Book Review: The Complete Max Carrados Volume 1

Book Review: The Complete Max Carrados Volume 1 by Ernest Bramah Disclaimer: I contributed to the Kickstarter for this collection. Ernest Bramah Smith, who dropped his last name for his literary efforts, was born in 1868, and was a school dropout and farmer before becoming a writer. His first published book in 1900 was The… Continue reading Book Review: The Complete Max Carrados Volume 1

Movie Review: The Avengers (1998)

Steed and Peel briefly enjoy a drive before another action sequence.

Movie Review: The Avengers (1998) directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik The Prospero Program, a method of manipulating weather patterns to create an atmospheric shield over the United Kingdom, has been compromised. It is now completely non-functional. The chief suspect is Dr. Emma Peel (Uma Thurman), one of the project scientists. While she was caught on camera… Continue reading Movie Review: The Avengers (1998)

Comic Book Review: Robot Archie and the Time Machine

Comic Book Review: Robot Archie and the Time Machine story by E. George Cowan, art by Ted Kearon Robot Archie was created in 1952 for Lion, a British weekly comic paper. Initially appearing in the serial “The Jungle Robot”, he was built by Professor C.R. Ritchie to help his nephew Ted Ritchie and Ted’s chum… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Robot Archie and the Time Machine

Comic Book Review: The Best of DC #14: Batman’s Villains

Cover by Ross Andru and Dick Giordano

Comic Book Review: The Best of DC #14: Batman’s Villains edited by Dick Giordano One of the things that has kept Batman a popular superhero over the many years of his existence is that he has a good rogues’ gallery, a set of colorful recurring villains that drive fun stories for the Caped Crusader. This… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Best of DC #14: Batman’s Villains

Movie Review: Gone With the Wind

Scarlett is breaking under the stress of working with war wounded.

Movie Review: Gone With the Wind (1939) directed by Victor Fleming Gerald O’Hara (Thomas Mitchell) is an Irish immigrant who got lucky in a card game many years ago, winning a substantial tract of farmland in Georgia. He married a woman of French extraction named Ellen (Barbara O’Neil) and by hard work and being a decent… Continue reading Movie Review: Gone With the Wind

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

"Honey, did you ever wonder if we're living in a Daphne Du Maurier story?"

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) directed by Chris Columbus Once upon a time, there was an Ugly Muggle named Harry. The Muggle family he lived with neglected, bullied and abused him because he was so bad at being a Muggle. But then one day a friendly giant appeared, and revealed to Harry… Continue reading Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Book Review: Mary Poppins Opens the Door

Book Review: Mary Poppins Opens the Door by P.L. Travers It is the Fifth of November (remember, remember) and a foggy day in London town. The fog is particularly thick in the Banks household, where things have gone from Bad to Worse since Mary Poppins left the second time. Indeed, it’s so thick that chronically… Continue reading Book Review: Mary Poppins Opens the Door

Comic Book Review: Holmes: The Bento Cases

Cover by Myung Hee Kim

Comic Book Review: Holmes: The Bento Cases by various creators Bento Comics was an artist collective that allowed fans to select stories from their members to put together in bespoke anthologies. At conventions, they’d sell themed volumes to demonstrate the concept; I reviewed their Peter Pan anthology some years back. This collection is on the… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Holmes: The Bento Cases

Book Review: The Best of Analog

Cover art by Alex Schomburg.

Book Review: The Best of Analog edited by Ben Bova After the death of long-time editor John W. Campbell in 1971, Analog Science Fiction and Fact needed a new person at the helm. The winner of the selection process was Ben Bova (1932-2020), who intended to stay only a few years, those years winding up… Continue reading Book Review: The Best of Analog

Movie Review: The Adventures of Tartu

Jan Tartu presents his papers at the German Consulate.

Movie Review: The Adventures of Tartu (1943) directed by Harold S. Bucquet Dateline: London, 1940. The Blitz is on, and recovery crews are working on a damaged hospital. One of the German bombs failed to go off, and Captain Terence Stevenson (Robert Donat) is called on to disarm it. (I got Danger: UXB flashbacks.) This task is complicated… Continue reading Movie Review: The Adventures of Tartu