LGB I’m a Dragon by Mallory Loehr
Release Date: Early Mar
I don’t really do a lot of really young kids’ books, but this was just too cute not to have. What can I say? It’s a Little Golden Book, so it’s got big bright pictures and a few words per page, and is about a little dragon who tells you all about themselves. It’s cute and sweet, and shows that dragons are cool at any age.
Star
Trek: Voyager 25th Anniversary Special by Titan
Release Date: Early Mar
It’s been twenty five years since the crew of Voyager made a wrong turn, did a good
deed and ended up on the wrong side of the galaxy. Their journey lasted seven
seasons, 172 episodes and had (and still has) fans all over the world. This
book looks behind-the-scenes of the series with interviews with writers and
actors, art and design and on set photos. One for the collection of any serious
Trek fan, or anyone who loved the series and is in the mood for some
informative nostalgia.
Star
Trek: Kirk Fu Manual by Dayton
Ward
Release Date: Early Mar
There are many things in the Star
Trek universe that you could write a book about, and loads of
books have
been written about Star
Trek. One glaring, and dare I say striking, oversight seems to
be in regard to the surprisingly and somewhat counterintuitively effective hand
to hand combat techniques employed by Starfleet members in general, and
captains in particular. Here in this book their secret is revealed, beginning
with the man who developed it, Captain James T Kirk. Part training manual, part
memoir, with sections drawn from Kirk’s own personal logs, this is the perfect
self-defence guide for anyone looking to brave the dangers of the galaxy. With
diligence and practice, the art of Kirk Fu will reveal the mysteries of ‘the
box lunch’, ‘the Tiberius Twist’ and ‘the Rolling Thunder’. Only when these and
more are mastered will the student truly be one with Kirk Fu.
Altered
Carbon: The Art and Making of the Series by Abbey Bernstein
Release Date: Late Mar
Not much in the way of explanation required for this one. It’s an art and
design companion to the first and
second seasons of the hit Netflix series based on the books by Richard Morgan.
Featuring concept art, set photography, effects breakdowns and interviews with
cast and crew, it’s just the place to find out all the behind-the-scenes
details about bringing the dark cyberpunk world of the series to the screen.
Hitchhiker’s
Guide to the Galaxy Radio Scripts by Douglas Adams
Release Date: Mid Mar
Since March this year will mark the 42nd anniversary of the first
ever transmission of Douglas
Adams‘ The
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy on BBC Radio 4, expect there
to be a certain amount of fuss about towels, babel fish, floating parties and
the advantages of a second head or an ear full of fish. Part of that fuss is
the release of the scripts of the original 12 episodes in this book. With
annotations and changes made during recording as well as production notes and
new content, this is plenty for any Hitchhikers
fan, but there’s more! Also included is the ‘lost’ Hitchhiker episode Sheila’s
Ear as well as introductions from the original (1985) and twenty-fifth
anniversary editions. Also as part of the 42nd anniversary event,
the Hitchhiker’s novels are being reissued with spanking new covers in the same
style. This is one of my favourite book and radio series ever, and if I’m being
honest, my set of the books is looking shabby. Think it might be time to replace
them.
Who
Killed The Fonz? by James
Boice
Release Date: Early Mar
I did a bit of a double-take when I saw this one. Anyone who grew up in the
seventies or eighties (or is a fan of old television) will probably remember Happy Days. A
sitcom set in a stylized version of 1950s Milwaukee partially about an ordinary
family, the Cunninghams, but mostly about the end of adolescence of their
eldest son Richie. It’s also where the term ‘jump the shark’ came from due to
some odd creative choices in the tail end of the series. This book takes the
world of Happy Days
and cranks it on to the 1980s, where screenwriter Richard Cunningham now middle
aged, finds the industry seems to have moved beyond him and is no longer
interested in anything but action and explosions. Then he learns that Arthur
Fonzarelli, AKA The Fonz, has been reported dead. Heading back to his hometown
he finds things are a bit off. There’s no body for one, and the way The Fonz is
supposed to have died doesn’t ring true. Joined again by his boyhood companions
Ralph Malph and Potsie Webber, Richie sets out to solve a mystery and maybe
even catch a killer. I’ve no idea how good this one is, since I haven’t gotten
my hands on one yet, but I’m curious as hell.