Bolan

The first book in the classic vigilante action series from a “writer who spawned a genre” (The New York Times). Overseas, Mack Bolan was dubbed “Sgt. Mercy” for the compassion he showed the innocent. On the home front, they’re calling him the Executioner for what he’s doing to the guilty. In the jungles of Southeast Asia, American sniper Mack Bolan honed his skills. After twelve years, with ninety-five confirmed hits, he returns home to Massachusetts. But it’s not to reunite with his family, it’s to bury them—victims in a mass murder/suicide. Even though Bolan’s own father pulled the trigger, he knows the old man was no killer. He was driven to madness by Mafia thugs who have turned his idyllic hometown into a new kind of war zone. Duty calls . . . Introducing an action hero “who would make Jack Reacher think twice,” this is the first book in the iconic series of vigilante justice that has become a publishing phenomenon (Empireonline.com). With more than two hundred million Executioner books sold since its debut, the series continues to stimulate. Gerry Conway, cocreator of Marvel Comics’ The Punisher, credits the Executioner as “my inspiration . . . that’s what gave me the idea for the lone, slightly psychotic avenger.” The series is also now in development as a major motion picture. War Against the Mafia is the 1st book in the Executioner series, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Forty years after his tragic death, this homage to Marc Bolan pays tribute to one of the pioneers of the glam rock movement. Marc Bolan was the wizard who brought magic to rock music - his heart beat to the rhythm of rock. Moving from early folk influences and songs on the mythology of Tolkien, he transformed himself into a unique, sparkling and effervescent glam-rock icon. His boogie roots combined with Marc's own natural glitter dust, and propelled him forward on an adventure, with fortunes that were to ebb and flow over a decade. His diamond-studded halo was extinguished on 16 September 1977, at a time when his music was in the ascendancy. The annals of history are strewn with stories of artists who passed away in shocking circumstances of those that died too young, from substance abuse, mysterious illnesses or even murder. Sometimes, the shock of their passing immediately elevates their standing in cultural memory and cements their work in a favourable light. Marc Bolan died at twenty-nine years of age, in a tragic car crash - an accident that could have been avoided. However, it took many years for people to start appreciating what Marc Bolan brought to a rock music scene in the early seventies which had stagnated in some corners after the explosion of creativity in the sixties. Yet, gradually, acclaim has grown for how he enriched the period, bringing colour and humour to an increasingly leaden genre. Much like Hendrix before him, and Cobain after him, his natural charisma and striking beauty have underpinned his status as a dreamlike bard, an enigmatic pin-up whom boys wished they looked like and girls wished they were with. Yet it was his scorching talent as a performer and songwriter which have formed the bedrock for longevity as a legend. Including rare and unpublished photographs, and works of Marc's own poetry, this book is put together by a true, original fan - one who followed Marc Bolan on tour, who bought every piece of vinyl he released and who was fortunate enough to have made Marc's acquaintance during the peak of his career. Published forty years on from Bolan's death, Beautiful Dreamer is unashamedly a book of love, a book that every Marc Bolan fan will identify with, because it paints a picture of the man that the fans idolised, worshipped and continue to cherish to this day.

Marc Bolan was the very first superstar of the 1970s. As the seductive focus of T. Rex he revelled in fame and fortune, released a string of classic records before tragically losing his way. The fatal car accident in 1977 cut short his planned comeback as a punk rocker, but also served to fix Bolan as the definitive icon of the Glam years. Bolan's music and chameleonic style were to influence a generation of future bands. In his various guises he could be a beatnik, a mod, a punk, a hippie and a Glam hero. This biography of a pop obsessive draws from interviews with many friends and colleagues including broadcaster John Peel, brother Harry and band members Mickey Finn and Bill Legend.

Winner of the HarperCollins/UBC Prize for Best New Fiction Not yet fifteen, Gabriela Amador Prieto has been cast out of the family home by her father, who believes her shameful behaviour has tarnished the family honour. All traces of her have been removed, and not even Lucy, Gabi’s older sister and best friend, knows where she is. Furious at her father and desperate to find her sister, Lucy leaves their small town in Baja California, Mexico, and sets out for the capital to track Gabriela down. While Lucy ventures deep into Mexico City’s most dangerous neighbourhoods, back at home her family members—her brothers, her mother and father, and her brother-in-law, Antonio—struggle with their own roles in Gabi’s banishment. The Good Sister presents a vibrant, captivating portrayal of contemporary Mexico, and of a family torn apart by a father’s hypocrisy. Engaging and emotionally rich, this novel is a fascinating exploration of betrayal and steadfast devotion, and the ways in which our own intolerance can harm what—and whom—we love most.

From mod folk artist to flower power pixie elfin to the king of glam rockers, Marc Bolan was the ultimate chameleon. His far-reaching musical and stylistic influence is more relevant today than ever with hits such as 'Ride A White Swan', 'Children Of The Revolution', 'Get It On' and 'Hot Love' as fresh and exhilarating as when first released. At the peak of his popularity during his lifetime Bolan was outselling Jimi Hendrix and The Who, and yet relatively little is really known about the hypnotic, enigmatic 20th century boy turned 21st century icon. At last, in the 35th anniversary year of his tragic death, Marc Bolan represents the definite biography. Here rock biographer, Lesley-Ann Jones, paints a meticulous portrait of the T-Rex front man. From his childhood growing up in Hackney to his untimely death at the age of 29, Bolan's life was one of relentless experimentation and metamorphoses. Hallucinogenic drugs, wizardry and levitation, alcoholism, tax evasion and a spectacular fall from grace were to punctuate his short life, as he continued to strive to reinvent himself and his music over and over again. Lesley-Ann has been granted access to those who knew Bolan best, including his partner and the mother of his only son, Gloria Jones and his brother, Harry Feld.

Roland knows more about Bolan than any other living being, (Tom Hibbert, New Music News) Marc Bolan was the biggest pop star in post-Beatles Britain and in 1972 the Beatles acknowledged Bolan and his group T.Rex as their natural successor. His singles outsold the combined sales of Jimi Hendrix and The Who. But just when Bolan was at the summit of his success it all went sour. This is the incredible story of Marc Bolan's rollercoaster rise to fame and his resurrection as the selfstyled 'Godfather of Punk' that promised to put him back on top until the fatal accident in 1977 which cut short his life and hopes of a comeback - an accident mysteriously accurately predicted by Bolan himself. Paul Roland chronicles the life and music of the vibrato-voiced glam rock idol and 20th century boy who created some of the most instantly appealing and enduring songs of the 70s - 'Ride A White Swan', ''Hot Love', 'Get It On', 'Telegram Sam', 'Children of the Revolution' and 'Solid Gold Easy Action' - in what appears to have been a fevered rush to cheat Fate. Cosmic Dancer is a truly definitive account of one of the most colourful and contradictory characters in rock, and features a cover by the renowned artist George Underwood and is illustrated with many rare and previously unpublished photographs. This is going to be my year Everybody remembers Rudolph Valentino and I am determined that everybody will remember me. (Marc Bolan 1977) I never had any competition except from Marc Bolan I fought like a madman to beat him. (David Bowie) Sometimes I get a funny feeling inside me that I shan't be here very long and I'm not talking in terms of things like success. It frightens me sometimes. (Marc Bolan 1971) I am my fantasy. I am the 'Cosmic Dancer' who dances his way out of the womb and into the tombI'm just a rock and roll poet man who's just bopping around on the side I've always been a wriggler. (Bolan 1971)

While the Executioner targets Philly, the government lays a trap The war in Philadelphia starts in the back of a Mafia-owned garage when a man in combat gear turns his machine pistol on five small-time loan sharks. They don’t even have time to react before Mack Bolan guns them down, in full view of a customer and a mechanic. Before the Executioner departs, he tells the survivors to give the local don a message: It’s over. But the battle for Philadelphia is just beginning. Bolan’s war against organized crime has brought chaos to cities across the country, and while countless local cops may sympathize with his motives, the federal government has no patience for vigilantes. When Bolan surfaces in Philadelphia, the feds go after him like never before. Since his war began, Mack Bolan has kept his pledge never to kill an honest cop. Before he can escape the city of brotherly love, a federal dragnet will put the Executioner to the test. Panic in Philly is the 15th book in the Executioner series, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

This book is the first to explore style and spectacle in glam popular music performance from the 1970s to the present day, and from an international perspective. Focus is given to a number of representative artists, bands, and movements, as well as national, regional, and cultural contexts from around the globe. Approaching glam music performance and style broadly, and using the glam/glitter rock genre of the early 1970s as a foundation for case studies and comparisons, the volume engages with subjects that help in defining the glam phenomenon in its many manifestations and contexts. Glam rock, in its original, term-defining inception, had its birth in the UK in 1970/71, and featured at its forefront acts such as David Bowie, T. Rex, Slade, and Roxy Music. Termed "glitter rock" in the US, stateside artists included Alice Cooper, Suzi Quatro, The New York Dolls, and Kiss. In a global context, glam is represented in many other cultures, where the influences of early glam rock can be seen clearly. In this book, glam exists at the intersections of glam rock and other styles (e.g., punk, metal, disco, goth). Its performers are characterized by their flamboyant and theatrical appearance (clothes, costumes, makeup, hairstyles), they often challenge gender stereotypes and sexuality (androgyny), and they create spectacle in popular music performance, fandom, and fashion. The essays in this collection comprise theoretically-informed contributions that address the diversity of the world’s popular music via artists, bands, and movements, with special attention given to the ways glam has been influential not only as a music genre, but also in fashion, design, and other visual culture.