“STRANGER THINGS”—HOMAGE OR COPYCAT?
Have you seen the new Netflix series “Stranger Things”? Well, Steve has, and he’s got stuff to tell you about it. SPOILERS INSIDE!
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MY PAL, JERRY SOHL!
Steve reminisces about a writer he used to know. Maybe you know some of the things he’s done: meet Jerry Sohl!
RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE FILM REVIEW: THE LEGEND OF TARZAN
Return with Steve to Darkest CGI’d Africa, where we’ll meet up with Tarzan, Jane, and Colonel Williams. (Who?)
ONE EYE GOOD—TWO EYE BAD! Two Retro Movie Reviews
Canada Day, Steve’s 150th post for Amazing and – attack of the killers from space!
REVIEWS: TWO BRITISH “END OF THE WORLD” FILMS (Retro)
The world’s gonna die! Steve looks at two British end-of-the-world movies from the 1960s, and finds them good. See what you think!
MARS: FRIEND OR FOE? (Two Retro Movie Reviews)
Mars! Huh! What is it good for? (Absolutely nothing!) Steve reviews two old movies and offers a caution for Aries-ophiles.
REVIEWS: MAY/JUNE F&SF and THREE MOVIES!
Reviews by Steve! The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (F&SF), plus three, yes, three movies! (Okay, the movie reviews are shorties.)
MOSCON MEMORIES (Misty watercolour ones…?)
MosCon was a Northwest Fannish Legend (perhaps in its own mind), and Steve takes you back to those “thrilling days of yesteryear,” as The Lone Ranger used to say.
FAREWELL TO ANOTHER FRIEND, FANNISH MEMORIES… and STORYBUNDLES!
Another friend gone; Steve mourns Debbie Miller; also New Venture and MosCon reminiscences. And both fiction and non-fiction StoryBundles! Go get ’em!
TIME’S RUNNING OUT TO GET THE STORYBUNDLE! (Review)
Stamps and short stories–what’s the connection? Steve dips into a cheap (in price only!) collection of stories from award-winning authors… then tells you how to get the newest Star Trek stamps from Canada!
EBOOKS & MOVIES! A New Storybundle plus 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE and BATTLE PLANET!
Chocolate and bacon, the only things better than cheap eBooks and SF movies! (Okay, there’s sex and alcohol too.) Steve offers you both! (No, not sex and alcohol—ebooks & movies!)
TWO CLASSICS: H. BEAM PIPER and KEITH LAUMER
Is that a Fuzzy Bolo hanging from your rear view mirror, or are you just a fan of Piper and Laumer?
REVIEWS: MIDNIGHT SPECIAL and AURORA GRAPHIC NOVEL NOMINEES!
This week Steve does short reviews of a new movie plus five (5!) Aurora Award nominees for Graphic Novel… and asks for your consideration as well.
BOOK REVIEW: STAR GUARD BY ANDRE NORTON and other stuff
This week Steve’s all over the map. He reviews an old YA by Andre Norton, talks about cover artists (including Ed Emshwiller) and answers a comment from a reader. Oh, and he throws in a little egoboo for himself.
TWO AVERAGE FILMS: “THE BOY” (2016) and “THE FOREST” (2016)—AND MORE EBOOKS!
Ebooks and more ebooks! Cheap and plentiful; Steve finds them for you! Oh, and Steve reviews two so-so “horror flicks” that should have been better. But that’s what the film industry seems to be offering this week!
MARY-KAREN REID (2016) and BOOK REVIEWS: “FINN FANCY” BOOKS by RANDY HENDERSON
This week, Steve says a very sad goodbye to longtime fan and friend Mary-Karen Reid from Edmonton, Alberta–and reviews two books by Writers of the Future Grand Prize winner Randy Henderson.
BOOK REVIEW: “QUANTUM NIGHT” by ROBERT J. SAWYER and CANADA’S AURORA AWARDS
No fooling! Steve’s April 1 column is about the Canadian Aurora Award, plus Robert J. Sawyer’s brand-new book, “Quantum Night.” Is it a goodie? Read the column and find out! (The answer is an unqualified “Heck, yes!”)
“TERRIBLE TWOs” MOVIE REVIEWS: THE 5TH WAVE and TO HELL AND BACK, plus SOMETHING OLD….
This week Steve looks at some correspondences between 1952 fandom and 2016 fandom by way of an old magazine, and reviews two movies he found to be terrible. If you’re fifteen years old you might think they’re good movies; Steve assures you they’re not.
BOOK REVIEW: FRIGHT MARES, (edited by) BILLIE SUE MOSIMAN; AWARD NOMINATION DEADLINES, and MORE WRITING INFORMATION
This week Steve looks at a new horror anthology—all stories by women writers—edited by Billie Sue Mosiman, and talks a bit about the Hugo and Aurora awards (in self-promotion); plus another snippet of Pinterest boards for writers. Take a look!
SECOND LOOKS: MARVEL’S DEADPOOL & ANT-MAN and SOME WORDS ON WRITING
This week Steve takes a second look at Marvel’s two most recent movies, Deadpool and Ant-Man, and finds one much better than the other… but YMMV! Also a couple of tips for writers who may be stuck.
IF MAGAZINE (“Worlds of Science Fiction”) ISSUE #1 (1952) AND SOME RANDOM STUFF
Steve takes a look back at 1952, and the first issue of “IF Worlds of Science Fiction”–plus a word of advice for newer writers from Chuck Wendig (link) and some personal news.
REVIEWS: WHY I HUNT FLYING SAUCERS by Hugh A.D. Spencer AND 11.22.63; AND A CALL TO ROBERT A. HEINLEIN FANS!
This week, Steve reviews a new, upcoming book by Hugh A.D. Spencer, the second episode of 11.22.63 on Hulu, and tells of a unique offer for Robert A. Heinlein fans. (Check out the final photo!)
BOOK and MOVIE REVIEWS: 11/22/63 and Whalen’s THE BIG SHUTDOWN!
This week, Steve travels into the future with John Whalen’s “Space Western,” and into the past with Stephen King’s novel about events surrounding John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Both future and past hold our interest!
REVIEW: MAR./APR. 2016 F&SF; plus US STAMPS FOR SF WRITERS?
This week Steve reviews the new March/April issue of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (F&SF), and talks about a postage stamp series that never came about, honouring SF writers, and the reasons behind it.
FREAKS OF NATURE film review, plus POLAR BOREALIS—a new semiprozine!
This week, Steve reviews the 2015 Horror-humour film “Freaks of Nature” and finds it rather flat, then alerts the media (us!) about a new semi-pro Canadian SF/F e-magazine!
“THE POWER”—THREE MOVIES ABOUT POWERS
This week, Steve examines how differently powers, like telekinesis, can be handled by Hollywood. Some movies do it well, and some less well.
MAGAZINE REVIEW: F&SF FOR JAN/FEB 2016
The January/February issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (F&SF) is under review by Steve, who likes it a lot, even though a couple of the stories kind of depressed him. You will probably like it too!
MY YEAR IN REVIEW: A LIST OF 2015 COLUMNS
Today’s really short column (but it took a lot of work!) is a way for you to catch up on any of Steve’s 2015 columns you may have missed, complete with links. And a few bits of commentary.
MOVIE REVIEW(s): A VERITABLE “B”-HIVE!
Back from the holidays, Steve tackles three (!) B-movies at once. Why B-movies particularly? Like Everest, they’re there… and they significantly outnumber the really good ones! See what YOU think!
BOOK REVIEW: CHILDHOOD’S END by Arthur C. Clarke
In advance of the SyFy mini-series of Arthur C. Clarke’s classic “Childhood’s End,” Steve reviews the actual book and finds it worth a read!
About Author
Steve has been an active fan since the 1970s, when he founded the Palouse Empire Science Fiction Association and the more-or-less late MosCon in Pullman, WA and Moscow, ID, though he started reading SF/F in the early-to-mid 1950s, when he was just a sprat. He moved to Canada in 1985 and quickly became involved with Canadian cons, including ConText (’89 and ’81) and VCON. He’s published a couple of books and a number of short stories, and has collaborated with his two-time Aurora-winning wife Lynne Taylor Fahnestalk on a number of art projects. As of this writing he’s the proofreader for R. Graeme Cameron’s Polar Borealis and Polar Starlight publications. He’s been writing for Amazing Stories off and on since the early 1980s. His column can be found on Amazing Stories most Fridays.
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