You all know (or should know) my love for history goes hand-in-hand with my love of food. The scene in the fish-sauce factory in Murder In Absentia, a mere sideline, turned out one of the more memorable parts of the book (to say nothing about cooking the gryphon…). To me, knowing the history of a […]
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Book Series Review: The Elric Saga
I’ve been in the mood for some classic SF/F lately, and since I’ve been meaning to re-read the Elric saga this seemed like the perfect, timely choice. This post contains the review for Elric of Malniboné and The Weird of the White Wolf. Though there are different ways of ordering the series, those are the […]
Book Review: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert A. Heinlein
I read most of Heinlein’s work years ago, and was in the mood for some classic Sci-Fi. This work has aged well, and makes it clear why he was a grandmaster story-teller. What to Expect This is the story of an accidental revolutionary, a computer technician that ends up leading the movement to free the […]
Smells Like Classical Latin
A collection of Ancient Roman curios — including the most exciting and hilarious bit EVAR!! All of the items for today are actually around how life in Ancient Rome still survives today. We shall start with a few of the more mundane finds, and finish with grand finale that you must absolutely watch to believe […]
Book Review: Add a Cup of Chaos, by Stephanie Barr
This is my first foray into Barr’s works, after reading the prequel short story Demon Spawn. Chaos is just about right! What to Expect A zany adventure mixing science and fantasy, demons and space aliens, dragons and laser beams. What starts off as a disgruntled, subversive, sorceress using-but-not-happy-about-it demon magic quickly evolves into an imminent […]
Book Review: Peace Talks, by Jim Butcher
I enjoyed the Dresden Files in the past, so was looking forward to the new installment after a few years’ gap. If you’ve never read them before this is not the place to start, but if you are a fan then this book delivers. What to Expect Peace Talks picks up where the series previously […]
Book Review: Mad House, by Ellis L. Knox
I love Knox’s mix of history and fantasy, so was happy to find this novelette. What to Expect A quick read about a roguish sprite, a loyal ogre, and a house made of magic.This story is mostly atmospheric, but serves as an excellent intro or sample of Knox’s longer works. What I liked I liked […]
Writing Update
Yeah, about that… When you start an “update” blog-post with the image on the left, there’s only one place it can go, right? Well, now. Let’s take it as an exercise in finding the optimism in everything. It wasn’t all a total wash. The pandemic has indeed put a damper on my writing. I used […]
Book Review: All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1), by Martha Wells
The Murderbot Diaries won both Hugo and Nebula, and with good reason. What to Expect A novella told from the point of view of an android assigned as a security unit to a team of scientists exploring a new planet. action is packed in this very short novel (or lengthy novella), but more importantly there’s […]
Book Review: Mon Dieu Cthulhu! by John Houlihan
Historical Fantasy (my weakness) mixing with Napoleonic Wars and Cthulhu mythos – what’s not to like? What to Expect ‘Mon Dieu Cthulhu’ is a collection of two stories with the inimitable Gaston d’Bois, a hussar lieutenant fighting in the Iberian peninsula against Wellington’s army. While dealing with the war, he comes across monsters far older […]