Book Review: The Best of Analog edited by Ben Bova After the death of long-time editor John W. Campbell in 1971, Analog Science Fiction and Fact needed a new person at the helm. The winner of the selection process was Ben Bova (1932-2020), who intended to stay only a few years, those years winding up… Continue reading Book Review: The Best of Analog
Tag: bridges
Book Review: Branded West
Book Review: Branded West edited by Don Ward The Western Writers of America were founded in 1953 to promote literature related to the American West. It started with primarily traditional Western fiction, but also promotes historical and non-fiction works and even songs. It has an annual prize called the Spur Awards. But this collection published… Continue reading Book Review: Branded West
Comic Book Review: Simpsons Comics Confidential
Comic Book Review: Simpsons Comics Confidential published by Matt Groening The Simpsons started as a number of short cartoons shown on The Tracy Ullman show in 1987. A dysfunctional family partially named after creator Matt Groening’s own family, they were popular enough to spin off into their own prime time series in 1989. It was… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Simpsons Comics Confidential
Movie Review: The Last Stand (2013)
Movie Review: The Last Stand (2013) directed by Jee-Woon Kim Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega) is the organized crime version of a nepo baby, being a third generation cartel boss. But he didn’t stay on top in the business by being anything less than a ruthless, cunning active criminal. When captured inside the United States, Cortez uses… Continue reading Movie Review: The Last Stand (2013)
Movie Review: Joe (2013)
Movie Review: Joe (2013) directed by David Gordon Green Joe Ransom (Nicolas Cage) is holding his life together…barely. He runs a small business that kills trees unsuitable for lumber for the local lumber company, employing a day worker crew that works hard for the cash money and appreciates that he doesn’t cheat them. Maybe he smokes… Continue reading Movie Review: Joe (2013)
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
Movie Review: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Movie Review: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) directed by Sergio Leone Our title characters are introduced in reverse order. The Ugly, Tuco (Eli Wallach), is an outlaw with a price on his head, guilty of a long list of crimes that have more than earned him a hanging. He’s a survivor who’s always… Continue reading Movie Review: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Book Review: Thief River Falls
Book Review: Thief River Falls by Brian Freeman “Write what you know.” Thriller author Lisa Power followed that maxim in her fourth book, entitled Thief River Falls. It’s set in her home town of Thief River Falls, Minnesota and features real locations there, and even the real names of some of the residents. The verisimilitude… Continue reading Book Review: Thief River Falls
Book Review: King Solomon’s Mines and Other Adventure Classics
Book Review: King Solomon’s Mines and Other Adventure Classics compiled by Sterling Publishing Company This is another bulky compilation of public domain stories, concentrating this time on tales of adventure and derring-do in exotic locations. Indeed, the book is broken into sections by terrain–desert, jungle, South Seas islands, and other scenes unfamiliar to their readers. There’s twenty-five stories in total, but let’s begin with those… Continue reading Book Review: King Solomon’s Mines and Other Adventure Classics
Book Review: The Minneapolis Riverfront
Book Review: The Minneapolis Riverfront by Iric Nathanson The city of Minneapolis grew up around the Mississippi River, and in particular, Saint Anthony Falls, which provided hydropower for the many flour mills that at one time made Minneapolis the flour milling capital of America. This book, part of the “Images of America” series, tells the… Continue reading Book Review: The Minneapolis Riverfront