News & Blog

Rat Queens, Vol. 3: Demons by Kurtis J. Wiebe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The exploits of your favorite fantasy adventuring team continue in this volume, in which Hannah goes back to her alma mater, the succinctly named Mage University, to break her father out of prison. Unfortunately, things go from bad to worse, culminating in long-buried secrets coming to light and a surprisingly emotional confrontation among the Rat Queens. Will anything be the same after this? Kurtis J. Wiebe’s writing is as sharp and raunchy as ever. The only drawback for me is Tess Fowler’s art, which I don’t like as much as the series’ original artist Roc Upchurch’s. I found it too cartoonish for my taste, but it wasn’t enough of a distraction to change my rating to anything less than five stars.

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The final schedule for Boskone 56, February 15-17, 2019 in Boston, is available! Here is where you will find me:

Friday

The Other Others in Urban Fantasy
3 PM, Harbor II

Urban fantasy sections in bookstores are filled with zombies, werewolves, and especially vampires (sparkly and otherwise) almost to the exclusion of other entities. Indeed, too many times those creatures define urban fantasy. But there are a plethora of other fantastical beings from the myths and legends of Europe — and every other continent. Authors like Seanan McGuire and Laura Anne Gilman revel in the variety, using it to populate the back streets of their chosen cities. Let’s join them (and our panelists) to explore the road less traveled.

Elwin Cotman, Nicholas Kaufmann, Clea Simon, John Langan, Leigh Perry (M)

The Life Cycle of a Book
4 PM, Lewis

Most of us just see the finished product on the shelf. However, there are lots of little (and big) steps associated with getting the book to the store. What’s the life cycle of a book, from submission to publication? It’s not as simple as “the author writes it, then the publisher prints it.” What are the direct, indirect, and associated steps involved in the production and publication process — from editing to marketing, selling, reviewing, reprinting, and more?

Gene Doucette, Andrea Corbin (M), Nicholas Kaufmann, LJ Cohen, Joshua Bilmes

Saturday

Reading by Nicholas Kaufmann
3:30 PM, Griffin

Kaffeeklatsch — Horror in the Afternoon!
4 PM, Galleria – Kaffeeklatsch 1

Paul Tremblay, Nicholas Kaufmann

Sunday

The New Doctor — Who?
11:00 AM, Marina 4

Back in 1981, Tom Baker suggested his successor be female. Almost 40 years later, we finally have Jodie Whittaker portraying the Thirteenth Doctor. How does her interpretation of the iconic Time Lord stand out from those of her predecessors’? After all the hype, has the first female Doctor actually changed the dynamics of the show? What are the high and low points of her tenure so far? Has the writing quality kept pace with this significant new development?

Dana Cameron, David McDonald, Jeanne Beckwith (M), Kenneth Schneyer, Nicholas Kaufmann

How to Survive a Horror Story
12:00 PM, Marina 4

Who knows better than a horror writer how to survive a horror story? Join he fun and “lively” conversation as our panelists discuss scenarios from horror novels and films as if they themselves were characters within the scenes. Will their special authorial insights keep them safe? Will they split up to look for the cat? What are they willing to do to survive (relatively) intact? Who dies first? Who lives to tell the tale?

Marshall Ryan Maresca (M), Barry Lee Dejasu, Nicholas Kaufmann, Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert, Clarence Young

Looking forward to seeing you there! If you have books you’d like me to sign, please bring them along. I’m always happy to sign books!

Rat Queens, Vol. 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N’rygoth by Kurtis J. Wiebe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read the first volume of RAT QUEENS nearly a year ago, so I was delighted to finally return to these amazing, hilarious characters and their vividly-drawn world! In this volume, Sawyer has been kidnapped by a vengeful wizard and it’s up to the Rat Queens to rescue him, although it’s hard to know which will complicate things more: the mind-warping demons the wizard has summoned to destroy Palisade, or Hannah’s knotty feelings about her on-again-off-again relationship with Sawyer. As always, the diminutive Betty steals all her scenes, and somehow Violet is even more beautiful with a beard. With great characters, humorous, raunchy dialogue, and dynamic art by Roc Upchurch and Stjepan Sejic, RAT QUEENS does not disappoint!

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The Isle by John C. Foster
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

John C. Foster has written an exceptional gothic mystery, heightened by an atmosphere of ancient New England fishing towns, Puritan folklore, storm-tossed seas, and the secrets that lay buried beneath it all. It’s the attention to detail that brings out THE ISLE’s astounding authenticity, from the eerie lobstermen — childhood rattles made of crucified lobster shells with a baby tooth inside — to the insular community traditions so confusing to outsiders, to modern-day characters still bearing names held over from Puritan days, such as Burden Ipswich, Increase Mather, Hatevil Nutter, and so many others. I won’t give away THE ISLE’s secrets — nor the Isle’s secrets — but the gruesome, compelling mystery at the heart of the novel is matched only by its horrific resolution. THE ISLE is Foster’s best work yet, and I hope it marks the start of an exciting new direction in his writing: New England gothic!

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