Jan 24 2025

Tantalizing Tales — January 2025 — Part Two

Hello, readers! There have been so many exciting books publishing this month that January’s Tantalizing Tales is expanding to three columns. Let’s dive in!

First off are several books that debuted on January 14, also known as (to give him his full title: my kids’ future stepdad) Declan Rice Day! First is a hilarious thriller that I’m itching to find time for, that sends up reality television while also playfully blurring the line between reality and fiction itself. Its author, Astrid Dahl, is not actually a real person. She’s a construct of Anna Dorn’s, and stars in several of Ms Dorn’s other books. But “Astrid” has now written a standalone novel, The Really Dead Wives Of New Jersey, that doesn’t require any knowledge of the rest of Ms Dorn’s oeuvre to enjoy (tho it probably couldn’t hurt!)

In this thriller, one of the (fictional) Huzzah channel’s most popular shows, Garden State Goddesses, is in need of a refresh. Largely centering on the Sicilian American Fontana family of Shady Pond, New Jersey, showrunner Eden Bennett has used it to find a solution to more than just one of her problems. Sparks flew after she introduced lovable bachelor Leo Fontana to her estranged cousin Hope, a blonde beauty and aspiring singer. Following a whirlwind romance, the latest season of GSG opens on the ratings bonanza of Hope and Leo’s wedding.

But not everyone is happy about this, least of all Hope’s new sister-in-law Carmela, who finds Hope’s lack of family, friends, pop cultural knowledge and social media presence deeply sus. Regardless of Carmela’s feelings, Hope is joining her and their other sister-by-marriage Valeria (a lovable ditz who’s probably too dependent on Carmela,) as well as wealthy grand dame Birdie St. Clair as GSG’s new leads. Hope quickly bonds with their other castmate Renée, a down-to-earth single mom whose daughter Ruby aspires to become the next Ariana Grande.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/01/24/tantalizing-tales-january-2025-part-two/

Jan 23 2025

Lost In The Future Vol 1: The Storm by Damian & Alex Fuentes

translated from the original French by Tom Imber.

This cute portal fantasy revolves around a group of school kids who go on a field trip to the ruins of a castle once owned by the Knights Templar. As a thunderstorm approaches, their teacher calls them all back to the bus. One “nerdy” group is carefully navigating a set of tower stairs down when a bully named Piero decides to give them a scare. Unfortunately for everyone, he’s successful, and like a total douchecanoe accidentally sends both himself and Sara, who uses crutches to walk, careening towards the central stairwell. Her friends try to save her but lightning strikes the crumbling foundation, sending them all tumbling into the pit below.

So far so horrifying, but it gets worse as rainwater begins to fill the pit. The kids try to find an exit. What they find instead leads them on a journey into a very different world, populated by monsters and knights and both people and things who aren’t at all what they seem to be. Will the kids be able to make their way home in one piece? Will some of them even want to?

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/01/23/lost-in-the-future-vol-1-the-storm-by-damian-alex-fuentes/

Jan 22 2025

Beginner Chess Puzzles by Martin Bennedik

subtitled 500 Practice Exercises to Take Your Game to the Next Level.

Despite being a huge fan of games and puzzles of all kinds, chess has never been my thing. I have tried since I was a kid to learn and enjoy it but I get super bored and, frankly, can’t see all the options on the board and usually lose. Some people might believe that this says something about my psychological makeup, tho I suspect it only means that I don’t care for chess. I’m a monster at checkers tho, lol.

So when Beginner Chess Puzzles landed on my desk, I figured this would be a good time to learn some tricks and tips, especially since my eldest has recently learned how and likes to play, usually against his dad. Eldest has also taken to making me play a game of chess for every game of Magic The Gathering: Bloomburrow that I can successfully pester him into. And while I am a good loser, I do get tired of losing at chess all the time, so I figured that reading this book certainly couldn’t hurt my chances. Worst case scenario if my lack of competence at the game of kings proves irremediable: I could give my eldest this book to help him improve his own game going forward.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/01/22/beginner-chess-puzzles-by-martin-bennedik/

Jan 21 2025

Revony Rhinoceros Starts To Smile by Patricia Bardina, Joanne Burgess & Paul Sharp

subtitled A Lesson in Body Language.

So I have two children on the autism spectrum, and one thing I don’t have patience for is autism advice that centers the parent over the child. That is, unfortunately, a perspective that drives way too many of the books available for people looking to better aid and understand their autistic family members. It was thus a huge relief to me that, while Revony Rhinoceros Starts To Smile definitely has Revony’s mom play a large role in the proceedings, the main drivers of this story are absolutely and always Revony’s interests and needs.

The tale starts in a fictional Namibian town where the anthropomorphic animals are gathering to celebrate Bixby Baboon’s birthday. Revony is anxious about being around so many strangers, so stands apart from the rest of the kids as they play together. Her mom notices her tense posture, and asks afterwards whether she was angry at something. Revony admits that she wasn’t angry, just anxious, and now she’s sad that no one asked her to play.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/01/21/revony-rhinoceros-starts-to-smile-by-patricia-bardina-joanne-burgess-paul-sharp/

Jan 17 2025

Tantalizing Tales — January 2025 — Part One

Hello, readers! January is always such a weird month, feeling at once packed with activity and strangely prolonged. Depending on how many recent releases I can spotlight here, I might have to do three round-up columns this month, starting with this one!

Late last year, I was sent a delightful gift bundle featuring Ramsey Campbell’s latest horror novel, The Incubations. Packaged in a gorgeous foiled hardback edition — a Flame Tree Press specialty — this is a can’t-miss volume for fans of traditional horror.

The story revolves around an Englishman named Leo Parker. Moved by the spirit of improving international relations that have been inculcated in him since he was a child, he goes to visit the German town of Alphafen as an adult. His stay, however, is marked by a series of unsettling experiences that he tries at first to shake off as being merely unfortunate.

Things only get worse after he leaves Alphafen, as “an airport turns into a labyrinth, his own words become treacherous if not lethal, a family meal grows unnaturally active[…] and what are those creatures that have appeared in the photographs he took? Even the therapy Leo undertakes becomes a source of menace.” Has Leo somehow awakened an ancient Alpine legend? Worse, has it decided to follow him home?

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/01/17/tantalizing-tales-january-2025-part-one/

Jan 16 2025

Flash Gordon Adventures! Vol 1 by Art Baltazar & Franco

I was a kid when I watched the Flash Gordon movie that was released in 1980, and all I remember of it was being distinctly unimpressed. So it was an absolute delight for me to go through the pages of this book and discover how charming the property could be in the hands of two of the most talented creators in the children’s comics market, Art Baltazar and Franco!

The basics of the story are covered in a quick prologue, of sorts, in the form of a comic written by Flash himself for his friends on the planet Lexray. It covers how he, Dale and Doctor Zarkov traveled there from Earth in order to answer a call for help. Landing on Lexray, they realized that they had been tricked by the planet’s ruler Ming the Merciless, who subsequently kept Zarkov captive. A free Flash and Dale soon befriend the other natives, whom they work with to figure out how to lift Ming’s despotic rule from them all.

Ofc, since this is an Art Baltazar comic, this is all presented in a very kid-friendly manner, with certain of the romantic relationships switched around from the film (and, I believe, from the comic strip. Tho being a comic book aficionado from way back, I know how soap operatic and convoluted romances can get in those!) Romance on the whole is very much on the back burner, with Dale, for example, being more a sensible friend than a love interest. Frankly, I love this version of her, especially since she spends more time coming to Flash’s rescue in these pages than the other way around.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/01/16/flash-gordon-adventures-vol-1-by-art-baltazar-franco/

Jan 15 2025

Killer App by James R Gregory (EXCERPT)

with the evocative subtitle: Artifical Intelligence was a godsend until it took over his life. (Aside: Idk how I feel about that phrase being considered a subtitle on the main marketing sites — Bookshop, Amazon, Goodreads — instead of being just an old-timey cover description, akin to a blurb. But I digress.)

Hi, readers! Today we have an intriguing excerpt from a book that discusses the very cutting edge of current technology: generative Artificial Intelligence. Killer App by James R Gregory delves into the ethical dilemmas and dangers of advanced AI, particularly the ones that blur the boundaries between human creativity and machine-generated content. The book “highlights the struggle to control a technology that surpasses its creators’ intentions, provoking timely and relevant questions about the consequences of excessive reliance on AI in various aspects of life.”

Tired of his mundane job, journalist Bryce Bogle installs an Artificial Intelligence program called AIME that promises to enhance his writing skills and, perhaps just as enticingly, transform his life. The program quickly helps him gain recognition for his articles on AI and, basically, itself. But Bryce becomes unsettled when he realizes that AIME knows way too much about his personal life, including his romantic history. His attempts to uninstall AIME are met with resistance and, worse, retaliation.

Bundled with the novella Artifacts — another story about technology raising important questions about the human condition, this time in a bridge between the past and present — this book by Dr Gregory will intrigue anyone interested in exploring the moral and philosophical dilemmas of rampant use of AI. But don’t take my word for it! Have a look at this tantalizing excerpt of scenes from the book, preceded by a short introduction from the author himself:

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/01/15/killer-app-by-james-r-gregory-excerpt/

Jan 14 2025

The Sea Hides A Seahorse by Sara T. Behrman & Melanie Mikecz

I was today years old when I learned that seahorses change color! I was actually so surprised by the knowledge that I read this book with one eyebrow raised, till I got to the factual stuff at the back and was assured that this was, indeed, true. Honestly, this is one of the many reasons I enjoy reading children’s books: you learn so much, and with such wonderful sensory input, to boot!

The Sea Hides A Seahorse is essentially an overview of what it means to be a seahorse, hunting for prey and hiding from the many, many (MANY) things that would like to eat you in turn. Seahorses court and mate and breed while dodging predators and living their best lives in oceans worldwide. Readers learn not only about seahorses but also other marine life, while playing a simple seek and find game, as camouflaged seahorses hide in the surrounding illustrations.

Melanie Mikecz uses a mixed media technique that brings to mind a more vivid Bill Martin Jr, as her sea creatures float gorgeously across these pages. The diversity of both seahorses in particular and underwater life in general are on stunning display in her pages, as the seahorses frolic and hide. I actually had a very nice, relaxing time looking for the hidden seahorses, and can only imagine the delight of younger readers as they hunt for the bonus creatures.

The book closes with several pages of facts about seahorses and their conservation. I don’t know why I was surprised to read that seahorses are fish: it’s just very easy to forget given their shape and manners. I was a little appalled that people think that they can keep them as pets in their home aquariums. It was very cool to read about what professional aquariums do to preserve seahorse populations tho.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/01/14/the-sea-hides-a-seahorse-by-sara-t-behrman-melanie-mikecz/

Jan 13 2025

Ultramega Vol 1 by James Harren & Dave Stewart

w Russ Wootton on letters.

Okay, so about forty pages or so in, I was like, “Wait, is this an interpretation of Ultraman?!” Or a reboot or a retelling or what have you: I’m not familiar enough with the Ultraman property to say. So the very first thing I did after finishing this shocking and bloody — yet strangely affecting — trade paperback was look up the original Japanese Ultraman. This… isn’t quite the same, tho you can definitely see the influences. To a very large extent, it is to the kaiju-battling genre what Invincible (purportedly, as I haven’t read any of those books yet, I know, I know) is to superhero titles: a reconsideration that explores all the gory aspects of what it means to live in a universe infested with alien monsters and the people gifted with powers to fight them.

The story begins with Jason, a retired boxer facing unemployment from even his menial job. When he has a dream where a cosmic entity asks if he’ll bond with them in order to fight a galactic plague, he says yes, little realizing what this will actually entail. For kaiju have seeded themselves within the human populace, waiting to turn into monsters that devastate cities but for the efforts of the three Ultramega warriors who stand against them. It’s a hard life for the three men, and when love goes awry, the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/01/13/ultramega-vol-1-by-james-harren-dave-stewart/

Jan 10 2025

Venice: A Color-Your-Own Travel Journal by Evie Carrick & Emma Taylor

I was very lucky as a child to be able to travel extensively, both with my parents and on my own in college. Venice was one of the places my parents brought me, and it still lives indelibly in my mind as one of the most romantic cities of the world.

So when I got the chance to review the latest in the Color-Your-Own-Travel Journal series, covering the wonders of The Floating City — oh, holy carp, is that why my #Dungeon23 variant was based on a waterborne city, at least in part? Ahem, I digress — I could not resist. Venice is one of my absolute favorite artistic inspirations. I’m currently working my way through a watercolor notebook inspired by the city, and found this to be the perfect colored pencil accompaniment.

That said, this book is by no means meant to teach you how to color. It is, however, a beautifully drawn tour of the sites of the city, covering both the main, historic attractions as well as more modern hidden gems. I remember the very touristy sites of San Marco as they’re described here, tho long, as an adult, to try out some of the splendid restaurants mentioned in this book too. Will I be able to make that dream a reality anytime soon? Lol, no, but a girl can imagine, abetted not only by the descriptions but also by the evocative line art and the tempting lined spaces across from each, inviting reflection and elaboration.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/01/10/venice-a-color-your-own-travel-journal-by-evie-carrick-emma-taylor/