Books in the Mail (W/E 6/08)

Mr. Fooster: Traveling on a Whim written by Tom Corwin and illustrated by Craig Frazier– This illustrated novel is best described by its simplistic title. The eponymous Mr. Fooster has some whimsical flights of fancy in this small and quaint book. It seems like a lost Victorian-era novel. What I received is a final copy of the advance I received a couple of months ago.

The Last Vampire by Patricia Rosemoor & Marc Paoletti – this Vampire-meets-CSI-meets-Indiana Jones-meets-4400 hybrid sounds somewhat interesting – a five-hundred year old corpse is unearthed in Texas by the military which is teeming with mysterious DNA, and can transform normal people into powerful beings. Will it stand above the rest of the Modern-Day Vampire/Sorcerer crowd?

The Last Theorem by Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Frederik Pohl – The two SF giants collaborate on a story of one man’s mathematical obsession, and a celebration of the human spirit and scientific method. Throw in the thread of all-but-omnipotent aliens and you might have the makings of an instant modern classic. The story is of a young Sri Lankan mathematician who finds a short proof of Fermat's Last Theorem and is hired by the CIA because of the high interest in cryptographic applications of the proof. This is an ARC; the publication date is August 2009.

The Bearskin Rug by Jennifer Stevenson – The third of her sexy, supernatural adventures of a feisty heroine and her lusty 200-year-old demon sidekick continue. Sequel to The Brass Bed and The Velvet Chair.

Gypsy Morph by Terry Brooks – Genesis of Shanarra Book 3. I read Armageddon’s Children and didn’t think much of it, but Terry has his fans; this is the series that bridges Shanarra with his Word and Void trilogy. I wanted to like this series, but couldn't get past that first book. What I received was the ARC, the final book publishes August 26, 2008.