Book Review: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is a law student, allegedly. When we meet him, Raskolnikov has not been to class in some time, nor has he worked at his part-time tutoring job. For the last few weeks he’s been just brooding in his tiny room (several months behind on… Continue reading Book Review: Crime and Punishment
Tag: nobility
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
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
Comic Book Review: Babylon Berlin
Comic Book Review: Babylon Berlin story by Volker Kutscher, adaptation and art by Arne Jysch Disclaimer: I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway to facilitate writing this review. No other compensation was requested or offered. It is 1929, and the Weimar Republic of Germany is reaching the end of its “Golden Age.” After the… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Babylon Berlin
Book Review: Sex with Kings
Book Review: Sex with Kings by Eleanor Herman One of the advantages of being a king is that the rules don’t apply to you the same way as they do to commoners. For centuries in Europe, this also extended to tolerance of extramarital affairs, to the point that many kings had maitresse-en-titre, the “official mistress.” This… Continue reading Book Review: Sex with Kings
Magazine Review: Saucy Romantic Adventures August 1936
Magazine Review: Saucy Romantic Adventures August 1936 by various This was one of the “spicy” pulp magazines, sold “under the counter” to readers wanting something more titillating than the standard action fare. By modern standards, this is pretty tame stuff, mostly consisting of descriptions of women’s naked bodies (minus genitalia) and strong hints that the… Continue reading Magazine Review: Saucy Romantic Adventures August 1936
Book Review: A Man Lay Dead
Book Review: A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh Sir Hubert Handesley’s weekend entertainments are to die for, so young reporter Nigel Bathgate has been told. And now, thanks to his well-to-do older cousin Charles Rankin, Nigel will have the chance to participate in one himself. The game is “Murders”, which should be jolly good… Continue reading Book Review: A Man Lay Dead
Book Review: The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg, Volume 9: The Millennium Express (1995-2009)
Book Review: The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg, Volume Nine: The Millennium Express (1995-2009) by Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg (1935-still alive as of this writing) is one of the longest-running science fiction authors, having made his first sale in 1953. Especially in his early years, Mr. Silverberg has been prolific, with his non-series short fiction… Continue reading Book Review: The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg, Volume 9: The Millennium Express (1995-2009)
Book Review: Penny Dreadfuls: Sensational Tales of Terror
Book Review: Penny Dreadfuls: Sensational Tales of Terror edited by Stefan Dziemianowicz While the term “penny dreadfuls” proper belongs to a particular type of inexpensive newsprint periodical, as explained in the introduction to this volume, the twenty stories chosen here can all be described as lowbrow sensationalist literature written for those seeking thrills in their… Continue reading Book Review: Penny Dreadfuls: Sensational Tales of Terror
Book Review: Stories from Sleep No More
Book Review: Stories from Sleep No More edited by August Derleth Sleep No More was a 1940s anthology of horror fiction put together by noted Wisconsin historical fiction (and horror) author August Derleth. It featured primarily creepy stories from the pulp magazines of the 1930s. In the 1960s, a paperback reprint came out. To make… Continue reading Book Review: Stories from Sleep No More