For many years, scholars regarded Kipling as one of the great writers in the English-language canon. Political correctness has damaged his reputation, due to post-modernist interpretations of his novels and poetry as an apologia for British Imperialism. Being familiar with leftist over-sensitivity, I had my doubts. After reading his 1901 young-adult novel Kim, I’ve concluded […]
I don’t know how it happened, but Madeleine Holly-Rosing’s “Boston Metaphysical Society” escaped my notice until quite recently. It began in 2013 as a series of graphic novels. Her recent prose adaptation, “Boston Metaphysical Society: Storm of Secrets”, was published just this year. The story takes place in an alternate history in which powerful families […]
Ever since I read his 1992 cyberpunk novel Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson has been one of my favorite authors. He writes in a broad variety of genres, including the “Baroque Cycle” historical fiction series. His 2017 novel The Rise And Fall of D.O.D.O., co-authored with Nicole Galland, is an interesting twist on the theme of […]
As I’ve said before, I love a good title but I don’t know what to make of this one. “Clockwork Dagger” is a phrase akin to “Naked Gun” which is perfect for a work of satire. This book, however, isn’t satire. It takes place in the fictional monarchy of Caskentia where “Clockwork Dagger” is a […]
I don’t collect as many kinds of things as I used to (no more room!) but I still love to buy signed books, particularly if they’re by local authors. A few years ago, I got a copy of a slim book called Cibola’s Promise at a convention and promptly forgot about it. I rediscovered it while […]
If the Japanese are the world’s masters at producing intelligent, mature animation, the French are surely runners-up. Recently we discovered another unusual, quirky French animated film: The Rabbi’s Cat. Released in 2011, it was directed by Joanne Sfar and Antoine Delesvaux. The movie is based on the comic series by artist/writer Sfar. We watched it […]
I encountered this book entirely by accident. I was doing a web search for images to serve as inspiration for the cover design for one of our “Ione D.” steampunk novels. This cover appeared, an illustration of a young woman in a long dress and high boots running through a Chinese street scene. It looks […]
