À LA RECHERCHE DES LIVRES PERDU: RETRO BOOK REVIEWS
This week Steve dips back into SF’s past—focusing on 1928 and 1962. Why those years? You’ll have to read and find out…and if that doesn’t work, ask him yourself!
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TWO FAVOURABLE REVIEWS AND A BLURB
This week Steve takes on a blurb and a book review and a movie review. And he has a good time with all of it! He doesn’t think your mileage will vary much!
A FAREWELL; MAR-APR F&SF; AND NORWESCON 40!
This week, Steve says goodbye to another old friend, reviews the March/April F&SF, and tells—and shows!—a bit about the Northwest’s biggest fan-run convention: Norwescon 40!
NEW REVIEW, OLDER MOVIE: TIME LAPSE (2014)
Steve continues to travel in time—at least in his head—by reviewing a movie that came out a couple of years ago. A time-travel movie of a sort. It’s all timey-wimey stuff!
REVIEW: HIDDEN FIGURES (A FEEL-GOOD MOVIE!)
Steve time travels (again?) back to 1961 with the review of the movie “Hidden Figures” and finds it more than good. Possibly his fave movie so far this year!
MY FANNISH HISTORY REDUX—WORLDCONS and NAMETAGS etc.
Steve tells you where to get a free SF book and revisits/rewrites an old column dealing with Worldcons and nametags and such.
A SHORT CAPSULE REVIEW AND SOME CAPSULE REVIEWS
Steve posts a capsule review of the movie “Short”—or a short review of the movie “Capsule” and some short, or capsule, movie reviews.
RETRO REVIEW: ROBERT A. HEINLEIN’S THE DOOR INTO SUMMER
Following on the heels of his Heinlein columns, Steve decides to retro review The Door Into Summer. Is it worth reading? Well… that depends. Read this and find out.
RETRO: OF MOSCON AND HEINLEIN AND VERNA
This week, Steve continues his romp into his past by talking about Robert A. Heinlein, E.E. “Doc” Smith’s daughter, Verna Smith Trestrail; and MosCon 1, back in 1979.
TIME ENOUGH FOR HEINLEIN—RAH, S/F, AND SEX!
Steve looks at Robert A. Heinlein’s SF (and his use of nudity and sex in his SF) then touches on some other classic SF authors’ way of “doing it.” Is Heinlein still worth reading? See for yourself!
RETRO DAYS: ROBERT A. HEINLEIN and SPIDER ROBINSON
This week, Steve tries to go Back to the Future but ends up in the past, where he meets Spider and Jeanne Robinson as well as Robert and Virginia Heinlein! Come with him and see!
REVIEWS: RIVERDALE and FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION (Jan-Feb 2017)
This week, Steve looks at the comics-inspired Riverdale TV series as well as the January-February issue of F&SF, and finds them Good, if not necessarily Great. Good is fine! Better than the alternative, Steve says!
MOVIE REVIEWS: THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE and THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS
As Marlon Brando says, “The horror… the horror.” Dr. Smith from Lost in Space says “Oh, the horror!” This week Steve reviews two horror films: one fantasy, one SF; one very good, one good up to a point. Which one is which? Read and find out!
A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE REVIEWS (A Review)
It’s fortunate that Steve is reviewing Netflix’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events.” Unfortunately, there are spoilers in this review. Fortunately, you don’t have to read it; you can just watch the series! Buona Fortuna!
Down Under Video Reviews: “Red Billabong” and “Glitch”
Stand on your head! This week, Steve looks at two Australian video imports: one a film and one a TV series. Look for the series on Netflix soon!
WELCOME TO 2017, and 2016’s LIST OF COLUMNS
As he has done for the past several years, Steve looks back (without anger) at the previous year’s columns, and hopes you found reading them worthwhile. And now: To Infinity—And Beyond! as someone once said!
REVIEW: NOV/DEC F&SF—AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Instead of a Festivus Tree, for his last column of 2016, Steve offers a review of the last Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction of 2016, and best wishes for 2017, or whatever the new year will be in YOUR reality.
DOUBLE, DOUBLE, WHAT’S THE TROUBLE?
An all-new follow-up to Steve’s Ace Doubles columns. He’s doubled up with laughter, because he’s doubling his Ace writings!
ACE DOUBLES and AMAZING ILLUSTRATORS PART II (Redux)
For the last of his NaNoWriMo “redux“ columns, Steve finishes his look at Ace Doubles cover illustrators. Nostalgia, indeed! Good old stuff from the Good Old Days!
ACE Doubles and Cover Illustrators Part One (Redux)
Continuing his retro-look at some older columns, Steve talks about Ace Doubles and their cover art. We’re talking about The Good Old Stuff, in both writing and SF illustration. Get Some Now!
COLUMN 21 Redux: NaNoWriMo IS HERE! AGAIN! (Wha?)
Steve takes us “Back to the Future”… er, “Back to the Past” again with another recycled column. This week, it’s all about his writing and NaNoWriMo. If you don’t know what that is, you should probably read this.
NANOWRIMO and COLUMN 25 REDUX!
Steve uses his personal time machine to share an early post about Modesty Blaise—he’s off doing NaNoWriMo! (Don’t know what that is? Read on….)
HAPPY HELLOWEEN! SCARY MOVIE REVIEWS, says Count Floyd!
Helly Happoween! This week Steve dissects two horrible Halloween-ish movies, then gives several thumbs-up to a real Halloween classic!
RETRO REVIEW: ANDRE NORTON (1 of several)
A lot of old (’50s and early ’60s) SF was written by women under masculine or masculine-sounding names. One of the best was Andre Norton. Join Steve in a look at this terrific action/adventure SF like they “just don’t write anymore!”
TV or NOT TV, IS THAT THE QUESTION? TV Reviews!
Steve watches lots of TV for YOU! He’s trying to save you from bad shows and point you to good shows. That’s how selfless he is. Why else would he put in the hours in front of a lighted box?
NEW REVIEWS: WENDIG’S “INVASIVE,” SEPT/OCT F&SF and more!
A Book Review and a Magazine Review and a TV Review and an Exhibition Notice! Whoa! Lots going on in this week’s column by Steve! (And what’s with all the caps?)
MOVIE REVIEWS: ARQ and FINAL FANTASY XV: KINGSGLAIVE!
Continuing with recent movie reviews, Steve looks at the Netflix Original movie ARQ, and also the 3D “mo-cap” movie Final Fantasy XV: Kingsglaive, and finds them both quite watchable. Not great, but watchable!
MOVIE REVIEWS: “ALLEGIANT” and others!
YA books-to-film are popular, but some series appear to be running out of steam. Steve checks out the “…ent” series and then runs on about some other movies. Do you agree with his assessments?
BOOK REVIEW: F. Paul Wilson’s PANACEA
This week, Steve reviews the new F. Paul Wilson book, and finds it a thrilling, fast-paced read. If you’ve never read any of F. Paul Wilson’s books, this would be a great one to start with!
“MRS. PEEL—YOU’RE NEEDED!” (THE AVENGERS REVIEW)
Before there was a Marvel version, there were The Avengers! Join Steve in a look back at some less-than-super heroes, but maybe a lot more fun ones! (And no CGI!)
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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