EARTH SWAP

 

EARTH SWAP

By Dale Cozort

Chisel & Stone Publishing

377 pages

 

Imagine parallel worlds. On ours, we have yet to travel to the planets in our Solar System. Thus is the case for Ward Parke, his siter Katrina and best friend Stan Baird. Then one night, while star gazing, they realize they are no longer in our universe by the difference they see in the heavens. In fact, our Earth and somehow been swamped with another Earth from another world. Thus, our Earth was no ensconced in a dimension where Mars and Venus had been colonized, where the moon was inhabited and all these various human factions were caught in the middle of a bloody interplanetary war.  

Then, as if to add fuel to the fire, a mysterious, white skinned Venusian woman named Pandora crash-lands near Ward’s home. In her possession are black stones containing one of the oldest libraries of knowledge ever created. It is a prize all three factions are desperate to get their hands on. Baird believes the woman, who he christens Pandora, is somehow involved with the Earth switch, but before that can be explored, Ward’s ex-wife, Pat, steals the rock-library and disappears back to their country town. Whereas he is busy, being the President’s Science Advisor, Ward sends Stand and Katrina after her.  

Cozort has over the years cemented his reputation as the writer of alternate world thrillers and “Earth Swap” may be his most ambitious effort to date. Note, it is not an easy read, as there are several off-world subplots and soon get entangled with the human cast and at times things get confusing. But for the reader willing to sign, the story soon becomes a non-stop adventure ending with an all-out space battle that would have done E.E. Smith proud.

WEASELS RIPPED MY FLESH!

 

WEASELS RIPPED MY FLESH

Edited by Robert Deis & Wyatt Dole

with Josh Allan Friedman

# new texture

432 pgs

 

The literary evolution of American literature has had many branches; none more vital than what has always been referred to as populace fare. In other words, fiction that appealed to masses, regardless of their economic status or education background. The heart of this thread has been Pulp Fiction from its earliest iterations. Thriving in the 1930s and 40s, its rough paper format died out after World War II to be replaced by cheap paperbacks and Men’s Adventure Magazines, or MAMs.  

For the past decade, Robert Deis and Wyatt Doyle have been on a mission to not only shine a spotlight on those MAM titles, but to give bring credit to the talented writers and artists who created them. In this new, super packed anthology, they, along with co-editor Josh Allan Friedman, have culled a dozen of the best, wildest and most insane tales to have appeared in various MAMs throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s. From cover to cover, this volume is a blast, both entertainingly and informatively. From its now infamous title to its witty closing essay by MAM’s editor Bruce Jay Friendman, this book is a treasure.

THE HOT BEAT

 

THE HOT BEAT

By Robert Silverberg

Hard Case Crime

227 pgs

 

Though a wee bit dated, this crime thriller pro is still worth a read. Bob McKay is a talented band leader who lets success get the best of him. He becomes an alcoholic and loses his loving girlfriend, Terry, and then his band. Now on the skids, he drifts from one seedy bar to another until, through a series of unfortunate circumstances, he is falsely accused of murdering a local B-girl. Things go from bad to worse when the cops dig up two eyewitnesses who claim he is the killer.  

Considering the time setting, it’s no surprise when the overly eager detectives proceed to beat the crap out Bob trying to get a confession out of him. Silverberg paints a realistic picture of both the good and the bad guys. What turns things around is a nosy reporter name Ned Lowry, who, having previously known the musician, believes him to be innocent. Then Bob’s old flame, Terry, volunteers to help Lowry sharing his feelings. As they start digging into the case, they eventually uncover hidden clues that point to the real killer.

“The Hot Beat” is a masterfully woven tale with an economy of words. Silverberg tells his story clean and neat like a shot of whiskey. And if that wasn’t enough, the good people at Hard Case Crime have added three of his short crime stories to fill out the volume. All in all, a nice package we’re glad we picked up.