Classic Returns: Reprints, Updates & Bargains—Summer Fiction

Summer's here, and the time might be right for dancing in the streets, but it's also time for some light reading. So no heavy literature this month, just the fun stuff for reading en route to your getaway or on the beach or in the yard or park once you get there. Have a good summer, everyone.—Mike Rogers

Buntline, Ned. The Hero of A Hundred Fights. Union Square: Sterling. Jul. 2011. 438p. ISBN 9781402758423. $24.95. WESTERN
Ned Buntline, real name Edward Zane Carroll Judson, produced countless stories and dime novels glorifying the Old West and many of its most famous characters like Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, and Texas Jack. Much of what the public thinks they know about the West comes from this type of material and from Hollywood, so anyone who has ever read serious histories on the subject knows that most of what Buntline and others produced was buffalo chips. Still, they're fun stories.

Bloch, Robert. Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper. Subterranean. Nov. 2011. c.336p. ISBN 9781596064249. $40. F
Bloch is best known for writing Psycho, which, of course, now is better remembered as the Hitchcock film. The murders of five (depending on who you ask) prostitutes in London's Whitechapel section in late 1888 was a pet subject of his. This volume contains four short stories, as well as his script for an episode of the original Star Trek series titled "Wolf in the Fold," plus an essay on the Ripper. Bloch liked to put the killer in different places at different times, so Red Jack goes from Victorian London to 1940s Chicago to the future. Perhaps because he was never officially caught (unofficially—he most likely was), the Ripper case continues to fascinate, so give this a shot if your budget allows.

MacLean, Alistair. The Guns of Navarone. 272p. ISBN 9781402790355.

MacLean, Alistair. Ice Station Zebra. 255p. ISBN 9781402790331.
MacLean, Alistair. The Lonely Sea. 188p. ISBN 9781402790324.
MacLean, Alistair. When Eight Bells Toll. 236p. ISBN 9781402790423.
ea. vol: Sterling. Jul. 2011. pap. $11.95. F
MacLean was a best-selling machine for decades, producing 29 thrillers including numerous war stories, many of which were adapted by Hollywood. He drew inspiration for many of these books from his years in the British Navy. Zebra, Guns, and Eight Bells are novels, while The Lonely Sea is a collection of shorts, including two stories never published during his life. Any of these would be good choices for your collection.

Newman, Kim. Anno Dracula. Titan. 2011. c.545p. ISBN 9780857680839. pap. $12.99. F
First released in 1992, Newman's take on the Big D scored with critics. In this version, Dracula wins against his adversaries and vampirism becomes common in London. The author also mixes fictional characters with real people and bends the genre by adding some politics, mystery, and a touch of romance. This edition adds extra material including a new afterword by the author, annotations, and alternate endings. With the current popularity of vampires, this should be circ well.