Gauntlet Press (with and w/out Borderlands partnership)...

[Martin]

Ah yes, and my curmudgeonosity lifts like an ethereal veil, and the sun shines down again with the beatific joy that is A Book Well Done.

I have been thinking about that story lately. Which means that a re-read will be coming soon!

[RonClinton]

I will change the subject for you. Just think about 'The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell'?

Ah yes, and my curmudgeonosity lifts like an ethereal veil, and the sun shines down again with the beatific joy that is A Book Well Done.

[Martin]

For what it’s worth, after collecting, reading, and enjoying Garton’s work for over two decades, it was the duo of RAVENOUS and its sequel, BESTIAL, in their original paperback form that turned me off from doing so any further. I’m sure at some point I’ll come back to the fold, but those two just didn’t click for me at all, for reasons I frankly no longer recall.

But I’ll stop there…between this and the new King I criticized in the last couple of days, I’m starting to feel like the neighborhood curmudgeon.

I will change the subject for you. Just think about 'The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell'?

[RonClinton]

i actually just ordered this. It sounds interesting and $60 isn't a huge risk.

For what it’s worth, after collecting, reading, and enjoying Garton’s work for over two decades, it was the duo of RAVENOUS and its sequel, BESTIAL, in their original paperback form that turned me off from doing so any further. I’m sure at some point I’ll come back to the fold, but those two just didn’t click for me at all, for reasons I frankly no longer recall.

But I’ll stop there…between this and the new King I criticized in the last couple of days, I’m starting to feel like the neighborhood curmudgeon.

EDIT: Oh, but did I mention that after 20 years or whatever it’s been, after starting with volume 1 in the first series, so all matching numbers for all three sets…I officially pulled the plug on the LITTLE BOOKS OF… series from Borderlands. I’d get into my reasons, but we all know why…’sides, no need to lay down more curmudgeoness…

[TacomaDiver]

Just received my copy of Ravenous by Ray Garton. It turned out really great. I love the cover art. I also am really happy with the new introduction by Garton and the new afterword by Chizmar. Can't wait to dig into this book. I did not know that this story existed until the Gauntlet announcement. FYI- I did not receive any kind of shipping notice for this one; so, if you ordered a copy, you may want to keep an eye out for it.

i actually just ordered this. It sounds interesting and $60 isn't a huge risk.

[Splync]

The Gauntlet newsletter of just a few days ago said this:

Layout is almost complete on Blake Crouch’s PINES. This is a collaboration with Borderlands Press and they are laying out this title. Once it is approved by Blake it will go to the printer so if you haven’t ordered your copy you should do so now.

...so my takeaway from that is that the cover is indeed the one still show on the site, the one I assumed was a placeholder but is, it seems, the true cover. Layout by Borderlands is essentially complete, and if you've seen the covers Borderlands has used on their jacketed hardcovers over the last few years (including the recent BORDERLANDS 7 and the forthcoming Peter Straub collections), this uninspired digital clip art used for THE PINES fits right in. I was hoping for a change of cover as well, but that announcement and what it clearly indicates to me was the final straw that prompted my cancellation of the order.

Yeah, it's not a very appealing cover. I suppose it's marginally better than the current cover for Draculas, but that's not a very high bar to surpass.

I have a copy on order, so we'll see how it looks when I have it in hand.

[RonClinton]

That is not an appealing cover. I don't have any skin in this but surely they have something better for the actual cover.

The Gauntlet newsletter of just a few days ago said this:

Layout is almost complete on Blake Crouch’s PINES. This is a collaboration with Borderlands Press and they are laying out this title. Once it is approved by Blake it will go to the printer so if you haven’t ordered your copy you should do so now.

...so my takeaway from that is that the cover is indeed the one still show on the site, the one I assumed was a placeholder but is, it seems, the true cover. Layout by Borderlands is essentially complete, and if you've seen the covers Borderlands has used on their jacketed hardcovers over the last few years (including the recent BORDERLANDS 7 and the forthcoming Peter Straub collections), this uninspired digital clip art used for THE PINES fits right in. I was hoping for a change of cover as well, but that announcement and what it clearly indicates to me was the final straw that prompted my cancellation of the order.

[Ben Staad]

That is not an appealing cover. I don't have any skin in this but surely they have something better for the actual cover.

[mhatchett]

At the $50.00 price point, I will hang in there with my fingers crossed....

[sholloman81]

After months of consideration, I ended up canceling my preorder of THE PINES last week. I kept hoping that uninspired digital clip art they are using for the cover on their website was a placeholder, but now it appears all but certain it is the true cover. Given that I have a nice signed tpb with better art than that and it bears no typos or odd formatting issues, I've decided to call that tpb Good Enough. Really unfortunate and disappointing...the PINES trilogy was one of those volume(s) that I hoped for so long and so fervently that a small press publisher would do it justice and I'd be pleased and proud to have a beautiful deluxe edition(s) on my shelf...but what I'm seeing on the Gauntlet site isn't what I was envisioning, not even close.

Yeah, I have The Pines on pre-order as well, and, if I am being honest, I've got to admit that the cover art really sucks. The only thing that is stopping me from canceling the order as you did is that I have never read The Pines/this author, nor do I have any version of the book already. I'm really hoping that they will change the cover art at the last minute.

[RonClinton]

I’m currently reading BORDERLANDS 7, and the typos and formatting issues within give me pause, no matter how much I want THE PINES trilogy (and DRACULAS). Then I see F. *Paulo* Wilson mentioned on the Gauntlet promo page for PINES, and it’s just...just...tiring and wearisome. I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. I’ve waited years for a limited of THE PINES...it’s a shame I can’t see this as a must-buy.

This is exactly how I feel. I want to be excited about these announcements, but I feel like it’s a gamble. Especially because there’s been nothing from Borderlands and/or Gauntlet addressing these valid concerns. A simple “hey, this has been an issue and we’re doubling down on making sure that this isn’t a problem moving forward” would go a long way.

After months of consideration, I ended up canceling my preorder of THE PINES last week. I kept hoping that uninspired digital clip art they are using for the cover on their website was a placeholder, but now it appears all but certain it is the true cover. Given that I have a nice signed tpb with better art than that and it bears no typos or odd formatting issues, I've decided to call that tpb Good Enough. Really unfortunate and disappointing...the PINES trilogy was one of those volume(s) that I hoped for so long and so fervently that a small press publisher would do it justice and I'd be pleased and proud to have a beautiful deluxe edition(s) on my shelf...but what I'm seeing on the Gauntlet site isn't what I was envisioning, not even close.

[sholloman81]

Just received my copy of Ravenous by Ray Garton. It turned out really great. I love the cover art. I also am really happy with the new introduction by Garton and the new afterword by Chizmar. Can't wait to dig into this book. I did not know that this story existed until the Gauntlet announcement. FYI- I did not receive any kind of shipping notice for this one; so, if you ordered a copy, you may want to keep an eye out for it.

[Sock Monkey]

I’m currently reading BORDERLANDS 7, and the typos and formatting issues within give me pause, no matter how much I want THE PINES trilogy (and DRACULAS). Then I see F. *Paulo* Wilson mentioned on the Gauntlet promo page for PINES, and it’s just...just...tiring and wearisome. I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. I’ve waited years for a limited of THE PINES...it’s a shame I can’t see this as a must-buy.

This is exactly how I feel. I want to be excited about these announcements, but I feel like it’s a gamble. Especially because there’s been nothing from Borderlands and/or Gauntlet addressing these valid concerns. A simple “hey, this has been an issue and we’re doubling down on making sure that this isn’t a problem moving forward” would go a long way.

[RonClinton]

Can't speak to the issues with Borderlands; however, the reason F. Paul Wilson is mentioned on the Gauntlet promo page for PINES is because he is writing an afterword for the book and is signing the lettered edition.

Yes, I know. My point in mentioning that — and highlighting a misspelled “Paulo” in my original post — was that Paul was misspelled as Paulo throughout the promo. I just checked, and it’s now been corrected, but is still misspelled as Paulo in the DRACULAS promo (and the “F” is missing in the SIGNALZ promo). It’s a small thing, but symptomatic and illustrative of the proofreading and formatting issues both Gauntlet and (especially) Borderlands has these days, and why after suffering through a barrage of it in BORDERLANDS 7 I’m a bit wary to order any of these new releases, even though the content appeals to me. If they can’t even produce typo/error-free promo pages for their product(s), what confidence can I have that the product itself will be free of a litany of errors and typos and worthy of its premium pricetag?

[sholloman81]

I’m currently reading BORDERLANDS 7, and the typos and formatting issues within give me pause, no matter how much I want THE PINES trilogy (and DRACULAS). Then I see F. *Paulo* Wilson mentioned on the Gauntlet promo page for PINES, and it’s just...just...tiring and wearisome. I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. I’ve waited years for a limited of THE PINES...it’s a shame I can’t see this as a must-buy.

Can't speak to the issues with Borderlands; however, the reason F. Paul Wilson is mentioned on the Gauntlet promo page for PINES is because he is writing an afterword for the book and is signing the lettered edition.