Strange weather here along the Susquehanna River. It’s the middle of June but the temperature has been in the sixties most of the day. This time of year, it should, at the very least, be in the high-eighties to mid-nineties. My garden likes it, though. And so do the feral kittens. They are now old enough to adopt out to good homes, and I intend to start doing that after I get home from signing books at Tremendicon in Missouri next weekend. As a result, I’m trying very hard not to get too attached to this litter. But that’s hard to do when they are so freaking cute, and as a result, I’ve given them temporary names: Runt, Baby Girl, Dallas Jr., Braveheart, and Hissy McFurface.
Good morning. I’m Brian Keene, and this is Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for friends, family and fans of my work. Previous issues can be read here. You can also leave comments, which I’ll read and answer as time allows.
Anyway… all five kittens will be ready for adoption when I get back from next weekend’s convention. And their mother, Josie, is pretty trusting of me now. I hope that I don’t ruin that trust when I cage her and take her off to the vet to get checked out, and vaccinated, and spayed. It is my hope that we can turn her into an indoor cat, and keep her. If she can’t adjust to life indoors, then she’ll make a fine outdoor kitty — not something I’m crazy about, but better than the alternative of her wandering the wastelands, homeless and hungry, like she was when she found us. I grew up with outdoor cats and outdoor dogs, but the older I get, the more that sort of situation just isn’t right. Every dog and every cat deserve a home, and some warmth, and some people to share it with on rainy days.
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If you preordered THINGS LEFT BEHIND by myself and Mary SanGiovanni and are wondering what the status is, we just got an update from the printer. They should be out of production in the next three weeks, and begin shipping to you the first week of July. Thanks for your patience.
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I’ve got one Lifetime Subscriber slot left. First come, first serve. The other two have been sold. For details, please refer to last week’s newsletter. Once this final slot goes, there will be no further subscriptions available. The next Lifetimer shipment should go out to all of you early next month.
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Apex, the publisher of my Lost Level series as well as the Bastards series that I co-write with Steven L. Shrewsbury, have selected HOLE IN THE WORLD as their Book of the Month. As such, they asked me to write a little essay about the novel, so I did. I talk about how the inspirations behind the series, how THE LOST EVEL would have never been written if Joe R. Lansdale hadn’t kicked me in the butt, and the specific challenges with writing HOLE IN THE WORLD. You can read the essay for free here.
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THE NEW FEAR: THE BEST OF HAIL SATEN Vol. 3 hit number one in several categories on Amazon last week, in both paperback and digital, and stayed there for several days. Thanks to all of you who purchased a copy and made that happen. I am very grateful.
The final book in the series, THE LEADER OF THE BANNED: THE BEST OF HAIL SATEN Vol. 4, will be released before the end of the year. That one has only ever been published in hardcover, so this will be its first time in paperback or ebook.
If you’ve never read these books — they’re non-fiction, all written between 1999 and 2009. They chronicle my career and thoughts during that time, but also offer a pretty accurate snapshot of our genre at that time. The first three are available in paperback, and for Kindle, Nook and Kobo. Check out the series here.
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This past week was incredibly productive, work-wise, and yet, I still didn’t get everything done that I wanted to do. I looked over a new draft of the screenplay for THE CAGE. We had a good Scares That Care board meeting. I wrote the Introduction to J.F. Gonzalez’s forthcoming first non-fiction collection. I worked on ISLAND OF THE DEAD and SPLINTERED: THE LABYRINTH Book 3 (a new chapter of the former is live on Kindle Vella and Patreon, and a new chapter of the latter is live on Patreon). I worked on GWENDY’S BUTTON BOX and a new Levi short story (the latter commissioned for a magazine but I’m not allowed to say anything else about it yet). And finally, I finished the edits on THE DRIVE-IN: MULTIPLEX. Christopher Golden and I need to write the Introduction, but otherwise, the book is ready to be turned in to the publisher.
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Speaking of Chris, we recorded the final episode of DEFENDERS DIALOGUE last Friday. We were joined by special guests Cullen Bunn, J.M. DeMatteis, Thomas Sniegoski, and Scott Edelman. It was a simultaneously sad and happy occasion. Sad that it is ending, of course. Chris and I both look forward to these what-used-to-be-weekly sessions. But happy that we’re going out on top, with 152 episodes over five years time, a significant amount of listeners (no, we never hit THE HORROR SHOW WITH BRIAN KEENE numbers, but it was whole lot more than the “three listeners” we like to joke about on the air), and having introduced a new generation to the stories that meant so much to us when we were young. The Defenders. The Champions. Black Goliath. Satanna. Ghost Rider. Godzilla. Spider Woman. Man-Thing. Dracula. Eternals. Deathlok. Moon Knight. Gargoyle. Son of Satan. And so many more. We truly showed the magic that was Bronze Age Marvel Comics, and had the best time doing it.
So, why end it, then? Because both of us are busier than ever, and it is getting tougher and tougher to get our schedules to match up and find a time when we can both read the comics in question and then talk about them or an hour. That’s not fair to the audience.
Later this year, I still plan on launching STORIES WITH BRIAN KEENE. That will be a very different animal than either of my previous two podcasts. Think of it as Brian Keene Unplugged. No co-hosts or cohorts. Just me, alone in a room with a microphone and a lot of things to say.
At some point I want to bring back Brian Keene Radio, too. And pro-tip to my detractors — if you want to prove to everybody that I don’t always succeed at everything I try to do, you can point at Brian Keene Radio. I tried it twice, and both times it ultimately became financially unfeasible. But after talking with Rio Youers, I’ve got the bug to bring it back — not as a source of money, but as a hobby. That’s what doomed it the previous two times. I focused on “this thing isn’t paying for itself”rather than “this thing makes me happy and brings me joy”. My therapist said I need more things like that. Well, technically, she asked what brings me joy, and I answered with Conan’s “To crush my enemies, to see them driven before me, and to hear the lamentations of their women.” And then she made that little tight-lipped smile she makes whenever I’m evading the question, and then I felt guilty, so I answered “My kids. My cats. My girlfriend. Comic Books.” And she said I need more things like that. And playing music and making playlists has always made me happy.
Anyway… the final episode of DEFENDERS DIALOGUE will be live next Tuesday in all of the regular places.
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Everybody is talking about the economy. I know things are getting tighter here at Casa Keenegiovanni. I suspect they’re probably getting tighter for you, too. So how about some more free stuff?
You know my old audiobook from 2002, TALKING SMACK? The one that is pretty much impossible to find these days? I put it up on YouTube for free.
You know that other old audiobook, Tom Piccirilli’s Diamond Mozzarella, narrated by me? Also on YouTube for free.
And the Blooper Reel from that recording session, in which you can hear Dave Thomas in the background at one point, is also free.
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For this week’s Time Machine, here’s one of the the last signings J.F. Gonzalez and I ever did together, and the first time we met Stephen Kozeniewski, taken at The Comic Store in Lancaster, PA (right across from the Amtrak station).
Stephen, of course, has since then put his own indelible stamp on Jesus’s Clickers franchise with the release of CLICKERS NEVER DIE (co-written with Wile E. Young), available in paperback and for Kindle.
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Currently Listening: Boogie Chillun by John Lee Hooker
Currently Reading: Mayhem At the Museum by Regina Watts
Currently Watching: The Matrix: Resurrections (HBO Max) and The Last Kingdom, season 3 (Netflix)
Mayhem At the Museum is the first thing I’ve read by Regina Watts. I enjoyed the hell out of it. Very fun book. Sort of a pulpy cross between Tiffany Scandal and Carlton Mellick III with just a dash of Michael Allan Rose sprinkled on top. Will definitely appeal to bizarro fiction fans.
The Matrix series was Dave Thomas’s favorite film franchise. I told this story at his memorial service a few months ago, but I’ll share it here today.
Dave never thought he’d live long enough to see the 4th film. Neither did his doctors. But he beat all the expectations and was indeed still alive the night The Matrix: Resurrections was released. At that point, he was confined to a bed which had been set up in his and Deena’s living room, inches away from their big screen TV. Right before Christmas, I set my HBO Max account up on their television so that he could watch the movie. Then Mary and I spent the holiday with her parents. When we got bac home, I asked Dave, “So, was the new Matrix movie worth staying alive for?”
And he said, “Meh. It was alright.”
I finally watched it this past Friday night (Mary wasn’t feeling well and I had the TV to myself). And I concur with Dave’s review. It was alright. It wasn’t as good as the original movie, but it was certainly better than the second and third movies. I felt that the action sequences were just a lot of big, empty noise signifying nothing, but I really liked the dialogue and character moments between Tom/Neo and Tiffany/Trinity. Some good meta moments, as well. Worth a watch. Just don’t expect lightning in a bottle.
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I hope those of you who live within driving distance of Springfield, Missouri will come to Tremendicon, taking place next weekend (June 17th – 19th) at 2456N Glenstone Ave, Springfield, MO 65803. I’ll be available to sign books all weekend long. You can bring books from home or buy them from me there (while supplies last). Full details can be found here. Other guests include Mary, Wile E. Young, Cullen Bunn, John Hornor Jacobs, and Heath Amodio. It’s gonna be a great time.
And here are some other places I’ll be this summer:
Camp Necon, July 21 - July 24, UMass Lowell, MA
Scares That Care Weekend VIII, July 29 - July 31, Williamsburg, VA
Killercon, August 12 - August 14, Austin, TX
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Today, on my daily hike through the woods and fields, I saw a bald eagle flying very low overhead. There’s a bald eagle estuary on an island only a mile or so from our home, so they are a common enough sight. But this one seemed to zero in on me. It flew back and forth, circling. Not menacing or anything like that. It was as if the great bird wanted to join me for that part of my journey. But the joke is on him. The older I get, the less sure I am where that journey will ultimately lead…
But that’s the whole point of it, right? As we get older, we grow wiser to things on this Earth and how they work, but we are still like children when it comes to what happens after we leave here. Do we return to the soil and become soil, or does consciousness survive? I firmly believe the latter. If you’ve read END OF THE ROAD and THE TRIANGLE OF BELIEF then you know my thoughts on all of that. Consciousness survives us. But where does it go? Where does the journey lead?
I guess the only way to find out is to get there yourself, eventually. But I’m in no hurry.
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And that does it for this week, I think. Since we opened this issue with a pic of Dallas Jr., here’s a pic of me and Dallas Sr., taken earlier this week. (Yes, Dallas Sr. was named after Dallas Mayr, aka Jack Ketchum. Dallas Jr. is named after Dallas Sr. because he has the same markings and coloration).
As you can tell, the Bells Palsy is getting better. My mouth is still crooked but my speech is fairly clear. It only really bothers me if I chew too fast or take too big a bite of food on that side. Then I either bite myself or choke. The paralysis has left my eye, but it is in a weakened state, so it gets tired and irritated a lot more quickly than the other eye.
I saw on the news that Justin Bieber has it now. There’s a joke about that, I’m sure, but I won’t be the one to make it. I wouldn’t wish this syndrome on my worst enemy. It’s horrible, especially at the start.
Really hope to see some of you in Missouri next weekend! And for those who can’t be there, I hope that you find something else that is fun to do. I’ll see you back here next Sunday. Take care.
— Brian Keene
Always one of the most looked-forward-to part of Sunday. Your "newsletter" is like a good, honest song, every week. Glad you are getting better, and that the cats haven't eaten you- yet.
Very glad to be here! I really appreciate the substantive format of this newsletter, and I’m leaning more toward this kind of interaction with creators than the algorithm dependent social media model. For example: how did I not know about (or how did I forget about) you being on a Defenders podcast?? I’ll be listening to that from the start soon!