The Far Empty by J. Todd Scott / Z-View

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The Far Empty by J. Todd Scott

Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

First sentence…

My father has killed three men.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

J. Todd Scott pulls us in from the first sentence and proceeds to unfold his story from the perspective of believable characters with a slow burn to a dramatic conclusion that leaves us satisfied and yet hoping for more. (Rest easy, more stories are coming about those who survive.)

The Far Empty is a modern day western-noir wrapped around a mystery (mysteries) with enough action and suspense to satisfy the most critical reader.

 When Chris Cherry, a new deputy in Murfee, Texas, finds the handcuffed, skeletal remains of a body in a remote area not far from the Mexico/Texas border, he starts an investigation.  It’s an investigation that will uncover secrets best left hidden and may cost him his life.

The Far Empty hooked me from the first sentence.  I loved every page and give it my highest recommendation.  J. Todd Scott is the real deal.

Rating:

RIP – Stephen Verona

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Stephen Verona died on Saturday after a year and a half long battle with lung cancer.  Readers of this site probably know Verona best as the Producer, Co-Writer and Director of Lords of Flatbush, but Verona was much more than that.

Verona got his start creating commercials.  He met and became friends with John Lennon which led to Verona getting to animate the Beatles song I Feel Fine.  Next came a music short with Barbara Streisand.  He went on to work with Natalie Cole, Chicago, Simon & Garfunkel and many others.

Verona was a screenwriter, an award-winning  director of feature films, television episodes and specials, an  an award-winning painter and photographer.  A renaissance man, indeed.

The Hollywood Reporter posted that “When Stallone learned that Verona was ill, he sent him an email saying that his career would not have been the same without him.”  The same could be said for many other celebrities.

Had Stephen Verona only been known as the talent behind Lords of Flatbush, it would have been worth noting here, but I hope fans know he was so much more.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Stephen Verona’s family, friends and fans.

The Best (and Worst) States for Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse!

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If a zombie apocalypse breaks out, are you living in a state that provides a good chance of survival?  If you want to find out, CableTV.com has the answers.  They looked at each “state’s agriculture, weapon ownership, solar energy, and climate.”  They then ranked states from 1 (most likely to survive) to 4 (least likely to survive).

Since I live in Florida (ranked a 2), my odds are pretty good.  If I went back to my birth state of Indiana (ranked a 1), they’d be even better.

 If you click over to The 10 Best States for Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse at Mental Floss, you’ll get even more info.

“The King’s Man” Trailer is Here!

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Here’s the trailer to The King’s Man.

In 2020, they will become kings. Watch the new teaser trailer for The King’s Man now. See the film in theatres February 14, 2020.

As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them. Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency in The King’s Man.

Director: Matthew Vaughn
Based on the Comic Book “The Secret Service” by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons
Produced by: Matthew Vaughn, David Reid, Adam Bohling
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, with Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance

50 Facts About the Apollo 11 Moon Landing

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In honor of the mission to put the first man on the moon’s 50th anniversary, Mental Floss posted 50 Facts About the Apollo 11 Moon Landing.  Here are three of my favorites…

3. THE APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUTS WERE ODDLY CALM DURING LIFTOFF.
The average resting heart rate of an adult human is somewhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm), depending on the individual’s age, size, heart conditions, and other factors. Throw a little excitement into the mix and one’s heart is likely to beat much faster. Yet the Apollo 11 astronauts, whose heart rates were monitored throughout the expedition, remained surprisingly normal. At liftoff, Armstrong was the most excited of the bunch with a rate of 110 bpm. Collins, meanwhile, was clocked at 99, while a clearly calm Aldrin logged a rate of just 88 bpm.

32. ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN HAD TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO LOCK THEMSELVES OUT OF THE MODULE.
If their heart rates were any indication, Armstrong and Aldrin were pretty calm, cool, and collected when they landed on the Moon. And it’s a good thing: Had they been overwhelmed by the cosmic wonder of it all, they could have easily locked themselves out of their lunar module, as Eagle’s door had no outer handle.

45. ARMSTRONG, ALDRIN, AND COLLINS WERE QUARANTINED FOR MORE THAN TWO WEEKS UPON THEIR RETURN TO EARTH.
On July 24, the Apollo 11 crew reentered Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down into the Pacific Ocean after more than a week in space. In order to ensure the men hadn’t brought back any sort of weird Moon diseases or other microbes, Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins were quickly placed into a mobile quarantine unit, which was then transported to the NASA Lunar Receiving Laboratory at Houston’s Johnson Space Center. They were released from quarantine on August 10, 1969.

Trigger Mortis: A Zombie Western by Derec Donovan!

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Trigger Mortis is a 64 page Zombie Western Hardcover Graphic Novel from Derec Donovan that’s on Kickstarter now.  I jumped on board and I thought it would appeal to some of our readers.  Here’s the synopsis…

EXCLUSIVE to Kickstarter! Trigger Mortis is a 64 page Hardcover thrill-ride combining the action and human drama of Spaghetti Westerns, and the tension and horror of Zombie films.

1876: on the eve of Colorado gaining statehood, rancher Sarah Mc’Clintock has hired a pair of Pinkertons to protect her family’s ranch from the ever present threat of Cattle Rustlers.

She soon finds herself caught in a love triangle between her old flame, Deputy Dylan Hawkes, and mysterious Gunhand Seamus O’Donnell.

Until a zombie plague comes crashing to Earth, spreading like wildfire and threatening the unsuspecting citizens.

Can the living band together to defend the town of Devil’s Lantern from the army of the walking dead?

*Trigger Mortis is intended for Mature Audiences.

The 10 Best Vampire Movies

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ComingSoon posted their choice for The 10 Best Vampire Movies.  I’ve only seen four of the ten (Dracula; Nosferatu; The Lost Boys and What We Do in the Shadows), but my Top Ten Vampire Movies would be (in alphabetical order)

  • 30 Days of Night
  • Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
  • Blade 2
  • Bram Stoker’s Dracula
  • Dracula
  • Dusk til Dawn
  • Interview with a Vampire
  • Near Dark
  • Salem’s Lot
  • What We Do in the Shadows

And while we’re at it, I’d also suggest the following vampire tv series:

  • The Passage
  • The Strain

Bela Lugosi in “Arsenic and Old Lace”!

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Arsenic and Old Lace is one of my all-time favorite movie comedies.  Made in 1944, Arsenic and Old Lace was directed by Frank Capra and starred Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey, Jack Carson, Peter Lorre, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair and John Alexander.

Arsenic and Old Lace got its start on Broadway running from January 1941 to June 1944.  The popular play starred Josephine Hull, Jean Adair and Boris Karloff.  When it was time to make the movie, the play’s producers wouldn’t give Karloff the time off fearing that losing him would hurt the play’s attendance.  Raymond Massey took over Karloff’s part for the film.

Although Massey did an excellent job, I’d have loved to have seen Karloff in the movie.

Another thing I’d have loved to have seen is Bela Lugosi in the stage play of Arsenic and Old Lace.  As you can see from the ad above, Lugosi played the part originated by Karloff (and later Masey) when the show went on the road!

Source: Barnabas Collins.

The Last Good Guy by T. Jefferson Parker

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Coming on August 13th from T. Jefferson Parker is The Last Good Guy.

In this electrifying new thriller from three-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestseller T. Jefferson Parker, Private Investigator Roland Ford hunts for a missing teenager and uncovers a dark conspiracy in his most personal case yet.

When hired by a beautiful and enigmatic woman to find her missing younger sister, private investigator Roland Ford immediately senses that the case is not what it seems. He is soon swept up in a web of lies and secrets as he searches for the teenager, and even his new client cannot be trusted. His investigation leads him to a secretive charter school, skinhead thugs, a cadre of American Nazis hidden in a desert compound, an arch-conservative celebrity evangelist–and, finally, to the girl herself. The Last Good Guy is Ford’s most challenging case to date, one that will leave him questioning everything he thought he knew about decency, honesty, and the battle between good and evil…if it doesn’t kill him first.

Love that title and T. Jefferson always delivers.  The Last Good Guy is on my to-buy list.  If it makes yours, then click here.