Comic-Con 2013 Spotlight: The Books

Hi, everyone. I am going to take a cue from my friend and co-blogger Alethea and am going to highlight some of the fun things I found at Comic-Con this weekend. I’ll probably split it up into different media (books, movies, etc) and hope to also have a few panel recaps for you as well later in the week.I had a really great time at Comic-Con this year. I was exhausted most evenings but, surprisingly, not as exhausted as I usually am during the con. I still walked a lot and basically subsisted on trail mix and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all weekend but I don’t feel too bad. I barely went into Hall H this year and only hit Ballroom 20 once. Other that that I tried to go to the smaller book and comics panels. Let’s get to the books

The Troop by Nick Cutter – Described as a cross between Lord of the Flies and The Ruins, this book is about a troupe of Boy Scouts who find themselves on an island and they are not alone. It’s about the monsters out there and the monsters within. Creepy! The editor of this book said it was one of the scariest books he had read in a long time. I haven’t read a good horror book in a while and this one sounds fantastic. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for giving me an ARC of this one.

Rise Again by Ben Tripp – I am not sure but it looks like this book may have been self-published previously and it now going to see a big publisher release. This is about a zombie outbreak where a war veteran turned sheriff has to fight the odds (and zombies) to find her sister, who has run away. Sounds fun and scary. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for an early copy of this one.

Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine – This one looks really cool. It’s a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet from the point of view of Romeo’s cousin Benvolio. Hot teens, Shakespeare and intrigue. Sounds good to me. This one will be coming out next year from Penguin.

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson – This book was a hot topic at SDCC this weekend. Random House was really pushing it and Sanderson was on several panels and had a few signings going on over the weekend. I saw Brandon on a panel on Sunday and it made me really excited to read this one. It’s about a world in which super powers exist except only bad people get them. There are no super heroes, only super villains. Doesn’t it sound good?

Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer – If you follow me on Instagram you will know that this was the one book that I really wanted this weekend. Macmillan was only giving away copies to the first 20 in line for Marissa’s signing on Fri. I really didn’t think I had a chance at this since 20 is nothing at SDCC. There are literally thousands of people there. But due to some help from a friend and nimble feet on my part, I managed to be #8 in line. I have a few books to read before I can read this one but I am sooooooo excited to start it.

Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Gris Grimly –  I am sad that I didn’t make it to Grimly’s booth to pick this one up. I am a fan of Frankenstein and Grimly’s illustration work. I think the combo of these two is going to be pretty amazing. This comes out in Aug from Balzer + Bray.

If Dogs Run Free  by Bob Dylan and illustrated by Scott C. – This book is based on the lyrics to song by Bob Dylan with Scott C. illustrating. I am a big fan of Scott C.’s and was able to take a look at this at his booth. It looks super cute and I think it’s going to be a really great read. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for showcasing this one. It is definitely going on my wishlist.

So there you have some of the books I am most looking forward to later this year. I did snag some other books over the weekend as well but I’ll save those for my Stacked haul post. Check back later this week for spotlights on comics, television and more