Steven M. Moore's Blog, page 187
March 20, 2013
Review of Thomas Wm. Hamilton’s The Mountain of Long Eyes…
(Thomas Wm. Hamilton, The Mountain of Long Eyes, Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Co., 2012, 978-1-62212-028-4)
Depending on how you count them (see below), this anthology contains twenty-seven short stories of science fiction and fantasy. There are only three fantasy stories, as I classify things, all three entertaining—the title story “The Mountain of Long Eyes,” “The Coming of the American Sun,” and “Red Blood” (the latter perhaps is more like a humorous horror story—I tend to classify...
March 19, 2013
Back at you, China Inc!
Last Tuesday, the U.S. government asked China to cease and desist on their hacking policies. Allegedly, there is a building belonging to the Chinese Defense Ministry where all employees are dedicated to cyber attacking the West, especially the U.S. I say “allegedly” because China Inc. insists that they’re innocent: “Try to prove it, nyah, nyah!” From software and hardware knock-offs to military secrets, China Inc., that evilly efficient blend of capitalism and fascism, has been energetically...
March 15, 2013
Why is Timothy Dolan smiling?
[This is a special commentary on the election of the new pope.]
When I was a child I used to naively believe that religion and politics were two different things. Today it’s almost impossible to believe that. While Argentines appear to be happy about one of them being selected as pope to more than a billion Catholics, they should tone down their enthusiasm. In particular, they and Catholics everywhere, as well as those people who left the Church in droves, should be asking: Why is Timothy Dola...
March 14, 2013
Politics in Kentucky: Hollywood Dem battles DC Strongman…
Sen. Mitch McConnell is unpopular in Kentucky right now. No, he didn’t bore his constituents with almost thirteen hours of bloviating browbeating like the junior senator from that horsey state. Mitch doesn’t have the bladder or colon for that. But his track record is not great. After promising in 2010 that Obama wouldn’t have a second term, he led the GOP to defeat in 2012, marching like a lemming right behind Romney over that electoral cliff, and, with other GOP leaders, wielding the paintbr...
March 12, 2013
Who’s watching? Big Brother, corporate America, or your personal enemies?
What do drones and social networking sites have in common? They can both intrude into your privacy. They could both destroy your life. Whether benign or malignant, they can be dangerous cancers attacking the body politic. If Hollywood stars hate the paparazzi now, imagine how they’ll feel when a drone swoops down and starts taking pictures of a starlet skinny-dipping in her private pool? With a stolen picture and name, a person can convince all your Facebook “friends” that you’re something yo...
March 8, 2013
Interview with crime fiction writer Seumas Gallacher…
[Steve’s note: Today we have an interview with Seumas Gallacher, crime fiction writer and master blogger. His two novels (see below) have enjoyed a lot of success and he has won the Blogger of the Year award. The following is taken from his blog (http://seumasgallacher.com/about/): Seumas “was born in the cradle of the Govan shipyards in Glasgow in the so-called ‘bad old days’ which were in reality the greatest of days, where everybody was a real character of note. An early career as a traine...
March 7, 2013
Location, location, location…
Last Tuesday’s post was a bit heavy on Catholic humor—I’ll admit it. All churches, synagogues, and other places of worship are often home to well-meaning people who enjoy giving a helping hand to people in need. The emphasis is on “well-meaning people” and not the actual building, of course. (In Soldiers of God, for example, one of the main protagonists is a priest who thwarts a terrorist attack by radical Catholics. I admire people whose faith motivates them to do good deeds.)
No, in line wit...
March 6, 2013
Interview with author Stephen Banks…
[Steve’s intro: Our interview today is with sci-fi thriller author Stephen Banks. I reviewed his debut book Chaos Theories at Bookpleasures and in my Monday, March 4, post. He has provided the following bio: “When I was in high school, my Career/Guidance counselor looked at my test scores and said, ‘You can do anything.’ Without any clear direction, I tried a little of everything instead. I majored in Theater at Bennington College for a year, dropped out, married my high school sweetheart, an...
March 5, 2013
A Roman Carnival?
One of my favorite classical pieces is Berlioz’ Roman Carnival Overture. If you have it, you can play it in the background to accompany this post. I’m writing about what’s going on in Rome–more specifically, the Vatican. It’s a carnival atmosphere—well, as much a carnival as you can expect from that strange Christian sect, the Roman Catholic Church. You will find that the light tone of the Berlioz piece is perfect accompaniment to this heathen’s sermon as I mount my rock in Hell to preach sec...
March 4, 2013
Review of Stephen H. Banks’ Chaos Theories…
(Stephen H. Banks, Chaos Theories, CreateSpace, 2013, ISBN: 978-1482023770)
This debut novel is a sci-fi thriller. It employs intense and suspenseful action, tight plotting, interesting characters, and chaos theory to weave an Aladdin’s magical rug of a story that will leave you breathless once you hop on it. It is my kind of novel—profound, yet entertaining.
The style, where interludes of quiet beauty are sprinkled with startling violence, reminds me of old Dean Koontz before he detoured into...
