His Dark Material by Philip Pullman, comprising of three books: Golden Compass, Subtle Knife, and Amber Spyglass. Excellent series that must be read in order about main character Lyra. Complex story line is well done and makes you think on many different levels. Appeals to readers both young and old.
Dream Song 1 by George R. R. Martin. Collection of short stories & novellas covering his fanzine beginning to more recent work. Great to see how his work developed in to the award winner he's become. For all fantasy and sci-fi fans.
Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien, illustrated by Allen Lee. Complete material, some never before published. Edited by Tolkien's son, Christopher from the file Tokien left meaning to one day expand & polish as a separate tale of middle earth. Set in the first age. Story of Hurin and his cursed offspring. A must for all Tokien fans.
Batman the Dailies 1943-1946 created by Bob Kane. Excellent hardback collection of the daily Batman newspaper strips complete for the years 1943 to 1946. This formerly out of print book has been wonderfully reprinted by Sterling press and is well priced for the budget of every collector.
Last Templar by Raymond Khoury. A time shifting thriller that goes between present day and the 1290s to the early 1340s, the Last Templar follows the fall of Jerusalem from Templar control and the destruction of their order by the king of France and Pope, and moves right on to modern day where four horsemen dressed and Knights Templar rob the Met. One main story line tests the faith of both the characters and the readers in the order of the Da Vinci Code.
Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire sequel to Wicked. Liir’s quest to discover his destiny and that of the land of OZ. Well done enjoyable as the first. Hopefully it will not take him another ten years to write the third installment of the story
High in the clouds by Paul McCartney Childrens picture book based on his award winning animated short film Tropic Island Hum. Environmental and animal rights tale well done.
His DVD with the short also includes two other short films including an adaptation of the Caldecott winner Tuesday a Rupert cartoon and making of the shorts worth tracking down.
Dark Shadows the Salem Branch by Lara Parker Continuing the Collins family saga of vampires, witches and werewolves. Laura Parkers second novel of Dark Shadows lore. She played Angelique the Witch wife and nemesis of Barnabas the Vampire in the cult classic TV and movie series. Great tale a must for Vampire and Dark Shadow fans. Unfortunately her first Dark Shadows novel Angelique’s Descent has gone out of print.
I, Claudius and Claudius the God by Robert Graves Fiction and fact story of the first five Caesars. Great story With lots of action, intrigue, and murder set in ancient Rome. PBS adapted this and the sequel Claudius the God into a mini series that is available on DVD. I Claudius has most of the action and is a more in enjoyable read than Claudius the God. Both are needed to complete the story this is just heads up to the readers. I recommend the DVD as well as the books
Annotated Wizard of OZ L. Frank Baum Centennial edition of his classic work edited and notes by Michael Patrick Hearn. Original pictures by W. W. Denslow who was replaced by John R Neill for the next forty books in the OZ series. This is a must for all readers. The Wizard of OZ is constantly referred to in our everyday world both the book and the movie adaptation are heavily quoted. Everyone should read at least the fist book in the OZ stories.
War Diaries edited by Irene & Alan Taylor – Daily diary selections throughout history with different authors andtime periods for the same day. Enjoyable and moving entries of the effects of war on people’s lives.
Opus: 25 Years of His Sunday Best by Berkeley Breathed – Wonderful chance to laugh again at some favorite adventures of Opus from both strips. In glorious color.
Pirates in an Adventure with the Scientists by Gideon DeFoe – Caribbean pirates meet Charles Darwin with entertaining results in this humorous tale.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman – Old and new world gods vie for believers and power in this well-crafted tale.
Under the Moons of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs – First three books in the classic Martian series by the creator of Tarzan; now back in print. Great mix of aliens and swordplay.
Darkover First Contact by Marion Zimmer Bradley – Two in one! Darkover Landfall—the ship crash that starts the epic series—and Two to Conquer—rewritten and expanded.
Nicholas & Alexandra by Robert K. Massie – Well-written history of the last Tsar of Russia, his family and their fates, as well as the politics and war that changed the world.
The Discoverers by Daniel J. Boorstin – Classic book on the development of clocks, calendars, maps, and more. More than dry facts, it brings the subject to life.
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