Lord Samper's Library

I don't often do these posts anymore, mostly because it's well proven that I'm rubbish at sticking to reading my way through a TBR pile that I've made for myself. There's always something else to read first and if there isn't, well... I'm getting more and more picky with my reading as I get more and more middle-aged. What can I do? ;o) I'm doing one of these posts today though, mostly because my reading slowed right down last week and I need a little breathing space while I catch up (and look on the shelves for the remaining books that I read while on hiatus last year). Lets see how well I do with it... Not shown in the picture is my Kindle which I'm using to read Victoria Hayward's 'Deathworlder' (which is great fun by the way, if that's the correct way to describe an entire planet being consumed by Tyranids... the hell with it, I stand by what I said). So, what else are we looking at...? I'm just over halfway through 'Blight

When I'm trying to puzzle my way through something particularly tricky at work, I like to have a movie playing in the background. You would have thought it would distract me but somehow, it helps me concentrate on what I'm trying to accomplish. The last few months of this have seen me work through the early Romero 'Dead' films as well as the 1990 'Night of the Living Dead' and the 2004 'Dawn of the Dead', both favourites of mine :o) Just recently though, I've moved onto the 1988 version of 'The Blob' and it's been great fun. I won't go into all the reasons here (not when I've already posted about it over Here ) but it did get me wondering... Which is your favourite version of 'The Blob'? You can guess my favourite but I want to know if you have a preference for the 1958 or 1988 versions. And if you haven't seen either, don't worry, I've got you covered ;o) Any thoughts? Leave a comment and let me know...

It's not often that I come back to a book, for a re-read, and find myself feeling exactly the same about as I did the last time I picked it up. Leave a book on the shelf for long enough and you're bound to pick up on something different in the next re-read; apart from comfort reads that is, they will always be the same (at least, from where I'm sat, that's why they're comfort reads) ;o) Yesterday though... Maybe it was just the hangover but I picked up 'Them That Raised Us Lament' and felt exactly the same about it as I did the last time I read it. There's still a lot to recommend it but some of the stories felt like the book, as a whole, is just waiting for the next big arc. It's a book that I enjoy but can't help but wish that it would hurry up a little... With that in mind then, and definitely because of the hangover (that and a week that has really taken it out of me...), I'm letting 'past me' tell you about this latest instalment

I'll be honest... Whenever you come across this post, today, the odds are that I'm going to be nursing a large hangover. What? It's been a long week and I dragged it out a little further by spending a little too much time in the pub. Easily done and all that ;o) On the off chance that I wake up unscathed, the plan is to try and finish at least one of the books that I've got on the go.  With all that in mind then, I'm giving myself a break from blogging, today, and recycling an old post from an old blog, like I do ;o) I try not to do it too often but when I do, I always try and pick a half decent post for you so today, we're taking a quick look at an author who tackled 'Conan', back in the day, and wasn't named Lin Carter or L. Sprague de Camp. Wagner has great form for Sword & Sorcery and while I can't help but think that he works better with his own characters, 'The Road of Kings' is still a decent read. If you want the full review,

And I was doing so well this week... ;o( As work, and other things, line up to take a bite out of me, I seem be recycling old posts (from even older blogs) a little more regularly than I'm comfortable with but this week was a lot better for that... Until just after I finished work, last night and realised that I was good for pretty much nothing apart from a quick pint at the pub across the road. It was worth it, I didn't realise how much I needed that pint until it was in my hand :o) Where does that leave the blog though? Well, it leaves the blog with an old review of Philip K. Dick's 'Dr. Bloodmoney' that I came across. I (still) haven't read a lot of Philip K Dick's work but 'Dr. Bloodmoney' is my favourite book of his, that I have read, and today, that's all the excuse I needed to recycle the review. The full review is over Here , I've chopped out a chunk of the introduction but not much else, here goes... I love old books, possibly due to

Page Count: 120 Pages I was in Wimbledon, for work, on Tuesday and as I normally do when I’m there, I spent my lunch break nipping in and out the charity shops, on the hunt for a bargain or two. There wasn’t an awful lot, this time round, to be honest but that’s the way the hunt can sometimes go. What there was though was an absolutely lovely looking copy of George R.R. Martin’s ‘The Ice Dragon’ and it was only £1.50 so of course I bought it ;o) I reckoned at least one of my daughters would like it but it had been a few years since I read it last (okay, seventeen years…) so that’s exactly what I did last night… Quick thoughts follow after the blurb (the book is only 120 pages long so quick thoughts are all I have). The ice dragon was a creature of legend and fear. When it flew overhead, it left in its wake desolate, frozen land. No man had ever tamed one. Adara first glimpsed the ice dragon as she played in the snow long after the other children had fled the cold. But Adara was not afr

Enter a carnival of devastatin’ delights as the Goon and Franky take on the evils of the entertainment industry and the tyranny of the one percent. But when a bodacious burlesque dancer steals Franky’s heart, can the Goon nail her before she makes off with… the knickknack? And the ‘Goon Re-Read’ continues; not for too much longer as we’re starting to approach the end of the books that I haven’t already featured. We’re not there yet though so… Lets talk about ‘The Deformed of Body and the Devious of Mind’, a book that went very well with my breakfast bagel and kept me company on the way home from work. After you’ve finished your main plot arc, and given one of your supporting cast the mini-series that he absolutely deserved … Where do you go next? Well, luckily for us, life goes on in Lonely Street (and the surrounding burg) in much the same that it did while Labrazio and the Goon were fighting. This time, we get a close look at what that means and… Well, basically it’s as slightly surr

The fate of Wissenland lies in the balance when a mighty Undead horde lays waste to the state. As the Imperial troops are pushed remorselessly back, the count and his advisors come up with a desperate plan - to find the missing Solland runefang, for with this legendary weapon they will surely win the day. Baron von Rabwald and a small force of men head into the mountains to seek the sword, but can they find it, let alone get back in time? Because zombies don’t just shamble about in the ruins of modern day America… The undead may have arrived in fantasy fiction via a slightly different route (those pesky necromancers…) but they were in books long before George Romero surrounded a farmhouse with zombies and set the cameras rolling. And I’m more than cool with that. Reading fantasy & horror books, and watching horror movies, are three of my favourite things; zombies count for the fourth so it’s great when all those things bump into one another 😊I know that I can count on Black Librar

It's been a while since I've been really excited about an MCU movie but... I'm back now! Two absolute legends, in the MCU for the first time, what more can anyone ask for? Swearing? Yep plenty of that too ;o) 'Deadpool & Wolverine' will be out in July.

Page Count: 32 Pages I actually got a fair bit done this weekend, ranging from putting my new bed together to being told to move along by the police in Greenwich; turns out that the only place you could actually see the marathon runners was the one place where you weren’t allowed to stand and watch them… Oh well ;o) One thing I didn’t get much (if any time) for was reading but I did briefly conquer my fear of maths just enough to help my eldest do her homework so… it all balanced out. I did want to read something though (I get all fidgety if I don’t) so went straight to my Kindle and an ‘Age of Sigmar’ short story that I’d left there, just for a situation like this. I absolutely loved how David Guymer approached Gotrek in ‘The One Road’ so when I saw ‘The Beast of Grey Gardens’, it was an easy purchase. Let me tell you a bit about it (quick thoughts as I have quite the day ahead of me)… Tun and the Loose Cannons take their new recruit, Gotrek, on a routine patrol of the sewers, only t

You'll see why in a minute, further down this post, lets talk about the books first.  Honestly, the plan was to really work to get through more of the books already in the house but... The last couple of weeks have been pretty tough and then payday happened so... Here we are :o) Let me show you what has arrived in the last couple of days (ok, yesterday). I'd seen Ronald Malfi pop up on Twitter and thought to myself that I'd never read of his stuff. One browse through Amazon later and 'They Lurk' looked like the best place to start. The plan is to dip into this 'as and when', and post about each novella as I read them. And they all look pretty intriguing so you'll see them here sooner rather than later. And 'Gods of the Wyrdwood' is a book that I've been interested in, for a long time, but couldn't spring for the hardback. The timely publication of the paperback solved that one and my crappy photo doesn't do justice to just how lovely

While I'm sleeping/trying to get over a monster hangover when I wake up... Have some rather lovely cover art for Brian Keene's forthcoming 'Island of the Dead'. Actually, have some blurb as well... ;o) World Horror Grand Master Brian Keene returns to zombies in this relentless sword and sorcery horror epic! Einar, an enslaved barbarian, plots his escape from a war galley transporting troops and a mysterious weapon to far enemy shores. But when an apocalyptic storm at sea leaves Einar and his fellow captives shipwrecked on a strange, uncharted island, friend and foe alike must band together against a ravenous, steadily growing horde of the undead... and even worse dangers. Not even death is an escape from the... ISLAND OF THE DEAD No matter what they say, there is always something new to say about zombies and long may that continue :o) I would have read this book anyway (I've been waiting on it ever since its Kindle Vella days (we never got Vella in the UK) but zombi

Sorry, it's another 'recycled review' today, everything kind of caught up with me and I've got a ton of stuff to do before I can even think of reading anything today. Which is annoying as C.L. Werner's 'Runefang' is getting really good. Dammit, I should have kept reading, on the bus home, rather than fall asleep. Oh well... :o) While I go and get various bits done then, have some thoughts on Richard Matheson's 'A Stir of Echoes'. The original post can be found Here (if you really want to know how I opened posts back in 2013 that is, no worries if you're not that bothered) Madness is only a step away . . . Tom Wallace is happy with his suburban lot. Until an evening of casual entertainment turns reality into nightmare. Tom sees himself as a pragmatist, and when his brother-in-law challenges him to undergo hypnotism, he obliges to prove a point. So no one is more surprised that Tom when it works. But this cheap parlour trick unlocked something

So... I think I've done alright with the blog this week, three original posts in three days feels like a bit of a record for me, but I've got a hell of a lot to get done at work today (and didn't finish any books yesterday) so I'm giving myself a break and recycling an old review. Don't worry though, I only ever pick the good ones ;o) I had things to say about 'Dawn of the Dead', the movie, back in 2021 and it felt like now was a good time to revisit an old post on the novelization. The original post can be found Here , a slightly tweaked version (my feelings on the book are still the same, just took out some of the stuff that dates the post...) follows... I first came across this book in Foyles, on the South Bank, back in 2012 and found myself thinking, ‘really…?’ It’s an old book, first published in 1979, that has clearly been re-released to take advantage of the love for all things zombie that’s going on right now. If any title deserves that kind of love

Bit of an ‘odd’ post to write, this one. Not because of anything to do with the book but more that I originally intended to post about each of the featured stories as I read them. I only got two stories in as it happened, ‘The Harrower’ (David Annandale) and ‘The Method of Madness’ (Peter McLean). I’ll tell you more about why the read stalled in a bit… I was always going to pick ‘Warcry’ up again, at some point, and that became the other day when I read about Games Workshop retiring some of the Warcry war bands. I don’t know why that, of all things, spurred me on to finish the rest of the book but here we are ;o) Not a bad book on the whole; it feels like a cop-out to say it (that’s not going to stop me though…) but your mileage will inevitably vary depending on authors, particular war bands (if you’re a fan of the game), that kind of thing. There was only one story that I actively didn’t get on with so I’m glad, overall, that I picked a copy up. There were four stories left, in the

Okay, there will be a ‘Discworld’ re-read but I won’t be doing it in any order, not at all. Nope, this will be more about ‘certain reads for certain particular moments’, curated comfort reads if you like ;o) Which brings me round to Terry Pratchett and ‘Guards! Guards!’. Way, way back in the day, it used to be that Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without a brand new copy of the latest ‘Discworld’ novel. These days, the Discworld is a place that I like to come back to whenever things get a little bit too much. A bit like going into your local, you know everyone already so there’s no pressure; you can just kick back, enjoy a pint and let the world just happen around you. I’ve been after some of that, these last few weeks, so it was pretty much inevitable that I’d head back to ‘Guards! Guards!’, one of my favourite ‘Discworld’ novels. There, I’ve said it :o) ‘Guards! Guards!’ is one of my favourites, if not my favourite ‘Discworld’ book (My top five ‘Discworld’ books can change, mayb

I'll be honest, I'm posting these trailers more as a reminder to myself than anything else at the moment. If I don't then my innate ability to miss movies, at the cinema, will kick in and I'll be stuck waiting for Prime/Netflix to catch up. 'New Life' does look like it could be a good one though; a cross between 'The Thing' and all the good bits from the first instalment of 'Species. It's out in May, I think I'll remember to keep an eye out for this one ;o) 

Page Count: 144 Pages Last week, what with getting over Covid and hanging out with my daughters, was definitely not a week for getting books read. I can’t remember the last time I spent so long on a book as I did with ‘Wereblood’; it was literally a page or two read whenever I could grab a couple of minutes. I got there in the end though (go me!) and it was definitely time well spent. Before we get onto the book itself, I should point out that I’m reading this series out of order, again (the perils of not having an ordered bookshelf…) If you want to find out what happens after ‘Wereblood’, click Here and read my thoughts on ‘Werenight’. For now though, lets concentrate on ‘Wereblood’… In the northern reaches of the Empire of Elabon, Gerin, called the Fox, battled to save his domain from destruction by the warlike Trokmoi and their wizard-leader, Balamung. Assisted by the gian Van of the Strong Arm, Gerin prepared to make the hazardous journey to the City of Elabon, there to enlist the

I'll be honest with you... I'm back at work tomorrow and I suspect there's going to be a lot to catch up with, there usually is after a week off work :o( With that in mind then, there'll be at least a couple of 'recycled reviews' on the blog as I get caught up with the day job. I'll make sure they're good ones though, promise! ;o)  All of which leads us to a post of mine, originally from 2013 , about Robert Bloch's 'Maternal Instinct' (the name of the story, not his actual... you know what I mean). I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this short story is pretty much an essential read if you like zombie fiction (or if you just like well written short stories). I found 'Maternal Instinct' in the collection 'Zombies: A Compendium of the Living Dead', I couldn't tell you where else it may be found but that shouldn't stop you looking. With that said... 'And so it was Jill's dearest and most secret wish cam

Once I got the Covid out of the way, the last few 'leave days' have been really nice. I haven't really done much at all, just hanging out and having fun with my daughters, but I think that's just what I needed so it's all good ;o) I'm not quite sure what the weekend holds but I'm starting to dread going back to work on Monday so that will play a part I'm sure. How do you guys manage those last few days of holiday and the resulting dread about what's waiting for you in the office? Anyway... Thursday saw us take a quick trip to Greenwich for hot chocolate (the girls love it) and a quick look in the Oxfam bookshop (I love it). I shouldn't really have bought anything but of course I did. Check it out, Yes, I've gone and bought another copy of 'The Dragonbone Chair'. To be fair though, the one I bought the other week was for my my daughter; my old copy is looking 'well loved' and when I saw this copy (the same edition) looking all

Because not only did I finally find my copy of ‘The Living Dead’ (apparently, books can hide…) but I actually had the energy for a quick read after my girls had gone home. Wonders will never cease and all that ;o) Now here’s a book that I’d always meant to read but somehow spent most of its time hidden away in my loft (in the old place). Now everything’s all on the one floor, books like ‘The Living Dead’ suddenly appear and demand that I look through them. Who am I to refuse them…? A quick glance over the contents page had me wondering whether ‘The Living Dead 2’ is going to feature in more of these posts; there wasn’t a lot here that initially caught my eye. There were a couple of titles though, hence this post. One a very welcome re-read and one a ‘first time read’ that I suspect will be hanging around for a while. I also read Neil Gaiman’s ‘Bitter Grounds’ but I want to try and get my head round it a little (maybe even give it another read) before posting about it. As always, short

It’s my week off, with my daughters, this week which means that there are a number of half-finished books lying about the flat and precisely one comic book that has actually been finished. This has not been the best week for reading, what with one thing and another… ;o) I’ll be honest, I’ll probably end up recycling a couple of old reviews, from elsewhere, before the week is done. For now though, lets circle back to that comic book I mentioned… My ‘Goon Re-Read’ has pretty much saved me this last week in particular, it’s been about the only thing I could concentrate on and it always comes up with the goods. You can’t ask for a lot more than that. With that said then, lets take a little wander down to Lonely Street and see what’s what… After surviving the return of Labrazio, Goon wants nothing more than to settle onto a barstool with some whiskey, but a succession of cake-mad hobo gods, lascivious gorillas and black-clad assassins other ideas. Worse yet, Goon must endure his friends thr

Last week's dose of Covid put rather a large dent in last weeks reading plans and left me not able to concentrate on an awful lot this week. I'm not complaining though, just thankful really that it was only a light dose this time round. Anyway... What is a Graeme to do in situations like these? You know what this Graeme does, he goes out and pinches posts, from earlier blogs of his, to fill in a gap here. And that's ok ;o) Sometimes, you have to do what you need to. I thought I'd found all my old 'Clark Ashton-Smith' posts, and brought them here, but it turns out that 'The Abominations of Yondo' was still hiding away... Not any longer it isn't! ;o) If you're after the original post, you'll find that over Here . I've changed a little bit here and there but nothing major. If you're after reading the story itself (and you really should, trust me) then you'll find it waiting for you over Here . If you're still with me, let me tell

Thankfully, it looks like Covid decided to pay me just a short visit :o) I’m still not a hundred percent, still feeling wiped out, but noticeably better than I was just a couple of days ago. Fingers crossed, I’ll get to enjoy some of my week off with my daughters. I still can’t really concentrate on books though so decided to go with another slice of ‘Doctor Who’, on the telly, last night. I don’t know where I got the idea to finally watch ‘Shada’ as the DVD was definitely not in a position to catch my eye and inspire a viewing… ‘Shada’ was what I was after though and once I’d found it (at the bottom of a small pile of MCU DVDS…) I settled down for a viewing and… ‘Delicate matter, slightly, It’s about a book…’ When Chris Parsons borrows a book from an elderly university professor, he is surprised to find it written in a strange alien language. He is even more surprised when the book is revealed to be not of this earth at all. Chris is about to enter a world of invisible spaceships, mon