Book Review: The Best of R.A. Lafferty by R.A. Lafferty Raphael Aloysius Lafferty (1914-2002) was one of those “American originals” you hear about every so often. His writing takes some form from the American tall tale, some from Native American yarn spinning, and mixes it into a style all his own. This anthology collects 22… Continue reading Book Review: The Best of R.A. Lafferty
Tag: islands
Book Review: The Sea Chase
Book Review: The Sea Chase by Andrew Geer Sydney Harbour is bustling on this September day in 1939, but one ship, the Ergenstrasse, lies idle, waiting to fill her sadly depleted coal bunkers. This ship is part of the German merchant marine, and everyone is well aware that it is only a matter of time… Continue reading Book Review: The Sea Chase
Magazine Review: Famous Fantastic Mysteries Fall 2016
Magazine Review: Famous Fantastic Mysteries Fall 2016 edited by Matthew Moring Every so often, someone tries to relaunch a once-popular magazine. Most of these efforts fold quickly. The subject of this review is one such, lasting a single issue. As you’ll recall from a previous review, Famous Fantastic Mysteries was primarily a reprint title, presenting… Continue reading Magazine Review: Famous Fantastic Mysteries Fall 2016
Book Review: The Beast with Five Fingers
Book Review: The Beast with Five Fingers by W.F. Harvey W.F. Harvey (1885-1937) was born in Yorkshire, of Quaker family, and became a doctor. However, his health was poor and he was often unable to practice, so he wrote short stories on the side, many of them falling generally into the “weird” category. This volume… Continue reading Book Review: The Beast with Five Fingers
Book Review: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
Book Review: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin On Alice Island, off the coast of Massachusetts, there is a bookstore, Island Books. It isn’t doing so well right now. Owner A.J. Fikry was never the most sociable of people, and he’s gotten downright surly since the death of his wife Nic. Sales… Continue reading Book Review: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
Book Review: Rain of the Ghosts
Book Review: Rain of the Ghosts by Greg Weisman Rain Cacique may have just hit puberty, but her future is already locked into place. Rain is going to stay here in the Ghost Keys near Florida, the Prospero Keys to outsiders, and serve the tourist industry in some way. Just like her parents and grandparents… Continue reading Book Review: Rain of the Ghosts
Book Review: SYLO
Book Review: SYLO by D.J. MacHale Tucker Pierce is warming the bench at his high school football game on Pemberwick Island off the coast of Maine. In the final minutes of the game, the team’s star player scores the winning touchdown–and dies. For no apparent reason. Later that night, Tucker and his brainy friend Quinn… Continue reading Book Review: SYLO
Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales
Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales compiled by Stefan Dziemianowicz The definition of “thriller” is a little loose in this fun anthology, though most of the stories do have at least some suspense. It feels more like the compiler picked a bunch of the public domain stories he liked, but didn’t have a strong… Continue reading Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales
Book Review: The Beasts of Tarzan
Book Review: The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, and his lovely wife Jane have settled down in London with their infant son Jack. I guess this is the end of the adventures of Tarzan since everyone knows that marriage and children mean that you’re never going to be interesting again. … Continue reading Book Review: The Beasts of Tarzan
Book Review: The Avon Fantasy Reader
Book Review: The Avon Fantasy Reader edited by Donald A. Wollheim and George Ernsberger Avon Fantasy Reader was a pulp magazine that reprinted fantasy and science fiction stories for eighteen issues starting in 1946. It featured some doozies from authors who’d since become well-known, or were classics in their own right. In 1968, this paperback… Continue reading Book Review: The Avon Fantasy Reader