Sunday, October 12, 2025

Blood Standard (Isaiah Coleridge #1) 3Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission


Title: Blood Standard
Series: Isaiah Coleridge #1
Author: Laird Barron
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 288
Words: 81K
Publish: 2018



I enjoyed this anti-hero badguy makes good, well, not so bad anyway. Nothing particularly stood out good or bad, which is why it is getting that middle of the road rating of 3stars. It’s good enough that I plan on reading the rest of the trilogy.

But unless those two books improve my opinion dramatically, I do not plan on seeking out any other work by the author. I probably shouldn’t base any future plans on this book alone. But really, outside of the main character being big and beating up even worse people than himself, there’s not much else to discuss. So my brain goes down these weird little paths, and since I’m an inveterate planner, it usually goes down a planning path. Even if there isn’t enough data to do any actual planning on. Therefore, my NEW plan is to finish this trilogy and reserve judgment.

Hahhaahahahahahahaa, riiiiiight, ME, reserving judgment. My goodness, sometimes I just crack myself up.

★★★☆☆


From the Publisher and Bookstooge

Isaiah Coleridge is a mob enforcer in Alaska--he's tough, seen a lot, and dished out more. But when he forcibly ends the moneymaking scheme of a made man, he gets in the kind of trouble that can lead to a bullet behind the ear. Saved by the grace of his boss and exiled to upstate New York, Isaiah begins a new life, a quiet life without gunshots or explosions. Except a teenage girl disappears, and Isaiah isn't one to let that slip by. And delving into the underworld to track this missing girl will get him exactly the kind of notice he was warned to avoid.

After beating up lots of people and threatening lots of people and getting almost killed by crooked cops, Isaiah founds her corpse. Her horse had thrown her in the woods and she’d died from hitting her head. No big mystery at all. Isaiah just wasted all that time and energy for nothing. So much for laying low.


Saturday, October 11, 2025

Pumpkin Festival 2025

 Now, before we begin, we have to set the scene and the mood. So imagine your life is going along quite normally, as it always does. You have pizza on Tuesday, maybe a kale shake on Friday. Then, the invasion begins. Everywhere you go, everywhere you look, everywhere you sniff, there is Pumpkin Spice! Including biscuits, sigh. Mrs B wanted to try these, so she bought them. They are basically cinnamon rolls that you drizzle pumpkin spice "frosting" on after they are cooked.

Now they did taste good, but still, Grands biscuits are supposed to be BISCUITS. So now we are in the proper frame of mind, let us continue the journey of a small town, celebrating harmlessly, or so they think!

First, and always most importantly, is the food. Without the food, the Pumpkin Festival is just a bunch of people walking around looking at stuff. But WITH food, well, that completely changes everything, now doesn't it? Food is like the Force.

“... my ally is the Food, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Hungry beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Food around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere...” 
~ Master Chef Yoda

Our first stop is always food alley. We get there around 4:30pm, before things kick off at 5pm. The food trucks are all open but not many people have arrived yet so there are no lines. I got a pepperoni calzone and Mrs B got some sort of breakfast sandwich with avocado. Then because I knew that a calzone wasn't very healthy, I decided to eat my vegetables and have a slice of pumpkin roll. Ahhh, that's the stuff.

Then it was time to visit the Venerable Town Hall. This majestic and gracious building towers over all its denizens, assuring them that the reins of government are in capable hands. Capable enough to run a Pumpkin Festival anyway. But that is all "I" will vouch for.

Next comes the annual perambulation around the Oval. There are many vendors and lots of people and you just never know WHAT you might see. Jack Skellington welcoming one and all. An anorexic cop! And to top things off, a pig on a leash. I kid you not. How can you not love small towns where you can see a pig on a leash in the town oval?
*clap
*clap
*clap

As you make your way around the Oval, not only are there "things" to see, but artwork on windows galore. Motorcycles seem to be a big theme this year. These were done on storefront windows, to give you some size comparison.

Finally, as the sun sets and the dark chill night sets in, when the lights go out and you wonder, "will I die in the next 5 seconds from a homicidal maniac slicing my head off with a razor blade?", THAT is when our Citizen of the Year appears, bringing light and hope to all who see them. They climb the firetruck to the top of the Venerable Town Hall and ceremonially light the giant pumpkin inside, and thus our small town is safe for another year from the hordes of massholes who try to invade us every chance they get.

This event has become a habit for Mrs B and I. We go, we eat, we look and buy, we laugh and we scream and holler to encourage the Citizen of the Year. Then we go home and go to bed, because we're older and tireder than the previous year :-D


Friday, October 10, 2025

Lavondyss / DNF (Mythago Wood #2) 2Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Lavondyss / DNF
Series: Mythago Wood #2
Author: Robert Holdstock
Rating: 2 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 200/325
Words: 84K/137K
Publish: 1988



I wasn’t particularly enjoying this read but wasn’t really hating it either, so I guess I was coasting along, being lazy.

Then one of the characters says to another something along the lines of “Now you’re just talking nonsense” and it suddenly hit me, this entire book is nonsense and the WHOLE idea by Holdstock is nonsense and so I just stopped reading without further ado.

I was wasting my time on utter nonsense and when I realized that, I stopped. Not as good as not starting the nonsense in the first place, but much better than continuing it to the end and allowing it to infest my mind, even if negatively. I’m also giving this book the “garbage” tag because it’s not fun nonsense :-(

The cover is awesome however. I would have picked this book up based on it alone. It’s a real shame such garbage is hiding inside.



★★☆☆☆


From Wikipedia

During her formative years, Tallis encounters the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (not a mythago, but real flesh and blood). Tallis sings him a song that she thinks she has made up herself, but the composer identifies its tune as that of a folk song he has collected personally in Norfolk. Slowly Tallis's links with the wood intensify. She makes ten chthonic wooden masks, each of which represents one of the ten first legends in Ryhope wood. Within the context of the story, these masks are talismans that help to engage certain parts of her subconscious and so link her with the characters and landscapes which are forming within the wood. When properly used (especially later in the book), these masks allow Tallis to see things that cannot be seen without them, and they can also be used to create 'Hollowings' — pathways in space and time which allow her to step into far-off places within the wood which would otherwise take days, weeks, or even months to travel to on foot. Tallis makes the masks in the following order:

  1. The Hollower — made from elm, this female mask is painted red and white.

  2. Gaberlungi — made from oak and painted white, this mask is known as "memory of the land".

  3. Skogen — made from hazel and painted green, this mask is known as "shadow of the forest".

  4. Lament — made from willow bark, this simple mask is painted gray.

  5. Falkenna — the first of three journey masks is painted like a hawk; this mask is known as "the flight of a bird into an unknown region".

  6. Silvering — the second of three journey masks is painted in colored circles; this mask is known as "the movement of a salmon into the rivers of an unknown region". The Silvering is also the name of a short story included in Merlin's Wood.

  7. Cunhaval — the third of three journey masks is made from elder wood; this mask is known as "the running of a hunting dog through the forest tracks of an unknown region".

  8. Moondream — made from beechwood, this mask is painted with moon symbols on its face. This mask plays a prominent role in The Hollowing.

  9. Sinisalo — made from wych elm and painted white and azure, this mask is known as "seeing the child in the land".

  10. Morndun — this mask appears dead from the front, but alive from behind and is known as "the first journey of a ghost into an unknown region".

Before setting foot in the wood, Tallis has one particular encounter that has major repercussions through the rest of the story: with the 'help' of one of the mythagos, she 'hollows' (creates a Hollowing) and observes Scathach, a young warrior, dying on a battlefield beneath a tree. Tallis' misdirected magic used to help this young warrior changes both her story and Harry Keeton's story in Ryhope wood.

Deep within Ryhope wood Tallis eventually meets up with Edward Wynne-Jones (human, not mythago) who was only mentioned in Mythago Wood. He is now living in the wood as a shaman to a small village of ancient people. Through his understanding of the wood (which he studied with the scientist George Huxley from the first book), Tallis herself gains an understanding of her connections with all that surrounds her; most importantly, she asks him how she might find her lost brother Harry Keeton


Thursday, October 09, 2025

Jane Austen: Catharine 2.5Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Catharine
Series: ----------
Author: Jane Austen
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Romance
Pages: 62
Words: 17K
Publish: 1793


This is another unfinished novel that Austen began as a younger person and thus it is classed with her juvenilia works.

I didn’t hate it despite the lower rating, but the main reason it is getting this lower rating is because the characters just didn’t feel like characters that Jane Austen would create later in her life. Some of the “ideas” were there, just like the names of familiar characters were in A Collection of Letters, but the heart and soul were totally absent. That made this hard to power through.

I do not regret reading these bits and bobs, because I am a fan of Austen’s and I am also a completionist. But I can’t say that I am having a wonderful time. It’s almost like being back in school again, sigh.

★★✬☆☆


From Wikipedia

Catharine (Kitty) Percival (the name is sometimes given as Peterson) is an orphan, ward of her aunt, Mrs. Percival, who is strict with her. Kitty has lost her dear friends, Cecilia and Mary Wynne, whose clergyman father's death scattered the family; Cecilia Wynne was sent to India to be married to a much older man she dislikes, and Mary is serving as a companion in the household of a distant relative, Lady Halifax, dependent on that family for even the clothes on her back. Together Kitty, Cecilia, and Mary had planted a bower in Mrs. Percival’s garden, which, now grown to maturity, is Kitty’s haven and chief comfort.

Mrs. Percival goes to great lengths to prevent Kitty from meeting possibly unsuitable young men. Kitty is allowed to socialize only with Mr. and Mrs. Dudley and their daughter, an arrogant and quarrelsome family. Mrs. Percival even refuses visits from the Stanleys, relatives of Mrs. Percival and Catharine, who are a wealthy family with political and social influence, because they have a son, Edward, of marriageable age.

However, Edward has now moved to France, and the Stanleys come to visit. Kitty excitedly anticipates their arrival. She is disappointed to find that their daughter, Camilla, has little in common with her. While Camilla's "ideas where towards the Eleagance of the appearance", she seemed to be "devoid of taste or judgment" (p. 169). Camilla "professed a love of books without reading, was lively without wit, and generally good humoured without merit" (p. 169). Kitty wants to discuss things like books and politics, but Camilla leads the conversation back to subjects Kitty views as frivolous, such as fashion and social life. Camilla is acquainted with the Halifaxes, and she and Kitty disagree over the Halifaxes and the Wynne sisters. Camilla thinks that the sisters are fortunate, while Kitty views their situation as tragic and thinks that the Wynnes have been ill-treated by their benefactors.

Kitty concludes that she and Camilla will not come to an agreement, and escapes to her bower. Camilla later comes to the bower, excited, to tell Kitty that they have all been invited to the Dudleys’ ball the next evening. In the morning, Kitty wakes up with a violent toothache that prevents her from attending the ball. Camilla, her parents, and Mrs. Percival decide to attend the ball without her.

Mrs. Stanley and Mrs. Percival discuss the friendship between Camilla and Kitty. Mrs. Percival see their relationship as detrimental and tells Mrs. Stanley that she, herself, did not have such a companion. Mrs. Percival quips that perhaps it would have changed her for the better, and talks about the friend of her own girlhood, with whom she still keeps acquaintance.

Edward Stanley turns up at the Percivals’ home, having returned to England unexpectedly, and convinces Kitty to go with him to the ball after all. Mrs. Percival is not pleased. In the following days, Edward flirts with Kitty, and it becomes apparent that he has much more in common with her than Camilla does. He makes a point of kissing her hand when Mrs. Percival is approaching and can witness it. Kitty begins to fall in love with Edward. Her aunt doesn't approve of him and chastises Kitty for scandalous behavior.

Mr. Stanley is also displeased by Edward’s flirting with Kitty, and sends him back to the Continent. Kitty is hurt by his abrupt departure, but Camilla tells her that he was sorry to leave, obviously because he is in love with Kitty. Kitty is in a "state of satisfaction."

The book was never completed, so we do not know where the story would have gone next.



Wednesday, October 08, 2025

The Tombs of Atuan (Earthsea Cycle #2) 5Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: The Tombs of Atuan
Series: Earthsea Cycle #2
Author: Ursula LeGuin
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy / Middle Grade
Pages: 117
Words: 46K
Publish: 1971






Another wonderful coming of age story that is so different from A Wizard of Earthsea and yet tells a story that I love.

Most of the time, when an author tells a completely different tale in a series, I have issues with it. I usually want more of the same, more of the familiar, more of what I enjoyed in the previous book. Thankfully, LeGuin’s skill is such that she can change everything and yet keep the essentials that I loved and thus make me love this new creation.

The characters, the land and the perspective have all changed but what didn’t change was the style. We still get the world building with just a few brief sentences. Whole histories are conveyed in less than a paragraph. Peoples’ characters fleshed out with the perfectly chosen word. Simplicity is still LeGuin’s choice here and it continues to work very well. While the story appears to be about Tennar the young girl, it is just as much about the Ring of Erreth Akbe, which when the broken pieces are found and united, will bring peace to the land. It takes real skill to be able to tell both stories at the same time without one overshadowing the other.

I am also very happy that Tennar’s story ends on a happy note. She has left everything behind her, going to a new land, to a people she doesn’t know, with a man who has told her he can’t stay with her, but she will be given protection and teaching by Ogion the wizard and have wealth should she want it. The blackness of LeGuin’s soul hadn’t yet destroyed everything good…

I was hoping to showcase the cover for the first edition, which was another woodcut style drawing, but sadly, every version I could find had this huge “Award” on it, since it won several childrens’ awards. So I’m choosing to go with the Bantam Spectra cover from the mid 80’s. This was the copy my local library had I believe. I’m going to include the covers for each book because I want a complete collection and I have zero idea what I’ll showcase for the next book’s cover.











★★★★★


From Wikipedia

The story follows a girl named Tenar, born on the Kargish island of Atuan. Born on the day that the high priestess of the Tombs of Atuan died, she is believed to be her reincarnation. Tenar is taken from her family when she was five years old and goes to the Tombs.[14] Her name is taken from her in a ceremony, and she is referred to as "Arha", or the "eaten one",[24] after being consecrated to the service of the "Nameless Ones" at the age of six with a ceremony involving a symbolic sacrifice.[28] She moves into her own tiny house, and is given a eunuch servant, Manan, with whom she develops a bond of affection.

Arha's childhood and youth are lonely; her only friends are Manan and Penthe, a priestess her own age. She is trained in her duties by Thar and Kossil, the priestesses of the two other major deities. Thar tells her of the undertomb and the labyrinth beneath the Tombs, teaching her how to find her way around them. She tells of the treasure hidden within the labyrinth, which wizards from the archipelago have tried to steal. When Arha asks about the wizards, Thar tells her that they are unbelievers who can work magic. When she turns fourteen, Arha assumes all the responsibilities of her position, becoming the highest ranked priestess in the Tombs. She is required to order the death of prisoners sent to the Tombs by the God-King of the Kargad lands; she has them killed by starvation, an act which haunts her for a long time. After Thar dies of old age, Arha becomes increasingly isolated: although stern, Thar had been fair to her. Kossil despises Arha and sees the Nameless Ones as a threat to her power.

Arha's routine is disrupted by her discovery of the wizard Ged (the protagonist of A Wizard of Earthsea) in the undertomb. She traps him in the labyrinth by slamming the door on him, and through a peephole sees him unsuccessfully attempt to open the door with a spell.[29] Trapped in the labyrinth, Ged eventually collapses out of exhaustion, and Arha has him chained up while debating what to do with him. After questioning him, she learns that he has come to the Tombs for the long-lost half of the ring of Erreth-Akbe, a magical talisman broken centuries before, necessary for peace in Earthsea.[14] The other half had come into his possession by pure chance, and a dragon later told him what it was. Arha is drawn to him as he tells her of the outside world, and keeps him prisoner in the tombs, bringing him food and water.[30] However, Kossil learns of Ged's existence, forcing Arha to promise that Ged will be sacrificed to the Nameless Ones; however, she realizes that she cannot go through with it. She instructs Manan to dig a false grave underground, while she herself takes Ged to hide in the treasury of the Tombs.

Arha and Kossil have a public falling out, in which Kossil says that nobody believes in the Nameless Ones anymore. In response, Arha curses her in the name of the Nameless Ones. Realizing that Kossil will now be determined to kill her, she heads to the labyrinth and sees Kossil uncovering the false grave. Evading her, Arha goes to the treasury and confesses everything to Ged, who has found the other half of Erreth-Akbe's ring in the treasury. He tells Arha that she must either kill him or escape with him, and says that the Nameless Ones demand her service, but give nothing and create nothing in return. He tells her his true name, Ged, in return for the trust she has shown him. They escape together, though Manan, who has come looking for Arha, falls into a pit in the labyrinth and is killed when he attempts to attack Ged. The tombs begin to collapse in on themselves; Ged holds them off until they leave. Arha reverts to calling herself Tenar as she and Ged travel to the coast where his boat is hidden. While waiting for the tide, she feels an urge to kill Ged for destroying her life, but realizes while gazing at him that she has no anger left. Ged and Tenar sail to Havnor, where they are received in triumph.


Tuesday, October 07, 2025

The Mother Hunt (Nero Wolfe #38) 4Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: The Mother Hunt
Series: Nero Wolfe #38
Author: Rex Stout
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 157
Words: 57K
Publish: 1963


Wolfe leaves his house, yet again. I almost deducted a half-star for that because I’m tired of being “told” that Wolfe never leaves his house but being “shown” that he actually does whenever it is convenient for the author. You failed me Rex Stout. It’s the Toaster Bath for you!

[please see my Rant from Sunday if you don’t understand that reference]

Other than that, I once again thoroughly enjoyed Rex Stout chauffeuring me around in style. I was quite content with that.

The cover I’ve used is quite different from the usual variety. That is because apparently this book was used as the basis for one of the tv episodes and so all of the other covers have that big red ugly “as seen on tv” blurb on them. It’s disgusting and I hate it, so instead I get this very odd cover. I’ll take Odd over Disgusting any day!

★★★★☆


From Wikipedia

Lucy Valdon has recently been widowed by the accidental death of her husband, the novelist Richard Valdon. Lucy has a surprise waiting for her in her vestibule one evening: an abandoned baby, dressed, with a note pinned to a blanket. The note claims that the baby is Richard's son. Lucy wants to learn who the mother is. That information would help determine whether her husband and the mother had been intimate, and therefore the likelihood that the child is in fact Richard's.

Wolfe is reluctant as always, but agrees to investigate. Archie examines the clothes that the baby was wearing and spots an unusual item: the baby's overalls have horsehair buttons, apparently handmade. After Archie draws a blank trying to track the buttons down via businesses in the garment trade, Wolfe tries a tactic that he uses to good effect in other cases. He advertises for information.

The advertisement succeeds in prompting a call from someone who has seen a similar button, and when Archie follows up he eventually locates Ellen Tenzer in Mahopac, about fifty miles north of New York City. Miss Tenzer is a retired nurse who from time to time cares for babies temporarily. She is unwilling to help Archie, though, and orders him off her property. Archie complies, Miss Tenzer disappears, and the next day she is found, strangled, in her car on a Manhattan street.

With that line of investigation closed to them, Wolfe and Archie try another. Lucy arranges for several of Richard's acquaintances to come to the brownstone. Wolfe asks that they each supply him with a list of all the women with whom Richard was in contact during a three-month period roughly corresponding to the date of the baby's conception. A list of 148 names results, and it takes nearly four weeks for Archie, Saul, Fred and Orrie to verify that none of the women had an unaccounted for baby following the period in question.

Finally, Wolfe decides to go for the swindle. His plan involves the Gazette, Lon Cohen's employer, and it succeeds in flushing the baby's mother from hiding. But then she is found dead, also strangled.

When Inspector Cramer learns that there is a connection between the dead woman and Wolfe, he shows up at the front stoop, forcing Wolfe and Archie to flee via the back door. Wolfe is furious about the murders, particularly the second, and desperately wants to expose the killer himself. But if Cramer finds him, he will either have to tell Cramer about the search for the baby's mother or withhold evidence in a capital case.

To avoid having to make that choice, Wolfe and Archie hole up in Lucy's house—she, her baby and her staff are away for a few days. While there, Wolfe has an insight about how the murderer and Ellen Tenzer might have become acquainted. That insight leads to the traditional Wolfe finale, with witnesses and suspects gathered together, but this time it's in someone else's house.



Monday, October 06, 2025

Ironroot Treefolk - MTG 4E

 

More than you EVER wanted to know about the mating habits of treefolk. But if you're a perv and into that kind of thing, then this is the card for you!


Sunday, October 05, 2025

The [Rant] I Had To Trash

 

Preachin' ahead!

I wrote a Rant post about authors and writers and how I perceived them and interacted with them and my thoughts on them in general. It was a powerful post (in my opinion) and I really let go. But as the week went on, I began to wonder. So I went back and read what I had written. The words I had written were not ones I wanted coming out of my mouth or thoughts I wanted in my head.

So I deleted that rant. Just because I "feel" something, even strongly, doesn't give me the license to just shoot my mouth off about it. What's more, because I am a Christian, I am supposed to be showing Jesus' character to those around me, including those I hang out with online. When "funny angry" turns into "real vitriolic disgust", that is crossing a line that I as a Christian cannot countenance.

Ordinarily, I'd just delete the post and you'd never know it was written. But I had written in my monthly roundup that that rant was coming. I probably could have gotten away with just ignoring it and nobody would have cared. Maybe.

Sometimes keeping my mouth shut is the right thing to do. A lot of the time that IS the right thing. But when I write or say something that is wrong, it behooves me to admit it, apologize for it and get rid of it. And I wrote and scheduled that rant. You didn't read it, but I sure as shooting wrote it and I know what I said. I don't mind being the slightly (or even very) grumpy curmudgeon who shakes his fist at those kids on the lawn but I NEVER want to be the kind of Christian who says things about other people that Jesus wouldn't say or go against the precepts of the Bible.

I cannot view anyone as my enemy, because I was God's enemy at one time and He sent Jesus to die for me and for everyone else too. If God can sacrifice like that, then it is my duty as a follower of Him to emulate that. That includes watching the words I write and not misusing them.

I want my rants, even when serious, to be amusing and at most to make you think. I never want them to wound people or be filled with so much vitriol that it hurts to read them. I cannot promise that there will never be vitriol on this blog, but I can promise that I will do my best not allow it. To end this, I think the following picture is the perfect fit. Dark humor is for everyone, not just those of us with good taste!





Saturday, October 04, 2025

Tool of the Trade

 



Last week I bought myself a really nice machete for work. Now, we are supplied with them, as they are an essential tool of our trade, but what the management gets is trying to balance the reality that we beat the ever living daylights out of our machetes with not buying total crap.

Oh, total crap. We had one office dubber who was in charge of supplies for about a year. He's no longer with our company, for a variety of reasons. But he bought a bulk order of machetes for wicked cheap one time. Turns out they were that super cheap chinese steel. It would bend when you tried to cut something and the blade would fold and warp. It was like having a bit of aluminum foil. They were total garbage and we all (the field crew who actually used them) complained like it was the end of the world and they bought us some better ones. Which I've been using. But there comes a time when you just want a really good tool and you are willing to pay for it yourself so it is YOURS and yours alone.

I settled on the Condor Yoshimi machete. It has a tanto blade (it is a sharp angle at the end of the blade instead of the usual rounded curve on most machetes) and has a hand and a half grip. It is also a bit heavier, weighing in at almost 3 pounds, but it is balanced so well that even one handed I haven't found it putting any strain on the forearm that is doing the cutting. Part of the reason it weighs so much is because the blade is pretty thick. That prevents the blade from warping or twisting. It also gives it some nice heft when cutting, so gravity is helping me cut every time I use it ;-) The blade is 19inches long, which is just about the size I like. Any shorter and you can't hack from a distance. Much longer and the machete gets tangled up as you're trying to swing it. The handle is wood, which grips a lot better when your hand is wet from either sweating like a pig or it is raining out. Trust me, I've seen enough machetes go flying out of people's hands over the years to realize it is a basic safety requisite to have a good grip.

The sheath is kydex, a fancy name for plastic. We'll see how it holds up over the winter when the temps plunge below freezing for weeks or months on end. A leather sheath will eventually get a hole torn down in the lower extremity where the blade pushes down on it or the blade will cut the leather siding. And the strips of leather where the sheath attaches to your belt is always thinner and those are usually the first things to go. This kydex sheath will obviate those problems. I'll just have to hang around and see what problems do arise with it instead :-)

Since it is mine, bought and paid for, I don't have to worry about getting "leftovers" from the lot of garbage machetes we have on hand. While the office is now buying better UK steel machetes, we still have those chinese crap ones in case of emergencies. We have found they are good for about 1 week of hard use and then they crap out on us.

And that is that. I got a new toy and I wanted to share. Class dismissed!


Friday, October 03, 2025

Farsight: Empire of Lies (Warhammer 40K: Tau) 3Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission


Title: Farsight: Empire of Lies
Series: Warhammer 40K: Tau
Author: Gave Thorpe
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Phil Kelly
Pages: 313
Words: 103K
Publish: 2020



The continuing story of Commander Farsight, an alien Tau trying to do his best for his species, which has a rigid and unbending view of themselves, other xeno species and the cosmos itself. Which is a very bad thing when that view doesn’t take into account the forces of Chaos itself.

From what I can gather, the Tau are a species that can be played in the Warhammer 40,000 game and the lore of the game has Commander Farsight being separated from the main Tau species, a breakaway faction. These “Farsight” books are the backstory to that. Basically Farsight is questioning the foundations upon which the Tau Empire are built and is leading him and others who follow him, to go their own way so as to prevent the extinction of the Tau.

The frustrating thing about these Tau novels is that there are lots of hints about the conspiracy by the Ethereals (the highest caste in Tau society) but nothing concrete is ever given. Most of that is because the WH:40K novels are simply adjuncts to the game and thus are just riders on the game’s success, meant to extract that little bit of extra money from the customers. But as a reader, I want answers and these books definitely do not provide that. They are deliberately at a loss when it comes to answers.

My other frustration about this faction is how they are blind to the forces of Chaos. The Tau are “psychically” blind, which means they don’t have psykers and the like who can wield the power of the nether, but it does mean they can’t be possessed by demons and run amuck like the psykers in the Empire of Man can do. This gives them a modicum of protection, but it also means that they simply turn a blind eye to it. THAT is what gets my goat. They can see the evidence but they just ignore it. In this book they finally have to fight the forces of Chaos face to face without being able to ignore it and the higher caste STILL ignores it. Farsight at least acknowledges there are forces beyond his comprehension that exist. I think that is where the split happens.

★★★☆☆


From the Publisher:

High Commander Farsight, fresh from his victory against the Imperium over the Damocles Gulf, looks to his borders and finds his old enemies – the savage and warlike orks – assailing his worlds and threatening to ravage the heart of the T’au Empire. Farsight’s obsessive crusade will see him locked in an escalating conflict with the greenskins, and he will stop at nothing until their infestation is purged. In the background, foul forces are at work, however – forces that will do whatever they can to see the military genius of Farsight fall on the daemon-haunted world of Arthas Moloch. Can Farsight stand in the face of new truths, and will the T’au Empire stand with him?



Thursday, October 02, 2025

Six Men of Evil (The Shadow #24) 3Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPresss & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Six Men of Evil
Series: The Shadow #24
Authors: Maxwell Grant
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Crime Fiction
Pages: 128
Words: 40K
Publish: 1933



Whenever I read a Shadow novel, and I’m looking for a synopsis online, I never know what I am going to find. Sometimes I find absolutely nothing and have to do it all myself. Sometimes I can find a publisher’s blurb and depending on how detailed it is, I’ll add my own little bit to that. Then you have the times like with this book. Somebody has gone to TheLivingShadow.fandom.com and written out a highly detailed synopsis, so detailed in fact that I’ll never need to re-read this book again because I can read the synopsis and be good to go. I like those kind the best. The synopses never have credit, so I don’t know how or why some Shadow novels get the royal treatment and others get the shaft.

The basic story is that six men have all had the same face stamped on them by a torturous process and now they are using that to their advantage. They commit crimes and give each other air tight alibis.

Only the Shadow gets negligibly involved and brings them all down. Like he should.

This was an extremely different story from The Shadow’s Shadow, which was filled with action and explosions and gun battles. This was all about showcasing how the crimes themselves and how clever the criminals thought they were being. It was all leading up to the denouement where The Shadow smashes their crime circle into nothing and gives the proof of their crimes to the police.

Now, I like when the story is a slam bang bulletfest with thugs dying by the carload and The Shadow using his .45 automatics like machine guns, but at the same time, that kind of pace is unsustainable. Which is why I do appreciate these slower kind of stories. We see the brainy side of The Shadow and this slower kind of story helps reset my thinking and expectations. The John Wick movie franchise is a good negative example of this. The directors had to go to further and further extremes in each movie so that by the time the final movie happens, it’s like watching a shoot’em up video game. It was pointless and not exciting or fun because it was relying on the “More” principle instead of the “Variety” principle.

I think that is enough for me. I enjoyed this for its slower pace and am looking forward to more The Shadow novels. That is the very pinnacle of success in my books.

★★★☆☆


From Thelivingshadow.fandom.com

A torturous Aztec transformation gives "Six Men of Evil" an unexpected advantage in their criminal pursuits.

Six men travel by horseback in Mexico. They are traveling to the border, where they will have to split up. Charley is the leader of the outfit. They are complaining about their recent failed score. The men aren’t happy with Charley but he says they are just as much to blame and they should be thankful the Aztecs let them leave with the gold and their lives. Another member of the men agrees but says it will be a problem again at daylight. They approach the border. Charley sees their current situation as a blessing in disguise.

"The trouble is, you've weakened. You figured you could go back to the United States and pick up. You had your alibis. Maybe they've got you listed as men who scrambled across the border into Mexico - maybe they haven't. If worst came to worst, you could say that bandits had dragged you there. But that's all ended now, because you're changed men - and you're all in the same boat. You've been little crooks - little enough to get away with it. You enlisted in the army so as to hide, like I did. You didn't like it, and when you found others of your kind, you deserted, like I did. I knew where there was something worthwhile getting, at Zeltapec. We went after it; we flopped; and now, with a few thousand dollars worth of gold apiece, you want to go back to where you left off. I want to go back, too, but not the same man as I went away. So I'm glad of what happened to me at Zeltapec - now that it's all over. I've got my brains; I know the ropes; and I'm free from recognition. When I hit New York, I'll be ready for business, and there's nobody going to know me. That's why I'm glad I'm different!"

One of the men says it's good for him but how is it good for the rest of them. Charley says they are from small towns and there was a good chance they would be identified as deserters. Now they are free from that possibility. Charley tells them to go home, change their name and invest their money in their towns to become respected individuals. They should avoid small crimes and wait until they have the chance for a big score. They will communicate through code using the Aztec sign they learned in Zeltapec. Charley tells them the plan. He tells them he left New York because he was against the only person who could have stopped him, The Shadow. Now they will commit crime The Shadow wouldn't be able to stop.

Earl Northrup is meeting with the dignified elderly Anthony Hanscom in his home in Tilson Illinois. He is a successful businessman. Anthony finishes work and they discuss train times going past Chicago. A young man enters the room. This is Carl Walton, Hanscom's secretary. They are working on bonds, Earl has to leave. Hascom says his secretary can finish the work. Northrup has only been in the city for eight months but has done nicely for himself by applying his capital to a sound business in a small city. Northrup takes Hanscom to the train station. Walton does clerical work on the bonds. Once he is done he leaves them in an unlocked safe for review. He hears the train in the distance knowing that Hanscom has boarded. Northrup returns to the house and asks Walton where the bonds are. After reviewing them he takes his leave. Walton says he shouldn't have put them in the safe as it was his responsibility. Northup tells him to look for himself but Walton doesn't have the combination. Walton tells Northrup that he didn't like the way Northrup came in. He couldn't have rang the bell or the butler Moiser would have notified him. Walton checks the corresponding papers in the desk and finds them blank. Now he knows that Northup has stolen the bonds worth a quarter of a million dollars. Walton tries to stop him but is thrown towards a desk where Hanscom keeps a revolver. He turns to aim the gun but Northup pounces on him. He disarms Walton and knocks him out. Moiser, the large butler enters the room to inspect the commotion. He is shot dead by Northrup who wipes his prints off the gun and places it in Walton's hand before leaving. Walton Wakes up to find the dead body of the butler. Two police officers arrive and he tells them that Northup is the killer.

Walton is interviewed by police chief Culver at the scene of the murder. Officer Johnson tells Culver that they found Northup's car at the train station. They wonder why he would use another vehicle to return and commit the crimes he's accused of. Hanscom returns home, joined by Northrup. The police question Northrup to the ire of Hanscom who claims Northrup joined him on the train and has been with him the entire time. The police arrest Walton believing him to be an accomplice to the crimes at the very least. Meanwhile the man with the bonds, Charley Kistelle was boarding a train to Baltimore with the same facial features of Earl Northrup.

In Barmouth Maryland at the first national Bank George Talmadge the bank president gives Sherman Brooks, a cashier $220,000 for a civic relief fund to be delivered to Harold Thurber, the chairman of the civic relief committee. Thurber was a newcomer to town and convinced other business owners to make contributions. Thurber arrives to collect the money. Brooks had been considering employment elsewhere and Thurber tells him about a job opportunity. Thurber tells him when he gets to Baltimore, take the train to Westgate and inquire for a mister Phillip Garmon who is interested in forming a new bank and wants an experienced cashier. He tells him if he hurries he can catch the train. As Brooks is leaving Thurber tells him he would speak to the bank president. When the cashier leaves, Thurber waits a few minutes and discreetly leaves the bank without gaining any attention. $220,000 in his possession.

At 3pm another man claiming to be Thurber arrives at the bank to retrieve the money, joined by two other members of the committee. Talmadge takes them to Brooks' office. When he's absent Talmadge grabs another teller, Davis, so they can grab the committee money from the vault but find it missing. Davis knew that Brooks was on the train to Baltimore. They call the police and have him picked up. Brooks claims that he gave the money to Thurber at 2pm. One of the committee men says that Thurber had been in their presence until they went to the bank at 3pm. Convinced of Brook's guilt Talmadge offers to compensate for the loss of the funds. Brooks is arrested for the theft of the funds.

The Shadow reviews newspaper clippings of unsolved crimes gathered by Rutledge Mann in his sanctum. He isolates the Earl Northrup and Harold Thurber cases due to their similarities. The Shadow sends orders to Harry Vincent to investigate in Tilson and Clyde Burke to investigate the Barmouth Illinois case.

Cuthbert Devenport is the most influential man in the city of Daltona, Georgia. At one time he had controlled the manufactory which afforded employment to the greatest number of workers in the town. Now retired, Davenport still retained real-estate holdings of considerable extent, and his private fortune was estimated at more than two million dollars. His son Perry's waywardness had scandalized the town of Daltona. Perry has become the town drunk. Less than a year ago - shortly after Perry's actions had passed the bounds of reason - Thomas Rodan had arrived in Daltona. An enterprising man, Rodan had entered the real-state business on a moderate scale. He had made contacts with Cuthbert Davenport, and had become a frequent visitor to the Davenport mansion.

A courtship had resulted between Rodan and Sonia Davenport, Cuthbert's only daughter. The old man had given his consent to the marriage; the wedding had taken place after a few months; and now Tom Rodan was living, with his bride, at Cuthbert Davenport's home. Cuthbert Davenport liked Tom Rodan because the young man was the direct antithesis of Perry. Rodan was sober, capable, and enterprising.

Cuthbert meets with Sonia and Rodan to discuss Perry. Rodan expresses interest in helping to bring Perry home. The last time Perry was in the presence of his father he attacked him. Cuthbert has cut off Perry, he left everything to Sonia in his will and in turn Sonia had Tom marked as her sole benefactor if something happened to her. Glade Fitzroy, the county attorney and George Seaton, the county sheriff arrive at the Davenport estate. They exchange pleasantries and Tom says he is going over to Fitzroy’s home for a few hours and will return later. Half an hour later Tom returns with the estranged Perry, who is in a state of inebriation. Tom says he saw Perry on the way to Fitzroy's and tried to help him. He said that Perry wanted to come home to speak to his father. Sonia notices a difference in her husband's speech pattern but it was definitely him. His facial features were remarkably distinct. Perry proceeds to get into another physical altercation with his father. Tom knocks over the phone by a desk and the operator can hear this interaction. Tom pulls out a gun from the desk but instead of aiming at Perry he shoots and kills both Cuthbert and Sonia. Perry then attacks Tom as the Davenport houseman, Fairchild arrives to investigate. Tom shoots and kills him then knocks out Perry and leaves out a side exit. A few minutes later, Billings, Cuthbert Davenport's chauffeur, arrives on the scene. The man had been asleep on the third floor. He saw the motionless bodies; he saw Perry on hands and knees, trying futilely to pick up a revolver. The front door burst open, and two neighbors came dashing into the house. Perry screams that he will kill Tom Rodan. The three men tackle him to the ground as police sirens are heard in the distance, summoned by the listening telephone operator. Perry is accused of the crimes.

In his sanctum The Shadow reviews more news clippings and the reports from Harry and Clyde. Both alibis of Earl Northrup and Harold Thurber were still believed and neither man was attempting to leave their respective towns or do anything suspicious. The one link in these crimes lied in the fact that both men had arrived in their towns less than a year prior. Harry and Clyde manage to find photos of the two men. They were completely identical. The Shadow traces the distance between the two crimes and believes another man was likely to be the traveling look alike since both men had not left their locations for some time. The Shadow learns from a news clipping provided by Rutledge Mann of a third similar crime, the Davenport murders in Georgia. He determines that he must uncover the appearance of the third man, Thomas Rodan. The Shadow boards his plane and flies to Daltona.

Lamont Cranston checks into the Southern Hotel in Daltona. Cranston looks up Rodan in the phone book and tells one of his employees that he has important business that he would like to speak to Rodan about. Shortly after 12pm, Tom Rodan walked hurriedly into the hotel and approached the desk. He inquired for Mr. Cranston. When they meet, Cranston tells him that he wants to buy real estate in Daltona. Cranston is also seeing that Rodan's face is identical to Earl Northrup and Harold Thurber. Rodan is suspicious of Cranston. As they look over different properties Rodan tries to trick Cranston into revealing anything that proves secret intentions. Cranston never slips. After Cranston departs Rodan wonders if Cranston might have been a detective. He decides he is overreacting and has nothing to worry about. He reassures himself that he is a man of iron nerves. The Shadow materializes in the home of the Davenports, now owned by Rodan. He whispers the word "MURDERER!" Rodan stands up to find the person who made that accusation. Rodan hears the accusation again. He knows he wasn't the man that killed the Davenport family. He calls the hotel and finds Cranston had checked out.

Walking steadily across the room, Rodan reaches a writing table and draws forth a pen, ink, and paper. He sat in momentary speculation, and as he rested there, he was forgetful of the room behind him. Something was taking place - something that Rodan did not see. From the darkness of the wall, a tall figure came into view. Silently, and with gliding tread, The Shadow moved directly toward the seated man. Like a phantom of vengeance, he approached until he was but a few feet away. He stood there, his burning eyes focused upon Rodan. Then, from unseen lips came a softly whispered word. "Beware!" Upon a sheet of paper, Rodan inscribed a mysterious symbol. It consisted of a circle, with two crosslines in its center. Above it, Rodan marked a crescent, with the points turned downward. Below, he made the same symbol, pointing the same way. While the paper lay beside him, Rodan addressed an envelope. The name that he wrote was Eastern Specialty Company; the address is a street number in New York City. A silent motion took place behind him. The Shadow emerged from his hiding spot. His tall form gilded forward. His brilliant eyes peered over Rodan's shoulder. They saw all that the man had written. As Lamont Cranston, The Shadow had deliberately aroused the suspicions of Thomas Rodan. The result had been a secret message of warning, posted to the place of contact in New York. The Shadow makes his way back to New York to find the possible leader of The Six men of Evil.

In New York The Shadow follows a gangster that goes by the name Pasty. He meets with another gangster named Boots Marcus. Pasty gives Boots the letter sent by Rodan that has an image of a New Orleans hotel on it. Boots has been laying low and keeping his location a secret. Pasty, being the mob leader's messenger, was the only person who knew Boots' location. After receiving the message Boots tells Pasty to join the rest of the mob and wait for later plans. When Pasty leaves, The Shadow arrives and holds a gun on Boots. The Shadow tells Boots to give him the envelope Pasty gave him and the postcards in his possession. Each postcard has the same address with a different hotel image on the opposite side. He tells Boots to share what he knows.

Boots says that Charley came to see him about a year ago but his face was completely different. Charley wanted Boots to send any letters to him that come addressed to his office. He says to use the name Craig Kimble, which was enough like his own moniker. He never writes anything, he just sends postcards showing' the picture of the hotel where he's stopping at. "There was some letters like the one that come in today. I never opened none of 'em; just put 'em in the new envelopes an' sent 'em on to Charley. I don't know what he wanted 'em for." "How many letters have you forwarded to Kistelle?" inquired The Shadow coldly. "Just a few of 'em," began Boots. Then, as he saw The Shadow's piercing eyes, he added: "Let's see. There was one - two - three - this one was number four since Charley went away.”

Boots tells The Shadow, Charley Kistelle is behind everything. Boots used to work for Charley a few years ago before he fled town. The Shadow tells Boots Charley fled because he feared The Shadow. Boots stalls to explain everything to The Shadow. While speaking he sees his door open slightly as Pasty is returning. Pasty figures out what's going on and quietly leaves to get the rest of the mob. Boots is now speaking in an attempt to keep The Shadow unaware of imcomming reinforcements. As Boots continues to tell The Shadow unhelpful details on the letters he glances at his door as a member of his gang tries to enter. The Shadow catches his glare and spins to fire at the entering monster. The Shadow turns back to Boots in time to catch him pulling his gun. The Shadow fires and slays Boots. The Shadow shoots the light out cascading everything in darkness. He uses gunfire to briefly illuminate the room at fire at other gangsters. After taking out the mob he catches Pasty before he can alert reinforcements. Spotting the glimmer of his gun, The Shadow shoots and kills Pasty.

The Shadow sorts through detailed records of his previous cases in his sanctum. He reviews details on Charles Kistelle. During a previous crime Kistelle was an underling who managed to escape. He decided to not only break contact with his known associates but he joined the army under a false name. He deserted the army along with several others near the Mexican border. The Shadow theorizes that others may share the same face that were already confirmed on three other men. The Shadow knows that Kistelle is in New Orleans but decides not to go directly after him. First he would need evidence that would free the three men in jail accused of previous crimes. The Shadow decides to act as Boots to contact Kistelle in order to learn of upcoming plots by these criminals. The Shadow deciphers the symbols used in letters sent to Kistelle as hieroglyphs of a lost Aztec tribe in the unknown city of Zeltapec. The Shadow calls Burbank with orders for Harry to receive and mail letters sent to Boots' hideout. He then takes a plane to Texas to find the city of Zeltapec.

The citizens of Zeltapec are conducting their moon ritual as the crescent moon hangs in the sky. The Shadow locates the tribe and flies his autogyro under the moon and lands in the center of the tribe. The isolated tribe has never seen anything like this. They believe The Shadow to be a messenger of their moon God. The Aztecs take The Shadow to a room that holds a giant emerald called Chicquatil. The light that enters the room and reflects through the gem. The Shadow sees a metal statue of the Aztec God Colpoc, an evil deity in their religion. The face of the idol bears the features of Rodan and the other men.

The Aztec Chiefs show The Shadow a process they use as a form of punishment. They have metal masks of the face of Colpoc that are tightly secured to their victims until it molds their face into that of Colpoc. The Shadow asks if they ever had to use the masks. The chiefs tell him of the single occasion. This tribe by custom is welcoming to visitors. Some time ago six men came to their village. The traded goods for gold. The men had learned of Chicquatil and attempted to steal it. They were caught and forced to wear the masks so the rest of the world would see them for their wicked deeds with the visage of their malevolent deity. They were released with the gold they had traded for the tribe would not take back their gifts of trade.

In Fargo, North Dakota, Charley meets with Horace Fenwick, one of the men who share the face of Colpoc. Charley mentions Eddie, going by the name Edward P. Montague, the sixth member of their team stationed in Riviere near New Orleans. While they speak they are being spayed on by The Shadow. The job they are working in North Dakota in the town of Sharport involves a jewelry store run by a man named Dagewood. They set a time to enact their plan and separate. Kessle leaves in a new coup which The Shadow leaps on unnoticed.

Sargon's jewelry shop owned by James Sargon is positioned in a popular part of town. Maurice Cotter, James' junior partner informs him that Raymond Dagewood and Horace Fenwick were in the shop. James meets with the two men. Dagwood is known to be the wealthiest man in town. Fenwick has shown interest in seeing a collection of diamonds Dagwood has been interested in buying. After looking at them Fenwick says they look to be worth the $300,000 asking price. Fenwick claims that he has a set of gems that he wants appraised. Dagwood recommended that Sargon could take a look at them. The three of them leave the store as Cotter remains. As they approach a limousine. Fenwick holds up his thumb and index finger as a sign to Kissle waiting in his Coup. The Shadow then follows and attaches himself to the limo. As they approach the Dagwood estate they enter the home. Fenwick, who is the last to enter, hears the voice of Kistelle saying Chicquatil. Fenwick believes this means Kistelle came to tell him that something has gone wrong. Fenwick makes an excuse to the two men that he needs to check his car in order to meet with Kistelle. Fenwick finds himself face to face with The Shadow. Fenwick realizes this must be the man Kistelle spoke of some time ago in Mexico. The Shadow forces Fenwick at gunpoint to drive both of them to the jewelry store.

As Cotter closes the store he is met by Kistelle pretending to be Fenwick. Kistelle tells Cotter that Sargon wants the list describing the diamonds and that he will probably make a sale that night. When they enter the room with the safe Kistelle pulls a gun on Cotter and demands the diamonds. Kistelle tells Cotter that he will claim that Fenwick stole the diamonds but Fenwick is at the home of Dagwood and Cotter will be blamed as he was accused of theft in a jewelry store he used to work at in Chicago, unless Cotter flees the scene tonight. While Kistelle attempts to blackmail Cotter, Fenwick walks through the door. The Shadow walks in, one gun on Fenwick, the other on Kistelle. Charley drops his revolver. The Shadow tells Cotter to call the home of Dagwood and the authorities. After doing so Cotter uses Kistelle’s revolver to keep the two criminals at bay. The Shadow gives Cotter a paper that documented all six men with the same face including Edward Montague who was mentioned earlier during Kistelle and Fenwick’s meeting. The note had evidence that would exonerate the men implicated in previous crimes. The Shadow waits for the police to arrive before escaping into the night.

While the police, Dagewood, Cotter and Sargon are all on the scene discussing the crimes committed by Kistelle and his men, Kistelle and Fenwick attempt an escape. They disarm an officer. Kistelle uses the gun to shoot and kill one officer. They take the diamonds and steal Dagwood's limousine. Police chase the limo, The Shadow is also chasing the criminals in Kistelle's coupe. During the chase Kistelle drives the limo as a train approaches. The Shadow manages to cross the tracks before the train passes. The Shadow gets close enough to the Limo to start firing. He shoots one of the Limo’s tires. The Limo approaches a large ravine. Before plummeting Charley manages to jump out of the limo. The Shadow leaves the scene before the police arrive. Fenwick doesn't survive the crash and Kistelle escapes before The Shadow can confirm his death.

In San Francisco's Chinatown Charley Kistelle enters a shop that appears closed. He asks to speak with a man named Tam Sook. Dressed in an American style suit sat Tam Sook, one of the most important figures in Chinatown. Tam doesn't believe he is Charley. Kistelle looks at him and says "Don't look at my face, Tammy, listen to my voice. That's all. You'll hear Charley Kistelle's voice. That ought to be enough for you." Sook and Kistelle worked together in New York. Tam agreed that he would help Kistelle if he needed him. Kistelle tell's Tam that The Shadow had interrupted their fourth big crime and one of the six men are dead. He tells Sook when he set up the crimes he and his men committed he had set a signal for everyone to meet at Tam Sook's if their plans were discovered. They will all be at Tam's in two days to divvy their earnings and give Sook a cut. Kistelle tells Sook he is worried about The Shadow coming. Sook tells him not to worry. Tam intends to use his influence in Chinatown to handle The Shadow. The Shadow is spying on them during the meeting. All three men await Friday night when the four men with the same face will arrive.

Tam Sook is sitting in his office at 8 pm Friday evening. Tam Sook was young and functioned as an intermediary between rival factions of the Tongs. The Shadow enters Tam's building and quietly knocks out two guards. He confronts Sook in his office. He asks where the remaining members of Kistelle's gang will meet. Sook tells him that he has rigged the room to blow up if he doesn't reset the bomb in five minutes The Shadow shows Tam Sook his girisal ring. The gem pops up on a hinge to show a symbol. The sign of Chow Lee!" The sign of The Great One!" "Yes," came the weirdly-whispered reply, "the gift of those of Chow Lee - those who are even more powerful than you! Only one man, other than your own, has this sacred symbol. I am that man!" Tam Sook was still staring at the symbol. To him, as to all important Chinese in America, the sign of The Great One was a symbol of faith and loyalty. Whatever hates or friendships were made, all were leveled before this mystic symbol. All the leaders of Chinatown respected those who carried it. Tam Sook was in a daze. It was The Shadow's quiet voice that aroused him. Four minutes have passed. The Shadow tells Tam he should press the other side of his desk to diffuse the bomb. Sook realizes that the Shadow discerned the way to deactivate the bomb and still showed mercy to Tam. Having the sign of the great one and the fact that he didn't eliminate Sook and seems to be all knowing, Sook decides to help the Shadow. Kistelle arrives at the meeting place where the other four men are present. They split the earnings of all their crimes. Kistelle tells them that the jig is up. He plans to return to Mexico to steal the Chicquatil. The Shadow enters the room to confront them. Kistelle attempts to pull a gun but the Shadow uses an explosive powder by snapping his fingers to halt Charley. The Shadow pulls out the Chicquatil and places it on the table. The men shudder at the sight of it, reminding them of the torture that changed their faces. The Shadow tells them that their crimes are over and the innocent men have been freed. All that's left is for them to sign confessions that the Shadow produces. He forces them to sign each confession. He tells them that Tam Sook had betrayed them.

The Shadow takes the stolen money and the gem and hides them under his cloak. With the gem gone Kistelle gains his bearings. He recalls when he and Fenwick escaped a superior crowd of enemies. If he doesn't act now all will be over. With anger he sands and cry's " death to The Shadow". The men stand and attempt to pull their guns. The Shadow pulls his two 45s and eliminates all five of them before they can land a useful shot.

The police shortly enter the room to find each man dead with their unique confession in each of their hands. The confession of Fenwick was on the table, signed by The Shadow



Blood Standard (Isaiah Coleridge #1) 3Stars

  This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards...