James Pyles's Blog, page 11

Noah’s Rainbow Is Illegal

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. “I thought it was a cross up there for a moment.” Simon had to take a deep breath at the surprise and then sighed with disappointment. “You shouldn’t say that out loud, you know,” his wife Evelyn chided. “If anyone nearby […]

Book Review of Harlan Ellison’s “Dangerous Visions” (1967)

I must have originally read Harlan Ellison’s landmark SF/F anthology Dangerous Visions (1967) sometime in the mid-1970s, but I remembered nothing about it when I picked up the book again. I only decided to re-read “Visions” because it was mentioned by a publisher as part of their open submissions call. When a publisher throws their […]

The Days When You Could Read Everything

Periodically, I get emails from Reactor Magazine. I must have signed up for them once upon a time. I usually scan the article titles and then delete the email unless something especially captures my attention. After all, so much of science fiction and fantasy targets an audience other than me. But today, I saw the […]

Coming With The Clouds

“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. In those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark.” “Another day, another commute,” Cole thought as he cruised down that mind-numbing stretch of Interstate again. […]

The Punch and Judy Holiday

“Swanage Punch and Judy Show.” Donovan read the words as if they were in an unfamiliar language. “Punch and Judy. That doesn’t narrow it down much.” The sign could be early 21st century or late 20th. He had a headache and wasn’t sure how long he had been standing on the beach. “Wait. There’s a […]

Book Review of Isaac Asimov’s “Gold” (1995)

I discovered the existence is the Isaac Asimov collection Gold (named for one of the fictional stories therein) from an online source I have since forgotten. It is advertised as Asimov’s Final collection and I had never heard of it before (the usual Science Fiction fandom gatekeepers can take note and castigate me accordingly). The […]

“The Haunted Detective’s Cat” is now available in the anthology “Moggie Noir: Alley Cat Alibi”

It’s finally here. My short story “The Haunted Detective’s Cat” is now featured in the Raconteur Press anthology Moggie Noir: Alley Cat Alibi. As I mentioned in my previous announcement, a moggie or moggy is: …an informal British term for a cat, especially one that does not have a pedigree or is otherwise unremarkable. For […]

Green Glass

“You’re sure it’s not dangerous.” Linda stood slightly behind her husband Jerry as he looked down at the greenish-glowing pitcher and four glasses. “They’re a collector’s item, Lin. I got them for a great price. They’re pre-World War Two.” The middle-aged accountant beamed with pride at his own self-perceived cleverness. “You’re not actually going to […]

Why It’s Okay To Not Watch “Agatha All Along”

I have no intention of watching the new Marvel/Disney+ mini-series Agatha All Along. There are a lot of reasons for this. The first is that I haven’t seen ANY of the Disney+ Marvel shows, not even the very popular Loki series. I’ve mentioned before somewhere that I don’t particularly enjoy most television produced in the […]

Book Review of Jim Butcher’s “Grave Peril” (2001)

I just finished reading Jim Butcher’s fantasy/horror novel Grave Peril, book number three in the Dresden Files series. Harry Dresden is the only professional wizard listed in the Chicago phone book. He’s like a private detective, but the mysteries he’s called to solve always involve the supernatural and usually something very, very nasty. While he’s […]