Initial Thoughts on Saberhagen’s Brother Assassin

February 22, 2019 Bushi 6

Yesterday I received a stack of books and booze from my wife for my birthday. I was a little ashamed, because I’ve already got such a large collection of unread ones and I keep adding more to my wish list. She has complained to me more than once that I’m […]

Revisiting the Gray Prince

February 19, 2019 Bushi 2

As I slowly make my way through A. Merritt’s The Moon Pool, I am already contemplating other reads. Fred Saberhagen’s Brother Assassin, the sequel to the excellent Berserker, looms large on my nightstand. And then there’s a pile of Vance books I’ve built over the past few months. The Last Castle and Lyonesse in particular tantalize […]

Disney’s Slide and Princess Leia Revisionism

February 13, 2019 Bushi 15

So yesterday the Star Wars Twitter account tweeted something kind of dumb: Until she blasted a hole in the floor and slid them down to certain death, and was only saved because they brought R2. Without the droid, Leia would have killed them all. https://t.co/khMCH42NOv — Daddy Warpig (@Daddy_Warpig) February […]

Bring out your dead

February 12, 2019 Bushi 3

  I’ve been sick the past few days, so please excuse the lack of content. Not quite dead yet, but I am going to use this to make a rather clumsy transition (*wait for it). Something I wanted to share – a week and change ago, Emperor’s Notepad wrote a […]

Darby

The Word-Hoard: Brogue

February 8, 2019 Bushi 3

Brogue n. An Irish or Scottish way of speaking English.   I feel like this is a word I should have known a long time ago, and maybe if you come from good Celtic stock you’re already familiar with it. As commonly as Irish or Scottish accents tend to crop […]

Dune

Dune on Change

January 31, 2019 Bushi 2

Yesterday Twitter buddy Kes of RMWC Reviews commented on a Matt Walsh opinion about young people and moving: "There is no reason not to move" Friends, family, the sunset fading behind the trees on a warm summer's eve as you sit on the porch, a place that has value because […]

JC

Burroughs by the Numbers

January 28, 2019 Bushi 3

I recently shared some thoughts on The Mucker, one of Edgar Rice Burrough’s not-SFF adventure stories. While it wasn’t among my favorites, so far as his work goes, it wasn’t a bad read, and in some respects I’d even say it gives Tarzan a run for its money. Returning to Burroughs did […]

Outlaws of Mars

Cirsova on Kline and Getting the Girl

January 24, 2019 Bushi 3

Yesterday Alex at Cirsova posted a little piece on O. A. Kline’s “Doc Morgan” series. Interesting observation about Kline’s handling of his protagonists’ love interests: Unlike Brackett’s bad-boy heroes who often end up with the bad-girl (if he didn’t kill her), Kline’s heroes may go after the good one and […]

lotr

Treasured *Thicc* Tomes

January 22, 2019 Bushi 11

I like me some lean SFF. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a good, thick sheaf of parchment – mmmm-mmm. I liked the first three-ish (it’s been so long I can hardly remember) Song of Ice and Fire books. I gorged on the Harry Potters. Dracula wasn’t exactly a thin […]

Burrough’s The Mucker

January 18, 2019 Bushi 6

So I just finished reading The Mucker, and it was…not bad. I may have liked it better than Tarzan, or maybe I should say I liked certain elements better. [Tasty spoilers ahead] Ladies first – Barbara Harding was a way better character and love interest than Jane Porter. It kind of felt […]