Book Review: Under the Andes

Book Review: Under the Andes by Rex Stout Paul Lamar has a rather high opinion of himself. It’s not entirely unwarranted. True, he inherited wealth, but he’s managed it well and increased it to the point that he can buy anything he desires and not feel a pinch. He’s highly educated, an expert gambler, and… Continue reading Book Review: Under the Andes

Manga Review: Big Order 01

Manga Review: Big Order 01 by Sakae Esuno It has been ten years since the woman called Daisy first appeared. Like a genie, she finds a person and grants them one wish. The wish then grants that person a superpower called an Order to fulfill the wish. Daisy is no automaton, and she can interpret… Continue reading Manga Review: Big Order 01

Movie Review: Dead-Alive (1992)

Movie Review: Dead-Alive (1992) directed by Peter Jackson Times have been tough on Skull Island since the colonialist exploiters stole the island’s biggest attraction, King Kong, back in the 1930s. And now another colonialist has come for a specimen of the Sumatran Rat Monkey, which despite the name is found only on Skull Island. Explorer Stewart… Continue reading Movie Review: Dead-Alive (1992)

Book Review: A Wish Upon a Fallen Sky

Book Review: A Wish Upon a Fallen Sky by Rob Callahan Rob Callahan is a Minnesota journalist and author; this is a collection of his short fiction, some of which appeared in chapbooks that are no longer available. There are twenty-four pieces in the main section, beginning with “Episode for a New Hope”, a cautionary… Continue reading Book Review: A Wish Upon a Fallen Sky

Comic Book Review: No Hero

Comic Book Review: No Hero story by Warren Ellis, art by Juan Jose Ryp Forty-five years ago, the Levellers appeared in San Francisco, superhuman beings created by psychoactive chemicals. Led by maverick scientist Carrick Masterson, they were the world’s first superheroes. Decades later, the membership has changed, except the still-youthful Masterson, and they’re known as… Continue reading Comic Book Review: No Hero

Movie Review: Legend of Eight Samurai

The baddies gloat over a captive maiden.

Movie Review: Legend of Eight Samurai (1983) directed by Kinji Fukasaku After a hundred years, the Hikita Clan is back from the dead to get their revenge on those who overthrew them. They’ve recaptured the family castle/shrine and wiped out all but one of the clan leaders descended from their enemies. Only Princess Shizu remains, but… Continue reading Movie Review: Legend of Eight Samurai

Magazine Review: High Adventure #166: The Big Foot Murder Mystery

Magazine Review: High Adventure #166: The Big Foot Murder Mystery by Edgar Wallace This time the pulp reprint magazine only has one story, which originally appeared in Complete Detective Novel Magazine in October, 1929. It was one of twelve novels Edgar Wallace (Richard Horatio Edgar Freeman) had published that year! One publisher claimed that nearly… Continue reading Magazine Review: High Adventure #166: The Big Foot Murder Mystery

Book Review: Siege

Book Review: Siege by Victor B. Miller from a script by Robert Heverly The bank robbery itself went smoothly, but the getaway was a disaster due to fast police response. Two of the robbers panicked and drove off with the van, while the other four in the car wound up roadblocked and fleeing on foot.… Continue reading Book Review: Siege

Book Review: Up Is Not the Only Way

Book Review: Up Is Not the Only Way by Beverly Kaye, Lindy Williams & Lynn Cowart At some point, probably the 1950s, it became the conventional wisdom that the ideal career path was to start at one company, work your way up the ladder with consistent promotions, and retire from that same company in a… Continue reading Book Review: Up Is Not the Only Way

Movie Review: House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Our heroine meets the friendly housekeeper.

Movie Review: House on Haunted Hill (1959) directed by William Castle In its hundred years of history, the house has been host to seven brutal murders. It is said that their ghosts still haunt the place, ready to add more victims to their number. Tonight, five strangers have been invited to the house on Haunted Hill… Continue reading Movie Review: House on Haunted Hill (1959)