Sneak Peak! The Fabulous Beekman Boys on Planet Green

As you may have read in my post regarding the BEA, I was recently offered The Bucolic Plague for review, a memoir about two city guys who decide to completely change their lives in order to own and operate a farm.  As it turns out, that is only half of the story.

You can also watch the story play out in the new series coming to Planet Green, The Fabulous Beekman Boys.  This documentary/comedy follows the crazy lives of Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell (the latter being the author of The Bucolic Plague) as they stumble their way through learning the ropes of the farming profession.  Check out the official trailer here.

I was able to get a sneak peak of the first couple of episodes, and I thought it would be fun to share my first impressions with you!  First of all, what Brent says in the trailer is true:  The couple really doesn't know anything about farming.  This is one of the things that makes the show so funny.  They bring in an expert (Farmer John) to help them manage the farm, and the relationship between the three of them is something that keeps you on your toes, especially when Farmer John gives Brent a look of death when he is told to do extra chores (seriously, poor guy).

Of course there are the requisite Odd Couple dynamics:  Brent is the up tight neat freak and Josh is the easy-going fun-loving one.  Although this makes some of the show a little too familiar, the boys' relationship is always apparent under it all - whether they are arguing or apologizing - which makes the series stand out.

The first couple of episodes serve to set up the scene, and we follow the duo as they buy pigs, host a party on their farm, and worry over their llama, Polkaspot.

As with all shows of this nature, I really have to wonder what is real and what is staged.  Especially the fact that the Boys' enormous mansion, farm, and business is seemingly only supported by Farmer John.  One would think that would be too much work for one man.  Brent and Josh also seem to get into a fight, realize that their relationship is more important, and make up in each neat, 21 minute episode.  However unrealistic it may be, The Fabulous Beekman Boys proves to be a humorous romp through the pigpen.  You can check it out on Planet Green on Wednesday, June 16th.

Book Review - The Anubis Gates, by Tim Powers

Title:  The Anubis Gates
Author:  Tim Powers
Genre:  Science Fiction
Rating:  3.75 out of 5 body-snatching werewolves

The cover of The Anubis Gates touts Powers' novel as a "classic of time travel".  Between this statement and the less-than-subtle inclusion of Egyptian themes, I became hooked and brought the book home.  Does it measure up to expectations?  Yes and no.

The Anubis Gates follows the life of Brendan Doyle as he meets up with an eccentric millionaire and travels back to 1810 to watch a speech made by author/poet Samuel Coleridge.  In so doing, Doyle gets involved with bands of murderous street beggars and ancient Egyptian sorcerers.

In short, The Anubis Gates is so packed to the brim with science fiction and fantasy elements that Powers is sometimes unable to juggle them all well.  My favorite thing about time travel stories is how the characters' muddling in the past affects their present.  And although this can be seen by the end of the book, I was less than impressed with the "time" element for most of it.  The main character time traveled, yes, but then the novel seemed to switch over to simple misadventures in 19th century London.  Instead of going heavy into time travel, Powers introduces theories such as Egyptian sorcery, cloning, and body-snatching werewolves.

Throughout all of these crazy plot points, the character of Brendan Doyle develops in a mostly predictable pattern (preoccupied academic learns that it is better to live life rather than study it) and the villains just don't feel evil enough.

In reading The Anubis Gates, I was certain that I was going to give it a rating of 3 or under.  However, in the end, I was pleased with how all of the seemingly disjointed SFF elements were brought together.  Some of the plot points were predictable, but that didn't make them any less fun to read about.  Ultimately, I couldn't decide on either a 3.5 or a 4 rating for this one, so I averaged them.

Is The Anubis Gates an epic knock-your-socks-off time travel adventure?  Not quite.  Although a fun read, there were too many ideas to sift through to make any one shine.  This one may or may not be worth the time, depending on what you are expecting.

3.75 out of 5 body-snatching werewolves

Giveaway: Frankenstein (Book One: Prodigal Son), by Dean Koontz

Good evening!  The time has once again come to give away some SFF gold to the blogging community!  This time up for grabs is a like-new paperback copy of Frankenstein, Book One:  Prodigal Son written by Dean Koontz and Kevin J. Anderson.  Check out the summary of the novel listen on Koontz's website:

"Two centuries after Victor Frankenstein created a man from dead tissue and the power of a lightning bolt, a series of brutal killings are occurring in New Orleans, and the killer is taking body parts. Detectives Carson O’Connor and Michael Maddison are on the case, but they’re about to find out that these killings are linked to something far more sinister than they could ever imagine. . .and that the man once known as Victor Frankenstein has defied death and begun a new mission to replace mankind with a race entirely of his own creation."

Also, click here for a snippet of audio!

I read this novel when it first came out, and was very impressed.  It takes Mary Shelly's classic tale of horror and spins it into a Science Fiction Murder Mystery (SciFiMurMy?).  But of course, there has to be rules for these sorts of things!

• This giveaway is for one like-new (slightly worn from one reading and years of shelf time) copy of the first novel in Dean Koontz's Frankenstein trilogy, Prodigal Son.
• It will run from Tuesday, June 1st to Wednesday, June 16th.
• The winner will be chosen at random and announced on Thursday, June 17th.
• Please, only those residing in the United States will be considered, as international shipping scares me.

You can do any of the following to gain entries into this giveaway!  If you don't mind, just comment once on this post and list everything you are going to do (I don't need multiple posts per entrant).

• +1 Entry:  Post a comment on this post with your e-mail address.
• +1 Entry:  In that post, suggest a novel that I may like to read, and why.
• +3 Entry:  Become a follower, or tell me if you already follow Lions and Men.
• +1 Entry:  Spread the word!  Slap a link to this post on your Twitter page, Facebook, blog, whatever.  I'll give you +1 Entry for each thing you do, so go crazy!  Please also leave links to these things in your comment, so I can check out the sweet sweet word spreading.

Good luck everyone!

They Want to Eat Your Brains: A Brief Study of the Zombie in Popular Media

Out of all of the terrors that roam in the horror books that I read, zombies have to be one of my favorites.  Nothing epitomizes ice old fear quite like an undead creature shambling toward you, hungering for your flesh.  What's worse, there's a good chance that monster nibbling on your noggin was once one of your friends or family members.

Zombies have been around for centuries, starting with the Afro-Caribbean belief in voodoo.  This dark magic could turn anyone into a mindless hulk that did whatever it was told to do.  After George A. Romero's movie Night of the Living Dead, zombies began to take their place in popular media.

One of the greatest things about zombies (like any other myth) is that with each new rendition, the monster is thought of in a new light.  It is very rare to see two depictions of zombies be exactly the same.  And so, in this short study of the zombie in popular media, I will attempt to sort out some of these differences.  That way, when the dead truly rise, you will have some idea of what you might be facing.

The Zombie Survival Guide, by Max Brooks (novel)

•  Physical Appearance:  Brooks conforms most to the "zombie" ideal among the examples presented in this study.  His zombies are slow, ever hunting drones who only want to eat the flesh of the living.  The monster's body is dead, so it decomposes at a normal rate, leading to large wounds and destroyed limbs over time.  They shamble along at a slow rate.
• Mental Ability:  The zombie is unable to process thoughts that go beyond their immediate hunt for food.  They are attracted to prey and use all of their senses (which vary in efficiency compared to those of the living) to spot morsels of brain.  However, reasoning and logic are beyond them.
• Mode of Infection:  A living being that comes in contact with the Solanum virus (through bite wounds, scratches, blood-to-mucous membrane contact) quickly fades into a coma, dies, and is reanimated when the virus hijacks the brain cells.
• Method of Disposal:  Anything that causes brain death will stop one of Brooks' zombies in its tracks.  This includes blunt trauma and decapitation.

Cell, by Stephen King (novel)

• Physical Appearance:  Stephen King has always found a way of turning the genre on its head.  The zombies in Cell resemble their previous lives greatly, and even show some memory about who they were before.  They are fast and tend not to decompose as other zombies do.
• Mental Ability:  These members of the walking dead are very smart, able to establish ambushes and pursue their prey.  They also have mental powers including telepathy, which makes them even more dangerous.  They also hunt in packs and show evidence of a strong hive mind.
• Mode of Infection:  There is no infection between a zombie and a living person, which is a very distinct difference between King's novel and the rest.  Instead, one becomes a zombie by hearing a certain audio frequency (which is being broadcast over cell phone towers).This makes it hard for the infection to spread, but also cuts off one of our most important means of communication.
• Method of Disposal:  The "phonies", as they are referred to in the book, are only active during the day.  Similar to vampires, they are banished to as near-comatose sleep during the night.  This makes it possible to destroy the zombies when they are sleeping and, because they often nest in large groups, methods can be employed to destroy large numbers of them all at once.

Zombieland, by Ruben Fleischer (film)

• Physical Appearance:  In Zombieland,  nearly everyone has been transformed into a zombie.  They conform to the zombie standard (see The Zombie Survival Guide) in all but one way:  They are fast.  In fact, the first rule of Zombieland is Cardio.  How else are you going to outrun all of those brain-eaters?
• Mental Ability:  The zombies in Zombieland don't show much intelligence.  They are driven by their hunger for food (much like a SFF blogger I know...), and they don't think about much else.
• Mode of Infection:   A bite, scratch or contact with bodily fluids seems to do the job.
• Method of Disposal:  Similar to other types of zombies, the Zombieland zombies can only be killed by brain death.  Also, please note the second rule of Zombieland:  The Double Tap.  If you think you've killed a zombie with a lethal headshot, it's best to make absolutely sure and do it again.

I Am Legend, by  Francis Lawrence (film)

• Physical Appearance:  In the movie I Am Legend, there is only one living man against the masses of zombie-like monsters.  These zombies seem to be blessed with superhuman strength and speed, which sucks for Will Smith.  Luckily, they shun the light, only come out at night, and keep to the shadows.
• Mental Ability:  These guys show remarkable intelligence.  They set up traps and ambushes, study their opponent's weaknesses, and compensate for their own.  If there ever was a zombie that retained the intelligence of his previous form, this would be it.
• Mode of Infection:  The affliction was initially caused by a vaccine against cancer.  As the disease is similar to that of rabies, only contact between infected saliva and living blood (i.e., a bite wound)  will cause infection.
• Method of Disposal:  It is very tricky to kill an I Am Legend zombie when he is awake and running at you.  Instead, it is best to wait until they are sleeping, or lure them into the light.

Feed, by Mira Grant (novel)

• Physical Appearance:  Feed zombies start out looking like their previous (living) selves.  However, as the virus causing the affliction multiplies in their tissues, they begin to decay of their own accord.  This means that as their existence wears on, they become more and more like the stereotypical zombie.  But watch out for the fresh ones!
• Mental Ability:  These zombies are usually only obsessed with feeding, and can be tricked and out maneuvered.  However, as more and more zombies enter the area, their intelligence scales exponentially.  This means that when a large horde comes together, they can reason and create ambushes and single monsters would be unable to do.
• Mode of Infection:  Two viruses designed to kill cancer cells and the common cold were combined and produced a "super bug" that caused zombieism.  The standard modes of infection apply here, so don't forget to protect those mucous membranes!
• Method of Disposal:  Brain death.

I hope this short study of the zombie in popular media will help prepare you for when the dead rise from their graves.  Good luck!

BEA and Book Blogger Con 2010 (or, the point of view of a total noob)

Happy weekend, fellow book lovers!  As you know, I have been in NYC for the last couple of days, attending Book Expo America and the first annual Book Blogger Convention.  As I have only been blogging for a few months now, I didn't know what to expect.  The first surprise?  Upon checking in, I was handed a PRESS PASS, which entitled me to entrance into the special "press only" area and, of course, bragging rights.  Of course, with great press pass comes great responsibility.  If you didn't get a chance to come out to the events, read on for full coverage of BEA and BBC.  I may be a total noob, but hey, let's muddle through it together!

 I couldn't get very good pictures of the whole event... it was too big!

After a 40 minute drive, a 20 minute train into New Haven, a 90 minute train into Grand Central Station, and a 15 block walk to the Javits Center, Heather and I finally arrived at the BEA, which can be summed up in two sentences:  Tons of books.  Tons of people.  My goodness, what a zoo!  This place was packed with publishers, authors, bloggers, journalists, people in colonial-period dress, an odd looking clown, a man wearing nothing but black underwear, and Tony Hawk!  It was very overwhelming, but the great part was that everyone there had the same passion for books.  Each publishing house had their own section of the massive floor.  I turned to Heather and asked "Do you think they will be able to take a debit card, or only cash?"

Oh, how naive I was.

If there's anyone out there who knows less than I do about the book world (which is unlikely, the doors to Borders was pretty much the extent of my knowledge), let me explain:  BEA isn't a big book store.  You don't buy any of the books.  The publishers give them to you.  What?  Yeah.

Each "booth" featured a slew of books, some released already, some having yet to see their final printing (ARCs, galleys, what have you).  They all hand out complimentary catalogs that feature some of their up-and-coming stuff.  Audio books, Ebooks, magazines, novels, comic books, encyclopedias, the list goes on and on.  There was simply TOO MUCH too look at in one day, which is kind of upsetting.  So, how did the BEA pan out for a Sci-Fi Guy?

Not as well as one would hope, actually.  The first thing I noticed was a stunning lack of representation of the SFF genres.  It seems the biggest sellers were non-fiction, young adult, and "literary fiction" (still trying to figure out exactly what that means...).  I got depressed pretty quickly, but then I figured that this would be the perfect opportunity to broaden my views and try out different genres.  And what do you know, even this young male scifi/fantasy blogger (another demographic that was severely underrepresented this weekend) was able to find a few diamonds.  This brings us to... the Swag Bags.

Yes, you get free stuff at BEA.  Publishers bring out stacks of books for passersby to take in the hopes of a good review, and you are only limited to however much you can carry without having your arms being ripped out of their sockets.  Between the BEA and the Book Blogger Con, I collected two bags of literary "swag".  And boy are my arms killing me.  Here are some of the highlights:

 Swag!

Picture The Dead, by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown.  From the jacket:  "After losing her parents and her brother, falling in love with Will was Jennie Lovell's last opportunity for happiness.  But then she lost him too...  As Jennie tries to mend the pieces of her broken life, she feels an eerie presence from something otherworldly... something that won't let her leave the past behind."  Chick-lit?  Possibly.  But I am actually looking forward to this one.

Think of a Number, by John Verdon (July, 2010).  A murder mystery in which a "seemingly clairvoyant" serial killer matches wits with a retired homicide detector.  I'm looking forward to this one too.  I usually shy away from murder mysteries because they all feel the same to me, but this one seems much more interesting.

The Bucolic Plague, by Josh Kilmer-Purcell (June, 2010).  A non-fiction (What?  You're reading non-fiction Nick?  Why yes, I am) memoir about two guys who move from the city to adopt a life of farming.  The cover alone is awesome, but it really looks like an interesting story.  Go check it out!  Also, one of them is an ex-drag queen.

The Monkey Bible, by Mark Laxer (September, 2010).  Pretty excited about this one, folks.  A novel that follows a boy who is striving to discover the story of his creation and attempting to define his identity.  There is a war going on right now between creationists and those that believe in evolution, and Mark Laxer's novel tries to blur the line between the two and reconcile some of their differences.  Keep your eyes on this book!

Hellfire and Damnation, by Connie Corcoran Wilson.  A book of short stories inspired by Dante's nine circles of hell.  Ghost stories, horror stories, and the like.

The Black Prism, by Brent Weeks (preview, August, 2010).  The first novel in a trilogy about Gavin Guile, an all-powerful man who must decide what his life is worth in a land of war and shifting power.  I previously read Weeks' Night Angel trilogy, and was ultimately left with a luke-warm feeling.  But this one sounds pretty exciting.

Hull Zero Three, by Greg Bear (preview, November, 2010).  Reminiscent of The Matrix, a science fiction novel about a man who wakes up from a beautiful dream and finds himself in a hostile space station.  Unsure of who to trust or how to survive, he tries to discover who and where he is.

Choker, by Ben McCool and Ben Templesmith.  The first issue in a series of comics.  From Amazon.com:  "Johnny 'Choker' Jackson, once one of Shotgun City's most promising police officers, is a bitter private detective with a terrible case of Alien Hand Syndrome. But he's unexpectedly been offered a job back on the force: provided he can nail a twisted drug dealer selling a very exclusive product, that is..."

So Cold the River, by Michael Koryta (audio book).  A novel about a woman who wants to discover the secrets about her late, billionaire, father-in-law.   And stuff happens, I suppose.

Feed, by Mira Grant (audio book).  We'll eat this one up folks.  It's about bloggers who discover the truth behind a virus that turns people into zombies.  Cool?  You betch'a.

 Waiting in line.  One of the sacrifices that must be made.

So!  That was my BEA experience in a nut shell.  How about Book Blogger Con?  That was a pretty unique experience also.  Around 250 other people who like to blog just like I do.  There were numerous panel discussions on topics such as "generating content" and "public responsibility" aimed at improving the blogging community at large.  I also got to meet a few awesome bloggers, including:

T. Olmsted, from BookSexyReview
Gayle, from Everyday I Write The Book
Allie, from Hist-Fic Chick

I can't wait to share all of these great-looking books with you guys!  And now it's you turn!  

• What content would you like to see on Lions and Men?  
• Any tips for some great books you'd like to see? 
• What genres should I consider reading?

 And you thought I was kidding about Tony Hawk...

Ttyl!

Update: Bookshelves and BEA

Happy weekend!  Just thought I would tie up some loose ends before posting more book reviews.  A couple of real-life events that coincide with the blogosphere:

Heather and I just set up our new bookcases in our "library"!  Check it out!

Impressive, n'cest-ce pas?  To be honest, my books only take up about 25% of the space, but they are still great additions to our new apartment!

Also, I have firmed up my plans to attend this year's Blogger Expo of America in New York City at the end of this month!  Very exciting stuff - will I see you there?  I will be sure to post all about it, so keep your eyes peeled!

Finally (and partially because of the BEA),  I decided to design a business card for my blog.  What do you think?  It's supposed to look like the bottom half is torn off, but I'm starting to think that it kind of looks like black mountains against a white sky.  Oh well.

Brandon Sanderson, on his novel Warbreaker

Hi folks! Today, I started a new read: Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson. This stand alone novel features a colorful cast of characters, a sprawling metropolis, and a truly unique magic system. Stay tuned for my First Impressions post. While you wait, watch this great video of Brandon Sanderson speaking about Warbreaker!