Book Review: The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson The place is England, near Tunstall Forest, and the time is the War of the Roses, circa 1460. Richard “Dick” Shelton is nearly eighteen, and looking forward to glory in battle. The other residents of Tunstall Village are less enthused. Their current liege lord, and Dick’s… Continue reading Book Review: The Black Arrow
Tag: gender bender
Book Review: The Fourth Galaxy Reader
Book Review: The Fourth Galaxy Reader edited by H.L. Gold Galaxy Magazine had a decent run with a lot of good stories, so it’s not surprising that even this fourth collection of fifteen science fiction reprints from the 1950s has a strong selection. (I recognized almost all of these!) There’s an introduction which runs down inferior… Continue reading Book Review: The Fourth Galaxy Reader
Manga Review: Princess Knight
Manga Review: Princess Knight by Osamu Tezuka Once upon a time in the fairytale kingdom of Silverland, a child was born to the king and queen. Due to certain circumstances, there was a confused announcement about the child’s sex, and the people of Silverland decided to take it that the child was a boy. For… Continue reading Manga Review: Princess Knight
Book Review: Minnesota Vice
Book Review: Minnesota Vice by Ellen & Mary Kuhfeld As I have mentioned before, Minnesota has many fine mystery and crime writers. Mary Kuhfeld is probably best known under the pen name Monica Ferris, under which she has written nineteen Betsy Devonshire Needlework Mysteries. (Thus the subtitle “Monica Ferris Presents” for these self-published books.) Ellen… Continue reading Book Review: Minnesota Vice
Manga Review: Futaba-kun Change! Vol. 1
Manga Review: Futaba-kun Change! Vol. 1 by Hiroshi Aro Futaba Shimeru is a junior high school student whose voice has recently changed, and has started noticing girls, especially his pretty classmate Misaki. One day, a wrestling club teammate gives Futaba a girlie magazine, and the young fellow retreats to the boys’ room to read it.… Continue reading Manga Review: Futaba-kun Change! Vol. 1
Book Review: Out of the Dead City
Book Review: Out of the Dead City by Samuel R. Delany (originally published as “Captives of the Flame”) It has been about five hundred years since the Great Fire wiped out the old civilizations. On the island of Toron, however, enough humans and records survived to begin again. A settlement became a village became a… Continue reading Book Review: Out of the Dead City
Book Review: Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology
Book Review: Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer As the subtitle of this volume indicates, it’s a collection of 29 short stories written from a feminist perspective. There are selections from the 1960s through the 2000s–SF, fantasy, horror and a couple of stories that seem to… Continue reading Book Review: Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology
Manga Review: Princess Jellyfish Volume 1
Manga Review: Princess Jellyfish Volume 1 by Akiko Higashimura Amamizukan is not your average apartment building. For one thing, it’s a small, old-fashioned building of the type rarely seen these days. More importantly, all the residents are fujoshi (“rotten women”) who for one reason or another have fallen outside the society-approved get job/get husband/have kids way… Continue reading Manga Review: Princess Jellyfish Volume 1
Anime Review: The Rose of Versailles
Anime Review: The Rose of Versailles In the Year of Our Lord 1770, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and King Louis XV of France decided to seal an alliance between their countries with a political marriage. Thus it was that Louis-Auguste (later Louis XVI) and Marie Antoinette were married. So it was in our world… Continue reading Anime Review: The Rose of Versailles
Book Review: Indexing
Book Review: Indexing by Seanan McGuire Have you ever wished you could have a fairy tale life? Be the hero of the story, vanquish evil, gain true love and live happily ever after? Well, the Narrative is here to help! It loves shoehorning people’s lives into the shape of fairy tales. Of course, there’s no… Continue reading Book Review: Indexing