Book Review: The Fall of the Towers by Samuel R. Delany Five hundred years after the old civilizations perished in the Great Fire, the Toromon Empire occupies all the known livable space on Earth. But they are hemmed in by deadly radioactive belts and there’s nowhere for it to grow. And yet–and yet, the… Continue reading Book Review: The Fall of the Towers
Tag: islands
Book Review: Out of the Dead City
Book Review: Out of the Dead City by Samuel R. Delany (originally published as “Captives of the Flame”) It has been about five hundred years since the Great Fire wiped out the old civilizations. On the island of Toron, however, enough humans and records survived to begin again. A settlement became a village became a… Continue reading Book Review: Out of the Dead City
Book Review: The Hollow-Hearted
Book Review: The Hollow-Hearted by C.A. Bryers Things are not going well for Natke Orino. After having to leave her old job as a secret agent, Natke has moved to the Odyssan Archipelago to form her own exploration company. But her rivals seem to be always one step ahead getting to new archaeological sites and… Continue reading Book Review: The Hollow-Hearted
Magazine Review: Astounding Science-Fiction January 1946
Magazine Review: Astounding Science-Fiction January 1946 edited by John W. Campbell, Jr. Before Analog (see previous reviews), there was Astounding, the science fiction magazine that led the field for many years. Having gotten a copy of an issue from the pulp days, let’s take a look at what wonders lie within. Despite the cover date, the ads… Continue reading Magazine Review: Astounding Science-Fiction January 1946
Anime Review: InuYasha Movie 4: Fire on the Mystic Island
Anime Review: InuYasha Movie 4: Fire on the Mystic Island Once upon a time, Horai Island was a peaceful land where humans and youkai (Japanese monsters, called “demons” in the dub) lived in harmony. To protect themselves and their hanyou (“half-demon”) children from less tolerant mainlanders, the people of Horai erected a magical barrier that made the… Continue reading Anime Review: InuYasha Movie 4: Fire on the Mystic Island
Comic Book Review: Essential Rampaging Hulk, Vol. 2
Comic Book Review: Essential Rampaging Hulk, Vol. 2 edited by John Denning Quick recap: In the 1970s, Marvel Comics started doing larger magazines for newsstand distribution, most of them in black and white. One of these was The Rampaging Hulk, which originally featured adventures taking place between the Hulk’s appearances in the first year of his… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Essential Rampaging Hulk, Vol. 2
Book Review: Hokas Pokas!
Book Review: Hokas Pokas! by Poul Anderson & Gordon R. Dickson The Hoka of the planet Toka are the galaxy’s best live-action roleplayers. Given a story they find interesting, the teddy-bear-looking aliens will take on the characters as their own personalities. And they especially love Earth stories. Thus it is that they have entire subcultures… Continue reading Book Review: Hokas Pokas!
Manga Review: Die Wergelder 1
Manga Review: Die Wergelder by Hiroaki Samura There’s something weird going on with the isolated island of Ishikunagajima. A decade ago, it was a poverty-stricken backwater inhabited mostly by fishermen and their families. Now it’s a thriving red-light district, despite being a five hour boat trip from Japan. It seems that someone has plowed a… Continue reading Manga Review: Die Wergelder 1
Book Review: Fright
Book Review: Fright edited by Charles M. Collins The cover makes this book look like a generic product, but that’s a little deceiving. It’s actually an anthology skewed towards the Gothic end of horror rather than the gory, emphasizing vocabulary-rich authors. Most of the stories were rarely reprinted before this collection in 1963. We open… Continue reading Book Review: Fright
Book Review: Temporary Walls
Book Review: Temporary Walls edited by Greg Ketter and Robert T. Garcia This short book of fantasy stories was inspired by John Gardner’s On Moral Fiction, in which the author argued that writing fiction is an inherently moral endeavor and that writers, especially those in the fantasy genre, should instruct their readers about “the morality that tends… Continue reading Book Review: Temporary Walls