James Pyles's Blog, page 58
February 11, 2021
They Came For Gina Carano
Addendum: 2-11-2021, 3:20 p.m. mountain time: Terrific 13+ minute video (some language) giving a detailed description of the cancel culture and yes, though they don’t think of themselves this way, the “hate mob.” Give a watch. “Nobody has the right to live their life being protected from offense, or from insult, or from hurt feelings. […]
February 9, 2021
Book Review: “Prador Moon” by Neal Asher
I’ve previously read and reviewed Neal Asher’s “Polity series” novels Dark Intelligence (2015) and War Factory (2016), both part of the “Transformation” trilogy. Frankly, Asher has written so many novels, just within this one series, that I was stumbling blind when I read those two, and although I enjoyed them, I couldn’t figure out how […]
January 30, 2021
Some Book Reviews Will Not Go Unpunished
What a pain in the pinfeathers. I recently reviewed a book, mistakenly believing the author, who I know on Facebook, wanted me to. Okay, I’ll own up to the misunderstanding, but when the book review (which I gave 4 our of 5 stars on Amazon and now have deleted along with my review on this […]
January 29, 2021
Book Review: The Time Traveler’s Nephew and Other Stories
Of the four time travel related tales in J. Franklin Green’s book, The Time Traveler’s Nephew, the first one is the gem. It is set in modern times. An American traveler visiting the UK has a chance encounter with a British man who mentions that he’s buying materials to repair a time machine. Amused but […]
January 23, 2021
Book Review of Galactic Patrol
In some ways, E.E. “Doc” Smith’s third Lensman novel Galactic Patrol feels like the first “real” Lensman novel. I suppose that’s largely due to the character Kimball Kinnison having a central role in the book. He is the Lensman hero I think all of my friends looked up to when these books were popular when […]
January 21, 2021
Donate using Ko-Fi and Buy Me a Coffee
I came across Ko-Fi by accident. I happened to click a link on the twitter account of someone I follow and discovered it. Ko-Fi is a different sort of model for supporting an artist’s or writer’s work. Unlike, Patreon, I don’t have to constantly create new content that only my Patreon subscribers can see. With […]
January 20, 2021
A Candle For Our Freedom
“Your death amounts to the same as your life, a zero sum!” -Dr. Arnim Zola (Toby Jones) from the (2014) film Captain America: Winter Soldier I’m kind of feeling that quote right now. No, I’m not dying or anything, but I do feel like everything I believe in is a “zero sum.” If any of […]
January 19, 2021
A Beautiful Friendship
Eugene hadn’t felt the warmth of a woman’s touch in too long. The pandemic, lockdowns, and all the rest made most people reluctant to become intimate with a stranger. His life had always been dependent on a near endless string of brief, anonymous affairs. He had been starved for what he needed for what felt […]
January 18, 2021
Vengeance for a Sorceress
Her lips and fingernails were chiseled rose quartz and her eyes were irresistible. Standing on the railway platform clouded with steam from the monolith locomotive, she waited in the darkness of an indeterminate night. The full-length gown beneath her loosely draped overcoat was ashes of roses. To gaze into her jade eyes was to dive […]
January 17, 2021
Read an Advanced Review Copy of Planetary Anthology Saturn
As I’ve mentioned before, my science fiction/time travel short story “Saving the Apostle” is to be featured in the Tuscany Bay Press Planetary Anthology Saturn. It’s available for pre-order from Amazon now (see the link above) for delivery to your kindle device on February 16, 2021. However, if you can’t wait, you can read it […]
