In my mailbox: Odin

How many people can say that they found Odin in their mailbox? I found “Odin: Ecstasy, Runes, & Norse Magic” by Diana L. Paxson — it looks awesome!

http://amzn.to/2wbcsTi

Odin is arguably one of the most enigmatic and complex characters in Norse mythology. Revered since the Viking Age, Odin has been called the greatest of the gods―the god of words and wisdom, runes and magic, a transformer of consciousness, and a trickster who teaches truth. He is both war god and poetry god, and he is the Lord of Ravens, the All- Father, and the rune master.

Odin: Ecstasy, Runes, and Norse Magic is the first book on Odin that is both historically sourced and accessible to a general audience. It explores Odin’s origins, his appearances in sagas, old magic spells, and the Poetic Edda, and his influence on modern media, such as Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Each chapter features suggestions for rituals, exercises, and music, so readers can comprehend and become closer to this complicated god.

Author Diana Paxson, an expert on Viking-era mythology, provides a complete portrait of Odin and draws on both scholarship and experience to provide context, resources, and guidance for those who are drawn to work with the Master of Ecstasy today.

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Rue Morgue Halloween edition

Do you love horror mags as much as I do? If so, you love Rue Morgue’s Halloween edition.

 

In my mailbox: Paperbacks From Hell

I want to thank the good folks at Quirk Books ( link ) for sending me this free advanced reader copy of “Paperbacks From Hell” by Grady Hendrix. The book will be available September 19th so keep this one on your radar screen if you love vintage horror.

Take a tour through the horror paperback novels of the 1970s and ’80s . . . if you dare. Page through dozens and dozens of amazing book covers featuring well-dressed skeletons, evil dolls, and knife-wielding killer crabs! Read shocking plot summaries that invoke devil worship, satanic children, and haunted real estate! Horror author and vintage paperback book collector Grady Hendrix offers killer commentary and witty insight on these trashy thrillers that tried so hard to be the next Exorcist or Rosemary’s Baby. It’s an affectionate, nostalgic, and unflinchingly funny celebration of the horror fiction boom of two iconic decades, complete with story summaries and artist and author profiles. You’ll find familiar authors, like V. C. Andrews and R. L. Stine, and many more who’ve faded into obscurity. Plus recommendations for which of these forgotten treasures are well worth your reading time and which should stay buried.

 

My new book! A guidebook to un-f*cking yourself – Recovery!

Sometimes I like Russell Brand and sometimes he pisses me off. He tends to lose me when he talks politics. At any rate, he has a new book on Recovery.

 

In my mailbox: A Kiss Before Doomsday

Yes, the mailman managed to cram this book into my mailbox. I want to thank the folks at Pyr for this free review copy. A Kiss Before Doomsday by Laurence MacNaughton will land in your favorite bookstores by the middle of next week. If you don’t have a local bookstore that you support, you can buy it through Amazon — http://amzn.to/2u3VgRA

It seems as if Dru, proprietor of the Crystal Connection and newly minted sorceress, has only just averted one apocalypse when another comes along. Undead creatures have appeared on the streets of Denver, attacking sorcerers, who are acting even more strangely than usual. Signs point to forbidden necromancy in the hands of someone trying to fulfill the prophecy of the apocalypse scroll.

With the dead rising from the grave, Dru fears someone is picking up where the Harbingers left off half a century ago. Now more than ever, Dru needs half-demon Greyson and his infernal car, Hellbringer. Though Greyson is missing and presumed dead, Dru believes he’s alive—and trapped at the center of this evil.

Dru will need her friends—and her enemies—trusting in Rane’s strength, Opal’s wisdom, and her own crystal magic to infiltrate the mountainous fortress of a powerful sorcerer intent on bringing about doomsday.

Because the moment the prophecy is fulfilled, legions of undead will rise to consume the souls of everyone on earth. . . .

 

In my mailbox: Raining Fire

I want to thank the folks at Pyr for the free review copy of “Raining Fire” by Rajan Khanna. The book will be available July 18th. http://amzn.to/2t8MZbJ

Ben Gold, former airship pilot has lost everything: his airship, his friends, and Miranda, the woman he loves. All that he has left is a thirst for revenge, a reckless plan to sate it, and some journal entries from Miranda to help ground him in the chaos. As he spirals out of control, he must survive old friends, new enemies, and of course Ferals, the mindless, violent victims of the global pandemic that shattered the world.

Meanwhile, the Cabal, a group of scientists on the floating city of Valhalla, are using the disease as a weapon while the militant Valhallans continue their raiding and destruction across the continent. When raiders from Valhalla massacre a town of innocents, Ben finds a new purpose in doing anything he can to undermine their power.

Ben must reunite with old friends and find new ones if he is to succeed. Can he overcome the forces arrayed against him in time to save himself—and maybe the world?

 

In my mailbox

Which one do you think I should read first? I want to thank Hampton Roads Publishing for the free advanced reading copies. By the way, both books will be available for purchase May 1st.

I Ching, Plain & Simple: The Only Book You’ll Ever Need
http://amzn.to/2oiy5vf

The I Ching, or Book of Changes, is a mix of Taoist and Confucianist philosophies that has evolved over many centuries and may be the oldest book in existence. Its main philosophy is that nothing is static and everything changes over time, so our task is to adjust to the ebb and flow of changing circumstances. The I Ching can help us:

• Make decisions
• Manage sensitive relationships
• Tap into our creative insight and intuitive power

The I Ching can be extremely complex, filled with poetry and philosophy. In I Ching, Plain & Simple, Kim Farnell has made the divination system as modern, straightforward, and user-friendly as possible—pick it up and put it to use quickly and easily, without any fuss or confusion. It is the ultimate guide to the I Ching.

Wicca, Plain & Simple: The Only Book You’ll Ever Need
http://amzn.to/2oip3OV
Greenaway takes a contemporary approach to Wicca, also known as witchcraft, and shows you how to use it as a healing and positive force. Practice magic with tarot cards, agents, and pendulums; cast love, health, wealth, family happiness, and career spells; and discover which herbs are beneficial when conducting spells and rituals. Greenaway makes these life-affirming, ancient Wiccan traditions meaningful and accessible to us today by providing a basic understanding of the key elements of Wiccan practice, including:

• Lunar magic
• Initiation
• Herbs and gardens
• Pendulum power
• Animal magic

Eminently practical, Wicca, Plain & Simple also includes over 25 spells for beginning practitioners that range from fertility spells and money spells, to love spells and much more.

 

Review: Judgment of Blood

Judgment of Blood
by Timothy Black
File Size: 5812 KB
Print Length: 241 pages
Publisher: Blysster Press; 1 edition (February 23, 2017)
Publication Date: February 23, 2017
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B06X9L35SL

Product description:
In 1890 a disease that turned sane men into ravenous werewolves swept through the United States like wildfire. On the brink of humanity’s extinction, Nikola Tesla and a mysterious order of scientists known as the Tellurians revealed a bold plan: the uninfected would abandon the Earth’s surface by rising up in floating salvation cities, iron and steel metropolises that carried tens of thousands of refugees above the savage apocalypse. The remnants of mankind huddled fearfully in the clouds, waiting for the werewolves to devour each other.

Twenty years later, only one salvation city remains aloft, while the beasts still rule the world below. Elijah Kelly, an infected Thunder Train crewman exiled to the ground, ranges ahead of his beloved home, determined to keep it safe no matter the cost. But a telluric deadzone has caught Wardenclyffe in its riptide, forcing it toward airspace where its miraculous machinery will no longer function. Desperate to neutralize the deadzone before the flying city crashes, Eli discovers a brutal truth: humanity still exists on the ground, paying a terrible vampiric price for their survival.

Faced with an impossible choice between sacrificing thousands of innocent lives or betraying the rebels fighting for their freedom against an oppressive regime, Eli will be forced to rely on an unlikely ally lurking deep within his own blood to defy the inevitable.

My thoughts:
I gave the first book in the series 4 stars out of 5 (link) — and this book is better. Black has an easy-to-read style that makes for an entertaining book. That being said, “Judgment of Blood” falls firmly into the pulpy dystopian genre. His trilogy is very steampunk/dieselpunk with some gory horror elements — werewolves.

The series has a Clay Griffith or Cherie Priest vibe to it. I think that if you like those Authors you will really enjoy Timothy Black.

“Takes time to nurture hate and stupidity, eh? I like that kid. Got a good head on his shoulders.”

All in all, it is pulpy storytelling at it’s best. I give Timothy Black’s “Judgment of Blood” 5 stars out of 5 and I hope that part 3 in the trilogy doesn’t take years to finish.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook free from Timothy Black. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

J.K. Rowling confirms she’s writing two new novels

Clumsy spells: Daniel in a scene with Jim Broadbent, who plays Horace Slughorn

Hmmmmmmmmmm ? I wonder what Rowling is cooking? She has confirmed that she is working on two more books. As I understand it, these are not Fantastic Beast stories. Well, I for one wouldn’t mind another Harry Potter story.

 

In my mailbox

Yes, the mailman still hates me…

You just gotta love those easy-open-packages. Maybe the NSA just wanted to see what I was reading or maybe it’s the RUSSIANS?

Using numerology to learn more about yourself and your future doesn’t require any psychic ability, mathematical skills, or even any special equipment. The information is based on a series of numbers and by following systems that date back to the Greek mathematician and astrologer Pythagoras and the Hebrew Kabbalah, you’ll learn the basics of how to use numbers to explain your life.

Numerology Plain & Simple
The Only Book You’ll Ever Need
Anne Christie

Chinese Astrology, Plain & Simple
The Only Book You’ll Ever Need
Jonathan Dee

Though perhaps less well-known here than its Western counterpart, Chinese astrology is every bit as illuminating and provides an equally valuable shortcut to self-knowledge. Jonathan Dee, the well-respected author of several books on astrology, tarot, and fortune-telling, reveals all the mysteries of the art in this informative volume.

Filled with legends, charts, and history, it contains all of the essentials for working out your Chinese horoscope including the animal signs for each birthday year, month, and hour. Each sign receives a richly detailed and enlightening explanation.

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I want to thank Weiser Books for these free advanced review copies.