Book Review: Broken Blade

Book Review: Broken Blade by Kelly McCullough A few years back, Aral had it pretty good.  He was a Blade of Namara, the goddess of Justice, who meted out her punishment to the powerful wealthy and upper-class people who abused their position and oppressed those below them.  He even had a cool moniker, Aral Kingslayer,… Continue reading Book Review: Broken Blade

Book Review: The Lost Millennium | The Road to the Rim

Book Review: The Lost Millennium by Walt & Leigh Richmond | The Road to the Rim by A. Bertram Chandler It’s time, again, to review an Ace Double, one of those formats so dear to my youth that has since vanished. The Lost Millennium has as its frame story an engineer being approached by an archaeologist about his… Continue reading Book Review: The Lost Millennium | The Road to the Rim

Book Review: Code Name Verity

Book Review: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein In a Gestapo cell somewhere in Vichy France, a captured spy has been broken.  She writes a story telling of her secret mission, but in order to do that, she must first tell of the friendship between ATA pilot Maddie and SOE wireless operator Queenie.   The years… Continue reading Book Review: Code Name Verity

Book Review: The Inimitable Jeeves

Book Review: The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse Bertie Wooster may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, as he will sometimes admit.  But compared to some of his friends among the idle rich of England, Bertie’s a model of intellect and common sense.  For example, Bertie knows that keeping his valet Jeeves in… Continue reading Book Review: The Inimitable Jeeves

Book Review: Nine Strange Stories

Book Review: Nine Strange Stories edited by Betty N. Owen When I was a lad, one of the fun annual events I looked forward to was the Scholastic Book Fair.  Scholastic Publishing would send boxes of books around the country to schools so that kids could get the thrill of picking out their own low-cost… Continue reading Book Review: Nine Strange Stories

Book Review: Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney: Slavery, Secession and the President’s War Powers

Book Review: Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney: Slavery, Secession and the President’s War Powers by James E. Simon Those of us with a cursory knowledge of American history, like myself, have heard of the Dred Scott decision of 1857, in which Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney opined that the black man had no… Continue reading Book Review: Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney: Slavery, Secession and the President’s War Powers

Book Review: Stories from Everywhere

Book Review: Stories from Everywhere by various authors One of the joys of picking up random old books from Little Free Libraries, garage sales and discard bins is discovering rare volumes that have strayed far from their starting point.  In this case, it’s a Developmental Reader from the California school system printed in 1954.  A… Continue reading Book Review: Stories from Everywhere

Book Review: Fresh Eyes on Famous Bible Sayings

Book Review: Fresh Eyes on Famous Bible Sayings by Doug Newton Disclaimer:  I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway to facilitate the writing of this review.  No other compensation was offered or requested. One of the things about living in a “culturally Christian” nation like the United States is that a… Continue reading Book Review: Fresh Eyes on Famous Bible Sayings

Book Review: Secondhand Origin Stories

Book Review: Secondhand Origin Stories by Lee Blauersouth Opal’s father should have been a superhero, but he used his powers to protect a neighbor illegally and wound up in jail.  Ever since, Opal has kept her nose clean, excelling in school and decorum, in the hope of being licensed and redeeming the family name.  Now… Continue reading Book Review: Secondhand Origin Stories

Book Review: The Fourth Galaxy Reader

Book Review: The Fourth Galaxy Reader edited by H.L. Gold Galaxy Magazine had a decent run with a lot of good stories, so it’s not surprising that even this fourth collection of fifteen science fiction reprints from the 1950s has a strong selection.  (I recognized almost all of these!)  There’s an introduction which runs down inferior… Continue reading Book Review: The Fourth Galaxy Reader