It seems early to be posting my annual gift list, but Karli's mother has put up her Christmas tree, and my workplace has picked names for Secret Santa, which would seem to indicate that it is in fact time for the
annual Geekmas posting. Generous gift givers covered off virtually
everything from last year's list, so this year I'm pretty much starting from
scratch.
A lot of my past preferences for seasonal gifts aren't really a
thing anymore - the switch to digital media and streaming has pretty much taken Blu-rays off my list of gift options. Sad to say, my initial attempts to break new ground this year weren't productive. Big Finish Productions, the home of Doctor Who audio plays, doesn't have a gift card system, and it looks like the only way you can give someone an Oculus virtual reality game or experience is if you already have an Oculus account, which seems like a lot of work if you don't own a VR headset yourself.
So, as in past years, I went with the basics, and hopefully I've ended up with a reasonable range of options and price points.
Books
After introducing his son to comic books, Douglas Wolk decided to undertake the monumental task of reading the entire modern Marvel Comics print run* since its inception with Issue #1 of
The Fantastic Four in November of 1961 - over 27,000 comics, and more than half a million pages. The result is
All of the Marvels: A Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever Told, a thematic examination of the Marvel Comics universe as a single extended narrative. As someone who has been reading Marvel comics on and off for over 50 years, I'm very curious about this book, and frankly, if no one buys it for me, I'll be getting it for myself on Boxing Day.
Doctor Who: The Vault: Also a little spendy, but from the sound of the descriptions and reviews that I've read, a comprehensive and detailed history of the series, at least up to the show's 50th anniversary.
The Apollo Murders, by ex-astronaut Chris Hadfield. It's his first foray into fiction**, but reviews have been positive, and it sounds like an interesting read.
2020 Hugo Award Winner A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine. I recommend that you get this one from Indigo, I got some very odd results from Amazon.ca - $134.29 seems a bit steep for a used paperback.
One graphic novel: Hellboy: Strange Places - which, to be completely accurate, is actually the second omnibus edition of the Hellboy comics rather than a graphic novel. Tomato, tomahto - the nature of HB's comic book adventures is such that the omnibus editions read quite well as a collective narrative.
However, most of those options are a bit pricey, although the Chris Hadfield book is actually on sale as I type this. If you're here looking for the literary
equivalent of stocking stuffers or an affordable Secret Santa
selections, here are some books that are available on Amazon.ca as
standard mass market
paperbacks for less than ten bucks:
The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury. I was surprised by the realization that my little library was missing both of Bradbury's seminal short story collections, which collect the stories that established him as an author.
A Journal of the Plague Years, by Norman Spinrad. Although the Plague in Spinrad's episodic story is sexually transmitted rather than through aerosol droplets, it still seems like an appropriate cautionary tale for the current global situation. Spinrad is a brilliant author whose work is virtually unknown outside of the science fiction genre, which is a shame - if you're looking for a place to start, I strongly recommend his 1969 novel Bug Jack Barron (which I already own, don't buy me a copy for Christmas.)
Finally, as I was shelving back issues of vintage science fiction magazines in the wake of our recent move, I was reminded of how much I had enjoyed receiving a monthly selection of short fiction, reviews and commentary when I subscribed to The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction*** back in the 70s. A little research confirmed that they apparently still sell physical subscriptions, six issues a year for $55.97 USD - which feels a bit expensive, so this one is reserved for the generous of heart (and wallet).
Clothing
Just as a change, a couple of clothing requests: a Doctor Who hoodie, and a Star Wars Millennium Falcon schematic t-shirt. As with the previous Doctor Who item on this list, the hoodie**** is a bit more expensive - this may just be an ineluctable truth when it comes to Doctor-related merch, as per my initial Doctor Who gift search last year. The Star Wars t-shirt is a more affordable option - I like the grey one, but maybe let's go with the pale blue option to match the AT-AT t-shirt that I already own. XL for both, please!
And that wraps it up (no pun intended) for this year's gift list. As always, almost all of the items are on
Amazon™ , and I've linked to them - my only advice is to make sure that you don't select an overpriced third party seller by accident, as with the Arkady Martine book I mentioned above.
Oh, what the heck - if someone wants to get me a Blu-ray copy of The Force Awakens, I wouldn't say no, and I'll certainly find a place for it with the other optical discs that I still have tucked away in the living room.
UPDATE: I'd like to thank my workplace Secret Santa for the Prepaid
Mastercard - I appreciate the thought, and obviously I need to advertise
this list a bit more.
- Sid
* He admits to skipping the romance comics and some of the Westerns that weren't part of the shared superhero universe.
** From what I've read, technically speaking it's actually science fiction - the story is an alternate history what-if from the era of the Moon landings.
*** I've always appreciated the nose-on-your-face directness of F&SF's chosen title - I mean, really, could there be any less ambiguity about what they are?
**** I keep wanting to call it a Whodie.
