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The Headless Horseman story is just that ... a story, right? Everyone in Sleepy Hollow knows the story, but no one actually believes it. Even Brom Bones who claims to have been there when the Horseman chased the skinny Crane fellow out of town, no longer really believes in the old story. Now, some two decades after the supposed events when the Horseman scared off ol' Ichabod, fourteen year old Ben van Brunt and some of the Sleepy Hollow boys often spend their playtime reenacting the Horseman exploits. When the youths discover the headless body of a child in the woods near town they start to question the stories and whether or not they may actually be real. I've really come to look forward to each new Christina Henry book. Her dark takes on established stories and legends have really been thrilling and well-told. When I saw Horseman  I thought it was perfectly natural for Henry to take a new look at The Legend of Sleepy Hollow story, and then I wondered how she could take a dar...

 Jaya Long is the Lame Deer High School basketball superstar. She leads the Lady Stars in nearly every category and the team is on the road to a State basketball championship, thanks to Jaya's play. But Jaya is receiving death threats - threats which are taken seriously since Jaya's older sister went missing a year earlier. Jaya's aunt is Tribal Police Chief Lolo Long, who calls for Sheriff Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear to help keep an eye on Jaya. This isn't easy when her home life can be every bit as dangerous for the teen. Even her team proves a challenge as Jaya has no respect for the other girls and the feeling is mutual. I really appreciate seeing Johnson tackle the theme of missing Indigenous women. This is an incredibly serious issue that is only marginally mentioned by the media. Johnson really only brings up the topic however, focusing this book more on Jaya and the threats against her than on the tragedy of missing women on the Rez. There is a strong ...

This is a very difficult graphic novel to review because there are many different aspects to the book. First, the description.  Even then is difficult because of the various parts to this novel.  Here's a portion of what the publisher has on Goodreads: (Dave) Sim brings to life the history of comics' greatest creators, using their own techniques. ... Strange Death is a head-on collision of ink drawing and spiritual intrigue, pulp comics and movies, history and fiction. The story traces the lives and techniques of Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon, Rip Kirby), Stan Drake (Juliet Jones), Hal Foster (Prince Valiant), and more, dissecting their techniques through recreations of their artwork, and highlighting the metatextual resonances that bind them together. A phrase like "metatextual resonances that bind them together" always makes me a little nervous. What drew me first to the book was the name of Alex Raymond.  Of course I knew of him as the creator of Flash Gordon, and tha...

A British dandy, Phileas Fogg, makes a bet with other British dandies that he can travel around the world in eighty days. Thanks to his financial situation, he is able to pay extravagantly and be afforded preferential treatment when standard means of travel don't pan out. Fogg makes the journey with his newly acquired valet, Passepartout. As you might guess from my brief description, I'm not the biggest fan of this book. I've read a fair amount of Jules Verne, including  Paris in the Twentieth Century when it was first released, but I'd never had any interest in reading Around the World in Eighty Days . But as I've recently had a desire to catch up on reading more of the classics that I've missed out on, and I saw that Penguin had this available as an ARC request, I thought I'd finally read this. What struck me the most is how much Phileas Fogg is very much the definition of 'white privilege.' The whole trip around the world is based on a wager Fogg...

It has been just over a decade since Artor (Arthur) was crowned King of the Britons.  In that time he has worked tirelessly to unite his kingdom (by force, if necessary). There is one remaining holdout - the savage Glamdring Ironfist. Unknown to Artor, he has an ally inside Glamdring's inner circle. Bedwyr, who dreamed of serving his king, Artor, well, was captured by the Saxons and became Glamdring's personal dog/slave. Bedwyr bided his time, constantly looking for the opportunity to escape, and did so, bringing Artor important information on Glamdring's army. Once Glamdring and the Saxon were fully defeated, Artor could devote himself to his marriage to Wenyvar (Guinevere)  - a spoiled, nasty little brat. But complicating his life is the beautiful, smart, should-be-queen Nimue who is an apprentice to Merlinus. Everyone loves Nimue and hates Wenyvar. Wait ... is this the right story? Although this is the second book in a series (my usual luck) this book is essential...

'Dull' is serving aboard a vessel that patrols a remote sector of space where nothing ever happens. Captain Felix Duval and the crew of the Temerarious do just this, patrolling a remote colony system where nothing ever happens. But of course this is just when something happens. Felix and crew respond to a distress call from a moon in the system that is under attack. There they rescue a scientist (Thales) who has developed a method for creating new wormholes. Having such an ability would put anyone who possesses it in a position of power. The Temerarious is ordered to protect and provide any assistance to Thales as necessary. This won't be easy given that there are at least two black-ops teams looking to grab Thales and his technology. I've generally liked the previous Tim Pratt books that I've read, so I didn't hesitate to request an ARC of this book based on Pratt being the author. I should note that when I request an ARC I know as little about the book as po...

Just because a war has ended doesn't mean everyone (or anyone) suddenly knows peace.  The long war with the Sa'ba Taalor has ended, but in the land of Fellein there is restlessness due to the constant change. And what do those who've spent their lives fighting wars do? Andover Lashk of the Iron Hands, once revered for his power, now feels like a man without a country. This has been a series of battles, supported by gods, but those who would now be considered the 'losers' have not only been driven from their lands, but they've been abandoned by their gods. They are now The Godless and they are gathering in the wastelands ready to follow a new master. Just two days before I picked up this book I had looked up on my blog to see when I last read a James A. Moore book.  I really look forward to Moore's strong, adventure/fantasy. The Godless doesn't have quite the excitement level that we were left with in book 4, The Silent Army , but what it lacks in sword-...

 Eleven year old Willodeen was adopted by two older women after her family died in a fire. Willodeen is a little ... 'different' compared to other children her age. She has no friends (not human, anyway) and she loves nature - understanding more about the natural world than most adults. Willodeen has a special affection for an unusual creature called a 'screecher.' To most in Willodeen's community (Perchance), screechers are nothing more than pests and the villagers are happy to note that the screechers aren't coming around as much.  But Willodeen believes there is an importance to screechers, just as there are to the tiny hummingbears that should be around, but aren't. Perchance has suffered through fires, and mudslides, and drought recently and Willodeen, a bright and observant girl with a bond to nature sees a connection between the low numbers of screechers and absent hummingbears and the devestation happening in Perchance. She enlists the help of Connor...

 Aiden Manchester has super-powers, but not a particularly useful one.  While he sleeps he somehow manages to create balls of goo that manifest in midair. Strange? Yes. Helpful?  Aiden hasn't seen any benefits yet. But then Aiden learns that he was once a "Quiver Kid" ... one of seven orphaned infants who were used for experiments at Tau Nine-One, a dubious scientific center. Learning about this history, Aiden begins to seek answers from former employees at Tau Nine-One and he's also looking for some of the other "Quiver Kids." Of course the other former Quiver Kids have some pretty special abilities, making Aiden's look pretty lame by comparison.  Now, gee, what was the purpose of the experiments on those kids? The Quiver Kids were each given a unique name, a color, but even here, we learn later on, those administering the tests were messing with the kids, and Aiden slowly reveals more and more of his own history as he tracks down the other Quiver Kids....

 I just discovered this "PM Outspoken Authors" series of books (by PM Press) and as I am a tremendous fan of Kim Stanley Robinson's work, his was the first volume I chose to read. This book, almost a chapbook really, contains Robinson's short story/novelette "The Lucky Strike" and his short story/essay "A Sensitive Dependence on Initial Conditions" and an interview with Robinson, conducted by Terry Bisson. Both stories center around an alternate history idea of the dropping of the atomic bombs over Japan. "The Lucky Strike" focuses on Captain Frank January, the bombardier on The Lucky Strike , which is scheduled to make the atomic bomb drop after there are problems with Enola Gay .  But January learns of the destructive power of the bomb and has second thoughts about making the drop. One man's decision has massive, world-wide effects. "A Sensitive Dependence on Initial Conditions" is a look at 'the butterfly effect' ...

 Not too long ago I gushed over Money Shot Vol. 1 which took sex and aliens (and sex with aliens) to new levels. With Vol. 2 available, I was excited to get my hands on this. Our intrepid group of scientists-turned-porn-stars is being threatened. The primary threat comes from Earth.  The President of the United States, an egotistical, narcissistic, childish, metal-midget of a man looks to withhold funding from the Money Shot group. And when a sexy female horse-like alien not only declines his advances but kicks him where it hurts, he's really P.O.'d. But the funding is back on and the Money Shot team is back in action ... as long as the POTUS is allowed to join the group.  Sex with aliens while millions of people watch?  Just what the narcissist ordered! The Money Shot team has been monitored, however, by another race that sees danger in their actions as they spread themselves across the universe and they'll try to put an end to the team's philandering.   ...

Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children has been 'home' to many of the children who have disappeared into the magical land on the other side of doors that appear for the children.  But Eleanor West's is not the only school on the other side of the doors.  There is also Whitethorn Institute - a school we know very little about. For Cora, whose door appeared in part due to the fat-shaming abuse she suffered on the other side, life at Eleanor West's hasn't been as idyllic as she had hoped.  She asks for a transfer to Whitethorn and Eleanor quite reluctantly agrees. Whitethorn is run quite differently - magic is to be discouraged and rejected and societal norms embraced. This is a new way of thinking for Cora, as well as the reader. Right now, a new way of thinking is exactly what Cora needs, but is it going to help her in the long term? Followers of my reviews will already know that I'm a tremendous fan of Seanan McGuire in general and that I've really liked...

I feel as though there has been a real resurgence of interest in Norse mythology in the past five years or so, and at the top of that Norse gods pyramid is the all-father, Odin. My own interest in Norse mythology has been high for many years and I'm always interested in learning more which is why I was excited to read this book. All-father.  This is only one of the MANY names that Odin has been called throughout the various mythological stories of the Norse gods. If I came away with any special from this book it would be the long list of additional names or titles for Odin, such as "Bölverk (Bale-work), Ginnarr (Deceiver), Skollvald (Treachery Ruler), and Svipall (Changeable One or Changer)". But beyond these additional names, I can't say that I really got much from this book. Author Diana L. Paxson spends a good deal of her time quoting from other authors. To some degree this is fine, but Paxson does it so often that I wondered why I wasn't just reading some of t...

I never thought I'd read a book like this once I graduated from college, but here I am, delving into the past and reading an assortment of classic, American works. For a bibliophile such as myself, I find that there are more classic works of literature that I want to read, but because of all the new books I also want to read, there is just not enough time.  Enter an anthology such as this that provides pieces of longer, classic works. Editor Bob Blaisdell has collected a strong selection of works that really capture the early days of the United States from a literary perspective. I was familiar with many of the works included here (and have previously read a few of these) but by no means  was I even aware of all of these. If you know me or have been subscribing to my blog, then it should be no surprise that my least favorite works here are the poems. (Sorry poetry fans ... I just don't care for poetry.) Generally speaking, my favorite works here are those by Indigenous author...

Otto Binder was science fiction, science, U.F.O., and comic book author who wrote in the early days (Golden Era) of comic books (specifically the 1940's) and the New Wave of science fiction (the 1960's-1970's). He is credited with truly defining Captain Marvel (Shazam) and wrote nearly 1,000 (of the 1,700) stories in the Marvel Family (ie: Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr). In science fiction, his short story "I, Robot" (about a robot named Adam Link) was impactful in the late 1930's-early 40's and led to a series of Adam Link stories and books.  Isaac Asimov, who wrote the more famous I, Robot book acknowledged Binder's earlier creation and its influence on the genre. In his later life, Binder rivalled Erich von Däniken for his books on UFO's and extraterrestrial life. Binder often wrote using the name Eando Binder which began when he first wrote with his brother Earl (E and O Binder). Much of today's comics work still has its r...

Liverpool just after World War II and three students (the Tremendous Three), best friends Dominic Sheldrake, Jimmy, and Bobby (Roberta), are discovering that there is something dark and maybe sinister about Mr. Noble. Noble had been their teacher who, after bringing in his father to talk about his experiences in the war, suggested a trip to France so that the class might visit some battlefields. But Dominick believes that Mr. Noble is looking for a way to commune with the dead. The Tremendous Three recognize that it may be up to them to stop Mr. Noble, but Noble is always one step ahead and the teachers at their religious schools see only the need to put a damper on some overly-imaginative students. When it comes to dark fantasy or horror, there are only a handful of authors whose work I will delightfully look for and Ramsey Campbell is high on that list. This is not splatterpunk or horror that makes you jump from a sudden shock. This is a slow, methodical horror that creeps up on ...