The 'Alex Lee Martinez Collection' consists of the following:
Black Magic and Silver Bullets
A fantasy detective story starring a goblin detective.
Published as an online novella.
Nigh Omnipotent
A fantasy story about a lazy god who has to save the universe from collapsing when
his more traditional brother (and creator of the universe) dies.
Gil's All Fright Diner
Something Evil (that's with a capital E) is stalking Gil's All Night Diner in
Martinez's terrific debut, a comic horror-fantasy novel. Heading the delightfully
eccentric cast are buddies Earl (aka the Earl of Vampires) and Duke (aka the Duke
of Werewolves), who are looking for a place to eat as they drive through Rockwood,
a small desert community besieged by cosmically weird stuff. Soon after stopping
at Gil's Diner, the pair help Loretta, the formidable owner-operator, fend off
a zombie attack. Determined to do the right thing, the two supernatural misfits
take on further challenges, such as trying to prevent Tammy (aka Mistress Lilith,
Queen of the Night) and her loyal but dumb boyfriend, Chad, from ending the world.
The fast-paced plot is full of memorable incidents (e.g., a ghost and a vampire
fall in love; a Magic 8-Ball becomes a message vehicle for trapped spirits) and
such wonderful observations as "this whole undead stuff sounds good on paper, but
it ain't all it's cracked up to be.".
In the Company of Ogres
Never Dead Ned is an accountant whose only talent is self-resurrection. Chosen to
lead the notorious Ogre Company, Ned ingratiates himself by dying before the senior
officers can finish conspiring to kill him, and comes back to life just in time to
be caught up in a battle with Rucka, the world's most powerful demon.
A Nameless Witch
The nameless witch is the victim of a family curse that was supposed to make her
hideous and undead. The undead part took, but she is otherwise quite lovely. A witch
she calls Ghastly Edna buys her from her parents and trains her in all the witchy
arts, including how to dress so that people see the hideous hag they expect a witch
to be. When inhuman agents of a mysterious force attack Ghastly Edna, before she
expires she tells the nameless witch she has two choices: live a long, peaceful life,
or pursue revenge and possible doom, though happiness might instead be the outcome.
Of course, the nameless witch chooses revenge. With her demonic duck familiar and
a troll met en route, she travels to a town where she provides useful services until
a gobling [sic] army attacks. She resumes her quest, with White Knight Wyst of the
West added to her company.
The Automatic Detective
A delightful, fast-paced mishmash of SF and hard-boiled detective story. Mack Megaton
drives a cab in the mutant-infested technotopia of Empire City. It's a step down for
a massive killing machine created for world domination, but kindhearted Megaton has
bucked his programming, and when his secretive neighbors, the Bleakers, go missing,
he begins a search. Young Holt Bleaker has something in his mutant blood that makes
him valuable to aliens poised to invade Empire City, and only a giant robot.a robot
like Mack Megaton.can break him out of the fortress where he's held prisoner. Soon
plans go awry when sinister psychic Grey subverts Megaton's programming, but he finds
an unlikely ally in Lucia Napier, an outrageously beautiful and talented media star
and roboticist.
Too Many Curses
A fantasy with his trademark weird beings and sets it in the mysterious castle of
powerful, cruel wizard Margle the Horrendous. Margle's kobold housekeeper, Nessy,
who likes order but wants excitement, spends most of her time in the company of
curse-transformed wizards and heroes, such as skeletal kitchen slave Decapitated Dan,
invisible Echo and Margle's powerful brother, Yazpib, now only a collection of body
parts in a jar. When Margle ends up the victim of one of his own spells, Nessy and
friends try to reverse their curses while battling the intrusion of evil wizardess
Tiama the Scarred. Nifty ideas like a soul-extractor and the Sword in the Cabbage
never quite go anywhere, and though Nessy makes a capable heroine, events move only
when Tiama is around as a foil.
Monster
This fantasy pokes at big-picture questions, like the nature of the universe and the
meaning of life, with abundant, zany humor in this charming tale. Monster, who works
in cryptobiological containment, first encounters Judy when he rescues her from a yeti
that's trashing the frozen foods aisle of the Food Plus Mart. They meet again when
trolls infest her apartment. As an incognizant.someone whose mind can't acknowledge
magic.Judy soon forgets the bizarre events, but Monster suspects she's somehow involved
with the recent uptick in dangerous cryptobiological happenings. When Lotus, keeper of
a stone mysteriously linked to Judy, spirits Judy away, Monster attempts to come to her
rescue, only to discover that he's in way over his head.
Divine Misfortune
A story of gods and mortals - in worship, in love, and at parties.
Teri and Phil had never needed their own personal god. But when Phil is passed up for
a promotion - again-it's time to take matters into their own hands. And look online.
Choosing a god isn't as simple as you would think. There are too many choices; and they
often have very hefty prices for their eternal devotion: blood, money, sacrifices, and
vows of chastity. But then they found Luka, raccoon god of prosperity. All he wants is
a small cut of their good fortune. Oh - and can he crash on their couch for a few days?
Throw in a heartbroken love goddess and an ancient deity bent on revenge and not even
the gods can save Teri and Phil.
The Innsmouth Nook (published in Death's Excellent Vacation Anthology)
The story is an original ode to Lovecraft.
When Philip and Vance open a bed and breakfast in a dreary New England village, it
does not become the vacation hotspot that they had hoped for, and the insular locals are
closemouthed and unhelpful.
As far as I know the only thing missing is a three-part short story called "The Cranky
Dead". This was published on A. Lee Martinez'website, but unfortunately it's gone. If
anyone knows where to find it, please let me know. Or beter yet, upload it.
Download File Size:4.48 MB
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