Blog Archives
sWe’ve been having some trouble putting up posts because WordPress was in the process of upgrading its basic editing functionality. An upgrade to the new Gutenberg editor appears to have fixed the problem. We now return to our normal posting schedule.
There is an issue when drafting posts that the webmaster is trying to solve but, for now, no estimated time of recovery. The workaround I used to post this message is not viable for regular posting so we’ll have to wait. Per Nathan, there are a bunch of updates and reviews waiting, so there’s a […]
Final Command by A.E. van Vogt appeared in the November 1949 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. It can be read here at Archive.org. Councilman Barr, Director of the Council, has been given a burdensome task: find out what the response would be from robots if the Council decided to shut down and destroy all robots. […]
Short Reviews – Gulf (Part 1 of 2), by Robert Heinlein
Friday , 20, July 2018 Uncategorized 10 CommentsThe first installment of Gulf, by Robert Heinlein, appeared in the November 1949 issue of Astounding. It can be found here at Archive.org. Gulf is a slow-burn sci-fi spy thriller. It’s very dark and atmospheric, and while the hook, some of the window dressing, and the MacGuffin are science-fiction, Gulf stands up as a fairly […]
In the late 1970s, the surging popularity of both J. R. R. Tolkien and Dungeons & Dragons fueled an increased appetite in fantasy novels. Publishers scrambled to meet this demand, buying up a number of derivative stories that congealed into Tolkien and D&D pastiche. This increasingly self-referencing sub-genre of fantasy was derided as “extruded fantasy […]
All war is murder for profit. Some people are just more open about it. WARDOGS INCORPORATED is one of the largest and most professional mercenary corporations operating in the Kantillon subsector. If you need a bodyguard, an assassination team, or an armored cavalry regiment complete with air support, Wardogs Inc. can provide it for you… […]
Short Reviews – Over the Top, by Lester del Rey
Friday , 13, July 2018 Uncategorized Leave a commentOver the Top, by Lester del Rey, appeared in the November 1949 issue of Astounding. You can’t read it at Archive.org, because John Betancourt had it scrubbed. A little birdie told me it can be found as a .cbr here, though. After that Asimov stinker, this issue of Astounding makes a fabulous 180 with not one, […]
Short Reviews – …And Now You Don’t (Part 1 of 3), by Isaac Asimov
Friday , 6, July 2018 Uncategorized 5 Comments…And Now You Don’t, by Isaac Asimov, was serialized in three parts beginning with the November 1949 issue of Astounding. It was later anthologized as the second half of the book “Second Foundation”. It can be read here at Archive.org. This is it, guys! One of the touchstone sagas of Campbell’s Astounding and the Golden […]
Wargame Wednesday: American Revolution
Wednesday , 4, July 2018 Games, Tabletop Games, Uncategorized, Wargames 1 CommentI figure any Wargame Wednesday post that falls on the 4th of July should be related to the holiday. The problem is I don’t think I have ever played a military simulation of the Revolutionary War. The closest I got was the old Colonization computer game. There are a few games available such as Trenton […]
Short Reviews – Defense Mechanism, by Katherine MacLean
Friday , 29, June 2018 Uncategorized 1 CommentDefense Mechanism by Katherine MacLean appeared in the October 1949 issue of Astounding. It can be read here at Archive.org. Defense Mechanism was tucked behind the book reviews and letters to the editor, so I almost missed it! Considering how influential its writer would go on to be, it’s ironic that her debut could go […]
Wargame Wednesday: The Wargaming Company
Wednesday , 27, June 2018 Games, Tabletop Games, Uncategorized, Wargames Leave a commentFor those interested in Napoleonics miniatures I came across The Wargaming Company. Product development began in 2009 though first release of their products wasn’t until 2015. For anyone new to the hobby and is daunted by the historical research required to acquire, then paint an army, this company’s products are a good way to start. […]
Turned Earth (Jack Broccoli Book 1)
Tuesday , 26, June 2018 Book Review, Fiction, Just Released, Uncategorized 4 CommentsIn a departure from gardening books such as Compost Everything, David the Good’s latest release, Turned Earth is best described as Gardening Action and Adventure. During an old interview David mentioned a possible future book, Tactical Gardening, “a book on hiding food in plain sight and growing death hedges”. I thought he was joking but it turns out bubbling under the surface […]