Mount TBR Challenge 2024 discussion

Well, not really. However I’m back on the trail up Everest, aiming a little higher this year.

#1 - X-Men Epic Collection, Vol. 4: It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn by Steve Englehart, Len Wein, Sal Buscema and others

There’s a hilarious amount of double-dipping here, given that more than half the book consists of entries from other series that have been reprinted in Masterworks, Epics, and omnibuses. The volume does serve to pull together the post-cancelation appearances of various X-Men prior to the relaunch that happened in the mid-1970s, and it features the wildest continuity feat in comics (a story over give years and multiple different books, mostly written by Steve Englehart, culminating in the notorious climax of the secret Empire story.)

#2 - The Returned, Part 1 by Peter David

The beginning of the final chapter in Peter David’s Star Trek: The New Frontier series — a created-for-prose lie that follows alien captain MacKenzie Calhoun and the starship Excalibur.

At this point Calhoun’s entire species has been wiped out by an extra dimensional species, while Calhoun’s own son is out to destroy his father. As if that wasn’t enough there’s a conflict with a fearsome empire that results in the intervention of the superhuman version of Flanders (from “The Simpsons), Mark McHenry.

It’s an interesting story, if hardly propulsive, though the writing has a few issues along the way, including an odd kind of repetitiveness. I’m looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

#3 - Christmas Pie by Jodi Taylor

The disaster magnets of St. Mary’s Priory have a simple operation this time…pop back to 1671AD London and buy a selection of Christmas pies so that head chef Mrs. Mark can reverse engineer them to create a mince pie that’ll beat the Women’s Institute. Why, they don’t really need security chief Markham along with them….

What could possibly go wrong?

Typically amusing entry in the series, crossing over with Taylor’s Time Police books. Markham narrates, so the tone is sardonic and sarcastic, though there’s a sudden sidestep into sentimentality by the end.

#4 - The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle

In a rather interesting Hard Case Crime edition that slaps on an appropriately pulpy cover...and doesn't mention Sherlock Holmes on it. It's an oddly split book, essentially two related novellas stitched together -- in the first Holmes is drawn into a murder by a mysterious note from one of Moriarty's gang, and eventually solves it. At that point the story takes a twenty year leap backwards and pops across the ocean to tell the story of a Pennsylvania mining town beset by corruption and murder as an investigator arrives to clean things up. It's this second story I feel Doyle really wanted to tell, basing it on a series of events and Pinkerton agent James McParland. The story with Holmes seems more a sop to his publishers (and his readership.)

Doyle would continue for a further decade or so with Holmes, but then finally and formally retired him. The rest of the creative world, of differing opinion, refused to put the detective out to pasture, and we now have more post-Doyle Holmes than a single person can consume in a lifetime.

#5 - Doctor Who: The Lost Resort and Other Stories by A. K. Benedict, others

Three stories total, "The Lost Resort" brings Five and companions to a planetoid dedicated to a mysterious sanatorium...where they must reckon with the ghosts of the past and the needs of the present. Tegan, sadly, is in full complaining form here. "The Perils Of Nellie Bly" is a slightly mad historical -- no monsters! -- in which Five and company must ensure that journalist Nellie Bly completes her famous round-the-world trip. There's a few oddities, mind you -- San Francisco in 1890 being described as the Wild West is rather baffling, for instance; it was a bustling, developing city with a growing transit system and increasing sophistication. The business with trains is also frustrating.

#6 - The Complete Sherlock Holmes: The Heirloom Collection by Arthur Conan Doyle, read by Simon Vance

One of several complete Doyle Holmes collections (absent a few self-parody pieces Doyle wrote), and quite complete (unlike the Stephen Fry-read collection that's absent The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes in the US.)

Doyle's Holmes stories remain quite interesting and enjoyable, though the later entries do fall off in one way or another. It's pretty obvious by the last stories that Doyle was bored with Holms and more interested in other things. No matter, of course -- by 1925 Sherlock Holmes was turning into a veritable industry, one that has maintained its volume to this day.

Simon Vance is a joy to listen to reading these stories, by the way. If ever you should want a complete audiobook of the Doyle stories, this would be the one to get.

#7 - The Lani People by J. F. Bone

An odd bit of a book, a 1962 science fiction novel written by a US Army Veterinarian who served for forty years and retired to Southern Arizona. The story is more or less about what defines humanity, and is reminiscent of the work of Cordwainer Smith (who was more fantastical in tone than Bone is.)

It's set 6,000 years in the future, after humanity has spread out through the galaxy, being highly imperial as always, and subjugating alien species, sentient or not. Dr. Jac Kennon, a newly graduated veterinarian and space pilot from a world called Beta, where morality and manners are important, and strength is considered a plus, is contracted to work with an outfit on the mysterious world Flora, looking after their livestock...which include the Lani, a species of aliens that resemble humans, but with tails and a placid nature. Kennon is a bit uncomfortable, but gets to work...until he's shocked to discover the secret of the Lani, and is compelled to act by his morality.

Gets quite stiff in places, unfortunately -- lots of moral waffling anf Manly Statements and whatnot -- and manages to lose a large part of the density of the actual science behind the tale in a series of gentlemen's agreements. Bone does manage to express an unusual (for the time) anti-corporate and anti-religion attitude through the book (the people who spread humanity through the galaxy were often missionaries, and those of Jac's time see them as religious lunatics.)

The capper, of course, is that main point of the story would have been invalidated long before the story starts by the availability of DNA testing -- something that would apply to Jac's own people, who consider themselves stable mutants thanks to effects from radiation in historic spaceflight, never mind the Lani.

#8 - Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection by Ben Aaronovich

A collection of Aaronovitch's short fiction in the Rivers Of London series. It's good to have this all in one place, though the stories themselves are often ephemeral and rather tend towards abrupt endings. The best one here is "A Rare Book Of Cunning Device" in which Metropolitan Police detective and apprentice sorcerer Peter Grant tries to solve a mystery at the British Museum.

The Audible audiobook version of this has terrible sound, by the way -- extremely muddy.

#9 - Supergirl Adventures: Girl of Steel by Evan Dorkin, etc

The origin of the Superman: The Animated Series version of Supergirl, plus a couple of her Justice League adventures. Very well done.

#10 - In Mortal Combat: Korea, 1950–1953 by John Toland

This book almost immediately makes it clear just how much "M*A*S*H*" softened things when it comes to the horrors of the Korean War. Toland's book, which was written with access to records and people on all sides of this four year disaster, doesn't spare the reader...nor does it spare any of the combatants as Toland discusses the US complicity in atrocities, though he does cast doubt on whether the US used biological warfare in the conflict (not that it matters, given the use of chemical and biological agents in Viet Nam a decade later.)

It's an epic tale of ego and stupidity and outdated philosophies and traditions, as well as entrenched evil -- with the USSR pulling a lot of strings in this, thanks to Stalin (who died halfway into the war.) This is the beginnings of the Kim family of dictators, too, specifically Kim Il-sung, who damn near caused World War 3 when he invaded South Korea on a megalomaniacal drive to dominate the Far East. Then there's MacArthur, ignoring the dictum of "never fight a land war in Asia," costing his career and darkening his record. The grubby fingerprints of the CIA are here, too, as the pilot of a rescue helicopter finds himself stuck with a mysterious assistant who supposedly knows both the terrain and people involved in an extraction, but knows nothing -- resulting in two years of privation and abuse as POWs...an incident swept under the carpet for "national security."

It's a grueling book to read, best tackled in pieces, I think, and though lengthy it's necessarily incomplete due to space constraints.

It's an excellent book, though I'll not tell you I enjoyed it.

#11 - Mighty Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men Vol. 1: The Strangest Super-Heroes of All by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, et al

Yet another repackaging of the first couple of years of the original X-Men, a reformatted edition of Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men, Vol. 1 with a reduced trim size aimed at younger readers.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...this was a rough start for our X-Mob, given that so much about them was in flux for the first couple of years, and their main antagonist was a brutal, genocidal lunatic supremacist. Stan Lee liked to carry on about how the X-Men portrayed the civil rights struggle, but, frankly, that nuance didn't show up for a long time -- things never really got beyond the pulpy here, though occasionally there was a little nuance to some of the supporting cast. Meanwhile, Jack Kirby turned in journeyman artwork, rarely exciting stuff (that was reserved for The Fantastic Four.)

#12 - X-Men Epic Collection, Vol. 1: Children of the Atom by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Jay Gavin, Werner Roth, Roy Thomas, Dick Ayers, etc

Honestly, this did not age well at all. It's interesting to see where the X-Men came from, of course, but at the same time...it's lacking all of the nuance that we know from the later entries in the X-verse -- the Civil Rights and LGBTQ+ parallels, the intersection with eugenics, the cosmic elements. The soap opera is there, but it seems so primitive. The series also suffers from a mix of Jack Kirby pretty much dashing off the assignment (and eventually just doing layouts, then leaving the book altogether) and Stan Lee at his least interesting -- Roy Thomas takes over as writer just as the book went from bi-monthly to monthly, but it doesn't improve things much. The art, fortunately, does improve, especially when Werner Roth takes over.

#13 - A Cold Day for Murder by dana Stabenow

Alaska-set murder mystery with Aleut investigator Kate Shugak. Interesting, claustrophobic novel that delves into Aleut and Alaskan culture, as well as giving us a female protagonist in the throes of PTSD and alienation. Some flaws, but it's worth reading as a literary novel disguised as a mystery.

#14 - Superman: Space Age by Mark Russell, Mike Allred, Laura Allred

An Elseworlds take on Crisis on Infinite Earths, taking Superman, Batman, and the Justice League in real time from 1963 to 1985. It's not quite as good as I'd hoped, and gets distracted from its meditations on heroism and humanity, but it does have a neat twist in the tale that pays off a running element that seems pointless for a while. Plus, Russell's writing is downright poetic at times. On the down side, the traditional issue with Allred continues -- I love his artwork, but his male characters often look like each other, and he has trouble drawing age.

Still, it's a compelling read, and I'll likely revisit it from time to time.

#15 - The Beautiful Brain by Hana Walker-Brown

Based on a podcast delving into CTE, concussion-related brain injuries that can lead to dementia and death, Walker-Brown follows a scientific trail that goes from an English footballer, to American football, the military, and, finally, to the damage inflicted on women in abusive situations and how this last tends to be ignored even though efforts are being made to bring that into the light.

Stark, bleak, occasionally hopeful. Well worth listening to.

#16 - 1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music by Andrew Grant Jackson

Jackson makes a pretty good case for this being the year that the world of music -- and by connection, film fashion, and politics -- changed irrevocably, an evolution that would still be processing a decade later even as the world had more or less fallen apart again (we do this with clockwork regularity.)

The book is written tightly enough that it hurtles from month to month and development to development. Despite knowing how much of this ended up (such as the chaos coming out of the Furthr bus and Ken Kesey's axis) it has a curious attractiveness to it.

#17 - Agent 355 by Marie Benedict

The story of the mysterious Agent 355, a female spy in Culper's group during the Revolutionary War, as imagined by Marie Benedict. It's framed, in part, as a romance, with a tragic ending, although little is known about the real 355 and her final fate. Succinct enough, and well written, but sadly not so captivating as I'd wished.

#18 - The American Home Front: 1941-1942 by Alistair Cooke

Cooke's lost book, a look at the US in the year after Pearl Harbour, Letter From America writ large. Cooke traveled the US from coast to coast, north to south, taking in the good and the bad, and becoming fascinated with everything from farming to railroads to gunsmithing at the Colt factory. The final chapter is an epilogue, followed by an LFA that connects back.

It's a great piece of work, rediscovered accidentally just before Cooke passed away, and gives a historical view of a US that, in some ways, isn't much different in attitude than it is today, yet still drawing together to face a tremendous challenge.

#19 - Torchwood: Thirst Trap by Tom Price

A fun outing written by actor Tom Price. It’s not all that deep, but by god it’s goofy in that Torchwood manner, without descending into ick — I actually laughed out loud. The ending is a bit slapdash and there’s no follow-up to who might be behind the scenes, if anyone is.

#20 - Top Ten Sights: Copenhagen by Mark Jones

Rather rough around the edges. A compact look at ten major sights for visitors to Copenhagen, Denmark. The writing could use some improvement.

#21 - Batman and the Justice League Manga Vol. 1 by Shiori Teshirogi

Another manga version of Batman and company. The Joker and Luthor team up, diabolical schemes are in play, and a boy in search of his parents is in the middle. The mangaka seems a bit out of her depth, honestly.

This series stopped after three books, with a fourth volume not translated to English -- it's available in French, German, Italian, and Japanese.

#22 - Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection Vol. 18: Venom by Ann Nocenti, David Michelinie, Todd McFarlane and others

Despite the title, Venom is barely in this, showing up for a few issues as Eddie Brock merges with the symbiote. Otherwise it’s the Mad Dog Ward, a handful of lightweight stories with mostly minor villains (including a crazy millionaire stalker who’s after Mary Jane), and a whole lot of Spider soap opera. This is the run that elevated Todd McFarlane to star artist, but I’m not sure why— aside from his striking posing of Spider-Man in places, it’s rather goofy looking work.

#23 - Thirty Years of Phoenix Poets, 1983 to 2012 by various

A collection of short poems from authors in the Phoenix Poets series. Surprisingly underwhelming, partly because of the quality of many of the poems, and partly because of the brevity of the selections.

Steven wrote: "#23 - Thirty Years of Phoenix Poets, 1983 to 2012 by various

A collection of short poems from authors in the Phoenix Poets series. Surprisingly underwhelming, partly because of the..."

I had an eBook of this, but it's no longer accessible since I switched eReaders. Good to know I didn't miss out on too much.

#24 - Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad by M. R. James

Read by David Suchet, who does a beautiful job. The story itself has a great monster and a mysterious premise, but it's very long on atmosphere. Quite enjoyable. This has been in my piles since 2013 at least!

#25 - Tomato Can Blues by Mary Pilon

A fictional outing by sports journalist Pilon, who tells the story of Midwestern loser Charlie Rowan as he goes from mediocre MMA cage fighter to mediocre criminal. Read by Bobby Canavale, who does well with the material, even if there seems to be little point to it.

Another one way down in my TBR pile.

#26 - Betty & Veronica: Prom Princesses by Dan Patent & others

I’d add this to my “why do I have this?” list, but I know *exactly* why — I bought a digital bundle that came with a pile of physical perks. This was one.

It’s a pretty eh collection, honestly, despite Dan Parent’s efforts. It’s also, as you might imagine, *very* repetitive.

#27 - The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber

Another far distant relic of my audiobook TBR pile. One of Thurber's best read by Ben Stiller, who is suitably Highly Dramatic.

#28 - Batman: Beyond the White Knight by Sean Murphy, others

The fourth book in the Batman: White Knight series by Sean Murphy — a very alternate Batman series that takes pieces from all over the Bat-landscape. Bruce Wayne has been in prison for twelve years, he’s married to Harley Quinn, the Joker is long dead, and his team has disbanded to become various kinds of police operatives.

It’s an interesting take, and now that Bruce’s issues have been resolved I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes, as the Murphyverse got a last-page expansion, setting up a huge conflict as Murphy spins Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.

#29 - Batman: White Knight Presents: Harley Quinn by Katana Collins, Sean Murphy, etc

A spin-off from Sean Murthy’s Batman: White Knight alternate universe series. Harley is trying to raise her twins, and occasionally visiting Bruce Wayne in prison. Gotham has been cleared of supervillains, but a new monster arises — The Producer — and retired stars are being murdered in weird ways.

It’s a bit of a goofy story, but it lets Murphy and Collins pay homage to classic movies and the onscreen batmovie universes — one of the characters here is Simon “The Grey Ghost” Trent, from the 1990s Batman animated series. It also presents a more benign Harley, one who retained her sanity and was genuinely a brilliant psychiatrist, and explores the tragedy in her life…which includes her inability to save the man who became Joker.

So, a mixed bag, but interesting.

#30 - We Like You So Much and Want to Know You Better by Dave Eggers

From the deepest reaches of my TBR piles comes this story about corporate invasiveness taken to the an impossible level...satire at full tilt back when it was written, but unnervingly close to reality now -- Xitter blended with Apple gone fully Evil Overlord, and staffed with people made into True Believers during induction.

Terrifying.

#31 - The Science of Sci-Fi: From Warp Speed to Interstellar Travel by Erin MacDonald

I was with this as a primer-level course until the author/narrator started revealing a rather annoying lack of familiarity with some of her example shows, films, and books. Still interesting, but as an intro to the science of science fiction it flops a bit.

#32 - Batman: White Knight by Sean Murphy
#33 - Batman: Curse of the White Knight

And finally finishing up the series in near reverse order. A sprawling alternate universe tale that sees the Joker being cured and Batman completely out of control. The first book is an energetic read, but the second loses momentum thanks to an extremely convoluted storyline that mixes up a remix of the Azbat section of the Batman: Knightfall, Vol. 1 arc, yet another gallop through the history of the Waynes, the end of Batman, and even a visit from Jason Blood.

#34 - The Saint-Fiacre Affair by Georges Simenon

The life of the Countess Of Saint-Fiacre has been threatened, bringing Maigret out to the little town where he was born, where he assesses matters in a low-key manner. Then the Countess dies, seemingly of a sudden heart attack. Maigret is convinced it was murder...but how was it done, and who did it?

Maigret continues to be low key, realizing that things have not been going well for the Countess and her family. The dénouement takes the trope of gathering the suspects for the traditional Detective explanation and reveal, and stands it on its head (the film version, with Jean Gabin as Maigret, tilted the climax back to make Maigret the director of the chaos, though he doesn't do the traditional reveal.) The story focuses on the psychology of the situation, with a particular focus on Maigret, the prodigal.

#35 - No. 13 and other Ghost Stories by M. R. James

Four stories, read by that even, soothing Voice Of Jeeves, Michael Hordern. Nothing horrible, nothing gross, these are rarely horrific tales of supernatural events and their effects on those who encounter them.

Recorded for audiocassette release.

#36 - Ghost Stories by M. R. James

Five more spooky but non-Gothic supernatural tales from M. R. James, read by Michael Hordern, whose even delivery very much enhances the stories. They're relatively mild, for the most part, although the giant spiders will doubtless cause some listeners to quaver....

#37 - Dark Shadows: The House of Despair by Stuart Manning

From Big Finish, a 2006 continuation of the ABC Gothic horror soap opera. Takes into account the passage of time and the passing of many performers, so this focuses on immortal Quentin Collins, returning to a somewhat more Lovecraftian Collinsport (though not as much as perhaps it should be.)

Things are as weird as ever, with a dark presence lurking at the heart of the dark events happening in the town and up at the decaying Collins manse.

A good start, honestly, with occasional bursts of histrionics in the dark. It's also nice to hear the familiar music!

#38 - Dark Shadows: The Book of Temptation by Scott Handcock

Quentin Collins' return to Collinwood continues to bring its share of revelations and horrors, this time with a mysterious journal that exerts a hypnotic influence on Maggie Evans. Maggie's still in Collinsport, though minus some key memories. The sea has a voice...and it's calling to her. Can Quentin and the ever devious Angelique save her?

An improvement over the first story in this sequence, but, man, poor Maggie.

#39 - The Rookie (Galactic Football League: Book One) Part 1 of 2 by Scott Sigler

GraphicAudio full cast reading of the first book in Sigler's interstellar sports series. Follows 19 year old Quentin as he graduates from his insular, racist homeworld and joins the Krakens and gets an immediate, shocking perspective change.

Not really my cup of tea, I admit, as I'm not a sports fan, but it's well done...though it's hard to differentiate the various species.

#40 - Dark Shadows: The Christmas Presence by Scott Handcock

Quentin Collins decides to throw a Christmas bash at Collinwood, welcoming his old friend Elliot Stokes...only to have things go straight to hell, as a demonic entity manifests and supernatural events occur. Unexpected, right?

It's actually an entertainingly twisty story that gleefully uses Christmas festivities to ramp up the fantastical terror.

#41 - Dark Shadows: The Rage Beneath by Scott Alan Woodward

The first arc concludes with old hatreds rising from centuries ago, as the lost ship Lorelei reappears, along with a vengeful spirit that intends to wreak vengeance on the Collins family...what there still is of it, that is.

It doesn't end well....

#42 - A Transport Journey in Colour: Street Scenes of the British Isles, 1949–1969 by Martin Jenkins

A heaping serving of British and Irish transport nostalgia. Very little railway, be it noted — this is dedicated to buses, trolleybuses, and trams in the main. Some of the pictures might have been better rendered, but perhaps it’s a matter of source material and an absence of negatives to work from.

#43 - Bertie and the Seven Bodies by Peter Lovesey

Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, future King Edward VII, bon vivant, fan of shooting pheasant, and cheerful philanderer, fancies himself a detective...though he's not a very good one, frankly.

In this outing Bertie is off to a shooting party at Desborough, at the home of a comely young widow. Things are going well, until a young actress, Queenie Chimes, falls face down in the bombe at dinner, and is later announced to have died on the way to the hospital. The word "Monday", clipped from a newspaper, is found at her place.

The next day a Duke is found dead of a gunshot to the head, a seeming suicide. The Prince resolves to sort out what's going on, but first he must above all else establish that propriety must be observed, and this be kept from the press and police so as to not excite scandal....

It's a lightly amusing book, with a somewhat goofy mystery. I enjoyed it.

#44 - London's Transport Recalled: A Pictorial History by Martin Jenkins

Mostly confined to pre-1980s as Jenkins covers everything from the earliest London railways to the early 1970s buses, taking in trams, trolleybuses, and country bus lines. Could be slightly better, but the issues with pictures might just be down to the limitations of the available sources.

#45 - The Avengers: The Comic Strip Adaptations Volume 07: Steed & Tara King. Nigel Fairs, et al

While the Tara King years did have a degree of weird silliness at times, this set of adaptations goes right into the silly stratosphere. There’s Scottish Steed relatives, a rather clumsy train pirate story that had me bristling at incorrect terminology, and so on. It seems all concerned had fun, though, even if I didn’t.

#46 - 52: Part 1 by Greg Cox

Never an easy adaptation in the first place -- it wasn't just a matter of adapting the 52 issues of 52, but also a couple of additional miniseries -- but this full cast adaptation tips over into the abyss, between the necessary abridgement (as in the novel), the often terrible voice casting, and the overbearing sound effects and music -- the mix often disintegrates into a sludgy mess, even on headphones and in lossless quality. The story has some high points -- Renee Montoya's arc is extremely affecting -- but some rather plunging lows as well, including the majority of the Black Adam story, which goes into the crapper in part 2 when Osiris decides he's cursed (plus, why has no-one yeeted Amanda Waller into the sun? She's so evil that Darkseid is stunned.) Having the Trinity out of the picture is good, mind you, even though Wonder Woman comes off a bit badly at times (she's moping over killing Max Lord.)

This is only half the battle, by the way. The audiobook is in two parts.

#47 - The Blackpool Streamlined Trams by Peter Waller

A history of the Blackpool trams, with good pictures and informative text. Still...feels rather flat. One expects a little more zing when it comes to Blackpool over the years.

#48 - 52: Part 2 by Greg Cox

Full cast audiobook with music and effects, the latter o which sometimes muddy things rather badly. This conclusion to the story is pretty much one beatdown after another, leavened by gloriously absurd concepts (rebooting the multiverse with the aid of a giant time-eating butterfly, for one.)

#49 - Scream for Jeeves: A Parody by P. H. Cannon

A somewhat amusing trio of mash-up parodies that conflate Wodehouse and Lovecraft, as Bertie Wooster gets embroiled in the fathomless evils of Lovecraft's universe. Capped off with an essay about Wodehouse, Lovecraft, and Arthur Conan Doyle.