Bernard Cornwell’s The Empty Throne continues the story of Uhtred, a warrior, in the history of the forming of England. It’s the 10th Century and political forces are unleashed when the King dies. Uhtred has to battle against his enemies who want to destroy the unity he has fought so hard to build. The Empty Throne is the 8th book in the Warrior Chronicles series, but it stands alone. If you’re in the mood for a book of battle and politics, The Empty Throne blends both into a satisfying mix. GRADE: B+

Viv Albertine was a guitarist for the punk rock group, The Slits. This new memoir starts out with a lot of fun and snarky writing but as Albertine tells her stories about her life with Mick Jones, Sid Vicious, the Sex Pistols and the Clash and other 1980s British punk rock artists the book becomes darker. Viv Albertine’s abortion, her struggles with drugs, her marital problems, and her health problems make Clothes Clothes Clothes music Music Music Boys Boys Boys a long journey into sadness. A cautionary tale… GRADE: B+

Writing about the Lovecraft Mythos has become a cottage industry. Last year, over a dozen Lovecraftean collections were published. I’ve enjoyed the two earlier collections–Shadows Over Innsmouth and Weird Shadows Over Innsmouth. In this new anthology, Stephen Jones brings together a variety of Lovecraftean pastiches. I especially liked “Innsmouth Bane” by John Glasby and “The Long Last Night” by Brian Lumley. In these type of anthologies, quality is uneven. There’s an entertaining Nick Nightmare story, “You Don’t Want to Know,” by Adrian Cole. And then there are some duds like “The Archbiship’s Well” by Reggie Oliver. If you’re a fan of H. P. Lovecraft’s fiction, you’ll want a copy of Weirder Shadows Over Innsmouth. GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION: WEIRDER SHADOWS . . .Stephen Jones
THE PORT By H.P. Lovecraft
INNSMOUTH BANE By John Glasby
RICHARD RIDDLE, BOY DETECTIVE IN “THE CASE OF THE FRENCH SPY” By Kim Newman
INNSMOUTH CLAY By H.P. Lovecraft and August Derleth
THE ARCHBISHOP’S WELL By Reggie Oliver
YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW By Adrian Cole
FISH BRIDE By Caitlín R. Kiernan
THE HAG STONE By Conrad Williams
ON THE REEF By Caitlín R. Kiernan
THE SONG OF SIGHS By Angela Slatter
THE SAME DEEP WATERS AS YOU By Brian Hodge
THE WINNER By Ramsey Campbell
THE TRANSITION OF ELIZABETH HASKINGS By Caitlín R. Kiernan
THE CHAIN By Michael Marshall Smith
INTO THE WATER By Simon Kurt Unsworth
RISING, NOT DREAMING By Angela Slatter
THE LONG LAST NIGHT By Brian Lumley

It sucks. GRADE: D

I started reading Frederick Pohl back in the 1950s. The first Pohl book I read was Drunkard’s Walk. Then I started reading the Pohl and Kornbluth collections like The Wonder Effect. Those stories just bowled me over. Later, I read several of Pohl’s novels like Gateway. But I still kept up with Pohl’s short fiction over the past 50 years, too. For those of you who haven’t read much of Frederick Pohl’s short fiction, you’re in for much delight. Platinum Pohl collects most of the best work between two affordable covers. Frederick Pohl was a clever writer and these wonderful stories display his wit, too. Highly recommended!
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction James Frenkel p. 9
The Merchants of Venus p. 13
The Things That Happen p. 59
The High Test p. 74
My Lady Green Sleeves p. 83
The Kindly Isle p. 108
The Middle of Nowhere p. 124
I Remember a Winter p. 136
The Greening of Bed-Stuy p. 141
To See Another Mountain p. 180
The Mapmakers p. 193
Spending a Day at the Lottery Fair p. 216
The Celebrated No-Hit Inning p. 223
Some Joys Under the Star p. 233
Servant of the People p. 242
Waiting for the Olympians p. 255
Criticality p. 284
Shaffery Among the Immortals p. 294
The Day the Icicle Works Closed p. 304
Saucery p. 327
The Gold at the Starbow’s End p. 336
Growing Up in Edge City p. 372
The Knights of Arthur p. 380
Creation Myths of the Recently Extinct p. 407
The Meeting (with C. M. Kornbluth) p. 409
Let the Ants Try p. 417
Speed Trap p. 425
The Day the Martians Came p. 433
Day Million p. 438
The Mayor of Mare Tranq p. 442
Fermi and Frost p. 448
Afterword: Fifty Years and Counting p. 459

I’ve been reading these Pushcart Prize anthologies for 39 years. The early books were smaller and more focused. The last decade or so it seems like editor Bill Henderson has adopted a “kitchen sink” approach. The Pushcart Prize books have grown bloated. There are 65 stories, poems, and essays in this inflated volume. Half of this material could have been cut out. My favorite short story is Russell Banks’ dark “Blue.” I liked the essays “HIPPIES AND BEATS” by Edward Hoagland and “MYSTERIES OF THOREAU, UNSOLVED” by Rebecca Solnit. As usual, I didn’t like any of the poetry. GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE ZEN THING, Emma Duffy–Comparone
WHAT THE BODY KNOWS, Joni Tevis
WHY WE MUST SUPPORT PBS, Bob Hicok
MADAME BOVARY’S GREYHOUND, Karen Russell
PLAYING AT VIOLENCE, Pacifique Irankunda
WINTER ELDERS, Shawn Vestal
A TAB OF IRON ON THE TONGUE, Sandra Lim
IF IT WERE ANYONE ELSE, Lincoln Michel
ANNIE RADCLIFFE, YOU ARE LOVED, Barrett Swanson
CITY HORSE, Henri Cole
THE ICE COMMITTEE , David Means
BREAKING IT, Mary Hood
MONOLOGUE DURING A BLACKOUT, Kara Candito
SAY, Joe Wilkins
CALLING ALL ODDS, D.A. Powell
MY WHITE HOUSE DAYS, Thomas E. Kennedy
GEESE, Ellen Bryant Voigt
THE MOTHER, Latoya Watkins
THE NEWS CYCLE, Daniel Tovrov
APPROACH OF THE HORIZON, Louise Glück
THE FICTION WRITER, Maribeth Fischer
ALBION, Philip Levine
THE PROSPECTS, Michelle Seaton
MY MOTHER TOLD US NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN, Rebecca Gayle Howell
THE TOWER, Frederic Tuten
HOW TO TRIUMPH LIKE A GIRL, Ada Limón
ELEGIES 235, Kathleen Ossip
THE LAST DAYS OF THE BALDOCK, Inara Verzemnieks
YOUR GHOST, Hillary Gravendyk
LA PULCHRA NOTA, Molly McNett
BLUE, Russell Banks
VISIT #1, Afaa Michael Weaver
HIPPIES AND BEATS, Edward Hoagland
PINE, Susan Stewart
ANIMALS, Michael Kardos
ELEGY WITH A CITY IN IT, Reginald Dwayne Betts
THE UNFOLLOWING, Lyn Hejinian
HOW SHE REMEMBERS IT, Rick Bass
“TOO MANY PIGEONS TO COUNT AND ONE DOVE”, Mary Szybist
MYSTERIES OF THOREAU, UNSOLVED, Rebecca Solnit
THE STREETLAMP ABOVE ME DARKENS, Tarfia Faizullah
DAYS OF BEING MILD, Xuan Juliana Wang
LIKE A JET, Sina Queyras
THE DANCE CONTEST, Wells Tower
MINDFUL, Rachel Zucker
UNWILLING, Nance Van Winckel
BOOK OF FORGET, Rebecca Hazelton
THE WEIRDOS, Ottessa Moshfegh
TRIM PALACE, Alexander Maksik
CAPTCHA, Stephanie Strickland
WATCHING A WOMAN ON THEM101 EXPRESS, Kamilah Aisha Moon
BLACK PLANK, Nancy Geyer
BOY. CHILD WITHOUT LEGS. GETTING OFF A CHAIR., Oliver De La Paz
FOR BEDS, Matthew Vollmer
THE HUM OF ZUG ISLAND, Jamaal May
BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, Yannick Murphy
PIGMEAT, Amaud Jamaul Johnson
JOHN CLARE, Michael Dickman
FABLES, Bennett Sims
MIMESIS, Fady Joudah
WAKING LUNA, Aisha Gawad
RAPE JOKE, Patricia Lockwood
GHAZAL, Marilyn Hacker
UNMOVING LIKE A MIGHT RIVER STILLED, Alan Rossi
SUPERWHITE, Jim White

This collection of four short stories are all narrated by Richard Ford’s famous character, Frank Bascombe, whose novels–The Sportswriter, Independence Day, and The Lay of the Land–have won awards. My favorite story in this collection is “Everything Could Be Worse.” Bascombe encounters a woman who claims she once lived in the house he owns. She asks if she could look inside the house she grew up in. Then, she tells Bascombe her story. Chilling. I also liked the third story, “The New Normal,” where Bascombe visits his ex-wife in an assisted living facility. The whole issue of aging looms large. The other two stories, “I’m Here,” and “Deaths of Others” convey Bascombe’s sometimes acerbic insights about Life. I’ve read all of Richard Ford’s books. Even this late in his career, Ford still has the power to move readers. GRADE: B+

Western New York has experienced a couple of weeks of frigid temperatures (below 32 degrees Fahrenheit). Right now, the temperature is 12 degrees and the wind chill is -2. We’re just a few miles from Niagara Falls and contrary to popular belief, some parts of Niagara Falls do freeze. Here’s the visual evidence. It’s eerily beautiful.

The ever generous Beth Fedyn sent me the ARC of Funny Girl (it goes on sale tomorrow). Barbara Parker wins the Miss Blackpool beauty contest, but gives it all up to go to London to pursue a career as a comic actress. And, surprisingly, she succeeds. Barbara is changed into “Sophie Straw” by her agent. Sophie gets cast in a domestic TV comedy called Barbara (and Jim) that becomes an instant hit on the BBC TV channel in 1964. I enjoyed the way Nick Hornby presents the writing team who generates the funny scripts. Clearly, Hornby knows a few things about writing a script (he was nominated for an Oscar for the script for An Education). It wouldn’t surprise me to see a movie version of this book in a year or two. Funny Girl is fun and funny. GRADE: B+

My heart says Seattle Seahawks but my head says New England Patriots. Who do you think will win the Super Bowl?