Book Review: Ginny Gordon and the Broadcast Mystery

Book Review: Ginny Gordon and the Broadcast Mystery by Julie Campbell Virginia “Ginny” Gordon is a 14-year-old high schooler in Harristown, a suburb in Westchester County, New York. She belongs to a club called the Hustlers, who start various business ventures and pass them on when they become successes. The other members are 15-year-old John… Continue reading Book Review: Ginny Gordon and the Broadcast Mystery

Book Review: A Night to Remember

Book Review: A Night to Remember by Walter Lord Time and place: 11:40 PM, April 14, 1912, aboard the passenger liner Titanic in the North Atlantic. Lookout Frederick Fleet spots an iceberg dead ahead. The ship turns to avoid this hazard, but it’s too late. A hole is ripped in the ship’s side below the… Continue reading Book Review: A Night to Remember

Book Review: Star Bridge

Book Review: Star Bridge by Jack Williamson and James E. Gunn It is considerable time into the future, and humanity has gone to the stars. At first they crawled out and scattered, because the lightspeed limit meant it took forever to get anywhere interesting and there was no way to establish meaningful ties between worlds.… Continue reading Book Review: Star Bridge

Book Review: Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women Volume 2 (1953-1957)

Cover by Frank Kelly Freas--not illustrating any of the stories in this volume.

Book Review: Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women Volume 2 (1953-1957) edited by Gideon Marcus As the introduction by Janice L. Newman points out, women have written science fiction all along. The percentage of them getting published at any given time in the magazines and books waxed and waned, but they were always there. In the… Continue reading Book Review: Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women Volume 2 (1953-1957)

Book Review: Mazes and Labyrinths

Book Review: Mazes and Labyrinths by W.H. Matthews Humans have long been fascinated by structures that pack the maximum amount of path in a small space, and those that create a puzzle to move through to find a center or exit. This 1922 book was the first major work in English to take a thorough… Continue reading Book Review: Mazes and Labyrinths

Book Review: Flash Evans Camera News Hawk

Book Review: Flash Evans Camera News Hawk by Frank Bell Seventeen-year-old Jimmy “Flash” Evans is an ace photographer for the Brandale Ledger, his home town’s only daily newspaper. His new steady income has been a blessing to his family since his father died during the Depression. In fact, the Ledger’s management has been so impressed… Continue reading Book Review: Flash Evans Camera News Hawk

Book Review: The Pocket Book of Adventure Stories

Book Review: The Pocket Book of Adventure Stories edited by Philip Van Doren Stern In his introduction, the editor talks about the thrill of adventure stories, how often they are churned out as cheap entertainment, and that he has selected twelve really good ones for the reader. This 1945 book was designed to be easily… Continue reading Book Review: The Pocket Book of Adventure Stories

Book Review: Pilgrims with Blades A01: Pressed into Service

Book Review: Pilgrims with Blades A01: Pressed Into Service by Douglas Van Dyke Jr. The city-state of Kashmer, in the realm of Dhea Loral, has a problem. One of its nobles has been captured by orcs, and the ransom asked is ludicrous. It’s actually cheaper to mobilize the military; while the army attacks from one… Continue reading Book Review: Pilgrims with Blades A01: Pressed into Service

Book Review: Dead Men’s Plans

Book Review: Dead Men’s Plans by Mignon G. Eberhart Sewal Blake is the stepdaughter of Julius Minary, the child of his first wife. Only a few years into their marriage, Sewal’s mother died, and Julius almost immediately remarried. She bore him a daughter, Amy, and a son, Reg, before passing away herself. Bereft and knowing… Continue reading Book Review: Dead Men’s Plans

Book Review: Among Others

Book Review: Among Others by Jo Walton It is 1979, and Morwenna Phelps is no longer blessed with a living twin. The same accident shattered her hip and leg so that she cannot run or dance, or even exist without pain. Her beloved grandfather had a stroke, and cannot care for her, and her mother… Continue reading Book Review: Among Others