Ahhh, the good old days when Enemy and Ally colors actually mattered. Red and White were enemies on the color pie, and Wizards of the Coast made cards specifically for and against other colors.
Of course, this was probably inspired by a wildfire in California or something.
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: The Romanoff Jewels
Series: The Shadow #19
Authors: Maxwell Grant
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Crime Fiction
Pages: 142
Words: 43K
Commies, Czar’ists and The Shadow all collide! Man, this was a weird read. Russian Royalty simply hasn’t been a part of our world close to 100 years now and so to read a story about it just after its heyday, still a force to be reckoned with, really threw me. It was kind of hard to take seriously too.
The Shadow really plays up the human factor in this story. He’s fully Lamont Cranston as much as he is the Shadow and he gets shot and beaten up and generally manhandled as any one person would in these circumstances. I’m used to The Shadow utterly triumphing, not surviving by the skin of his teeth.
I’ve never heard of the Romanoff Jewels, so everything about them, (a fabled stash of jewels representing the sum wealth of the Czars that was hidden away for their eventual return) was brand new and any info in the book I just took at face value. I did have some problem with the revelation that they were all fakes at the end. I had to roll my eyes at the naivete and stupidity of both commies and czarists thinking they were real. One jeweler is all it would have taken to prove things. It was shown that The Shadow’s ghirasol ring WAS one of the originals, and while it seems to have no purpose or function, it has a mystical mystique about it that in turn conferred such a feeling on the rest of the horde (that turned out not to exist). It would be like finding out that my food pantry was made up of a piece of wood from the Ark of the Covenant and that Putin and Kamala Harris were both after it.
Another good read and I enjoyed it. Overall, I don’t ever see myself re-reading these Shadow books, but that’s ok. Not every book is written to be re-read. Once and done is sometimes ok…
★★★✬☆
From the Publisher
The lofty towers of the Kremlin loomed like spectral spires against a darkened sky. Senov – master spider in a web of espionage – was about to ensnare America in the most nefarious deal of all time: behind the guise of a trade detente, he and his treacherous American trusties will swap the Romanoff jewels for help in restoring the ancient Russian monarchy! Only a certain black-clad form, swept like the shroud of night itself across the oceans and mountains of a desperate world, could hope to challenge such global enemies… and from the mysteries of New York’s Cobalt Club to the thrills of a breathtaking submarine voyage the Shadow carves a dark and hidden path for the forces of justice: beware The Shadow as you beware the darkest unknown!
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/4/24261931/wordpress-matt-mullenweg-automattic-employee-pay-package
If you wonder why there is no support at WordPress.com now, it’s because the owner just kicked out almost 10% of the workers. He paid anyone who disagreed with him to leave. Awesome.
Where can I get some of that moulah? I’d leave wordpress for 30K in a heartbeat.
Oh, this was supposed to be a celebratory post? My bad. Let me switch the flip and go into happy mode.
Oh frabjous day, oh hurray, hurray. Everything is just perfect and wonderfully and happy. Yippee ki-yay, miserable frackers!
That’s what happens when I stay awake for 40hrs. It has taken me all week to get over that little episode.
Sadly, work was absolutely bonkers this week. Several of the project managers had big jobs coming due and they were panicking like chickens with their heads cutoff. On Tuesday we started out scheduled to stay at one job for the whole day. By the end of the day, we had gone to 4 different jobs, and because we’re so fething awesome, we finished them all! Of course, on Wednesday we got jerked around again, but accomplished almost nothing. That day I went home, ate a bowl of cold cereal and went to bed.
Thursday I had a “writer” encounter with a solicitation to review a book. Nobody gets to tell me how to review their book, period. Doesn’t matter if it’s as simple as “You have to be completely honest”. That is a “condition”, a boundary, a limiting of MY FREEDOM as a reader and reviewer. They weren’t necessarily bad conditions or even onerous, but NOBODY tells me how I review a book. I left devilreads (that wretched hive of scum and villainy) over that very issue. Thankfully, it ended up being ok, as I simply declined after the conditions were revealed and we each went our separate ways. No harm, no foul. But I really could have done without that bit of straw on this camel’s back.
This whole week I have wanted to go to bed and not bother getting up. Just 9 more hours to go…
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 Pirates of Salgari
Series: Groo the Wanderer #33
Author: Sergio Aragones
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Comics
Pages: 27
Words: 2K
Well, it turns out that Rufferto the dog is some sort of anti-kryptonite for Groo. If Rufferto is on a ship, it can’t sink, even if Groo is on board. But as soon as Rufferto leaves, if Groo is still on board, sploosh, that’s it for that poor ship!
This was a great misadventure of Groo ending up fighting for both sides and not having a clue, as usual. And the ending was just SO GROO. People are fighting, so he just jumps in, hahahaha.
I included this picture because of the first two panels specifically. It was SO expressive of just what was going on. It is simplistic but it conveys everything needful of that situation. From Groo (who isn’t even pictured but is kicking butt!) to the Leader of the Pirates to the onlookers. You read those two panels and you know exactly everything everyone is doing and feeling. How incredible is that? And I think that is why I keep reading this comic. Aragones is good at telling a short story and making his art support it every step of the way.
★★★✬☆
From Bookstooge.blog
A town is plundered by pirates and offers a reward for the return of all their goods. Groo hears about it and with his dog Rufferto’s help, sails to the pirate island, where he inevitably becomes the leader of the pirates. And leads a raid on the town who is offering the reward. Groo doesn’t get his reward and goes off to sulk. Soldiers from the king attack the pirates cum villagers and Groo ends up attacking everybody. The End.
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: Doctor Syn Returns
Series: Doctor Syn #3
Author: Arthur Russell Thorndike
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 154
Words: 74K
Syn is not so bloody thirsty and hypocritical in this one, but I still had serious issues with the liqueur smuggling going on. While I’m not a fan of the government taxing the soul out of us (one of the reasons America kicked the Brits ass back in ‘76 after all), I don’t feel that the smuggling of alcohol is in any way justified. Alcohol is almost as evil as drugs and I’ll go so far as to say that it IS a drug, as bad as meth, crack or marijuana. While we have the God given right to defend ourselves (why I AM in favor of gun running, ghost guns and other such libertarian ideals that are opposed to a tyrannical dictatorship run by a woman who was not actually elected), He did NOT give us the right to get shit faced drunk. So do yourself a favor and get rid of it.
This was the story where The Scarecrow is given life and while we only see him in action once or twice, he’s as great a character as Captain Clegg was. Considering they are both Syn, it’s no wonder.
I’m still on the fence about this series. I can see myself waffling about it right up until I finish it and I can see myself just throwing it away in disgust and dnf’ing at a moment’s notice. Taking this one book at at time.
Even if I do finish the series, it’s not one I’ll ever recommend.
★★★☆☆
From Wikipedia & Bookstooge.blog
It tells the story of Syn, who has tired of piracy, tries to settle down as the vicar of the little town of Dymchurch in Kent, England.
Syn’s attempt to live an obscure life fails when he is drawn into the local smuggling trade. To protect his parishioners from the agents of the King’s Revenue, Syn becomes the masked Scarecrow of Romney Marsh and becomes leader of the smugglers.
During this time, he falls in love with the oldest daughter of his best friend only for her to die. He also finds his wife, who is on death’s door. She has a daughter by her lover. Said lover pretends to be the Pirate Captain Clegg and dies so that Syn will take care of his baby daughter.
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: Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine
Series: June 2012
Editor: Linda Landrigan
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Crime Fiction
Pages: 123
Words: 47K
Slightly better than the previous magazine, but not by much. Weighing in at only 120+ pages, this doesn’t feel like a collection; which to be fair, it isn’t, it is a magazine. But that has made me realize that I’m not a fan of magazine length collections of stories.
Also, these really feel like reject stories that weren’t good enough for anywhere else. My bias is definitely playing a big part of that, but these stories just don’t have the verve, the snap, the creepiness that the stories in the old “Alfred Hitchcock Presents…” books had. Part of that is because the stories are trying to ape those by using the 1920’s through the 1980’s as their setting but with 2010’s sensibilities. You can’t do that successfully and none of these authors did.
I’ll read the rest of what I’ve got available for this magazine, but after that I’ll go deep diving on the dark net and dig up whatever old collection of Alfred Hitchcock’s collections from back in the day that I can find.
I guess this magazine just leaves a faint aftertaste of disappointment in my literary mouth.
★★★☆☆
Table of Contents:
Department: EDITOR’S NOTE: CRIME TIME by Linda Landrigan
Department: THE LINEUP
Fiction: THE SELLOUT by Mike Cooper
Fiction: THEA’S FIRST HUSBAND by B.K. Stevens
Fiction: CUPS AND VARLETS by Kenneth Wishnia
Fiction: LAST SUPPER by Jane K. Cleland
Department: MYSTERIOUS PHOTOGRAPH
Fiction: THE POT HUNTERS by David Hagerty
Department: BOOKED & PRINTED by Robert C. Hahn
Mystery Classic: AFTERNOON OF A PHONY by Cornell Woolrich, Selected and Introduced by Francis M. Nevins
Department: THE STORY THAT WON
Department: COMING IN JULY 2012
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: Enter a Murderer
Series: Roderick Alleyn #2
Author: Ngaio Marsh
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 163
Words: 57K
The next in the “Inspector” Roderick Alleyn books. I enjoyed this more than the first book, but it still had that “edge” that unsettled me in the first book so I’m not raising my rating, not yet anyway.
This time around we’re dealing with a group of actors (stage actors, not movie actors, because of the times this is taking place in), but they are just as insufferable, arrogant and in general as much jackasses as any actor today. They are almost without fail horrible people and I didn’t feel sorry a single one of them at the inconviences, etc they had to endure while the investigation went on. It also didn’t help that Nigel, one of the characters from the first book, was here and basically being a complete idiot at every turn. Alleyn had to handle him without appearing to handle him. It was like watching a master craftsman turn a lump of turd into a turd statue. Not exactly pleasing, but still, shows skill.
I enjoyed the writing itself this time. There is something that pleases me down deep when an author shows their complete grasp of the English language and it’s multitudinal rules. It is an art and it is an art that I can actually intrinsically appreciate. Probably because “words” is my primary love language, so seeing them used absolutely correctly just pleases me.
Murder mysteries are a window into the heart of darkness and it never ceases to amaze me what people will murder for. Yes, this is fiction, but anything that some author can “think up’, well, the reality is that that has actually happened in some form or another. I don’t want to become jaded but at the same time I know I can have a rose tinted view of just what people can actually do, so it is good for me to be reminded of the reality of fallen human nature. Because if you think people are basically good, then they don’t need to be saved. And if they don’t need to be saved, then they don’t need a Savior. And if someone doesn’t think they need a savior, they will never consider turning their life over to Jesus. And that decision has eternal consequences I’m afraid.
★★★☆☆
From Wikipedia
Journalist Nigel Bathgate accompanies his friend Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn to a production of “The Rat and the Beaver” at the Unicorn Theatre. The star of the show is Felix Gardener, a friend of Nigel’s, who plays the titular Rat. The production is fantastic, and Alleyn and Bathgate’s eyes are glued to the stage. In the climactic scene, the Rat makes a dramatic entrance and shoots the Beaver, played by Arthur Surbonadier. The Beaver stares angrily at the Rat and drops dead. Only, this is not part of the show. Surbonadier really is dead, having been killed because the prop bullets in the Rat’s gun were secretly replaced by real ones.
Alleyn takes control of the investigation and learns nearly everyone in the cast hated Surbonadier. He fought with Gardener about several things, most importantly actress Stephanie Vaughn. The prop bullets were stored in a desk and must have been switched when the lights went out before the play began. Everybody seems to have an alibi. A pair of grey woolen gloves are found, smeared with stage makeup. The prop bullets have a similar substance on them. Alleyn learns very little from his interviews but suspects that Props, the prop manager, knows more than he lets on.
Alleyn, aided by Bathgate and Inspector Fox, begins to look into Surbonadier’s personal life. The actor’s uncle, Jacob Saint, owns the Unicorn and was once the target of a libelous accusation of being involved in a drug smuggling ring. The letter was allegedly written by a journalist named Edward Wakeford, but many people believe Arthur wrote it himself as an attempt to blackmail his wealthy uncle. When Alleyn searches the actor’s flat, he finds a what looks like a sheet of paper used to practice forging Wakeford’s signature. Alleyn arrests Saint, but is coy publicly about what the exact charges are.
Alleyn asks for a recreation of everyone’s movements backstage before the play began. The night before the recreation is to take place, a police deputy tracks a suspect back to the Unicorn, where he is soon found dead. Although it looks like suicide, Alleyn knows it is murder and uses the reaction from his prime suspect to the discovery of the body to prove that it was murder.
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...
