Book Review: Detectives Inc.

Book Review: Detectives Inc. by William Heyliger Dr. David Stone was once a police surgeon until he lost his sight. But he did not lose his keen mystery-solving instincts. Now he and his faithful seeing eye* dog Lady take on mysterious incidents in their New Jersey small town, aided by Dr. Stone’s young nephew Joe… Continue reading Book Review: Detectives Inc.

Book Review: Heller with a Gun

Book Review: Heller with a Gun by Louis L’Amour King Mabry has a reputation. Some of it’s earned. He indeed is a fearsome man when holding a gun, having killed eleven men “not counting Indians.” But he’s at pains to point out that those men were all armed and facing him at the time. Mabry’s… Continue reading Book Review: Heller with a Gun

Book Review: Swords for Charlemagne

Book Review: Swords for Charlemagne by Mario Pei For seven long years, brother knights Thierry and Huon of Anjou have served their liege lord Roland of Brittany in Emperor Charlemagne’s war to free Spain of Islamic rule. They are proud to have done their bit for chivalry and Christendom. Now, only one Moslem stronghold remains,… Continue reading Book Review: Swords for Charlemagne

Book Review: Our Man Flint

Book Review: Our Man Flint by Jack Pearl When the utopian organization Galaxy gains the ability to control the weather and threatens to take over the world, only one man has the necessary skills to take them down. Derek Flint, soldier of fortune, doctor, ballet dancer, lawyer, five time Olympic champion, master of the martial… Continue reading Book Review: Our Man Flint

Book Review: The Diamond Cave Mystery

Book Review: The Diamond Cave Mystery by Troy Nesbit Chuck Bennett’s father runs the Trading Post near Carlsbad, New Mexico, home of the famous Carlsbad Caverns. Being out in the sticks, Chuck doesn’t normally have kids his own age (fifteen) to hang out with, but this summer he’s joined by Hal Cassidy, son of oil… Continue reading Book Review: The Diamond Cave Mystery

Book Review: Beyond Human Ken

Book Review: Beyond Human Ken edited by Judith Merril This 1954 paperback anthology is a partial reprint of the 1952 hardback of the same title, choosing twelve stories of the original twenty-one and skipping the prefaces that were in that edition. The theme is non-human beings of various kinds, pulled primarily from the science fiction… Continue reading Book Review: Beyond Human Ken

Book Review: Ginger Rogers and the Riddle of the Scarlet Cloak

Book Review: Ginger Rogers and the Riddle of the Scarlet Cloak by Lela E. Rogers Ginger Rogers enjoys her work as a night shift switchboard operator at the Seaview Arms, a fancy hotel on the West Coast. She’s good at customer service, and the constant variety of guest requests keeps her on her toes. Some… Continue reading Book Review: Ginger Rogers and the Riddle of the Scarlet Cloak

Book Review: The Green Knight

Book Review: The Green Knight by Vera Chapman Most long-time readers will be familiar with the basics of the legend of the Green Knight. King Arthur is holding court in Camelot at Christmastide when a stranger dressed in/colored green appears. This Green Knight proposes a contest of blows. A champion of Camelot will strike at… Continue reading Book Review: The Green Knight

Book Review: If This Goes On

Gotta love this cover "old man yells at rocket."

Book Review: If This Goes On edited by Charles Nuetzel The “if this goes on” story is a staple of short science fiction. Pick a current trend like “women not wearing hats anymore” or “cat videos” and extend it out to an exaggerated conclusion. For example, the Robert Heinlein story of that name, which posits… Continue reading Book Review: If This Goes On

Book Review: The Last Victorians

Book Review: The Last Victorians by W. Sydney Robinson Much as we sometimes like to pretend otherwise, historical eras do not have clean breaks. Bits and pieces of the Roman Empire lasted well into the Middle Ages, most of us have met people who haven’t got the memo that it’s the Twenty-First Century now, and… Continue reading Book Review: The Last Victorians