Virtual Book Tour: "Masked" by Lou Anders

Masked
Author/Editor: Lou Anders
Publisher: Gallery, July 2010
ISBN: 9781439168820
Genre: fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, anthology

Book Description (from publisher):

WELCOME TO THE SECOND "GOLDEN AGE" OF SUPERHEROES AND HEROINES Superheroes have come a long way since the "Man of Steel" was introduced in 1938. This brilliant new collection features original stories and novellas from some of today's most exciting voices in comics, science fiction, and fantasy. Each marvelously inventive tale shows us just how far our classic crusaders have evolved—and how the greatest of heroes are, much like ourselves, all too human.

In "Call Her Savage," MARJORIE M. LIU enters the dark heart of a fierce mythic heroine who is forced, by war, to live up to her own terrible legend.

In "A to Z in the Ultimate Big Company Superhero Universe (Villains Too)," BILL WILLINGHAM presents a fully-realized vision of a universe where epic feats and tragic flaws have transformed the human race.

In "Vacuum Lad," STEPHEN BAXTER unveils the secret origins of the first true child of the space age—and disproves the theory that "nothing exists in a vacuum."

In "Head Cases," PETER DAVID and KATHLEEN DAVID blast through the blogosphere to expose the secret longings of a Lonely Superhero Wife.

In "The Non-Event," MIKE CAREY removes the gag order on a super-thief named Lockjaw . . . and pries out a confession of life-altering events.

Book includes:

• Introduction: The Golden Age by Lou Anders
• "Cleansed and Set in Gold" by Matthew Sturges
• "Where their Worm Dieth Not" by James Maxey
• "Secret Identity" by Paul Cornell
• "The Non-Event" by Mike Carey
• "Avatar" by Mike Baron
• "Message from the Bubblegum Factory" by Daryl Gregory
• "Thug" by Gail Simone
• "Vacuum Lad" by Stephen Baxter
• "A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows" by Chris Roberson
• "Head Cases" by Peter David & Kathleen David
• "Downfall" by Joseph Mallozzi
• "By My Works You Shall Know Me" by Mark Chadbourn
• "Call Her Savage" by Marjorie M. Liu
• "Tonight we fly" by Ian McDonald
• "A to Z in the Ultimate Big Company Superhero Universe (Villains Too)" by Bill Willingham

Sneak Peek - Browse inside "Masked"

My Thoughts:

"Masked" is an anthology of superhero stories and since I love superhero stories, this was a must read for me.

These were not the "run of the mill" type stories, but had some interesting ways of obtaining powers, some had human insecurities, and some that really surprised me - the hero isn't always very heroic. The stories are more on the adult level, containing adult themes and language. They are very entertaining, but nothing really grabbed me as exceptional.

For anyone that loves stories about superheroes, this book is a must read!

About the Author:

A 2008/2007 Hugo Award nominee, 2007 Chesley Award nominee and 2006 World Fantasy Award nominee, Lou Anders is the editorial director of Prometheus Books' science fiction imprint Pyr, as well as the editor of anthologies Fast Forward 2 (Pyr, October 2008), Sideways in Crime (Solaris, June 2008), Fast Forward 1(Pyr, February 2007), FutureShocks (Roc, January 2006), Projections: Science Fiction in Literature & Film (MonkeyBrain, December 2004), Live Without a Net (Roc, 2003), and Outside the Box (Wildside Press, 2001). In 2000, he served as the Executive Editor of Bookface.com, and before that he worked as the Los Angeles Liaison for Titan Publishing Group. He is the author of The Making of Star Trek: First Contact, and has published over 500 articles in various publications.

Book was supplied by Gallery for me to honestly review.