Pornokitsch

Armor Wars: Top five examples of science fiction super-armor. 1) Heinlein's Starship Troopers 2) Drake's Northworld Trilogy 3) Lovegrove's Age of Zeus 4) Adi Granov's take on Iron Man 5) The Cargo Loader. 

The results from our survey. After extensive polling, we can definitively conclude that Watchmen is still the best portrayal of "superheroes gone wrong". Discussion is closed, the quantitative analysis is irrefutable. [Read our reviews of all five graphic novels]

Farlander is the debut fantasy novel from Col Buchanan. Like many other recent fantasy releases, Farlander combines elements of steampunk, grim "low fantasy" features, and some sort of bad-ass on the cover art. However, like a Tootsie Roll pop, these are just a thin, dark coat on top of a squishy, high fantasy center.

Farlander is primarily the story of Nico, a roguish kid who is saved from the mean streets by a mysterious Wise Old Man. There are, of course, Visions involved - although, thankfully, no Prophecies. 

There are bonus points from making Nico the ripe age of 17 (practically geriatric by high fantasy standards), but also penalties for giving the Wise Old Man the name of "Ash". (Which, like "Raven", should be banned from all fantasy books forever.)

And our latest draft winner (selected with a rather paltry virtual d6)? Kurt.

We're sending both the signed books to the fellow, hoping he does the gentlemanly thing and share at least one with his wife. We look forward to reading his Ben Templesmith-illustrated autobiography. 

Who am I? In tribute to Memory (on sale today!), four other noir books on the amnesia theme: Dan J Marlowe's Never Live Twice (car crash), John D MacDonald's The Empty Trap (car crash), H. Vernor Dixon's Killer in Silk (alcohol), Cornell Woolrich's The Black Curtain (spoiler). All of these are out of print, because life is cruel.

Sarah Pinborough's supernatural debut, A Matter of Blood, is something very modern and nasty. It combines the streetwise grime of a George Pelecanos mystery with a near future dystopian setting.

DI Cass Jones has a lot to deal with - a terrible marriage, a hideous past, a very strange (but successful) brother, a string of inopportune affairs and at least three disturbing murder cases (including a serial killer). 

Fortunately, he's a fantastic detective with a good network of useful friends. Unfortunately, he's attracted the attention of some of the world's real players. 

Abaddon & Solaris have released their 2010 catalogue. 

As you might have seen, we're shamelessly fannish - especially of Abaddon and their mission to flood the world with "high-quality pulp". That's something we can get behind. 

Plus, the Abaddon authors are wonderfully forthcoming. So if you've been following our series of interviews, you'll be as excited as we are.

The catalogue is cover-to-cover goodness, but here are a few pre-orders that we've already placed:

Malice is the first in a new series of young adult fantasy by Chris Wooding. In Malice, a mysterious gentleman named Tall Jack is kidnapping children by means of a comic book series (called, of course, "Malice"). If you read the comic book and then perform a simple ritual, Tall Jack will take you away. 

Like all "urban myths", the book and the ritual are mysteriously known to every child (proving that Facebook still has a long way to go before it can match the adolescent rumor mill), but only a few have the means and the chutzpah to try it.

Amongst those that try are Seth and Kady, both of whom, for various reasons, are a bit bored with their pedestrian, middle-England lives. 

Feeling succinct? Hilobrow is challenging readers to craft a 250 word story with a "Radium Age apocalypse" theme. Contest closes 31 March. An earlier post - defining said theme - is a must-read. 1900-1935 spawned a lot of ways to end the world.