Book Review: Head of a Traveler by Nicholas Blake (pen name of Cecil Day-Lewis) Nigel Strangeways, a writer and literary scholar when he isn’t being distracted by his private investigation work, is thrilled to have a chance to meet Robert Seaton, one of Britain’s greatest living poets. Plash Meadow, Seaton’s house, is in Oxfordshire near… Continue reading Book Review: Head of a Traveler
Tag: poets
Magazine Review: The Drift Fall 2023
Magazine Review: The Drift Fall 2023 edited by Kiara Barrow and Rebecca Panovka This one’s a relatively new literary magazine, having started during the pandemic. The editorial slant appears to be socialist and class-conscious. Let’s see what this issue has to offer us. The opening editorial is on “Corrupt Organizations”, talking about the use and… Continue reading Magazine Review: The Drift Fall 2023
Anime Review: Onmyoji (2023)
Anime Review: Onmyoji (2023) Abe no Seimei was a documented historical person who lived during the Heian Era of Japan. He was an onmyoji, a practitioner of onmyudo, an art that combined study of astrology, the traditional Chinese elements and other natural philosophy to make predictions and influence events. Indeed, he was considered the pre-eminent… Continue reading Anime Review: Onmyoji (2023)
Movie Review: Spring and Chaos
Movie Review: Spring and Chaos (1996) directed by Shouji Kawamori Kenji Miyazawa was a poet, children’s story writer, and agriculturalist who lived from 1896-1933. Like many poets, he was unrecognized during his lifetime, but had his work become widely known after his death. You may have seen the animated adaptation of Night on the Galactic Railway. This… Continue reading Movie Review: Spring and Chaos
Comic Book Review: The Story of Lee Volume 1
Comic Book Review: The Story of Lee Volume 1 written by Sean Michael Wilson, art by Chie Kutsuwada Lee is a big fan of British music, especially a band called The Clientele. But working in her father’s corner store in Hong Kong, it’s unlikely she’ll ever see them in person. Indeed, she’s feeling very stifled.… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Story of Lee Volume 1
Book Review: The Book of Cthulhu II
Book Review: The Book of Cthulhu II edited by Ross E. Lockhart It’s spooky stuff month again, so I sat down with this thick volume (24 stories) of tales inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft for a couple of weeks. This is a sequel to The Book of Cthulhu that I reviewed earlier on… Continue reading Book Review: The Book of Cthulhu II
Magazine Review: Fantastic August 1969
Magazine Review: Fantastic August 1969 edited by Sol Cohen The opening editorial is by Ted White, the new managing editor. He talks about the decline in “fiction magazines” (the Saturday Evening Post had recently ceased publication for the first time) and is sad, but points out that times are always changing. He also mentions his… Continue reading Magazine Review: Fantastic August 1969
Book Review: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Strange Tales
Book Review: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Strange Tales by Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) wrote several “weird” stories as well as adventure tales like Treasure Island. This volume collects five of them. “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” starts us off with the adventures of Mr. Utterson,… Continue reading Book Review: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Strange Tales
Book Review: Valhalla: Absent Without Leave
Book Review: Valhalla: Absent Without Leave by Lee Gold Robin “Grima” Johnson didn’t die of cancer, which was something of a surprise, considering it kept coming back. But when an earthquake hit California and made the hospital she was in start to collapse, Robin rose from her bed of pain and worked to save lives.… Continue reading Book Review: Valhalla: Absent Without Leave
Movie Review: The 13th Warrior
Movie Review: The 13th Warrior (1999) directed by John McTiernan Ahmed ibn Fahdlan (Antonio Banderas) was not always a warrior. Once he was a poet, esteemed for his skill with words. But then he fell in love with another man’s wife, and to avoid scandal, Ahmed was sent as an ambassador to the far north. There,… Continue reading Movie Review: The 13th Warrior