Maybe I’m just old and jaded, but after watching the 2023 movie, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, I couldn’t figure out why the film wasn’t in WalMart’s $5 bin rather than on the racks at $15. This is from a fan not only of fantasy novels and movies, but
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Scripturient: Musings on Collecting and Reading ERB
As some readers here know, I’ve been a lifelong aficionado of Edgar Rice Burroughs (ERB, born 1875), particularly of his Barsoom (Mars) series, but also his Pellucidar and Caspak series. Well, I’ve enjoyed pretty much all of them, including, of course, the iconic Tarzan novels for which he is best
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Protected: The Blue Finger of Fate
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post. The post Protected: The Blue Finger of Fate appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingScripturient: Why Science Fiction Matters
In the past two years, we’ve watched all the Star Trek series (on Netflix) from start to finish, and all the ST movies (on DVD). We just started watching the Battlestar Galactica series on Blu-Ray this past week (which we had seen some years back, but with long gaps between
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Fantasy and Indoctrination: Rough notes on a few fantasy novels: part two
Here are two more fantasy books that I could not get through. That makes three in a row. And to think, I had a love affair with Terry Brookes’ Shannara series! (I read something like 20 Shannara novels in a row, and loved all of them, other than the last
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Fantasy and Indoctrination: Rough notes on a few fantasy novels: part one
New Spring, The Novel: The Wheel Of Time: In The Beginning – Robert Jordan (so the cover says) (Lord of the Rings films and Terry Brookes Shannara novels got me hooked on epic, high fantasy – and no, I have no slight embarrassment about that. I think too much. Sometimes,
Continue readingmark a rayner: Review: The Cache and Other Stories
I thoroughly enjoyed this new collection of short stories and poems, by Sherry D. Ramsey. As always, her fiction is rooted in authentic human emotions, problems and foibles, even when we’re reading about aliens or fairies. In particular, I really enjoyed “B.R.AN.E., Inc.”, which read like the beginning of a
Continue readingScripturient: Decoding Alice in Wonderland
It is tempting to suggest author David Day’s lush new book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Decoded is the final word on the mysteries and secrets behind Lewis Carroll’s iconic children’s fantasy, but alas, it would be an ov…
Continue readingcartoon life: How about a transit-run AI self-driving smart car system for #ldnont?
Hmmm, maybe a crazy idea. My retro future fantasy brain on a spree. The city transit service could run a small fleet of AI Smart, small self-driving cars. Electric. We know they’re coming. A kind of car share system managed by a transit authority. You could hire one over the phone or through an app […]
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: Rethinking John Carter
After recently going through the first five of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 11 Barsoom books, I decided to give the 2012 Disney film, John Carter, another viewing. This two-hour-eleven-minute film bombed at the box office, and when I first saw it, I was deeply disappointed. But on reflection after a second
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: ERB and Barsoom
Tara of Helium rose from the pile of silks and soft furs upon which she had been reclining, stretched her lithe body languidly, and crossed toward the center of the room, where, above a large table, a bronze disc depended from the low ceiling. Her carriage was that of health
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Midwest Book Review: The Fridgularity is “highly recommended”
Woo, great review news — the Midwest Book Review, which is one of the few well-respected review outfits used by librarians and archivists that still reviews independent and small press books — has given The Fridgularity a glowing review: “The … Continue reading →
Continue readingCanadian Progressive World: The “Life of Pi” Movie Will Probably Rock Your World
Canadian novelist Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi” is one of the few novels I’ve started with enthusiasm and but couldn’t finish. I simply failed to connect with this award-winning wrenching fantastical story of loss, adventure and hope. But the movie, directed by award-winning director Ang Lee, promises to be something
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