Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine January/February 2024 edited by Janet Hutchings Despite the cover date, this issue of the venerable mystery story magazine hit newsstands in December 2023, so is the Christmas issue as well as the Sherlock Holmes tribute. I bought this issue and promptly had it buried under a to read pile,… Continue reading Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine January/February 2024
Tag: racing
Movie Review: Better Off Dead
Movie Review: Better Off Dead (1985) directed by Savage Steve Holland Al Meyer (David Ogden Stiers) is a lawyer in the small Northern California town of Greendale, a short drive away from the mountains. Life is rough for him. His wife Jenny (Kim Darby) is an improbably bad cook who refuses to stop trying and is… Continue reading Movie Review: Better Off Dead
Book Review: The Pocket Companion
Book Review: The Pocket Companion edited by Philip Van Doren Stern This 1942 paperback anthology was designed for people who wanted a lot of reading in a pocket-sized book, so has a novel, short stories, articles, poetry and trivia. The closest thing to a theme is the connection between the British and Americans, now allies… Continue reading Book Review: The Pocket Companion
Webtoon Review: Trese
Webtoon Review: Trese Alexandra Trese is a detective of sorts who deals with supernatural cases in the Philippines, primarily operating in the city of Manila. Like her father before her, Alexandra stands between the community of humans and that of paranormal creatures, trying to uphold the “accords” that keep balance. She’s aided by twin bodyguards,… Continue reading Webtoon Review: Trese
Movie Review: Ready Player One
Movie Review: Ready Player One (2018) directed by Steven Spielberg It is the dark future of Columbus, Ohio in the year 2045. Ecological disaster and economic collapse have made the outside world unbearable for many of the world’s citizens. Fortunately, there’s an online virtual world known as the Oasis that they can escape to. But worse… Continue reading Movie Review: Ready Player One
Book Review: If This Goes On
Book Review: If This Goes On edited by Charles Nuetzel The “if this goes on” story is a staple of short science fiction. Pick a current trend like “women not wearing hats anymore” or “cat videos” and extend it out to an exaggerated conclusion. For example, the Robert Heinlein story of that name, which posits… Continue reading Book Review: If This Goes On
Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents: The Brave and the Bold Batman Team-ups, Volume 1
Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents: The Brave and the Bold Batman Team-ups, Volume 1 Written by Bob Haney (mostly), Art by various The Brave and the Bold started its publication run in 1955 as an adventure anthology, featuring such characters as the Viking Prince and the Silent Knight. Around issue 25, it switched to a tryout… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents: The Brave and the Bold Batman Team-ups, Volume 1
Manga Review: Case Closed (Detective Conan) Vol. 63/64
Manga Review: Case Closed (Detective Conan) Vol. 63/64 by Gosho Aoyama Quick recap: When teen genius detective Shinichi Kudou (Jimmy Kudo in the American version) is shrunk to a childlike form in a botched assassination attempt, he takes the name Conan Edogawa and is taken in by bumbling private eye Kogoro Mouri (Richard Moore) and… Continue reading Manga Review: Case Closed (Detective Conan) Vol. 63/64
Book Review: The Black Stallion Challenged
Book Review: The Black Stallion Challenged by Walter Farley Alec Ramsay and his faithful trainer Henry Dailey are wintering in Hialeah, Florida, where they hope to race their prize horse, the Black Stallion. Provided, of course, that the Black has fully recovered from the hoof injury he received some months back. One day Alec receives… Continue reading Book Review: The Black Stallion Challenged
Book Review: Skycruiser
Book Review: Skycruiser by Howard M. Brier Barry Martin is not as young as he looks. He’s had three years of engineering in college, and two years training as a pilot. But he looks like a teenager, and a perception that he was too young to handle a man’s job caused him to wash out… Continue reading Book Review: Skycruiser