Another Metroplex find:
Allston, Aaron. Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Betrayal. Del Rey, 2006. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with slight bend at head and heel and slight bumping at points, in a Fine- dust jacket with trace of bumping at points, signed and dated (“2006/6/24”) by Allston. Bought at Half Price Books for $9.99.
Aaron died in 2014.
Another Metroplex Half Price Books find.
Jones, Diana Wynne. Minor Arcana. Gollancz, 1996. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dustjacket, signed by Jones, with sales slip laid in. Bought at a Half Price Books for $14.99 from a store that had a lot of Jones, some of which I picked up and will be in the already-in-progress Lame Excuse Books catalog. I kept this one because I like short story collections and I didn’t have a signed Jones in my collection.
I was in the DFW Metroplex over Thanksgiving week, and did a lot of book shopping at various Half Price Books. I found quite a few things, some for myself, some for the already-in-progress Lame Excuse Books catalog. Here’s one outside what I usually collect, but a cheap signed edition from a notable author is usually a pretty good thing to pick up.
Michener, James A. The Eagle and the Raven. State House Press, 1990. First edition hardback, an unnumbered copy of 350 numbered copies signed by Michener and illustrator Charles Shaw, a Fine copy in a Fine Mylar-protected dust jacket. Novel of the clash between Sam Houston and Santa Ana, and unlike most Michener works, this one comes in at a sprightly 210 pages. Bought at a Half Price Books for $9.99.
Another Borderlands Little Book:
Middleton, Richard. A Little Green Book of Ghastly Tales. Borderlands Press, 2025. First edition hardback, #462 of 350 numbered copies (Borderlands: “we only print 350 copies but if anyone has matching numbers above 350, we make sure they continue to get it”) signed by editor Nicholas A. Psaltso, a Fine copy, sans dust jacket, as issued. Collection from this British writer and poet who died young, including his most famous story, “The Ghost Ship.”
I’ll have copies available in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, which will probably be out in early December (Thanksgiving is too close to the end of the month to get it out in November).
I’m not sure if this is technically Shoegaze or not, but it’s close enough. Here’s His Name Is Alive’s cover of Big Star’s “Blue Moon.”
Once upon a time, there was a great little web series called Making Fiends that turned into a swell TV series. Both versions told about the dynamic between Vendetta, an evil little girl that makes fiends, and Charlotte, who thinks Vendetta is her best friend despite the latter loathing her.
Here’s a video of the Halloween episode.
Alas, Nickelodeon cancelled the TV show after only one season. I’m glad I bough the DVD when it was available, as its now out of print and people are asking ridiculous amounts for it…
Daily Dose of Internet does video compilations, and here are some of the most cursed. These are less straight horror than just weird, unsettling and creepy.
Come for the electric guacamole, stay for the airport flooding with green slime.
(You know, Electric Guacamole would be a good name for a rock band…)
For those unfamiliar with A. J. Gentile, he’s the guy behind The Why Files, where he and sidekick Hecklefish examine various paranormal subjects, spooky stories, legends, fringe science theories, etc. A bunch of stuff that could have been covered by Art Bell or Fortean Times. I used him as fodder for previous Halloween posts here and here.
Turns out that Joe Rogan is a fan, too, and he did a nearly three hour interview with him:
Topics covered include UFOs, aliens, floods, the weirdness of the moon, military technology (that might have come from aliens), etc.
Remember: Alternate reality theories are for entertainment purposes only…
I haven’t been buying too many signed/limited editions due to my current jobless state, but I decided I wanted this one.
Silverberg, Robert. Nightwings. Centipede Press, 2025. First limited edition hardback, #338 of 500 signed, numbered copies, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket, new and unread, still in shrinkwrap. Somehow I never picked up the first edition hardback, even though the novella is one of Silverberg’s best. Includes a bonus interview with Silverberg and reproductions of covers of previous editions. Bought from the publisher at the usual discount.
I will have one copy of this available for sale in the next Lame Excuse Books catalog, hopefully out around the end of September.
People find all sorts of interesting things in Google Earth, some of which are more unsettling than others.
These include: