Monthly Archives: July 2013

I’ve posted about Alma in the past, one of the best animated short films I’ve ever come across.  Here are a couple more — Blackwater Gospel and Death Fails — both of which gave me a kick.

A few bits of note: Vulture published a lengthy essay about Harlan Ellison.  To mangle a Mark Twain quote:  Rumors of his death have been greatly exaggerated — mostly by Harlan Ellison.  Bonus points for the awesome photo of Harlan … Continue reading →

SPOILERS AHEAD Graham Masterton has stated in interviews that he wrote The Manitou, his first novel, in a feverish five-day writing sprint.  Most times when authors rush through a rough draft, it shows in the final product.  Readers may not … Continue reading →

SPOILERS AHEAD Jaws is a great movie, a true cinematic classic.  The book?  Not so much.  Think back to the first time you saw the film.  Picture the best moments, the most quotable lines, the scariest scenes.  Now strip them … Continue reading →

SPOILERS AHEAD Invasion of the Body Snatchers has been filmed several times:  first in 1956, again in 1978, once more in 1993 and most recently in 2007.  It’s one of those rare archetypal plots that each generation remakes to reflect … Continue reading →

Last weekend the Shirley Jackson Awards were handed out at Readercon 24.  Congratulations to all the winners and nominees.  (List taken from their website.) NOVEL Winner: Edge, Koji Suzuki (Vertical, Inc.) Finalists: The Drowning Girl, Caitlín R. Kiernan (ROC) The Devil … Continue reading →

SPOILERS AHEAD Live Girls is the only novel from my reading list that hasn’t been turned into a movie.  Hollywood, what are you waiting for?  There are enough terrible vampire-stripper movies on Netflix to choke a nosferatu, so it’s about … Continue reading →

SPOILERS AHEAD Carrie is Stephen King’s first published novel, but not the first he wrote.  Counting unpublished work (at the time), it would’ve been his fourth overall.  Those others — what became known as the Bachman books — were trunk … Continue reading →

SPOILERS AHEAD This isn’t my first Jack Ketchum book.  I’ve read Off Season, Right to Life, Red and a couple others, so I know to expect a story from Ketchum that’s gut-wrenching and grim.  The Girl Next Door certainly fits … Continue reading →

After reading about 2,100 pages over the past week, I’m getting my thoughts in order and have started formulating individual reviews.  I don’t use a rating system for books; instead I categorize them by how they made me feel when … Continue reading →