The GMG SF/Fantasy/Horror Club

[MN Dave]

I do have my doubts about quality - it includes a sizable series which takes bits of Lord Nelson's biography and applies them to a female space captain (David Weber's Honor Harrington character) The good attitude of the publishers and authors do make me want to give them a try, though.

I tried one of those novels. Meh. Just not my thing, I guess.

[DarkAngel]

Looks like I "must" buy the blu ray Aliens.......
Cameron promises an impressive complete remaster for blu ray, grain removed resolution increased!

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=5007

No mention yet how other three films will be treated for blu ray release

[Brahmsian]

Just came back from a yard sale, and got 7 Stephen King books.  Just recently had finished reading 'Salem's Lot and Night Shift, and in the mood for more macabre!

The 7 we got are:

Carrie
IT
Skeleton Crew
Different Seasons
The Bachman Books (Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, The Running Man)
The Dark Half
Pet Semetary

[MN Dave]

You haven't read those titles yet?

[Brahmsian]

You haven't read those titles yet?

Nope, I've only read The Shining, 'Salem's Lot and Night Shift.

[MN Dave]

Nope, I've only read The Shining, 'Salem's Lot and Night Shift.

Let us know what you think. PET SEMATARY is my favorite King. 

[Bogey]

Let us know what you think. PET SEMATARY is my favorite King. 

Same.

[MN Dave]

I'm reading:

[DavidW]

Looks like I "must" buy the blu ray Aliens.......
Cameron promises an impressive complete remaster for blu ray, grain removed resolution increased!

No mention yet how other three films will be treated for blu ray release

Video-philes will flip out in a bad way, still I'm psyched.

[DavidW]

Just started the above.  I was going to read Smith's Lensmen series,

I read the first of the Lensmen series (since it is free) and it was really cheesy, like it reads like a radio serial from that era would sound.  Fun, but it was a bit too much for me.

finished re-reading the first 8 books of Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen in anticipation of The Crippled God coming out early next year

I want to read Erickson, but I have a rule now that I won't read any series until it is finished.  Don't want another repeat of what happened with Wheel of Time.

[DavidW]

Bill did you ever finish Altered Carbon?  That was on my to read list (at the top actually) before I moved, so I'll probably be reading sometimes in the next month.

[Bogey]

I read the first of the Lensmen series (since it is free) and it was really cheesy, like it reads like a radio serial from that era would sound.  Fun, but it was a bit too much for me.

Have to admit that it got a bit painful at the end....but got through it.

As for Altered Carbon, I stopped about a third of the way through.  The author seemed to pull too many "shock" events to try and spice his story which was just fine on its own.  He also did not have that "Chandler" touch when it came to noir settings and mood....he tried, but just did not develop either enough for my taste.  Give it aa try and let me know what you think buddy.

[DavidW]

If you compare any noir novel to Chandler you are bound to be disappointed 99% of the time Bill!   After watching several seasons of Lost and 24, I am very tired of twist after twist so I'll approach this now with trepidation...

[DarkAngel]

Deluxe package shown for Alien blu ray set........thats not gonna fit on my shelf

[DavidW]

Wow DA... that's uh... uh... well tacky.   I never got the obsession with gaudy packaging that look like toys instead of movies.   I would rather have a slim box.

Anyway I don't know the price is close to a $100 and the more I think about it the more I realize that I really just want the first two, the second of which is so monochrome and grainy that I can't see high def treatment improving the presentation much.  The price gap is so painful.  I can't believe that I have the movies 1-3 on dvd for 1/10th the price.  Why should I rebuy those movies at more than full price?  This is the highest priced blu-ray box set (per movie) that I've seen in the last two years.

[DarkAngel]

Wow DA... that's uh... uh... well tacky.   I never got the obsession with gaudy packaging that look like toys instead of movies.   I would rather have a slim box.

Anyway I don't know the price is close to a $100 and the more I think about it the more I realize that I really just want the first two, the second of which is so monochrome and grainy that I can't see high def treatment improving the presentation much.  The price gap is so painful.  I can't believe that I have the movies 1-3 on dvd for 1/10th the price.  Why should I rebuy those movies at more than full price?  This is the highest priced blu-ray box set (per movie) that I've seen in the last two years.

I also won't be buying "the egg" Alien deluxe package either.....but have to marvel at the marketing machine at work

The normal blu ray Anthology set will sell for around $90 new on various websites ($139 retail) in a couple weeks and is pricey for 4 movies, but they have completely emptied the vaults with bonus material using 6 blu ray discs. James Cameron seemed pretty confident the remaster for Aliens is fabulous, we shall see.......

In the meantime the comprehensive DVD Alien Quadrilogy set now sells for $20 new and $15 used at Amazon sellers, a feast for bargain hunters

[Josquin des Prez]

Instead wasting money on that stupid egg edition they could have put a lot more work on the actual films. The remaster of Aliens leaves a lot to be desired and the new edits are a fraud. They claim to have added all this extra footage but in the end it was mostly unfinished or discarded scenes that had no place making it into a final cut.

[MN Dave]

I have a zombie/alien novel coming out next month. Here's the cover:

[DavidW]

In the meantime the comprehensive DVD Alien Quadrilogy set now sells for $20 new and $15 used at Amazon sellers, a feast for bargain hunters

I used to have that set, huge amount of special features, choose your cut for each movie, really awesome.  I only sold it because a couple of years ago I sold nearly my entire dvd/bd collection to pay off medical bills.  So when I rebought the movies, I went for the triple pack which is $10 no special features (because I don't watch those anyway).

I think that this aliens bd set (though timed for halloween) is timed wrong because the interest will be up for it after the new movie is out.  As it stands now interest must be at an all time low since those bargain priced triple packs were just selling this summer.  The some (like you!) have been drooling over the bd set for awhile now, many fight feel sated with dvd and not really attached to the movies right now anyway.

Instead wasting money on that stupid egg edition they could have put a lot more work on the actual films. The remaster of Aliens leaves a lot to be desired and the new edits are a fraud. They claim to have added all this extra footage but in the end it was mostly unfinished or discarded scenes that had no place making it into a final cut.

If these were the same cuts that were on the quadrilogy set then--

(1) Alien-- Ridley Scott said in the intro that it wasn't his cut, he doesn't want it, the studios wanted it, and the theatrical cut is his cut but either cut is good
(2) Aliens-- Cameron wanted the extra scenes back in, and it is typical 80s Cameron studios forced him to cut the extra footage, but it matches pq wise the rest of the movie and enhances it (more backstory)
(3) Alien 3-- extra footage is really bad, the whole director's cut here feels like a painfully unfinished product thumbs down

[DavidW]

Congrats Dave!

It's not on amazon, I thought it was going to be.   Would you so kindly consider a kindle edition?

I have a kindle now, and I've heard that they offer huge royalties to self-publishing authors.  Like 70%, if you believe that.