Joseph Baneth Allen's Blog, page 23
December 26, 2024
Catnado
Just stopped watching "Catnado" released by Wild Eye Releasing.
Now as Selma Franz, Zack, and Jeff H. will attest to, I do love schlocky movies. I am a huge fan of all six of the "Sharknodo" movies and I have them all on DVD, alongside all of my classic Godzilla movies.
So when I saw a brief YouTube add for "Catnado," I was intrigued and decided to take the plunge and order the "Catnado" DVD online from Amazon.
Take heat Zack and Jeff, this is one DVD you won't have to fight over when I pass into the next life - it went straight into my trade pile for Chamblin's Bookmine. [And I won't be too surprised if they don't accept it as a trade-in.]
I had to pause on the opening credits where I had to count all the directors involved in the garbage - nine in all. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that neither of the nine directors had any professional experience in movie makers, but none of the actors are card-carrying members of SAG - Screen Actors Guild of America.
There's a bizarre prologue where a woman is sitting on the floor with her back against a door with the sounds of a catnado in the background as she is telling you to beware of the catnado...she wastes about 5 minutes telling you to beware of the catnado...then we fade out and fade into a scene with a woman breaking up with her boyfriend and hooking back up with her ex-boy friend who is just being released from prison - he's not into gay sex, but he tells her that he overheard two of his fellow prisoners talking about a woman who hid a million dollars in her mattress as he was watching them while while they were having sex - I'm not a prude, but I like what I'm watching to have some sense.
I couldn't continue watching this movie at this point.
"Catnado" could have been a great spoof of a spoof, but it's horrifically handled and I don't mean in a good way.
I see that they are merchandising the heck out of this stinker.
NOT RECOMMENDED!
ZERO STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/Catnado-Donald...
Now as Selma Franz, Zack, and Jeff H. will attest to, I do love schlocky movies. I am a huge fan of all six of the "Sharknodo" movies and I have them all on DVD, alongside all of my classic Godzilla movies.
So when I saw a brief YouTube add for "Catnado," I was intrigued and decided to take the plunge and order the "Catnado" DVD online from Amazon.
Take heat Zack and Jeff, this is one DVD you won't have to fight over when I pass into the next life - it went straight into my trade pile for Chamblin's Bookmine. [And I won't be too surprised if they don't accept it as a trade-in.]
I had to pause on the opening credits where I had to count all the directors involved in the garbage - nine in all. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that neither of the nine directors had any professional experience in movie makers, but none of the actors are card-carrying members of SAG - Screen Actors Guild of America.
There's a bizarre prologue where a woman is sitting on the floor with her back against a door with the sounds of a catnado in the background as she is telling you to beware of the catnado...she wastes about 5 minutes telling you to beware of the catnado...then we fade out and fade into a scene with a woman breaking up with her boyfriend and hooking back up with her ex-boy friend who is just being released from prison - he's not into gay sex, but he tells her that he overheard two of his fellow prisoners talking about a woman who hid a million dollars in her mattress as he was watching them while while they were having sex - I'm not a prude, but I like what I'm watching to have some sense.
I couldn't continue watching this movie at this point.
"Catnado" could have been a great spoof of a spoof, but it's horrifically handled and I don't mean in a good way.
I see that they are merchandising the heck out of this stinker.
NOT RECOMMENDED!
ZERO STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/Catnado-Donald...
December 16, 2024
Ancient Aliens - Season 20
Just finished watching "Ancient Aliens - Season 20" released by the History Channel and Lionsgate.
"Ancient Aliens" has always been one of my guilty pleasures ever since Mom, Dad, and I watched the first season over 20 years ago; and as frequent readers of my reviews on Social Media know, I cut the cord to cable about 11 years ago as a cost saving measure after Mom and Dad passed away when I was unemployed and I haven't been tempted to go renew my lapsed cable subscription ever since then and I don't subscribe to any streaming services. So I have to wait until a series and/or movie becomes available on blu-ray and/or DVD before I'm able to watch it. A one-time purchase that I can always resell and recoup some of the purchase on eBay is far better than multiple and continuous subscriptions to online streaming services.
Happily "Ancient Aliens" 20th season consists of 10 new episodes instead of relying on rehashing top ten lists of previous seasons for half of the season like the producers did with the last few seasons. - though they are revisiting old ideas like Puma Punku that they explored on previous episodes. Of special note, two of the episodes are biographical sketches on Jacques Vallee and Linda Moulton Howe - both prominent figures in the UFO and Ancient Aliens communities.
Don't look for "hard" evidence in this series because everyone is giving their own spin for airtime and they are just presenting new takes on old topics, though an episode is devoted to the recent spate of UFO whistleblowers.
Great Fun, but not to be taken too seriously.
Four Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Aliens...
"Ancient Aliens" has always been one of my guilty pleasures ever since Mom, Dad, and I watched the first season over 20 years ago; and as frequent readers of my reviews on Social Media know, I cut the cord to cable about 11 years ago as a cost saving measure after Mom and Dad passed away when I was unemployed and I haven't been tempted to go renew my lapsed cable subscription ever since then and I don't subscribe to any streaming services. So I have to wait until a series and/or movie becomes available on blu-ray and/or DVD before I'm able to watch it. A one-time purchase that I can always resell and recoup some of the purchase on eBay is far better than multiple and continuous subscriptions to online streaming services.
Happily "Ancient Aliens" 20th season consists of 10 new episodes instead of relying on rehashing top ten lists of previous seasons for half of the season like the producers did with the last few seasons. - though they are revisiting old ideas like Puma Punku that they explored on previous episodes. Of special note, two of the episodes are biographical sketches on Jacques Vallee and Linda Moulton Howe - both prominent figures in the UFO and Ancient Aliens communities.
Don't look for "hard" evidence in this series because everyone is giving their own spin for airtime and they are just presenting new takes on old topics, though an episode is devoted to the recent spate of UFO whistleblowers.
Great Fun, but not to be taken too seriously.
Four Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Aliens...
December 15, 2024
Imagination Theatre - In Dark Places"
Just finished listening to "Imagination Theatre - In Dark Places" by Jim French Productions, released by Radio Spirits.
Now as frequent readers of my reviews on Social Media know, I always am forthcoming when I am friends with and/or have a connection to an actor, writer, artist, and/or musician when I am reviewing a book, movie, music CD, and/or movie.
While I have not met Larry Albert in person, I am friends with him on Facebook and we have exchanged a few messages online.
Now, I'm about to say something some will find controversial on all sides of the political spectrum. When Jim French created his production company and put for Imagination Theatre on the radio waves and streaming services, he proved Rush Limbaugh wrong. When speaking to a caller who once asked him a question about the revival of radio drama, i.e. radio dramas from the Golden Age of Radio, Limbaugh lamented on the air that a modern day attempt to revive radio dramas for modern day audiences would fail. French and his fellow actors and producers proved Limbaugh wrong, who by his own admission was only right 99.96 percent of the time.
I always thought that Rush Limbaugh was wrong when he made that pronouncement, and it was odd that he, being such a tech guy, didn't see that streaming services would ignite a boom for original audio dramas such those produced by Jim French Productions.
One of my continuing criticisms of the Jim French Productions released by Radio Spirits is that they don't include a pamphlet detailing the history of the program. Yes, Jim French Productions and Imagination Theatre does have websites online that provides you with historical background, but we still have a good many of the actors who bought these original productions to life and getting and preserving the oral histories would be a fantastic opportunity and selling point for Radio Spirits. [No, I'm not offering my services here to Radio Spirits based an a really bad light night phone call I received from their former(?) president.]
"Imagination Theatre - In Dark Places" collects 17 episodes - 16 of which are original stories, with one being an adaptation of a classic ghost story by Charles Dickens - "The Signal Man."
Think "Twilight Zone" meets "Suspense" as the best description for this collection.
"The Heart of Frankenstein" is perhaps the most interesting twist and unique spin on Mary Shelly's classic morality tale of science gone to far.
I am curious to know if there was an attempt to launch a series based on "January Cove" since there are two episodes that are set in this tiny coastal community.
My favorite episodes in this collection are: "And Still Those Screams Resound," "The Curse of the Mummy," "The Beacon," "They That Dwell In Dark Places," "Back Door To Hell," and "The Gate Keeper."
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://store.radiospirits.com/imagin...
Now as frequent readers of my reviews on Social Media know, I always am forthcoming when I am friends with and/or have a connection to an actor, writer, artist, and/or musician when I am reviewing a book, movie, music CD, and/or movie.
While I have not met Larry Albert in person, I am friends with him on Facebook and we have exchanged a few messages online.
Now, I'm about to say something some will find controversial on all sides of the political spectrum. When Jim French created his production company and put for Imagination Theatre on the radio waves and streaming services, he proved Rush Limbaugh wrong. When speaking to a caller who once asked him a question about the revival of radio drama, i.e. radio dramas from the Golden Age of Radio, Limbaugh lamented on the air that a modern day attempt to revive radio dramas for modern day audiences would fail. French and his fellow actors and producers proved Limbaugh wrong, who by his own admission was only right 99.96 percent of the time.
I always thought that Rush Limbaugh was wrong when he made that pronouncement, and it was odd that he, being such a tech guy, didn't see that streaming services would ignite a boom for original audio dramas such those produced by Jim French Productions.
One of my continuing criticisms of the Jim French Productions released by Radio Spirits is that they don't include a pamphlet detailing the history of the program. Yes, Jim French Productions and Imagination Theatre does have websites online that provides you with historical background, but we still have a good many of the actors who bought these original productions to life and getting and preserving the oral histories would be a fantastic opportunity and selling point for Radio Spirits. [No, I'm not offering my services here to Radio Spirits based an a really bad light night phone call I received from their former(?) president.]
"Imagination Theatre - In Dark Places" collects 17 episodes - 16 of which are original stories, with one being an adaptation of a classic ghost story by Charles Dickens - "The Signal Man."
Think "Twilight Zone" meets "Suspense" as the best description for this collection.
"The Heart of Frankenstein" is perhaps the most interesting twist and unique spin on Mary Shelly's classic morality tale of science gone to far.
I am curious to know if there was an attempt to launch a series based on "January Cove" since there are two episodes that are set in this tiny coastal community.
My favorite episodes in this collection are: "And Still Those Screams Resound," "The Curse of the Mummy," "The Beacon," "They That Dwell In Dark Places," "Back Door To Hell," and "The Gate Keeper."
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://store.radiospirits.com/imagin...
"Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party - How An Eccentric Group of Victorians Discovered Prehistoric Creatures And Accidentally Upended The World"
Just finished reading "Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party - How An Eccentric Group of Victorians Discovered Prehistoric Creatures And Accidentally Upended The World" by Edward Dolnick, published by Scribner.
Societal shifts due to scientific discovery almost seem humdrum nowadays. Yet in Victorian times dinosaurs were new and controversial - almost as controversial as the notion that dinosaurs had feathers a few decades ago.
Natural history was all the rage in Victorian England. It seemed that everyone spent their leisure time communing with nature, walking, climbing, and beach-combing, collecting animals, plants, rocks, and fossils. They assembled personal collections which they proudly displayed, museums were established and attendance bloomed, and scientific lecturers drew standing room only crowds across the country. Scientists who were charismatic and attractive had audiences of adoring female fans hanging on every word. The prevailing attitude was that God had created a perfect world functioned smoothly according to his plan, and that science existed in order to prove and illuminate His work. That worldview began to deteriorate around 1800 when fossilized remains of previously unknown creatures were discovered and studied. They had been found before, explained away as dragons, cyclops, unicorns, animals that didn't catch Noah's ark, fakes planted by either God or Satan to confuse, but a handful of people began looking at them differently, and their claims shook the Victorian mindset, raising confounding questions. How can this be when the earth is only 6,000 years old? Extinction was impossible -how could God make that part of His plan? How could there possibly have been an entirely different world with entirely different creatures long before Man ever arrived on the scene when the world was created for Man to enjoy?
Dolnick effortlessly brings this era of scientific discovery and impact to life.
Strongly Recommended!
Ten Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Dinosaurs-Dinn...
Societal shifts due to scientific discovery almost seem humdrum nowadays. Yet in Victorian times dinosaurs were new and controversial - almost as controversial as the notion that dinosaurs had feathers a few decades ago.
Natural history was all the rage in Victorian England. It seemed that everyone spent their leisure time communing with nature, walking, climbing, and beach-combing, collecting animals, plants, rocks, and fossils. They assembled personal collections which they proudly displayed, museums were established and attendance bloomed, and scientific lecturers drew standing room only crowds across the country. Scientists who were charismatic and attractive had audiences of adoring female fans hanging on every word. The prevailing attitude was that God had created a perfect world functioned smoothly according to his plan, and that science existed in order to prove and illuminate His work. That worldview began to deteriorate around 1800 when fossilized remains of previously unknown creatures were discovered and studied. They had been found before, explained away as dragons, cyclops, unicorns, animals that didn't catch Noah's ark, fakes planted by either God or Satan to confuse, but a handful of people began looking at them differently, and their claims shook the Victorian mindset, raising confounding questions. How can this be when the earth is only 6,000 years old? Extinction was impossible -how could God make that part of His plan? How could there possibly have been an entirely different world with entirely different creatures long before Man ever arrived on the scene when the world was created for Man to enjoy?
Dolnick effortlessly brings this era of scientific discovery and impact to life.
Strongly Recommended!
Ten Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Dinosaurs-Dinn...
December 10, 2024
The Yellow Bus
Just finished "The Yellow Bus" by Loren Long, published by Roaring Brook Press.
An adorable story that shows that one’s obvious life story doesn’t always turn out the way you expect. The life of the little bus changes from delivering children to school to ferrying seniors to a home for homeless to a playground for goats and finally at the bottom of a newly dammed valley. No matter what the circumstances the Yellow Bus is filed with joy. The illustrations are beautiful and the story, though simple, is meaningful and is reminiscent of Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree."
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Bus-Lor...
An adorable story that shows that one’s obvious life story doesn’t always turn out the way you expect. The life of the little bus changes from delivering children to school to ferrying seniors to a home for homeless to a playground for goats and finally at the bottom of a newly dammed valley. No matter what the circumstances the Yellow Bus is filed with joy. The illustrations are beautiful and the story, though simple, is meaningful and is reminiscent of Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree."
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Bus-Lor...
December 9, 2024
Spawn of The Winds
Just finished reading "Spawn Of The Winds" by Brian Lumley, published by Jove/Harcourt Brace Jovanovich back in 1978.
Yes, "Spawn Of The Winds" is one of books in my "Great Re-reading of My Favorite Books from My Youth" project.
"Spawn Of The Winds" is the fourth novel in Lulmey's Titus Crow Sextuplet series of books which are set in Lovecraft's Cthulhu universe.
I first discovered Brian Lumley as an author when his first novel in his Titus Crow series, "The Burrowers Beneath" appeared in the new arrivals shelves of the Science Fiction section in Michele's Bookstore in the Bryn Mwar Shopping Center in Jacksonville, North Carolina. For those who are keeping track, yes, the lurid Boris Vellijo cover did cause Mr. Branch, the assistant principal of Camp Lejeune High School to call my parents and complain about another "inappropriate" book I was reading. How he would respond to some of the books students read today would be rather interesting. Mr. Branch's main complaint was that the cover had, dare I say it, a scantily clad preternatural goddess on the cover. Mom said he was absolutely horrified when she asked what was wrong with a boy being interested in a barely clothed woman on the cover of a book. She probably get CPS called on her today if she'd was around to make the comment now.
If memory serves me correctly, my old friend from college, Carter Perry, is a huge fan of Lumley's Titus Crow novels and short stories.
neither Titus Crow nor Henri de Marigny appear in this novel - which is odd, considering it's the fourth novel in the Titus Crow series.
The story takes the form of a telepathic reception record from Hank Silverhat, which was missing by the Wilmers Foundation telepath Juanita Alvares.
Hank and his team are captured and taken by the great old god Ithaca to the ice world of Borea, In addition to people, Arctic bears and wolves are brought and breed.
When Hank and his sister Tracy, fellow Jimmy Franklin and Paul White are taken across the dimensions to Borea by plane, the pilot dies.In addition, and Hank and the other men, with the exception of his sister, Tracy who had a Star Stone, which protected her, are transformed by the elder god in order to live in the ice world.
The four are attacked by the believers of the Ithaca, but they are saved by the Northern Warlord whose queen is Armandra, the half human daughter of Ithaca, who can also control the winds like her demented demonic father.
If Hank and his team are to survive in Borea, them most learn how to defeat Ithaca at any cost.
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Spawn-Winds-Br...
Yes, "Spawn Of The Winds" is one of books in my "Great Re-reading of My Favorite Books from My Youth" project.
"Spawn Of The Winds" is the fourth novel in Lulmey's Titus Crow Sextuplet series of books which are set in Lovecraft's Cthulhu universe.
I first discovered Brian Lumley as an author when his first novel in his Titus Crow series, "The Burrowers Beneath" appeared in the new arrivals shelves of the Science Fiction section in Michele's Bookstore in the Bryn Mwar Shopping Center in Jacksonville, North Carolina. For those who are keeping track, yes, the lurid Boris Vellijo cover did cause Mr. Branch, the assistant principal of Camp Lejeune High School to call my parents and complain about another "inappropriate" book I was reading. How he would respond to some of the books students read today would be rather interesting. Mr. Branch's main complaint was that the cover had, dare I say it, a scantily clad preternatural goddess on the cover. Mom said he was absolutely horrified when she asked what was wrong with a boy being interested in a barely clothed woman on the cover of a book. She probably get CPS called on her today if she'd was around to make the comment now.
If memory serves me correctly, my old friend from college, Carter Perry, is a huge fan of Lumley's Titus Crow novels and short stories.
neither Titus Crow nor Henri de Marigny appear in this novel - which is odd, considering it's the fourth novel in the Titus Crow series.
The story takes the form of a telepathic reception record from Hank Silverhat, which was missing by the Wilmers Foundation telepath Juanita Alvares.
Hank and his team are captured and taken by the great old god Ithaca to the ice world of Borea, In addition to people, Arctic bears and wolves are brought and breed.
When Hank and his sister Tracy, fellow Jimmy Franklin and Paul White are taken across the dimensions to Borea by plane, the pilot dies.In addition, and Hank and the other men, with the exception of his sister, Tracy who had a Star Stone, which protected her, are transformed by the elder god in order to live in the ice world.
The four are attacked by the believers of the Ithaca, but they are saved by the Northern Warlord whose queen is Armandra, the half human daughter of Ithaca, who can also control the winds like her demented demonic father.
If Hank and his team are to survive in Borea, them most learn how to defeat Ithaca at any cost.
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Spawn-Winds-Br...
Alliance Unbound
Just finished reading "Alliance Unbound" by C.J. Cherryh and Jane S. Francher, published by DAW Books.
"Alliance Unbound" is the second book in her and Francher's [her wife's] Hinder Stars sequence, which is set in Cherryh's Hugo Award Winning Alliance-Union Universe.
Alliance Rising takes place entirely on Alpha Station, one of Sol's (Earth's) oldest space stations, orbiting Barnard's Star. Merchant ships are run by families and there is a faster-than-light drive, but using it requires discovering "jump points" and, so far, one that goes to Sol isn't known. Instead, Sol sends "pusher ships" on 10-year journeys to Alpha (and back), along with a continuous stream of data sent in both directions.
As the story opens, the Pell-built ship Finity's End suddenly appears at Alpha, along with several other Family ships that don't normally go there. The Sol-based Earth Company has been diverting Alpha resources to build a big ship, "The Rights of Man", based on plans stolen from Pell (and from which Finity was derived.) "Rights" hasn't had a successful run yet, though. and EC loyalists on Alpha are keen on getting aboard Finity to see what they can learn. It turns out that Finity is there to convince other merchant ships to form an alliance to protect their interests. But there's more going on.
Cherryh is known for her tightly written plots filled with intrigue, well drawn characters, and plot twists I am eagerly awaiting the next installment of the Cherryh's and Fancher's Hinder Stars series.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QZ7JM6T?...
"Alliance Unbound" is the second book in her and Francher's [her wife's] Hinder Stars sequence, which is set in Cherryh's Hugo Award Winning Alliance-Union Universe.
Alliance Rising takes place entirely on Alpha Station, one of Sol's (Earth's) oldest space stations, orbiting Barnard's Star. Merchant ships are run by families and there is a faster-than-light drive, but using it requires discovering "jump points" and, so far, one that goes to Sol isn't known. Instead, Sol sends "pusher ships" on 10-year journeys to Alpha (and back), along with a continuous stream of data sent in both directions.
As the story opens, the Pell-built ship Finity's End suddenly appears at Alpha, along with several other Family ships that don't normally go there. The Sol-based Earth Company has been diverting Alpha resources to build a big ship, "The Rights of Man", based on plans stolen from Pell (and from which Finity was derived.) "Rights" hasn't had a successful run yet, though. and EC loyalists on Alpha are keen on getting aboard Finity to see what they can learn. It turns out that Finity is there to convince other merchant ships to form an alliance to protect their interests. But there's more going on.
Cherryh is known for her tightly written plots filled with intrigue, well drawn characters, and plot twists I am eagerly awaiting the next installment of the Cherryh's and Fancher's Hinder Stars series.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QZ7JM6T?...
December 8, 2024
Dragon Winter
Just finished reading "Dragon Winter" by Niel Hancock, published by Popular Library back in 1978.
"Dragon Winter" is part of my ongoing "Great Re-Reading of Favorite Books from My Youth" project, and I first bought it when it appeared in the new arrivals section of Michele's Bookstore in the Bryn Mwyr Shopping Center in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
I found my reading copy at Chamblin's Bookmine here in Jacksonville, Florida.
"Dragon Winter" was Hancock's first published novel, and he would go on to create the fantasy realm of Atlanton Earth.
Like C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, the Atlanton Earth novels were not published in the chronological order of the events in the fantasy world itself. The first set, Circle of Light, is the last to occur in the chronology. The second set, The Wilderness of Four, is the earliest. The final set, The Windemeir Circle, is in the middle. Dragon Winter is set some time after the second set, although it is the most ambiguous of the novels because it does not belong to a set.
Hancock wrote high fantasy marketed for adults, but his works contain straightforward plots and tropes such as anthropomorphic animals more traditionally found in children's literature. For this reason, his works enjoy a great degree of popularity among younger readers as well when they find them in used bookstores. Containing spiritual overtones similar to Ursula K. Le Guin, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien, Hancock's books emphasize Buddhism and Eastern religious motifs. His books were released at a time when interest in high fantasy was at a peak, and very little writing in that genre existed - unlike today.
"Dragon Winter" did come out shortly after "Watership Down" took off, and keep in mind that "Dragon Winter" is not on the same level as "Watership Down." Hancock was a Vietnam Veteran, and while warfare is featured in his novels, it's more of a sword and sorcery type of warfare.
Hancock constructed his novels to explicitly include Buddhist concepts of moving through cycles of time and rebirth and are not traditional Christian themed fantasy novels like "Lord of the Rings."
The story of "Dragon Winter" is a quest for freedom and salvation and begins when Bramble Otter first notices uneasy stirrings in the woods that leads him to believe that a "Dragon Winter" is coming and that his family, friends, and community are in deadly danger for dire wolves; and is this danger that convinces Bramble and his family and friends to seek out the guidance of Old Bark - a great silver bear who holds the key in defeating the evil behind the Dragon Winter.
You do not need to be well versed in Buddhism to enjoy "Dragon Winter." Hancock was using sweeping themes in Buddhism as the basic mortar of his Atlanton Earth novels - he wasn't seeking converts.
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Winter-...
"Dragon Winter" is part of my ongoing "Great Re-Reading of Favorite Books from My Youth" project, and I first bought it when it appeared in the new arrivals section of Michele's Bookstore in the Bryn Mwyr Shopping Center in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
I found my reading copy at Chamblin's Bookmine here in Jacksonville, Florida.
"Dragon Winter" was Hancock's first published novel, and he would go on to create the fantasy realm of Atlanton Earth.
Like C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, the Atlanton Earth novels were not published in the chronological order of the events in the fantasy world itself. The first set, Circle of Light, is the last to occur in the chronology. The second set, The Wilderness of Four, is the earliest. The final set, The Windemeir Circle, is in the middle. Dragon Winter is set some time after the second set, although it is the most ambiguous of the novels because it does not belong to a set.
Hancock wrote high fantasy marketed for adults, but his works contain straightforward plots and tropes such as anthropomorphic animals more traditionally found in children's literature. For this reason, his works enjoy a great degree of popularity among younger readers as well when they find them in used bookstores. Containing spiritual overtones similar to Ursula K. Le Guin, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien, Hancock's books emphasize Buddhism and Eastern religious motifs. His books were released at a time when interest in high fantasy was at a peak, and very little writing in that genre existed - unlike today.
"Dragon Winter" did come out shortly after "Watership Down" took off, and keep in mind that "Dragon Winter" is not on the same level as "Watership Down." Hancock was a Vietnam Veteran, and while warfare is featured in his novels, it's more of a sword and sorcery type of warfare.
Hancock constructed his novels to explicitly include Buddhist concepts of moving through cycles of time and rebirth and are not traditional Christian themed fantasy novels like "Lord of the Rings."
The story of "Dragon Winter" is a quest for freedom and salvation and begins when Bramble Otter first notices uneasy stirrings in the woods that leads him to believe that a "Dragon Winter" is coming and that his family, friends, and community are in deadly danger for dire wolves; and is this danger that convinces Bramble and his family and friends to seek out the guidance of Old Bark - a great silver bear who holds the key in defeating the evil behind the Dragon Winter.
You do not need to be well versed in Buddhism to enjoy "Dragon Winter." Hancock was using sweeping themes in Buddhism as the basic mortar of his Atlanton Earth novels - he wasn't seeking converts.
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Winter-...
December 1, 2024
Zagor - The Alien Saga
Just finished reading "Zagor - The Alien Saga" by Guido Nolitta and Jacopo Rauch, with artwork by Gallieno Ferri and Franco Bignotti, published by Epicenter Comics back in 2019.
"Zagor - The Alien Saga" collects the follow Zagor story arcs "Timeless Magic," "SCI-FI Chico," and "Day of the Invasion" which were originally published in 1980, 1983. and 2015 and all three stories flow together in one story arc.
Zagor crosses over into many genres and has even interacted with The Flash in the DC Comic Universe.
Zagor's real name is Patrick Wilding, the son of Mike and Betty. He is a western-tarzanesque character living in a fictional forest named Darkwood, located in Pennsylvania, north eastern United States. His name Zagor comes from his Indian name "Za-Gor Te-Nay", whose fictional meaning is "The Spirit with the Hatchet". Though the writers do not mention exact dates, Zagor is supposed to be active during the first half of the 19th century, or around 1825–1830. Zagor fights to maintain peace all over his territory, protecting the Indian tribes and hunting down criminals regardless of their skin color.
Professor Hellingen, a mad scientist and Zagor's nemesis. Not only that he is capable of creating a doomsday devices but he has also managed to cheat death and return to the land of the living to wreak havoc not once, but twice. In "Timeless Magic" Zagor and Chico are asked to check in on Hellingen who is imprisoned by the U.S. government in a top-secret military laboratory by their friend U.S. Army Colonel Perry. Perry is concerned about the mad professor's presence at the facility called Skylab.
And it turns out that Perry's fears are justified because Hellingen has escaped and formed a a deadly alliance with the Acronians - aliens who are intent on harvesting humans for biological experiments.
Great tense science fiction action.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/163673435104...
"Zagor - The Alien Saga" collects the follow Zagor story arcs "Timeless Magic," "SCI-FI Chico," and "Day of the Invasion" which were originally published in 1980, 1983. and 2015 and all three stories flow together in one story arc.
Zagor crosses over into many genres and has even interacted with The Flash in the DC Comic Universe.
Zagor's real name is Patrick Wilding, the son of Mike and Betty. He is a western-tarzanesque character living in a fictional forest named Darkwood, located in Pennsylvania, north eastern United States. His name Zagor comes from his Indian name "Za-Gor Te-Nay", whose fictional meaning is "The Spirit with the Hatchet". Though the writers do not mention exact dates, Zagor is supposed to be active during the first half of the 19th century, or around 1825–1830. Zagor fights to maintain peace all over his territory, protecting the Indian tribes and hunting down criminals regardless of their skin color.
Professor Hellingen, a mad scientist and Zagor's nemesis. Not only that he is capable of creating a doomsday devices but he has also managed to cheat death and return to the land of the living to wreak havoc not once, but twice. In "Timeless Magic" Zagor and Chico are asked to check in on Hellingen who is imprisoned by the U.S. government in a top-secret military laboratory by their friend U.S. Army Colonel Perry. Perry is concerned about the mad professor's presence at the facility called Skylab.
And it turns out that Perry's fears are justified because Hellingen has escaped and formed a a deadly alliance with the Acronians - aliens who are intent on harvesting humans for biological experiments.
Great tense science fiction action.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/163673435104...
The Invaders - Alien Missile Threat
Just finished reading "The Invaders - Alien Missile Threat" by Paul S. Newman, published by Whitman Books as the 12th book in their 2000 series of Big Little Books back in 1967.
For those who came in late, my membership in the now defunct Big Little Book Club of America was revoked because I had the actual temerity to read and post reviews of the Big Little Books in the 2000 series - the last hardcover Big Little Books that Whitman published.
Newman was one of the writers of the Big Little Books in Whitman's 2000 line and he primary wrote the Big Little Books for live action television shows, which "The Invaders" was.
Architect David Vincent accidentally learns of a secret alien invasion already underway and thereafter travels from place to place attempting to foil the aliens' plots and warn a skeptical populace of the danger. Other plot elements include Vincent's grim and lonely determination to find "tangible proof of the invaders’ existence" despite having become a "quasi-famous object of public ridicule"; the aliens' success in hiding their plots, undermining Vincent's credibility and killing off those who also discover them in ways disguised as a natural death; and the constant tension over whether the individuals Vincent comes across are humans or aliens. As the series progresses, Vincent is able to convince a small number of people to help him fight the aliens.
"The Invaders - Alien Missile Threat" would have been a spot on as an actual episode of the series.
When David Vincent learns of a man who discovered a mysterious piece of metal that fell from the sky, he makes arrangements to visit the man and soon finds evidence of a plot by The Invaders to destroy humanity by launching missiles from space powered by radioactive waste generated here on Earth.
"The Invaders - Alien Missile Threat" is a great original story in the show's universe. Note: Whitman had plans to publish a Star Trek Big Little Book, and while though plans fell through, they did publish the first original Star Trek novel "Mission to Horatius" by Mack Reynolds, as part of their "Authorized TV Adventure" line of books back in 1968.
I rescued my reading copy of "The Invaders - Alien Missile Threat" from the Pecan Park Flea Market here in Jacksonville, Florida.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/Invaders-12-Al...
For those who came in late, my membership in the now defunct Big Little Book Club of America was revoked because I had the actual temerity to read and post reviews of the Big Little Books in the 2000 series - the last hardcover Big Little Books that Whitman published.
Newman was one of the writers of the Big Little Books in Whitman's 2000 line and he primary wrote the Big Little Books for live action television shows, which "The Invaders" was.
Architect David Vincent accidentally learns of a secret alien invasion already underway and thereafter travels from place to place attempting to foil the aliens' plots and warn a skeptical populace of the danger. Other plot elements include Vincent's grim and lonely determination to find "tangible proof of the invaders’ existence" despite having become a "quasi-famous object of public ridicule"; the aliens' success in hiding their plots, undermining Vincent's credibility and killing off those who also discover them in ways disguised as a natural death; and the constant tension over whether the individuals Vincent comes across are humans or aliens. As the series progresses, Vincent is able to convince a small number of people to help him fight the aliens.
"The Invaders - Alien Missile Threat" would have been a spot on as an actual episode of the series.
When David Vincent learns of a man who discovered a mysterious piece of metal that fell from the sky, he makes arrangements to visit the man and soon finds evidence of a plot by The Invaders to destroy humanity by launching missiles from space powered by radioactive waste generated here on Earth.
"The Invaders - Alien Missile Threat" is a great original story in the show's universe. Note: Whitman had plans to publish a Star Trek Big Little Book, and while though plans fell through, they did publish the first original Star Trek novel "Mission to Horatius" by Mack Reynolds, as part of their "Authorized TV Adventure" line of books back in 1968.
I rescued my reading copy of "The Invaders - Alien Missile Threat" from the Pecan Park Flea Market here in Jacksonville, Florida.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/Invaders-12-Al...
