A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• Gotham: "Transference" - While there were a few intense moments in this episode, the previous episode was far more engaging overall. Still, my favorite moments were Jim under the truth serum and the parade of monsters at the end, and both were very good. Hugo Strange turning into a gibbering coward shows that he genuinely fears the "secret council" which almost certainly is the Court of Owls. The fact that he also let slip that they exist to Jim, and that now Bruce knows and is gunning for them, is only more for Strange to be frightened by. The fight between Mr. Freeze and Firefly was also amusing. But it was let down by a severely boring reunion between Fish Mooney and Penguin and Harv acting like a complete moron by being fooled by fake Jim. Overall, it was ok, but not great.


• The Flash: "The Race of His Life" - I'm not entirely sure what to make of this, except that, at the end, there was a sort of settling of the story and it felt like the series was setting up the new status quo. Then... then Barry had to go and do something ridiculously stupid and dangerous. I mean, wasn't Flashpoint started because of the exact same effort by The Flash? And does this mean that next season's Flash will be an alternate universe? Or will it even last the entire season, or just a few episodes? Not a bad episode, but not the finest finish to the season.


• Arrow: "Schism" - I can't even get started on all the ways this episode was wrong, but I'll just say that despite all the problems, it turned into a fairly fun episode of the series. Season finale? Meh. It seems like none of the season finales this year were all that great. But it was a fun smash and thrash story. Lots of fighting, lots of silliness and some moments of sheer pain. And even some set up for next year. This is not my favorite superhero show, but it isn't too bad.

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Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Apr 27th
• Justice League #49 - *yawn* Is this over yet? The only thing vaguely interesting is the Cyborg and Jessica fight to regain control. And with the rest of the nonsense in this book, that's just not enough to keep me interested.
• Sinestro #22 - So, he's not entirely in the background, I guess. He's still taking an active, if secret, part in things. Meanwhile, Soranik isn't having a great time. With great power yadda yadda, but she's doing the best she can under stressful circumstances. Now, the only big question is what are the Reds up to?
• Batman '66 Meets the Man From UNCLE #5 - This Batman could really use Aquaman's help on that last page. As for the rest, quite amusing all through. I find the use of Hugo Strange fun, particularly when you think about how he's being used on Gotham right now. His idea that he'll be able to turn people toward a beneficial future is fun and a nice turn on this genre. It'll be a fascinating finish to this series to see how the heroes manage to defeat him.
• Doctor Strange #7 - So, the end of magic. And in this issue, we get the origin story of the end of magic guy. Reasonable enough, in a twisted all-or-nothing kind of way. As usual in this sort of thing, the villain is not willing to see the full picture and thus is mistaking virtue for vice. I don't know any of the Marvel U's magic users, so I'm not sure who was sacrificing himself there, or who was threatened, or who was too cowardly to fight back. The art is a little sketchy for me, distracting a bit from the story. Not horrid.
• Peanuts vol 2 #32 - So there's a cute story about Snoopy trying to win a contest, but honestly, the one page classic strip by Schulz was massively better. It's not that the new story is bad - it's just not anything compared to Schulz.

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Fortean Times #340 (May 2016). Not a particularly memorable cover for me. The Oscar just doesn't resonate in that way, and seeing a target on it... well, nothing jumps out. The names scratched out along the side under the "Star Whackers Conspiracy" headline is kind of interesting, but again, it's not a cover that grabs me. I'm equally indifferent to the cover story, which is a sad tale of Randy Quaid becoming incredibly paranoid and believing that "they" are out to kill him. I'm slightly irritated by the sidebar, which brings up the thoroughly debunked "Hanging Man" myth about the Wizard of Oz. Yes, it's in the context of various other silly conspiracies, but it's still annoying to see it passed around yet again (this is the Munchkin variation, even... *sigh*). Another sidebar reports on strange deaths in Hollywood. Considering all the strange that happens in Hollywood, these stories just aren't that much of a surprise. As for Quaid, there's some conjecture as to why he believes what he does, but it doesn't diminish the sadness of seeing someone fall into madness.

Another main article is about Don Quixote, and what inspired Cervantes' most famous character. An analysis delves into the possible Jewish roots of the story, and how Cervantes may have been influenced by events around him as well as his own family history. The history in the piece is information I'm only vaguely familiar with, so I'm not sure how accurate it is. But if the background is true, the case made is pretty solid.

The third article asks how Edgar Allan Poe could possibly have known and written about Neptune's moons and rings as they hadn't been discovered yet... and the rings weren't discovered until 1999. As is often the case, the answer to the question is very simple and straightforward, although the article gives a lot of background on the discovery of Neptune before hitting us with the reason.

Strangedays starts with the missing head of Shakespeare and moves to a rediscovered First Folio. The Conspirasphere is about Zika, Global Warming and what lovely theories people have come up with for those. A photo spread introduces us to Soviet Bus Stops, taken from a book on the subject. Surprisingly fascinating. Other pieces are about strange noises, bad book titles, and poop spies. The medical bag has a few neat pieces, including one I sent in from a 1926 edition of the Sunnyside Sun. There's also a bit on people who came back from the dead - turning up at their own funerals or being forced to prove themselves alive.

Science is about Tesla, and how his idea for a power tower was based on a faulty premise. There's four pieces in Archaeology, including a bit on British mummies (are you my mummy?). There's also a worry that carbon dating is getting more inaccurate due to fossil-fuel emissions throwing off the balance of carbon in the atmosphere. Classical Corner is about ancient forgeries while Ghostwatch is about hellhounds. Having seen a ghostly dog myself as a child, the article was a good read for me (ghostly dog story: I was just learning to ride a bicycle and wasn't able to turn very well. I was on the street around the corner from my house, and my brother and the neighbor kids had just raced away around the corner. I was trying to turn around to follow them when I glanced into the neighbor's driveway and saw a large bulldog that was, for lack of a better term, glowing. It had a reddish tint and was staring at me. I stared at it until I hit the ground, scraping myself up good. When I looked up again, afraid it would attack me, it was gone. No one in the neighborhood owned a bulldog. No one else saw it).

This issue also features Fortean Follow-ups and the 200th Mythconceptions that's been erroneously labeled as the 100th. Alien Zoo looks at the Tully Monster and Mega-Unicorn. Fairies, Folklore and Forteana explores monsters that show up as local legends, including a flying head that bites people on the butt. The UFO files concludes the exhaustive five-part look at the Rendlesham Forest incident, which turns out to show more about how the military conducted - or failed to conduct - investigations than shedding any real light on what happened that night.

Blasts From the Past looks at the history of people who could mysteriously ignite fires through apparently mystical means. Fortean Traveller heads to St. Teilo's Well in Pembrokeshire to learn about a legend of people drinking from a saint's skull. Illustrated Police News was a tale of a doctor who used his dinner guests as experimental subjects to determine if cholera could survive freezing - a story which appears to be a hoax. Phenomenomix is the second part of the story of Faust.

Strange Statesmen continues to look at crazy American politicians - no, not Trump - and finds some real humdingers. One of the fellows examined is Edward Leedskalnin, who created the Coral Castle in Florida after coming to the US from Latvia in 1912. His story is both bizarre and chilling, but you'll have to get the magazine to read the details.

The Forum starts with a report on people who are going to court to divorce the Canaanite god Baal, who is the source of everyone's problems, apparently. It's almost as bizarre as Ed, and that's saying something. The second piece in Forum is about the Isle of Man's supernatural folklore, including a household fairy that does farm work if given food and drink and treated with respect.

Next up are the reviews, and there are some good ones. I'm always on the lookout for good books about historical religious figures, so I'm glad to be warned away from a book about Jesus that claims he had multiple wives, survived the crucifixion and spent the rest of his life in Kashmir. The movie reviews are also excellent, as usual. The letters are entertaining and educational and "It Happened to Me..." had an extra page of goodness this month. Overall, a pretty good issue.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- My Kindle Wishlist

Linkages for Tuesday

No, a kid did NOT find an ancient Mayan city by comparing ruin locations to the stars.

Weapons of Math Instruction?

Ursula K. Le Guin writes about her cat.

Huh. Wizards of the Coast has some tournament judges suing them, claiming they were effectively employees and should have been compensated as such.

The Chronicles of Cisco continues for fans of The Flash tv show: Part One (in which Cisco tries to improve the Flash suit and falls asleep), Part Two (in which Cisco tries to find an intruder at 3:45 a.m.), Part Three (in which Cisco makes a mistake), and Part Four (in which we learn... well, watch and see).

Boing Boing has a list of disappearances that still make people scratch their heads. Some fascinating stories there.

More fascinating stories came out of Remote Year, a social experiment that didn't turn out perfect, but certainly makes for good reading.

Here's a brutal Fortean topic: The terror of albinism in parts of Africa. In short, if you are albino, you do not exist and are constantly at risk of death.

This piece from Popehat has to be read to be believed. This guy seriously wanted an amendment declaring only people descended from white Europeans to be allowed to be citizens? Now the guy is a Trump delegate... what a surprise.

Hugo Corner:

• Boing Boing on Chuck Tingle's epic troll of the rabid puppies.
• GRRM on other awards.
• Bujold on her Locus nomination.
• A review of one of the works I don't plan to bother reading, because it's from the rabid puppies' master's publishing house (It sounds about as worthless as I suspected it would, building strawmen based on scant facts). The reviewer then responds to the morons who support the original piece.
• And lastly, a painful piece on the current status of the comic book industry, which also mentions the Hugo mess.

And now, a four-minute video that will make you cry. Maybe.

The Present from Jacob Frey on Vimeo.

It's been so long...

... so long since I've done a proper link dump, I can't even remember how to do it! I long ago stopped reading other blogs due to time issues, and cut down my online activity to the bare minimum of what I thought I could manage quickly. I'm not sure I know how to find all my sources I used to read. It's so strange to have time again!

Ok, don't panic. I still have interests. I just haven't been able to share them.

Let's start with Popular Science's article on better batteries that were made by accident. Sometimes I think all the best discoveries must be by accident, considering how many cool things are created by experiments not working like expected. I think it's important to realize that failure in science is almost as useful, sometimes way more useful, than "success". You come up with your hypothesis, you test it, and something is wrong... sometimes that's the moment real discovery starts. In any case, these batteries, with the potential to last 400 times longer than current batteries before needing a charge, are extremely promising.

Drones are the new UFOs. Apparently, lots of pilots who hit things now are thinking those things are drones. That's an interesting twist of perceptions. Having attempted to fly a drone and failed (with a long hike involved to find and collect the drone) I have my doubts that most small drones can get up high enough to threaten planes. Larger drones... you would expect the operators to have more of a clue. Then again, not all drone operators have shown off brains so far.

Southern Fried Science enjoys some Aquaman science. Love it!

Speaking of comics, this report of sexual harassment at DC is very depressing. But I'm hoping by spreading this information, more people will have questions and maybe something will be done about it. I can dream. Comics aren't exactly friendly to women, yet. Not quite as bad as some segments of gaming, but the sexism and boys club attitude is there.

I'll finish up with a piece from Atlas Obscura on pirated research libraries. In short, journal costs can be so high that, in order to cite other recent studies, some broke scientists are turning to pirated documents to get what they need to help science progress. Of course, read that last line to see that it's not all about research.

I still maintain that copyright has been extended so long that it is now meaningless to the current generation. If copyright lasts a lifetime or longer, and it does, then nothing produced today will ever go into the public domain. This makes things that were possible only a couple of generations ago impossible, including a new Disney producing movies using classic public domain stories. I think there should be copyright, and I think it should be renewable, but I don't think it should be automatic after the first term, say 10 years. And renewal should cost some fee to maintain the database of copyrighted works. That means that works that aren't making money for the copyright holder are more likely to fall into the public domain where they can be remixed and turned into new works.

But if we continue the way we have, copyrights are basically going to become a speedbump to cultural progress, bankrupting artists who can't afford obscene fees to use music that should be in the public domain. Corporations will own most copyrights and come down hard on people who violate them, while individual authors won't be able to protect their own work from pirates because of the costs of litigation. For a reason why eternal copyrights are stupid, read Melancholy Elephants by Spider Robinson.

Fortean Times Letter Hack...

I have another letter published in the latest Fortean Times, just out on newsstands this past Thursday in the UK and digitally. I wish I'd edited a couple more times before I submitted it, but I was feeling anxious the day I sent it, and just let it go.

It's about the Rachel's Challenge event I covered for the paper in February, and the Fortean themes in the presentation. After thinking about it for awhile, I realized a lot of the Fortean stuff can be accounted for by the nature of the program. It's designed for schools, and there's a strict separation of church and state here in the United States (at least, there's supposed to be) so the program has to excise any religious content. The result, what is left, can seem very strange. Taken out of a religious context, the notions of miracles become terribly Fortean in an obvious way.

In any case, I'm happy to be printed in my favorite magazine a second time. My first letter was printed in Fortean Times #192 (January 2005), and was about flashing/dimming your lights to let someone know they don't have their headlights on, and the urban legends attached to it.

Edit: One last note... I'm reviewing my recent issues of Fortean Times mixed with the nice old issues I recently got on eBay, so the review of Fortean Times #339 (April 2016) in which my letter appears will not be in my Sunday Reviews until, oh, May 15th at the earliest. That's one reason I wanted to write about it now instead of waiting until I read and reviewed the entire issue.

Fortean Crossword

Anyone want to give it a try? The answer to the one without a number is apparently "Pyre".

From Fortean Times #34. Created by Myra Sagov.

Conspiracy Theory...

I was thinking about this last night... we treat 'conspiracy theory' as if all conspiracies are made up by nutcases. But we know some real conspiracies have happened, some recently while some in the distant past. The level of respectability seems to be directly related to the known facts about the cases in question.

For instance, Holocaust deniers are completely wacko. The evidence that it happened is strong. We have photos, eyewitness testimony, documents and physical evidence in the form of existing building and survivors. To deny that the Holocaust happened is the mark of somebody who hasn't got much stuff inside their skull. People who claim it was completely made up are just short of being completely insane, and the vast majority of the world is in agreement that those such conspiracy theorists are either nutso or so consumed by a certain type of hate that the truth doesn't matter at all to them.

But another common conspiracy theory doesn't provoke such a strong reaction. The JFK assassination has a number of different theories surrounding it, but it's relatively respectable to wonder about that. The reason, in my opinion, is because those theorists usually don't deny reality to make their case. Instead of saying, "it never happened" they say, "it looked like it happened this way, but really happened this other way". As a result, they aren't seen as so completely off their rockers as people who deny the Holocaust.

They are both conspiracy theories, but one is more acceptable on multiple levels than the other.

Moving on to modern conspiracies... we've got Birthers and Truthers.

The people who deny Obama's nationality are in the same league as the first group above. There is plenty of evidence to indicate the President was born in the United States, but they ignore the newspaper's birth announcement and the birth certificate released by Hawaii and the nationality of his mother, because, again, they have a certain type of hate that isn't satisfied by reality.

The 9/11 Truthers are another kettle of beans altogether. They don't deny it happened, but argue that planes hitting a skyscraper couldn't take it down. To most of the public, who saw videos of the planes and saw the reaction of the people in New York, it's simply obvious that plane + building = boom. But the Truthers argue the planes, even with their heavy loads of fuel, couldn't have done that type of damage. While most people find Truthers' beliefs a little odd, they've gained some supporters through apparently well-reasoned videos and calm spokespeople... although most of their efforts fall apart quickly when experts start to point out mistakes in logic.

Then there are other types of Truthers... the Sandy Hook Truthers make me boil with rage. Not because of their beliefs, which I consider simply delusional, but because of their actions. The fact that they are harassing the grieving families and denying that the children ever existed is enough to make me want the Truthers tossed in jail. If they left the families alone I wouldn't have such an issue with them, but those Truthers are trying to prove something false that the vast majority of the population knows is true. In order for their reality to exist, first responders, school teachers, government and media would all have to be colluding in such a way that is impossible. And, once again, the reason behind the Truthers' beliefs is a certain type of hate, this one drive by extremist radio hosts and "news" channels, claiming that people are going to take away gun rights. It doesn't matter and most people in favor of gun rights don't want to take away all guns: the nutcases start believing in this vile type of nonsense because they've been taught to hate... thus proving that they are, in fact, the kind of people who shouldn't own guns. Ironically.

Do I have a point? I'm not sure.

Sometimes conspiracies happen. We know about the Business Plot, attempts to kill Hitler, the Gunpowder Plot and Watergate. Conspiracies aren't generally secret for long, because people talk, people make mistakes and the truth is usually lurking around a corner and not impossible to find. Many, maybe even most, conspiracies fail because people are not perfect and most conspiracies rely on people being way better at hiding things than they really are.

But when we talk about "conspiracy theorists", the ones we actively dislike - the ones that people find themselves disgusted with - are the ones who deny existing proof due to some sort of agenda. Simply having a conspiracy theory isn't necessarily bad... it's when that theory supports a preconceived notion in such a way that denies reality that other people start to think about throwing the theorist in a loony bin.

Does this mean we should close our eyes and stop up our ears when a conspiracy theorist starts talking? No... I'll listen to or read about their theories, but I'll also be looking for signs that they are ignoring facts and aiming to support a particular pet belief. And then I'll treat them, and their theory, with exactly as much respect as deserved.

A Sunday Review

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Jan 27th
• Justice League of America #7 - Time travel, parasitic gods, and Superman being super. What more does a fan need? More Aquaman would be nice, but at least he's arming up.
• Aquaman #48 - So is this plotline over then? The Justice League went on a rescue mission while Arthur and Mera went to deal with the heart of the problem? Somewhat anti-climatic at the end, but the promise of the set-up argued for a big bad, not for a lightshow.
• Scooby-Doo Team-Up #14 - With all the other impossibilities in this issue, why was people talking with scuba gear in their mouths the one thing that 'threw me out of the story'??? I mean, it's all impossible, so why couldn't I get over that bit of silliness?
• Doctor Who 10th #2.5 - Munmeth is a pretty fun character, and I thought we were headed for a nice tie-up of the story and the end of it all... but the fun continues. I wonder what comes next?
• Doctor Who 11th #2.5 - That final splash page just made the team even more exciting, if that's possible. I mean, Abslom Daak, The Squire, Alice and the Doctor... plus one? This book is getting more interesting as it goes on.
• Peanuts vol 2 #30 - Wuv, true wuv... is not in the cards for Lucy or Marcie, apparently. Charlie Brown is a bit of a cad. Why didn't he invite Marcie in to watch TV with him?

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Fortean Times #334 (December 2015). The cover is a jumble, but striking enough. The blood spatters make it uncomfortable to look at, which may be the point. The cover story itself is about a chilling murder of an entire family in 1929 Detroit. I found the clippings from the newspapers to be fascinating (the fact that a reporter gave the name of the youngest child as "Marrow" instead of Mario says something about knowledge of Italian names at the time). One of the clippings mentions the family dog escaped and was later found by a woman who decided not to keep it after learning who had owned it before. The whole story is sickly compelling. It's unsolved and unlikely to be definitively solved at this point, which just makes it more tragic and mysterious.

The second main article is about the connections between Virginia Woolf and Jack the Ripper. There's actually more connections than I would expect, but then... If the killer truly was a gentleman, then most of the upper class at that time would have some connection somewhere with him.

The final main article is very disturbing, about the Black Dahlia murder of 1947. Truly sickening, with a few photos that are at the edge of tolerable. Nothing so explicit to make me sick, but the editorial actually warned readers: "we chose not to include any of the more graphic crime scene photos, but some readers may find the images disturbing". Yup.

Strangedays starts off with a report of a floating city in China, and what might cause an optical illusion like it, if it's not a hoax. There are photos of giant vegetables, an escapologist who nearly died, people who came back from the dead, knitted dissections and security provided by a large stone. Medical Bag is a mish-mash and not all gross for once.

The Conspirasphere looks at tin foil hats and Faraday Cages along with a theory about Stephen Hawking being an impersonator. Science tackles the anti-vaxxer movement from a historical context. Archaeology has a history of beheadings along with good news about some antiquities targeted by terrorists.

Classical Corner is about ancient obesity. Ghostwatch looks at politicians' ghostly beliefs. Alien Zoo has Mothman, vampire squirrels and mutant spider (maybe bitten by a radioactive Peter Parker?). Mythconceptions smacks down the idea that microwaves cook from the inside out.

There's a nice piece on an exhibit by Scotland Yard of part of its special collection of criminal artefacts, some of them with quite the history. The UFO Casebook looks at signs of water on Mars and what it might mean for us. Building a Fortean Library is almost incomprehensible. Fortean Traveller is moody and depressing, but interesting. L. Frank Baum is mentioned in Phenomenomix.

Blasts from the Past is about a man who tried to alter animals and humans into bizarre forms... and whether or not he could have existed. It also talks about "cripple factories" in which children are crippled so kind people will give them money. That's a story I've heard about in modern times... don't give money to beggars, they've been crippled to tug at your heart strings and if no one gives money, none will get crippled. Wasn't it also a theme in "Slumdog Millionaire" as well?

The reviews made me happy. There's a couple of slap-down reviews, including a movie that only got 2 out of 10. There's also a few books I wouldn't mind reading. Two books in the "Also Received" section look up my alley as well, one about spiritualism in Lincoln's White House and the other about Tibet. The letters were as cool as always, including a couple of thrilling ghost stories. Overall, another excellent issue of the best magazine available for people who really want to think.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- My Kindle Wishlist

Quick Update

I need to go to work soon, so I can't write much.

Work has been... stressful. So much so that I, as I have said before, basically turn off when I get home. I would like to write more of what I want to write, but that hasn't been an option the last few months. We're adjusting to a new house style and a new publisher and it's just taking longer than it ought to be taking. Depending on the day, I'm either deep in despair that we'll ever get on an even keel or hopeful that we're finally starting to "get it" and making progress.

That said, I finally received my Hugo PIN, and I'm starting to sort through my reviews from last year and working on figuring out what I want to nominate. I haven't had time to read in the past few months, thanks to the new boss, but I hopefully have enough to get started. I'm excited to be nominating for the first time, and I hope to get it "right" in the sense that the stuff I put on the ballot is truly the stuff I think is the best I read published last year.

I tend to obsess. I think most of my readers have figured that out by now. I've got a handful of current obsessions at the moment. One is my so-far pathetic attempts to start a Doctor Who club locally. I know there's the interest, and I know my hubby's model for a club (bring food, watch Doctor Who, have fun, no fees) should work, but I'm having trouble reaching the local fans, since they are all students. And since hubby is subbing a lot in another district, he can't spread the word. Ug.

Another obsession is Fortean Times. I had a thrown-together page of cover scans, but I upgraded it to a wiki over the weekend to make it easier to update. I was getting tired to hand-writing the HTML files and uploading it via FTP, when with a wiki I only upload the latest scan once and then it's got all the sizes automated by the wiki. Of course, being an obsessive, I started to index issues while I was at it... hey, don't judge me. I know what I am.

The final recent obsession is with a slightly local news incident, which I refer to as the Bird Sanctuary Bozos. Living in a largely conservative area, I know a lot of people who sympathize with the cause of the bozos, but I find it hard to accept that most of them would support the people who did the occupation if they knew even a little about the background of those people. I ended up writing a long Facebook post about it, which I will reproduce after the fold. I have no idea why I'm obsessed about it, I got obsessed long before I knew that some of the "protesters" claim to share my religion (they understand their religion about as well as they understand the Constitution, which is to say: not at all). All I know is that they fascinate me, like watching a car wreck or something, and for a time I couldn't get enough about their antics. Now only a handful of people are still paying attention, since the media has mostly moved on, but I'm still curious to see how it turns out and find out what damage they actually did to archaeological sites in the area... a crime for which I hope they pay most dearly.

Well, time to get dressed and head to work, so if you are interested, my Facebook rant is below...

A Sunday Review

Uprooted by Naomi Novik.

This is yet another book I jumped into without reading anything more than "it's good!" from a bunch of people. Seriously, this is very unlike me, and I have expected to be disappointed, but mostly I've been extremely impressed by the quality of the works.

First up: the completely non-spoiler review. The story is set in a small valley threatened by an evil Wood, and it starts out with the most perfect opening:

Our Dragon doesn't eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley.

If that doesn't draw you in, nothing will. The plot from there seems a bit obvious, until it isn't any more. The main character's name is Agnieszka, pronounced ag-NYESH-kah, as pointed out in the acknowledgments in the back of the book. I would have liked to have read that bit at the beginning... but that may be the biggest flaw I found in the whole thing.

Ok, Spoilers ahead (use rot13 to read). Gur angher bs gur Jbbq vf gbyq ragveryl, ohg va gubfr synfuonpxf-bs-Gehgu gung V jbhyq svaq vaperqvoyl qvfgheovat gb qrny jvgu, crefbanyyl. V jbaqrerq rneyl ba jul gur Qentba qvqa'g vafvfg ba qbvat gur Fhzzbavat ba gur dhrra, rkprcg sbe gur snpg gung ur jnf gbgnyyl rkunhfgrq naq arneyl qrnq. Lrnu, vg jnfa'g rknpgyl n zlfgrel ubj gung fgrc va gur chetvat tbg zvffrq, ohg vg jnf fbzrguvat gung jbhyq unir ceriragrq nyy gur erfg... juvpu vf, bs pbhefr, jul vg qvqa'g unccra.

V unir unq n erpheevat qernz va juvpu n zntvpvna gnxrf n jbzna/tvey (nyjnlf cynlrq ol zr va gur qernz, ohg arire npghnyyl zr) naq gryrcbegf ure gb n pnfgyr jvgu n zneoyr sybbe, yrnivat ure va gur unyy ba ure unaqf naq xarrf fvpx sebz gur cnffntr. V jnf fghaarq gb ernq cerggl zhpu gung rknpg fprar va gur bcravat cnentencu. V nqzvg gung znqr zr rira zber phevbhf guna V zvtug unir nyernql orra nobhg gur obbx, naq cerggl zhpu przragrq vg nf "zvar" va zl zvaq.

Znerx vf obgu cngurgvp naq njrfbzr, ohg zbfgyl cngurgvp. V ybir gur fprar jurer Ntavrfmxn orngf uvz hc. Dhvgr fngvfslvat. V nyfb rawblrq gur snpg gung fur svanyyl ernyvmrf jung fur vf qhevat gung fprar.

Gur bcravat puncgre nyfb gryyf lbh n ybg gung vf yngre hapbirerq... yvxr jul gur tveyf yrnir gur inyyrl. Va fubeg, gurl ybfr gurve qrrc pbaarpgvba gb gur cynpr naq ernyvmr whfg ubj greevslvat naq qnatrebhf vg vf gb yvir gurer. Nal abezny crbcyr jbhyq or vapyvarq gb yrnir gur inyyrl jura zbafgref uhag gurz, cbyyra snyyf ba gurve svryqf naq cbvfbaf gurz naq na ragver ivyyntr vf fjnyybjrq hc va yvivat zrzbel ol gur rivy bs gur Jbbq. Lrnu, abezny crbcyr... ohg cneg bs orvat hcebbgrq ol gur Qentba vagb uvf pnfgyr vf n fybj ybff bs pbaarpgvba gb gur ynaq. V sbhaq vg obgu gentvp naq jbaqreshy jura V svanyyl haqrefgbbq.

Gur jbeyqohvyqvat vf vagrerfgvat. Gur jvgpurf naq jvmneqf nccneragyl unir irel ybat yvirf anghenyyl, nf gur bar punenpgre jnf qvfpbirerq orpnhfr ur'q fcrag 40 lrnef vyyhzvangvat znahfpevcgf naq unqa'g ntrq. Gurer ner nyfb aba-uhzna enprf ba gur jbeyq, nf jr riraghnyyl frr gunaxf gb gur gevcf vagb gur jbbqf. Abg whfg zbafgref, ohg bgure glcrf bs perngherf. Gur guvat gung vagrerfgf zr zbfg, naq znxrf gur raqvat fngvfslvat qrfcvgr n lrneavat gb yrnea zber, vf ubj Ntavrfmxn jvyy yvxryl fhpprrq va ure svany dhrfg orpnhfr bs ure ybat yvsr. Senaxyl, sebz fgneg gb svavfu V ernyyl rawblrq guvf obbx.

In conclusion, if you enjoy fantasy at all, this is a great book to check out. It drew me in quite unexpectedly and held my interest as well as any book I've read in the past year. I loved the main character and found the plot to have just enough small twists to keep me turning pages. I very much enjoyed it.

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Short story reviews:

• "Blue Ribbon" by Marissa Lingen is about 4-H in space. I don't know how much more I can say without giving far too much away, but this is really a great little story about children dealing with extreme adversity that is definitely worth a read if you can get a copy.


• "Madeleine" by Amal El-Mohtar is about a woman who accepts an experimental drug to help her handle severe grief. It starts out seeming normal enough, but veers off into the strange and different... and then into the hopeful. I enjoyed it a lot. I'm not sure how long it will stay with me, but it's a good tale.


• "The Extraordinary Extraterrestrial Togo Mouse from Ghana" by Ryan W. Norris is a very silly story about an "alien" creature discovered living deep in Ghana. The first part of the story is basically a conversation between a reporter and a biologist about the possible origins of the creature. It gets silly when the tale goes into a flashback that describes just how the aliens arrived in Ghana and why they are running loose there. Not something I would consider particularly Hugo-Worthy, but a fun story nonetheless.


• "Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys: The Elephant's Tale" by Damien Angelica Walters is not a science fiction or fantasy tale, to the best of my reading ability. It's an extended metaphor with some aspect of fantasy, but I wouldn't call it flat-out fantasy. It won't be on my list.


• "God Mode" by Daniel H. Wilson is about the memories of a man meeting his lover, while the stars are disappearing in the sky. It's a touching and bittersweet story, but I'm not knocked out by it.

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Novelette reviews:

• "Karma Among the Cloud Kings" by Brian Trent is about what happens when different human cultures and beliefs end up having differing goals and priorities. In this particular case, I can't see a good result happening for the humans, because they rely on what's outside to survive. I sympathize with them, of course, but at the end I'm worried for them. As for storytelling, this was nicely done, including a clever flashback method. Fascinating story that sticks with me.


• "Entanglements" by David Gerrold is about alternate universes, although it takes its dear sweet time getting to the point. Still, I suppose the set up is important to the notion of looking at the works of alternate "you" in a cell-phone-like device. I think the trick with this one is the final paragraph that at first doesn't seem to be part of the story itself. Ha. I get it. There's a lot going on here, but your mileage will vary. I liked it, but I'm not really sure if it'll stick with me.

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New television review:

• Doctor Who: "The Magician's Apprentice" - Well. Wow. Ok, this one requires spoilers all the way through (use rot13 to read). Vg'f byq ubzr jrrx ng Qbpgbe Jub, jvgu HAVG, Zvffl, gur Fvfgreubbq bs Xnea, naq Qnyrxf. Naq na harkcrpgrq nccrnenapr ol n irel lbhat Qniebf. Ubyl synzvat pbjf. Gur unaqf jrer rkgerzryl perrcl, rfcrpvnyyl ubj dhvpxyl gurl znqr gur thl inavfu. Jul qvq Pynen srry vg arprffnel gb qenj n pvepyr ba ure jvaqbj? Gung jnf... bqq. Univat n fvfgre bs Xnea gnyx nobhg Qniebf orvat byq vf n ovg ulcbpevgvpny, vfa'g vg? V jnf nyzbfg jvyyvat gb oryvrir gung Zvffl qvrq, ohg V jnfa'g jvyyvat gb oryvrir Pynen qvrq, abg rira jvgu gur fcbvyref bhg gung fur'f yrnivat gur frevrf. Naq V'z pregnvayl abg jvyyvat gb oryvrir gur GNEQVF jnf qrfgeblrq, fb gung raqvat ybfg n ybg bs vgf vzcnpg sbe zr. V thrff V'z n plavpny byq sna. Birenyy, V gubhtug vg jnf n qrprag rcvfbqr, ohg vg ernyyl sryg yvxr vg jnf ernpuvat gb chyy bhg nyy gur fgbcf - naq V'z abg fher jul. Episode 1 of the ninth series, originally aired Sep 19, 2015.

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Older television reviews (these are only the ones that I thought might be good enough to give an award to):

• Gotham: "Red Hood": A pivotal episode in some ways, this one had two points to it that lifted it above the average episode of Gotham, a show that's been very uneven. The first is Fish Mooney removing her own eye to prevent it being used as a spare part for somebody else. It's gross and powerful, but develops the character more than just about any other point in the show. The second point is Alfred's past coming back to haunt him. The bits of his old war buddy talking about the old days was good stuff. The inclusion of the red hood in a storyline is cute, but not necessarily compelling to anyone who doesn't know Batman history, so I don't have much to say about it. Episode 17 of the first season, originally aired Feb 23, 2015.


• Gotham: "Everyone Has A Cobblepot": This one is only good due to the level of corruption it reveals in the Gotham police. The underlying theme of the show is that every single police officer is corrupt, which is a neat trick, really. So this episode shows how that's accomplished, while giving Gordon a chance to use the corruption in the system to his advantage. Is it enough to nominate it for a Hugo? Probably not, but it is an interesting episode with a strange stand-alone concept. Episode 18 of the first season, originally aired March 1, 2015.


• The Flash: "Out of Time": Probably the best episode so far in 2015 of a fantastic series, this one has Barry travel in time... but not until a whole bunch of dramatic and terrible things happen first. The shocker in this episode is the death of Cisco, which had fans screaming and clutching their heads. The next episode looks at the consequences of the time travel, but in this episode the writers cut loose, which made it an incredible piece of television. Episode 15 of the first season, originally aired March 17, 2015.


• The Flash: "Fast Enough": The season finale of The Flash did not disappoint, but I'd be afraid to nominate it because it might not make sense to a new viewer. There is more of that pesky time travel, and some incredible hints of the future to come. The cliffhanger is truly magnificent: a black hole developing that will destroy the earth? Very superheroey. Episode 23 of the first season, originally aired May 19, 2015.

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My Hugo Suggestions were likely recommended in the comment sections on File 770, Renay's Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom, or the Hugo 2016 Wikia. For my current list of Hugo 2016 readings, check out my Hugo 2016 Posts page.

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Fortean Times #329 (July 2015). A bit of a strange and dark cover, with a werewolf and a soldier. Not my favorite. The cover story is about the Morbach Monster, a werewolf supposedly encountered by American troops stationed in rural Germany near the end of the Cold War. The writer actually visited the place the creature was spotted and learned more about traditional tales in the area, and what's become of the legend started by bored servicemen guarding an ammo dump in the middle of nowhere.

The next story is about Linda S. Godfrey, who kind of stumbled into the role of chronicling werewolf sightings while working at a small newspaper. After writing about the fact that the county animal control officer actually had a file folder marked "werewolf" to put frequent sightings of such animals in, she started to get tips on other sightings and started a bit of a fever for werewolves in the town. It turned in to a career of sorts for Godfrey, who wrote books about the phenomenom.

The last main article is about Etienne Bottineau, who claimed he could tell if ships were coming from hundreds of miles away in 1782. He called the science nauscopie, and said it was the result of years of study and trial and error. The article dissects what we know of the man and his science.

Strangedays starts out with mysterious noises heard by many people, mal de debarquement syndrom (a neurological disorder triggered by travel), genetically stinky people, a sleeping sickness in Kazakhstan, another visit to Loch Ness, crows in Seattle who bring gifts to humans and snakes... it just had to have an article on snakes. The Conspirasphere talks about monological theories: in which everything fits into a single far-reaching conspiracy. Archaeology looks at evidence for more types of early humans, ancient runes, and children noticing things in plain sight that other people have missed.

Classical Corner covers the dangers of being a baby, particularly a royal baby, in the ancient world. Ghostwatch looks at a theory that some types of mold within old houses might cause people to see ghosts. Alien Zoo looks at an awesomely colored crayfish and tackles an internet "hoax" - a video posted in May that shows how simple it is to make a believable UFO video using CGI.

Speaking of UFOs, the UFO Files looks at yet more failures to prove the existence of alien bodies from a media event that turned out to be based on slides of a mummy from a museum. Blast from the Past looks at the history of chloroform in crime and stories about crime. Strange Statesmen has become a regular feature, this time looking at fairies, folklore and fascism in 20th century Irish politicians.

Fortean Traveller goes to Portland, Maine, and visits the International Cryptozoology Museum. Illustrated Police News recounts the tale of the Countess of Derwentwater, and the fact that no one knows who she really was... or even if she was who she claimed she was. Phenomenomix has part three of the biography of Dion Fortune.

The Forum has a review of a recent dramatization of the Enfield Poltergeist story from one of the people involved in the original event, who also talks about his character in the tv show. Another forum article is about the Queensland tiger what what it might actually be.

The Reviews start with a book about how Victorians tried to teach science with fairy tales, which sounds utterly zany but was one way people tried to deal with the changing times. Most of the books reviewed didn't catch my interest, but there's a couple that might make my list if I keep rereading the reviews. The movie reviews were fun, as usual. The letters page has a response to the article about radio interference in FT327, talking about modern radio interference caused by cheap power supplies. There's also a page of simulacra: trees that look like faces. It happened to me has a letter from a person who suffered from amnesia and forgot who his was, in answer to a mythconception that claimed amnesiacs never forget who they are.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist -- My Kindle Wishlist -- My Camera Wishlist

A Sunday Review

My book this week was Beasts of Tabat by Cat Rambo.

This book was recommended in the comment sections on File 770 and in Renay's Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom.

Again, I came to this book completely cold... like I have all the books I've reviewed from the Spreadsheet of Doom. Sadly, this time I would call a strike instead of a homerun. It's ok, but this book has a fatal flaw that I did not know about when I started it: It's the first book of a planned series of four. Oops.

First up: the completely non-spoiler review. I found myself enjoying the main characters, but both of them are somewhat one-dimensional if looked at too closely. I also liked the narrative structure that told Bella's story from a first-person perspective while Teo's tale is omnipresent third person. It was always easy to figure out which character was the focus at any given time. What I didn't like was the confusion in the way time passes. It sometimes seemed like months had passed - only to find out it couldn't have been more than a week. I also didn't like the ending, which was abrupt and cliffhangery.

Ok, Spoilers ahead (use rot13 to read). Gur obbx sbphfrf ba gjb punenpgref: Grb, n lbhat zna sebz n fznyy ivyyntr uvqvat qnex frpergf gung pbhyq trg uvz xvyyrq naq Oryyn, n tynqvngbe va gur ovt pvgl jub vf shyy bs pbasvqrapr va urefrys naq zntvp. Gur gjb ner frg ba n pbyyvfvba pbhefr, naq riraghnyyl zrrg jura Grb pbzrf gb gur pvgl ohg ehaf njnl sebz uvf sngr.

V yvxrq Grb ng svefg. Ur'f pbzcrgrag naq gubhtugshy, ohg fgvyy erfcbafvoyr. Ohg ur fgnlf cerggl zhpu gur fnzr srneshy punenpgre sebz fgneg hagvy gur raq bs gur obbx. V'z abg ernyyl fher ubj zhpu gvzr jnf fhccbfrq gb unir cnffrq orgjrra jura ur neevirq naq jura gur svany puncgre uvgf, ohg V sryg yvxr ur bhtug gb unir tebja hc n ovg zber guna ur qvq. Gung fnvq, uvf zntvpny nggevohgrf ner snfpvangvat, naq V jnf ybbxvat sbejneq gb yrneavat zber nobhg gurz... ohg gura gur obbx raqrq ba n pyvssunatre. Netu.

Oryyn jnf veevgngvat sebz gur fgneg, ohg V guvax fur jnf zrnag gb or gung jnl. Ure vagreany qvnybthr znxrf vg pyrne gung fur'f svtugvat gb or funyybj, juvpu vfa'g tbbq sbe ure, ohg snfpvangvat sbe gur ernqre. Gur ceboyrz vf gung fur arire znxrf gur arprffnel pbaarpgvba jvgu ure qrrcre fvqr va guvf obbx, naq fb vg whfg pbagvahrf gb veevgngr vafgrnq bs gheavat vagb n fngvfslvat zbzrag bs eriryngvba. V shyyl rkcrpgrq ure gb npghnyyl ybbx ng gur obbx ng fbzr cbvag naq V rkcrpgrq gung gb or gur zbzrag. Ohg fur arire qvq.

V'z abg ragveryl fher ubj ovt gur pvgl vf fhccbfrq gb or, ohg Grb fher qbrf frrz gb eha vagb gur fnzr crbcyr n ybg gurer. Abg gb zragvba gur pbvapvqrapr bs orvat urycrq ol Oryyn (gubhtu gur snpg gung ur'f orra fgnyxvat ure znxrf gung rnfvre gb ohl). Oryyn'f ynaqynql vf creuncf zl snibevgr bs gur obbx, naq jura gur svg fgnegrq gb uvg gur funa ng gur raq, V shyyl rkcrpgrq ure gb qvr. Tynq fur znqr vg.

Fcrnxvat bs svg uvggvat funaf, Oryyn jnf erznexnoyl hazbirq ol ure svtug naq gur qrngu bs ure fghqrag. Lrf, fur unq zbzragf bs tevrs, ohg vg qvqa'g frrz va gur fyvtugrfg ovg erny gb zr. Vg nyy frrzrq yvxr fur jnf tbvat guebhtu gur zbgvbaf. Juvyr V jnf fgvyy guvaxvat guvf jnf n fvatyr abiry naq abg gur svefg dhnegre bs n ovttre obbx, V rkcrpgrq gur fghqrag gb qrsrng Oryyn naq rirelbar gb yvir unccvyl rire nsgre, be fbzr inevnag gurerbs. Fb gur qrngu jnf n fubpx gb zr, ohg zl fubpx jnf haqrezvarq ol Oryyn'f ynpx.

All told, I was annoyed to get to the end of this and find out it was a "to be continued..." instead of wrapping up. I'm not sure if I'll seek out the remaining bits, although I'm not going to blame the author for my ignorance. It was well written and compelling... but it will not be on my Hugo list.

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I've also read short stories:

• "The Sixth Day" by Sylvia Anna Hivén is a post-apocalyptic tale of a magic and the perils of seeing the future. It gave me chills when I finished it. I can't say I liked it in the sense that it didn't make me feel good or give me hope or anyt of that. It was well-written and made sense, but it was painful. It's a good story, but I'll have to think long and hard about whether or not to nominate it.


• "The Walking Thing" by Marlee Jane Ward is a story of how one teenaged girl deals with the apocalypse. Nita is unaffected by a disease that wipes out her town, and the story is about how she handles people dying around her, and how she comes to terms with her own life. It's grim and more than a little depressing, but I also found some hope in there. It might make my nomination list.


• "The Universe, Sung in Stars" by Kat Howard is a strange little poem of a tale about people who give support to pocket universes. I'm honestly not sure what to think of it. It might stick with me for a bit because of the language and the ideas, but I didn't really like it much as a story. I think it won't be on my nomination list.

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For my current list of Hugo 2016 readings, check out my Hugo 2016 Posts page.

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Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Jul 15th
• Justice League #42 - Aquaman's only appearance in this is on the Teen Titans Go variant cover. Not hide nor hair of him elsewhere. He was barely in the previous issue. This is mostly Darkseid and that sort of nonsense. Not my cuppa. I'm ready for a new storyline.
• Green Lantern: The Lost Army #2 - This book may be relying too much on the readers' knowledge of Green Lantern history. I don't know. I find it to be slightly frustrating and annoying, and maybe even a bit over the top. People lost in a strange universe isn't bad... but why bring one of the most boring and irritating recent bad guys into it?
• Astro City #25 - Wow. Another great issue of the best superhero comic book around. A fascinating origin story of a character who seems very different from most. I love this book, and I'm looking forward to the next issue, featuring Samaritan again.
• Fiction #2 - I'm not really sure what is happening here. I mean, they've entered the Narnia/Oz/Fantasyland to look for the lost friend, but there's a generational thing and ... Yeah, I'm intrigued enough to keep reading. I'm just a bit confused still.
• Rivers of London #1 - Very interesting start... for me, obviously, I'm curious about the daughter of the river goddess. The set-up is good, and the mini-comic and articles in the back added to the package. I'm interested. Definitely.
• Usagi Yojimbo #147 - Kitsune is a crack-up, but she really was in over her head in this adventure. Good thing she had somebody to protect her. Mostly.

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Fortean Times #328 (June 2015). The cover shows a transparent person with a thumb out on a dark road, looking for a lift from a car approaching with its headlights on. The cover story links to reports of a phantom hitchhiker in a general area, including at least six first-hand reports (these are usually friend-of-a-friend reports). There's some interesting stuff in these, and an interesting analysis of the possible causes. Who knows what's causing all this, but it's fascinating to see the research done on it.

Moving on Strangedays covers the possible recovery of Captain Kidd's treasure, a giant human figure in volcanic ash, a kid who recognized himself as a minor Hollywood celebrity, a story about possession, worms falling from the sky, medical oddities, ghostly boots, and unusual survival stories. The Conspirasphere has a story I find depressing about some idiot who thinks the Challenger explosion was faked and claims to have found the astronauts alive and, get this, living under the same names 30 years later. *headdesk*

Science tackles new puzzles scientists are finding as we get more and more pictures and data from Mars. Frankly, pretty cool stuff, and what science is made for. Archaeology visits a lost city in Honduras, another hoard of coins found in Britain, very old beer, and evidence of what people ate 8,000 years ago (wheat?). Classical Corner looks at early attempts to prevent pregnancy.

Ghostwatch tells of an exorcism of a roadway in a larger story about haunted roads. Alien Zoo points out a photo of a dead bigfoot is an altered photo of a dead bear. Fairies, Folklore and Forteana notes a late of fairies in Kent. The UFO files finishes its examination of the Godfrey UFO sighting with information about the possible causes of what people saw. The Illustrated Police News introduces people to a giantess who topped seven feet at age 12. The Fortean Traveller visits Lycia, Turkey. Phenomenomix is the second part on Dion Fortune.

There's a main article about Malcolm Lowry, who wrote Under the Volcano, which is said to be a very Fortean book. It's actually a depressing story in many ways due to the sadness of his life, but it's also fascinating.

Another article chronicles the fate of certain famous corpses, including those of Mussolini and Eva Peron. Another piece looks at "Strange Statemen" and visits Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, whose more than a little looney from the reports.

The Forum has an interesting tale of smashes pottery and how the tradition seems to go back to Neolithic times. Another article looks at the death of T.E. Lawrence and concludes it really was most likely an accident and not an assassination.

The Reviews are great, as usual, and there's a couple of books that might make it onto my ever-growing "to read" list. Nothing in the movies is must-see. The letters were lovely. Always lovely. There's even a reference to "Pyramids of Mars" from Doctor Who, as people are looking for references of pyramids connected with Mars thanks to a request by Paul Cornell. Fun stuff.

As usual, lots of good stories and fun information. As always, read at your own risk with an open mind but healthy dose of skepticism.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist -- My Kindle Wishlist -- My Camera Wishlist

A Guide to Strange or Obscure Places

My attention was first drawn to Atlas Obscura by the story of the man who never was. I quickly learned that it's a fascinating site with stories that you aren't likely to read elsewhere. The site calls itself "...the definitive guide to the world's wondrous and curious places," and it seems to live up to the description.

I also enjoyed the articles on the Mississippi River Basin Model, Jefferson Davis Capture Site, the Myra Necropolis and Indian Key... in particular. I've found very few of the articles on the site disappoint me.

I found the report on Jimi Hendrix's Grave to be a bit close to home. Literally. His grave is within walking distance of where I grew up. Well, more like an easy bike ride, but Greenwood Memorial Park is definitely in my old stomping grounds.

This picture doesn't look accurate to me. It's not raining.

A Sunday Review

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Feb 18th
• Justice League #39 - A lot more Aquaman in this issue than in previous ones in the storyline, but he's mostly mind-controlled throughout. Oh well, can't win 'em all!
• Green Lantern: New Guardians #39 - Um. I'm already not a big fan of Kyle, why would I care if there's two of him?
• Multiversity Mastermen #1 - Ooooh, Underwaterman... very Germanic for an Elseworld. Oh, yeah, the rest of the story was ok, too.
• Infinite Crisis: Fight for the Multiverse #8 - Luthor's going to be a problem, isn't he?
• Teen Titans Go #8 - Valentines Day tale... meh. Immersive TV tale has two fun bits: an Aquaman appearance and a tribute to Doctor Who. Whee!
• Fables #149 - Wow. I really don't like the ending to that flashback. However, I really enjoyed the final tale of Briar Rose.
• Doctor Who 10th #7 - This issue is a bit better than the last one. Easier to figure out what was happening, for one. But it actually makes the angels more terrifying than they were in Blink.
• Twilight Zone #12 - Holy carp on a stick. This was... this was really really good. I got chills reading it... entirely because of the issues that came before. In short, the whole series was a single very long story. And it turned out to be a pretty good one.
• Peanuts V2 #25 - This is a change in format, with a single long plotline of Charlie Brown and Snoopy going to camp. It's ok, but not great. I prefer the shorter tales mixed with classic strips.

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Fortean Times #321 (December 2014). All three main stories are on the cover topic, which is not something I'm particularly interested in: fairies. Still, the second piece is eyewitness accounts of fairies, and frankly this magazine seems to be best when it's people telling stories about things they've experienced, even fairies. And one of the subjects is a fairy census, in which people are currently being asked to tell about their own run-ins with fairies, at www.fairyist.com/survey. The survey is being conducted by the subject of the first story, The Fairy Investigation Society, which was founded about 1927 and was relaunched as a website in 2013 after people interested in it couldn't find any members of the original group. The second story recounts some of the stories collected in the first survey, which happened in 1955. The third story is about fairy music, which I admit to liking a little more because of supernatural music is just cool.

Strangedays has news of mysterious and creepy clowns scaring people, ebola fears, Ig Nobel prize winners, a kid with an extra row of teeth, witches and a two-headed dolphin. Science tackles the Death Valley Erratics and how the mystery of the moving rocks was finally solved. Ghostwatch is about small hauntings. Archaeology is about cave paintings and roman toilet seats. Classical Corner covers ancient recipes. Alien Zoo looks at ancient Incan rodents once thought to be extinct along with creatures reclassified as their own species after further study.

Fairies, Folklore and Forteana is about the fairy census and urges people to participate in the new one. The UFO files talks about hoaxes and drones, and also the "Oz Factor" and how it might contribute to UFO sightings (and yes, the article is written by Jenny Randles, who coined the term). The First Forteans goes into pacifism, socialism and the roots of science fiction fandom in Britain during WWII. Phenomenomix is about the feud between Carl Gustav Jung and Sigmund Freud... caused by Jung's fascination with the occult.

The Illustrated Police News is all about suicide jumpers from the Clifton Suspension Bridge, including a woman who survived due to her skirts making a sort of parachute that slowed her down enough that the plunge into the mud didn't kill her. She lived to be 84 years old, a testament to not trying suicide in the first place.

The Forum has some good pieces: the first is about the return of the bogus social workers and whether or not they are an urban legend, the second is about a frightening condition called Charles Bonnet Syndrome that results in visual hallucinations for people who are losing their sight and the final piece is about false flag operations from history.

Reviews are still going through a not-as-nasty-as-I-like-'em phase, but there's some good stuff in here. Comparing Religions by Jeffrey J. Kripal sounds interesting, and gets a rare perfect 10 rating. Nothing else made my wishlist, but some of the reviews were worth the read. I enjoyed the letters, as usual. Some good stuff from the readers of FT. All-in-all, not my favorite topic for the theme of this month's issue, but still very readable and enjoyable.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist -- My Kindle Wishlist -- My Camera Wishlist

A Sunday Review

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Jan 21st
• Justice League #38 - Well, at least there's more Aquaman in this one. Although I'm not sure that final splash page is how I generally want my superheroes.
• Green Lantern: New Guardians #38 - Um. Am I supposed to remember the bad guy in this one? If so, bad call. The story was clearly so forgettable I can't recall.
• Infinite Crisis: Fight for the Multiverse #7 - So the teams are at the source of... the multiverse? And fighting for the fate of everything, I guess. I'm still not sure how much I like this, but I know the lack of Aqua-characters is annoying.
• Fables #148 - I liked the flashback story, but when it cut to the present I was less enthused. The last Jack of Fables story was... amusing. I suppose if anyone could pull it off...?
• Galaxy Quest: The Journey Continues #1 - I feel like I need to rewatch the movie to really get this... there's just enough callback that makes me feel like I need the refresher. On the other hand, it hangs together well enough. The art? Hmmm... I'm not sure of it yet. Well see.
• Doctor Who 11th #7 - Alice goes home to deal with her life, but the aliens are up in the sky causing problems. I admit the final couple of pages were a shocker to me. And Jones... wha? That's quite the transformation.
• Doctor Who 12th #4 - Well, there's a new look for Clara. I'm liking the secondary characters more than the Doctor and Clara in this comic. I'm not sure if that's intentional, or an effect of how I feel about the characters on the show.
• Jan 28th
• Aquaman #38 - And so Aquaman's mother enters this series. What new and interesting stuff will we find out about Aquaman's past now? What totally different history will be revealed? And why did Aquaman listen to Mera? Lovely art, nice coloring, but I'm still concerned about the storyline.
• Sinestro #9 - I'm still not finding this book all that interesting. If not for Soranik's troubles, I probably wouldn't even read it.
• Secret Origins #9 - Swamp Thing, Power Girl and John Stewart Green Lantern. None of the stories jumped out at me as anything special.
• Multiversity Guidebook #1 - Holee! Ok, THIS is cool. This is, in fact, maybe one of the best of the Multiversity things I've seen. I like the various Aquaman-Elses... but I find myself just craving more of the various universes in general. Despite wanting even more, this was pretty satisfying to read. I want ALL the stories. Give me more.
• Spider-Man 2099 #8 - I really like Lady Spider, which means she's probably doomed. Any character I actually like in a Marvel book is going to get killed off quickly.
• Future Proof #3 - I'm not even pretending to understand what this book is about anymore.
• Feb 4th
• Aquaman and the Others #10 - Finally. Aquaman's actually ahead of the game. Nice to see the writers acknowledge that he isn't completely oblivious.
• Green Lantern #39 - What, somebody actually appreciates Hal? That must be the end of the book.
• Earth 2 #31 - Atlantis and Nabu... not a bad pairing for a parallel story. I like Khalid, but he needs to man up a bit.
• Batman '66 #19 - So much potential there. I like the foggy atmosphere, but it seemed to get all wrapped up a little too quickly for my tastes.
• Flash: Season Zero #5 - So someone wants to kill... Felicity? Oh, this is intriguing.
• Oddly Normal #5 - Detention... and how is she supposed to know the way home? I do love this book. It's nice to have another solid independent comic out there.

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Fortean Times #319 (October 2014). The cover story is Part 2 of the haunted murder houses of London, and the second part is almost as good as the first. Again, the illustrations mixed with modern photos and detailed information work very nicely to make a compelling read. Add in the conjecture on how difficult it is to sell a home that's had a murder (not difficult in crowded London, as it turns out) and it's worth taking a look at.

The second main article is about the inaugural Scottish Paranormal Festival, which was set to happen last Halloween. There's a nice question and answer from the organizer and some explanation of the location, which sounds like a good place to visit.

The third main article looks at the fate of the Sighthill Stone Circle in Glasgow, and how it was never quite finished thanks to Thatcher's government stopping all such art projects. The history of the circle from then until now, when it may be taken down for another development, is chronicled. It's kind of a sad story, in that the circle was designed to prove a scientific point, but stopped before that point could be made. And now it's going to be dismantled.

The Forum has articles on the Woggle (Marsupilami), The Bowmen of Mons and of Mars, and the preservation of documents related to Fortean subjects after the owner of the documents has passed away. The Reviews are strong, as usual, though not nearly as hard on its subjects as I sometimes enjoy reading. Three books got added to my wishlist, including The Invention of News: How the World Came to Know About Itself by Andrew Pettegree, Demon Street, USA by David Rountree and Robbie Lunt, and Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween by Lisa Morton. All of them sound right up my alley. The film and DVD reviews were also solid, but nothing jumped out as something I want to see.

Strangedays has pieces on a quasi-Christian murder cult in China, a crashed wizard, nightmare-fueled photos, odd falls from the sky, a woman who eats books (including one that appears to be by a friend of mine), a round-up of holy grail stories and worries of plagues being released from permafrost. Science notes the trend of transplanting monkey glands into people. Euw. Archaeology has a bit about moving stone over sand, giant men, diggers entombed in basements and very old false teeth. Classical Corner is about female Christian priests, and how they appear to be present in the earliest Christian churches.

Alien Zoo looks at a call for bigfoot hair sample, another search for the Thylacine and a spotted green pigeon that DNA tests proved was related to the Dodo. Konspiracy Korner bids the magazine farewell, noting that when a columnist becomes repetitive, it's time to leave the stage. Fairies, Folklore and Forteana notes how fairies evolved to have wings in popular imagination, when originally they did not. Fortean Traveller goes to a Voodoo Market in Togo, which I don't think I'd be brave enough to do. Phenomenomix finishes up its three-part overview of Strindberg.

UFO Files covers different bits of ground from people being marked during alien abductions to hoaxes of flying saucers. Blasts from the Past talks about the Cat-Faced Woman of East Florence and the racism involved in the reporting of the incident, which happened in 1930s South Carolina. The Random Dictionary continues its look at alien abductions and the similarities and differences between the stories. Of particular interest is the stories that are rejected by "UFO researchers" because they don't fit whatever the popular narrative of the day is... a very Fortean subject.

Finishing up with the letters: I love reading what other people who read the magazine think. As a person who was published in the magazine once, I feel a tiny kinship to my fellow Forteans. That said, I find the letters often add to or even debunk articles from previous issues and as such are invaluable. The "it happened to me..." section is also nicely chilling. Humans really are at our best when telling stories.

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A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• Doctor Who: "Robot of Sherwood" - I was with the Doctor on this one. It just was too close to the legends to be real. I've seen robot knights on Doctor Who before. They really do make good robots. But the rest, very silly, hard to believe, but fun. I really liked Clara in this one, again. She's a pretty solid person to have around in a pinch. I guess with some episodes I really need to not think too hard, because I enjoyed the heck out of it, but I still have that "roll the eyes" response to the subject matter.

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Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Aug 6th
• Aquaman and the Others #5 - Ah, mystic pools of power. Just what is needed to melt down ancient artifacts and stuff. But now... who does the seal of clarity belong to? Or is it shared?
• Green Lantern #34 - Hal gets a break after all the nonsense that just happened. Sort of. I'm not sure what to think of it. I guess the kids will have one heckuva "what did I do on my summer vacation" story to tell.
• Earth 2 #26 - I do like the Earth 2 Aquawoman. She's got some serious kick-butt attitude. Oh, and the other characters aren't too bad, either.
• Justice League 3000 #9 - Teri takes on Terry and GL finally loses his temper with his tormenter. Fun stuff there, but isn't this book done yet?
• Batman '66 meets Green Hornet #3 - Well, there's a twist at the end I wasn't expecting! Still, it was fun to see Kato and Robin duke it out. I think Kato would wipe the floor with Robin if it was a real fight, though.
• Tiny Titans: Return to the Treehouse #3 - So, if you yell "Aquaman" at the Rock of Eternity, you turn into Aquaman? Wait, that doesn't seem quite right...
• Tales of Honor #4 - I am so frustrated by this book. It has the potential. The story is right there. But the execution is so lousy I want to throw it across the room. ARGH!
• Usagi Yojimbo: Senso #1 - Oh man, seeing Jotaro all grown up... *sniff* Ahem, this was a good one, although I question the course of the book, I know I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

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Fortean Times #317 (August 2014). Ah, Slenderman. The cover is suitably creepy for a made-up nasty with some real-world stupidity mixed in. I just hope the two murderous brats don't see it, maybe they would enjoy the notority. *ahem* I'm referring to the recent case where two 12-year-old girls attempted to murder a classmate in order to become proxies of Slenderman, a made-up horror character invented via the Internet in 2009. I have my doubts that the two girls were telling the truth about their motive, but that's for other people to decide. What I do know is that anyone who attempts a murder in the name of any fictional character is a dingbat who needs to be locked up for a long time. I could rant about the murder attempt for a long time, but the long and short of it is that I do not accept the event at face value, not with the detailed history of Slenderman available to anyone who has the slightest interest in the subject and access to a networked computer. It's all well and good to talk about tulpas and the way the internet meme taps into darker and ancient fears... but it's still just a made-up horror figure with a well-documented, and short, history. There is something more, something about human nature, that needs to be examined and explained in the Slenderman story.

Moving on to the other main articles of the issue, The Mirage Men is an advertisement article for a documentary that asks if the UFO scares were part of a disinformation campaign. It's a fascinating topic that I really wouldn't mind delving into more, but it's not my top interest. Someday I hope to explore the subject, but I won't be seeking out the documentary.

The final main article was the second part of the feature on Rollo Ahmed, who is a pretty amazing guy, I'll grant. I'm glad I never met him. Still, another look at history, and life, from a different point of view... always a good thing to read.

The Editorial page features a short but sad obituary for publisher Felix Dennis, who founded the company that publishes Fortean Times and many other magazines. Strangedays starts us off with Boko Haram members being attacked by bees possessed by their victims. There's also the story of the great white shark that was eaten by something bigger, and the question of what that thing was. We also get the whale of a tale of a painting that was missing its focus until it was restored and... well, a whale appeared. There's also coverage of the 36th annual Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year, which went to How to Poo on a Date: The Lovers' Guide to Toilet Etiquette. We also get pictures of a bear relaxing in a hammock and a giant rat. Fortean Follow-ups are also good.

Archaeology hits on a treasure discovered near the Rhine and the cracking of a Viking Rune code. Turns out Vikings liked wordplay. Classical Corner is about ... um... well... necrophilia. Let's leave it at that. Konspiracy Korner is about the strange way some conspiracy theorists think and their illogical logic. Fairies, Folklore and Foreteana is about shamanism and people who meet fairies. The UFO Files has the usual, more files released by the UK government, Fortean pioneers, UFO art and Hawaii. The UFO Casebook looks at Stockport's history of UFO. Blasts from the Past tells us about girls in rural France who suffered from mysterious falls of rocks.

The First Forteans races through the Fortean histories of H.G. Wells and Lance Sieveking, the latter being really interesting to me because I knew nothing about his history as a pioneer in radio and television broadcasting. The Forum starts with an article that sort of debunks the concept of Hugo Chavez worship as being something unusual for Venezuela. Another article explores a UFO flap in Ireland between 1954 and 1956 that ended with a farmer wrestling a UFO. Yes, wrestling.

Fortean Traveller hunts down The Museum of Souls in Purgatory in Rome, a small collection made with the goal of proving that purgatory exists and hardly recognized by the Catholic Church anymore, since purgatory isn't really a popular concept at the moment. The Illustrated Police News tells the story of Krao, the Missing Link, who was basically just a girl who had a condition that gave her a lot of hair. She seemed to be able to handle the situation well, and grew up to be well respected among her peers. Phenomenomix is about August Strindberg.

The reviews weren't quite as biting as usual, but still nicely done with some slams on some books that really sound like something to avoid. Unfortunately, nothing jumped out as something that needs to go on my to-read list, either. Letters were fun, particularly the one pointing out Kitlers and Cats in Sinks, both internet sites that deliver. There's also a good defense of a negative review of a book about Doctor Who. Bafflegab, indeed! Another letter talks about the real scariest movies, saying that Mulholland Drive and Donnie Darko have The Exorcist beat by miles.It Happened To Me had a couple of tales that weren't too terrifying. Good issue, and the next one has already arrived... must dig in...

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A Sunday Review

This week's movie was The LEGO Movie (2014). I fully expected to hate this movie. Yeah, I heard good reviews, but I have seen enough other LEGO creative endeavors that I was not really expecting much at all. In fact, I was pretty sure I would be disappointed. Not only was I not disappointed, I want to see it again to catch some more of the in-jokes that were spread around. It actually had a plot! I wasn't expecting that. And the characters were, if a little stereotyped, still "fleshed" out enough to work. The jokes were sometimes edgily hilarious and other time flat-out stupid funny. Emmett was a good protagonist and I loved seeing Green Lantern as an annoying prat bothering Superman. Pity there was no Aquaman, but maybe that was for the best.

As for the main plotline: (SPOILER ALERT!)LEGO artists do not use glue, but LEGO Master Builders hired by LEGO for permanent exhibits do. Most Adult Fans of LEGO don't want to glue because then they cannot tinker with their creations.(END SPOILER) Overall, a lot of fun.

So much fun that I went to Amazon and purchased the awful pop song almost as soon as we finished watching the movie. It's almost as good for exercising as Chicken Fat. LEGO jumping jacks!

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Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Jun 11th
• Justice League United #2 - I'm really not sure I like this version of Rann. I mean, I've never been a big fan of Adam Strange, but this just seems like stomping all over the whole Rann legacy to me. I'm just not impressed.
• Green Lantern Corps #32 - So the Durlans are still one step ahead? What a surprise. I'm really tired of this plot.
• World's Finest #24 - This feels a bit like a final episode. Nice touch on how the employee pitches in to help. I do like the team-up of Power Girl and Huntress despite the recent annoying crossover that derailed the book almost entirely.
• Smallville Lantern #3 - There's a whole lot going on in this book that makes very little sense unless you can remember what came before, and that's just not as clear as it could be. Though, hey, Ma Hunkle. That's something.
• Astro City #13 - While it all pulled together in the end, the temporal jumps made this one a difficult read. I really want to rearrange it and read it in the actual hourly order, but I'm not tearing my book apart.
• Tales of Honor #3 - This continues to be more of an illustrated novel than a proper comic book. Yes, the source material is dense with information, but a good adaptation would find the key bits and promote them. In this, an absolutely key moment, McKean's support of Harrington against Hauptman, is kind of underplayed. I'm moderately disappointed with the adaptation, though the artwork is quite fascinating.
• Spongebob Comics #33 - Jerry Ordway art for the Mermaid Man story, and Ramona Fradon work on the back cover... I'm happy.
• Grimm Fairy Tales: Warlord of Oz #2 - If those are "practical fighting togs" then I'm the queen of England. Ug. Story is vaugely interesting, character clothing and design is a little insulting.

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The Martian: A Novel by Andy Weir. Hubby-Eric checked this out from the library, so I went ahead and read it as well. This is a VERY good book for nerds like me. It's a survival story that just piece-by-piece takes the reader through all the things this poor guy has to do when he's left behind, presumed dead, on Mars. Mark Watney, the main character, is a very smart engineer (hey, he was picked for a journey to Mar, after all) and goes about dealing with his situation the way a good ol' engineer would. It's a book very much in the traditional of Robinson Crusoe, but it's so modern and nerdy that it's just fantastic. Crusoe never had a crew worried about him or a bunch of people at home able to see his camp, and it's the other side of the story that really makes this book a thrilling read. Any nerd who is even slightly interested in space flight, colonization of other planets or just plain science really ought to read this one.

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My mystery book this week was The Alpine Vengeance by Mary Daheim. Milo starts getting disturbing letters that indicate a decade-old murder is still unsolved, prompting Emma to start looking into the past. Once again the town's people get a major role and, better, this book also goes back to a previous murder, apparently already solved, and reopens it. Do mystery writers generally go back and revisit a previous story? The events from earlier were covered in The Alpine Fury, and that story had multiple mysteries that had to be solved. Many of them are discussed in this story, but the key piece is one that Milo and Emma got wrong ten years ago. I enjoyed this one, not just for the references to the past (which were very easy to follow) but also the way it ties in with the city and the population. If you want to start the Alpine series, I strongly recommend starting at the first book, The Alpine Advocate.

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Fortean Times #316 (July 2014). Disturbing Voodoo cover. Not really my thing, and it goes back to the old format of having a face as the focal point, which isn't my favorite type of cover, either. The gentleman in question, Rollo Ahmed, seems to have gotten along by playing "the Other" in England, which is a depressing way to deal with racism... but apparently somewhat effective at the time. The article ends with a promise for more about Ahmed in next month's issue.

Another main article is about mass hysteria, covering why it happens and what the results can be. The whole article is in support of the release of a book on mass hysteria and examines a few cases while referring readers to the book to get more information. That's not to say that there isn't a lot of information in the article... enough in fact for the casual reader. But the book promises more and more detail if one so desires.

The third main article is about the Human Fly, a real-life "superhero" of the late 1970s who did lots of stunts, including standing on a DC-8 airplane as it took off and jumping school buses at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. I vaguely remember the guy, but I was a little too young to remember much. Still, fun to read about.

Strangedays starts with Slender Man, the freaky and yet totally fictitious internet meme that apparently has taken on a life of its own thanks to idiots who are unable to distinguish reality from fiction. The whole Slenderman phenomenon is something I mean to write more about some time, but I'm still thinking through the implications of people who seriously believe in it. There's something profound about human nature in that story.

Ahem. Moving on, Strangedays also has objects that stopped bullets, a narcoleptic epidemic, attack of the tumbleweeds, scary emus and moronic criminals. Science covers the history of Lichtenberg patterns and how they were perceived by people throughout the ages along with bits on the Turin Shroud. Archaeology finds evidence of vampire burials in Poland and meteorite shrines in Arizona. Classical Corner is a tough read but appears to be about pre-Roman Britian and how those people reacted to Romans.

Ghostwatch is about ghost photographs and what photography and technology has done for ghost hunting. Alien Zoo finds a new jellyfish, the return of a sasquatch mask sort of stolen by a teacher in 1939 to the First Nations it belongs to and the existence of a possible feather of a thunderbird. Fairies, Folklore and Forteana is about One-Eyed Joan, who identified a witch in 1555 by, as she told an ecclesiastical court, talking to fairies. The UFO Files looks at abductee support groups, the Hessdalen sightings and the problems with alien communication. UFO Casebook takes a closer look at crop circles.

Random Dictionary dares to take on alien abductions, and starts with the earliest reports, then moves on to the general timeline of an abduction. I, personally, think there is a completely different explanation for abductions. I'm sure I'd feel differently if I were a victim, but unless such a thing happens to me, I tend to think these are something the mind manufactures rather than actual physical experiences. Perhaps we'll someday know the truth... if it's actually out there.

The Forum starts with a piece about objects that fall from the sky, and how some of them come from nearby activities on the ground. One example used is the head of a sledgehammer that was tossed through a roof by a wood chipper. The second Forum article is sort of an attack on cryptozoology and the assumptions often made by people in the field, but also a promo for a book, Cryptozoologicon, about it. Some good, some bad... if the book is written like the article I'm not interested.

The final Forum article tackles the disturbing legend of foundation sacrifices, particularly for bridges. The article actually quotes Terry Pratchett and mentions Discworld and "speculative folklorists". Fun stuff about a gruesome topic.

Reviews are great, starting with a lovely takedown of a Rendlesham book and continuing to a review of Paul Cornell's latest. Letters are good, with some interesting additions to previous articles. One letter notes that if an airliner can simply vanish, how likely is it that we would know if there are UFOs watching us? Interesting thought.

It Happened To Me has a long excerpt about an Alaskan earthquake that was fascinating. Fortean Traveller visits Norway to seek out the Northern Lights (and finds them). Phenomenomix is... amusing. Another good issue.

In a rare feat of something, I'm completely caught up with this magazine at the moment. It'll actually be almost a full month before I get my next issue. And this is apparently the issue currently on the stands in the UK (I tend to get my issue nearly a month after the UK). So this is a rare moment. Enjoy.

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