For one reason or another, December is not a great month for new releases. Christmas shopping is done, publishing budgets are spent, authors don't want to leave their families for book tours and no one is paying attention anyways. A lot of the Year's Best Lists are already constructed and a book released in December isn't going to break any sales records. Ignoring the Tuesday after Christmas, there are very few books coming out and even fewer that I feel are worth talking about.
The Buntline Special - Mike Resnick
Weird West Tale, Book 1 - Resnick latest offering re-envisions the epic gunfight at the O.K. Corral through brass binoculars. Classic western characters Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday get a steampunk makeover and Resnick combines more than a few subgenre's in a tale that is quite aptly described as "weird." The Buntline Special is a must read for fans of Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century books and looks to be the start of a exciting new series. Plus, if you don't read it, cyborg Thomas Edison will get you. Seriously. Edison. Death by incandescence. (December 7 from Pyr)
Star Wars: Red Harvest - Joe Schreiber
Star Wars Horror - Schreiber returns to the Star Wars universe with another zombie mashup. His first attempt at Star Wars Horror was fun if flawed. Red Harvest is an improvement on that formula, handing Schreiber the reins to a new cast of characters without the baggage that comes with the seemingly invincible movie characters. Part of a successful horror novel is being scared for protagonist and let's face it, Han Solo isn't getting taken down by zombies. Period. It took an entire moon to kill Chewie and he didn't even have a speaking role. Red Harvest is set over three millennia before Luke ever ignited a lightsaber so no one - Jedi or Sith - should be safe. Red Harvest focuses on a Jedi drop out who possesses a very coveted item. But will Sith Alchemy unleash a terror not even a Dark Lord can control? (December 28 from Del Rey)
YetiStomper Pick Of The Month: I feel like picking one does a disservice to the other but out of the two I'm most interested in Red Harvest. Schreiber's prose reads hard and fast which is surprising considering the amount of blood loss chronicled within his words. What happened to no heavy lifting? Schreiber appears to have fixed the problems (character immortality) present in Death Troopers resulting in pure Sith Zombie goodness. Look for a review later this month.
YetiStomper Debut Of The Month: No rookies this month. If anyone has a suggestion please let me know.
YetiStomper Cover Of The Month: Ignoring the fact that the juxtaposition of the covers makes it look like Darth Dentalcare is checking out the ample cleavage on the cover of Buntline, choosing between these two is as hard as picking the better book. I feel both successfully reach their target audience. Red Harvest produces a feeling of primal rage (which probably leads to hate, fear, and/or suffering). The Buntline Special is a little bit more complex but it works to draw you in for a closer look (at the technology of course). I I'm going to call this one a tie although I'm not sold on the font treatment of Resnick's latest. Which one do you like most/least?
Anyway, as always, if you are interested in more details regarding any of the above books, just click on through the Amazon links. I'm more interested in telling you why I recommended them rather than simply what the books are about. Let me know if there is anything I may have missed in the comments. I'm guessing there is something I'm forgetting with only two books on the radar.
You can view previous installments of YetiStomper Picks here.
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