Book Review: The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Volume 16 edited by Stephen Jones Let’s go back to 2004 for what at least one editor considered excellent short horror fiction. As with the later volume I have reviewed, there’s a lot of ancillary material. It opens with an extended look at horror and horror-adjacent… Continue reading Book Review: The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Volume 16
Tag: California
Book Review: The Banner Campfire Girls at the White House
Book Review: The Banner Campfire Girls at the White House by Julianne DeVries Summer vacation has just started, and the high-spirited Camp Fire Girls of Wa-Wan-Da Council of Oakdale have already assaulted a federal agent. Fortunately, George Thompson, personal representative of the President of the United States, is in a forgiving mood. You see, that… Continue reading Book Review: The Banner Campfire Girls at the White House
Magazine Review: Asimov’s Science Fiction May/June 2021
Magazine Review: Asimov’s Science Fiction May/June 2021 edited by Sheila Williams Back in 1977, Isaac Asimov was one of the top three or so science fiction writers in the world, and had a very strong personal brand. So when Davis Publications wanted to create a “name brand magazine” for science fiction like Ellery Queen Mystery… Continue reading Magazine Review: Asimov’s Science Fiction May/June 2021
Movie Review: The War of the Worlds (1953)
Movie Review: The War of the Worlds (1953) directed by Byron Haskin It is the mid-Twentieth Century, and what appears to be a meteor lands near a small town in rural California. Among the people that come to see the object is Dr. Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry), a physicist from the Pacific Institute who’d been fishing… Continue reading Movie Review: The War of the Worlds (1953)
Book Review: Valhalla: Absent Without Leave
Book Review: Valhalla: Absent Without Leave by Lee Gold Robin “Grima” Johnson didn’t die of cancer, which was something of a surprise, considering it kept coming back. But when an earthquake hit California and made the hospital she was in start to collapse, Robin rose from her bed of pain and worked to save lives.… Continue reading Book Review: Valhalla: Absent Without Leave
Movie Review: The Lost Boys (1987)
Movie Review: The Lost Boys (1987) directed by Joel Schumacher Santa Carla has the unofficial nickname of “The Murder Capital of the World.” Sure, the brightly colored boardwalk attracts people to this small Pacific Coast city, but all those “Missing” posters lend an eerie air to the place. And if you’re on edge, then any of… Continue reading Movie Review: The Lost Boys (1987)
Book Review: High Disaster
Book Review: High Disaster by Lionel Derrick Senator Harland Harrington used to be your typical Republican lawmaker. During his two terms in office, he stood for conservative family values, sensible government spending, and bringing home the bacon for his constituents in Oregon. But a man has needs. Two years ago, he hired Arlene Day to… Continue reading Book Review: High Disaster
Book Review: A Treasury of Science Fiction
Book Review: A Treasury of Science Fiction edited by Groff Conklin “A Treasury of Science Fiction” was first published as a hardback in 1948; the edition I read was the paperback reprint from 1957 which only contains eight of the original thirty stories. This was one of the first major science fiction collections, and set… Continue reading Book Review: A Treasury of Science Fiction
Book Review: Winged Mystery
Book Review: Winged Mystery by Alan Gregg The Conroy family has come into possession of a plot of land in Southern California, and they’ve decided to move there for Mrs. Conroy’s health. The three grown children of the Conroys, Mark, Alison and Reed (just out of high school) go out first to scout the place.… Continue reading Book Review: Winged Mystery
Movie Review: The Enforcer (1976)
Movie Review: The Enforcer (1976) directed by James Fargo Two Pacific Gas & Electric employees violate company rules by picking up an attractive hitchhiker. Unfortunately for them, they’re not in a Seventies porno film, but a Seventies action film. Meanwhile, Inspector Harry “Dirty Harry” Callahan (Clint Eastwood) of the San Francisco Police Department is having a… Continue reading Movie Review: The Enforcer (1976)