Book Review: Headstrong by Rachel Swaby This is a collection of short biographical sketches of women who made advancements in various scientific fields. According to the introduction, it was inspired when the New York Times ran an obituary of Yvonne Brill that listed her home cooking as her most important accomplishment, followed by being a wife… Continue reading Book Review: Headstrong
Tag: London
Book Review: The Blue Fairy Book
Book Review: The Blue Fairy Book edited by Andrew Lang Once upon a time, (1889 to be specific), British children did not have access to collections of fairy tales. Educators of the time thought fairy tales were too unrealistic and harmful to children, and beneath adults. Mr. Lang felt differently; he had delighted in such… Continue reading Book Review: The Blue Fairy Book
Book Review: The Time Machine
Book Review: The Time Machine by H.G. Wells H.G Wells (1866-1946) was not the first science fiction author, nor even the first one to write about time travel. But he was the first writer in English to produce multiple important works in what would become the science fiction genre. The Time Machine was published in… Continue reading Book Review: The Time Machine
Book Review: The Dead Riders
Book Review: The Dead Riders by Elliott O’Donnell Burke Blake is at loose ends in China when he hears of an expedition to the Gobi desert, reputedly near the site of Genghis Khan’s tomb. He invites himself along on the journey to try to steer it into treasure hunting. Several misadventures later, Burke and several… Continue reading Book Review: The Dead Riders
Book Review: Death on a Warm Wind
Book Review: Death on a Warm Wind by Douglas Warner (also published as The Final Death of Robert Colston) When newspaper editor Michael Curtis witnesses a man being gunned down in front of the Evening Telegram office, he’s startled to realize that it’s Robert Colston, a man who’s already been declared dead twice. Robert Colston, who has… Continue reading Book Review: Death on a Warm Wind
Book Review: The Greatest Knight
Book Review: The Greatest Knight by Thomas Asbridge Disclaimer: I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. My copy was an uncorrected proof, and there will be changes to the final edition. Specifically, there will be maps, genealogical charts, and an index. William Marshal started life as… Continue reading Book Review: The Greatest Knight
Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents: Weird War Tales Volume 1
Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents: Weird War Tales Volume 1 edited by Joe Kubert & Joe Orlando As I’ve mentioned in other reviews, the relaxation of the Comics Code in the early 1970s created a horror anthology boom at DC Comics. At the same time, the once best-selling war comics were going into a slump,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents: Weird War Tales Volume 1
Book Review: The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries
Book Review: The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler The title of this volume is slightly misleading; “locked room” stands in for the general idea of impossible crimes in mystery stories. A man is found stabbed in the back in a windowless room with the door locked from the inside.… Continue reading Book Review: The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries
Movie Review: Till the Clouds Roll By
Movie Review: Till the Clouds Roll By This 1946 musical, filmed in glorious Technicolor, is loosely based on the life of songwriter Jerome Kern (Robert Walker). It opens with the opening of Showboat, the famous Oscar Hammerstein play he wrote the music for. After several numbers, we skip to the end of the performance. Mr. Kern… Continue reading Movie Review: Till the Clouds Roll By
Book Review: Space Captain/The Mad Metropolis
Book Review: Space Captain by Murray Leinster/The Mad Metropolis by Philip E. High This is another of the Ace Doubles–two short science fiction books in one volume, printed upside down from one another. In general, these are a good deal. A readable copy won’t set you back more than a brand new paperback in most… Continue reading Book Review: Space Captain/The Mad Metropolis