“You’ve got our money, pal. Have your existential crisis somewhere else.”
–Leland Goines
12 Monkeys follows its serious developments with a heist episode that tries for a lighter tone.
Author Archives: JD DeLuzio
Summer Reading
With summer 2017 officially here, we have six mini-reviews of six books, old and new, classic and recent, science fiction and science fact, offered for seasonal reading: Dandelion Wine (1957), Girlfriend in a Coma (1998), Rocket Boys (1998), A Tale for the Time Being (2013), Hidden Figures (2016), and The Fifth Heart (2015).
Enjoy! And don’t forget your own recommendations.
Novel Review: “All the Birds in the Sky”
“So I might have mentioned there are two kinds of magic.” Patricia handed Laurence a blueberry pastry and a mug of English Breakfast.
“Good and bad, I’m guessing,” said Laurence, not quite having his mouth full. Patricia’s bathrobe was splayed out on the sofa next to him, and he wondered if he could grab the ring while she wasn’t looking. But then he remembered the part about someone getting pulled back in the nightmare dimension.
“No, though that’s a common misconception.”
Charlie Jane Anders’ first major work won the 2016 Nebula Award for Best Novel.
It’s an impressive accolade, no doubt much appreciated by a writer who has long been connected with and written about SF and Fantasy fandom. Does it merit the award?
The Handmaid’s Tale Review: “The Bridge”
The Handmaid’s Tale delivers its hardest-hitting episode, based almost entirely on original material.
Orphan Black Review: “Clutch of Greed”
Orphan Black‘s final season continues, with character committing acts of brutal violence, villains corralling the clones, and significant questions lingering.
Will we finally see the Cow? And what rough shape will it take?
Doctor Who Review: “The Eaters of Light”
We’re in classic Doctor Who territory this week, in a story that could have been written to a similar resolution without his presence.
12 Monkeys Review: “Enemy” and “Brothers”
Due to the splintered storylines, we’re reviewing two episodes as one this week.
Newspace
This week we lost Adam West, the actor best-known for his deliberately wooden, comic turn as Batman in the 1960s. While many bat-fans find the series an embarrassment, its runaway success helped revitalize the superhero comic, and demonstrated that superheroes could work in mainstream media. Only Superman, really, had achieved that status beforehand, on radio and television.1
The Harry Potter Festival organized for Goderich, Ontario, has had to move to nearby Blyth. Those who booked accommodations in scenic Goderich will receive shuttlebus service. The festival will see the small town transformed into some Harry Potter-verse equivalent over the three-day festival, which has attracted ticket-buyers from around the world.
Japan’s Softbank is buying Boston Dynamics, Google’s robot company:
SpaceX update and a couple of Cons, below:
The Handmaid’s Tale Review: “Jezebels”
Anyone who has read the novel has been anticipating this scene, and the show, for the most part, delivers, providing further disturbing context.
Orphan Black: “The Few Who Dare”
Orphan Black returns for its fifth and final season. Tatiana Maslany remains in fine form as various clones; whether the labyrinthine plotting and byzantine backstory can maintain the season until the end remains a mystery.