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The Return of Frankenstein

I know I just wrote about Frankenstein, but there’s always more to share, and I just wanted to quickly share this with you. August 30 was Frankenstein Day, the birthday of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. In honor of the day, Diane Colson over at The Hub has some suggested reading. This Dark Endeavor, the first book she lists(reviewed here—  its sequel, Such Wicked Intent, is reviewed here as well) is scary as hell, and Angelmonster (reviewed here), which she also lists, is a truly amazing book.

It’s not what I would call YA-accessible, unless the young adult in question is absolutely devoted to knowing the backstory of the original novel, but since Colson listed several other books I don’t know if I would consider targeted to YA readers, I will suggest that those who are really interested in the players who were there the night Shelley came up with the story also check out The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein.

And a happy (belated) Frankenstein Day to you!

 

Posted on September 5, 2013 by , Reply

Missing Since Gen Con: Robert the Bard

As some of you may know, Gen Con(a major science fiction, fantasy and gaming convention) took place in the area here not that long ago. Whether you’re a librarian or a fan, you’ve probably been to some kind of convention at some time. They are a great way to meet people with common interests, widen your knowledge, geek on favorite authors and/or authorities in your field, and, most of all, have fun. Science fiction, fantasy, and gaming together cover a huge number of topics, genres, events, and people, including writers, readers, and consumers of the horror genre.  If you want a feel for what science fiction, fantasy, and horror lovers are looking for, and you want to get them into your library, look for a local con in your community, and go in with an open mind. It’s worth it to check it out.

A transcript of  the following report was forwarded to us by our reviewer Aaron Fletcher, who attended Gen Con 2013 and acquired this digital recording of an interview conducted by Robert the Bard there that may shed some light on the convention experience.

 

Report From the Floor of Gen Con 2013 Day 2 August 16, 2013.

Transcribed by Aaron Fletcher

Robert the Bard: Hello everyone, Robert the Bard reporting from the Indianapolis Convention Center, where I am attending Gen Con 2013! I am here today talking with the lesser known “heroes” of Gen Con: the monsters. Without them, there would be no Gen Con. Here to start us off is this splendid, absolutely gruesome ogre named Grug. How are you enjoying Gen Con, Grug?

 

Grug: Me not.

 

Robert the Bard: You’re not?!? What seems to be the problem?

 

Grug: Me rest in dungeon when horde of humans rush in and hit Grug. Hit Grug in tummy. Hurt Grug! Take Grug treasure! Why humans do that?

 

Robert the Bard: Well, Grug, I imagine they did that to have an adventure.

 

Grug: Grug want treasure back! Grug MAD!!!

 

Robert the Bard: All right! All right now, Grug! Take it easy. No need to go on a rampage now. I’m sure you can go on an adventure of your own and get treasure from some innocent people in a little while. Why don’t you take in some of the other events at Gen Con while you wait?

 

Grug: Events??!?!? What events mean?

 

 

Robert the Bard: Well I’m talking about the other things going on here at Gen Con. There’s The Film Festival, the Writer’s Symposium, and the Art Show. Maybe pick up something to read or a fantastic work of art for your dungeon.

 

 

Grug: Stories scare Grug. Always of Adventurers kill monsters. Make Grug sad. Dungeon has art. Mrs. Grug jealous artist. She no like other art.

 

 

Robert the Bard: Oh, I see, Grug. Well if you don’t like those things, you can play a game or learn a new one. After all, Gen Con is known for all kinds of role playing games, board games and card games. You can even buy the games right here.

 

 

Grug: What kind games?

 

 

Robert the Bard: Well, just about anything you can imagine. There are fantasy Games, science fiction Games, horror Games, world building games, and just about anything else you can think of.

 

 

Grug: Oh. Grug like fantasy adventure game. Get treasure…

 

 

Robert the Bard: You do! Well what’s it called, Grug? I’ll help you find some treasure.

 

 

Grug: You help Grug?!?!?

 

 

Robert the Bard: Sure I will! What do you say…Uh…What are you doing, Grug? Uh, take it easy now…

 

 

Grug: Hehe! Grug like smash talky talky human! Here Grug come!

 

 

Robert the Bard: Put that club down now before somebody gets hurt! Grug! Grug!

 

 

Grug: Hehe! Grug like puny human run away. It fun!

 

 

Robert the Bard: Uh well folks there you have it. This is your reporter on the floor of Gen Con 2013 saying…..I gotta RUUUUNNN!!!!

 

 

Grug: Hehe! Treasure!!!!!

 

Note: This was intended to be a multiple part series reporting on all aspects of the cultural and social gaming event known as Gen Con 2013. Unfortunately, Robert the Bard has not been heard from since. If anyone knows his whereabouts please let us know. It would be greatly appreciated as we would like to get the rest of the series, so we can share it with you. Oh, and, of course, we are concerned for his safety.

Posted on August 27, 2013 by , Reply

More Short Stories: Paula Cappa’s “Tales of Terror”

According to our statistics, it appears that I was correct in saying that there actually is a LOT of interest in short stories. I’d like to share with you a resource I just discovered that can direct you to some excellent ones. Paula Cappa, author of Night Sea Journey (reviewed here)  and The Dazzling Darkness (reviewed here) has a blog with a feature called Tuesday’s Tale of Terror. Each blog entry gives a brief synopsis and background on a supernatural short story(almost always in the public domain, meaning they are older stories), with links to the actual story when available,  for free. Sometimes she even has links to additional formats: in her entry on W.W. Jacobs’  “The Monkey’s Paw”, she also provides a link to an adaptation on YouTube. Middle and high school teachers, take note: I see at least a few stories here that appeared in my English textbooks. With the Common Core emphasis on nonfiction driving spending, this could be a good supplemental resource for building a fiction collection.

I do want to note that the titles to Cappa’s blog entries are not the names of the stories, but are descriptive of content. The title is listed just below, at the top of the entry (meaning you can’t just scroll quickly down the page and have a story’s title jump out at you) “The Chilly and Darksome Vale of Years”, for instance, is the title for the entry on “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”.

If you are looking for more current stories, you will have to look elsewhere, but there’s a lot of good stuff here, and plenty to explore.  Paula has done all the hard work for you.

Posted on August 14, 2013 by , Reply
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