Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Things to Look Forward to in 2017

Books

Kim Newman, Anno Dracula 1899 and Other Stories
"A brand new collection of chilling stories by master of horror Kim Newman, in which Jack the Ripper still stalks the streets, Frankenstein’s monster rises from the Arctic ice, and the terrifying legacy of Dr Jeyll and Mr Hyde haunts fog-shrouded London. This volume also includes a brand-new, exclusive Anno Dracula story, ‘Yokai Town: Anno Dracula 1899’, which sets the scene for the forthcoming novel Anno Dracula 1999: Daikaiju."



Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology
"In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon ... Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds and delves into the exploits of deities, dwarfs, and giants. Once, when Thor’s hammer is stolen, Thor must disguise himself as a woman―difficult with his beard and huge appetite―to steal it back. More poignant is the tale in which the blood of Kvasir―the most sagacious of gods―is turned into a mead that infuses drinkers with poetry. The work culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and rebirth of a new time and people."


Caitlin R. Kiernan, Agents of Dreamland
"In a ranch house near the shore of the Salton Sea a cult leader gathers up the weak and susceptible ― the Children of the Next Level ― and offers them something to believe in and a chance for transcendence. The future is coming and they will help to usher it in. A day after the events at the ranch house which disturbed the Signalman so deeply that he and his government sought out help from ‘other’ sources, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory abruptly loses contact with NASA's interplanetary probe New Horizons. Something out beyond the orbit of Pluto has made contact."

Daniel Mills, Moriah
"Silas Flood is a broken man in a broken country. Nine years have passed since the end of the American Civil War and Flood is helpless to escape its shadow. In the summer of 1874, he is dispatched to the mountain village of Moriah, Vermont to investigate sensational claims of supernatural happenings. There the brothers Thaddeus and Ambrose Lynch are said to converse with spirits and summon the dead. As Flood investigates the true nature of these phenomena, and the difference between the hauntings of the living and the dead, he must first come to terms with his own past and with the hold it has upon him—before he can behold the mysteries of the other side."


Cherie Priest, Brimstone
"In the trenches of Europe during the Great War, Tomás Cordero operated a weapon more devastating than any gun: a flame projector that doused the enemy in liquid fire. Haunted by memories of the woman he loved and the atrocities he perpetrated, Tomás dreams of fire and finds himself setting match to flame when awake.... Alice Dartle is a talented clairvoyant living among others who share her gifts in the community of Cassadaga, Florida. She too dreams of fire, knowing her nightmares are connected to the shell-shocked war veteran and widower. And she believes she can bring peace to him and his wife’s spirit."

Jeff VanderMeer, Borne
"In Borne, the epic new novel from Jeff VanderMeer, author of the acclaimed, bestselling Southern Reach Trilogy, a young woman named Rachel survives as a scavenger in a ruined, dangerous city of the near future. The city is littered with discarded experiments from the Company―a biotech firm now seemingly derelict―and punished by the unpredictable attacks of a giant bear. From one of her scavenging missions, Rachel brings home Borne, who is little more than a green lump―plant or animal?―but exudes a strange charisma. Rachel feels a growing attachment to Borne, a protectiveness that she can ill afford. It’s exactly the kind of vulnerability that will upend her precarious existence, unnerving her partner, Wick, and upsetting the delicate balance of their unforgiving city―possibly forever. And yet, little as she understands what or who Borne may be, she cannot give him up, even as Borne grows and changes . . ."

Games

Adventures in Middle-Earth, Loremaster's Guide
"Packed full of advice and ideas to help make your Adventures in Middle-earth 5e games awesome, the Loremaster's Guide brings you: swathes of invaluable setting information brings Middle-earth to life, a Middle-earth bestiary detailing the enemies arrayed against your heroes, fights that feel like those in the books, advice on creating and running Middle-earth adventures and campaigns, expanded rules and options for Journeys, Audiences, the Fellowship Phase, character creation, multi-classing and more!"

The Book of the Righteous
"In 2002 Green Ronin published The Book of the Righteous, a massive tome for the Third Edition rules describing an entire pantheon of gods, as well as their churches, worshipers, and defenders. It was a big hit for us and became one of the most critically-acclaimed books of the d20 era. Now we are bringing it back for the Fifth Edition rules as a beautiful, full-color hardback book. Even better, the new rules material will be designed by Robert J. Schwalb, one of the designers of Fifth Edition!"

I'm also interested in the Critical Role stuff that Green Ronin will be publishing, but so far details are thin on the ground.


Films


XX
"XX is a horror anthology film directed by Roxanne Benjamin, Sofia Carrillo, Karyn Kusama, St. Vincent and Jovanka Vuckovic. It stars Natalie Brown, Melanie Lynskey, Breeda Wool and Christina Kirk."







The Dark Tower
"The Dark Tower is an upcoming 2017 American science fantasy western horror film directed and co-written by Nikolaj Arcel, based on the series of novels of the same name by Stephen King. The film is a quasi-sequel to the The Dark Tower book series, following the ending of The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower. The film has been stated that it won't be a typical adaptation, but more of a new take on the series. Additionally, King has tweeted a photo of the Horn of Eld with the caption "Last Time Around", which is related to a scene from the end of the final book and Arcel said that fans will know the movie is a sequel to the book series."