Book Review: Artful by Peter David As long time readers will recall, some years ago I read and reviewed the classic Charles Dickens novel, Oliver Twist. Towards the end, the last we see of Oliver’s friend acquaintance the Artful Dodger is in court, where he’s sentenced to be transported to Australia for thievery. (A crime… Continue reading Book Review: Artful
Tag: horror
Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales
Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales compiled by Stefan Dziemianowicz This hefty volume collects a variety of public domain stories concerning the supernatural. While the majority fall roughly into the category of horror, some are more what we’d call “dark fantasy” and a handful are just “well, that’s a weird thing that happened.”… Continue reading Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales
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
Book Review: Unfinished Business: Tales of the Dark Fantastic
Book Review: Unfinished Business: Tales of the Dark Fantastic by Catherine Lundoff Per the author’s introduction, the style of stories in this volume were inspired by her love for the artwork of Edward Gorey and Victorian ghost stories. And so we have a dozen short stories of horror and dark fantasy. “The Mask and the… Continue reading Book Review: Unfinished Business: Tales of the Dark Fantastic
Book Review: Bad Things
Book Reviews: Bad Things by Tamara Thorne When Ricky Piper was small, his twin brother Robin was taken by the greenjacks, amoral nature spirits that only certain people (such as Ricky) can see. Robin’s body still existed, but his mind became alien–and dangerous. Now it is decades later, and Rick Piper has his own children.… Continue reading Book Review: Bad Things
Magazine Review: Strange Tales September 1931
Magazine Review: Strange Tales September 1931 edited by Harry Bates Strange Tales was published as a direct competitor to Weird Tales, the top fantastic/occult story pulp magazine of the time, starting with this issue in 1931. It had more of an action slant to its editorial policy as compared to the more idea-heavy stories of… Continue reading Magazine Review: Strange Tales September 1931
Book Review: The Mad Visions of Al-Hazred
Book Review: The Mad Visions of Al-Hazred edited by H. David Blalock The Cthulhu Mythos is littered with the names of mysterious books and manuscripts containing forbidden knowledge. The most commonly used one is the Kitab al-Azif, the “Book of Night Insects Buzzing” (among the possible meanings), usually referred to by the Latin translation’s name,… Continue reading Book Review: The Mad Visions of Al-Hazred
Magazine Review: Doctor Death February 1935
Magazine Review: Doctor Death February 1935 edited by Carson W. Mowre While most of the single-character pulps were named after the hero of the stories, like the Shadow and Doc Savage, there were a handful of attempts to have pulp magazines centered around mastermind villains. The three-issue Doctor Death series was one of them. The… Continue reading Magazine Review: Doctor Death February 1935
Movie Review: Let the Right One In
Movie Review: Let the Right One In (2008) directed by Tomas Alfredson Oskar, like a lot of twelve year olds, has problems. His parents are divorced (and Dad has a drinking problem), and he’s being bullied at school. Having a strong interest in serial killers, Oskar has taken to carrying a knife and fantasizing about solving… Continue reading Movie Review: Let the Right One In
Manga Review: Devilman: The Classic Collection 1
Manga Review: Devilman: The Classic Collection 1 by Go Nagai In the beginning, demons ruled the Earth. Beings devoted to survival of the strongest, devouring lesser creatures and each other in a never-ending hunger for greater power. But then the Earth’s climate changed drastically (possibly due to a conflict with beings from space later known… Continue reading Manga Review: Devilman: The Classic Collection 1