Book Review: Enchantment Lake

Book Review: Enchantment Lake by Margi Preus Francine Frye isn’t a detective.  She played a detective on TV.  On a children’s show.  For a few episodes.  But that still makes her the closest thing to a detective Francie’s eccentric aunts Astrid and Jeannette know.  So when a series of perfectly explainable but statistically improbable deaths… Continue reading Book Review: Enchantment Lake

Comic Book Review: Savage: Taking Liberties

Comic Book Review: Savage: Taking Liberties written by Pat Mills, art by Charlie Adlard In 2000 AD #1 (1977), a feature entitled Invasion! began, created by Pat Mills.  Set in 1999, Great Britain is attacked and occupied by the Volgan Republic, which uses nuclear weapons to force a quick surrender.  Hardline anti-Volgans in the government are eliminated,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Savage: Taking Liberties

Book Review: Nine Lessons

Book Review: Nine Lessons by Nicola Upson A churchyard in a village not too far from Cambridge in England has one too many bodies in its graves.  The victim, a respected organist, was entombed alive, and odd details about the scene make it clear that this was murder most foul.  Detective Chief Inspector Archie Penrose… Continue reading Book Review: Nine Lessons

Manga Review: Tokyo Ghoul Volume 1

Manga Review: Tokyo Ghoul Volume 1 by Sui Ishida There is a parallel Earth that seems exactly like ours, except that humanity shares the planet with “ghouls.”  Ghouls are shaped like humans, and can pass for them with a little effort, but they are not human.  They possess body weapons known as “kagune” and can… Continue reading Manga Review: Tokyo Ghoul Volume 1

Book Review: One Night in Sixes

Book Review: One Night in Sixes by Arianne “Tex” Thompson Island Town used to be known as Sixes, when the Eadan Confederacy controlled this area.  But a decade or so back, the indigenous peoples pushed the Confederacy across the river.  Now Island Town is on the border, with only a handful of the old inhabitants… Continue reading Book Review: One Night in Sixes

Comic Book Review: The Drained Brains Caper

Comic Book Review: The Drained Brains Caper written by Trina Robbins, art by Tyler Page Megan Yamamura wants a pet. Unfortunately, the young poet’s (she specializes in haiku) father is allergic to all fur-bearing animals, so she’s thinking maybe a tarantula, which is fuzzy but not furry might be the best bet. She’s been looking… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Drained Brains Caper

Book Review: The Martian Chronicles

Book Review: The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury Once, Mars was a place of mystery.  Humans looked at it from the blue Earth with feeble telescopes, and imagined what life, if any, might inhabit that red dot in the sky.  Were there canals filled with water?  Bloodsucking tripod operators?  Beings that had never fallen from grace… Continue reading Book Review: The Martian Chronicles

Book Review: Jewish Noir

Book Review: Jewish Noir edited by Kenneth Wishnia Many of the themes of noir fiction, alienation, hostile society, darkness and bitter endings, resonate with the experience of Jewish people.  So it’s not surprising that it was easy to find submissions for an anthology of thirty-plus noir stories with Jewish themes.  (Not all of the authors are… Continue reading Book Review: Jewish Noir

Book Review: Boy Scouts of the Air on the French Front

Book Review: Boy Scouts of the Air on the French Front by Gordon Stuart Tod Fulton’s father is an inventor who has developed a new airplane that can hover in place and has true VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) capabilities.  Up to now, he wasn’t able to sell it as there were no peacetime applications.… Continue reading Book Review: Boy Scouts of the Air on the French Front