small press. From Angeline Hawkes' mutant mayhem in Chernobyl to Steve Saville's super-hero prison opus, Mari Adkins' thrilling blend of science fiction and Celtic myth to Scott Nicholson's bold telling of plantation life through past life regression.

Aegri Somnia has something for everyone, and while some stories may outshine others, there isn't a bad tale in the bunch. I enjoyed it so much that I recommended it for a Stoker within hours after putting it down.

3.75 out 5

Doorways Magazine #0 (Published by Brian Yount via lulu.com)

Brian Yount's latest foray into publishing, hot on the ashes of Wicked Karnival, is Doorways, a schizophrenic magazine that focuses on horror, the paranormal, and genre-related reviews. Right out of the gate, this magazine has a lot going for it. There is a fascinating interview with Gary Baunbeck and the author provides a nice little tale to boot.

There's a lot to like about Doorways. It's blessed with good fiction, including an intriguing piece by Deborah LeBlanc, and some interesting, if not completely thorough articles on the paranormal investigation front (kudos to Marcy Italiano). As a dabbler in the fields of horror fiction and paranormal investigation, this magazine seems tailor made for someone like me and, though I give it high marks and freely recommend it, there seems to be something missing, something not quite definable.

I trust that this phantom will be reckoned with and that Doorways will find its stride and have a bright future ahead of it.

3 out of 5

All right, ghouls and boils, that's all for today. Upcoming reviews include The Lebo Coven by Stephen Mark Rainey, The Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill, Johnny Saturn by Scott and Benita Story, and much more...

Until next time,

~BF