McCrumb, Sharyn - Books - Magic Bean Dip

Zombies of the Gene Pool (A Jay Omega Mystery)

Sharyn McCrumb

List Price: ~~$18.00~~
By: Simon & Schuster
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

A patronizing, but still somewhat insightful look at Science Fiction fans 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is a sequel to McCrumb's Bimbos of the Death Sun. The former was a dead-on, if somewhat patronizing view of the Fen, but this story combines the science fiction world with a wistful look at the destruction of Appalachian towns to build the dams that power so much of our modern world. I would have suggested doing one or the other - they are not meshed too well. Bimbos was a funny and witty look at science fiction fandom, in this book, too many sad and serious things are going on in this book to work with the same light-hearted style of parody.

The one flaw with Bimbos, and it is much worse in this book, is the extremely judgemental attitude of Marion Farley. Oh, it is fine to poke loving fun at eccentrics and employ stereotypes in this sort of satire. I simply get tired of Marion's huffing and puffing as if these people were somehow impinging on her rights, were personally offensive. She really ought to take her own advice and get a life. If she doesn't like them anymore, she shouldn't go to conventions. If McCrumb meant for us to take Marion as just another passenger on the ship of fools, or an amusing crank in her own way, it didn't come across to me. I thought she was to be taken very seriously as one of the few sane commentators on a crazy world. Jay is rather bemused himself, but he doesn't take the goings on so personally. Donna Andrews has much funnier takes on these sort of things in We'll Always Have Parrots (A Meg Langslow Mystery) and Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos (A Meg Langslow Mystery).

I do at least applaud McCrumb for letting us understand the costs of our electricity. I had always naively supposed that wilderness areas were used, not that families were torn from long established homes. One cannot help but wonder just how well they were rewarded for this involuntary sacrifice.

Editorial Review:

En route to a sci-fi convention and reunion of the Lanthanides, Dr. James Owen Mega--engineering professor and sci-fi author known as ""Jay Omega""--and literature professor Dr. Marion Farley stumble into a web of dark secrets and murder.

Ballads

Charles Vess, Neil Gaiman, Sharyn McCrumb, Midori Snyder, Delia Sherman, Jane Yolen, Charles de Lint

List Price: ~~$9.95~~
By: Green Man Press
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

This should be a series, not a single volume! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Songs, obviously, have a musical component. Ballads, specifically, have more than just words; they have stories to tell as well. Now, thanks to Charles Vess, they have their visual side, too.
In his book Ballads, collected from earlier issues of his Book of Ballads and Sagas, Vess gives a new aspect to folk songs passed down through the ages. Visually stunning, his black and white illustrations expose the true faces of the heroes and villains of song.
Vess drew on the writing talents of writers Neil Gaiman, Jane Yolen, Charles de Lint, Midori Snyder, Sharyn McCrumb, Delia Sherman and Jeff Smith to give focus to the words, tightening the ballads into short story-length vignettes. Combined, their work is a wonderful way to re-expose yourself to the ballads. Anyone new to the folk song milieu will likely be inspired to track down some of the recordings listed in Ken Roseman's accompanying discography.
Ballads is a delightful collection, both for the text and the art which helps tell the story.

Editorial Review:

A collection of short graphic narrative adaptions of Scottish, English, and Irish ballads written by respected authors in the fantasy and mystery book field and drawn by award winning artist Charles Vess.

McCrumb, Sharyn Books

Zombies of the Gene Pool (A Jay Omega Mystery)

Sharyn McCrumb

Ballads

Charles Vess, Neil Gaiman, Sharyn McCrumb, Midori Snyder, Delia Sherman, Jane Yolen, Charles de Lint