Book Review: Zorro by Isabel Allende Johnston McCulley wrote the first Zorro story, “The Curse of Capistrano” way back in 1919. Set in Spanish California, it told the tale of Don Diego (de la) Vega, a foppish young nobleman who in secret was Zorro, the fox, masked protector of justice. It was a modest success,… Continue reading Book Review: Zorro
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Book Review: Redshirts
Book Review: Redshirts by John Scalzi I’ve been avoiding reviews of this book, so this may be very redundant of other things you’ve read about Redshirts. The Universal Union capital ship Intrepid has a problem. Or rather, the crew does. Especially the lower-ranked members. It seems that every time one of the senior officers or the… Continue reading Book Review: Redshirts
Book Review: City of Nets
Book Review: City of Nets: A Portrait of Hollywood in the 1940s by Otto Friedrich The book’s title comes from a Bertolt Brecht opera, “The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.” Brecht had not yet come to Hollywood at the time, but “like a net set for edible birds” is a plausible description of… Continue reading Book Review: City of Nets
Book Review: Where the Cherry Tree Grew
Book Review: Where the Cherry Tree Grew by Phillip Levy Full Disclosure: I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway, on the premise that I would review it. This is something a little different for me, a geographical “biography” that traces the history of a particular place. In this case, the piece of land that… Continue reading Book Review: Where the Cherry Tree Grew
Book Review: Aim High
Book Review: Aim High by Joseph A. West If you’ve been around the small-press horror magazine scene for a while, you may already be familiar with the work of Joseph A. West. His distinctive primitive art style, heavy on sloping foreheads, large noses and jutting jaws, has graced many a magazine. He also is a… Continue reading Book Review: Aim High
Book Review: The Devil–With Wings
Book Review: The Devil–With Wings by L. Ron Hubbard Full Disclosure: I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway in the expectation that I would review it. Presumably this was influenced by my review of an earlier book in the series, “If I Were You.” This volume is part of the “Golden Age Stories” reprints… Continue reading Book Review: The Devil–With Wings
Book Review: Brandwashed
Book Review: Brandwashed: How Marketers and Advertisers Obscure the Truth, Manipulate Our Minds, and Persuade Us to Buy by Martin Lindstrom. Disclaimer: I got this book through the Goodreads giveaway program on the expectation I would write a review. My copy is an uncorrected proof, and minor changes (possibly major changes to the final chapter)… Continue reading Book Review: Brandwashed
Book Review: Universal Station
Book Review: Universal Station by Beth Brown. This volume is by the Beth Brown who also wrote “All Dogs Go To Heaven”. Like that book, it’s a light fantasy about the afterlife. (Indeed, one of the main characters is a dog.) Broadway musician Johnny dies in a plane crash during World War Two, and is met… Continue reading Book Review: Universal Station
Book Review: If I Were You
Book Review: If I Were You by L. Ron Hubbard Before L. Ron Hubbard got involved in…you know, he was a middling-good and prolific pulp author. The Golden Age Stories line is reprinting many of his stories in attractively designed paperbacks. This volume contains two short stories, , a preview of another, a glossary (really… Continue reading Book Review: If I Were You
Book Review: Blood Lance
Book Review: Blood Lance by Jeri Westerson This is the fifth Crispin Guest novel, featuring a disgraced knight of the Fourteenth Century who takes up a career of detection, earning the nickname “Tracker.” I have not read the previous volumes. Guest happens to witness a man falling from a bridge into the Thames. By the… Continue reading Book Review: Blood Lance