Upon hearing that iconic crime novelist Raymond Chandler was not a fan of science fiction, you’d expect a Chandler-loving sci-fi fan to think, “ah well” or “oh man” or maybe even “fuck that guy.” But instead of being pouty or petty, writer Adam Christopher took it as more of a challenge. Thus we have Made To Kill (hardcover, digital), the first in a trilogy of sci-fi crime novels he’s describing as “Chandler-esque.”
In 1991, writer Paul Russell made his literary debut with his first novel, The Salt Point. Twenty-four years and five very different novels later, Russell is revisiting that book and the characters in it with Immaculate Blue (hardcover, digital), a sequel of sorts that set twenty-five years after the original. Though in talking to Russell about this new novel, he revealed that this wasn’t some grand plan a quarter century in the making.
The best wrestlers aren’t just the ones who can jump the highest and land on their opponents the hardest. They’re also the ones with the best stories as to why they’re jumping on their opponents so hard. But some wrestlers have real stories as interesting as the ones they make up for the ring. Such was the case with James Brian Hellwig, better known to WWE fans as The Ultimate Warrior, whose real life is now on display in Ultimate Warrior A Life Lived Forever (hardcover), a new biography by Jon Robinson (who, I don’t mind telling you, is a former co-worker of mine and a pal). Though in talking to Jon about the book, it seems it has an interesting back-story as well.
It’s tough being the black sheep of the family. But what if your family are a bunch of serial killers who get off on torturing people? Such is the premise of Brother (paperback, digital), the new horror novel by author Ania Ahlborn (Within These Walls, The Bird Eater). Though in talking to her about it, it seems writing a book about being the black sheep in a family of serial killers wasn’t all that tough.
From James Bond to Jason Bourne, fictional spies always have a lot of balls. Literally. But in his first novel, The Lady Was A Spy (paperback, digital), writer T.R. Garrison introduces us to Jean Webb, a spy during World War II who finds out the war doesn’t always end when the history books say it does. Though in talking to Garrison, it’s clear it wasn’t just a desire to be different that prompted him to write about a really ballsy spy.
Ben Bova is one of the most iconic science fiction writers of our time. But for his new novel, Power Surge (hardcover, digital), he’s crafted a tale that, sadly, may not be as fictional as we might hope. In it, Dr. Jack Ross heads to Washington D.C. in hopes of changing our nation’s energy policy for the better, only to be rebuffed by politicians with another agenda. “Like many of my novels,” Bova says, “Power Surge examines the interaction of high technology with national and international politics.” What makes the book work so well, though, is that for Bova, this story isn’t as fictional as we might think for different reasons.
In my career, I’ve interviewed a lot of interesting musicians. But since many of the magazines and websites that originally published those stories aren’t around anymore, I’ve decided to pull some of these lost interviews out of my archive.
The following interview with Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson took place in July of 1996, at his home outside Toronto, when the band were gearing up to release their album Test For Echo. Parts of this interview were used in a piece I did on him for the music magazine Huh.
(You can also read my interview with Rush’s Geddy Lee, which was done for the same article, here.)
In my career, I’ve interviewed a lot of interesting musicians and actors. But since many of the magazines and websites that originally published those stories aren’t around anymore, I’ve decided to pull some of the more interesting interviews out of my archive.
The following interview with Rush bassist, keyboardist, and singer Geddy Lee took place in July of 1996, at the offices of his manager when the band were gearing up to release their album Test For Echo. Parts of this interview were used in a piece I did on him for the music magazine Huh.
(I also did an interview with Rush’s Alex Lifeson for the same story, which you can read here.)
Heroes in video games are usually strong and sure, steadfast in their resolve, as well as tough. All things you can’t say about the titular hero in To-Fu Fury, a puzzling, side-scrolling platformer for iPhone, iPad, Fire phones, and Fire tablets that features a spongy piece of bean curd. But in talking to the game’s producer, Darren Anderson, and Amazon Games Studio executive producer David Holmes, it seems being squishy and flexible can have its advantages.