tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70628276981180814652011-10-10T21:10:49.148-07:00What is GUD? GUD (pronounced "good") is Greatest Uncommon Denominator, a print/pdf magazine with two hundred pages of literary and genre fiction, poetry, art, and articles.GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.comBlogger601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-59776974983226188992011-02-14T13:54:00.000-08:002011-02-14T13:54:46.603-08:00

"This book is © 2010 by Kenneth L. Clark. It has no ISBN or other official presence in the world. Like all of us and every thing, it will disappear someday with the rest of what we love and remember with fondness." The cover design for 'Eggs of American Songbirds' is by GUD's layout editor, poetry maven, and Issues #1 and #7 Instigator, Sue Miller. Redneck Press is owned and operated by

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-57296447167528029762011-02-08T06:42:00.000-08:002011-02-08T06:42:27.532-08:00

I stumbled into a #hashchat on Twitter, where World SF blog creator, GUD contributor, and prolific writer @LavieTidhar was answering questions from the audience. If the Library of Congress was on the ball with their Twitter archive, or I had a better memory, I could amaze you with the brilliance of my question. As it is, I will try to impress you with the brilliance of the book that I won with

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-27662125035680668462011-01-10T11:57:00.000-08:002011-01-10T11:57:48.542-08:00

This collection of short stories by Vanessa Gebbie is not cozy bed-time reading. Even the most apparently innocent openings--"I'm on a train going to the sea"--only mask for a short time the brutal truth that's about to be revealed. Liesl is on a train, and she's been told she's going to the sea, but the train in 'Red Sandals' has a very different destination. Gebbie gives us little slices of

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-1893482864074754302011-01-04T09:41:00.000-08:002011-01-04T09:41:19.282-08:00

Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote And bathed every veyne in swich licour, Of which vertu engendred is the flour; ... Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-69934585810521101062010-12-23T12:07:00.000-08:002010-12-23T12:08:56.376-08:00

Skull Salad Reviews GUD Issue 6 "For me, the best story this issue was Ferrett Steinmetz’ ‘In the Garden of Rust and Salt.’ Nine-year-old Evelyn, Queen of the Junkyard, discovers unsavoury truths about her guardian and makes an unusual friend. Lovely."

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-18147097309704908652010-12-22T12:53:00.000-08:002010-12-22T13:03:16.626-08:00

Ask any twentieth-century reader of speculative fiction what they'd expect to find in an SFF magazine, and they'd probably describe something that would look a lot like Irish magazine Albedo One: a print magazine featuring a selection of SF and F stories, a non-fiction article or author interview, and some book reviews. It's a long-lived and effective formula and Albedo One is a handsome example.

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-78838459101754960502010-12-13T15:32:00.000-08:002010-12-22T12:57:13.304-08:00

Introducing this anthology, Tidhar writes, "Languages come and go. But stories stay." Fantasy, of which SF is (arguably) a sub-genre, has certainly proved resilient over the millennia. Sadly, we don't know what tales homo erectus told each other over the campfire, and we probably never will know, but if we could eavesdrop, Babel fish firmly inserted in ear, perhaps their stories would be both

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-28821669804729581542010-12-06T14:47:00.000-08:002010-12-22T12:58:27.821-08:00

According to author James Gunn, in an essay in World Literature Today, Volume 84, Number 3, May/June 2010, "To consider science fiction in countries other than the United States, one must start from these shores. American science fiction is the base line against which all the other fantastic literatures in languages other than English must be measured." Gunn justifies this claim by stating

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-87602007701944614042010-11-28T15:36:00.001-08:002010-11-28T15:36:37.919-08:00

After a break of almost a year, GUD is now in a position to resume reviewing books. We're tremendously excited to be restoring this valuable service to our readers, and hope you are too.Reviews will be published on the site and syndicated across Amazon, BookRabbit, Goodreads, Facebook, and other major book sites. We've had a lot of review requests while our reviews have been in abeyance, and

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-44891977006106801422010-11-28T14:27:00.000-08:002010-11-28T14:27:09.480-08:00

GUD #6 has stories by Aliette de Bodard, Lou Antonelli, Caroline Yoachim, and Lavie Tidhar (and more). GUD #6 has poetry from Jennifer Jerome, Tara Deal, and Jim Pascual Agustin (and more). GUD #6 has Aunia Kahn and Andy B. Clarkson's art (and more). GUD #6 has 200 pages of art, fiction, and poetry. Not to mention that every issue comes with @littlefluffycat. Order a print copy of GUD Magazine

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-69936487543322004282010-02-07T20:23:00.001-08:002010-02-07T20:23:48.046-08:00

What's not to love???Issue 5... WRAPS A SCIENTIFIC CORE WITH OUR MOST ECLECTIC SELECTION TO DATE—including two "mini graphic novels", and a script that will have you bubbling over with mirth.We open with Rose Lemberg's "Imperfect Verse", a tale of poetry, deception, and warring gods; then span the years to Andrew N. Tisbert's "Getting Yourself On", which sees mankind taken to the stars but

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-48888203836975728482010-01-20T20:08:00.001-08:002010-01-20T20:08:39.678-08:00

GUD is looking for more Other to round out Issue 7. Do you have it? http://is.gd/6I4Op

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-65396478732246904662010-01-14T12:29:00.001-08:002010-01-14T12:29:41.720-08:00

We're a little late to the game (still doing everything we can to get Issue 5 spick and span and out to print), but with just another day or less in the readers' poll, we thought we'd give you a nudge you and put our name in the hat.We'd most appreciate help in the categories of "Best Fiction Magazine" and "Best Poetry Magazine", but anywhere you felt like giving us a nod would be most

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-58865623193754307862009-10-31T20:26:00.001-07:002009-10-31T20:26:56.899-07:00

Have you been naughty? Scary? Daring? Get your GUD Treats (100 pages of horror!) here: http://tr.im/gudhalloween halloween (LIMITED TIME)

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-66047266772574197502009-10-26T15:10:00.001-07:002009-10-26T15:10:14.208-07:00

Midnight Picnicby Nick AntoscaWord Riot Press, 2009Paperback, 182 pagesISBN: 0977934330 (Amazon.com) 9780977934331 (Book Depository) $15.95 / £9.72Midnight Picnic is GUD contributor Nick Antosca's second novel, but is written with such assurance and skill that it might more easily be his twenty-second. On the first page, Antosca draws the reader in to unwilling protagonist Bram's world, which is

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-11741072992327701402009-10-12T11:27:00.001-07:002009-10-12T11:27:15.416-07:00

GUD contributor Lisa Grabenstetter writes: The American Library Association's 'Banned Books Week' was September 26th through October 3rd this year. As you can see, I'm a little late coming to it. Nevertheless, I think it an important topic to arrive at--no matter how tardily.The vast majority of banned books are children's books, and they're challenged for the very fact of being written for

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-45681575653303129642009-10-05T10:54:00.001-07:002009-10-05T10:54:15.692-07:00

More GUD Love (and some miscounting) ~ awards, noms, ... http://ping.fm/9Sesw

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-35052082282412533542009-10-05T10:52:00.001-07:002009-10-05T10:52:30.224-07:00

GUD has just nominated Ian McHugh's Stiletto (Issue 4) for an Aurealis Award. You may remember Kirstyn McDermott's Painlessness (Issue 2) won the Best Horror Short story for 2008. Ian's story has been nominated in the Science Fiction category, and we think it stands a good chance :).This seems therefore like a good time to share with you more of the love that's out there for our eclectic genre/

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-60828071947058534832009-10-05T02:01:00.003-07:002009-10-05T02:01:48.070-07:00

Garbage Man by Joseph D'Lacey, reviewed by Debbie Moorhouse: http://ping.fm/lbXA7

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-59529650609452884022009-10-05T02:01:00.001-07:002009-10-05T02:01:29.601-07:00

After the success of Joseph D'Lacey's disturbing debut MEAT (reviewed by GUD here), his second novel, Garbage Man, was bound to come out to high expectations. So high, perhaps, that no book could live up to them.The people living near the RefuSec Waste Management landfill don't pay it much attention. After all, they have their own problems to wrestle with--frustrated ambition, a damaged

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-12977179263402848562009-06-15T03:28:00.001-07:002009-06-15T03:28:29.023-07:00

Issue 4 is really out there! (Sunday, June 14, 2009): Greatest Uncommon Denominator Magazine Posted using ShareThis

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-36980887112649683332009-06-11T06:10:00.001-07:002009-06-11T06:10:59.786-07:00

To a warm (well, furry!) reception :D.Hmm, those look interesting....

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-47980325827091185492009-05-19T04:29:00.000-07:002009-05-19T04:33:33.380-07:00

The Death of Illusions by Gabrielle Faust My review rating: 2 of 5 starsAnother beautiful piece of cover art should have teenage goths, emos, and creatures of the night itching to get their hands--or claws-- on Book Two of the Eternal Vigilance series.One year on from the original "Eternal Vigilance" book (also reviewed by GUD), Tynan Llywelyn, an immortal vampire, is battling the Vicinus in

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-47549668078489163642009-05-13T06:18:00.000-07:002009-05-13T06:27:32.581-07:00

Neon Literary JournalEdited by Krishan CouplandFourVolts Productions, 2007Booklet, 50 pagesISSN: 1753-4240Neon #14 is available in print or to download at http://www.neonmagazine.co.uk.British literary magazine Neon describes itself as "a journal of brilliant things", and issue #14 belies its small size with an enigmatic and striking picture of a shingle beach on the cover. Throughout this

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-80696766503901809272009-04-28T16:44:00.000-07:002009-04-28T16:48:03.753-07:00

The Gargoyle by Andrew DavidsonMy reviewrating: 4 of 5 starsThe Gargoyle is an intriguing and intelligent novel that I couldn't put down, despite occasional annoyance with the overly-flowery language, the momentum being spoiled when interesting sections ended too soon (and believe me, parts are simply stunning, particularly Dante's hell as a dream), or when the prose got lumpy.The book's

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-90166231092827177162009-04-28T16:37:00.000-07:002009-04-28T16:43:46.824-07:00

Scrofula by Matt DennisonMy review rating: 4 of 5 starsScrofula, a collection of twenty poems by Matt Dennison, is strongest in the poems detailing ordinary life. These include the poems Scrofula, Found in My Garden After the Rain, Premise, and The Spider Weaves.I admit it, the title sent me to the dictionary—knowing scrofula was some kind of illness—to find"scrofu·la (skräf′yə lə)—

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-16861354767934072982009-03-05T03:16:00.000-08:002009-04-28T16:30:57.090-07:00

The Second Elizabeth by Karen LillisMy reviewrating: 2 of 5 stars"The Second Elizabeth" is probably best described as a novella-length prose poem. It's a meditation on what it means to be who one is, and how one finds that out, and how one's identity is channeled through one's name(s). Its author obviously has the sensibilities of a poet, though not exactly the sensibilities of a storyteller;

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-39915406018225577042009-02-23T17:25:00.000-08:002009-02-23T17:27:49.135-08:00

Sarasota VII by Lo Galluccio My review rating: 4 of 5 stars"Sarasota VII" is so intensely personal that reading it feels like an intrusion, like listening to someone's late-night conversation with their lover, like shoving your face right into the breast of a nursing woman, like clomping in Wellington boots through a delicate tracery of flowers.It's as if Lo Galluccio has opened her private

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-32057858474598386032009-02-16T12:19:00.000-08:002009-02-17T12:56:20.790-08:00

The Pines by Robert Dunbar My review rating: 2 of 5 starsThis is a chilling tale set in the rural Pine Barrens of New Jersey, a region as known for its inbred, throwback inhabitants or 'Pineys', as for its swampy, humid and dense woodland. The story centers around a team of ambulance drivers, a couple of small-town sheriffs, and a series of deaths that occur, leaving behind bodies so mangled

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-90515109404281671262009-02-14T04:32:00.000-08:002009-02-14T04:37:06.810-08:00

1. If asked whether I'm male or female, I answer "female". I also wonder why anyone asks.2. My first issue was called Issue 0. This has created lots of headaches for the editors, who keep forgetting that Issue 3 is not the third issue. And so on.3. I'm created online by editors from the US and the UK.4. I'm available in both print and .pdf formats direct from GUD.5. I'm also available as a

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-45365736593441340082009-02-09T10:49:00.000-08:002009-02-09T10:54:22.248-08:00

Through a Glass, Darkly by Bill Hussey My review rating: 3 of 5 starsIn Bill Hussey's debut novel, a centuries-old pall of evil hangs over the small village of Crow Haven, personified by a mysterious figure known as the Crowman. When the young Simon Malahyde disappears apparently without cause, and young boys are abducted, then found dead and mutilated, DI Jack Trent is paired with his

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-25553145564078184142009-02-02T16:58:00.000-08:002009-02-02T17:00:57.243-08:00

Reposted from GUD, here are Painlessness author Kirstyn McDermott's thoughts on winning the Aurealis Award for Best Short Horror Story.How cool is this? First my story, "Painlessness", wins an Aurealis Award for Best Horror Short Story and now I get asked to write a guest blog post for GUD. The story, by the way, can be found in Issue #2, along with many other fine works. Go, shoo, buy yourself a

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-45602211330071441122009-02-02T16:46:00.000-08:002009-02-09T10:55:08.384-08:00

I, AM by Deon C. Sanders My review rating: 3 of 5 stars"At first, when darkness covered the earth and the sun rested in the propensity of God, entrenched in the darkness was I,AM-a force of relentless evil."The premise of Deon Sanders’ work of horror is that an evil entity, I,AM, battles directly with God--and loses. God summarily slices I,AM into three parts (an Unholy Trinity?) using a "

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-16827404808893628332009-01-28T12:25:00.001-08:002009-02-09T10:55:42.955-08:00

Spellbound by Margit Sandemo My review rating: 3 of 5 starsThis very readable novel is the first in a series by best-selling Scandinavian author Margit Sandemo, whose books are being made available for the first time in English. Sandemo is the author of a hundred and seventy novels, a feat that becomes more believable when you note that, at two-hundred-and-fifty-five nicely-spaced pages, "

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-30799534224356970722009-01-21T08:44:00.000-08:002009-02-09T11:02:37.115-08:00

A Field Guide to Surreal Botany by Janet Chui My review rating: 4 of 5 starsThese days you have to crinkle the map a bit to find any edges, but that makes the edges no less real. And still at the edges of the map lie not only dragons and other fauna, but quite curious flora as well, though in some instances the distinction is difficult."A Field Guide to Surreal Botany" begins with an elegant

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-11317593731694602472009-01-05T12:44:00.000-08:002009-02-09T10:57:08.140-08:00

Sparks and Shadows by Lucy Snyder My review rating: 5 of 5 stars"Sparks and Shadows" is a collection of poems, short stories, and essays by GUD contributor Lucy Snyder ('Sublety', Issue 2). Snyder has a unique voice and her work is almost instantly recognisable. Dive into this collection and you begin to feel like you're swimming around inside her head. It's not necessarily comfortable in

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-4319057027089872832008-12-15T15:16:00.000-08:002009-02-09T11:00:04.040-08:00

Delusionism by Anthony Marais My review rating: 3 of 5 starsIn "Delusionism", Anthony Marais presents roughly sixty-nine micro-essays, whose two sections (Culture vs. Nature and Art vs. Life) are divided by a hundred aphorisms. This is a forked-tongue-in-cheek exploration and oration, marketed as philosophy/self help--somewhat in the vein of Bierce's "Devil's Dictionary", but intending more

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-55185575693227907962008-12-10T03:41:00.001-08:002009-02-09T10:57:08.140-08:00

Read by Dawn: Volume 3 by Adèle Hartley My review rating: 3 of 5 stars"Read by Dawn" arrived in pristine condition, but will be leaving here in a less-than-perfect state (there was one of those ominous cracks when I bent the spine a little too far back). But if the book's been changed by being read, so have I by reading it.It's easy to dismiss Horror as the poor relation of the speculative

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-40244485013950580392008-12-02T01:41:00.000-08:002008-12-02T01:44:05.191-08:00

Mourning Meadow by Larion Wills My review rating: 1 of 5 starsKari is a woman with a secret and a mansion on a large estate. Steve is a man with a secret and a desire to develop mansions on large estates. Oops, that might be his secret.This may be trying to be a paranormal romance. Ghosts get mentioned from time to time, but they don't add anything to the story.The storyline: Boy meets girl,

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-83669538456087314582008-11-24T05:36:00.000-08:002009-02-09T10:57:08.141-08:00

Ocean Sea by Alessandro Baricco My review rating: 3 of 5 starsNormally I would start a review with a summary of the plot, but having only read "Ocean Sea" once, I don't feel competent to summarise it. Suffice it to say that some characters get together at a hotel by the sea, and there's a chap painting the sea with sea-water, a woman who's going to die unless the sea can cure her, another

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-59481834419752289802008-11-18T04:17:00.000-08:002009-02-09T11:00:04.041-08:00

The Lone Star Stories Reader by Eric T. Marin My review rating: 5 of 5 stars// WARNING: gushing follows.If you've read any issue of the long-established webzine Lone Star Stories, you've seen it's not tied to Texas in any particular way (the introduction to this collection helps explain how that came about). If you've not yet read an issue of LSS, you're missing out.Having been familiar with

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-23696926827039854482008-11-18T04:13:00.000-08:002008-12-10T03:21:57.308-08:00

Going Down South: A Novel by Bonnie Glover My review rating: 2 of 5 starsThis is a reading-group book. You can tell because it's about mothers and daughters, because it has race- and gender-based complications, and because it has Reading Group Questions at the back. Unfortunately, I don't think I found it as edifying as I was supposed to. Going Down South has a solid sense of time and place

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-40637110130785584542008-09-29T09:28:00.000-07:002008-09-30T05:11:43.610-07:00

Sound + Noise by Curtis Smith My review rating: 3 of 5 starsCurtis Smith’s "Sound and Noise" is a fascinating portrayal of two people trapped in lives of stagnant frustration. When she was younger, and felt she had everything ahead of her, Jackie used to sing backing vocals in a big rock band. Now she’s middle-aged, single, and running her own bar, with only a crazy selection of locals to hear

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-3466659095191172642008-09-29T09:20:00.000-07:002008-09-29T09:23:25.226-07:00

Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek My review rating: 2 of 5 starsTomato Girl is a fairly standard coming-of-age story, occasionally daring in some aspects, but, on the whole, rather mediocre. It covers territory that many such stories do -- parental sex and infidelity, insanity, viewpoint-character bad behavior -- but delves into them more deeply and disturbingly than a lot of adult novels about

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-34747641917329999972008-09-29T09:15:00.000-07:002009-02-09T11:00:04.041-08:00

The Silk Palace by Colin Harvey My review rating: 2 of 5 starsAncient gods, cultish murders, royal intrigue, and sapphic love--The Silk Palace has it all. The two younger daughters of the king of Whiterock are to be married to neighboring kingdoms: one to Prince Casimiripian (Cas) of the Karnaki Empire, and one to an Emir of the Western Alliance. Cas has under his care the linguist

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-87997349161557065232008-09-05T12:42:00.000-07:002009-02-09T10:57:08.141-08:00

Unholy Domain by Dan Ronco My review rating: 3 of 5 starsDan Ronco's "Unholy Domain" is the sequel to "Peacemaker", although for some reason publishers Kunati Inc. didn't think this worth putting on the cover. I wasn't aware it was a sequel while reading, but it might have been useful to know, as it explains why so much of the book is taken up with references to obscure events. So I pass

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-78390495562134450462008-08-13T16:22:00.000-07:002009-02-09T11:00:04.042-08:00

The Suicide Shop by Jean Teule My review rating: 2 of 5 starsThe Tuvaches, a sort of working class Addams Family, operate The Suicide Shop--a shop where anyone can purchase the equipment and/or training required to off themselves (though children can only purchase sweets that have a 50% chance of killing them).The story is set some time after North America has been laid to waste by the Big One

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-87502011382958568092008-08-05T05:44:00.000-07:002008-08-05T05:48:05.757-07:00

Stone Masters: A Vampire Reckoning by V.M.K. Fewings My review rating: 1 of 5 stars'Stone Masters: A Vampire Reckoning' by V.M.K. Fewers is a vampire novel told from two perspectives, in the form of diary entries. Both of the main characters, Orpheus and Jadeon, start us off with an entry from June 2006 as the set up to tell the story of how they became what they are, several hundred years

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-16996245782895745112008-07-28T12:57:00.000-07:002009-02-09T10:57:08.142-08:00

Words from a Glass Bubble by Vanessa Gebbie My review rating: 4 of 5 stars"Words from a Glass Bubble" by Vanessa Gebbie is a collection of nineteen of her short stories, compiled in a handsome hardback from Salt Publishing. There's no overarching narrative, but although the stories are very different, some themes and images crop up more than once.Gebbie's talent is to shine a light onto her

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-38093798098785056072008-07-22T18:39:00.000-07:002009-02-09T11:00:59.768-08:00

The Fireborn Chronicles by Mary Andrews My review rating: 2 of 5 starsThe Fireborn Chronicles is a psionic/space-faring epic. The focus of the chronicles is Rael--an adoptee/refugee from The Hive with implants that allow him to access any data terminal with a thought. He's groomed by his foster-mother for Dark Ops government work, given his own ship and told to assemble a team of his

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-12100353314084962122008-07-19T02:19:00.001-07:002008-07-19T02:20:52.228-07:00

Here's the assembled Steam Bat!(Photo used by kind permission of Zak Jarvis)

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-18968652537119885262008-07-18T18:36:00.001-07:002008-07-18T18:38:42.640-07:00

Issue 3 is an amazing creation, crammed full of stories and art, with poems, Flash fiction and an entertaining report to leaven the mix. Whether we're battling a mechanical daemon in "A Song, a Prayer, an Empty Space" or experiencing jealousy towards unusual rivals in "Soon You Will Be Gone and Possibly Eaten", we're following the theme of Mechanical Flight into strange and unexpected places (and

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-58816070344809067082008-07-15T16:13:00.000-07:002008-07-15T16:14:19.945-07:00

GETTING SOCIAL - BLOG SUBSCRIPTIONSAs one small step towards enabling a bustling cultural center for literary and genre fiction, poetry, etc (one very small step), GUD has now entered the late 90's in terms of blog subscriptions.You can now be notified when new comments have been left on the posts you like--thus helping you back to the site and fostering dialog!  To further enable this, we've

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-46683301423009911052008-07-14T04:26:00.000-07:002009-02-09T10:57:08.142-08:00

Last Dragon by J.M. McDermott My review rating: 3 of 5 stars"Last Dragon", published as the first of the Wizard of the Coast Discoveries, is like no Fantasy novel I've ever read. It's non-linear, told as a series of letters? reminiscences? campfire tales? that flit about events and times yet slowly and inexorably bring the reader to the book's conclusion.To sum up the principal narrative,

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-72455464892202697982008-07-08T15:58:00.000-07:002008-07-08T16:04:05.979-07:00

We sometimes pretend that we have a little time left over from creating GUD Magazine, and we'd be interested to know how you think we should use it:EITHER A pay-to-submit (not huge sums--maybe $2 or $3 an entry) contest, where the top so-many winners split the pot with GUD?  Winning content would be published on the site.  Would you participate?OR Small Flash games based on stuff we've

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-693935604117191052008-07-08T15:48:00.000-07:002008-07-08T15:53:15.788-07:00

Eternal Vigilance by Gabrielle Faust My review rating: 3 of 5 starsWhen I know a book is going to be part of a series, it has to be pretty darn good for me to consider forking out for future instalments. Unfortunately, this book doesn’t work so well as a stand-alone novel, and that was disappointing.Basically, Eternal Vigilance is a vampire Fantasy novel set in 2111. Tynan, a vampire who

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-64460079281838597662008-07-01T07:17:00.000-07:002008-07-01T07:28:28.773-07:00

Bloodshot Monochrome by Patience Agbabi My review rating: 3 of 5 starsIt's a thin book. However, if you're about to become the romper room for someone else's narratives, neuroses and hang-ups, it's cheery that the book is at least thin. They won't be here long. Maybe you can cope.So Patience enters your romper room. 'Shots', the first of the five parts of this poetry collection, turns it

BuffySquirrelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-61896045577207216262008-06-24T15:04:00.000-07:002008-06-24T15:09:25.563-07:00

GUD doesn't normally review larger-press works, which is partially by choice (they tend to get enough press) and partially by convenience. I wound up with a copy of "Dangerous Games", however, via Jason Stoddard, who contributed "Moments of Brilliance" to Issue 0, and has been making waves both talking about the state of short fiction (he keeps stirring the pot over at his blog) and by appearing

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-10143722036535973132008-06-16T14:57:00.000-07:002008-06-24T15:10:45.978-07:00

So, how're we doing with Issue Three of GUD?We've read the first proof, and our layout editor (Sue Miller) has made corrections. Now we're reading the second proof, hoping to catch anything we didn't see the first time round--and making sure we didn't inadvertently add any new problems!Meanwhile, we're asking our artists to upload the full-res versions of their artwork. Some of them are being a

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062827698118081465.post-17624681446752532112008-06-16T13:32:00.000-07:002008-06-24T15:16:32.658-07:00

Paul Elwork's "The Tea House" is a bold first novel, entering the strange, secretive world of two children who discover a way to convince others they can contact the dead. The book's based loosely on the real-life Fox sisters, notorious mediums who seem to have begun the whole table-rapping craze. It sets out how siblings Emily and Michael get more and more involved in the private griefs of the

GUD Magazinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12933556796674525683noreply@blogger.com1