Diane and I woke up to a chirping sound. “It’s one of the smoke detectors,” I groaned. We threw on our clothes and wandered around our house trying to find out which smoke detector was the culprit (we have 8 of them). Finally, I located the chirping unit…in the basement. This detector is hard-wired into the ceiling.

After setting up our step-stools, Diane and I managed to take the lower half of the detector down. We replaced the battery and…it still chirped. Diane fiddled with the battery. Still chirped. I fiddled with the battery. Still chirped. I changed the new Duracell battery with a new Energizer battery. Still chirped.

Finally, it occurred to me that this Kidde detector was both a smoke detector…and a carbon monoxide detector. And, carbon monoxide detectors expire after 6 or 7 years (although the manufacturers claim they’ll last for 10 years). So I called Capital Heating (the guys who installed the detector when they installed our Generac Natural Gas Generator about six years ago). Capital Heating was still up and running during the coronavirus pandemic.

I spoke with the Capital Heating dispatcher and she told me, “Our technician will be out between 4 P.M. and 7 P.M.” Since we’d been tortured by the chirping, for an hour already (it was 9 A.M.) this was NOT what I wanted to hear.

But, luck was with us! The technician arrived at 1 P.M. and sure enough, a new carbon monoxide/smoke detector installation solved the chirping problem. Better yet, the installation was totally covered under the Generac generator service agreement (go figure!). Diane tipped the technician lavishly.

Have you checked your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors lately? Don’t you just hate that infernal chirping sound?

Don’t be fooled by the faux-Nancy Drew cover of this graphic novel. Kris Bertin & Alexander Forbes deliver up a twisty mystery with disappearances, conspiracies, and strange happenings. And, as usual, a group of teenagers grapple with the mystery while adults and Authority figures tell them Nothing Is Wrong.

The Case of the Missing Men (2017) is the first part of an ongoing mystery thriller set in a weird and remote East Coast village called Hobtown. The second book in this series is The Cursed Hermit (2019). A third volume is rumored to be released in late 2020. Do you enjoy reading graphic novels? GRADE: B+

Regina King plays a police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma who occasionally dons a costume of a menacing nun and kicks serious butt. She calls herself Sister Night and she carries much of the action in this 9-episode version of Watchmen. Watchmen was an iconic comic book series in 1986-1987 by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. It tackled the dark side of super heroes. Conspiracies, betrayals, and secrets powered the series. And, in the HBO version, everything gets amped up.

Set in an alternate universe, this planet Earth has Robert Redford as President. A nuclear war has been averted by the timely (or untimely) appearance of a giant one-eyed squid that killed 3 million people in New York City and surrounding areas.

Most of the action is set in Tulsa, but flashbacks to Vietnam and Europa (the moon around Jupiter) keep the viewer off-balance. A white supremacist group called the 7th Kavalry works on turning back the clock with a violent plot. My favorite characters are Jean Smart as former Silk Spectre who is now an FBI agent and Tim Blake Nelson as Looking Glass (who wears a reflective mask) and can tell if people are lying. Jeremy Irons plays Adrian Veidt (aka, Ozymandias) who is the smartest man in the world.

If you’re looking for an unusual series, I recommend Watchmen. GRADE: A-

Daniel Boyd’s new novel, The Devil & Streak Wilson, features a convivial Devil who enjoys pulp fiction stories like Deadeye Davis Weekly Adventure. But, of course, the Devil being the Devil is in the business of Temptation. His target is Streak Wilson, a cowboy who known far and wide as the Best Shot in Ware County.

Streak Wilson is an earnest young man who resists the Devil’s offer to buy his soul, but in a moment of weakness, makes a seemingly small deal with the Devil. And then Streak learns any deal with the Devil is deadly.

I enjoyed the story of Streak and his friends, Frenchy and Pablo, as they deal with the Devil’s cunning game. The conclusion bursts with action!

You can read my reviews of Daniel Boyd’s other novels, Nada and Easy Death here and here. If you want a Western with a twist, give The Devil & Streak Wilson a try. GRADE: B+

Easter dinner from the Webster’s Bistro. Clockwise from the Easter Bunny: 17-layer Chocolate Cake, two salads, peas and asparagus, parmesan mashed potatoes, ham, pork loin, carrot cake, scalloped potatoes, Mac & Cheese, and carrots.

Easter Menu

aPPetizerS – aPéritiFS

French OniOn à l’oignon gratinée Rich Caramelized Onion Broth, Melted Gruyere and Provolone, Crouton Crock 10

She-crab biSque 12

Crab Stock, Cream, Sherry, Fines Herbs 12

baked brie Fromage brie au four Baked Brie wrapped in Prosciutto, Seasonal Preserves, Grilled Baguette 17

artichOke FrancaiSe 9

Egg Battered, pan fried, garlic, white wine, lemon, butter 9

eScarGOt Escargot
Sautéed Helix Snail, Garlic, Shallots, White Wine Butter Sauce, Puff Pastry Fleur-De-Lis 12

Salade – SaladeS

the Grilled WebSter Salade grille Chargrilled Heart of Romaine, Point Reyes Blue, Bacon Lardons, Pickled Red Onion, Tomatoes, Blue Cheese Yogurt Dressing 10

Apple, Arugula, Shaved Parmesan, Fig, Balsamic Vinaigrette 9

Small PlateS – PetitS PlatS

muSSelS Moules
PEI Mussels, Garlic, Shallots, Lemon, White Wine Butter Sauce, Fresh Herbs, Grilled Baquette 13

muSSelS & FrieS Moules Frites 16

OySter rOckeFeller Oyster Rockefeller 16

Spinach Pernod Stuffing, Béarnaise Glaze 16

ScallOP & SalmOn cakeS Galettes de pétoncles et saumon
Bell Peppers, Red Onion, Fine Herbs, Lemon Buerre Blanc, Micro Green Salad 14

radicchiO

Apple, Arugula, Shaved Parmesan, Fig, Balsamic Vinaigrette 9

caeSar César Salade
Heart of Romaine Lettuce, Garlic Crouton, Shaved Parmesan, Grilled Lemon, Caesar Dressing 9

Add White Anchovies 2
Chicken 4 • Salmon 5 • 3 Shrimp 5

entree – Plat de reSiStance

chicken FrancaiSe Poulet à la francaise
Egg Battered Chicken Breast, Lemon Beurre Blanc, Roasted Artichoke, Parmesan Risotto, Haricots Verts 27

POuSSin Poussin
Pan Roasted, Celery Root Mashed, Asparagus, Natural Jus 27

SalmOn WellinGtOn Saumon en croute
Wild Caught Norwegian Salmon, Puff Pastry with Mushroom Duxelle, Dill Béchamel, Roasted Fingerling Potato, Haricots Verts, Carrot Spikes 27

SeaFOOd SteW Bouillabaisse
Fresh Mussels, Shrimp, Scallop, Lobster Tail, Whitefish, Fennel, Tomato Saffron Broth, Pasta 32

Seared ScallOP Pétoncle poêlé
Pearled Cous Cous, Arugula, Pink Peppercorn Vinaigrette, Citrus segment 35

cauliFlOWer Steak Steak de chou-fleur Herb Pesto Spaghetti Squash, Onion Soubise, Mushroom Ragout 23

POrk chOP Côtelette de porc
Potato au gratin, fiddlehead ferns, Coarse Dijon Demi-Glace 23

duck breaSt Poitrine de canard
Pan Seared, Braised Lentils, Broccoli Rabe, Orange Gastrique 28

Grilled, Roast Fingerling, Carrot Spikes, Mint and Cilantro Chimichurri 34

lamb lOin Longe d’agneau Filet OScar Longe d’agneau 34

6oz Filet Mignon, Jumbo Lump Crab, Asparagus, Mashed Potatoes, Bearnaise 44

deSSertS

17 layer chOcOlate cake 12

incredible cOcOnut cake 10

WebSter’S bananaS FOSter 8

crème brû ́lee 7 beiGnetS 6

nutella crêPeS lemOn curd tart 9

An Easter flower arrangement from Diane’s sister Carol.

Heist novels thrill me. I love caper novels like the Parker series by “Richard Stark” (aka, Donald Westlake). And, I’ve been a fan of Genevieve Cogman’s THE INVISIBLE LIBRARY series, too. Now, in the latest volume, Librarian Irene Winter, her dragon boy-friend Kai, and a gang of misfits plan to steal a rare painting from a museum.

The large painting Winter and her crew need to steal is located in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria. But a number of problems arise.

As always, there’s tension between the Fae and the Dragons. Each member of the heist team hides secrets. The Secret Chapter may be my favorite novel in this series! GRADE: A

Look carefully at the Table of Contents and you’ll notice that for the first time in 21 volumes of The Great SF Stories, no stories came from Astounding Science Fiction. By 1959, John W. Campbell and Astounding were in decline. And, you’ll also notice, Science Fiction began being published in “Men’s Magazines” like Playboy and Gent that paid a lot better than most SF magazines.

My favorite story in The Great SF Stories #21 (1959) is “What Rough Beast” by Damon Knight. Most SF readers regard Damon Knight as a great SF critic and a formidable SF editor. But, from 1955-1965, Knight published high quality stories. And “What Rough Beast” might be the best of them.

Also notable is Clifford D. Simak’s “A Death in the House” about a peculiar First Contact in the wilds of Wisconsin. I remember that when I read “A Death in the House” as a kid, I was very moved. You will be, too.

I suspect that many SF writers in 1959 started to shift their output from SF short stories to SF paperback novels. Markets were opening up and the payments for books dwarfed the payments for short stories. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction by Martin H. Greenberg 9

“Make a Prison” by Lawrence Block (ORIGINAL SCIENCE FICTION STORIES, January 1959) 15

“The Wind People” by Marion Zimmer Bradley (IF, February 1959) 21

“No, No, Not Rogov!” by Cordwainer Smith (IF, February 1959) 45

“What Rough Beast?” by Damon Knight (THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION, February 1959) 69

“The Alley Man” by Philip José Farmer (THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION, June 1959) 101

“Day at the Beach” by Carol Emshwiller (THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION, August 1959) 159

“The Malted Milk Monster” by William Tenn (GALAXY, August 1959) 173

“The World of Heart’s Desire” by Robert Sheckley (PLAYBOY, September 1959) 199

“The Man Who Lost the Sea” by Theodore Sturgeon (THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION, October 1959) 209

“A Death in the House” by Clifford D. Simak (GALAXY, October 1959) 225

“The Pi Man” by Alfred Bester (THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION, October 1959) 251

“Multum in Parvo” by Jack Sharkey (GENT, December 1959) 273

“What Now, Little Man?” by Mark Clifton (THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION, December 1959) 279

“Adrift on the Policy Level” by Chandler Davis (STAR SCIENCE FICTION 5, 1959) 323

Back when I taught at the College, I was covered by a Cadillac Blue Cross/Blue Shield health plan. And, one of the benefits was that when I needed a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine to treat my sleep apnea, BC/BS bought it for me. About every 5-7 years, they would contact me and say, “It’s time for a new CPAP machine” even though the CPAPs I had were working fine.

That’s how I ended up with three working CPAP breathing machines in my closet. Then, with the coronavirus pandemic raging in my county, I called Memorial Hospital (who is treating Covid-19 patients) in Niagara Falls, NY and spoke to the Head of the Respiratory Unit. “I’d like to donate three CPAP machines to you, ” I offered. “We have three patients who could use them right now,” she answered.

So I loaded the three CPAP machines into my Rogue and drove to Memorial Hospital. When I got there, I was I greeted by a nurse wearing a mask, gown, and gloves. She had a small cart. I opened the hatch of the Rogue and she took out the CPAPs and carted them away.

A local business in Western NY has a contract to convert CPAP and BiPAP machines into ventilators. Check out the link below. I glad I had some equipment that I could donate for the Greater Good!

https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/buffalo-startup-turns-cpaps-into-ventilators/71-241e03aa-ccd9-4483-9868-0efb68b015db

Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer is a Young Adult novel that features a newly conscious Artificial Intelligence. The AI (who sometimes calls itself CheshireCat) runs an online social media web site named CatNet.

The narration of Catfishing on CatNet alternates between the AI and a smart 16-year-old high school student named Stephanie who deals with a difficulty forming friendships (and getting enough credits to graduate from High School) because her stressed mother moves her from small town to small town at almost random intervals to evade Stephanie’s father who is stalking them. 

Unlike the AI in The Terminator series, Kritzer’s AI is helpful and loves cats. Up to this time, the AI has just been supportive of the groups on her web site, but when Stephanie and her mother are threatened, the AI decides to take action.

In addition to dealing with her stalker father, Steph tries to make friends in the Real World. Her friends on CatNet are dispersed throughout the country. Yet, they play important roles when Steph is confronted by danger. Kritzer also provides comedy to break up the tension. Reprogramming the robot intended to teach SEX EDUCATION in a HEALTH class cracked me up!

Catfishing on CatNet presents several important issues within an exciting story. Kritzer captures the angst of teenage life and piles on more tension with an abusive father secretly lurking. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series! GRADE: A

What’s worse than a coronavirus pandemic?

How about a a world devastated by giant, powerful monsters! My friend Glenn Morton gave me this Blu-ray edition of Godzilla: King of the Monsters after he realized he had inadvertently bought TWO copies (I’ve done that myself numerous times).

In this latest installment of Godzilla, a group of eco-terrorists seek to free the monsters (aka, Titans) to destroy our polluting and unworthy civilization. Once the monsters have done their deadly work, the eco-terrorists believe they can rebuild a clean, sustaining culture.

Meanwhile, another group called Monarch determines the Titans have been infiltrated by a creature not-of-Earth: Monster Zero. Monster Zero has three heads and flies. The other monsters like Rodan and Mothra fall under Monster Zero’s sway. Monarch is convinced on Godzilla can save us.

As you might suspect, there are plenty of battle scenes. Cities get crushed. I could have done without the lame family of dysfunction subplot. But, if you’re looking for action and excitement and thrills, Godzilla: King of the Monsters delivers. Are you a Godzilla fan? GRADE: B