Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales

Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales compiled by Stefan Dziemianowicz The definition of “thriller” is a little loose in this fun anthology, though most of the stories do have at least some suspense.  It feels more like the compiler picked a bunch of the public domain stories he liked, but didn’t have a strong… Continue reading Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales

Book Review: Enchantress of Numbers

Book Review: Enchantress of Numbers by Jennifer Chiaverini Augusta Ada King-Noel, Countess of Lovelace (1815-1852) is better known to us today as Ada Lovelace.  Her primary claim to fame is her “notes” on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, which anticipated uses for this theoretical calculating device far beyond mere number-crunching, and provide the first known published… Continue reading Book Review: Enchantress of Numbers

Book Review: The Beasts of Tarzan

Book Review: The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, and his lovely wife Jane have settled down in London with their infant son Jack.  I guess this is the end of the adventures of Tarzan since everyone knows that marriage and children mean that you’re never going to be interesting again. … Continue reading Book Review: The Beasts of Tarzan

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: Raising Steam

Book Review: Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett Moist von Lipwig has come a long way since his days as a petty con artist.  He’s a (mostly) respectable married man who manages the Ankh-Morpork Post Office, Mint, and Bank.  True, his management is mostly just taking a friendly interest in the employees who do all the… Continue reading Book Review: Raising Steam

Book Review: Nine Lessons

Book Review: Nine Lessons by Nicola Upson A churchyard in a village not too far from Cambridge in England has one too many bodies in its graves.  The victim, a respected organist, was entombed alive, and odd details about the scene make it clear that this was murder most foul.  Detective Chief Inspector Archie Penrose… Continue reading Book Review: Nine Lessons

Book Review: Respectable Horror

Book Review: Respectable Horror by K.A. Laity Horror is a wide-ranging genre, which can be tailored to a variety of tastes.  Some folks prefer their scary fiction with a maximum of gushing blood and sharp objects being plunged into soft flesh; others like a more genteel approach that emphasizes the subtle wrongnesses and growing atmospheric… Continue reading Book Review: Respectable Horror

Book Review: Taran Wanderer

Book Review: Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander With the Black Cauldron destroyed, Death-Lord Arawn has retreated to his own lands for the time being, and no other major threats beset the realm of Prydain.  Long peaceful days at Caer Dallben have given Taran Assistant Pig-Keeper time to think.  Taran has realized a number of things,… Continue reading Book Review: Taran Wanderer

Book Review: The Book of Cthulhu

Book Review: The Book of Cthulhu edited by Ross E Lockhart Fantasy and horror author H.P. Lovecraft wasn’t a big seller during his lifetime, but the loose setting he created of the Cthulhu Mythos, where humans are only the most recent inhabitants of a cold and chaotic universe, and many of the previous inhabitants are… Continue reading Book Review: The Book of Cthulhu

Book Review: A Storm of Swords

Book Review: A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin Note:  This review will contain SPOILERS for the first two volumes in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. The Battle of King’s Landing is over, and the forces loyal to King Joffrey are triumphant.  But the War of Five Kings rages on, with no… Continue reading Book Review: A Storm of Swords