Book Review: Your Crystal Ball Is Whacked

Book Review: Your Crystal Ball Is Whacked by Nancy Stevens Sometimes, the crystal ball goes dark and you cannot see a future. Whether it’s due to horrible circumstances in your life, a bout of physical illness upsetting your mind, or mental illness, your ability to see beyond the present and its troubles is broken. Nevertheless,… Continue reading Book Review: Your Crystal Ball Is Whacked

Comic Book Review: Kaijumax, Season One: Terror and Respect

Comic Book Review: Kaijumax, Season One: Terror and Respect by Zander Cannon Electrogor just wanted to feed his family.  His children were the only things in the world he cared about.  Unfortunately, what Electrogor’s children eat is gigawatts of electrical power and he got caught trying to tap one of the humans’ power cables.   There… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Kaijumax, Season One: Terror and Respect

Book Review: Seeking the Storyteller

Book Review: Seeking the Storyteller by Jessica Walsh & Briana Lawrence Alix Andre DeBenit and Randall Fagan are Hunters, tracking down and killing monsters called “demons” that harm humans.  They’re experienced and work well together, and the Twin Cities are surprisingly monster-infested so they’re doing quite well for themselves, with a warehouse headquarters and full-time… Continue reading Book Review: Seeking the Storyteller

Manga Review: Hayate the Combat Butler Vol. 2

Manga Review: Hayate the Combat Butler Vol. 2 by Kenjiro Hata Nagi Sanzenin, for all her wealth, is a lonely 13-year-old girl who must constantly be on guard against those who would harm her to gain some of her money, even her own relatives.   On Christmas Eve, Nagi is saved from kidnappers by an outstandingly athletic… Continue reading Manga Review: Hayate the Combat Butler Vol. 2

Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents Robin the Boy Wonder Vol. 1

Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents Robin the Boy Wonder Vol. 1 by various creators In 1940, a year after Batman debuted, he gained the first superhero kid sidekick in comic books.  Robin aka Dick Grayson served several functions.  Kid appeal, merchandising, lightening up the tone of the stories a bit, and giving Batman someone to have… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents Robin the Boy Wonder Vol. 1

Book Review: Escape from Earth: New Adventures in Space

Book Review: Escape from Earth: New Adventures in Space edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois Per the introduction, in the Fifties and Sixties, many young science fiction fans’ introduction to the genre was “juveniles”, books aimed at an age above “children’s” but not quite “adult.”  In the 1970s or so, this category was re-labled… Continue reading Book Review: Escape from Earth: New Adventures in Space

Book Review: The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg, Volume 9: The Millennium Express (1995-2009)

Book Review: The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg, Volume Nine: The Millennium Express (1995-2009) by Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg (1935-still alive as of this writing) is one of the longest-running science fiction authors, having made his first sale in 1953.  Especially in his early years, Mr. Silverberg has been prolific, with his non-series short fiction… Continue reading Book Review: The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg, Volume 9: The Millennium Express (1995-2009)

Book Review: The Pavilion

Book Review: The Pavilion by Hilda Lawrence (also published as “The Pavilion of Death”) When Regan Carr’s mother passes away from illness, the young woman is hard-pressed.  Her part-time job as a small town librarian for $25 a week (roughly equivalent to an $8/hr job in 2017) is not sufficient to cover the doctor’s bills… Continue reading Book Review: The Pavilion

Book Review: The Play of Death

Book Review: The Play of Death by Oliver Pötzsch Disclaimer:  I received a Kindle download of this book through a Goodreads giveaway to facilitate this review.  No other compensation was offered or requested. The year is 1670, and the people of Oberammergau are preparing their every-ten-years Passion Play…though some of them think it might be… Continue reading Book Review: The Play of Death

Anime Review: Erased

Anime Review: Erased (Japanese title Boku Dake ga Inai Machi “The Town Without Me” or “The Town Where Only I Am Missing”) The year is 2006, and Jun “Yuuki” Shiratori is on Death Row for the abduction and murder of three children back in 1988.  Very few people still believe that he’s innocent, considering the substantial circumstantial… Continue reading Anime Review: Erased