So I’ve started reading Drood, the latest master of brooding horror and sometimes sci-fi Dan Simmons. Man, does this book have a good hook. From page 1:

This true story will be about Charles Dickens final five years and about his growing obsession during that time with a man–if man he was–named Drood, as well as with murder, death, corpses, crypts, mesmerism, opium, ghosts, and the streets and alleys of that black-biled lower bowel of London that the writer has always called “my Babylon” or the “Great Oven.”

Murder, mesmerism, black-biled bowels? Those are a few of my very most favorite things! But it gets better:

In this manuscript…I shall answer the question which perhas no one else alive in our time knew–”Did the famous and loveable and honourable Charles Dickens plot to murder an innocent person and dissolve away his flesh in a pit of caustic lime and secretly inter what was left of him, mere bones and a skull, in the crypt of an ancient cathedral…?

It’s a question that has kept me up at nights for years, and now I shall finally find out the truth.

I love this opening! It’s so tantalizing and sleazy. The wholesome Charles Dickens dragged into the sordid spotlight of a penny dreadful (well, a $27 dreadfull–$10 on kindle!) as written by his friend, Wilkie Collins. At almost 800 pages it’s a little thicker than a penny dreadful, but seems a fitting comeuppance for the writer of Bleak House. I can’t wait to see where it goes.

In other news, D.M. Cornish reports that the first draft of Monster Blood Tattoo Vol. 3: Factotum is now complete! Congratulations, sir! Like many others, I look forward to reading it.

That reminds me, I’ve got my own final volume to finish up…

Finally, apparently there’s talks bout a new cinematic take on The Neverending Story. As much as I love the original film, I do think there is room for another take on the classic book. Unlike some fans (and the author), I really don’t care what color Atreyu is. I’d just love to see some of the elements of the second half that didn’t make it into the Brandisiferous sequel brought to life, such as the many colored death and the Acharis.

Time to head down to Wonder-Con, just as a fan this time — no panels. Ta!

Good news in my inbox this morning. Every last detail of Return to Labyrinth 3 has been approved by Henson and the book is off to the printers! A big thank you to Bryce P. Coleman for picking up the editing reigns on volume 3 and bringing ‘er home, despite tough circumstances.

Meanwhile, the annual Bookscan Graphic Novel Report debate still rages on over at The Beat. While most of the commentary tends to focus on superheroes, art comics and Naruto, I was pleased to see that in the actual list, Return to Labyrinth vol. 1 and 2 did very good numbers last year, even though there was no new volume. The series clearly has legs. Who would have guessed that a little sequel to a cult-classic fantasy film would turn into one of Tokyopop’s biggest hits? Thanks to everyone who’s picked up the book, and thanks for your patience in waiting for volume 3. We’re almost there!

And one last thing — Chris Lie, the talented artist of Return to Labyrinth, has a new website for his studio. Check it out to see what he’s been up to when he’s not drawing goblins.

UPDATE: Finally Amazon has the proper cover for Return to Labyrinth 3. Now you can see it with the logo and everything!

So I bought a Kindle 2. It’s currently en route and should be in my hands by Thursday. In the meantime, I’m feeling awfully conflicted about it. On the one hand, it’s definitely a luxury item. I’ve got an amazing library just a few blocks away with more variety than the Kindle offers. Free books I can hold and smell (and taste, should I feel the urge). As a taxpayer and citizen, it’s in my best interests to utilize that service and have my vote counted as a library user. The newspaper, magazine and blog content that can be streamed to the Kindle is also largely free online, where many of those features would also include color, video and comments. It isn’t as if the Kindle is upgrading books in the way that a Playstation 3 is a step up from the Playstation 2. The added convenience seems negligible, at least so far (we’ll see after I’ve had a few months to get used to it).

So why did I order one? I can’t deny that part of me still gets a thrill out of trying new gadgets. I’ve thus far escaped iphone fever, and with no new game consoles on the horizon, it could just be my inner-geek urges acting up. If that’s the only reason though, I’ll have to kick myself. The other explanation, and the one that I hope justifies the purchase, is that for better or worse, digital distribution of books is here to stay, and as someone who wants to make a career of writing, it’s important to stay in the loop. As I plot my next story, I don’t see anything changing just because I’ll have read a book on a Kindle instead of just old-fashioned paper. Or maybe it will. Maybe it will inspire me to develop new storytelling techniques for digital delivery, or at least give me the context to tell the good ideas from the bad when talking to publishers.

In the meantime, I’ve got a stack of those old-fashioned library books to get through. I’m just finishing up a clockwork fantasy called Mainspring by Jay Lake, a fun read. And then there’s the mammoth new Dan Simmons novel, Drood, about Charles Dickens’ final days (at 780 pages, that could take some time).

How ‘bout you guys – anyone out there have a Kindle or other e-reader? Any advice on what scribe’s words I should pop my e-book cherry?

After a detour to the Half-Continent to battle monsters with D.M. Cornish, I returned last week to Crackpot Hall, home to Flora Segunda, her Butler and a pack of red dogs. Flora’s Dare, the second volume of Ysabeau Wilce‘s Flora Segunda books, picks up right where the last volume left off, quickly recapping things with a “how I spent my summer vacation” style recap of volume 1 and moving on to new troubles right away. I enjoyed volume 1 a great deal, but volume 2 was even better. I admire the way that Wilce juggles multiple plotlines, turning what at first seems like a chaotic weave into one that’s perfectly tight, but not overly tidy. Flora is always jumping from frying pan to fire; she’s never quite in control of the situation, but she’s always learning so that next time she’s up against a 10th order stink demon, for example, she’ll definitely have things well in order.

The first volume which takes place on the eve of Flora’s 14th birthday, but now, a few months later, she is decidedly on the path to womanhood. Flora has a flirtation with the mysterious and dangerous Lord Axacaya, a figure in the Jareth mold – dangerous and seductive. She learns to see her family with the greater understanding and sympathy of a nearly-grown-up. Instead of just parroting the truisms of her mentor, Nini-Mo, Flora approaches trouble with caution culled from experience. It’s great character work.

Wilce continues to mingle fantasy and reality in new and unabashedly American ways, a nice change from the ubiquitous psuedo-European settings that dominate the category. (Again, it doesn’t hurt that as Flora dashes from place to place in fictional Califa, I can recognize the routes from their real-life San Francisco inspirations.) I also appreciate how vibrant the world is. In Califa, fashion is every bit as important as power, with men as well as women–especially with men, in the case of Flora’s best friend and dandy-supreme, Udo.

I can’t wait to see where Flora’s adventures take her next.

Saw Coraline today — what an amazing film! Director Henry Selick and team did an incredible job adapting Gaiman’s book — a glisterbox of awe and wonder, scares and laughs. The jumping mice, the wuss puss cat, the oddball neighbors and especially Coraline herself… they’re all animated with such loving detail. I can’t recommend it enough.

Then I left the theater, looking for a place to deposit my 3D glasses, and the theater attendant says, “just throw them in the trash.” Really? For reals? These thick, easily reusable glasses (that came sealed sealed in a plastic baggy) were intended for one-time use? Suddenly, my perfect matinee movie had a dark tint to it.

As movie studios and theaters scramble for new ways to bring people into the theater to compete with DVDs and dowloads, 3D is in the beginning of a major comeback. Up until now it’s been something of a novelty with only about 1,000 screens using it. That’s going to tick upwards in a big way as Pixar, Dreamworks, James Cameron, Tim Burton and the Jonas Brothers make the jump to 3D. Toy Story‘s being rereleased in 3D, so might be Star Wars. Cool right? Not if each of those tickets equals a pair of disposable glasses!

A Pixar movie is guaranteed to sell upwards of 20 million tickets. Even if just a quarter of those are 3D, that’s millions of pairs of plastic glasses just for the novelty of 3D. Sure, Coraline convinced me that 3D can be used artfully for more than the in-your-face effects of the past efforts I’ve seen, but I cannot in good conscience justify that extra waste for the effect. Maybe the throw-away mandate was just for my theater. Can anyone else testify to having a theater collect used glasses? Is the only way to deal with a hygiene-obsessed culture’s needs to deliver millions of pairs of disposable glasses on what now looks to be a monthly basis? If 3D with disposable glasses is here to stay, I hope people will take it upon themselves to keep the glasses and take them with them to future shows, forgoing that factory-sealed pair. Free or not, we’re all paying for it.

Some of you weren’t so impressed with Jareth’s last heir apparent. Maybe he was too blond for you? Too lich-like? Well, perhaps this French confection will better please your fantasy singer palate! He’s like an amalgam of every costumed role Alan Cumming has ever played.

And be sure to check out Monsieur Soren’s website for bare-chested, green pantalooned elf erotica. He also shows a talent for rhyming in two languages… about a certain “secret fold.”

Any kid who grew up in San Luis Obispo in the 80s probably has memories of Don Wallace, the street-performing puppeteer who was a longtime staple of Farmers Markets and festivals. He was the man behind the curtain, his hands and giving life to the puppets he carved and dressed himself. A lot of people found his routines a bit disturbing, as his puppets were very much of the Punch and Judy school, and his takes on fairy tales decidedly non-Disney. Creepy or not, I always liked his shows. And for a time, I got a behind-the-scenes look at all his upcoming shows, as this local character was also my Dad’s roommate. By the time I was “too old” to attend puppet shows, Don Wallace had started cutting back on the free street shows and started doing anti-smoking routines at schools and John Muir nature hikes, where his unique voice was used for another form of storytelling. I only spoke to Don Wallace once or twice as an adult — I wish I had got a chance to know him better. In any case, he opened my eyes to puppets in their raw, un-felted form.

While browsing the New York Times this weekend, I saw a review for a current off-Broadway puppet show called Disfarmer. I know nothing about the semi-biographical subject, a real life Arkansian photographer, but the puppet work sure is amazing, especially with the music to which it is choreographed. Unfortunately I can’t embed the video here so you’ll have to follow the link.

On youtube, the creators posted a work-in-progress look at the show that reveals the inner workings of the puppet star. Even though the puppeteers are right there in plain sight, it’s amazing how much the puppet takes on a life of its own. Very effective work. The puppet reminds me of the sad junkyard robots of AI.  I hope you Henson fans will enjoy!