76. V: To Conquer the Throne
Writer: Tim Sullivan
When I put this back on the shelf, I had to go back and look at the other two V books he wrote, to reassure myself that they were not of the same level of writing as this one. This was the worst kind of fan fiction, puerile wish fulfillment stuff. F
77. Neil Gaiman: Prince of Stories
Writers: Hank Wagner, Christopher Golden and Stephen R. Bissette
An interesting mixture of biography, bibliography and review, not to mention several pieces of Neil’s collected here for the first time. Some of it is slow going, but there are priceless insights, I assume helped along by Bissette who’s been one of Neil’s artists (Swamp Thing) and a publisher (Sweeney Todd). B
78. V: The Oregon Invasion
Writer: Jayne Tannehill
A refreshing change after the last one, with a new takes on religion and interspecies relationships. B
79. The Greatest Music Never Sold
Writer: Dan LeRoy
A collection of essays on albums that were never released. Nothing here was essential to me, but the stories are intriguing. You can go here for a playlist that doesn’t exist, and here for a couple of the Juliana Hatfield tracks. The Chicago album has subsequently been released. B
80. V: Below The Threshold
Writer: Allen Wold
A kidnapping mystery – did the aliens do it, or was it the mob? Props for a very different take, although the ending feels chopped off. C+
I started the last V book, but put it down a couple pages in when I realized it was set after some of the TV episodes I haven’t watched yet – I’ll finish it next year.