Book Review: The Hills of Homicide by Louis L’Amour Before he landed the contracts that were to make him America’s most beloved Western writer, Louis L’Amour tried his hand at various other genres of pulp fiction. But the pulp magazine market was drying up, so it was generally a good thing he found other work.… Continue reading Book Review: The Hills of Homicide
Tag: lizards
Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries
Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler While stories that could be considered “mysteries” in some sense have existed as long as writing, and perhaps a bit before, the short story mystery came into its own during the lifetime of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). This volume collects forty-nine notable stories from… Continue reading Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries
Movie Review: Electric Dragon 80,000 V
Movie Review: Electric Dragon 80,000 V (2001) dir. Gakuryu Ishii Dragons exist, at least in the hearts of men. The man called Dragon Eye Morrison was struck by lightning while climbing a power tower as a child. This caused damage to his “reptile brain”, which controls violent impulses. The doctors tried electroshock therapy, but this just… Continue reading Movie Review: Electric Dragon 80,000 V
Book Review: Great Black Kanba
Book Review: Great Black Kanba by Constance and Gwenyth Little A young woman wakes up on a train with no memory of who she is or how she got there. According to Mrs. Bunton, the lady tending her, the woman is Cleo Ballister, an American actress on the skids who’s come to see her Australian… Continue reading Book Review: Great Black Kanba
Book Review: The Book of Andre Norton
Book Review: The Book of Andre Norton edited by Roger Elwood Andre Alice Norton (1912-2005) was a prolific author, best known for her science fiction and fantasy novels marketed to the young adult sector. (I’ve previously reviewed her 1960 book Storm Over Warlock.) Her output of short fiction was much less, but enough good stories were… Continue reading Book Review: The Book of Andre Norton
Book Review: Things That Are
Book Review: Things That Are by Amy Leach “The secret to crypsis is placing yourself among things you look like, but in a scene where no one will expect you, like Willie Nelson with Lithuanian peasants.” Essays are short pieces in which the author attempts to set down their thoughts. They can be formal or… Continue reading Book Review: Things That Are
Comic Book Review: Essential Ms. Marvel Vol. 1
Comic Book Review: Essential Ms. Marvel Vol. 1 by Various In 1976, Marvel Comics felt the time was right for another try at a overtly feminist superhero to appear in a solo book. (Their first stab was 1973’s The Cat, who became Tigra.) Someone, probably Gerry Conway, who would be the first writer on the series,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Essential Ms. Marvel Vol. 1
Book Review: Creatures from Beyond
Book Review: Creatures from Beyond edited by Terry Carr This 1975 speculative fiction anthology has the theme of monsters from outside human experience. The question of what lies in the outer darkness has haunted humanity since we developed imaginations. These nine stories look at the possibilities, from implacable enemies, to beings a lot like us… Continue reading Book Review: Creatures from Beyond