Category Archives: Pulp

A Doc Savage Movie On The Way!!!

Doc-Savage-Ruben

Art by Ruben Procopio

It’s no secret that Doc Savage, Lester Dent’s pulp hero from the 1930s and 40s, is a huge inspiration for my own character, Dr. Spartacus Wilde (who saves the Earth from Lovecraftian batrachia in Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom). I grew up on paperback reprints of the Doc Savage novels and they, along with other pulp sources I’ve written about, are strong strands of my literary DNA.

In fact, Grandpa Wilde (Spartacus’s father), the original Doc Wilde who was famous in the thirties and forties, is my intertextual acknowledgment that the original hero is parent to the current hero, but also speaks to the fact that the younger Wilde is his own man. As similar as he is to Savage, he is also very different in ways, not least of which is that he is a warm, emotionally accessible family man, unlike the stern and remote man of bronze.

Unlike The Shadow, the only character more popular during the pulp era, Doc Savage isn’t very well known these days, though his influence on characters ranging from Batman to James Bond is widespread. But there are still quite a few fans, many having grown up on the same books I did. One of them is Shane Black. Continue reading →

Doc Wilde “a fast mad dash through a landscape littered with mines [of] geek-love”

I just came across the latest review of my book, Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, and it’s from someone who knows ’em some pulp.

docwilde2

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Back in March, I blogged about some oddly inspiring material I found in a new roleplaying game I’d bought (Optimism, Action, and How To Be The Neighborhood Pulp Hero). The text in question “caused a synaptic hiccup and made me think about my life.” Pretty darn cool for a game manual.

The game, Spirit of the Century, is not only the best-by-far pulp game I’ve ever found (and I know most of them, all the way back to the first, 1982’s Daredevils from Fantasy Games Unlimited), it’s quite possibly the greatest face-to-face rpg. I’m reserving final judgment till after I actually have time to play the game, at which time it’ll get a full review here.

My copy of SotC had some issues, alas, but Fred Hicks, one of the game’s co-authors, exhibited some first class customer service and sent me a new copy. These are truly good guys in an industry with an often razor-thin profit margin. I was greatly appreciative at this, so I sent him a signed copy of my book.

Well, apparently Fred read the book, because on October 20th, he gave it a quick review on his blog.

While set in the modern day, this book LOVES pulp (and Lovecraft, for that matter) and makes a bunch of oblique and not so oblique references to it throughout. It’s a breezy, very fast read for an adult, but an adult will be entertained precisely because of those references. It’s like a fast mad dash through a landscape littered with mines that explode with geek-love every now and again.

To summarize the plot would be to tell the story of the whole book, so I’m going to leave that out of this. It’s a fun family romp, has good life lessons for kids, and features a boy child and a girl child who both compete with each other and value each other…And if you’re looking to get your kids primed with some excitement about high-pulp adventure…I think Doc Wilde would be a handy tool for giving that to ’em…

There’s a bit more, which can be found here.

The Future of Doc Wilde

I conceived of the adventures of Doc, Wren, and Brian Wilde as a series, starting with Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom. That was the plan. As a writer, I decided, I am in the Doc Wilde business.

Putnam also saw the Wildes as a potential series, but largely avoided talking about that. They are, after all, a business. Profits must be made, books must be balanced. So they understandably played it close to the vest, waiting to see how Frogs of Doom did, both critically and commercially.

I kept with my plan, continuing to work on Wilde stuff, figuring that even if Putnam ultimately didn’t opt to publish more, I’d find some way to get these adventures out there.

As anyone who’s been following the reviews of the book knows, the Wildes have been extremely well received by the critics. I literally had one sort of negative review, and even it largely praised the book, though it wasn’t the writer’s cup of tea. Even Kirkus Reviews, which is notoriously tough, had only good things to say (Novelist Kimberly Derting commented “I’m awed, you’ve cracked the Kirkus code!”)

(Feel free to visit the Reviews page at the Doc Wilde website.)

As for sales… Continue reading →

Solomon Kane Trailer

Among the great pulp heroes created by Robert E. Howard, author of the only true Conan tales, was puritan swordsman against darkness Solomon Kane.

The complete tales are currently available in this beautiful Del Rey book:

solomon

Click to Order

For the roleplaying games fans among you, one of the absolute greatest RPGs in years is this Savage Worlds gamebook by Shane Hensley:

Click to Order

Click to Order

And this trailer for the upcoming cinematic adaptation looks very promising.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Doc Wilde Review: “Everything I thought it would be, and more…”

As promised earlier in the week, here is the second Amazon reader’s review of my novel Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom I really wanted to share with you.

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5.0 out of 5 stars It was everything I thought it would be, and more…………, June 7, 2009
By Kelly C. Trogdon “KellyCochranDVM” (Atlanta, GA) –
(REAL NAME)

I bought the book for two reasons: to support a local author, and to give my child something fun to read. I had no preconceived idea of the book, or its plot or style. Imagine my surprise when I read it AND LOVED IT !!

I grew up reading fantasy books like THE DARK IS RISING series by Susan Cooper. I wanted my 10 year old daughter to have the same sort of experience. To be completely immersed in the story, and carried along by it. She read it all in one day, and only put it down to participate in required activities. I, on the other hand, read it very slowly, to enjoy it, and to understand the nuances. It stood up very well to both tests!!

I am an avid reader but often find myself reading books and criticizing either a plot turn as predictable, or character development as being lacking, or worse yet sometimes the language usage or vocabulary is repetitive.
But in this case, I cared about these characters! Since my degree is in science, and I have a doctorate, I was pleased that an author could write such a plausible work of fiction about frogs as the “enemy” and include so much detail about the Wilde family’s curious inventions. Willing suspension of disbelief aside, I fell for it all: hook, line, and sinker !! Even gasped out loud at the two BIG plot twists !!

My only complaint is that I wanted to find out what happens next in the series… and that’s what Doc prescribed, right? keep ’em wanting MORE!!

Doc Wilde Review: “a story of unconditional love, empowering optimism, & the value of learning”

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Buy Now!

Since there may be new visitors popping by who only just found out about me or my book, Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, I figured I’d share a review that I hadn’t posted yet, and also let them know they can find out a great deal at the www.DocWilde.com site. Among its features are a page of many other reviews so you can see how the critical consensus on my book has shaken out, and a gallery of great art depicting my characters by Australian comic book maestro Gary Chaloner.

I also encourage you to sign up for the newsletter using the form on the site. Once I start sending it out, it will update you on any pertinent events or Doc Wilde-related projects. Each newsletter will also include “Doc Wilde’s Cliffhanger Survival Tips,” which could very well save your life.

In addition to all the professional reviews referenced on the Doc Wilde site, there are a couple of reviews from actual readers on Amazon that I’d like to share, both because they’re very positive, but also because they’re thoughtful and well-written. I’ll post one today, the other later in the week.

5.0 out of 5 stars DOC WILDE: A smart book for kids of all ages, May 24, 2009
By Rebecca W. Burch “mama beck” (Calhoun, GA)
(REAL NAME)

The book jacket for Georgia author Tim Byrd proclaims that he is interested in everything. Damn straight. How else to explain his judicious use of quotes from such diverse sources as H. P. Lovecraft, Henry David Thoreau, and (my personal favorite), Dr. Seuss? How else to explain references to classic automobiles, dark matter universes, amphibian biology, Japanese meditation techniques, and South American topography? Not only are all these elements, and countless others, interwoven into this novel, they work together in such a seamless manner that the reader is left both breathless and awed.

This roller-coaster ride of a story is one to be enjoyed by all. Byrd’s family of adventurers, the Wildes, are a fascinating group who endeavor to save the world from mutant frog-men while at the same time remaining steadfastly loyal to one another. The characters are as exciting as their adventures, yet they never lose sight of the love and learning that binds them to one another more strongly than the sticky goo on the underbellies of the spy-frogs. Yes, it is a swashbuckling great read. But it is also a story of unconditional love, empowering optimism, and the value of learning.

The gross frogs and insane gadgets are pretty cool, too.

The Long Weekend, Overstimulation, & Frogs With Pointy Teeth

I’m awake, and I’ve been lax of late with the blog, so I figured I’d type at you a bit.

As the last couple of entries indicate, this has been the weekend of both my big convention and my book festival debuts, at DragonCon (largest SF con in the world, I’m told) and the Decatur Book Festival (largest book fest in the US, right here walking distance from my front door).

It has been fun and exciting and stressful and exhausting, and I’ll revisit it in another post once it’s truly over (I still have a DragonCon panel at 4 pm tomorrow…uh, today. Monday.), hopefully with pictures from at least one of my appearances.

I’m not sure if it’s just the over-stimulation of it all, the public speaking, the meeting of cool new people, the armies of amazingly hot women in cool costumes, or lingering full moon energy, but I got maybe two hours of sleep so far tonight. And I have an earworm of Felicia Day’s lovely voice singing “Do you want to date my avatar?” over and over in my head.

Scanning the news as I sat here in my drawers, wishing I was a-slumber, I came across this headline from The Guardian: “Lost World of Fanged Frogs and Giant Rats Discovered in Papua New Guinea.”

Fanged frogs!

I already wrote about the discovery in the Andes of the world’s tiniest frogs a while back, indication that perhaps the evil Frogs of Doom were up to new tricks after their defeat by Spartacus Wilde and his kids (as chronicled in my novel Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom). And now this.

Fanged frogs. In a lost world.

They also discovered a species of rat as big as a cat, kangaroos that live in trees, and a fish that grunts. Among many other new critters.

See? There really is pulp in our world.

UPDATE: For another report on the lost world and its denizens, with several pictures, check out The Daily Mail here.

Atlanta: Tim Byrd @ DragonCon & Decatur Book Fest

For those in (or coming to) Atlanta, I’ll be making appearances at two big events on Labor Day weekend (Sep. 4-7).

I’ll be hopping back and forth between DragonCon in downtown Atlanta and the Decatur Book Festival in (you guessed it) Decatur all weekend.

At DragonCon, I’ll be on these panels:

Writing for the YA and Children’s Market
Time: Sun 11:30 am Location: Manila / Singapore / Hong Kong – Hyatt (Length: 1)
Description: How to write for an audience that’s half your age–or less. Tapping into the minds of today’s young people–what DO they want to read?

The Future of Fantastic Fiction
Time: Mon 04:00 pm Location: Manila / Singapore / Hong Kong – Hyatt (Length: 1)
Description: What lies ahead for the S/F, Fantasy and Horror genres? Can we forecast trends or should we just jump on the bandwagon?

At the Decatur Book Festival, I’ll be appearing along with author David Lubar at 4:30 pm Saturday on the Target Children’s Stage. Signed copies of the book will also be available the whole weekend at Little Shop of Stories on Decatur Square.

And I’ll be wandering both events with no real planning all weekend.

Books will be available at the DBF for signing after the appearance, and I’m going to try to have some on hand for random buyers at DragonCon. I hope to see as many current and potential Doc Wilde fans at both events as I can.

Get A Signed Copy Of Doc Wilde (or a signature for a copy you already have)

Go Wilde!

After promising various folks I’d do so, I have finally gotten around to figuring out how to handle personal inscriptions for folks unable to see me at a public appearance.

If you already own a copy of my book, for $1 US I’ll mail you a signed adhesive book plate to put in your copy, inscribed to whom and however you wish it to be inscribed (within reason).

If you don’t already own the book, or wish to obtain more copies, for cover price ($15.99) you can order a personally inscribed copy directly from me. Shipping is free (unless you’re outside the US, then I’ll have to check on rates). Again, I’ll sign it to whomever you wish.

A note to collectors: the first printing has sold through about 2/3 of the way since the book came out in May. So if you’d like your copy to be a first edition, you may want to get your order in sooner rather than later.

Payment can be made by credit or debit card via PayPal (there will be an additional .50-75 charge to cover PayPal fees) or by money order (no checks). I can assume no responsibility for postal failures; if you’d like to insure the delivery, it’s an additional $1.75.

To order, contact me through the Contact form on the Doc Wilde site. And, as always, please be patient if I take a few days replying, as I’m doing all this on my own.

School Library Journal Reviews Doc Wilde!

As promised earlier, here is the review School Library Journal gave my book, Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, in their August 1st issue. I edited out a line I thought was a bit too much a spoiler about the plot.

This genial parody owes much to Kenneth Robeson’s iconic “Doc Savage” novels (Bantam) and the eldritch tales of H. P. Lovecraft. Like the original Man of Bronze, Doc Spartacus Wilde is an international adventurer–he’s a master of martial arts, chemistry, disguise, and pretty much every other skill a true champion needs. Moreover, he has trained his children, Wren and Brian, to follow in his outsized footsteps. Every pulp hero needs a colorful sidekick or two, and the Wilde family has brawny Irishman Declan and dapper English attorney Bartlett–fast friends who bicker and spar constantly. When Grandpa Wilde is kidnapped by froglike beings, Wren and Brian accompany their dad’s team deep into the Amazon rainforest to the hidden country of Hidalgo…[Spoilage removed]

The action bounces breathlessly from crisis to crisis, with the Wilde family’s scientific gadgetry and arcane skills in constant demand. The mock heroic dialogue is sometimes a bit exaggerated, but for the most part, everything is played with a straight face. Kids won’t be familiar with the adult-oriented sources, but the book’s small format, breakneck pacing, and broad humor will appeal to middle-grade adventure fans.

Buy Now!

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Booklist Reviews Doc Wilde!

There are certain reviews that are very important for a book. Publishers’ Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, School Library Journal, and Booklist are biggies because bookstores, libraries, and schools use them to make their decisions about what books to buy for their shelves.

Unfortunately, a lot of books are published every year, and those publications can’t cover all of them. I’ve been fortunate not only in the fact that most of them have now reviewed my book Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, but have reviewed it very positively.

Back in March, I posted Kirkus‘s review, in which they said:

Written in fast-paced, intelligent prose laced with humor and literary allusions ranging from Dante to Dr. Seuss, the story has all of the fun of old-fashioned pulp adventures.

Good stuff.

More recently, the August 1st issues of both Booklist and School Library Journal had reviews of the book. I’ll post SLJ‘s later; today’s treat is the review from Booklist:

Daring adventure! Dastardly villains! Climactic cliffhangers! Readers seeking these attributes in a book, look no further. Byrd updates the old movie serials genre, populates his story with an adventure-seeking family that brings to mind superhero versions of Steve Irwin and his children, and dusts the whole thing with Indiana Jones–style searches for magical artifacts. Oh, and he adds frogs, lots and lots of frogs. Brian and Wren Wilde are being raised by their widower father, who is not only an adventurer extraordinaire but also designs high-tech gadgets, speaks many languages, understands the nuances of other cultures, and performs martial arts with equal skill. Brian and Wren are pretty good in those areas too. So when their grandfather is captured in the South American jungle by those who worship a frog king intent on swallowing the universe, thus turning it into a black hole, well, something must be done. The premise can get awfully silly even for a book that’s more like a cartoon. But the action never stops and the quick pace will appeal to reluctant readers.

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Look out! Here comes The Spider, man!

If you read this blog regularly (well, as regularly as I post to it anyway, these days), you may have noticed I love old school pulp adventure. Doc Savage, The Shadow, Conan, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, Indiana Jones, The Rocketeer, that sort of thing.

It’ll also be obvious to anyone who takes a peek at my book Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, first in my series of pulp adventure novels from G.P. Putnam’s Sons, suitable for all ages, incredibly well-reviewed, buy it now. ;)

Anyway. One of my favorite pulp heroes is The Spider. I subscribe to Girasol Collectibles’ quarterly reprints, each of which contains two of the Depression-era Spider novels, most of which were written by Norvell Page under the publisher’s house name of Grant Stockbridge. I also have other paperback Spider reprints, including one of those currently in print from Baen Books.

The blog entry I linked to in the first paragraph gives some basic info on the pulps, and sources for pulp books including The Spider. In it I also wrote, “The Spider started as a Shadow rip-off, but evolved swiftly into something much more demented. The Spider tales are more violent, more epic in scale, and far weirder than usual, even for pulp. At the same time, The Spider is a more human and realistic hero than either of his more famous brethren, showing genuine emotion and even involved in a fully committed, intense, passionately romantic relationship.”

Now, Age of Aces Books has released a volume of three interconnected Spider novels called The Spider Vs. The Empire State: The Complete Black Police Trilogy. My copy arrived from Amazon yesterday, and it’s a gorgeous book, all lurid red and black with the feel of a fascist propaganda poster.

Credit for the cover art and book design is to maestro Chris Kalb, who also produced this poster for the recent Pulpfest convention:

(And if Age of Aces or anyone else out there has a copy of this poster they’d be willing to donate to a poor modern pulp author, please let me know).

Gotta love that tag-line. They said it couldn’t happen here. Then they said one man couldn’t stop it. Continue reading →

Tim’s Goin’ On The Radio Again…

radio

This Sunday (August 16) I’ll be interviewed on the monthly science fiction show on WREK radio. We’ll be talking about Doc Wilde, and perhaps about saving the world, we’ll see.

Here’s the blurb from WREK:

The Science Fiction Laboratory on WREK Atlanta (91.1 FM) airs the third Sunday of every month from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. This Sunday, August 16, 2009 we will broadcast, among other things, an interview with author Tim Byrd and a discussion of our favorite pieces of the quickly developing vampire mythology. For listeners not in the Greater Atlanta Metropolitan Area, we stream online at http://www.wrek.org; just click the play button in the upper right. We also stream the show for two weeks after the broadcast. You can access the archive by clicking “Listen to our 14-day archive!” on the left side of the WREK homepage and finding the correct date and time of the show.

Doc Savage Meets Batman

Cool news for pulp fans…

docspiritA while back, DC Comics released the above image by Brian Stelfreeze, teasing a new series of comics set in an alternate dimension within the DC multiverse in which old pulp heroes rather than modern superheroes are active.

The series is called First Wave, and is being written by comics scribe Brian Azzarello with art by Rags Morales. More early info was provided by Morales in an interview with Newsarama:

It’s a world of heroism at its most innocent. We’re talking about, essentially, a universe where superpowers don’t exist. There are no people flying in from Krypton…there are no people swimming up from the ocean or from Paradise Island. We’re talking about the heart and soul of what it means to be heroic, where people are left more to their wits and their intestinal fortitude rather than any fierce other-worldly technology, or even inner-worldly technology…it’s not really accurate to call it a “modernization” because this is going to be enough of that original flavor to feel like it’s old-school, with fedoras and women in high heels and the cool things about what’s gangster and pulp, like Tommy guns. But it’s going to also be enough of an advancement to feel fresh. Tommy guns will exist in a world where computers exist. We’re going to be dealing with a world that is kind of like the Batman Adventures from The WB, where you have dirigibles next to jetplanes. That’s basically the visual interpretation of the atmosphere I’m dealing with…

That’s an approach I like, and is pretty much the approach I’m taking in the Doc Wilde books (for example, the police blimps in Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom).

Morales continued:

…we’ll have Doc Savage, the Spirit and The Avenger in there, and I’m working out how they’re going to look. Doc Savage won’t have that exaggerated widow’s peak, but I’m going with the classic looks on the characters with some updating. And in this world, Doc Savage is Superman. I mean, after all, Superman was derived from Doc Savage, along with Buck Rogers and Popeye and some others. But Doc Savage was the original guy with the Fortress of Solitude up in the arctic. He’s an inventor, and he’s got a very moral ethic. In a world of non-powered heroes, he’s going to be our focal point.

This week, the DC Universe blog told us how the pulp fun will begin:

This November, writer Brian Azzarello teams with artist Phil Noto for the BATMAN/DOC SAVAGE SPECIAL #1, which sets the stage for an entire new world for the Doc, along with a slew of characters that will pop up later, including the Blackhawks and Rima, the Jungle Girl. It all starts here, and I’m not exaggerating when I say you’re really in for a treat.

And two variant covers for the special were posted, the first by J.G. Jones:

batdss-01-coverThen one by Rags Morales:

doc-savage-spec-cv1

Looks promising. Hopefully it’ll live up to its potential.

Doc Wilde like “the old fashioned adventure shows from the 1930’s and 40’s…” (review)

Film producer Sajie reviews Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom at her blog:

This book reminds me of the old fashioned adventure shows from the 1930’s and 40’s like Tarzan, Superman and Flash Gordon. Lots of adventure, a little over the top, but fun.

I loved the relationship between Dr. Wilde and his kids. Concerned and caring, but also trusting them to be able to take care of themselves….

The rest is here.

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Order Now!

The Perfidy of Nostalgia… (A Warning Re: Doc Savage/The Shadow Reprints)

On the recently raised subject of Sanctum Books’ pulp reprints, Anthony Tollin of Sanctum recently released the following statement about their previous association with Nostalgia Ventures, and the unfortunate fallout of that association:

An open letter to the pulp community:

For those taking advantage of the discounted SHADOW and DOC SAVAGE volumes at Half-Price Books, please be aware that Nostalgia Ventures began remaindering these books last summer in direct violation of its sub-contract with me. Also, as of today (July 22, 2009), Nostalgia Ventures has still not paid royalties to either Condé Nast or me for any books it has sold since July 1st, 2008. (A semi-annual royalty payment was due back in February, and another six months of royalties are coming due in August.)

There is a very good reason why Nostalgia Ventures/Nostalgiatown is no longer co-publishing these books, and it involves a continuing series of contract violations.

And for anyone who may not be sympathetic because Condé Nast is a huge corporation, please be aware that Condé Nast has chosen to continue the oral agreement it had for decades with Walter Gibson, and is splitting its royalties for the SHADOW reprints with Walter’s family. This is an extremely rare and decent act that is quite unusual in the publishing world.

I think my SHADOW and DOC SAVAGE double-novel trade paperbacks are a great value at the $12.95 cover price. Obviously, the books are an even better value at discounted prices. However, please be aware that purchasing these books from either Half-Price Books or Nostalgiatown does nothing to encourage the continuation of these series. And since Nostalgia Ventures still hasn’t paid its contract-required royalties for any of the books it has sold during the past 12 1/2 months, the money from Nostalgia Ventures’ and Half-Price Books’ sales also hasn’t been continuing on to Walter Gibson’s family.

It’s not necessary to purchase THE SHADOW and DOC SAVAGE directly from Sanctum Books to support the ongoing publishing operation and encourage the continuation of these reprints. Bud Plant Comic Art, Adventure House, Mike Chomko, Vintage Library, Girasol, Edge Books, The Mysterious Bookshop and any comic specialty shop that orders its books from Diamond Comic Distributors all get their books either directly or indirectly through Sanctum Books (which continues to make its regular royalty payments to Condé Nast and would like to continue publishing these reprints for many more years).

Please feel free to forward this message on to other pulp-oriented email groups.

–Anthony Tollin, Sanctum Books

“The Whisperer: The Dead Who Talked” Book Review (Updated)

whispererI’ve long been an avid supporter of Sanctum Books’ reprints of classic pulps, specifically the ongoing series of The Shadow and Doc Savage. Each volume is a magazine-sized paperback containing two novels, using the cover art and interior illustrations from the magazines published originally in the 1930s and ’40s. They’re lovely, and I’ve been greatly enjoying immersing myself in this literature that has been so influential not just in popular culture, but also in my own work.

Until recently, Sanctum was reprinting the two series on a monthly basis, which was great. Then they announced that they were throttling the stream a bit, and would be publishing (if I remember right) only eight Doc Savage and eight Shadow volumes a year, with the off-months now to be filled with alternating volumes of two other pulp hero series, The Avenger and The Whisperer.

The Avenger I knew. I had a handful of paperback reprints from the ’70s, and they were great stuff. So if Sanctum was reprinting the full run of Avenger tales, I was definitely going to add them to my collection. The Whisperer I didn’t know. But Will Murray (pulp historian, Doc Savage novelist, and endorser of Doc Wilde) wrote “Personally, I consider The Whisperer one of S&S’s [pulp publisher Street & Smith] best series. I like it better than The Avenger. But then I really like Laurence Donovan, and I’ve really enjoyed reading and rereading The Whisperer this last month. The parallels to Batman and The Green Hornet are amazing.” So I figured I’d give it a try. Continue reading →

Doc Wilde: “The guy every man wants to be, and every woman wants to be with.”

Today’s review has me pegged:

Tim Byrd is a man who read way too many pulps as a child, and realized the death of that subgenre was a loss to the world…

Thus begins another very positive review of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, this time from writer Ian Randal Strock for SF Scope (“your source of news about the speculative fiction fields”).

Doctor Spartacus Wilde is the modern man of bronze. Very modern. Oh, he’s fabulously wealthy, handsome, gifted in every field of endeavor, universally recognized, and surrounded by devoted friends and helpers (sort of like Buckaroo Banzai, but without the rock band). But Doc Wilde differs from his dashing forebears in one important way: family. Doc’s family is an intimate part of his world, first and foremost his not-quite-pubescent children, Brian and Wren. They’re miniature versions of their father, from the blonde hair, bronzed skin, and omnivoracious mental appetite, to their incredibly physical training and stamina, and on to the adventurers’ vests containing every conceivable tool they’ll need for any adventure…

Doc’s the guy every man wants to be, and every woman wants to be with. But this is a book for kids (just about the ages of Brian and Wren, 12 and 10), so those women don’t enter into the story…

Well, not this story. But Doc, a widower, will have some opportunity for romance at some point in the future. And, as we’ve established very well by now, lots of grown ups are enjoying the book. But I quibble. ;)

I really like “omnivoracious mental appetite.” That’s wonderful.

…So Doc and the kids (along with their faithful aide Phineas Bartlett and their driver/strongman Declan mac Coul) take to the autogyro and head south. In the primordial rain forest, they’ll encounter powers so strong as to change a man into a, well, man-frog. They’ll deal with political intrigue and religious hysteria. And they’ll eventually face down a god, trying to break down the barriers between alternate realities in an effort to swallow ours. Naturally, our heroes are heroic, and they’ll find Grandpa Wilde before their work is done. But getting there is all the fun…

…The party will be forcefully separated, death will be threatened, danger will loom, unexpected (but completely logical) skills will reveal themselves to aid in the saving of the day, and things will seem darkest just before they go completely black. But never fear: the Wildes are here.

This review makes my day. Read it in its unabridged (and not spoilery) wonderfulness here.

Buy Now!

Buy Now!

An Armchair Review of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom

Today’s review:

Alex McGilvery at Armchair Interviews gives Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom a damn good review:

Tim Byrd writes with an infectious enthusiasm…The characters of the family are well enough developed to gain the reader’s sympathy, but there is plenty of room for the occasional surprise…

Any book that introduces the Frogs of Doom has to have a sense of humor. Tim uses both over-the-top storytelling and understatement to keep the reader chuckling through the book.

This is a book for both young boys and girls to enjoy.

The book is clever and well written, the characters engaging, and young readers may accidentally learn something along the way.

Go here to read the rest (it’s all good).

Buy Now!

Buy Now!

Doc Wilde, A Book To Corrupt The Young (Review)

But corrupt ’em in the good way.

No, no. Not that good way! Settle down.

Patricia Scott (aka Dragonwomant) reviews my book, Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, for BSC Reviews:

Fans of pulp stories hoping to recruit a new generation of readers can rejoice.  They now have a fantastic pamphlet they can use to corrupt the younger set in the form of Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom.

That kind of corruption. The “turning kids on to classic pulp adventure tales” kind of corruption.

Which was all part of my sinister plan…

I think that this book would be great for [those] who like adventure stories, especially if they’re very fond of Indiana Jones movies or shows about exploring far-flung locales. I also think that this book would be a hoot for reading aloud, it would certainly lend itself well to very animated story telling.

There’s a good deal more, including this great line:

The Wildes are all practically superhumanly good-looking, frighteningly intelligent, and so skilled in combat only large groups of idiots willing to fight them would even think about trying to attack them.

Read the whole thing here.

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