Category Archives: Reviews

The comparative anatomy of glamorous vampires: two novels

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Since the serial I’m writing, Martha’s Children, is a vampire story, I figured I should get caught up on some of the contemporary literary depictions of vampires. As luck would have it, I stumbled into two novels of vampires of the … Continue reading →

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Chapter 27 of Martha’s Children, and Rick Springfield’s Nick Knight

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Martha’s had a bad day. A dead sorceress has hauled her out of her coffin, one of her offspring left behind a dismembered corpse, and she passed out unexpectedly. But it’s now nighttime, and nighttime is the right time when … Continue reading →

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Chapter 22 of Martha’s Children, and Innocent Blood

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Brian Bixby

The Vampire Bureau goes public! Criminals beware! But Sherlock Kammen is sitting on the sidelines, still trying to track down Martha and her sorceress Make Love Not War. Well, at least until a waitress starts asking questions. Watch Kammen take … Continue reading →

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One billion years plus forty: Brian Aldiss and the history of sci-fi

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Brian Bixby

One of my constant readers, Judy (whose blog demonstrates her skills as a photographer), sent me a copy of Brian W. Aldiss’s Billion Year Spree: The True History of Science Fiction (1973), along with some cards featuring her photography. The … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Reading fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Chapter 20 of Martha’s Children, and a few thoughts on the Dresden Files

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Like Ned O’Donnell, Sherlock Kammen has a favorite sister . . . well, in his case, his only sister. Kate (née Hecate) has always been the older, more sophisticated sister, the one member of the family who moves among the rich … Continue reading →

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A few good words about time travel: two books, du Maurier and Riggs

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Having just trashed time travel in a previous post, I thought I’d cover two books that use it in unusual ways as a plot device, one book an old favorite, the other a recent book I’ve just read. The old … Continue reading →

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Chapter 18 of Martha’s Children, and time travel

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Brian Bixby

In the last episode, Sherlock Kammen got ventilated, by bullets, that is, so we need a new narrator. Sally Truax, Internal Affairs’s finest, steps up to the plate to tell us what happened after she shot up her sometime lover, … Continue reading →

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You’ll be missed, Iain (M.) Banks

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Just saw the news this morning about the death of Iain Banks yesterday, at age 59 (1954-2013). Banks was one of the living science fiction writers I wanted to meet; now I’ll never have the chance. And we won’t see … Continue reading →

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Review: Spencer Kansa, Wormwood Star: The Magickal Life of Marjorie Cameron

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Brian Bixby

N.B.: A revised and enlarged edition of this book has been published in 2014. The author informs me the new edition addresses some of the issues I raised. (This does not mean the author agrees with or endorses my review.) … Continue reading →

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Review: Seanan McGuire, Midnight Blue-Light Special

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Brian Bixby

It’s time for another review of a recent book from a prospective author’s perspective. Today’s subject is Midnight Blue-Light Special, which despite its title is not about shopping, but an “urban fantasy” (according to the publisher) written by Seanan McGuire, a … Continue reading →

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