Book Review: Under a Wild Sky: John James Audubon and the Making of THE BIRDS OF AMERICA by William Souder When John James Audubon arrived in Philadelphia in 1824, he carried with him a portfolio of beautiful bird paintings he hoped to turn into a book, and a backstory of childhood in Louisiana, being the… Continue reading Book Review: Under a Wild Sky: John James Audubon and the Making of THE BIRDS OF AMERICA
Tag: snakes
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
Magazine Review: High Adventure #73: Secret Agent “X”
Magazine Review: High Adventure #73: Secret Agent “X” Edited by John P. Gunnison Let’s take another look at this pulp reprint magazine, this time reprinting stories from Secret Agent “X” May 1934. “Ambassador of Doom” by Brent House: A secret meeting takes place in Washington, D.C. The matter at hand–whether to preserve or destroy the prototype and… Continue reading Magazine Review: High Adventure #73: Secret Agent “X”
Comic Book Review: Snake Tales
Comic Book Review: Snake Tales edited by Mike Howlett Ophiophobia (fear of snakes) is a common phenomenon (Hi Mom!) and has plagued humanity from ancient times, even appearing in the Book of Genesis. Even humans not afflicted with undue fear of the legless reptiles tend to distrust them, and snakes are often cast as villains… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Snake Tales
Comic Book Review: The Complete Voodoo Volume 1
Comic Book Review: The Complete Voodoo Volume 1 Edited by Craig Yoe EC was not the only publisher putting out lurid horror comics during the brief period between the post-World War Two decline of superhero books and the installation of the Comics Code. Others quickly followed in their footsteps. Robert Farrell was one of those… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Complete Voodoo Volume 1
Book Review: The Book of Van Vogt
Book Review: The Book of Van Vogt by A.E. van Vogt In 1972, DAW Books was a brand new publishing company started by noted speculative fiction editor Donald A. Wollheim. Its mission statement was to publish quality science fiction books that had not previously appeared in paperback. (As opposed to reprinting old books with a… Continue reading Book Review: The Book of Van Vogt
Book Review: Kaiju: Lords of the Earth
Book Review: Kaiju: Lords of the Earth edited by Essel Pratt Kaiju (“strange beast”) is primarily a subgenre of the monster movie that became codified in Japan. They’re mostly gigantic monsters that are nigh-unstoppable by conventional armaments, and run around destroying cities or fighting other giant monsters. The seeds of the story type were sown… Continue reading Book Review: Kaiju: Lords of the Earth
Comic Book Review: Child of the Sun
Comic Book Review: Child of the Sun written by Michael Van Cleve, art by Mervyn McCoy Disclaimer: I was provided with free downloads of this comic book for the purposes of review. No other compensation was offered or requested. It is 1300 B.C.E., and the people of Israel have fallen into wickedness. Thus they are… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Child of the Sun
Magazine Review: Water~Stone Review Volume 15: Dark Matter
Magazine Review: Water~Stone Review Volume 15: Dark Matter edited by Mary François Rockcastle This literary journal is published by Hamline University in Minnesota. The title comes from another name of the Philosopher’s Stone, the transformative agent which turned base metals into gold, in the search for true immortality, as literature turns ordinary words into art.… Continue reading Magazine Review: Water~Stone Review Volume 15: Dark Matter
Movie Review: The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2012)
Movie Review: The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2012) Fahai (Jet Li) is a Buddhist monk and abbot of a monastery who goes about the countryside with his bumbling apprentice Neng Ren (Wen Zhang) defeating demons who harm humans and imprisoning them until they reform. (Effectively forever for most of them.) Meanwhile, white snake demon… Continue reading Movie Review: The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2012)