Telos Publishing is delighted to announce the launch of Telos Moonrise, a new digital and POD imprint for Telos Publishing, which will expand to cover a wider variety of fiction than we are currently able to undertake in the more traditional publishing lines. Titles will be made available in ebook formats, and for those who still love books, all the titles will also be available as print on demand paperbacks via Amazon.

‘We have always loved publishing fiction,’ explained Telos’ Publishing Director David J Howe, ‘and with technology now at a point where this can be achieved at a good enough quality, we’re delighted to be able to put the Telos name and standards behind a variety of new titles and projects, all of which we are excited and thrilled to be publishing. Expect some superb fiction from both new and established names in the range, which nicely complements Telos’ main stream of non-fiction publishing.’

Consultant and editor for the imprint is Sam Stone, herself an acclaimed and award-winning author, and she will be commissioning and looking for titles for the range. ‘I’m thrilled to be working with Telos on this,’ she said. ‘It’s very satisfying to be able to bring into print some evocative and enjoyable work from some excellent authors.’

The ranges covered by Telos Moonrise are:

• Steampunk Visions’: Explore alternate worlds, past, present and future in our exciting new Steampunk range. There will be action, adventure and, of course, superb gadgets.
• ‘Criminal Pursuits’: Look into the darkest depths of the criminal mind and explore the darker side of humanity with our Crime and Thriller titles.
• ‘Dark Endeavours’: Delve into the supernatural, urban and dark fantasy, or the darkest horror imaginable. Or simply explore fantasy realms and alternate worlds where anything can happen from myth and magic to sword-wielding warriors.
• ‘Sinful Pleasures’: Brings sexual fantasies, love or simply unbridled lust, with good strong stories, believable characters and a large helping of erotica in all its forms.

Telos Moonrise launches with a ‘Dark Endeavours’ title in September 2013: Absinthe and Arsenic, a collection of dark, mysterious and comedic tales by award winning dark fantasy and steampunk author Raven Dane.

For more information about Telos Moonrise: www.telosmoonrise.com

APE-MAN: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to 100 Years of Tarzan by Sean Egan, Telos, p/b, £15.99, http://www.telos.co.uk/

Reviewed by David Brzeski

The first thing that struck me on opening this book was the total lack of photographs or illustrations. This is very unusual for a non-fiction work about books, comics and especially movies.

Thankfully, it reads well enough that it doesn’t suffer too much, in fact it was refreshing not to have to keep stopping to refer to assorted illustrated examples.

The major bugbear with this sort of work is, of course, accuracy. The problem for this reviewer was my personal lack of in-depth knowledge about the subject at hand, and so I cheated. I googled for other reviews, to see if the author’s accuracy had been brought to task by people more knowledgeable than I. It’s a new book, so there weren’t many reviews around, but I did find one who complained that much of the movie related information is inaccurate and that the author relied too much on anecdotal information from people who were around at the time. Sadly, the reviewer neglected to cite any examples, so I can’t agree, or disagree with that view. I will say, however, that the way Egan intersperses his text with quoted anecdotes makes for a very readable book, and it’s interesting to read how various people remember things, even if it might not be 100% accurate,

I did, however have the chance to run the chapters concerning Philip José Farmer’s contributions to the Tarzan legacy past a couple of genuine experts and I’m pleased to say that, while they didn’t exactly love his take on it, they didn’t find any huge errors of fact, albeit they thought the claim that Farmer spent the 70s “dodging legal bullets” from the ERB estate, by avoiding using Tarzan’s name on his pastiches to be somewhat overstating the case. There is no evidence to suggest that PJF was ever under legal threat from the estate. They objected to the Dell paperback edition of ‘The Adventures of the Peerless Pee’r and it was withdrawn, but that seems likely to have been down to the use of a photograph of Ron Ely as Tarzan on the cover. No action was ever taken against Farmer and other editions of the book went unhindered. The author also points out a discrepancy in when the theory as to Tarzan’s longevity was first posited, claiming that Farmer, due to ineptitude, mentions it in his Tarzan novel, ‘The Dark Heart of Time‘, which takes place a decade and a half before the events of  ’Tarzan’s Quest’, in which ERB first suggests that Tarzan doesn’t age like a normal human. He can perhaps be forgiven for not realising that PJF had theorised that Tarzan got his immortality long before that in his book Tarzan Alive, and was referencing his own earlier book in the novel.

So, it’s an enjoyable book overall, if occasionally a little smug in tone. Maybe one day there will be an illustrated edition, albeit that would likely be a lot more expensive. As an overview of the character in the media, it’s not bad at all. I liked the way it sticks mainly to a chronological listing, rather than splitting the book into separate sections for books, films, TV and comics. I actually learned some information about the history of Tarzan in British comics that has had me place some issues on my wants list, and I have a list of old Tarzan films that I quite fancy viewing again after all these years, so it was a worthwhile reading experience.

TMC1: HULK by Tony Lee, Telos Movies, p/b, £7.99, www.telos.co.uk

Reviewed by Sandra Scholes

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby did a great deal for the comic book industry from 1962 onwards with one comic book legend in particular – The Incredible Hulk. Unlike other comic heroes who knew and could control their alter-egos, Bruce Banner has no control over his when he transforms into the Hulk. He is not a hero in the conventional sense, but an anti-hero. Rather than writing solely about the characters from the comic series or delving into the TV series, The Incredible Hulk, where enigmatic and versatile actor Bill Bixby played the green-skinned rage monster, author Tony Lee concentrates on the 2003 movie version that starred Eric Bana as the Hulk, and Jennifer Connelly as Betty Ross.

Tony goes into the details of the movie, interspersing it with anecdotes, actor’s quotes from the movie and how other popular movies and novels seems to be the basis for the Hulk’s history. It is certainly an interesting guide, and one of a series by Telos who like to inform readers about classic and sometimes overlooked movies.

For those who remember this version of the Hulk movie, it received as much bad criticism as it did acclaim, and it seemed obvious that the CGI was not up to the task of making the Hulk’s immense lumbering frame look realistic. With this in mind, it would have been better for Lee to have written a short, informative book on the second movie starring Edward Norton as Bruce/Hulk and Liv Tyler as Betty Ross as the acting was better and the CGI had vastly improved.

Alternatively, for those who liked the first movie, it is the perfect accompaniment to any person’s bookshelf. There are many references to mythology, and certain fairytales which have been an influence on the characters of Bruce Banner with Beauty and the Beast, King Kong, Jekyll and Hyde, and Frankenstein’s monster. In fact, the original look of the Hulk was based on it; the only real change later was to make the skin green instead of grey.

The book is separated with several chapters and has a bonus appendix guide where Lee talks of the rule of fours in the Hulk movie, some of the reviews the movie got at the time and Director Ang Lee’s other notable movies.

Sam Stone’s latest novella, Zombies at Tiffany’s, is now available from Telos Publishing.

About the book:
Kat Lightfoot thought that getting a job at the famed Tiffany’s store in New York would be the end to her problems … she has money, new friends, and there’s even an inventor working there who develops new weapons from clockwork, and who cuts diamonds with a strange powered light. This is 1862, after all, and such things are the wonder of the age.

But then events take a turn for the worse: men and women wander the streets talking of ‘the darkness’; bodies vanish from morgues across town; and random, bloody attacks on innocent people take place in broad daylight.

Soon Kat and her friends are fighting for their lives against a horde of infected people, with only their wits and ingenuity to help them.

A steampunked story of diamonds, chutzpah, death and horror from the blood-drenched pen of Sam Stone.

See the website HERE for more information and ordering details

Telos Publishing have two new releases available now. Ape-Man: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to 100 Years of Tarzan by Sean Egan, covers the Tarzan phenomenon from beginning to end. Telos Movie Classics: Hulk by Tony Lee is the first in a projected series of film guides focussing on cult and other films of interest. The Telos Movie Classics guides are intended to be: “A series of guides to some of the most talked-about films ever produced. From classics and acclaimed features to lesser-known or overlooked works, but all deserving of critical appraisal.”

About Ape-Man, the Telos website states: “This book traces Tarzan’s history in prose, film, comic strips, comic books, radio, stage, television, computer games and merchandise, charting the rise of one of the most popular and iconic characters in fiction. Included is the last ever interview with Danton Burroughs (grandson of Edgar Rice Burroughs), plus exclusive comments from Michael Moorcock, Hugh Hudson, R.A. Salvatore and the oldest surviving screen Tarzan, Denny Miller, amongst many more. The book also examines the massive changes in public attitudes towards Africa, race, hereditary peers and wildlife conservation that may finally deal Tarzan the fatal blow that any number of sinister safaris and high priests of mysterious lost cities failed to.”

About Hulk: “From its 1962 comicbook origins in The Incredible Hulk by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, director Ang Lee’s classic movie Hulk (2003) updates and reinvents the story of how scientist Bruce Banner is transformed into a giant rage monster, and becomes a new antihero for the 21st century …. This book reviews the movie’s narrative complexity and its varied genre elements – including science fiction, tragic drama, action thriller, doomed romance, and modern fairytale – and studies the mythological references, realised by an artistically innovative editing style and groundbreaking visual effects.”

Full details at the Telos website HERE

Stephen James Walker, Editorial Director of Telos Publishing in London, has acquired world rights in a new zombie novella by Sam Stone. The novella, entitled Zombies at Tiffany’s, will be published in September 2012.

Sam is the award-winning author of four vampire novels collectively called The Vampire Gene published successfully by The House of Murky Depths. A fifth title in her series, Silent Sand, is due to be published in the autumn. She said, of this deal:

“It’s great to be back working with Telos again after the superb job they did with my horror collection Zombies in New York and Other Bloody Jottings last year. The new novella is riffing on the famous Audrey Hepburn/Blake Edwards film and the novella by Truman Capote, but it’s not the same as either. I enjoy playing with the genres, and this time we have a steampunk Victorian adventure. With zombies. In the famous Tiffany’s store in New York. It’s a lot of fun, and I even have a Jewish zombie wandering around who can only eat Kosher brains – that’s a nod to the character of Shagal the Inn Keeper, brilliantly played by Alfie Bass in the Polanski film The Fearless Vampire Killers.”

Sam Stone’s first novel, Killing Kiss, won the silver award for Best Horror Novel in ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year competition, and her subsequent novels and short stories have gained her much acclaim, including winning the British Fantasy Award.

Available for pre-order from Telos (due around mid-April) is Blake’s 7: The Merchandise Guide by Mark B. Oliver.

“In 1978, Blake’s 7, a new science fiction show, debuted on BBC television, and viewers became enthralled by the adventures of Blake, Avon, Jenna, Vila, Gan and Cally, aided by the computer Zen, as they battled against the might of the Federation, represented by the villainous Servalan and her right hand man, Travis. Merchandise followed, and here, for the first time, Mark B. Oliver presents a collector’s guide to everything produced in relation to the show, and several items which never made it to the shops.

The book documents the background to the merchandise, detailing the highs and lows, and explores the history of Blake’s 7 merchandise from it’s very beginning. Included are full colour photographs of just about every item, plus interviews with some of those involved in the production of the ranges.

Blake’s 7: The Merchandise Guide is both a fascinating tour through the many ways that Blake’s 7 has been presented in merchandise and an entertaining guide to the world of Blake’s 7 collecting. The book covers Blake’s 7 merchandise around the world, including items released in America, Australia and Argentina, as well as the many UK-produced items.”

Also, a new title available now is Hunted! The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Supernatural Seasons 1-3 by Sam Ford and Antony Fogg.

“Immerse yourself in the dark and dangerous world of the Winchester brothers…

Descend into the delicious detail of demon hunting and deadly mysteries…

Join the authors of Hunted! on an in-depth voyage of discovery as they follow Sam and Dean Winchester through three seasons of hunting things and saving people; searching for their dad and dealing with their personal destinies; while never losing sight of the most important asset in their war against supernatural monsters — their own family. And, where Dean’s concerned anyway, where the next hot chick carrying a cheeseburger is coming from.

The journey also takes in the making of the series: the goofs, the actors’ comments and the writing decisions — good and bad — while providing a critical commentary on all aspects of the show: from the clothes and the music, to the car and the guest stars.”

For full details see the Telos website HERE

The definitive collector’s guide to Doctor Who merchandise, Howe’s Transcendental Toybox, has been updated and revised. David J. Howe and Arnold T. Blumberg present this guide, which details both the rare and obscure, and the commonplace and disposable.

This third and final volume documents all the items released from 2006 to 2009, when Doctor Who cemented its position as one of the top-rated drama series in the UK, and the merchandising went into overdrive. More items were produced and released in this period than at any other point in the series’ history.

Also contained within the guide is a feature on the development of the Doctor Who Pinball, an interview with the man behind the pop group Mankind, and an interview with WETA on their range of collectibles. Howe’s Transcendental Toybox is both a fascinating tour through the many ways that Doctor Who has been presented in merchandise, and an entertaining guide to the world of Doctor Who collecting.

* Contains product descriptions *
* Illustrated in full colour throughout *
* Includes articles and features *
* Worldwide coverage *

For details visit the Telos website

At a glittering ceremony in Brighton on 2 October 2011 the following were announced as winners of the British Fantasy Awards 2011:

KARL EDWARD WAGNER SPECIAL AWARD: Terry Pratchett

BEST NOVEL: Demon Dance, Sam Stone (House of Murky Depths)

BEST NOVELLA: Humpty’s Bones, Simon Clark (Telos)

BEST SHORT STORY: “Fool’s Gold”, Sam Stone, from The Bitten Word, ed. Ian
Whates (NewCon Press)

BEST ANTHOLOGY: Back from the Dead: The Legacy of the Pan Book of Horror
Stories, Johnny Mains (ed.) (Noose & Gibbet)

BEST COLLECTION: Full Dark, No Stars, Stephen King (Hodder & Stoughton)

BEST NON-FICTION: Altered Visions: The Art of Vincent Chong (Telos)

BEST ARTIST: Vincent Chong

BEST COMIC/GRAPHIC NOVEL: At the Mountains of Madness: a Graphic Novel, Ian Culbard (Selfmadehero)

BEST MAGAZINE/PERIODICAL: Black Static, Andy Cox (ed.) (TTA Press)

BEST SMALL PRESS: Telos Publishing

BEST FILM: Inception

BEST TELEVISION: Sherlock

SYDNEY J. BOUNDS AWARD FOR BEST NEWCOMER: Robert Jackson Bennet, for Mr Shivers (Orbit)