Movie Review: The 13th Warrior

Ahmed has toughened up a bit from his first appearance.

Movie Review: The 13th Warrior (1999) directed by John McTiernan Ahmed ibn Fahdlan (Antonio Banderas) was not always a warrior. Once he was a poet, esteemed for his skill with words. But then he fell in love with another man’s wife, and to avoid scandal, Ahmed was sent as an ambassador to the far north. There,… Continue reading Movie Review: The 13th Warrior

Book Review: Writers of the Future, Volume 34

Book Review: Writers of the Future, Volume 34 edited by David Farland Disclaimer:  I received a download of this book through a Goodreads giveaway for the purpose of writing this review.  No other compensation was offered or requested. Back before he became involved with…you know, L. Ron Hubbard was a prolific author of stories for… Continue reading Book Review: Writers of the Future, Volume 34

Open Thread: Minicon 52

Open Thread: Minicon 52 I was fortunate enough to attend the 2017 iteration of this venerable science fiction convention thanks to the generosity of another member.  As usual, Minicon was held over Easter weekend at the Bloomington Doubletree (known as the RadiShTree to longtimers.)   This may or may not be the last year at… Continue reading Open Thread: Minicon 52

Book Review: 14 Steps to Self-Publishing a Book

Book Review: 14 Steps to Self-Publishing a Book by Mike Kowis, Esq. Disclaimer:  I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway for the purpose of writing this review.  No other compensation was offered or requested. Back in the day, self-publishing was the province of cranks and egomaniacs who couldn’t find a legitimate publisher.  “Vanity presses”… Continue reading Book Review: 14 Steps to Self-Publishing a Book

Magazine Review: The Blueroad Reader: Stardust and Fate

Magazine Review: The Blueroad Reader: Stardust and Fate edited by John Gaterud Yes, this is yet another literary magazine; I picked up a bunch inexpensively at the book fair.  This one seems to take its title from Jack Kerouac’s writing; this first issue was published in 2007. The index is unusual for this kind of… Continue reading Magazine Review: The Blueroad Reader: Stardust and Fate

Magazine Review: Conjunctions: 51 The Death Issue

Magazine Review:  Conjunctions: 51 The Death Issue edited by David Shields and Bradford Morrow Conjunctions is a literary journal published twice a year by Bard College.  Each issue contains essays, short fiction, poetry and less classifiable writing on a given subject, with this issue being about death.  Literary journals tend to have a connotation of… Continue reading Magazine Review: Conjunctions: 51 The Death Issue

Book Review: Splatterlands

Book Review: Splatterlands edited by Anthony Rivera and Sharon Lawson Disclaimer:  I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. According to Wikipedia, “splatterpunk” was a movement in horror writing between roughly 1985 and 1995,  distinguished by its graphic and often gory descriptions of violence and attempts to… Continue reading Book Review: Splatterlands