READING ROUND-UP: MAY 2026

The fifth monthly summary of what I’ve been reading, listening to, and watching in 2026!

 

BOOKS

I read 5 books in May: 3 in print, 1 in e-book format, and 1 in audio format. They were:

1.       Riverworld Odyssey edited by Michael Croteau. (Advance Reader Copy, E-BOOK) PREORDER HERE

2.       Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 1) by Matt Dinniman (AUDIOBOOK)

3.       The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald  by John U. Bacon (PRINT - HARDCOVER) (SPARTA BOOKS BOOK CLUB MAY PICK)

4.       King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby (PRINT - SOFTCOVER) (STANZA BOOKS MYSTERY BOOK CLUB MAY PICK)

5.       Superman: Miracle Monday by Elliot S. Maggin. (PRINT - SOFTCOVER)

 

 

STORIES

I have a goal of reading 365 short stories (1 per day, essentially, although it doesn’t always work out that way) once again this year. Here’s what I read this month and where you can find them if you’re interested in reading them too. If no source is noted, the story is from the same magazine or book as the story(ies) that precede(s) it.

 

1.       “The Knacker Man” by Scott Dalrymple, in Lightspeed Magazine #192, edited by John Joseph Adams

2.       “The Star Where We Meet” by Sam W. Pisciotta

3.       “The Stars Look Away From the Vessel” by dave ring

4.       “The Test of Time” by Kristin Kathryn Rusch

5.       “Sarah's Laugh” by Melissa A Watkins

6.       “The Aerialist” by Yoon Ha Lee

7.       “Ten Unsent Letters to the Dark Lord” by Ada Hoffman

8.       “The Last Season of Your Life” by Christopher Barzak

9.       “Eden Sank to Grief” by Seanan McGuire, from the Author’s Patreon

10.   “River of Eternity” by Philip Jose Farmer from Riverworld Odyssey, edited by Michael Croteau

11.   “Day of the Great Shout” by Philip Jose Farmer

12.   “Riverworld” by Philip Jose Farmer

13.   “Riverworld War” by Philip Jose Farmer

14.   “Crossing the Dark River” by Philip Jose Farmer

15.   “A Hole in Hell” by Dane Helstrom (Philip Jose Farmer)

16.   “Up The Bright River” by Philip Jose Farmer

17.   “Coda” by Philip Jose Farmer

18.   “Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust” by Seanan McGuire, from Oz Reimagined edited by John Joseph Adams & Douglas Cohen

19.   “The Final Safest Place” by Wendy N. Wagner, from Three-Lobed Burning Eye #47, edited by Andrew S. Fuller

20.   “Out to Sea” by Dom D. Borg, From Kaleidotrope Spring 2026, edited by Fred Coppersmith

21.   “Hollow Cast” by Sarah Grey, from Nightmare #164 edited by Wendy N. Wagner

22.   “A Magic Kingdom” by Bruce McAllister

 

So that’s 22 short stories in May. A bit less than “1 per day,” and I don’t think I managed any author birthday short stories at all! (May 31st was the 151st day of 2026.)

 

COMIC BOOKS

I’ve begun tracking the individual monthly comic book issues I read and thought it would be fun to include that list in this monthly round-up as well. I’m striving for a comic book per day. I’ve also started doing a “Random Back Issue Comic Books Read/Reread” daily post on my Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky accounts. We’ll see how long that lasts. Here’s the comics I read in May:

 

1.       Marvel Presents #6 featuring The Guardians of the Galaxy (Marvel, 1976)

2.       Black Lightning #4 (DC, 1977)

3.       Superman In the Computers That Saved Metropolis (DC, 1980)

4.       Planet of the Apes #16 (Marvel black & white magazine, 1976)

5.       Rip Hunter Time Master #19 (DC, 1964)

6.       Rip Hunter Time Master #26 (DC, 1965)

7.       Bizarre Adventures #30 featuring Paradox, Silhouette, Hero (Marvel black & white magazine, 1982)

8.       Adventures of Superman: Book of El #8 (DC, 2026)

9.       Captain America (2025) #10 (Marvel, 2026)

10.   JSA (2024) #19 (DC, 2026)

11.   Looney Tunes #216 (Dell, 1959)

12.   Showcase ’93 #9 (DC, 1993)

13.   Wiccan: Witches Road #5 (Marvel, 2026)

14.   Showcase #46 (DC, 1963)

15.   Zatanna (2026) #1 (DC, 2026)

16.   World's Finest #154 (DC, 1965)

17.   World's Finest #157(DC, 1966)

18.   Swamp Thing '89 #1 (DC, 2026)

19.   The Flash (1960s series) #236 (DC, 1975)

20.   Brain Boy #6 (Dell, 1963)

21.   Justice League Intergalactic Special #1 (DC, 2026)

22.   Gatchaman: Red Impulse #1 (Mad Cave, 2026)

23.   Deadly Hands of K'un-Lun #3 (Marvel, 2026)

24.   Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner #1 (DC, 2026)

25.   Marvel Team-Up #120 (Marvel, 1982)

26.   New Teen Titans Drug Awareness Special #1 (DC, 1983)

27.   Tarzan Family #60 (DC, 1975)

28.   Superman Family #173 (DC, 1975

29.   Captain America (2025) #11 (Marvel, 2026)

30.   Supergirl (2025) #13 (DC, 2026)

31.   The Fury of Firestorm (2026) #2 (DC, 2026)

32.   Action Comics #1098 (DC, 2026)

33.   Emperor Aquaman #17 (DC, 2026)

34.   The Thing on the Doorstep #4 (Image, 2026)

35.   Green Lantern Corps (2024) #16 (DC, 2026)

36.   Nectar #1 (Vault Comics, 2026)

37.   Super-Team Family #1 (DC, 1975)

38.   Batman Family #1 (DC, 1975)

39.   Morgana Pendragon #2 (Queen of Mercia LLC, 2026)

40.   Barbara Gordon: Breakout #1 (DC, 2026)

41.   The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones #1 (Marvel, 1983)

42.   Spider-Woman #2 (Marvel, 1978)

43.   Dracula Lives! Annual #1 (Marvel black & white magazine, 1975)

44.   Planet of the Vampires #2 (Atlas, 1975)

45.   The Hardy Boys #2 (Gold Key, 1970)

46.   Batwoman (2026) #3 (DC, 2026)

47.   Superman Unlimited #13 (DC, 2026)

48.   Odin #1 (Image, 2026)

49.   Deadly Hands of K'Un-Lun #4 (Marvel, 2026)

50.   Batman/Superman: World's Finest #51 (DC, 2026)

51.   Marvel Classics Comics #1 (Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde) (Marvel, 1976)

52.   Imperial Guardians #3 (Marvel, 2026)

53.   Super Creepshow #3 (Image, 2026)

54.   Seven Wives #1 (IDW, 2026)

55.   Sorcerer Supreme #6 (Marvel, 2026)

56.   Superboy #103 (DC, 1963)

57.   Nectar #2 (Vault Comics, 2026)

58.   Nectar #3 (Vault Comics, 2026)

59.   Monster Hunters #15 (Charlton, 1975)

60.   Blood of Dracula #1 (Apple Comics, 1987)

61.   Excommunicated #1 (Vault Comics, 2026)

62.   Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp #6 (Whitman, 1971)

63.   DC Super-Stars #9 (The Man Behind the Gun) (DC. 1976)

64.   All-Star Squadron Preview (originally published in Justice League of America 193, insert removed) (DC, 1981)

65.   All-Star Squadron #1 (DC, 1981)

66.   All-Star Squadron #2 (DC, 1981)

67.   All-Star Squadron #3 (DC, 1981)

68.   All-Star Squadron #4 (DC, 1981)

69.   Ironjaw #1 (Atlas, 1975)

So that’s 69 comics, way ahead of the “one per day” goal.

 

 

MOVIES

 

I watched ZERO movies in May.

 

TELEVISION

·       Doctor Who Classic S07 Eps 12 – 25 (Pertwee Season 1) (13 Episodes)

·       Doctor Who Classic S08 Eps 01 – 10 (Pertwee Season 1) (10 Episodes)

·       Good Omens S03 Ep 01 (1 episode)

 

That’s 24 episodes of television, much closer to the “1 per day” I was shooting for.

 

LIVE THEATER

1.       TRU (drama, Church of the Redeemer, NYC)

2.       Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York City) (musical, Longacre Theatre, NYC) (REVIEW HERE)

3.       The Lost Boys (musical, The Palace Theatre, NYC) (REVIEW HERE)

 

PODCASTS

I’m a fairly recent convert to listening to podcasts, so I thought it would also be fun to list those here in the monthly roundups:

1         Justice Society Presents Episode 46 (Interview with Matt Wagner and James K. Snyder III)

2         Justice Society Presents Episode 47 (The Sandman Slept Here 06 (Sandman Mystery Theatre Annual #1 and Adventure Comics #47))

3         Borgo Pass Horror Podcast Episode 11 (Dracula's Daughter 1936)

4         Borgo Pass Horror Podcast Episode 12 (The Werewolf of London 1936)

5         The Doctor's Beard Episode 60 (“Spearhead From Space”)

6         The Doctor's Beard Episode 61 (“Doctor Who and the Silurians”)

7         The Doctor's Beard Episode 62 (“Ambassadors of Death”)

8         The Doctor's Beard Episode 63 (“Inferno”)

9         The Doctor’s Beard Episode 64 (Patreon Exclusive #48)

10     FW Team-Up Episode 82 (Marvel Two-In-One #33, The Thing and Modred the Mystic)

 

Summary of Challenges:

Books Challenge: This month: 5 read; YTD: 39 of 120 read.

366 Short Stories Challenge: This month: 22 read; YTD: 189 of 366 read.

Graphic Novels Challenge: This month: 0 read; YTD: 6 of 52 read.

Read the Book / Watch the Movie Challenge: This month: 0 read/watched; YTD: 0 read/watched.

Movie Challenge: This month: 0 watched; YTD: 6 of 52 watched.

TV Shows Challenge: This month: 22 episodes watched; YTD: 66 of 365 watched.

Live Theater Challenge: This month: 3 shows attended; YTD: 8 of 12 attended.

Comic Books Challenge: This month: 69; YTD: 344 of 365 read.

READING ROUND-UP: April 2026

The fourth monthly summary of what I’ve been reading, listening to, and watching in 2026 (slightly overdue)!

 

BOOKS

I read 5 books in April: 4 in print, 0 in e-book format, and 1 in audio format. They were:

1.       The Cannibal Owl by Aaron Gwyn. (PRINT - SOFTCOVER)

2.       Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater (PRINT - SOFTCOVER)

3.       The Author Immortal by Frank J. Barbiere, Morgan Beem, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Sasha E. Head (PRINT - SOFTCOVER)

4.       The Long Way Home by Elissa Ebersold. (PRINT - SOFTCOVER)

5.       Mortal Monarchs: 1,000 Years of Royal Deaths by Suzie Edge. (AUDIOBOOK)

 

 

STORIES

I have a goal of reading 365 short stories (1 per day, essentially, although it doesn’t always work out that way) once again this year. Here’s what I read this month and where you can find them if you’re interested in reading them too. If no source is noted, the story is from the same magazine or book as the story(ies) that precede(s) it.

 

1.       “Saint Zero of the Hollows and the Eagle Knight” by V.M. Ayala, in Lightspeed Magazine #191, edited by John Joseph Adams

2.       “Dad Died on Discord” by Andrew Dana Hudson

3.       “Update on Rules for the Spatiotemporal Use of Campus Spaces” by Andrea Kriz

4.       “Empathetic Psychosis” by Justin C. Key

5.       “Hell is Empty” by J.R. Dawson

6.       “Six-Gun Vixen and the Machinist of Doom Valley” by Ashok K. Banker

7.       “Time Management” by P.A. Cornell

8.       “A Solitude of Space” by Seanan McGuire, from the Author’s Patreon

9.       “Nacre” by E. Catherine Tobler from Three-Lobed Burning Eye #45, edited by Andrew S. Fuller

10.   “The Barrens” by Octavia Cade

11.   “Once Upon an Invasion” by Amanda Cecelia Long, From Kaleidotrope Spring 2026, edited by Fred Coppersmith

12.   “Outbreak” by Michelle H. Porter

13.   “Macaroni Art in the Age of Filtration” by Ryan Cole, from the Clarkesworld #235, edited by Neil Clarke

14.   “DOG” by Tania Fordwalker

15.   “The Final Girl Trap” by A.C. Wise, from Nightmare #163 edited by Wendy N. Wagner

16.   “The Spiders You Swallow in Your Sleep” by Wendy Nikel

17.   “Cool Beans” by Teel James Glenn, from Cirsova #25 (Winter 2025) edited by P. Alexander

18.   “This Is Not Your Extinction Event” by Elena Sichrovksy, from Otherside #1 edited by V.M. Ayala, M.R. Robinson, Ash Vale

19.   “Vitrification” by Ishmael Grey

20.   “Not Known” by W.H. Chizmar, from Author Chapbook/Patreon

21.   “Windows” by Ibrahim Ojedokun, from The Dark #131 edited by Sean Wallace

22.   “Dromedary Mary” by Phoenix Alexander

23.   “Johnny Otha Has a Problem” by Margaret Dunlap, from The Sunday Morning Transport April 2026, edited by Fran Wilde and Julian Yap

24.   “Strawberries” by D.A. Xaolin Spires

 

So that’s 24 short stories in April. A bit less than “1 per day,” and I don’t think I managed any author birthday short stories at all! (April 30th was the 120th day of 2026.)

 

COMIC BOOKS

I’ve begun tracking the individual monthly comic book issues I read and thought it would be fun to include that list in this monthly round-up as well. I’m striving for a comic book per day. I’ve also started doing a “Random Back Issue Comic Books Read/Reread” daily post on my Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky accounts. We’ll see how long that lasts. Here’s the comics I read in April:

 

1.       Justice League Red #6 (DC, 2026)

2.       Strange Tales (2025) #4 (Marvel, 2026)

3.       The Eternals 50th Anniversary Special #1 (Marvel, 2026)

4.       Batman/Superman: World's Finest #50 (DC, 2026)

5.       JSA (2024 series) #18 (DC, 2026)

6.       Nightmask #1 (Marvel New Universe, 1986)

7.       Beowulf: Dragon Slayer #1 (DC, 1975)

8.       Beowulf: Dragon Slayer #2 (DC, 1975)

9.       Beowulf: Dragon Slayer #3 (DC, 1975)

10.   Beowulf: Dragon Slayer #4 (DC, 1976)

11.   Beowulf: Dragon Slayer #5 (DC, 1976)

12.   Beowulf: Dragon Slayer #6 (DC, 1976)

13.   Targitt #3 (Atlas, 1975)

14.   The Sandman #1 (DC, 1974)

15.   Sherlock Holmes #1 (DC, 1975)

16.   Nova: Centurion #05 (Marvel, 2026)

17.   Adventures of Superman: Book of El #7 (DC, 2026)

18.   Universal Monsters: Phantom of the Opera #2 (Image/Skybound, 2026)

19.   Deadly Hands of K'Un-Lun #2 (Marvel, 2026)

20.   The Flash (2023 series) #31 (DC, 2026)

21.   Captain Britain #6 (Marvel, 1985)

22.   Stalker #3 (DC, 1975)

23.   The Shadow War of Hawkman #1 (DC, 1975)

24.   Superboy #200 (DC, 1974)

25.   Planet of the Apes #1 (Marvel black & white magazine, 1974)

26.   Marvel Preview #16, featuring Lilith and Hodiah Twist (Marvel black and white magazine, 1978)

27.   Pick-Up #1 (AWA, 2026)

28.   New Titans #33 (DC, 2026)

29.   Super Creepshow #1 (Image/Skybound, 2026)

30.   Captain America (2025 series) #8 (DC, 2026)

31.   Supergirl (2025 series) #12 (DC, 2026)

32.   The Fury of Firestorm (2026 series) #1 (DC)

33.   Green Lantern Corps (2024 series) #15 (DC, 2026)

34.   Action Comics #1097 (DC, 2026)

35.   Emperor Aquaman #16 (DC, 2026)

36.   The Nice House By The Sea #9 (DC/Vertigo, 2026)

37.   Doomsday +1 #1 (Charlton, 1975)

38.   Bizarro Year One #1 (DC, 2026)

39.   Batman (2025 series) #8 (DC, 2026)

40.   The Thing on the Doorstep #1 (Image, 2026)

41.   The Thing on the Doorstep #2 (Image, 2026)

42.   Lost Fantasy #8 (Image, 2026)

43.   Imperial Guardians #1 (Marvel, 2026)

44.   Blackhawk #220 (DC, 1966)

45.   Blackhawk #221 (DC, 1966)

46.   Astonishing Tales #24 featuring IT! The Living Colossus (Marvel, 1974)

47.   Dark Shadows #17 (Gold Key, 1972)

48.   Classics Illustrated #67 (The Scottish Chiefs) (Gilberton, 1950)

49.   Justice League of America (1960 series) #56 (DC, 1967)

50.   Superman (2023 series) #36 (DC, 2026)

51.   DC/Marvel: Superman/Spider-Man #1 (DC, 2026)

52.   Sorcerer Supreme #2 (Marvel, 2026)

53.   Sorcerer Supreme #3 (Marvel, 2026)

54.   Sorcerer Supreme #4 (Marvel, 2026)

55.   New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident #1 (DC/Milestone, 2026)

56.   Green Lantern (2023 series) #31 (DC, 2026)

57.   Green Lantern (2023 series) #32 (DC, 2026)

58.   Green Lantern (2023 series) #33 (DC, 2026)

59.   Justice Society of America (1991 series) #3 (DC, 1991)

60.   Werewolf #2 (Dell, 1967)

61.   Giant-Size Avengers #1 (Marvel, 1974)

62.   Frankenstein #3 (Dell, 1966)

63.   Wynd: The Power of the Blood #8 (BOOM!, 2026)

64.   Imperial Guardians #2 (Marvel, 2026)

65.   Exquisite Corpses #12 (Image, 2026)

66.   The Other/Half #2 (Ignition Press, 2026)

67.   Captain America (2025) #9 (Marvel, 2026)

68.   The Flash (1960s series) #173 (DC, 1967)

69.   Sorcerer Supreme #5 (Marvel, 2026)

70.   Justice League Unlimited #18 (DC, 2026)

71.   Superman Unlimited #12 (DC, 2026)

72.   Gatchaman #17 (Mad Cave, 2026)

73.   Batwoman (2026 series) #2 (DC, 2026)

74.   Steel The Indestructible Man #2 (DC, 1978)

75.   Steel The Indestructible Man #3 (DC, 1978)

76.   Steel The Indestructible Man #4 (DC, 1978)

77.   Steel The Indestructible Man #5 (DC, 1978)

78.   Marvel/DC: Spider-Man/Superman #1 (Marvel, 2026)

79.   Lost Fantasy #9 (Image, 2026)

80.   Fireborn #1 (Image, 2026)

81.   Marvel Two-In-One #11 featuring The Thing & The Golem (Marvel, 1975)

82.   The Peril of the Brutal Dark: an Ezra Cain Mystery #3 (DC/Vertigo, 2026)

83.   Universal Monsters: The Phantom of the Opera #3 (Image/Skybound, 2026)

84.   Superman (2023 series) #37 (DC, 2026)

85.   The Thing on the Doorstep #3 (Image, 2026)

86.   Marvel Spotlight #5, featuring Dragon Lord (Marvel, 1980)

87.   Green Lantern (2023 series) #34 (DC, 2026)

88.   The Flash (2023 series) #32 (DC, 2026)

89.   Super Creepshow #2 (Image/Skybound, 2026)

90.   What If Dark: Tomb of Dracula #1 (Marvel, 2025)

91.   Iceman Omega #1 (Marvel, 2025)

92.   Challengers of the Unknown #81 (DC, 1977)

93.   Battle of the Planets #6 (Western Publishing, 1980)

94.   Justice League of America (1960s series) #47 (DC, 1966)

95.   Mission: Impossible #2 (Dell, 1967)

 

So that’s 95 comics, way ahead of the “one per day” goal.

 

 

MOVIES

 

I watched ZERO movies in April.

 

TELEVISION

·       Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special Eps 1 – 2 (2 episodes)

·       Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair S01 Eps 1 – 4 (4 episodes)

·       Doctor Who Classic S07 Eps 1 – 11 (Pertwee Season 1) (11 Episodes)

That’s 17 episodes of television, still not even close to the “1 per day” I was shooting for.

 

LIVE THEATER

1.       CHESS (musical, Imperial Theatre, NYC)

2.       Titus Andronicus (Red Bull Theatre, NYC)

 

PODCASTS

I’m a fairly recent convert to listening to podcasts, so I thought it would also be fun to list those here in the monthly roundups:

1         Justice Society Presents Episode 44 (The Sandman Slept Here 05 (Sandman Mystery Theatre Issues 17-20))

2         Justice Society Presents Episode 45 (JSA in the 90s: Justice Society of America #3 ('91))

3         Borgo Pass Horror Podcast Episode 7 (Frankenstein 1931)

4         Borgo Pass Horror Podcast Episode 8 (Captive Wild Woman 1943)

5         Borgo Pass Horror Podcast Episode 9 (House of Dracula 1945)

6         Borgo Pass Horror Podcast Episode 10 (The Raven 1935)

 

 

Summary of Challenges:

Books Challenge: This month: 5 read; YTD: 34 of 120 read.

366 Short Stories Challenge: This month: 24 read; YTD: 139 of 366 read.

Graphic Novels Challenge: This month: 1 read; YTD: 6 of 52 read.

Read the Book / Watch the Movie Challenge: This month: 0 read/watched; YTD: 0 read/watched.

Movie Challenge: This month: 0 watched; YTD: 6 of 52 watched.

TV Shows Challenge: This month: 17 episodes watched; YTD: 42 of 365 watched.

Live Theater Challenge: This month: 2 shows attended; YTD: 5 of 12 attended.

Comic Books Challenge: This month: 95; YTD: 275 of 365 read.

Reading Round-Up: August 2019

Continuing the monthly summaries of what I’ve been reading and writing.

 

BOOKS

To keep my numbers consistent with what I have listed on Goodreads, I count completed magazine issues and stand-alone short stories in e-book format as “books.” I read or listened to 14 books in August: 11 in print, 2 in e-book format, and 1 in audio. They were:

1.       Lightspeed Magazine #111 (August 2019 issue), edited by John Joseph Adams. The usual fine assortment of sf and fantasy short stories. This month’s favorites for me were Carlos Hernandez’s “The Macrobe Conservation Project,” Rhajan Khanna’s “Card Sharp,” Sam J. Miller’s “Calved,” and Domenica Phettleplace’s “Robot Country.”

2.       Desdemona and the Deep by CSE Cooney. CSE Cooney gives readers a wonderful new fantasy world to explore in this novella with overlapping layers of human, faerie and goblin realms linked by a mysterious house and an ancient pact. Full review coming soon.

3.       In The Shadow of Spindrift House by Mira Grant. When Seanan McGuire writes as “Mira Grant,” I expect the work to fall in to the “science-horror” realm (things like fungal/epidemiological end-of-world scenarios, or killer mermaids, or computer/AI-based horror). This one is a mash-up: part Scooby Doo pastiche, part haunted town, part Lovecraft … but the parts add up to a fun, genre-blending whole I found really enjoyable and scary.

4.       The Other Log of Phileas Fogg, by Philip Jose Farmer. This was my third, or possibly fourth re-read of Farmer’s classic “story behind the story” take on Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days. Farmer adds science fiction and world conspiracy flavors to Verne’s already fun adventure story, along with his classic penchant for sly (and sometimes not-so-sly) literary references. This book is one of the cornerstones of Farmer’s Wold Newton Family world.

5.       Hunt the Avenger by Win Scott Eckert. When you think of classic Pulp Magazine adventurers, you think Doc Savage, the Shadow, and Richard Benson, The Avenger. This “fix-up”/mosaic novel pulls together several of Eckert’s previously published Avenger short stories and adds two new chapters to the mix to tell a complete story about Justice Inc.’s battles with The Countess and The Iron Skull alongside pulp heroine The Domino Lady. A fun romp full of Farmerian winks and nods to other classic characters. Full review for this one also coming soon.

6.       Phileas Fogg and the War of Shadows by Joshua Reynolds. Meteor House is the official publisher of all authorized continuations of Philip Jose Farmer’s works. This novella picks up a few decades after The Other Log of Phileas Fogg and continues the story of Fogg, Passpartout, Nemo and the remaining Eridanean and Capellian agents on Earth. It’s a fast-paced adventure romp and of course has nods to other classic literature, as does….

7.       Phileas Fogg and the Heart of Osra by Josh Reynolds. Reynold’s second Fogg novella picks right up where War of Shadows left off, moving Fogg further across Europe, this time visiting the nation of Ruritania and revealing more folks we never knew were connected to the Eridanean/Capellian conflict. Just as fast and fun as the first book. Sadly, Meteor House has to date not continued this series (although I believe Reynolds planned five novellas total).

8.       The Shadow: Midnight in Moscow by Howard Chaykin. The art is classic Chaykin, the story a nice mix of Chaykin and the feel of the pulps. There’s lots of gunplay, lots of mind-control, and plenty of blood around cutting edge technology and the Cold War. (Kudos to Chaykin for including a short scene featuring The Shadow having dinner with his Wold Newton lineage cousins, with a shot of the Wold Cottage Meteor Monument in the background.)

9.       Lumberjanes Volume 12: Jackalope Springs Eternal by Shannon Watters, Noelle Stevenson, Brooklyn Allen, and others. Another fun Lumberjanes adventure, with a twist. This time it’s their counselor Jen urging them to go out and do something potentially dangerous (search for the legendary Jackalope!) instead of the girls heading into trouble while Jen tries to keep them in their cabins and safe. There’s lots of character growth in this one stemming out of the events in the previous volume.

10.   Tarzan and the Valley of Gold by Fritz Leiber. Leiber was the first writer officially authorized by the Burroughs estate to write a new Tarzan novel, based on the script for the movie of the same name. Leiber doesn’t just deliver a novelization, he delivers a fully-realized, totally Burroughsian take on the story. It’s easy to see why this one is considered by the Burroughs estate to be a part of the Tarzan canon. I intend to get around to watching the movie and then writing a blog post comparing book to movie.

11.   Books of Magic Volume 1: Moveable Type By Kat Howard, Tom Fowler and others. I was a fan of the tossle-haired, bespectacled British boy wizard Tim Hunter long before Harry Potter came along, and I followed the character in his original Vertigo series(s) from adolescence to adulthood. Part of me wanted to be skeptical when DC Comics announced that their “new” Sandman Universe would include a Books of Magic series that returned Tim Hunter to his starting point – but then I saw that Kat Howard was writing the book and I knew our boy Tim was in good hands. And I was correct. This is a great new take on the character, a slow-boil version of Tim coming into his magic and the forces trying to stop him. And Tim Fowler’s art is expressive in a slightly cartoony way that further sets this new iteration apart from the source material, in a good way.

12.   The Quest of Frankenstein by Frank Schildiner. Like Win Scott Eckert, Frank Shildiner is one the current masters of “new pulp,” especially the type with a classic horror bent. This is the first in his new series of novels following up on the French “Frankenstein” novels which were in their turn sequels to the Mary Shelley original. This is a bloodier, more coherent-minded Monster than fans of the Universal movies of the 30s and 40s might be comfortable with, but I enjoyed the book. Oh, it also features a lot of classic vampires and weird scientists.

13.   Untranslatable by Alma Alexander. The theme of this short story collection is words from other languages that are not directly and simply translated into English. Some of the stories are reprints and some are new, and all are intriguing and excellent. I’m planning a longer review, but speculative fiction short story lovers should be picking this one up.

14.   Justice, Inc. by Michael E. Uslan, Giovanni Timpano and others. A graphic novel that gives us an alternate original for Richard Benson, the Avenger, and his ties to Doc Savage and The Shadow. Uslan tells a fun, high-stakes story, and the art is solid throughout. There are beautiful covers painted by Alex Ross as well.

 

 

STORIES

I have a goal of reading 365 short stories (1 per day, essentially, although it doesn’t always work out that way) each year. Here’s what I read this month and where you can find them if you’re interested in reading them too. If no source is noted, the story is from the same magazine or book as the story(ies) that precede(s) it:

1.       “Robot Country” by Domenica Phettleplace, from Lightspeed Magazine #111 (August 2019 issue), edited by John Joseph Adams.

2.       “Calved” by Sam J. Miller

3.       “No Matter” by Kendra Fortmeyer

4.       “The Macrobe Conservation Project” by Carlos Hernandez

5.       “The Rock Eaters” by Brenda Paynado

6.       “The Final Blow” by Scott Sigler

7.       “Card Sharp” by Rajan Khanna

8.       “A Leash of Foxes, Their Stories Like Barter” by Cassandra Khaw

9.       “Dreams and Sighs” by Seanan McGuire, on the author’s Patreon page.

10.   “Death and the Countess” by Win Scott Eckert, from his mosaic/fix-up novel Hunt The Avenger.

11.   “Happy Death Men” by Win Scott Eckert

12.   “According to Plan of a One-Eyed Trickster” by Win Scott Eckert

13.   “The Glass Lady” by Win Scott Eckert

14.   “Toil and Trouble” by Win Scott Eckert

15.   “Black Wings of Kjellmar” by Alma Alexander, from her collection Untranslatable.

16.   “Dreamshare” by Alma Alexander

17.   “The Bucket List” by Alma Alexander

18.   “Equinox” by Alma Alexander

19.   “To Remember Riobarre” by Alma Alexander

20.   “Color” by Alma Alexander

21.   “Go Through” by Alma Alexander

22.   “Leaving Via Callia” by Alma Alexander

23.   “Night Train” by Alma Alexander

24.   “She Wore Yellow” by Alma Alexander

25.   “Something That Would Shine” by Alma Alexander

26.   “The Flying Dutchman” by Alma Alexander

27.   “The Painting” by Alma Alexander

28.   “The Bones of Our Ancestors, the Blood of Our Flowers” by Alma Alexander

So that’s 28 short stories in August, keeping me way ahead for the year so far. (August 31th was the 243th day of 2019.)

 

Summary of Reading Challenges:

“To Be Read” Challenge: This month: 0 read; YTD: 3 of 14 read.

365 Short Stories Challenge: This month:  28 read; YTD: 319 of 365 read.

Graphic Novels Challenge:  This month: 4 read; YTD: 21 of 52 read.

Goodreads Challenge: This month: 14 read; YTD: 92 of 125 read.

Non-Fiction Challenge: This month: 0; YTD: 5 of 24 read.

Read the Book / Watch the Movie Challenge: This month: 0; YTD: 0 of 10 read/watched.

Complete the Series Challenge: This month: 0 books read; YTD: 0 of 16 read.

                                                                Series fully completed: 0 of 3 planned

Monthly Special Challenge: I may not do something like this every month but August’s monthly special challenge was in honor of PulpFest and FarmerCon, the annual overlapping conventions that celebrate the fiction of the Pulp magazine era and the work of author Philip Jose Farmer. By my count, I read 8 books towards this mini-challenge. One by Philip Jose Farmer, two directly inspired by and involving his creations with his estate’s approval, and 5 featuring pulp characters like The Avenger, The Shadow, Domino Lady, Tarzan, and the French pulp version of Frankenstein’s Monster, Gouroull.

September is Hispanic Heritage Month, so I’m setting a goal to read as much stuff by Hispanic/Latinx authors as possible.

2012 TBR BOOK CHALLENGE

So the lovely and talented Adam, aka Roof Beam Reader is once again running his TO BE READ BOOK CHALLENGE. This year, I’m actually going to sign up properly so I have a chance at winning the prize he’s offering.

TBR Book Challenge

TBR Book Challenge

Adam’s rules for the TO BE READ (TBR) CHALLENGE are simple. In his own words:

The Goal
To finally read 12 books from your “to be read” pile, within 12 months

Specifics:

1. Each of these 12 books must have been on your bookshelf or “To Be Read” list for AT LEAST one full year. This means the book cannot have a publication date of 1/1/2011 or later (any book published in the year 2010 or earlier qualifies, as long as it has been on your TBR pile – I WILL be checking publication dates). Caveat: Two (2) alternates are allowed, just in case one or two of the books end up in the “can’t get through” pile.

So here are my choices:

1. GRIFTER’S GAME by Lawrence Block
2. THE GATHERING STORM by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
3. THE DRAGON WAITING by John M. Ford
4. MAINSPRING by Jay Lake
5. BLIND FALL by Christopher Rice
6. A SECRET EDGE by Robin Reardon
7. THE FIFTH CHILD by Doris Lessing Finished February 12, 2012
8. ST. LUCY’S HOME FOR GIRLS RAISED BY WOLVES by Karen Russell
9. MAIN STREET by Sinclair Lewis
10. MYSTERY OF THE SEA by Bram Stoker
11. THE SUNNY SIDE by A.A. Milne
12. THE TIN DRUM by Gunter Grass – started in Feb 2012, finished in December 2012

and the alternates:

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
DANGEROUS LAUGHTER by Steven Millhauser

This is not necessarily the order I will read them in. But they are all books I’ve been meaning to read for more than a year. I think it’s also a nice mix of genres and formats, too.