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sIt is always a joy to discover something new. One has been men’s adventure paperbacks. A discussion group of said books on social media has been stimulating. I have found my reading interest wandering away from the fantastic to yarns of hard men in hard situations. Years ago, I had read novels by Jon Cleary […]
This week’s roundup of the newest releases in fantasy and adventure features elemental magi, xianxia monks, and three flavors of cop–saint, superhero, and Burrito Avenger. City of Shadows (Saint Tommy, NYPD #4) – Declan Finn London is alive with the sound of shadows. When Tommy Nolan was sent abroad to avoid being made a saint […]
Short Reviews – Flight From Time, by Alfred Coppel Jr.
Friday , 12, April 2019 Uncategorized Leave a commentFlight From Time by Alfred Coppel Jr. appeared in the Winter 1949 issue of Planet Stories. It can be read here at Archive.org. The premise of Flight From Time is a fairly simple one: a criminal is hoping to get away with his crime by hiding out in space until the statute of limitations on […]
We’re very pleased to be able to say that HOW TO BE POOR by Milo Yiannopoulos is now available in paperback from Castalia Direct. It’s a pocket-sized 96-page edition that retails for $9.99, although international readers should note that this direct service is only available in the USA at this time. You may wish to consider saving some […]
Arkhaven Comics is very pleased to announce that the digital edition of Alt★Hero:Q issue #1 Where We Go One is now available in CBZ and Kindle formats. AH:Q backers should check your email, as we have sent out emails with download links to both formats to all the backers. Please note that these were only sent out […]
This Sunday Ben Wheeler discussed the execrable Hugo nominees while I joined in later to talk about the much more interesting subject of – you guessed it – anime. It was fun! Take a listen:
Sensor Sweep: David Lindsay, Robots, Hollow City, H. Beam Piper, Jonah Hex
Tuesday , 9, April 2019 Sensor Sweep Leave a commentLit-Crit (Jewish Review of Books): It’s a bit surprising to come across Harold Bloom’s confession that the literary work that has been his greatest obsession is not, say, Hamlet or Henry IV, but a relatively little-known 1920 fantasy novel. After all, Bloom is our most famous bardolater. When I took an undergraduate class with him at Yale, he […]
The Second Sweep: Hard Theology, Shonen Manga, and Superscience
Monday , 8, April 2019 Uncategorized 2 CommentsCriticism (Brian Niemeier) – Nonetheless, I can sympathize with the rocket scientists, engineers, and network admins who groan at authorial violations of physical laws. That’s because I contend that the single most hamhandedly misrepresented and abused science in all of fiction is mine, the queen and mistress of all sciences, theology. Now, hard SF usually provides […]
I grew up reading a lot of Edgar Rice Burroughs. If you are age fifty or more, chances are you did too. When you are thirteen, Edgar Rice Burroughs is the man. A trip to the local Waldenbooks or B. Dalton Bookseller in the 1970s up through the middle 1980s would generally have a shelf […]
Ryan ran afoul of an overzealous church in his fantasy world. But after losing his head, the church’s goddess, as an apology. brings Ryan back as the heart, soul, and guiding mind of a dungeon. Aided by the celestial fairy Erin, he now builds and maintains the premier dungeon for would-be adventurers, complete with devious […]
Arena mech combat, alien ugly ducklings, deep space salvage, and genetic manipulation feature in this week’s roundup of the newest releases in science fiction. BattleTech: Not the Way The Smart Money Bets (Kell Hounds Trilogy #1) – Michael A. Stackpole Brothers Morgan and Patrick Kell have just landed on Galatea, the mercenary planet known for […]
Tubemonkey, by Jerome Bixby, appeared in the Winter 1949 issue of Planet Stories. It can be read here at Archive.org. It’s no big, scalable concept like The Dead-Star Rover, but Tubemonkey does offer some compelling fodder for your space rpg. At some point, there’s a chance that space radiation will fry your brain and turn […]