Book Review: Whatever Became of…? Vol. III

Book Review: Whatever Became of…? Vol. III by Richard Lamparski The vast majority of my readers will have at some point encountered one of those clickbait articles titled something like “8 CW stars of the 1990s, what they’re doing now, #3 will shock you.” Nostalgia is a powerful force, and most humans have at least… Continue reading Book Review: Whatever Became of…? Vol. III

TV Review: Tientsin Mystic

Guo De-You recaps some of the backstory.

TV Review: Tientsin Mystic Tientsin (now usually romanized as “Tianjin”) is a river and port city in Northern China. During a ceremony to honor the River God, two corpses are discovered by salvage diver Guo De-You (Xian Li). One is an infant of unknown origin, but the other is the leader of the prestigious Chamber… Continue reading TV Review: Tientsin Mystic

Book Review: The Last Séance

Book Review: The Last Séance by Agatha Christie Agatha Christie is best remembered for her tales of mystery and detection, but she didn’t confine herself to that field. She also wrote stories with elements of the supernatural, and this new volume collects twenty of them in one place, rather than in scattered anthologies. The title… Continue reading Book Review: The Last Séance

Manga Review: Shonen Jump (2020)

Manga Review: Shonen Jump (2020) It’s the eighth anniversary of this blog, and time once again to look at the online version of Weekly Shounen Jump! There haven’t been any major changes to the format since last year. One Piece is still the longest-running feature, and is closing in on 1000 chapters! There was a… Continue reading Manga Review: Shonen Jump (2020)

Book Review: If This Goes On

Gotta love this cover "old man yells at rocket."

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

Book Review: Blood Vengeance

Book Review: Blood Vengeance by Stuart Jason Today, we’re looking at another entry in the Seventies men’s adventure paperback series category, #13 (of 35) in “The Butcher” series. Bucher (who only has one name due to the orphanage administrator being drunk at the time) was a foundling who ran away from the orphanage, but was… Continue reading Book Review: Blood Vengeance

Book Review: Great Stories from the Saturday Evening Post

This cover is by Stevan Dohanos, who often did covers for the Post, and illustrates a conversation he had with a mailman. Note the two red stars on the sleeve for twenty years' service.

Book Review: Great Stories from the Saturday Evening Post edited by Ben Hibbs For many years, the Saturday Evening Post was one of America’s most popular magazines. Every week, it would show fascinating photographs, interesting non-fiction articles and a selection of short stories and serialized fiction. With more than 200 short stories being printed in… Continue reading Book Review: Great Stories from the Saturday Evening Post

Book Review: The Scarlet Pimpernel

Book Review: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy It is the height of the Reign of Terror, after the fervor of the French Revolution turned from freedom to revenge. In an effort to unify the country both against outside enemies and counter-revolutionaries, the Committee of Public Safety holds trials of those suspected of acting… Continue reading Book Review: The Scarlet Pimpernel

Movie Review: The Last Tycoon (2012)

The student has become the master.

Movie Review: The Last Tycoon (2012) directed by Jing Wong Back in the 1910s, when Chen Daqi (Chow-Yun Fat) was just a grocer’s assistant, he fell in love with aspiring actress Ye Zhiqiu (Quan Yuan). After Daqi was framed for murder, he had to flee to Shanghai, while Zhiqiu went to Beijing to join the Opera.… Continue reading Movie Review: The Last Tycoon (2012)

Book Review: The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch Volume 3

Book Review: The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch Volume 3 by Robert Bloch Robert Bloch (1917-1994) was a prolific author of horror, science fiction and mystery works. (You may have seen, read or at least heard of Psycho.) This volume, originally “Selected Stories” and by no means complete, features 39 stories published between 1960 and… Continue reading Book Review: The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch Volume 3