Christmas Book and Comic Book Tips

A typical sci-fi, fantasy, or horror fan—in short, a geek—is a creature that is very easy to please at Christmas. They are usually someone who voluntarily enjoys reading, keeping up with new releases, or creating something. They love trinkets that have no practical purpose other than collecting dust. And they love collecting paper. If it's covered in a story, even better! That's why we've put together our expert, librarian-approved overview of titles that every reader with good taste will appreciate.

Fantasy for Every Family

Fantasy lovers have had a field day this year. A whole range of beautiful pieces has emerged, including illustrated encyclopedias or a “new release” from J. R. R. Tolkien. Do you know someone who is trying to grow long white hair, a tough-guy smile, and runs through the woods with two swords hunting alleged monsters? They are probably a die-hard fan of The Witcher! The richly illustrated book The Witcher - Encyclopedia offers an extensive look into the world of Andrzej Sapkowski and contains a ton of interesting details. A similarly conceived book, The Hobbit – The Ultimate Encyclopedia, expands the horizons of those who prefer hunting for second breakfast over hunting forest monsters. It is a magnificent title overflowing with full-color illustrations.

Since we've touched on food, we must highlight The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook. Besides pleasing every admirer of the famous bespectacled wizard, it is also a practical piece, as it contains 150 simple recipes that are inspired by the magical world of J. K. Rowling, but can be cooked by an ordinary muggle using ingredients from our boring world.

Books from Middle-earth

But now, let's jump into fiction. This year is dedicated to Middle-earth. Connoisseurs of Tolkien's world have seen the release of several books and long-awaited reprints. First and foremost is the collection The Fall of Númenor (read our review), which presents the most comprehensive overview of the history of this island and the Second Age of this iconic world. And that's definitely not all! The family of illustrated books is complemented by Unfinished Tales - a collection of alternative texts that expand the mythology of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings.

A celebration for Tolkien fans will be the long-awaited release of one of the most famous stories of Middle-earth, the epic love story Beren and Lúthien. It took a long time, the translation was demanding, but we finally made it! A big comeback will also be experienced by Letters from Father Christmas, Tolkien's book intended for children, which is being released in an updated version after almost thirty years.

Finally, we will stay with books that pose as a mix of fantasy and real history. The book Odin and the Nine Worlds complements the already six-part series of Norse mythological stories. It is a book that every fan of long beards and mead will appreciate!

I can't help but toot our own horn and highlight the first part of the fantasy series Rudoval: Warrior's Sword. It is a story about courage and honor, fighting against injustice and the evil threatening the world. Only the main character isn't a powerful human warrior, but mice and other forest critters. Moreover, thanks to its accessibility, the title will appeal to younger readers as well.

Somewhere on the blurred border of genres stand two titles that you shouldn't miss. The first is Illuminations by Alan Moore. Moore is something like a God in the world of comics. The master screenwriter. I will never stop admiring his work and forcing it on everyone who happens to walk by. This time, however, he left comics and dove into the world of short stories. The collection Illuminations thus contains nine texts full of wonders and oddities, which nine top-tier translators have had a field day with. Neil Gaiman also originally made a name for himself as a comic book author (thanks to the cult series Sandman), but he also made a powerful mark in the field of predominantly fantasy literature. The Neil Gaiman Reader is a selection of the best he has managed to write. The book consists of five excerpts from his novels, but mainly almost fifty short stories, many of which belong among the best written in the fantastic genre in the last few decades.

Christmas in Space

If you aren't into dirty warriors and swords that are made of ordinary metal instead of light and magic, you are probably a fan of science fiction! We have something for you too. Let's start with the classics. One of the greatest is Isaac Asimov. The collection of his books was expanded this year by the title The Currents of Space, a true sci-fi, the culmination of the Galactic Empire trilogy, which is full of intrigue, politics, and space. And when an unknown spaceship appears somewhere, a first contact occurs, or it's about the future of humanity, Arthur C. Clarke will have a hand in it. His novel Childhood's End deals with exactly this topic - a book you can't go wrong with.

A few years ago, a hurricane named Ready Player One swept through the world, an imaginative sci-fi from the near future where humanity lives in virtual reality and plays games. The loose sequel Ready Player Two might not have caused such a hype, but it is still a very readable sci-fi for the masses. A reader should mainly be entertained while reading, and this book fulfills that.

Fans of sci-fi series haven't missed the first season of Silo, available on Apple TV+. The cult post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller is an adaptation of the series of the same name by Hugh Howey. Silo is not only full of people living in a world full of secrets, but also tension, surprises, intrigue, and ideas that have propelled it among the best that can currently be found in modern sci-fi literature.

Horror with a Drop of Erotica

Do you like pushing boundaries, are you tired of established boxes, and are you not afraid of light provocation and a drop of good old-fashioned violence and erotica? In that case, you will be well acquainted with the Czech author František Kotleta. Kotleta returns to his roots with the new release Black Pack. Embark on a wild ride full of demons, tough one-liners, sex, and non-stop action. What else to expect from a book whose annotation begins with the sentence: “When your mother is a demonic slut…”

On the other hand, American author Carlton Mellick III regularly ventures into places where even Kotleta would lose his lunch… As a leading figure of the Bizarro fiction genre, a genre that stops at nothing. His latest endeavor is called Orgy in the Yoke and it's clear from the cover alone that it's not a piece for the shy. A dystopian relationship nightmare, what more could you wish for!

The selection of books without pictures is closed by the novel Succubi, a famous erotic-occult horror, intended for readers over eighteen years of age, which is being published in Czech for the first time and, moreover, in an edited uncensored version. At the mention of this book, our librarian smiles contentedly; you couldn't ask for a better recommendation…

Christmas with Bubbles

We haven't forgotten about comic book readers either. This category is once again being dominated by manga this year. Its popularity is growing at a rocket pace, and a whole range of world-famous hits are being released. From this ever-growing pile, we must highlight at least a few titles. Junji Ito, the master of Japanese horror, got a cat. His Cat Diary is thus personal experiences about cats that look completely ordinary at first glance…

H. P. Lovecraft in a manga concept? Japanese author Gou Tanabe took it on with gusto, and the currently two-part series At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft was born. Seven out of eight Cthulhu tentacles recommend it! Finally, the new series Kaiju No. 8 deserves a mention. It's like this. Kaiju, giant monsters (do you know Godzilla?), roam Japan regularly. Everyone knows that. But who is going to clean up their mess? Kafka Hibino! The hero of this series, who will explore where humanity ends and the monster begins.

So it's not just about manga, we must also cover the Euro-American comic book market. We have selected three titles. All deserve attention, even if for completely different reasons. James Tynion IV is a screenwriter who mostly plays in the mainstream with Batman. In the series Something is Killing the Children, however, he stepped into slower and even darker waters and prepared a story about terrifying creatures living in the shadows. A comic book horror full of the supernatural. That's our cup of tea!

The fact that comics aren't just for kids has been promoted for ages by American screenwriter and artist Ed Brubaker. You certainly aren't hearing about him for the first or last time on our blog. He is a master of noir detective stories, he isn't afraid of some supernatural elements and women who can fool a guy so much that he'll do anything. Often, he throws a mysterious global conspiracy, corrupt cops, and secret agents into such a mix. It's no different in the comic Velvet!

In conclusion, I have one treat with a personal undertone. Once upon a time, at the end of the nineties of the last century (damn, I'm really old…), at the beginning of the local comic book culture, the Crew publishing house released three small volumes of Batman vs Judge Dredd in the Modrá Crew edition (I still fondly remember the times when I scared grandmothers working in newsstands with the words “Do you have Crew?!”). They were among the first comics I owned, so I read them over and over again.

This wild crossover definitely doesn't take itself seriously. Joker and Batman end up in Mega-City One—the territory of the legendary Judge Dredd—thanks to an interdimensional belt. The Dark Judges get involved, and the apocalypse can begin! The story then continues loosely in Judgment on Gotham, and the new edition is expanded with Vendetta in Gotham and The Ultimate Riddle. The whole thing is that proper nineties ride full of guts, buff guys, and one-liners. Yes, it's trashy. Yes, it's not high literature. And yes, it's tremendous fun and a silly treat. But legends like Alan Grant, John Wagner, Simon Bisley, Dermont Power, and Glenn Fabry worked on it! What more could you wish for. :)

author Karel Krajča