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Locke & Key, Vol. 5: Clockworks by Joe Hill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the fifth collected trade of the LOCKE & KEY series, Ty and Kinsey use a “time shift” key to go back in time to witness Ben Locke’s creation of the magical keys during the Revolutionary War. They also go back in time to see their father again. In doing so, they discover exactly how Dodge went from being their father’s best friend to the murderous villain they know now, and learn exactly what the Omega Key does. Five volumes in and I’m just as hooked on this series as I was at the start. That’s a rarity! I can’t believe I have to wait a year for the next volume to come out in paperback! I want it now!

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The New York Times is reporting that Arthur Rankin has passed away at the age of 89. The films of Rankin and his production partner Jules Bass were an enormous part of my childhood: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Rudolph’s Shiny New Year, Mad Monster Party (which I tried to watch again recently and found unwatchable; some things do not stand the test of time), and so many more. One of my favorites was 1974’s The Year Without A Santa Claus, which featured the characters Heat Miser and Snow Miser (pictured above). These two brothers and their catchy song became instant cult classics to kids of my generation and those that followed. Heat Miser and Snow Miser are still popular Halloween costumes to this day.

So thank you, Arthur Rankin, for being such a joyful influence on my childhood. We’ll have a blue Christmas without you.

The results of the Chasing the Dragon Goodreads giveaway were pretty amazing for a novella that was published nearly four years ago. Over the course of one week, more than 700 people entered for a chance to win a copy! At midnight last night, Pacific time, the giveaway ended and Goodreads selected one person to be the lucky winner. And now, without further ado, it’s my pleasure to announce that the winner is:

Wendy Holland of Ontario, Canada!

Congratulations, Wendy! The fine folks at ChiZine Publications will be sending you a copy of Chasing the Dragon shortly. I hope you enjoy it!

Locke & Key, Vol. 4: Keys to the Kingdom by Joe Hill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Things continue to build to a head in the saga of the Locke family and Dodge’s evil machinations to acquire the Omega Key. In this volume, we learn a little more about what drives Dodge, find more new and interesting keys, watch Ty and Kinsey slowly start to figure out who the enemy is, and lose an important character in a shocking act of violence. Once again, the arc ends on a brilliant cliffhanger. Damn you, Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, I can’t wait to see what happens next!

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