Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine January/February 2024 edited by Janet Hutchings Despite the cover date, this issue of the venerable mystery story magazine hit newsstands in December 2023, so is the Christmas issue as well as the Sherlock Holmes tribute. I bought this issue and promptly had it buried under a to read pile,… Continue reading Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine January/February 2024
Tag: Iceland
Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Twelve
Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Twelve by Makoto Yukimura Note: SPOILERS for previous volumes, check out the previous reviews if you’ve skipped any. Previously: Thorfinn, once a vengeance-seeker, now has chosen a path of peace. He wants to go to the fabled place Vinland, where there is no war or slavery, to start a new… Continue reading Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Twelve
Book Review: The Dark Ages
Book Review: The Dark Ages by W.P. Ker One of the first things Professor William Paton Ker (1855-1922) discusses in this book is that the term “Dark Ages” is misleading and rather nebulous in timing. That established, he sticks with it for a handy title for this survey of European literature from roughly 500-1100 A.D.… Continue reading Book Review: The Dark Ages
Book Review: Season of Marvels: Viking Tales
Book Review: Season of Marvels: Viking Tales by Deb Houdek Rule This is a collection of four speculative fiction short stories on the general theme of “Vikings” from the small label press Variations On a Theme. “Viking -Trojan War” is an after-action report about 8th Century Viking raiders suddenly materializing on the USC campus due to… Continue reading Book Review: Season of Marvels: Viking Tales
Manga Review: The Ancient Magus’ Bride Vol. 1
Manga Review: The Ancient Magus’ Bride Vol. 1 by Kore Yamazaki Chise Hatori has had a rough life. Her father ran off with her little brother, her mother committed suicide (probably), and her ability to see magical creatures got her bullied and abandoned. She was on the verge of suicide when Chise was approached by… Continue reading Manga Review: The Ancient Magus’ Bride Vol. 1
Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Eight
Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Eight by Makoto Yukimura Warning: This review contains spoilers for earlier volumes in the series. If you have not read those, you may want to refer to my earlier reviews instead. Thorfinn Thorsson has finally arrived back in Iceland after more than a decade away. His sister, now a wife… Continue reading Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Eight
Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Seven
Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Seven by Makoto Yukimura Quick recap and spoilers for the previous volume: It is the age of Vikings. Canute, King of Denmark and (by conquest) England, needs cash to fund his occupation army. Therefore, he has engineered an incident to force the wealthy Ketil family into outlawry and seize their… Continue reading Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Seven
Magazine Review: The Blueroad Reader: Stardust and Fate
Magazine Review: The Blueroad Reader: Stardust and Fate edited by John Gaterud Yes, this is yet another literary magazine; I picked up a bunch inexpensively at the book fair. This one seems to take its title from Jack Kerouac’s writing; this first issue was published in 2007. The index is unusual for this kind of… Continue reading Magazine Review: The Blueroad Reader: Stardust and Fate
Manga Review: Vinland Saga, Book Two
Manga Review: Vinland Saga, Book Two by Makoto Yukimura To recap for those of you who haven’t read the review of Book One, Vinland Saga is set in the early 12th Century, the time of the Vikings. Our protagonist is Thorfinn, son of Thors, who serves in the war band of Askeladd. Askeladd murdered Thors, and… Continue reading Manga Review: Vinland Saga, Book Two
Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book One
Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book One by Makoto Yukimura It is the Eleventh Century C.E., and Europe trembles in fear of the raiders from the north, who we would call Vikings. This is the story of one such Viking, the youth Thorfinn Thorssen. This thick volume opens with a battle in the Frankish Kingdoms (later… Continue reading Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book One