From the best selling author of Soon I Will Be Invincible, which I fully recommend as well, Austin Grossman’s YOU available April 16th on Amazon has a feel about it that no other book I’ve read has. For those that love gaming, grew up with RPGs in the 80′s, or game now this book tells a story of what those games mean to some people, what it means to the industry, and the true hassle they go through to make these games. YOU gives you a feel for the main character Russell, who isn’t wholly likeable at the very beginning, he’s reminiscent of some people you meet from high school to college, the story takes Russell between the real world, a dream state, and the gaming realm, all the while trying to figure out what this bug in the game is and how to fix it to save his job, the company, and the people he’s come to befriend. Russell has just joined Black Arts studios and is now in a critical search to not only save his job, the company, and the game itself, but to save the mix of misunderstood people he has met as well.

This is a story about not only growing up as nerd, but growing up in general. It teaches the lessons that we all try to learn, growing up isn’t about getting the job, the family, or the moneyit’s about learning to accept who you are as a person, and learning that it’s okay to be that way. A phenomenal book, with a great message, a little bit of humor, and a lot of heart I definitely will pass on this book to my friends and family who are interested, and even a few who aren’t.

YOU that took me a few days to read, one day I read 200 pages without noticing at all until I realized I had finished the book, Austin Grossman not only captured me with his vivid descriptions, he told a story that held my attention for the entirety of this book. A definite read, and a great author.

Follow Austin on twitter @Austin_Grossman

Michael Worthan, Review: YOU by Austin Grossman

VIZ MEDIA’S HAIKASORU IMPRINT DELIVERS AN APOCALYPTIC GLIMPSE OF EARTH’S FUTURE WITH THE RELEASE OF THE NEW SCI-FI THRILLER VIRUS

San Francisco, CA, November 20, 2012 – VIZ Media’s Haikasoru literary imprint presents a new literary release offering a stark vision of the future of mankind in author Sakyo Komatsu’s post-apocalyptic thriller, VIRUS. The new hardcover novel is available today, and carries an MSRP of $25.99 U.S. / $29.99 CAN. The eBook edition is also available for $9.99 on the Amazon Kindle, Apple’s iBooks Store, the Barnes & Noble’s Nook Books Store, and the Sony Reader™ Store.

Haikasoru publishes some of the most compelling contemporary Japanese science fiction and fantasy stories for English-speaking audiences, and is the first imprint based in the U.S. dedicated to Japanese science fiction and fantasy in translation.

In this classic Japanese sci-fi thriller originally published in 1964, American astronauts on a space mission discover a strange virus and bring it to Earth, where rogue scientists transform it into a fatal version of the flu. After the virulent virus is released, nearly all human life on Earth is wiped out save for fewer than ten thousand men and a handful of women living in research stations in Antarctica. Then one of the researchers realizes that a major earthquake in the now-depopulated United States may lead to nuclear Armageddon…

“Sakyo Komatsu is one of the world’s most celebrated science fiction authors and his books were often inspired by real world geopolitical, scientific, or environmental events,” says Nick Mamatas, Editor, Haikasoru. “VIRUS was adapted into a film in 1980, which starred Sonny Chiba and George Kennedy. The new Haikasoru release marks the first English publication of the novel, and we know our readers will enjoy this visionary thriller from this acclaimed Japanese author.”

Author Sakyo Komatsu was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1931 and began writing in college and turned to science fiction in 1959 after winning the Twenty-Seventh Annual Japan Mystery Writers Association Award with the publication of Japan Sinks. He also won the Japan SF Award for his Tokyo Vanished in 1985 and is a six-time winner of the prestigious Seiun Award. As a screenwriter, director, and producer, Komatsu brought the movie version of his novel Bye-Bye Jupiter to the screen in 1984. Sakyo Komatsu has also participated in the production of a number of large public events, including the Japan World Exposition in Osaka (1970),and the International Garden and Greenery Exposition in Osaka (1990), which earned him the Osaka Cultural Award. In 2007, he was the author Guest of Honor at the World Science Fiction Convention, the first to be held in Asia. Komatsu passed away in July 2011.

For more information and to read an excerpt of VIRUS, please visit the dedicated website at www.haikasoru.com/virus.

For more information on Haikasoru and other titles available from the imprint, please visit the website at Haikasoru.com.

Agent Burgos, Acclaimed Novel By Japanese Author Sakyo Komatsu Published In English For The First Time Ever

That’s right, holiday shoppers need look no further than their favorite comic book retailer to purchase the deluxe, leather bound, slipcased hardcover edition of the New York Times bestseller, THE WALKING DEAD – RISE OF THE GOVERNOR NOVEL by series creator Robert Kirkman and co-writer Jay Bonansinga.

“Many have asked me whether I will ever write a prequel about the lives the character lead before,”

said Kirkman.

“Well, that’s basically what we’re doing with these novels. And we wanted to offer the fans a special edition before the holidays.”

To make the gift even more impressive, this deluxe edition will feature spot illustrations by series artist Charlie Adlard. Comic book readers may wonder if there’s any better way to improve upon a novel than by adding pictures. Well, there is! There is also an even rarer, super deluxe edition that will also be signed and numbered by Kirkman!

THE WALKING DEAD – RISE OF THE GOVERNOR NOVEL is the first in a planned trilogy of novels based on the characters introduced in THE WALKING DEAD comic book series. RISE OF THE GOVERNOR sheds light on the true origins of The Governor, the most vile and deadly villain yet to appear in THE WALKING DEAD comic book series. Now fans of the comic book and AMC‘s record breaking TV adaptation can discover the transformation of one man into a monster with this special deluxe edition!

THE WALKING DEAD – RISE OF THE GOVERNOR NOVEL: DELUXE SLIPCASED EDITION (OCT110517, ISBN: 978-1-60706-482-4), a 336-page novel for $74.99, will be on sale in stores on December 7, along with the limited signed & numbered edition (OCT110518, ISBN: 978-1-60706-483-1) for $124.99.

Agent Burgos, The Walking Dead: The Governor Gets Deluxe Treatment!