Category Archives: Reviews

Review: Tim Powers unleashes the Nephilim on 19th century poetry

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Brian Bixby

With my own interest in history and sci-fi/fantasy, it was probably inevitable I’d get around to reading some of novels by Tim Powers. Recently, I bought Hide Me Among the Graves (2012) at a bookstore warehouse sale, and had to … Continue reading →

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A Mary Wilkins-Freeman twofer

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Brian Bixby

Ever hear of Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman (1852 – 1930)? It’s not one of those names that has come ringing down the ages. She was one of those female New England regional writers circa 1900,[i] at a time when the … Continue reading →

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Review: Russell Kirk, Ancestral Shadows

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Brian Bixby

There are devils that lead to your downfall, and there are devils that make you extend yourself. My reader Judy of Janthina Images is of the latter kind. Knowing that my personal politics are a bit left, she sent me … Continue reading →

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Fictional religious communities

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Brian Bixby

There have been a lot of fictional religious communities. The Children of the New Revelation in my running serial Prophecies and Penalties are hardly the first. So I thought I’d take a look at four examples, two from the 19th century, two … Continue reading →

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Bad movie night, cinematic history, and “Salem”

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Brian Bixby

We have a tradition in my household of holding “bad movie nights.” These are evening when we bring together a number of friends of humorous (or at least sarcastic) disposition. Once together, and properly provided with food and alcohol, we … Continue reading →

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A birthday, a discovery: Elaine May

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Brian Bixby

Elaine May (born April 21, 1932) is one of those people I’d heard about, but didn’t really know about. Which is not surprising, because her career was at its peak when I was very young. By the time I grew … Continue reading →

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Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Brian Bixby

There seems to be a rule that “popular” writers are disdained by critics, if not in their lifetime then shortly after they die. After a few decades, if they’re lucky, some influential critics says, in effect, “Although I’m not supposed … Continue reading →

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Alchemists of alchemy: Principe and Jonson

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Brian Bixby

Everything you know about alchemy is wrong. Well, not everything. Yes, some alchemists tried to discover the Philosophers’ Stone, which could turn base metal into gold and guarantee long life and health. Sort of like going to Vegas. In his … Continue reading →

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Traveling in imagination to Viking Iceland

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Brian Bixby

I’ve recently been reading books on medieval Iceland. It’s a fascinating period in a curious land. The island was settled by Vikings fleeing from the rule of the first major Norwegian king, Harald Finehair (c. 850 – c. 932), or … Continue reading →

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Review: Leigh Eric Schmidt, Heaven’s Bride

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Brian Bixby

Seeing that today, March 3, is the anniversary of the passing of the Comstock Act in 1873, I thought it appropriate to review a book about one of the victims of the Comstock Act, Ida C. Craddock (1857-1902). First, a … Continue reading →

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