Magazine Review: Analog Science Fiction & Fact January/February 2024

Cover art by Julie Dillon

Magazine Review: Analog Science Fiction & Fact January/February 2024 edited by Trevor Quachri Let’s look at a recent issue of this long-running science fiction (and fact) magazine. The opening editorial by Howard V. Hendrix, “Machines Passing for People Passing for Machines”, which among other things discusses the Turing Test, where a simulated person tries to… Continue reading Magazine Review: Analog Science Fiction & Fact January/February 2024

Movie Review: Casablanca

Rick doesn't pretend he likes Ugarte, but his honest despite is more valuable to the thief than false friendship.

Casablanca (1942) dir. Michael Curtiz It is early December, 1941. In French Morocco, the port city of Casablanca, the hot night spot is Rick’s Cafe Americain. With an abundant supply of liquor, gambling, and the music of pianist/singer Sam (Dooley Wilson), it’s no surprise that “everyone comes to Rick’s.” The owner, Richard “Rick” Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), was… Continue reading Movie Review: Casablanca

Magazine Review: Worlds of If August 1973

"Astronauts on Deimos" by David A. Hardy. Not illustrating any of the interior stories.

Magazine Review: Worlds of If August 1973 edited by Ejier Jakobsson This issue of the magazine also known as “If” opens with the “Hue and Cry” letter column. One reader was especially impressed with the negative review Lester del Rey gave of a book on cloning, which taught the reader something to look for in… Continue reading Magazine Review: Worlds of If August 1973

Book Review: Beyond Asimios: Book One

Book Review: Beyond Asimios: Book One by Martin Fossum Dr. Martin Graf has come to think of Asimios Station as his home. The first extrasolar planet that Earthlings have found possible to terraform, Asimios is almost survivable by humans for short periods. A lot of scientific advancement has come out of the project, and Dr.… Continue reading Book Review: Beyond Asimios: Book One

Comic Book Review: 2000 A.D. Progs 2206-2209

Comic Book Review: 2000 A.D. Progs 2206-2209 edited by Tharg Over the years, the long-running British speculative fiction comic paper 2000 AD has strayed from its original demographic of British schoolboys somewhat. As in, it’s got a lot more “not safe for school” content. As a way of allowing younger readers to enjoy a taste,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: 2000 A.D. Progs 2206-2209

Book Review: The War of the Worlds

Book Review: The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells Early in the Twentieth Century, odd flashes of light are seen on the surface of the planet Mars. This phenomenon is highly interesting to scientists, but seems irrelevant to most people going about their lives on Earth. That is, until what is initially mistaken for… Continue reading Book Review: The War of the Worlds

Book Review: The Fifth Season

Book Review: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin The time is the far future. So far, indeed, that five or six great worldwide civilizations after our own have come, collapsed and been mostly forgotten. So far that there is only one known continent left, sarcastically known as The Stillness because of its constant tectonic activity.… Continue reading Book Review: The Fifth Season

Magazine Review: Water~Stone Review Volume 9: What Prevails

Magazine Review: Water~Stone Review Volume 9: What Prevails edited by Mary Francois Rockcastle It is time again to look at Hamline University’s annual literary magazine. This issue is from 2006. It’s dedicated to Frederick Busch, author of Girls, who had visited the university shortly before his death the previous year. The subtitle, borrowed from one… Continue reading Magazine Review: Water~Stone Review Volume 9: What Prevails

Book Review: People of the Book: A Decade of Jewish Science Fiction & Fantasy

Book Review: People of the Book: A Decade of Jewish Science Fiction & Fantasy edited by Rachel Swirsky & Sean Wallace One of the perils of reading a lot of anthologies is that you see a fair amount of overlap in stories, particularly in themed anthologies. (I include “Best of the Year” in that as… Continue reading Book Review: People of the Book: A Decade of Jewish Science Fiction & Fantasy

Book Review: The Rise of Io

Book Review: The Rise of Io by Wesley Chu Note: This review contains SPOILERS for the previous Tao trilogy, of which I have previously reviewed The Deaths of Tao. It has been a decade since the end of the Alien World War, when nations under the influence of either the Genjix or Prophus factions of… Continue reading Book Review: The Rise of Io