Book Review: Sex with Kings by Eleanor Herman One of the advantages of being a king is that the rules don’t apply to you the same way as they do to commoners. For centuries in Europe, this also extended to tolerance of extramarital affairs, to the point that many kings had maitresse-en-titre, the “official mistress.” This… Continue reading Book Review: Sex with Kings
Tag: adultery
Manga Review: Showa: A History of Japan 1953-1989
Manga Review: Showa: A History of Japan 1953-1989 by Shigeru Mizuki This is the final volume of Shigeru Mizuki’s history of Japan and his personal life during the Showa Era. It mixes events that affected the entire country with stories of his struggles as a man and an artist. As noted in the introduction by… Continue reading Manga Review: Showa: A History of Japan 1953-1989
Book Review: Penny Dreadfuls: Sensational Tales of Terror
Book Review: Penny Dreadfuls: Sensational Tales of Terror edited by Stefan Dziemianowicz While the term “penny dreadfuls” proper belongs to a particular type of inexpensive newsprint periodical, as explained in the introduction to this volume, the twenty stories chosen here can all be described as lowbrow sensationalist literature written for those seeking thrills in their… Continue reading Book Review: Penny Dreadfuls: Sensational Tales of Terror
Comic Book Review: Alexander Hamilton
Comic Book Review: Alexander Hamilton written by Jonathan Hennessey, art by Justin Greenwood. Alexander Hamilton (1757?-1804) was born in the West Indies, immigrated to the mainland American colonies in his teens, fought in the American Revolution, and served as the first Secretary of the Treasury under George Washington. He was killed in a duel with… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Alexander Hamilton
Book Review: A Feast for Crows
Book Review: A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin Note: This review will contain SPOILERS for the first three volumes in the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. If you have not read those, you may want to consult my reviews of those books instead. While war still ravages the land of Westeros, for… Continue reading Book Review: A Feast for Crows
Magazine Review: If May 1961
Magazine Review: If May 1961 managing editor Frederik Pohl If was a science fiction magazine that ran from 1952 to 1974. It was considered a “second tier” magazine due to frequently low sales, but that should not be confused with “second-rate.” By 1961, If had become a sister magazine to Galaxy, publishing in alternate months. Under editor… Continue reading Magazine Review: If May 1961
Book Review: The Rebels
Book Review: The Rebels by John Jakes Philip Kent, nee Phillipe Charboneau, would much rather be at home, caring for his pregnant wife Anne. But after he was forced to kill his murderous half-brother in self-defense, Philip has gone all in for the cause of the rebels against British rule. Thus it is that on June… Continue reading Book Review: The Rebels
Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, January 1977
Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, January 1977 edited by Ellery Queen Having enjoyed a recent issue of this magazine, I decided to root around for an older copy. This one was published in December 1976, but the cover date was a month ahead. Frederic Dannay (half of the “Ellery Queen” writing team) was still… Continue reading Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, January 1977
Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine July 2016
Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine July 2016 edited by Janet Hutchings Frederick Dannay, who along with Manfred B. Lee wrote the Ellery Queen mystery stories, was asked by Mercury Press to be the editor of a new magazine that would print a higher class of detective stories than the general run of pulps, with… Continue reading Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine July 2016
Book Review: A Memory This Size and Other Stories: The Caine Prize for African Writing 2013
Book Review: A Memory This Size and Other Stories: The Caine Prize for African Writing 2013 Introduction by Lizzy Attree The Caine Prize is awarded to a short story written by an African author (which primarily means one born in Africa–all the authors in this volume are from Sub-Saharan Africa), published in English in the… Continue reading Book Review: A Memory This Size and Other Stories: The Caine Prize for African Writing 2013