Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Eight

Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Eight by Makoto Yukimura Warning:  This review contains spoilers for earlier volumes in the series.  If you have not read those, you may want to refer to my earlier reviews instead. Thorfinn Thorsson has finally arrived back in Iceland after more than a decade away.  His sister, now a wife… Continue reading Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Eight

Book Review: Seven Come Infinity

Book Review: Seven Come Infinity edited by Groff Conklin The title of this anthology refers to the phrase “seven come eleven” from craps, referring to the ways you can win.  In the preface, it’s mentioned that there are a finite number of possibilities for the outcome of rolling two dice.  But when you write a… Continue reading Book Review: Seven Come Infinity

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 Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution

Book Review: The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution by Richard Beeman After the last book I reviewed, I felt I needed something a bit more intellectually challenging to recharge my brain cells.  Thus this volume, which contains not just the annotated text of the United States Constitution, but the Declaration of Independence, selections… Continue reading Book Review: The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution

Book Review: Felifax the Tiger Man

Book Review: Felifax the Tiger Man by Paul Feval fils Sir Eric Palmer, the world’s greatest detective, is about to retire on his daughter Grace’s eighteenth birthday.  He’s looking forward to taking up gardening in Cornwall and becoming a full time grandfather (Grace is beautiful and accomplished, surely a suitable young gentleman will snap her… Continue reading Book Review: Felifax the Tiger Man

Book Review: The History of Opera for Beginners

Book Review: The History of Opera for Beginners by Ron David Opera is one of the great art forms, blending theater and music into a powerful emotional experience.  But it also has a stereotype of being incomprehensible melodrama that boring rich people drag their unwilling spouses to.  And many of the books about opera are written… Continue reading Book Review: The History of Opera for Beginners

Magazine Review: Saucy Romantic Adventures August 1936

Magazine Review: Saucy Romantic Adventures August 1936 by various This was one of the “spicy” pulp magazines, sold “under the counter” to readers wanting something more titillating than the standard action fare.  By modern standards, this is pretty tame stuff, mostly consisting of descriptions of women’s naked bodies (minus genitalia) and strong hints that the… Continue reading Magazine Review: Saucy Romantic Adventures August 1936

Book Review: Enchantment Lake

Book Review: Enchantment Lake by Margi Preus Francine Frye isn’t a detective.  She played a detective on TV.  On a children’s show.  For a few episodes.  But that still makes her the closest thing to a detective Francie’s eccentric aunts Astrid and Jeannette know.  So when a series of perfectly explainable but statistically improbable deaths… Continue reading Book Review: Enchantment Lake

Comic Book Review: Savage: Taking Liberties

Comic Book Review: Savage: Taking Liberties written by Pat Mills, art by Charlie Adlard In 2000 AD #1 (1977), a feature entitled Invasion! began, created by Pat Mills.  Set in 1999, Great Britain is attacked and occupied by the Volgan Republic, which uses nuclear weapons to force a quick surrender.  Hardline anti-Volgans in the government are eliminated,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Savage: Taking Liberties