Böcker av Tony Simmons

June 1936: As the citizens of Paris watched, the airship Shadow dissolved in a ball of fire-and the world mourned the deaths of Capt. Gideon Argo and his loyal crew, The Flying Zombies. In the hours following the disaster, friends of the heroic adventurers gathered to investigate: Dorian Drood, special agent for Black 23; British Lord Terry Blackpoole, who first met Argo in the jungles of darkest Africa; and Montgomery Carson, whose dark power was brought under control among the "Shadows of Shambhala." August 1984: Zombie medic "Doc" Riley, lost in time, wanders the ruined landscape of post-apocalypse London, seeking escape from the mutated creatures populating Hunger City. Can the magick that brought him here return him to the past in time to warn his crewmates and save them from their fiery fate? Meanwhile, back in 1936: An old enemy sets a plan in motion to take over the British government and make a first strike on Germany with the arcane artifacts hoarded in the Black 23 Archive. ... Something hungry stalks the London Underground near Hobb's End Station. ... Dorian Drood's wife, Constance, must protect her children from a murderous home invasion. ... Spectres of the dead haunt a man who has lost too many friends. ... And Glamis Castle is under seige, the royal family taken hostage. But who is left to save the world from a second global war - or, failing that, to rescue one solitary life - and continue the mission of Capt. Argo and his crew? Fear not, dear reader, and recall the motto: "ZOMBIES FIGHT ON!"

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS... Years have passed since Tom Caliban took over his family's cartel; since Jacob Morgan Magus became the latest Merlyn; since Leira Moss said goodbye. Now, an empty grave in Junction, Alabama bears Tom's name, while a shriveled old man in a Florida nursing home raves of souleaters and claims he's the late Tom Caliban. Meanwhile, freelance exorcists Dominic Ashwood and Mia Jackal arrive in New Orleans at the behest of Mama Loa, a voodoo priestess, where they find the hollow corpse of a child in a landfill; vampires prey upon tourists in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1; a skinwalker shifts from body to body; and a Category Five hurricane bears down upon the Big Easy. Into this maelstrom ventures Tom Caliban-alone, drained of power and life force, his memories missing, and a Burrower demon lurking in his soul, ready to spawn when the hurricane strikes. With Dominic a captive of the skinwalker, the only way to defeat the dangers that rise against them is for Mia to journey into Tom's dreamspace to help him combat the Burrower as he fights to recall how and why he was betrayed and left for dead by those who were closest to him. THE CALIBAN CYCLE continues with this latest adventure through memory and loss. This volume includes the short story, "REAP THE WHIRLWIND," a tale of the vampire Calvin Bannister, as well as a conversation between fellow authors about crossing over their characters in a shared universe.

At the dawn of the 21st century, the residents of Century, Fla., prepare for their centennial celebration. There's a parade to plan, a murder to plot, a marriage to save and one to let go. Here, universes revolve around a smalltown Lolita, a high school teacher sees possible futures, a Piggly Wiggly meat cutter tries to please his Vegan wife. Secrets will out, and nothing will be the same. "Tony has his fingers all over the pulse of Florida funk - probably a blessing and a curse for him - but always a delight to readers of this state's fiction." - Tim Dorsey (Florida Roadkill)

This eclectic collection of stories, poems, flash fictions, character studies, experiments - and stranger things - resulted from the author's personal challenge to write every day for a year, a challenge born of the pain of loss, a struggle to drag himself out of the darkness after the deaths of loved ones. Here are ghost stories; the tales of weird items found in the Museum of Alternate Histories; "what if?" stories and "why not?" stories; gothic poetry and humorous haiku. Here walk aliens, devils, bank robbers, widows, dreamers, vampires, and Beat-generation zombie fighters. Here are ruminations upon the human spirit and extrapolations of where technology may propel human desires.

How do we make sense of the rise of political strongmen like Trump and Erdogan, or the increase in hate crimes and terrorism? How can we understand Brexit and xenophobic, anti-immigrant sentiments and policies? More importantly, what can we do to make it all stop?

Dazed and Raving in the Undercurrents is more than a collection of award-winning work by columnist and news editor Tony Simmons. It is also the story of a life -- the journey of a writer, a husband, a father, a human being -- filled with the quiet moments, slapstick comedy, and devastating catastrophes that make up such a journey.For the better part of ten years, Simmons has commented upon life in the unique environs of the Florida Panhandle while delving into universal themes of love, loss, discovery, and hope. This selection of his columns from The News Herald is a career-spanning retrospective that runs the gamut from the absurd to the sublime. News Herald readers have described the work as "lovely" and "poignant," "powerful and heartfelt." Simmons has "a unique way of writing that makes me stop and think," they have said, and "a rare talent and a heart that will help and inspire many." (Perhaps the author's all-time favorite comment from a reader: "Sometimes you take my breath away.") Join those who have joined Tony Simmons on his journey. And go in peace.