Manga Review: Sanctuary

Manga Review: Sanctuary Story by Sho Fumimura, Art by Ryoichi Ikegami In the killing fields of Cambodia in the 1970s, two sons of Japanese expatriates helped each other survive and became blood brothers.  When they were brought back to Japan, the boys were disgusted by how stagnant and corrupt Japanese society had become.  They came… Continue reading Manga Review: Sanctuary

Manga Review: Captain Ken 1 &2

Manga Review: Captain Ken 1 & 2 by Osamu Tezuka Mamoru Hoshino lives on his family ranch on Mars near the town of Hedes.  Life in a backwater frontier town can get a bit stale, so he’s excited when he learns a distant relative, Kenn Minakami, is coming from Earth to live with them.  … Continue reading Manga Review: Captain Ken 1 &2

Book Review: Bug Jack Barron

Book Review: Bug Jack Barron by Norman Spinrad What’s bugging Jack Barron?  Jack used to be a young radical, waving signs and helping form the Social Justice Coalition.  But the SJC became a legitimate political party, and Jack wasn’t really interested in playing politics.  Plus, he’d gotten on television a lot, and the cameras and audiences… Continue reading Book Review: Bug Jack Barron

Magazine Review: Lapham’s Quarterly: Spring 2015 Swindle & Fraud

Magazine Review: Lapham’s Quarterly: Spring 2015 Swindle & Fraud Edited by Lewis H. Lapham Mr. Lapham’s literary magazine is based on the principle that history has much to teach the present on many subjects, so presents excerpts from many famous (and not so famous) authors on a loose topic for the education and entertainment of… Continue reading Magazine Review: Lapham’s Quarterly: Spring 2015 Swindle & Fraud

Comic Book Review: Batman: Earth One Volume Two

Comic Book Review: Batman: Earth One Volume Two story by Geoff Johns, pencils by Gary Frank and inks by Jon Sibal Disclaimer:  I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it.  No other compensation was involved. The corrupt Mayor Cobblepot may be dead, but that doesn’t mean that… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Batman: Earth One Volume Two

Book Review: Republic of Thieves

Book Review: Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch Note:  This is the third book in the Locke Lamora series, and this review will contain spoilers for the first two.  If you haven’t already read them, you may want to check out my review of the first volume, The Lies of Locke Lamora. We return again to… Continue reading Book Review: Republic of Thieves

Book Review: The Jungle

Book Review: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair Jurgis Rudkos is a Lithuanian immigrant who has come to America with his fiancee Ona and their families to seek the good jobs advertised in his poverty-stricken homeland.  It’s tricky for people who don’t know English or the local customs to get around, but finally they make it… Continue reading Book Review: The Jungle

Book Review: Insurrections of the Mind

Book Review: Insurrections of the Mind edited by Franklin Foer Disclaimer:  I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it.  The copy I read was an uncorrected proof, and changes will be made in the final edition.  (Specifically, a second introduction by Leon Wieseltier–an index may also be forthcoming.)… Continue reading Book Review: Insurrections of the Mind

Book Review: The Cloak Society #3: Fall of Heroes

Book Review: The Cloak Society #3: Fall of Heroes by Jeramy Kraatz Disclaimer :  I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it.   My copy was an uncorrected proof; some changes may be present in the final product. This review has SPOILERS for the first two books… Continue reading Book Review: The Cloak Society #3: Fall of Heroes

Comic Book Review: The Shadow Hero

Comic Book Review: The Shadow Hero Story by Gene Luen Yang, Art by Sonny Liew It is the 1930s, and Hank Chu lives in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Incendio.  He wants a simple, quiet life, working with his father in the family grocery store.  Hank’s mother, on the other hand, has bigger plans.  She’s… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Shadow Hero