michael patrick hicks

May 23, 2018

HAP AND LEONARD tackles societal problems in an unapologetic yet humorous manner

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized 1428 elm, black girl nerds, blood and lemonade, bubba ho-tep, dana roberts, elizabeth story, hap and leonard, high fever books, John Picacio, jonita davis, kasey lansdale, michael patrick hicks, petition, review, sundanceTV', susan leighton, terror is our business, the best of joe r lansdale, the big book of hap and leonard

The cancellation of the popular and acclaimed SundanceTV series Hap and Leonard has not sat well with fans.

Jonita Davis for BLACK GIRL NERDS argues that the show was cancelled because tv execs were not comfortable with the show’s uncomfortable content.

There hasn’t been a show in a long tine that embodied so many important tropes depicted in such natural forms. Thee now-cancelled AMC SundanceTV show “Hap and Leonard” took on several problem areas in modern society with an unapologetic yet humorous manner. From the toxic white feminine complacency to the conservative black gay man and the black woman driven to her death by racism and misogyny, the show never shed away from a subject.

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There won’t be another show like “Hap and Leonard”, In fact, the next shows lined up bu SundanceTV center whiteness once again with three white women in the lead and no POC to be found so far. Fortunately, we will have Lansdale’s extensive collection of books about our characters on display and ready to read.

The whole fiasco shows us that, until the tv execs get comfortable airing uncomfortable content, we will never be able to keep a great show like “Hap and Leonard”.

Fans have started the petition: Netflix or Amazon should pick up future seasons of Hap and Leonard!

The Sundance Channel cancelled a much-beloved show with many loyal viewers (that they did little to promote) and after 3 great seasons, there’s are many more Hap and Leonard books ready to be adapted.

One of the prime streaming channels like Netflix or Amazon should and allow the current fans and future fans to find this wonderful series!

For 1428 ELM, Susan Leighton shares a lengthy 2 part interview with Joe R. Lansdale.

From Part 1:

1428 Elm: Let’s talk Bubba Ho-Tep. Knowing that Elvis spent time in Gladewater, were you a fan? What was the genesis for the short story that became one of the most beloved cult classics of all time?

JL: First of all, the genesis for it would be that I grew up with Elvis. Of course, my brother had that loose connection with him. It was almost like he was a distant cousin in a strange way.

In many ways because of him, I discovered all of these different types of music. Without Elvis, a lot of white kids would never have known about black music, country music and folk music because they were all connected to what he did.

That meant a lot to me. So, when I was asked to write an Elvis story, I had this title in my head. Bubba Ho-Tep which I thought would be a funny thing for a mummy story.

Photo by Ulf Andersen/Getty Images

Part 2:

428 Elm: Sorry to hear about the cancellation of this terrific show. What are your takeaways from your time with Sundance and being one of the producers?

JL: James Purefoy and I were talking via email and neither one of us are sad. We had three great seasons. If we would have been able to continue we would have been more enthusiastic to do so. We’re both very content.

Fans were even disappointed and angry. I don’t think there is anything to be angry about. My takeaway is that Sundance treated me very well.

We were hoping it would move somewhere else but it didn’t. It was a wonderful experience. I met some great people.

I am working on the Bottoms which my friend Bill Paxton was supposed to direct. He was such a great guy with such a great vision of the film and his direction would have been awesome.

We have other plans, I’m not going to say what because that’s confidential. I am excited about it. I will be a producer on it. Although I am not the absolute producer on it, I hope to be more involved with it.

I am trying to be a more active producer on other projects of mine or a more absolute producer. So, we’ll see what happens.

Michael Patrick Hicks at HIGH FEVER BOOKS praises the forthcoming collection Terror Is Our Business: Dana Roberts’ Casebook of Horrors
by Joe R Lansdale and Kasey Lansdale.

Terror is Our Business collects the Dana Roberts stories, previously published elsewhere, into a single volume, along with a new story, “The Case of the Ragman’s Anguish,” that is exclusive to this story. The book is split pretty evenly, with the first half devoted to stories written solely by Joe R. Lansdale, with the back-half featuring stories co-written by Joe and his daughter, Kasey Lansdale.

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Following Kasey’s introduction to this collection, we are introduced to a woman named Jana, initially in a stand-alone story focused solely on her encounter with the paranormal, before joining Dana’s investigations for the final two casebooks. Jana is a bit more my style – she’s fun, witty, has a bit of mouth on her, says things without thinking, and is pretty much always in way over her head. Dana, on the other hand, is very reserved and proper, an upper-class sort of personality. Jana is her Watson to Dana’s Holmes, and becomes our window into the world of the supernormal for the collection’s back-half. Once Kasey and Jana hit the pages, the stories become livelier and Dana finally has a counterpoint, a polar opposite, to act against. The burgeoning friendship between these personalities present an entertaining foil. The last two stories present supernormal threats that are also unabashedly Lovecraftian, which hit a particular sweet spot for me. While Jana presents an airier narrative voice than the stuffier gentleman author transcribing a moneyed ghost hunter’s adventures, the introduction of cosmic threats really tickled me, even if the stories still follow the by-now well-established Dana Roberts’ Casebook story formula.

All in all, Terror is Our Business: Dana Roberts’ Casebook of Horrors is a largely delightful introduction to this investigator, but it took a while for me to connect with the work as a whole. It’s not really until the last couple stories that everything began to click for me, and it’s clear that Kasey Lansdale’s influence was key to the development of Dana Roberts and helped give the series a fresher perspective. I do hope to see more of Dana and Jana, as well as Joe and Kasey as collaborators, in the future though.

For more info about HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Elizabeth Story

For more info on HAP AND LEONARD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Elizabeth Story

For more info on THE BIG BOOK OF HAP AND LEONARD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more info about THE BEST OF JOE R. LANSDALE, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by John Picacio

April 11, 2018

Kameron Hurley’s bad-ass APOCALYPSE NYX packs a powerful punch

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized apocalypse nyx, bel dame apocrypha, bradley horner, elizabeth story, high fever books, jennie bailey, kameron hurley, michael patrick hicks, pat's fantasy hotlist, review, starburst, wadim kashin

With over three months before publication, positive reviews begin to appear for Kameron Hurley’s gritty APOCALYPSE NYX.

Michael Patrick Hicks for HIGH FEVER BOOKS praises the collection.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

APOCALYPSE NYX is exactly the kind of science fiction I like – it’s dark, violent, and has, at its core, a deeply flawed heroine who is hard as steel and has whiskey running through her veins. Nyx is a gal that sees few problems that can’t be solved with her scattergun, and is always a hairsbreadth away from cutting off all ties with those that work for her and, if she were a more emotionally accessible and less war-wounded woman, people she might even call friends if she were drunk enough. Nyx is rugged and mean, and this collection from Kameron Hurley serves as a wonderful introduction to the former assassin turned ultra-violent problem solver, particularly if, like me, you haven’t read the Bel Dame Apocrypha series proper.

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The world Hurley has created here is as intense as it is interesting. The alien desert world Nyx inhabits is caught up in perpetual war, and Nasheenians like her are drafted to fight against their rival, darker-skinned Chenjans. The ruling body is highly matriarchal, but also heavily influenced by Muslim doctrine, with daily routine calls for prayer and a plethora of masques. On the technology front, bugs are king. Society has adapted to and grown reliant on insect-based tech – beetles are ground up to power vehicles, and form a communications network based on pheromones and body colors. Even the bullet casings and walls are rooted in creative uses of various bug life.

Story-wise, APOCALYPSE NYX has a welcoming stand-alone episodic structure to it (quick, somebody call Netflix!). Although the various jobs and missions Nyx and her crew take in order to stay solvent are unrelated, taken as a whole there is a decent, if minor, character arc at play binding these stories together. I suspect there’s a deeper arc to Nyx across the main trilogy, but I also kind of suspect that Nyx may be too violent, introverted, alcoholic, and deeply set in her ways to grow too much. Besides, she’s more interesting without the happily ever after, at least in this volume, and Nyx is the type of character that it’s hard to even imagine a happy ending for anyway.

I’ve been wanting to read about Nyx for quite a long while now, but somehow never made room for her. I happy to have finally corrected that with APOCALYPSE NYX, and I now feel a greater urgency in exploring the trilogy of novels focusing on her. After this book and Hurley’s prior release, The Stars Are Legion, if I’ve learned anything it’s that from here on out all new releases from Kameron Hurley are to automatically move to the top of my mountain of TBRs. Count me among the number of faithful converts, because I am officially a fan of Nyx. This lady is one serious bad-ass.

Bradley Horner enjoys the volume.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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And this perfect for all us fans who loved this wild bio-punk world full of “magicians” who pull wild bioengineering stunts in the name of a religious war and mercenaries who feel like they’re losing their souls. It’s also great for all you hard-drinking, hard punching, embittered readers who like a lot of grit in their post-apocalyptic hard-SF Biopunk. 🙂

So was this good on its own, too? I think so! Short quests, jobs, and Nyx really shines darkly. Well, she’s a mess. 🙂

PAT’S FANTASY HOTLIST lauds the book.

The worldbuilding that serve as the backdrop for the Bel Dame Apocrypha was top notch. Hurley’s vision was quite unique and the world she created came alive in a manner that is seldom seen. Islam has taken to the stars, but the religion has evolved over the centuries. The author’s narrative created a vivid imagery that made the ravaged world leap off the pages. Add to that some strange insectile technology and magic, as well as some cool concepts such as the bel dames and alien gene pirates, and you realized that Kameron Hurley has created something truly special. If you are one of those jaded science-fiction reader believing to have seen it all, think again. The novella format prevents elaboration on most of the ideas introduced in the series, so in that regard existing readers might get a bit more out of each tale than newcomers. And yet, each story is written in a way that makes them accessible even if you have not read the trilogy.

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The rhythm throughout is fast-moving, making APOCALYPSE NYX another page-turner. My only complaint would be that you reach the end too quickly, thoughroughly satisfied but begging for more. Here’s to hoping that Kameron Hurley is planning additional Nyx stories, because I for one will be waiting in line to read whatever comes next for our favorite alcoholic bounty hunter!

The author’s prose is dark and brooding, the rhythm often balls-to-the-wall, yet Hurley nevertheless finds ways to hit you with touching moments that pack a powerful punch in terms of emotional impact.

If the legendary Frank Herbert, Richard Morgan, and Joe Abercrombie had ever teamed up to write something together, the Bel Dame Apocrypha is the sort of creation they would have come up with. Indeed, the trilogy deserves the highest possible recommendation and I encourage you to give the first installment a shot. Brutal, uncompromising, brilliant, enthralling: That’s God’s War in a nutshell.But if you find yourself in need of a primer, so to speak, something that works as a great introduction to one of the most badass heroines in SFF history and to one of the best science fiction series of the new millennium thus far, then APOCALYPSE NYX is just what the doctor ordered.If the legendary Frank Herbert, Richard Morgan, and Joe Abercrombie had ever teamed up to write something together, the Bel Dame Apocrypha is the sort of creation they would have come up with. Indeed, the trilogy deserves the highest possible recommendation and I encourage you to give the first installment a shot. Brutal, uncompromising, brilliant, enthralling: That’s God’s War in a nutshell.

But if you find yourself in need of a primer, so to speak, something that works as a great introduction to one of the most badass heroines in SFF history and to one of the best science fiction series of the new millennium thus far, then APOCALYPSE NYX is just what the doctor ordered.

At STARBURST, Jennie Bailey reviews it.

There are tensions between religions – there is an obvious Islam-inspired backdrop – and class; there is corruption at the highest levels and a perpetual war – one that Nyx barely made her way out of – that thunders around them. These are the sort of parallels with the real world that some of the best science fiction gestures towards and here Hurley does a cracking job. While there are many aspects that conform to expected dystopian tropes in this collection, this is a dystopia that revels in it in a big, joyous way with cracking one-liners and tight squeezes to escape. APOCALYPSE NYX is definitely not for the squeamish, but if you like your heroines as kickass as Dutch from the TV series Killjoys you’ll love Nyxnissa. Good, honest science fiction fun with a feminist twist.

For more info on APOCALYPSE NYX, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Wadim Kashin

Design by Elizabeth Story

September 14, 2016

SLIPPING is utterly bizarre and equally addictive

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized blurb, clara bacou, collection, elizabeth story, essays, horror, kirkus, lauren beukes, michael patrick hicks, review, richard dansky, science fiction, short stories, slipping, slipping: stories essays & other writing, the green man review

The reviews have started coming in for Lauren Beukes’ forthcoming debut collection SLIPPING: STORIES, ESSAYS, & OTHER WRITING.

image: LaurenBeukes.com

KIRKUS was fascinated by the book.

An art installation so tactile as to feel alive, a ghost that lurks alongside a promising architecture student, a girl gutted from the inside to make a premiere athlete: all stitched together into a punk tapestry of stories and other short pieces.

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Utterly bizarre and equally addictive, these pieces demonstrate that Beukes has only tapped the surface of her prodigious and wide-ranging talent with her novels.

Richard Dansky at THE GREEN MAN REVIEW praises the collection.

The key to Lauren Beukes’ fiction can be found in the non-fiction short pieces at the back end of her new collection, SLIPPING: STORIES, ESSAYS, & OTHER WRITING. Beukes’ background is in journalism, and these shorts – some of them little more than brief gut-shots – she takes the reader where her profession took her, into places that are dangerous or forgotten or abandoned by the powers that be, often at the same time. And once there, she zeroes in on that notion of observation, of reporting – on the sheer necessity of the portrayals in the media of incidents and places, in order to get the public to pay some attention and not to ignore, or to swallow easy pre-fab narratives that bear little to no relation to the truth.

And that, then, is why the action of the stories presented in Slipping often feels incidental – it’s because it is. What matters – and Beukes’ decision to sequence the non-fiction after the fiction in the book allows for stunning moments of after-the-fact realization – is the perception of events. Riots are less important than the way they’re spun, and how they affect individuals’ Q ratings. The actions of royalty aren’t as important as feeding the media beast that follows one particular princess around getting what they want – headlines. A kaiju-sized threat gets taken down, not by a giant robot with a chainsword and blasters, but by bad reviews. This, Beukes is telling us again and again, is where the power is in the 21st century, in the eyes of the beholders. The actual events are less important than how they’re spun and how many people they’re spun to.

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All of which is a roundabout way of saying that for readers whose idea of a science fiction story starts and ends with the action of the plot, then Slipping might offer some confusing surprises. Time and again Beukes cozies up to old-school tropes, only to spin away to observe the chaos from a position that is more knowing, if not exactly safe. But that, I suspect, is the point.

In his listing of books read in August, Michael Patrick Hicks, author of EMERGENCE, discusses the collection.

So, August was kind of a light reading month, and I spent much of those 31 days preoccupied with writing a novella that will be coming out in October (stay tuned for details!). Not listed here is a book I read at the start of August, a collection of short stories and non-fiction essays by Lauren Beukes. The publisher, Tachyon Publications, asked me to blurb this one, and I was honored to do so.

And here is Hicks’ blurb:

“SLIPPING is a rare surprise, and one that demonstrates Beukes wide-ranging talent. Whether she’s writing about corporate branded future punks and celebrants, or the downtrodden casual menaces of daily life, from a compilation of tweets to a handful of remarkable non-fiction essays, her stories prove, repeatedly, that she is a masterful writer and that she has a voice that absolutely must be heard. Hold on tight to this one—you do not want it to slip away.”

For more information about SLIPPING: STORIES, ESSAYS, & OTHER WRITING, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Clara Bacou

Design by Elizabeth Story