Book Review: Tigerman by Nick Harkaway Disclaimer: I received an uncorrected proof of this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. Mancreu is dying. This island in the Arabian Sea was once a quiet backwater, last colonized by the British Empire. But a combination of industrial waste and volcanic… Continue reading Book Review: Tigerman
Month: July 2014
Movie Review: Woochi the Demon Slayer
Movie Review: Woochi the Demon Slayer Jeon Woo-chi likes to call himself a Tao master, but he’s more like a Tao apprentice who’s got lots of tricks, but not much real mastery, still relying on props to perform his magic. Woo-chi doesn’t take his studies very seriously either, wandering around 1500s Korea pranking the… Continue reading Movie Review: Woochi the Demon Slayer
Book Review: A Curious Man
Book Review: A Curious Man by Neal Thompson Disclaimer: I received this volume free from the Blogging for Books program, on the premise that I would write a review. This is a biography of Robert Ripley (nee LeRoy Robert Ripley), the cartoonist who created the Believe It or Not! feature. I was fascinated by the paperback… Continue reading Book Review: A Curious Man
Comic Book Review: The Shadow Hero
Comic Book Review: The Shadow Hero Story by Gene Luen Yang, Art by Sonny Liew It is the 1930s, and Hank Chu lives in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Incendio. He wants a simple, quiet life, working with his father in the family grocery store. Hank’s mother, on the other hand, has bigger plans. She’s… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Shadow Hero
TV Review: Martin Kane, Private Eye
TV Review: Martin Kane, Private Eye Martin Kane was a fairly standard private eye appearing on radio and television 1949-1951. He was played by four actors on TV, William Gargan, Lloyd Nolan, Lee Tracy and Mark Stevens, each with their own characterization, from mellow cynicism to outright rudeness. The most notable thing about the program… Continue reading TV Review: Martin Kane, Private Eye
Book Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook
Book Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook edited by Howard Hopkins One of the fun things about fan fiction is the “crossover.” That’s where two separate fictional worlds are combined in the same story, which is generally impossible in the source material. Having the Enterprise crew battle the Daleks, Sailor Moon teaming up with the Brady… Continue reading Book Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook
Book Review: Ditch the Pitch
Book Review: Ditch the Pitch by Steve Yastrow Disclaimer: I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. This book is subtitled “The Art of Improvised Persuasion”; it’s primarily aimed at salespeople, although the author mentions that the techniques can be used for any persuasive conversation. Most of the… Continue reading Book Review: Ditch the Pitch
Book Review: Consumed
Book Review: Consumed by David Cronenberg Disclaimer: I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. The copy I read was an uncorrected proof, and changes may be made in the final product. Naomi and Nathan are photojournalists, specializing in lurid crime and medical stories respectively. They’re what… Continue reading Book Review: Consumed
Manga Review: Ooku
Manga Review: Ooku by Fumi Yoshinaga In an alternate history version of Japan, disaster strikes during the reign of Shogun Iemitsu (circa 1630). A plague that becomes known as the “red-face pox” sweeps the islands, with a fatality rate of 80% among boys and young men. Within a couple of years, the gender imbalance among… Continue reading Manga Review: Ooku
TV Review: Lock-Up
TV Review: Lock-Up Lock-Up was a 1959-1961 crime drama loosely based on the files of real-life attorney Herbert L. Maris. Mr. Maris was played by Macdonald Carey, and John Doucette played police lieutenant Jim Weston, depicted as Maris’ best friend. Herbert Maris was actually a specialist in corporate law who sometimes championed people who’d been… Continue reading TV Review: Lock-Up