Product Description: Moonstone Books is proud to present Tales of Zorro, a brand-new anthology featuring 18 tales of the fox - the first collection of original Zorro short fiction ever published! This landmark compilation, edited by Richard Dean Starr (Hellboy, Kolchak: The Night Stalker), includes all-new stories and essays by some of today's top writers in film and literature.
What a Treat! Hard to put it down. Johnston McCulley is a hard act to follow. As the Creator of El Zorro, he's the champ, the master. However, these authors of Tales of Zorro do a commendable job as keepers of the flame. This book is a real treat for any Zorro fan, whether you love Guy Williams, Duncan Regehr, or Antonio Banderas, among others, in the role. Seventeen all new stories about the adventures of Zorro are a mix of many versions from McCulley's written word to movies to Television, some written in such a graphic way you can easily imagine them as half hour TV shows much like Disney's Zorro. Some are more inventive than others, some with a unique point of view. While several are stand outs two in particular are exceptional: "Winds of Change" by Richard Dean Starr for suspense, creativity, understanding of the character, and the vernacular of McCulley, and "Colors Seen By Candlelight" by Peter David for imagination, action, romance, and a clever twist. The bold illustrations by the internationally renown Rubén Procopio are a wonderful added bonus. There is something here for every Zorro fan. If you love the character you will love Tales of Zorro.
Spellcheck does NOT check grammer! I have been a Zorro fan for a great many years, and was incredibly excited to hear of the release of this book, containing some of the first Zorro stories in many years. I jumped at the opportunity to order it, and as soon as I picked up my copy, began reading with great anticipation.
Sadly, however, I found my interest dropping off very quickly after finding numerous gramatical errors which took my attention away from the content of the stories. It is quite clear that the editors used a Spell Checker function on their computers when putting the book together, however no one seems to have bothered to check grammer.
I can understand one or two errors, which can be found in most every book on the market, however, by the time I got to the half way point in this book there were well over 50 such errors including places where words are repeated, left out, incorrectly used, and, worst of all, an incident where an entire sentence is reversed!!!!
Upon brining this up to the publisher via email I was promptly informed that the book "had been editted many times" and they were "very proud of the volume". Basically, my concern was brushed off.
Content wise, the stories that I was able to read were strong, and, as a Zorro fan, brought the hero back to some glory. Sadly, I only read half the book, as the constant errors were too hard for me to get past, and continually took away from the content. My 2 star rating is only here because the artwork inside is excellent, and the character is portrayed, for the most part, in a very true-to-his-roots form.
I love this collection! What a fantastic book! I love the whole package, from the Guy Williams, Jr. intro to the stories to the fantastic illustrations by Ruben Procopio- this is one thrilling rollercoaster ride!
First of all, the book looks beautiful - I have the TPB, but I need to get the hardcover. I love the anthology format(and really enjoyed Moonstone's recent Phantom book book as well). The illustrations throughout and "Z" chapter dividers just reinforce the fun. I wish there were more Procopio illustrations in there, like with the recent REH books from another publisher. The first story I read was by newcomer Jeanne Schamberger and it really set the tone for everything I want in a Zorro story: the familar cast, some sneaky quick-changes, a clever premise and something new- in this case; pirates! The author even made some allusions to both classic Zorro and the Allende story too - and made them work. The "Winds of Change" is brilliant tale as well. It combines a thoughtful concept with crisp, brilliant story-telling. Kudo's to Richard Dean Starr and Moonstone for assembling such a great scope of authors..all my favorites are here: Peter David, Loren Estleman, Max Allan Collins, Bob Greenberger - -wow! Christmas came early this year!
I'm giving it an A+ and can't wait for the sequel!
Tales of Zorro...Great "The Fox" has been around a lonnng time. The "Curse of Capistrano" introduced the world to Zorro. Johnston McCulley penned the legendary tale in 1918, and it took little time for Hollywood (Douglass Fairbanks) to bring him to the silent screen as the 2nd `hero' taken from popular media. (Tarzan was the first in 1918).
From that time forward, Zorro has always been in the public eye. Don Diego de La Vega has appeared in pulp magazines (McCulley), comic books (Disney, Dell, Dynamite, Gold Key, Marvel), paperbacks and hardcovers, TV (Disney, New World, new series, Filmation), and the BIG screen. Costumes, statues, and hundred s of licensed goods have borne the Zorro name. When once McCulley owned the character, Disney, then now Zorro Productions under the watchful eye of Sandra Curtis and John Gertz have been faithful guardians.
Today, Moonstone Books is the proud publisher of Zorro fiction while Dynamite publishes the Wagner/Francovilla comic book. Tales was a labor of love, and the results speak for themselves.
Sculptor Ruben Procopio supplied inspired artwork for the interior of the book while Doug Klauba and Martinez supplied excellent covers. The book includes 17 NEW pieces of fiction by writers such as Peter David, Jeff Marriotte, Robin Wayne Bailey, Greg Cox, Nancy Holdner, Elizabeth Massie, Jan Adkins, Loren Estelman, Ed Gorman, and Max Allan Collins. The book is fantastic. Each author interprets Zorro a slightly different way, yet each story could be a TV episode unto itself.
Fans of heroic fiction will love this book. All ages will appreciate the talent and obvious love for the character. Moonstone Books is to be congratulated on this historical volume!
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Allende's version of Zorro dominates here I thought with so many authors I would be getting different versions of Zorro. From Guy Williams, Duncan Regehr to Antonio Banderas, but the authors seemed to have created a time line which takes a lot form Isabel Allende's story. I'm a Zorro fan that didn't care for Allende's version and decided not to read the second half of the stories from the book for this reason, and I felt that Allende's version was being pushed on me. I did enjoy the stories I did read and liked the writers' style better than Allende's. If you do like Allende's version of Zorro, I recommended this book, and even if you are not give it a try.
I heard that there should be another volume and I do hope that a different approach is taken where Allende's version isn't the dominate version. I hope they leave the time line up to the individual author, and realize that not all Zorro fans are Allende's fans and in the end the fans are the ones that decided what version they want the most.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
