BALTIMORE, A Golden Read for 2007
by Fran Friel

BALTIMORE

You know when you meet someone and they beam with a light of greatness, but they're completely unassuming, as if they don't really know it? Well, that's what I experienced quite a few times last weekend at NECon, the Northeast Writers' Conference at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. There I had the privilege of spending four glorious days with a couple hundred of the finest writers in the horror genre.

One of those folks that stood out and left a brilliant impression, like a flashbulb ghost lingering on in my mind's eye, was Christopher Golden. In the Quad during one of the casual late night gatherings, he did a darned good Billy Connolly impersonation with the same easy manner in which he'd lead a panel on Mythology, Fantasy and Horror earlier in the day.

Besides his fine grasp of a good Scots accent, taking a look at his bibliography, you'll see that he must be one of the hardest working writers in the genre. And he recently offered a glimpse into one of his latest projects, Baltimore OR The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire, a collaboration with Mike Mignola.

The opener is a doozie and shows us the promise of what's to come:

"On a cold autumn night, under a black sky leeched of starlight and absent the moon, Captain Henry Baltimore clutched his rifle and stared across the dark abyss of the battlefield, and knew in his heart that these were the torture fields of Hell, and damnation awaited mere steps ahead."

From Best Selling Author, Peter Straub:
"Everything Christopher Golden writes glows with imagination."

So keep an eye out in Fall 2007 for Bantam's release of BALTIMORE, which will include over 100 illustrations from Mike Mignola. Yes, it'll be a long time coming, but it will be worth the wait. In the meantime, you can check out Golden's, STRAIGHT ON 'TIL MORNING, and WITCHERY: A GHOSTS OF ALBION NOVEL, or dive into his HELLBOY novels. Prefer novellas, comics? He's got them, too!

As always thanks for reading. I hope you'll visit The Horror Library soon for a little Fresh Meat from the Terrible Twelve and Company, as well as, part 1 and part 2 of Fine Print. Part 3 will be coming soon in August! Enjoy!

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

Note: Artwork used by permission. (c) 2006 Mike Mignola

Comments

Clara Chandler said…
It's getting kinda quiet over here at Yada Feast, Fran! Too quiet if you ask me. I think everyone's out capturing the last weeks of summer.

Love ya,
Clara