from Caleb Goellner at MTV News–ADAPT THIS: ‘Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer’ by Van Jensen and Dustin Higgins
THE STORY: “Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer” by Van Jensen (W) and Dustin Higgins (A) – SLG Publishing
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: After vampires claim the life of his father Geppetto, Pinocchio takes up arms (and wooden stakes replenished every time he tells a lie) against the undead in his kooky little corner of Tuscany and beyond.
WHY IT WORKS: Van Jensen’s Pinocchio is a brooding man-child forced to confront the darkness that lurks in the corners of his fairytale-like existence. Tragedy pushes him to come to terms with the bizarre Carlo Collodian world he inhabits, meaning his former selfish mischief—and current personal quest for revenge—must take a backseat to mowing down monsters and fighting for those closest to him.
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By Sue Nowicki / McClatchy Newspapers via Boston Herald: Anne Rice ‘obsessed’ with her new hero, a killer recruited to do God’s work
The wildly popular vampire craze that has sunk its teeth into books, TV shows and movies started with Anne Rice. Long before Stephenie Miller’s “Twilight” series hit the best-seller list, before there was a Buffy the Vampire Slayer, before “The Vampire Diaries” books and TV show, and before Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels formed the basis for the Showtime hit “True Blood,” Rice’s “Vampire Chronicles” made Lestat a household name. Her “Interview with the Vampire,” published in 1976, is one of the best-selling books of all time.
Her newest release, “Angel Time: The Songs of the Seraphim,” will be out Thursday, just in time for Halloween. But no vampires or witches here. Instead, this novel concerns a young hit man, an angel of God and an assignment to respond to a prayer from a Jewish family facing mob violence in the English town of Norwich during the Middle Ages.
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By Deirdre Donahue, USA TODAY: Robert Jordan’s ‘Wheel of Time’ saga comes full circle
When Robert Jordan– the most popular fantasy writer since Tolkien– died two years ago at age 58, he left behind his “Wheel of Time” saga, unfinished.
Begun in 1990 with The Eye of the World ,the epic tale mixing myth, religion and an ongoing battle to save the world from The Shadow grew to include 11 novels, a prequel and more than 30 million books in print.
This week, The Gathering Storm (Tor, $29.99), the 12th book in the series, hits stores. There is a new name on the jacket alongside Jordan’s: Brandon Sanderson. The 33-year-old author of Mistborn and other fantasy novels was chosen to complete the novel by Jordan’s widow, Harriet McDougal , who edited all of her husband’s books.
“It was truly (Jordan’s) great work and his life’s work,” McDougal says. Until the week before he died on Sept. 16, 2007, of a rare blood disease called amyloidosis, Jordan was telling his wife “what the series needed to be completed.”
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By Andrew at Werewolf News– A New Classic Lit/Horror Mashup: Little Women and Werewolves
If you’re at all interested in books, you’ve probably heard of the recent classic literature / horror novel mashups Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
“In this retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s classic, the beloved little women must keep not just the wolf, but the werewolves, from the door…and the kindly old gentlemen next door and his grandson may have some secrets to hide–or share with the March girls.”
Editor-in-chief Betsy Mitchell acquired the title through Adam Chromy of Artists and Artisans. Ever since Quirk Books combined zombies and Jane Austen, we’ve seen more monster mash-up deals: “Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.”
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I read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters because I read (and liked) the originals. I haven’t read Little Women, but I would read Little Women and Werewolves. I’m not sure about Pinocchio though; I’d go see that movie. I’m glad they finished “Wheel of Time”, since it’s something he wanted. And I love Anne Rice’s books, but I don’t think a book justifying killing is a good move with the times. I understand her point is to say that God loves you regardless, but it just seems like touchy ground.
What do you think off all the classic book adaptations? Do you like them or wish they’d just stop already? Are you looking forward to the last Wheel of Time? Have you read any of Anne Rice’s Christian themed fiction?
