Episode 68: David Wong's John Dies at the End

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We Two Mikes rip off one more episode before the year's end. In it we get off a short n sweet discussion of David Wong's gonzo web novel made good. Read it now before the movie comes out.

It's Cocktail Time!

Soy Sauce

Pour yourself a shot of tequila and top it with a dash of soy sauce and a dash of Tabasco sauce. Shoot it in the head.

Special closing music: "Christmas with the Devil" by Spinal Tap

Episode 67: John Ajvide Lindqvist's Handling the Undead

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Excuse the previous posting of this episode. Something got horribly scrambled in the transfer from our computer to the Internet Archive, and the audio equivalent of Brundlefly emerged. This one should work better.

Join the Two Mikes as they handle the the hassles, horrors, and headaches of the undead, and deal with the consequences of unmourning. 

It's cocktail time!

Sköl Crusher

1 shot of good aquavit

1 shots good tequila

dash of Tabasco sauce

1/2 shot clam juice

Shake vigorously with crushed ice.

Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a skewer of lemon, shrimp, and pickled herring.

Special closing music: "The Cat Came Back" by Cisco  Houston

Episode 66 - The House of Lost Souls by F.G. Cottam

 

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Find the secret powers within -- or don't -- in The House of Lost Souls by F. G. Cottam.  The Two Mikes enter this gothic tale of witchcraft, ghosts, madness, and quiet lesbianism and come out with their sanity surprisingly intact.

COCKTAIL TIME !

Pandora's Box

1 Sugar Cube

1 shot good Gin

2 dashes Bitters

Ice cold Champagne

Take a fluted glass, place sugar cube in the bottom and splash with bitters.  Put in the gin and top with the champagne. 

Chin, chin.

End Music: Tam Lin, by the Fairport Convention - some song referenced in the book.  Look it up.

Episode 65: The Passage by Justin Cronin

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We read and rate and wrangle with Justin Cronin's looooooooooonnnng first book in a trilogy. We both like the book but spend the entire 'cast complaining about its shortcomings. But we LIKE the book; it's hard to explain. Just read it.

ps. We were both wrong: we missed TWO months this year. Shame on us.

It's Cocktail Time

Antivirus

•  2 shots vodka (not the good stuff)
• 1/2 shot Midori melon liqueur
• 1/4 Galliano

 Shake with ice and strain into martini glass. Top with a spritz of tonic (contains quinine).

Episode 64: 13 Bullets by David Wellington

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WARNING: Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa. The sound on this podcast is truly a horror. We did not know how much havoc the air conditioner would visit upon us. It was the hottest day of the year when we recorded and now we know. Please drink heartily before listening.

The Two Mike's take a shot at David Wellington's 13 Bullets. Are vampires unnatural if they actually exist in nature? Do we really need another lesbian cop in a horror novel? Is there anything left to be resurrected in the vampire genre? These questions and more will probably not be answered in this noise riddled episode.

There is also some bonus blathering about Ayn Rand novels and Mike invokes his powers of divination and makes a prediction about a Harry Potter reboot.

It IS Cocktail Time.

Coffin Juice

Double Strength Ginger Beer with/or add ginger bits.

2 shots good dark rum.

Get a tall glass loaded with ice, pour in the ginger beer and top off with rum. Garnish with an orange or lemon rind.

Closing music: I Was Born ( A Unicorn) by The Unicorns.

Episode 63: Daryl Gregory's Pandemonium

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The Mikes delight in Daryl Gregory's debut novel and are happy to get to talk about comic books, Jung, and Philip K. Dick. In the end we discover that when we agree about a book we're kinda boring.

It's Cocktail time.

Not a Manhattan

In a shaker combine:

• 2 shots vodka
• 1 shot dry sherry
• 4–5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• thimblefull of tomato juice

shake with ice, strain into martini glass, garnish with a cherry tomato

Closing Music: "I Think Up Demons" by Roky Erikson

Episode 62: Dean Vincent Carter's The Hand of the Devil

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Mike One and Mike Two apply a gallon of Deep Woods Off before they read Dean Vincent Carter's mosquito as monster tale, The Hand of the Devil. Eventually this 50-cent find will get a toss into the back-yard bug zapper and the Mike's will move onto the hope of better read next time.

Cocktail Time!

The Shirley Temple of Doom

Put rocks in a highball glass.

Two shots Pepper Vodka

Three shots Grenadine

Top off with Ginger Ale and stir.

Garnish with a red Thai Pepper and a cherry.

End Music: Nature's Mosquito - Home of The Hits- The Best of Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, Disc 1

Episode 61: Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle

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Finally finally finally reading this book, which has gathered dust on the table for years, the Two Mikes grapple with Shirley Jackson's late gothic tale of a confused girl, angry villagers, agoraphobia, and refined sugar. And preserves.


It's Cocktail Time!

Arsenic and Old Grand-Dad

In a rocks glass muddle berries and sugar. Add a bit of grapefruit peel and fill with ice. Pour in Old Grand-Dad whiskey.

closing music: "Jam Up and Jelly Tight" by Tommy Roe

Episode 60 : Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

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The Two Mikes are neither shaken or stirred by Cherie Priest's Boneshaker. The guys held out hope for the promise in its premise but in the end they preferred to be yellow-gased and thrown over the wall. Sorry.

It Is Cocktail Time

Yellow Sap

One shot Rye Whiskey

1/2 shot Galliano

Put in a rocks glass with ice and finish off with orange juice or even pineapple juice.

End Music: Wanda Jackson's Shak'in All Over

Episode 59: J. Knight's Risen

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The Two Mikes are joined in the studio by special guest Lori Lewis, heavy-metal operatic soprano with Therion. We resurrect a forgotten zombie-type novel suggested by loyal listener Emphyrio. We find much to mumble over in this episode (now with better sound, we hope).

Don't forget to comment on our closing question.


It's Cocktail Time!

The Gut Shot
In a shot glass crush 2 or 3 pomegranate seeds
Add a dash of bitters (of your choice) and a dribble of pomegranate syrup.
Top with Bulleit bourbon (get it? Bullit?)
Flame a lemon on it.
Shoot it.

closing music: "Rise" by Owsley