Friday, October 23, 2009

Fantasy Genre Scorn and lack of Marketing Support.

About two months ago I walked past window stickers and and promotional stand ups of the new Dan Brown book to get into my local Books a Million. I was going in for a specific purpose. I asked the clerk, if there were going to be any special pre-order for the new Wheel of Time Book, A Gathering Storm. She didn't know off of the top of her head and then looked it up for me, with a "well there is no in stor promotion. Let me ask the Manege" So she did and he gave a similar answer but with a kind of twinge to his lip when he said, "Yeah its written by someone else because Robert Jordan Died."

Now I say all of this to ask a simple question, why do books by authors like Dan Brown get this special treatment, while The Wheel of Time, who has been a best seller multiple times, is set off and regarded as mere fantasy.

You may say, because the other books appeal to the general public, but I want you to ask your self a question: Why? If the books stores and publishers push a book on windows and stand ups then they are wanting it to be successful. I am saying that these Genres are not as popular because they are not wanted to be popular. In my mind there is no reason for an author who has consistently been on best seller lists, and consistently sales great, and has a huge community of readers should not have release events just like Dan Brown, and more interestingly JK Rowlings.

Now this is all opinion, and I would like to point out that there are release parties and bookstore support for this book around the country, but my problem comes with it not being supported here. I am very upset about this lack of support here in my local community.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Explore Big Finish

I loke the big finish audios. They are a good way to get a doctor who story fairly quickly with pacing very similar to the old show. Since Big Finish has allowed Download purchases of their line I have been trying to catch up slowly but surley.

they great thing about the audio adventures is that they can side step into things that you have always wanted to see, like spin off series with the daleks, cubermen, and unit. These series are all very neat and come from a different angel. You get to hear secret origens that you haven't gotten before. There are some great adventures.

So for those of you who arn't familiar with the line here is my guide to some very good stories (or seires)

Holy Terror: Written by Rob Sherman (the writer of "Dalek") this story takes the doctor to an unusaul midieval style kingdom, but who is really the ruler. This story also puts the 6th Doctor with Frobisher his shape shifting companion from the DWM Comic strip.

Spare Parts: This is a origin story for the cybermen. This is the fifth Doctor pitted against the original style cybermen. Nick Brigs does some great voice work here.

Dalek Empire: There are four series of this (each with atlest 4 disks). This is a story about the daleks. No Doctor. Just the daleks conquring. It is s a throw back to the old TV Century 21 comic strips of the 60s. Written by Nick Briggs who also voices the daleks in all of the audios AND on the TV series.

This is where I sugeset to start. These are some of my favorites, but there are many others. It is such an extensive line that you really need to jump in and see what you like, but here are some starting places.