Book Expo and Book Con 2018 Recap

Book Expo and Book Con were over this weekend (starting on May 30th) and as you can see from the pictures, I got a LOT of galleys to reviews. Thursday and Friday were the most productive days since those were the days where most of the main floor was open.

While much better organized than last year, there were still some hiccups. But take a look at all these books and look forward to seeing reviews for these soon!

Press Release: "The Thousand Year Beach"

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VIZ MEDIA’S HAIKASORU SCIENCE FICTION IMPRINT RELEASES TOBI HIROTAKA’S THE THOUSAND YEAR BEACH

An Idyllic World Inhabited By A.I. Beings Faces Extinction From Malevolent Invaders

San Francisco, CA, May 22, 2018 – VIZ Media’s Haikasoru science fiction imprint delivers a new literary release with the publication of THE THOUSAND YEAR BEACH on June 19th.

THE THOUSAND YEAR BEACH, by TOBI Hirotaka, will be released in print with an MSRP of $16.99 U.S. / $22.99 CAN. An eBook edition will also debut on June 19th for the Amazon Kindle, and in Apple’s iBooks Store, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Book Store, the Kobo eBooks Store, and the Google Play Store.

Designed to imitate a harbor town in southern Europe, the Realm of Summer is just one of the zones within the virtual resort known as the Costa del Número. It has been more than a thousand years since human guests stopped coming to the Realm, leaving the AIs alone in their endless summer. But now all that has come to a sudden end, as an army of mysterious Spiders begin reducing the town to nothing. As night falls, the few remaining AIs prepare for their final, hopeless battle… War between the virtual and the real begins in book one of the Angel of the Ruins series.

“THE THOUSAND YEAR beach presents an idyllic virtual world, still running long after having been abandoned by humans, that suddenly finds itself invaded by an impossible force,” says Nick Mamatas, Editor. “Renowned among SF fans and critics, we invite readers to discover TOBI Hirotaka’s first full-length novel this summer.”

Author TOBI Hirotaka was born in 1960 and won the Sanseido SF Story Contest while still a student at Shimane University. From 1983 to 1992 he actively contributed short stories to Japan’sSF Magazine. After a hiatus of ten years, he returned in 2002 with his first full-length novel, THE THOUSAND YEAR BEACH, which took Second Prize in SF Magazine's Best SF of 2002. In 2004, Kaleidoscape, his collection of revised and new works, took top honors in that year's Best SF awards in the magazine, as well as the 2005 Japan SF Award. One of the stories from the collection, “Shapesphere,” also won the 2005 Seiun Award for Best Japanese Short Story of the Year. In 2010, “Autogenic Dreaming: Interview with the Columns of Clouds” earned TOBI his second Seiun Award for Best Japanese Short Story. The work also appeared in English in The Future Is Japanese anthology (published by VIZ Media). He won his third Seiun Award for “Sea Fingers” in 2015, which appeared in English in Saiensu Fikushon 2016.

For more information on THE THOUSAND YEAR BEACH and the Haikasoru imprint, please visit Haikasoru.com.

For more information on other titles available from VIZ Media, please visit viz.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC

Established in 1986, VIZ Media is the premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing. Along with its popular digital magazine WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, DRAGON BALL, SAILOR MOON, and POKÉMON, VIZ Media offers an extensive library of titles and original content in a wide variety of book and video formats, as well as through official licensed merchandise. Owned by three of Japan's largest publishing and entertainment companies, Shogakukan Inc., Shueisha Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is dedicated to bringing the best titles for English-speaking audiences worldwide.

Learn more about VIZ Media and its properties at viz.com.

Lenni Reviews: “Broken Mirror” by Cody Sisco

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

After the death of his grandfather, Victor is convinced he was murdered. But nobody believes him due to his diagnosis of mirror resonance syndrome, which causes blackouts, nightmares, hallucinations, and a lack of control over strong emotions. Determined to discover the truth, Victor no longer knows who to trust as not only his condition worsens but a dangerous conspiracy involving a possible cure and a plot to lock up any broken mirror whether they're a threat or not.

This is a great cyberpunk thriller. Set in a dystopian, 1990's, you get this futuristic feel and the stakes make it tense but there are moments that drag as the next twist is set up. I really felt for Victor and I think you'll find yourself rooting for him the entire book, as I did. The world around him is built perfectly within the narrative making the entire story engrossing and engaging. An awesome novel worth checking out. 4 out of 5.

Deadpool 2 Review

Audio Review  by Justin D Williams 

Foul-mouthed mutant mercenary Wade Wilson (AKA. Deadpool), brings together a team of fellow mutant rogues to protect a young boy of supernatural abilities from the brutal, time-traveling mutant, Cable.

First Look HARBINGER WARS 2 #4 – The Final Battle Commences in August!

Posted By Sean Tucker

Valiant is proud to present your first look at the covers for HARBINGER WARS 2 #4 (of 4) – an unstoppable pulse-pounding climax in the SEISMIC SIX-PART CROSSOVER EVENT that will wreak havoc across the landscape of the Valiant Universe! On August 29th, it all ends here as Eisner Award-nominated writer Matt Kindt (X-O MANOWAR, ETERNITY) and superstar artist Tómas Giorello (X-O MANOWAR) bring the cataclysmic showdown to an unforgettable, heart-stopping conclusion… and when the dust settles, nothing will be the same!

We called it the biggest, most impactful, most ambitious Valiant event ever attempted – and we meant it! From across the Valiant Universe, the paths of all of the world's most formidable heroes – X-O Manowar, the Harbinger Renegades, Bloodshot, Ninjak, the Secret Weapons, H.A.R.D. Corps, and dozens of newly activated psiots – have finally converged, drawn together by their old ally Livewire's last-ditch effort to protect the powerless.

Now, the long-brewing battle between Valiant's greatest icons will finally reach the stratosphere – literally – and, out of the ashes, a new order for the Valiant Universe will be hewn as New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt and comics juggernaut Tomás Giorello present the MUST-READ comics showdown of 2018! On August 29th, no one gets out unscathed in HARBINGER WARS 2 #4 – featuring covers by J.G. Jones (Final Crisis), Mico Suayan (BLOODSHOT SALVATION), Juan José Ryp (BRITANNIA), Felipe Massafera (Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern)!

But first! Jump on board the astonishing first issue of HARBINGER WARS 2 when it descends on comic book stores everywhere this month on May 30th! This summer, the most anticipated event in Valiant’s publication history begins in full force as Matt Kindt and Tomás Giorello crack the Valiant Universe in two in HARBINGER WARS 2 #1 (of 4)!

For the rare and immensely powerful subset of humanity known as psiots, their unique abilities have come with an enormous cost. Once, their existence was known only to a select few. Now, the revelation that thousands of these latent telekinetic “harbingers” secretly live among us – with the potential to be activated at any moment – has led the American government to a dramatic tipping point…

Armed with new extra-governmental authority, the deep-black military contractor known as Omen has been authorized to identify, evaluate, and, if need be, eliminate all super-normal threats to the homeland. H.A.R.D. Corps units have been deployed into cities and towns across the United States to enforce their orders.

In the East, one of the most powerful minds on Earth, Peter Stanchek, is leading his band of Renegades across the country, activating any potential psiots willing to join them, and building an insurrection force of ultra-powerful and unwieldy new abilities that will soon bring war to Omen’s doorstep…and the unstoppable force known as X-O Manowar raging back to Earth.

In the West, Livewire – the telekinetic technopath with the ability to bend machines and computers to her will – will be forced to choose between her former allies…or her newfound team of Secret Weapons. As the situation escalates beyond human control, the United States will be plunged into darkness from coast to coast, launching Bloodshot and Ninjak into a dangerous mission to neutralize their one-time teammate – and setting the stage for the most shocking, most violent, and most consequential clash of powers ever witnessed in the history of the Valiant Universe!

On May 30th, master storytellers Matt Kindt and Tomás Giorello offer up an unprecedented collision of Valiant heroes as  X-O Manowar, Livewire, the Harbinger Renegades, Bloodshot, the Secret Weapons, Ninjak, and a cast of thousands draw their battle lines in HARBINGER WARS 2 #1 (of 4) – featuring covers by J.G. Jones(Wanted), Mico Suayan (MOON KNIGHT), Juan José Ryp (NINJA-K), Felipe Massafera (Flashpoint: Abin Sur), and Lewis LaRosa (BLOODSHOT SALVATION)!