Book Review: Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters edited by Tim Marquitz & N.X. Sharps Like many a Godzilla fan, I have a fondness for movies where gigantic monsters rampage across the landscape. The fandom has more or less adopted the Japanese term for such monsters, kaiju. While the big critters have been a staples of… Continue reading Book Review: Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters
Tag: engineers
Comic Book Review: Catstronauts: Mission Moon
Comic Book Review: Catstronauts: Mission Moon by Drew Brockington When Earth is threatened by a global energy crisis, the president. Of the United States. Of America. Calls upon the World’s Best Scientist for a solution. The answer is simple: build a solar power collection plant on the Moon, which will then beam enough energy to… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Catstronauts: Mission Moon
Magazine Review: High Adventure #170: Best of Science Fiction Stories
Magazine Review: High Adventure #170: Best of Science Fiction Stories edited by John P. Gunnison This volume of the long-running pulp reprint magazine dips into the pages of Science Fiction and Science Fiction Stories, a magazine that ran from 1939 to 1943 with the last two issues being under the latter name. As so often… Continue reading Magazine Review: High Adventure #170: Best of Science Fiction Stories
Book Review: The Book of Poul Anderson
Book Review: The Book of Poul Anderson edited by Roger Elwood Poul Anderson (1926-2001) was an influential American science fiction author, first published in 1947 and winning seven Hugos and three Nebulas for his work. By the 1970s, he was well enough known, and had a large enough body of short fiction, that DAW Books… Continue reading Book Review: The Book of Poul Anderson
Movie Review: Return of the Fly
Movie Review: Return of the Fly (1959) directed by Edward Bernds It has been fifteen years since the mysterious and horrific death of Andre Delambre, which was officially ruled a suicide. His widow Helene never got over the events, and her passing seems almost a mercy to her brother in law Francois Delambre (Vincent Price). But… Continue reading Movie Review: Return of the Fly
Movie Review: The General
Movie Review: The General (1926) directed by Clyde Bruckman. The train pulls into Marietta, Georgia in 1861. The engine known as “The General” is driven by engineer Johnnie Gray (Buster Keaton). He loves his engine, but Johnnie also loves local girl Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack). The young sweethearts are just about to settle into some chaste… Continue reading Movie Review: The General
Book Review: The Pocket Book of Science Fiction
Book Review: The Pocket Book of Science Fiction edited by Donald A. Wollheim In the introduction to this 1943 anthology, Donald A. Wollheim talks about “the theory of outrageous hypotheses” which helps science progress by asking, “this is not true but what if?” These ten stories are most assuredly fictional, but point to places to… Continue reading Book Review: The Pocket Book of Science Fiction
Movie Review: Star Trek (2009)
Movie Review: Star Trek (2009) directed by J.J. Abrams The U.S.S. Kelvin is cruising through space when a spacial anomaly opens, disgorging an unknown, highly advanced technology ship that promptly attacks. It turns out to be captained by a Romulan named Nero, who has a grudge against someone named “Ambassador Spock.” In the absence of that… Continue reading Movie Review: Star Trek (2009)
Magazine Review: Famous Fantastic Mysteries Fall 2016
Magazine Review: Famous Fantastic Mysteries Fall 2016 edited by Matthew Moring Every so often, someone tries to relaunch a once-popular magazine. Most of these efforts fold quickly. The subject of this review is one such, lasting a single issue. As you’ll recall from a previous review, Famous Fantastic Mysteries was primarily a reprint title, presenting… Continue reading Magazine Review: Famous Fantastic Mysteries Fall 2016
Book Review: The Beast with Five Fingers
Book Review: The Beast with Five Fingers by W.F. Harvey W.F. Harvey (1885-1937) was born in Yorkshire, of Quaker family, and became a doctor. However, his health was poor and he was often unable to practice, so he wrote short stories on the side, many of them falling generally into the “weird” category. This volume… Continue reading Book Review: The Beast with Five Fingers