“With everyone chomping at the bit for Dead Space 2, we hope to wet their appetites with a deeper look into the Dead Space lore,” says Tor editor, Eric Raab.  “Writer B.K. Evenson looks at the milieu that created the Church of Unitology by prying open the discovery of the Black Marker here on Earth and what it unleashes.  It’s a physical and psychological horror tale that both fans of the game and SF/Horror will really enjoy.”

If the book is anything like the games it’s bound to be a great read and probably make you want to keep the lights on. “Dead Space: Martyr” is available in paperback for $14.99 in stores or on Amazon.

FUNimation announced that they’ve acquired the rights to the live action horror comedy, Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl. You read that correctly, live action horror comedy. Those are four words I didn’t think I’d see together.

Here is the plot of the movie:
“Valentine’s Day turns twisted for Mizushima after the vampire schoolgirl Monami gives him a chocolate laced with vampire blood. One bite of the delicious sweet infects him with immortality. This does not sit well with Mizushima’s jealous girlfriend Keiko. She wants him all to herself. A bloody battle between the two women ends with Keiko falling to her death. To her luck, Keiko’s mad scientist father reanimates her into an undead Frankenstein girl. Now on a level playing field, the undead damsels fight for the heart of Mizushima.”

If you are in Ontario, Canada you can see the film April 15 and 16 at the Mayfair Theater. Next week, the film will be at the Nashville Independent Film Festival on April 20.

The film will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray this October 2010. In time to host a scary, but funny, Halloween screening.

In the novels, the drying up of oil resources throws the population into an End of Days panic. Communities become more insular and technology stagnates, and in this environment the vampires arise to seize power. Humans are thrown into walled cities to breed and are watched over by terrifying thralls during daylight hours. In this slavery, Peter Harris and a small group of humans try to stand against the vampires and their thralls to free humanity against their new-found slavery. “Derek Gunn didn’t reinvent the vampire novel. Instead he stripped it back to its roots, in the process tearing away the pretensions other writers have used to humanize the fabled bloodsucking monster. His books are not comforting paranormal romances; they are violent and visceral supernatural thrillers.” says the International Writer’s Association.

The Kindle edition for A World Torn Asunder is on sale for $4.99 and the Kindle edition for Descent into Chaos is available for $9.99.

5) Battle Royale: Battle Royale was first released in its original novel format in 1999. Heavily criticized for its controversial content, it was shunned for the Kadokawa Mystery Novel Prize that year. The story focuses on a group of middle school students (aged 14-15, so about grade 9 or 10 level) who are unwillingly forced to participate in The Program. This military operation has been using children in this ages range for years, manipulating them into killing each other and using fear to control the people in this alternate version of Japan. People even bet on the outcome of each round of The Program.

This time around, students of Shiroiwa Middle School have been taken to an island, given survival packs, fitted with explosive collars and told the same thing as the groups before them: kill your classmates. Last one standing gets to go home. If no one dies within the 24hr time frame in which the game takes place, then the collars will all be detonated and everyone will die.

The popularity of the novel lead to a manga adaptation which spanned fifteen volumes. Due to the intensely graphic nature of the content within, each volume is sealed in shrink wrap and is definitely not for eyes of anyone under 16 years old. There were also two films based on the novel which were released in Japan. I suggest watching the first movie, but passing on the second, as it takes place after the events of the actual novel and it’s just not nearly as interesting (in my opinion) as the original.

Interested? Buy the novel, the manga, or the DVD from our affiliates!

4) Parasyte: I first read Parasyte when it had been released in flipped format (meaning read left to right, instead of the traditional right to left) by Tokyopop. I found the original translation a bit hard to understand, and so I suggest that anyone looking to get into this series checks out the Del Rey version instead.

Aliens attack a peaceful neighbourhood in the middle of the night. These aliens burrow into their hosts through their ears, but in Shinichi’s case (he was wearing headphones), his Parasite decides to take up residence in his right hand. In order to keep out of a lab or wind up dead, Shinichi and his Parasite (affectionately called Migi, the Japanese word for “right”) take out other Parasites who threaten their existence and try to save humanity.

Give Parasyte a read!

3) Kitaro: Unfortunately neither of these have been picked up for a North American distribution license, but Kitaro is on my list because he is the creepiest kid I have seen since the girl from Ringu climbed out of her well. Kitaro is a youkai, a spirit monster, born in a graveyard as the last member of the Ghost Tribe. The young boy lacks an eyeball in his left socket, but the way his hair falls you can’t even tell. His father barely holds onto his life, living out his last days at his son’s side in the form of an eyeball.

I have not seen the traditional Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro series that have been popping up every decade. I have seen Hakaba Kitaro which is based more closely on the original manga. In this version we see Kitaro born in the graveyard and taken in by Mizuki, a company man who does not believe in ghosts. Kitaro wants to go back to the Underworld, however he has made some interesting friends and enemies in the land of the living.

2) Priest: My favourite manhwa (Korean manga) of all time, Priest is the latest series to be picked up by a North American studio for a live action movie. The story of Ivan Issacs and his personal crusade of revenge against the Fallen Angels who would abuse their powers and attempt to play God, for which God in turn punished them, casting them into the statues built by their followers. These fallen angels are eventually released, and one in particular decides to use humanity to get revenge on God. Ivan, a priest in his own right, witnesses horrors brought on by the most demonic of the Fallen Angels. He is born immortal through the gifts of another like him, and he fights to avenge his beloved Gena and wipe out the Angels.

Priest is best known for its cross over between time periods. While the majority takes place in a Wild West setting, there are parts that take us back to the Crusade periods. I just personally love all the Wild West meets Zombies bits. I highly recommend that you read this manhwa, especially if you plan on seeing the movie once it’s released (in a year or so). Because it is Korean, you would read this like you would normally read any other graphic novel, in left to right format. I must also point out that the art style is gorgeous, even if it is sharp, angular lines. The drawing even looks evil and angry when it needs to, which just adds so much to the story.

Start reading Priest today!

1) Monster: A true suspense story, Monster (which is currently airing on SyFy) is one of my all-time favourites. There is no need to add in demons or yokai. The people and the past of Monster is what creates the atmosphere for this tale. After promising young brain surgeon Dr. Tenma risks his career by saving the life of a boy with a headshot wound instead of the mayor who is rushed into the ER moments before he is to begin operating, mysterious deaths take place in the hospital. KGB Detective Runge investigates Tenma, and even though he cannot charge the doctor with anything, he remains ever suspicious. When Tenma’s career is just about over, he leaves the profession, in search of the monster who has ruined his life.

The young boy and his sister, Johan and Anna, have a haunted past. One that Anna has blocked from her memories, but her brother has not. Runge is forced to deal with the loss of family after he shows he cannot help but put his job first. Everyone is looking for answers, and what they find is corruption of government and human hearts. There are 18 volumes of beautifully drawn manga and 74 episodes in the anime version, virtually chapter perfect. Where the anime stands out is with the addition of the audio. Imagination is a wonderful thing, and I do love the manga, but the anime just has that little bit extra and can make you jump out of your seat when you least expect it.

Check out the first anime box set in December or start reading the manga.

For those unfamiliar with the “Daphne” anime series, here is a recap (source: link):

Maia dreams of entering into the Marine Environment Agency, but when she can’t pass the entrance exams she also cannot remain a student either and she loses her accommodation! With no source of income and nowhere to stay, Maia wanders into the middle of a shoot-out between fugitive convicts and some special agents called Neriedes who only take on dangerous and high-paying jobs. Desperate Maia agrees to be involved in the next job with the Nereides – only she is going to be used as bait!

Horror fans will be happy – “SLIT-MOUTH WOMAN ” sounds like just the thing to whet your appetite. A brutal killer is terrorizing Japan, and a young aspiring journalism student goes on the hunt for answers. What happened to the woman who went missing? The singer whose career ended at the same time as her life? And does it have something to with an artist whose work always tends to remain on the cutting room floor?

“ZOMBIE DEAD” is also bound to be entertaining for horror fans. When a female policewoman wakes up from a coma, she finds herself with Zombies pacing the hospital corridors and any remaining people with their memories wiped clean. Whether an experiment gone wrong, or a small part in a new holocaust, she is determined not only to stay alive but to find a way to stop the woman-eating zombies as well. Question is, how do you kill something that’s technically dead already?

“DAPHNE IN THE BRILLIANT BLUE COLLECTION 2” is out now, rated PG, with the price tag of $39.98US. “SLIT-MOUTH WOMAN / ZOMBIE DEAD DOUBLE FEATURE” is also out now, is unrated, and carries the price tag of $19.98US.

The writing style varies with each author and this in turn keeps the book refreshing and making you want to come back for more. The characters in most of the stories are well developed, and it does make you care to a degree about their welfare in the fight against the unknown, or in one case a crazy ex girlfriend. Some of the monsters we have seen before (like the giant bugs or a massive sea serpent) but each of the authors manages to work a new story around them that makes the monsters just as intimidating and scary.

These are graphic stories, and definitely not for the faint of heart. I admittedly had to stop midway through a couple of stories involving giant bugs since I really do not like bugs, and giant ones are even worse. And there was at least one story that had me laughing out loud, even though the implications of what was going on was pretty unsettling. All in all this is a great book for those who love the horror genre and want to take a break from vampires and zombies and sit back to read about some good monsters.

You can find Monstrous on Permuted Press’ bookstore here.

Release Date: 18/03/2009
Audio tracks: ENGLISH 2.0, JAPANESE 2.0
Languages: ENGLISH & JAPANESE
Genre: Action/Adventure, Anime, Horror
Subtitles: ENGLISH subtitles
Number of Discs: 3
Runtime: 300.0 mins

Vampires. Pointy teeth. Suck your blood to survive. I’m very picky when it comes to watching anything that has vampires in them. Buffy was given a bit of a run – she got old pretty quick though. Then there was Angel, and I couldn’t say no to him – until it started getting weird. Before I go completely off-topic, I need to tell you I normally don’t like vampires in my Anime. However, I was surprised by how much I liked this series.

Black Blood Brothers starts off in the middle of a war in Hong Kong. The main character, Jiro, fights off a breed of vicious vampires called Kowloon (pronounced “Cool-awn”) Children. 10 years later, Jiro and his little brother Kotaro stow away on a boat that is headed for Japan.

They are travelling to The Special Zone, an area designated for friendly vampires to co-exist with humans (unbeknownst to them). The only requirement is that they must be invited by a member of the Order Coffin Company, and organisation of humans who monitor and control The Special Zone.

Kotaro doesn’t feel like sleeping the entire journey, and being a small vampire, he is curious about everything. So when his brother won’t get up and keep him occupied somehow, Kotaro goes for a bit of a wander. When he gets to the top deck of the boat, a showdown is taking place between the OCC and some rogue vampires.

When some bullets stray Kotaro’s way, he panics thinking the boat crew has discovered him and Jiro. However, Jiro is no longer asleep, having been woken by the fight upstairs. He makes a grand entrance in the middle of it all, alerting the locals to his presence.

After a few fighting words are shared between Jiro and the OCC, then Jiro and Kotaro, and then the two brothers end up taking a swim. They wash up on a beach the next morning where they are greeted by Mimiko, a negotiator for the OCC. Here we find out two important things: Jiro doesn’t exactly fare well in water, and he also can’t handle the sun.

When the two brothers have recovered enough to continue on their way to The Special Zone, Jiro informs Mimiko that he is an Old Blood which means he is over 100 years old. Black Blood is another term which is used to differentiate younger vampires from humans (who are known as Red Bloods).

Jiro (above, who is also known as Silver Blade) has come to Japan to help eradicate the existing Kowloon Children. Apparently he is the only one feasible for the job considering he had slain the Kowloon King in the war at Hong Kong. His old friend Cassa betrayed him by becoming a Kowloon Child, and is now trying to build a new clan to attack Japan and The Special Zone in particular.

As their time in The Special Zone progresses, Jiro and Kotaro (along with Mimiko) obtain more allies from within Black Blood groups and the OCC. They all come together to help Jiro in his goal to get rid of Cassa and the Kowloons, as well as to protect Kotaro and the Japanese.

Special Features include:

• Commentary from the Japanese Cast Members – Mikako Takahashi (Hibari), Kana Ueda (Swan/Alice), Ryoko Nagaota (Mimiko) and Hiroki Yasumoto (Cain) – and the original creator, Kouhei Azano.
• TV Spots – Japanese Versions
• Textless versions of the opening song “Ashita no Kioku” and the closing song “Shinkirou”.
• Trailers – Other Madman animated releases

Again, for a person who isn’t really interested in Anime with vampire content, I loved this. The humour, in particular, surprised me but that only made me like it more. The animation wasn’t overly graphic (and no sparkly vampires – shock!). I would definitely recommend that you give this a look. Funnily enough, I was disappointed to see the end! See you in a few weeks – I’m going to go watch it again!

© 2006 Kouhei Azano ? Yuuya Kusaka/Fujimishobo/BBB Partners. Licensed by FUNimation® Productions, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

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Hello and Welcome to Lit Angels Podcast #6
Music Intro – Ghosts II #8 NIN
Update – Books we’ve recently finished:
Jim Butcher’s: Dresden files #4 (Stealthyslyth)
Door into the Hedge by Robin McKinley (Cherith)

Steven King – The Shining, IT & Rose Madder
Dean Koontz – The Funhouse
Mark L. Danielewski – House of Leaves
Chuck Palahniuk – Lullaby & Haunted (although please note that we recommend this only if you’ve read other of Palahniuk’s work and can take the gruesomeness of it)
H.P. Lovecraft – The Call of Cthulhu & The Shadow over Innsmouth (Or just read everything!)
Poppy Z. Brite – Lost Souls, Drawing Blood & Exquisite Corpse

Music Close – Ghosts II #12 NIN

Make sure to tune in tonight where we’ll be jumping to the other end of the literary spectrum to talk about Fairytales!! Hope to see you there!

Check out the video here!