Comic Book Review: Star Trek: Lower Decks: Second Contact

Comic Book Review: Star Trek: Lower Decks: Second Contact written by Ryan North, art by Derek Charm & Jack Lawrence Even in the Federation Starfleet of the 24th Century, not everyone gets to explore strange new worlds, meet new civilizations or go boldly where no one has gone before. These are the adventures of the… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Star Trek: Lower Decks: Second Contact

Book Review: The Second If Reader of Science Fiction

Cover by Jack Gaughan.

Book Review: The Second If Reader of Science Fiction edited by Frederik Pohl If was a science fiction magazine that ran from 1952-1974, with its most successful years being under editor Frederik Pohl, winning three consecutive Hugos for Best Professional Magazine 1966-1968. Mr. Pohl has considerately included some stories from before his tenure in his… Continue reading Book Review: The Second If Reader of Science Fiction

Book Review: The Moon Maid

Cover by Roy Krenkel, Jr.

Book Review: The Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs It is the 2020s, and it is at last time for the humans of Earth to visit their neighbors on Mars, or as its natives call it, Barsoom. The first spaceship to essay the journey is also named the Barsoom. It carries a crew of five,… Continue reading Book Review: The Moon Maid

Magazine Review: Planet Stories Summer 1949

John Eric Stark as usual represented with far too light skin.

Magazine Review: Planet Stories Summer 1949 edited by Paul L. Payne As previously discussed on this blog, Planet Stories was a science fiction pulp magazine published from 1939-1955. It was heavy on the space opera and planetary romance, and usually had a curvy and/or scantily-clad woman on the cover. This Adventure House reprint is of… Continue reading Magazine Review: Planet Stories Summer 1949

Manga Review: Space Battleship Yamato the Classic Collection

Manga Review: Space Battleship Yamato the Classic Collection by Leiji Matsumoto It is the year 2199, and the Earth is dying. For a change, it’s not directly the fault of the Earthling humans. Invaders from the planet Gamilas have been bombarding Earth with radioactive bombs, poisoning the atmosphere. A message from a far off world,… Continue reading Manga Review: Space Battleship Yamato the Classic Collection

Book Review: Sweep of Stars

Book Review: Sweep of Stars by Maurice Broaddus Muungano isn’t an empire, at least not yet. It’s a strongly connected group of communities including the Dreaming City on the Moon, Bronzeville on Mars, Titan, and the far flung Oyigiyigi mining outpost. They’re tired together by a shared weusi culture dominated by peoples from the African… Continue reading Book Review: Sweep of Stars

TV Review: Star Trek the Animated Series

Lieutenant M'ress reports for duty.

TV Review: Star Trek the Animated Series In a future where humanity did not succeed in destroying itself, but instead learned to live together in peace (after a few more world wars) and then went to space to explore strange new worlds, meet interesting life forms (and sometimes peacefully interact with them) and boldly go… Continue reading TV Review: Star Trek the Animated Series

Movie Review: Serenity (2005)

The Serenity's crew doesn't always agree on the best course of action.

Movie Review: Serenity (2005) directed by Joss Whedon This is what we are told: It is around 500 years in the future. Life on Earth That Was became unsustainable, so humanity went looking for new worlds to live on. At least one place they found was a trinary star system with multiple planets and planetoids in… Continue reading Movie Review: Serenity (2005)

Book Review: New Tales of Space and Time

Cover by Charles Frank

Book Review: New Tales of Space and Time edited by Raymond J. Healy This 1951 anthology opens with an introduction by Anthony Boucher. In it he notes the proliferation of science fiction anthologies at the time, most of which were reprints of magazine stories. Often the same stories, over and over–not bad because they are… Continue reading Book Review: New Tales of Space and Time

Book Review: The Peregrine

Book Review: The Peregrine by Poul Anderson It is the distant future, and humanity has scattered to the stars. Spacefaring human civilization is currently focused in one of two groups, the Solarian Union, which is focused on mental development and social stability (helped by their troubleshooting Coordinators), and the Nomads, eternal wanderers who are constantly… Continue reading Book Review: The Peregrine