Aug 12, 2024 | book review, Book Reviews, fine press, Mickey7, Phantasia Press, sci-fi, science fiction, SFF, Signed Limited, small press, Spoiler-Free
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton: historic Phantasia Press relaunch, as the first fine press dedicated entirely to Sci-Fi-Fantasy returns in the 21st Century with a resounding BOOM and a limited edition classic.
Science-fiction is often fun, but it is rarely so fun as to keep you laughing and clenching your stomach muscles as Mickey7 tries not to die.
Mickey is the only Expendable, a disposable employee that uses a synthetic copy of his body, on the entire human colonization mission to terraform the ice world Niflheim – and yes, there are giant bug-like alien neighbors that have not been thoroughly researched just yet.
Ashton brings a stark amount of humanity – wit and wry humor – to the character Mickey.
And that sense of the human quality is vital, because Mickey7 learns that his seven-time downloaded memories can inhabit not just one Expendable body at a time, but two.
Does he have two souls now? Or no soul? Or is he just a carbon copy of a soul, loosely downloaded and distributed on a barren rock of a planet?
I am reminded of two great authors when reading this novel: Robert Heinlein, especially Starship Troopers, and Joe Haldeman.
“Apparently three hours of training lectures aren’t enough to overcome a billion years of ingrained instinct for self-preservation.” ― Edward Ashton, Mickey7
If you like your sci-fi cooked well done with marbled laughs and a side of action and suspense, then Mickey7 will be very appetizing on the plate atop your tbr.
And if you want to hold the very embodiment of science fiction in your hands, then look no further than the Phantasia Press signed and numbered limited edition.
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, illustrated by Barclay Shaw from Phantasia Press.
Deep space colonization, interstellar ships, and then . . . shimmering on the never-before-seen distant horizon of an alien world is . . . a bright silvery-white, preternatural book.
From out of the legends of the twentieth century and the epic limited editions featuring the likes of Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Stephen King, Phantasia Press stands tall as a jet black monolith and returns to us, readers, of the 21st Century earth!
The numbered limited edition of Mickey7 glitters and glints in light as the hot foil stamping and Metallium paper look and feel astounding in the hand.
Pictures do not do this book justice.
Every facet of the Phantasia Press Mickey7 highlights an extraordinary attention to detail that truly captures the soul of the story.
From the scintillating binding and slipcase, to the hexagon textured end-sheets, the previous iterations of Mickey6 and Mickey5 on the cover, and the great illustrations of Barclay Shaw, this book is an epic offering from the one and only Phantasia Press.
And there are a few copies left for sale at, of course, $177.77 USD here.
“Mickey7 by Edward Ashton: Historic Phantasia Press Relaunch” Was Written By R.J. Huneke.
Sep 17, 2021 | ANNOUNCEMENT SCHEDULE, Earthling Publications, fine press, Hard Case Crime, News, small press, Suntup Editions, TFF & RW Book Case NEWS
Final Quarter Announcement Schedule For The Forgotten Fiction: here it is folks, news, news, and all the fun coming to TFF to close out the year with a BANG!
For those of you wondering, there are many new writers coming on for guest posts, including authors like Tom Deady, and more book reviews are coming.
Everything got hung up again in the last two months with not one, but two Covid scares for my toddler.
She did not get it, but it wreaked havoc for quite a while and her daycare was shut down for two weeks, twice, and we were quarantined, limiting my own working hours to her sleeping hours, and that affected both the volume of reviews and the output of the Rune Works Wood Shop.
All of that has now passed: a bevy of projects are being polished up and packed and mailed!
I am so happy to be working a lot again, though I did enjoy having a lot more time with my daughter – the kid is amazing.
Housekeeping out of the way, prepare yourselves for many new incredible books that will be in Preview Reviews, like Boys In The Valley by Philip Fracassi – this is Earthling Publications Halloween Book Of The Year – and Josh Malerman’s Ghoul N’ the Cape, and then so many contemporary and classic book reviews too.
Gwendy’s Button Box S/L will likely by my first SST Publications review, though Bird Box may leapfrog it.
My many editions of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, from a signed first edition to Suntup’s marvelous numbered edition will be reviewed along with the story, my second favorite of all time.
Asimov will get his own page for The End Of Eternity, the S/L from of Robots of Dawn from Phantasia Press, and of course, Foundation and more robot tales.
Philip K. Dick will also be here with a page constantly adding reviews starting with the new Centipede Press boxed set and a gorgeous limited of The Cosmic Puppets, as well as many, many more novels from all eras.
Five Decembers by James Kestrel from Hard Case Crime is going to be grand, as well as more Crichton, some Lawrence Block, and Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka, and of course Cline’s Ready Player One and Ready Player Two (I have a surprise to show you for these)!
There are so many more in the works, as well, and to get a feel for what you the Eager Readers want, I am devising a poll to be sent out to all on our email list.
The TFF-inspired fiction-based Rune Works Wood Shop is revealing some new products that clients have ordered.
There are new crazy designs for book traycases, coffee table display cases for LEGO builds, custom limited edition bookends and even Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer 40K Partitions and Player Dungeons Boxes, complete with a Dice Vault and Storage Tray and a compartment for a pencil, pad or tablet.
So many great things are coming!
TFF will be showing off its first comic book cases at the Rune Works booth at New York Comic Con in October too!
More news on that and the END OF THE YEAR CRAZY giveaway contest is going to be leaked soon . . . stay tuned!
Final Quarter Announcement Schedule:
- Tuesday Sept. 28 the next contest and prizes are announced
- Tuesday Oct. 5 @ 1pm EST is the LIVESTREAM event and giveaway!
- Wednesday Oct. 27 the next contest and prizes are announced
- Tuesday Nov. 9 @ 1pm EST is the LIVESTREAM event and giveaway!
- Friday Dec. 10 the next contest and prizes are announced
- Tuesday Dec. 21 @ 1pm EST is the LIVESTREAM event and giveaway!
CRAZY End of year LIVEstream will be on Dec 21, 2021! There will be books for international fans, there will be at least one custom Rune Works book case being given away and a TON of other surprises! Stay tuned for more info on this!
All the best to you,
~R.J.H.
