This is probably not good news, any way you slice it.
The list of stores will be coming later this afternoon.
In other news, Lame Excuse Books says there are no plans to close its one non-retail location…
Borders Files for Bankruptcy, to Close 200 Stores
February 16th, 2011Retro TV Memories: The Fantastic Journey
February 13th, 2011Back in my ill-spent youth, before we had any video games other than Pong, I watched a lot of TV. Along with the classics (I Love Lucy, Star Trek), I watched a good bit of the same primetime fare everyone else watched back in the days of three broadcast networks and no cable. In particular, I would watch pretty much any prime time science fiction show in the 1970s, no matter how bad. Some, like Kolchak: The Night Stalker, hold up much better than I would expect them to.
I’m pretty sure The Fantastic Journey does not, mainly because I remember thinking that it sucked even while I was watching it. I even remember thinking it sucked more than The Man From Atlantis, which, I assure you, sucked pretty hard. (After all, that was a show with an episode that had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as an alien on another planet panning for gold in invisible water. And no, it didn’t make any more sense in context.)
Anyway, I thought I’d do this post on The Fantastic Journey not because it was good, but because once every six months or so I found myself discussing the TV shows of the 1970s and being unable to recall the name of the show. It could also be seen as some sort of weird precursor to Lost, but with a smaller cast and a refreshing lack of tedious flashbacks. So this page is more or less something for people to find on the Internet searching for the same half-remembered plot elements just so they can prove to their friends that no, they didn’t imagine it. (Keywords: The Fantastic Journey, island, Bermuda Triangle, zone, portal, TV show, 1970s, bad, suck)
The setup, as I remember it, was some modern Americans (including an annoying kid, which was the style at the time) being marooned on an uncharted island somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle, and every week they’d go through some sort of zone or barrier that would transport them to another time period where they ran into pirates, aliens, future civilizations, or any other thing 70s TV writers on deadline could think of to keep them in cocaine for another month. According to this far more informative writeup on the show, they were stranded there by some weird green cloud enveloping their boat. And it went downhill from there.
Here’s the opening credits, which I seem to have mercifully forgotten:
Wow, that cheesy disco synth theme is everything that was wrong with music in the 1970s rolled into one excruciatingly painful package. I’m sure that right now, it’s being played on an infinite loop to torments the souls of the damned at Hell’s own disco.
And here’s the opening of one episode, which makes it seem even worse than I remember:
Roddy McDowell adds that touch of class to remind you that, yes, he was in an awful lot of horrid crap. (See also: Laserblast.)
That’s pretty bad. Thanks you sir, may I have another?
What that scene really needs is the Monty Python knight to limp up and whack Mongol Riddle Guy upside the head with a rubber chicken. There also seemed to be a contractual requirement for several minutes of running in every show. (Cheap! Pointless! Eats up screen time!) And nothing says “It’s the future!” like green unitards and shiny, asymmetrical skirts.
And there’s plenty more where that came from on YouTube, for those with an unquenchable thirst for cheesy 70s science fiction TV shows. But everything about the show gives you the distinct impression people involved knew it was doomed and were only in it for the paycheck.
Here’s the IMDB link for the show.
Let’s face it: The Fantastic Journey was just a big slab of suck, and I only post this here as a warning to others and to prove that, yes, it actually existed.
Tune in next week when I channel my vague memories of John Saxon blowing up mutants with a photon bazooka (or some damn thing).
My Review of Mr. Shivers
February 10th, 2011My review of Robert Jackson Bennett’s Mr. Shivers is up over at SF Signal. If you’re looking for a good first novel to read, I recommend it. I also have some copies of the first edition available on the Lame Excuse Books page.
Local Girl Makes Good
February 9th, 2011My friend and fellow member of the Turkey City Writer’s Workshop Stina Leicht just had her first novel, Of Blood and Honey, published by Night Shade Books (which seems to have recovered from their organizational difficulties).
I hope to have some signed copies available for the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
She also has a piece on what prompted the novel up on John Scalzi’s Whatever.
Congrats, Stina!
15 New Dashiell Hammett Stories Found
February 9th, 2011In the archives at the University of Texas Harry Ransom center.
This is indeed good news for mystery fans, though I wouldn’t get your hopes up. Maybe they’re great, but frequently trunk stories remain in the trunk for a reason…
Dear Austin: Sucks to Be You
February 7th, 2011They’re closing down I-35 at Ben White from Friday night to Sunday morning. Needless to say, you should probably avoid I-35 for about 25-miles in either direction for the entirety of that shutdown.
This gives me a chance to mention something I experienced in Dallas a few weeks ago: Do you think if you’re going to divert a major freeway onto a downtown side street, do you think you might want to, oh, I don’t know, reprogram the stop lights for the two otherwise deserted intersections? Or, if that’s too technically challenging, just turn them off and station one policeman at each intersection to direct traffic? Obviously, the Dallas City Hall and Police Department thought that was entirely too much to ask.
(Hat tip: Dwight.)
Items in Evidence of a Case of Bibliomania (or, How I Spent $1,000 in One Week and All I Got Were These Cool Books)
February 6th, 2011You may have noticed that I buy a lot of books. This year I had another family event in the Dallas area in mid-January, so I took time out to drive up to Recycled Books in Denton (where I found so much cool stuff that time last year) once again, though this time I only found $500 in books worth buying (as opposed to the $1,200 last year). And the same week I had an order come in from a notable SF book dealer having a 50% off sale, including a couple of Stephen King signed/limited editions. I don’t normally concentrate on limited and ultra-limited editions, but when one comes along at the right price…
So here’s a description of what I bought. As usual, all books are Fine hardback first editions in Fine dust jackets, unless otherwise noted. The books on their side in the first picture are ones I bought to sell, and should show up in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog.
Stuff I bought at Recycled Books in Denton:
Stuff I bought at 50% off from a notable SF dealer:
Of course, since that week, more books have come in…
SNOWPOCALYPSE 2011!
February 4th, 2011If you haven’t heard, Austin got a couple of inches of snow last night, which may not sound like a lot, but when you convert that to Austin Driving Units, that’s SEVENTY BAZILLION INCHES of the stuff. Austinites that can drive on snow are about as common as New York restaurants that serve good TexMex.
So sit back and enjoy the winter wonderland, because nobody is going anywhere for a while…
Freezing Rain in Austin
February 3rd, 2011Freezing rain has hit the Austin area, although just a light misting of it, plus a dusting of snow. The sidewalks were already slick when I walked my dog, and I saw cars starting to slip and slide.
I don’t think I’ll be driving anywhere for, oh, at least the next 12-14 hours…
Most Significant Book Acquisitions in 2010
February 2nd, 2011You may have noticed that I bought a lot of books last year. Since I’m getting ready to do another “this is what I bought recently” post, I thought I would do a recap of my most significant acquisitions in 2010. These may be significant for being important, valuable, cool, beautiful, hard to find, or some combination therefore. As usual, all of these are Fine/Fine copies unless otherwise listed. Ala George Locke’s Spectrum of Fantasy volumes, I’m listing where I got them and how much I paid, plus occasional notes on the books (with links if I’ve already described them before).
- Bear, Greg. Sleepside Story. Cheap Street, 1988. One of 52 signed and numbered, traycased “publisher’s edition” copies, a fine copy in tray case, sans dust jacket. For full details see here. Bought for $175 from a notable SF book dealer having a 50% off sale.
- Bradbury, Ray. Dark Carnival. Arkham House, 1946. First edition hardback, good only, with lettering on spine almost completely worn away, spine lean, general wear, and lacking the dust jacket. Bought from someone selling their late father’s collection (mostly, alas, book club editions) for $20.
- Brunner, John. Stand on Zanzibar. Doubleday, 1968. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with just the tiniest bit of wear. Replaces an ex-library copy. (I bought this online back in June for $199.99 and forgot to list it last time around.) Brunner’s undisputed masterpiece.
- Dick, Philip K. Eye in the Sky. Gregg Press, 1979. First hardback edition. Fine-, with a tiny bit of crimping at head, sans dust jacket, as issued. Bought from a notable SF dealer having 50% off sale. Replaced an Ex-library copy in my collection.
- Dick, Philip K. Vulcan’s Hammer. Gregg Press, 1979. First hardback edition. Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued. Replaced an Ex-library copy in my collection.
- Hill, Joe. Horns. PS Publishing, 2010. First UK and first limited edition hardback, one of 200 copies signed by both the author and artist Vincent Chong in traycase with three extra chapters not in the trade edition, extra art not in any other edition, etc. a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket and traycase. Notably thicker than the slipcased edition. Bought at a pre-publication dealer discount from the publisher.
- Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. Chatto & Windus, 1932. VG- only, lacking the dust jacket. Bought for $35 from a notable SF book dealer having a 50% off sale. I don’t usually buy books without dust jackets, but the price was right for this space-filling copy of this famous dystopia.
- Lafferty, R. A. The Devil is Dead. Gregg Press, 1977. First hardback edition, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Found at Recycled Books in Denton for $36. Replaces a more worn copy in my library. For a while this wasn’t too hard to find, but recently copies have become scarce. In fact, it seems like a lot of the rarer Lafferty books have gotten scarce as of late. Looks like years of just about every SF writer talking up Lafferty have finally paid off…
- Lovecraft, H.P. Collected Poems. Arkham House, 1963. VG/VG, with top inch of boards discolored and sun-fading to dj spine. Bought at auction for $75.
- Oliver, Chad. The Wolf is My Brother. Herbert Jenkins, 1968. First UK and first hardback edition, a Near Fine copy in a Good+ only dust jacket, missing an irregular 3/4″ x 1/2″ chip at head, and shallow chipping and edgewear. I didn’t even know there was a hardback until I chanced across this copy (though it is in Currey). No other copy online as of this writing. Bought for $50 during a Half Price Books coupon sale.
- Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. Secker & Warburg, 1949. See here for full details. Arguably the most important novel of the 20th century. Bought from a notable SF book dealer for $500.
- Powers, Tim. Deliver Us From Evil. Charnel House, 2010. One of 100 signed, numbered copies in slipcase with accompanying manuscript page. See here for full details. Bought at a pre-publication dealer discount from the publisher.
- (Powers, Tim) Berlyne, John, editor. Powers: Secret Histories: A Bibliography. PS Publishing, 2009. One of 26 signed, lettered Deluxe copies in slipcase with two companion volumes, The Waters Deep, Deep, Deep and bound, photographic reproduction of the original hand-written manuscript for The Anubis Gates, not included with the trade or Slipcased editions. Slipcase and Anubis Gates volume very slightly bumped, otherwise Fine/Fine.
- Temple, William F. 88 Gray’s Inn Road. Sansato Press (AKA Ferret Fantasy), 2000. Roman-a-clef that features a thinly-disguised Arthur C. Clarke (who provides the introduction) as a character, with Clarke’s signature plate affixed to the FFE, reportedly one of only 50 such copies. Found at Recycled Books in Denton, priced the same as the non-signed edition (I paid $32 for it). Replaced a non-signed copy in my collection.
- Vance, Jack. Bird Isle/Take My Face. Underwood/Miller, 1988. One of 500 signed, numbered sets in slipcase. Found at Recycled Books in Denton for $160 for the set.
- Vance, Jack. The Dark Side of the Moon. Underwood/Miller, 1986. One of 200 signed/numbered copies. One of the rarest Underwood/Miller Vance books. (Are they being snapped up by Pink Floyd fans?) Found at Recycled Books in Denton for $160. Replaced a trade copy in my library.
- Wells, H. G. The World of William Clissold. Published by Ernest Benn (UK) 1926 in three volumes, one of 198 copies signed by Wells on the title page. For full details see here. Bought at the main Austin Half Price Books for $175, marked down from $350, during their coupon sale. Scott Cupp told me this copy formerly belonged to him, and that he obtained it at one of UT’s library sales.
H. G. Wells: The World of Williams Cissold, three volume set of the first edition, signed by Wells
The limitation page, with H. G. Wells' signature
- Zelazny, Roger. Bridge of Ashes. Gregg Press, 1979. (Replaces my Ex-Library copy.) Found at Recycled Books in Denton for $40.
- Zelazny, Roger. Hymn to the Sun: An Imitation. NA Publications, 1996. Poetry chapbook, a Near Fine- copy with some rubbing to price code on rear cover, spot on front cover, and black dot at heel. I missed this when it came out, and it’s been devilishly hard to find. Bought it off a dealer on Amazon, of all places, for abut $25. (99 times out of 100, Amazon is going to be higher than buying directly from a dealer on Bookfinder for collectible books.)
- Zelazny, Roger. Nine Princes in Amber. Doubleday, 1970. An Ex-Library copy, but cleaner than the Ex-Library copy previously in my collection. Reportedly Doubleday ordered their warehouse to pulp all Zelazny’s books the same day this came in from the printer, so only review copies, pre-orders, and library copies escaped the pulper, which is why non-Ex-Library copies are exceedingly rare. The first Amber novel, and one of Zelazny’s best. Found at Recycled Books in Denton for $160.
