Of all the contemporary SF writers, John Scalzi reminds me most of Robert Heinlein. I loved Scalzi’s Old Man’s Universe series, especially Old Man’s War (2005). I was less enthused about Scalzi’s The Interdependency series. So I wondered what Scalzi would do with his latest novel, Kaiju Preservation Society (2022). After reading it, I would say Scalzi’s back in the Old Man’s War mode.

Kaiju Preservation Society is narrated by a food-delivery guy named Jamie Gray. When offered a job outside the food delivery industry, Gray jumps at it. What Jamie gets is a mission to both protect the Earth and to protect a very different alternate Earth. I want to avoid spoilers but dragons are involved.

The alternate Earth Scalzi creates is reminiscent of Harry Harrison’s Deathworld novels: everything on that planet wanted to kill you.

There’s some clever plotting, some mysteries, some conspiracies, and an action-packed ending that will remind you of an early Heinlein SF novel. If you’re in the mood for some frothy but fun SF, Kaiju Preservation Society delivers! GRADE: B

I discovered Conan the Barbarian like many readers did in the 1960s when Lancer Books start publishing Robert E. Howard’s work. I especially loved the Frank Frazetta covers that graced some of the volumes.

Then in the early 2000s, Ballantine Books started publishing Robert E. Howard’s works in hardcover editions (later trade editions became available, too). THE COMING OF CONAN THE CIMMERIAN from 2006 includes many of the classic Conan stories like “The Frost Giant’s Daughter,” “The Tower of the Elephant,” and “Queen of the Black Coast.” Robert E. Howard captured the character of Conan perfectly and these stories hold up after decades of neglect.

Are you a fan of Conan the Barbarian? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• “Foreword” (Mark Schultz) — xv
• “Introduction” (Patrice Louinet) — xix
• “Cimmeria” (poem) — 1
• “The Phoenix on the Sword” — 5
• “The Frost Giant’s Daughter” — 29
• “The God in the Bowl” — 39
• “The Tower of the Elephant” — 59
• “The Scarlet Citadel” — 83
• “Queen of the Black Coast” — 119
• “Black Colossus” — 149
• “Iron Shadows in the Moon” — 183
• “Xuthal of the Dusk” — 211
• “The Pool of the Black One” — 245
• “Rogues in the House” — 271
• “The Vale of Lost Women” — 295
• “The Devil in Iron” — 313
• “The Phoenix on the Sword” (first submitted draft) –345
• “Notes on Various Peoples of the Hyborian Age” — 369
• “The Hyborian Age” — 371
• Untitled Synopsis (“The Hall of the Dead“) — 393
• Untitled Synopsis (“The Scarlet Citadel”) — 395
• Untitled Synopsis (“Black Colossus”) — 397
• Untitled Fragment (“The Hand of Nergal“) — 399
• Untitled Synopsis #2 (“The Snout in the Dark“) — 401
• Untitled Draft (“The Snout in the Dark”) — 403
• “Hyborian Names and Countries” — 411
• Hyborian Age Maps (drawn by Howard) — 415
• “Hyborian Genesis: Notes on the Creation of the Conan Stories” (Patrice Louinet) 423
• “Notes on the Conan Typescripts and the Chronology” (Patrice Louinet) — 447
• “Notes on the Original Howard Texts” –453
• Sketches — 459

I fell into a Kate Bush mood and listened to her first album, The Kick Inside (1978) and The Whole Story (1986). The Kick Inside was remastered in 2018 which made Kate Bush’s premier recording sound even better! The Kick Inside includes Katie Bush’s UK No. 1 hit, “Wuthering Heights“. The album peaked at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart and has been certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Kate Bush became the first female artist to have an entirely self-penned Number One hit in the UK.

The production of The Kick Inside included several progressive rock performers, including Duncan Mackay, Ian Bairnson, David Paton, Andrew Powell, and Stuart Elliott of the Alan Parsons Project, and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd.

“Wuthering Heights,” one of my favorite Kate Bush songs, was released as her debut single on January 20, 1978 when she was just 18 years old. Inspired by the 1847 Emily Brontë novel of the same name, “Wuthering Heights” stayed at Number One on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks, and remains Kate Bush’s most successful single.  I love Ian Bairnson’s guitar solo at the end of the song.

For some reason, Kate Bush re-recorded the vocals to “Wuthering Heights” on The Whole Story. I prefer the original vocals. Both of these CDs will fill your ears with incredible music! Some of Kate Bush’s best work shows up on The Kick Inside and The Whole Story. Are you a Kate Bush fan? GRADE: A (for both)

The Kick Inside: Track listing

All tracks are written by Kate Bush.

The Whole Story TRACK LIST:

It’s hard to believe I’ve contributed 75 reviews to Patti Abbott’s WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES. It seems like only yesterday….

Since this is the 75th post in this series, I thought I’d feature one of my favorite mystery short story collections: Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini’s A Century of Mystery 1980-1989. Not only does it feature plenty of great writers, the stories tend to be full of surprises!

Let’s start with Frederick Forsyth’s classic “There Are No Snakes in Ireland” with its tricky ending. Lawrence Block is at his best in “As Good as a Rest.” I’ve always enjoyed Tony Hillerman’s “Chee’s Witch.” Ed Gorman’s “The Reason Why” is both clever and profound. And, of course, Marcia Muller’s “Deadly Fantasies” and Bill Pronzini’s “Stacked Deck” fit right into this All-Star line-up.

If you’re looking for a great mystery anthology, A Century of Mystery 1980-1989 fits the bill. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction: Edward D. Hoch — 1

The Good Samaritan by Isaac Asimov — 7

A Man With a Fortune by Peter Lovesey — 23

There Are No Snakes in Ireland by Frederick Forsyth — 36

A Great Sight by Janwillem van de Wetering — 59

Greektown by Loren D. Estleman — 69

Father’s Day by Ruth Rendell — 85

The Worst Crime Known to Man by Reginal Hill –97

A Case of Chivas Regal by George V. Higgins — 105

Lucky Penny by Linda Barnes — 116

As Good as a Rest by Lawrence Block — 136

Chee’s Witch by Tony Hillerman — 146

Hit-and-Run by Susan Dunlap — 157

King’s X by Brian Garfield — 168

Skin Deep by Sara Paretsky — 183

Stacked Deck by Bill Pronzini — 197

More Final Than Divorce by Robert Barnard — 219

The Dakar Run by Clark Howard — 228

The Reason Why by Edward Gorman — 260

Blood Types by Julie Smith –270

Deadly Fantasies by Marcia Muller — 293

Obi-Wan Kenobi is the latest Star Wars television series–like The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett–to stream on Disney+. It is part of the Star Wars franchise, beginning ten years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), and stars Ewan McGregor as the title character, reprising his role from the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

Ten years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith—in which the Jedi were destroyed by Order 66 and Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, became the Sith Lord Darth Vader—Kenobi is in hiding on the planet Tatooine. He’s watching over Anakin’s son Luke, when he is called on a mission to rescue Anakin’s daughter, Leia, after she is kidnapped by the Galactic Empire’s Jedi-hunting Inquisitors in a plot to draw Obi-Wan Kenobi out of hiding and capture him.

I watched the two episodes available–there will be six in all–and after a slow start Ewan McGregor starts to shed the meek manner he cultivated on Tattooine to hide from the Inquisitors who hunt Jedi. After tracking the kidnappers to the corrupt planet Daiyu, Obi-Wan Kenobi discovers that there’s something more trying that the sinister Inquisitors…the stubborn little girl named Princess Leia. So far, so good. GRADE: Incomplete

“SPRINGTIME, ANYTIME: Celebrate the joy of spring with this wonderfully balanced and smooth coffee. A unique blend of coffee from both Africa and Latin America, with notes of rich cocoa and lush dried fruits, this harmonious bloom of flavor is the perfect centerpiece for any springtime gathering.”

That’s the marketing hype displayed on the side of the STARBUCKS SPRING DAY BLEND and I agree with the “harmonious bloom of flavor.” Starbucks brings out these “LIMITED EDITION” coffee blends throughout the year and I always give them a try. Some are hits–like STARBUCKS SPRING DAY BLEND–others like Honey & Madagascar Vanilla Blend miss the mark. What’s your favorite beverage? GRADE: A-

You will soar with the Aerial Acrobatics in Top Gun: Maverick! Tom Cruise returns after 36 years to play Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, Navy pilot, who is ordered to train young pilots for a borderline suicide mission.

In what sounds like Iran (although it looks more like Switzerland), a nuclear facility is about to go online. The Navy has been ordered to blow it up. But, the facility is protected by SAM missiles and dangerous mountains. Oh, and there’s a nearby enemy air base with advance fighter jets to contend with.

Maverick shows up at Top Gun (aka, Fighter Weapons School) at San Diego.

The group gathered for this mission are the hottest hotshots of the Naval Air Force. In addition to Rooster (Miles Teller)—who will maintain, for a while, a hostile relationship with Maverick—they include Reuben “Payback” Fitch (Jay Ellis); Jake “Hangman” Seresin (Glen Powell); Mickey “Fanboy” Garcia (Danny Ramirez); Natasha “Phoenix” Trace (Monica Barbaro); and Robert “Bob” Floyd (Lewis Pullman).  Maverick has to train them and then choose who will be the pilots for mission itself.

The plot is conventional, the romance between Maverick and a lovely bar owner (Jennifer Connelly) has its Hallmark moments, and the antagonism between Maverick and Rooster (Goose’s angry son) is predictable.

But once the jets hit supersonic speed, the movie rockets into adventure and thrills galore. You’ll want to see Top Gun: Maverick on a big screen. It’s worth the IMAX price! See you in the Danger Zone! GRADE: storyline: C; flight scenes: A+

Steve Allen was a well-known comic in the 1950s and 1960s. But, after that, Steve Allen slipped into obscurity. But, before Allen pretty much disappeared, he wrote this book: Curses! A Collection of Verbal Vengeance for Every Occasion (1973). I always considered Steve Allen as one of the brighter and more clever comedians of his time. This book demonstrations many of his strengths: wit, guile, and slyness.

My favorite curse in this book is: “May your wife understand you.” Who is your favorite comedian? GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction — 1

Cursing techniques — 7

The curse: Does it work? — 16

The anger of the ancients — 21

The Jewish verbal weapon: Humor — 27

The wrath of Allah — 48

Cursing in church — 54

Critical prayer: Another name for cursing? — 62

Black words from the Emerald Isle — 66

The curse of the frog — 78

Curses from paradise — 81

The original curse of the Gypsy — 86

The Curse of Garra –94

The Skeptics — 96

The Curse As A Boomerang — 98

A Curse in Rhyme — 100

Curses In Wich Actions Speak Louder Than Words — 103

The Last Word — 106

The decade 2000-2009 wasn’t an especially great time musically so you can’t blame this compilation CD because it isn’t better. The compilers didn’t have much to work with.

But there’s plenty of ear-worm material here. Shaggy’s “Wasn’t Me” can still be heard currently in Cheeto’s TV and Discover Card commercials. When Britney Spears was “freed,” there was an explosion of “Oops!…I Did It Again.” “Just Dance” is my favorite Lady Gaga song.

“Since U Been Gone” made Kelly Clarkson a star, but now she’s selling Wayfair furniture. Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” riled the Religious Right back in the day before Homosexual Weddings were deemed legal by the Supreme Court (who may just rescind that ruling after squashing Roe v. Wade).

Do you remember these songs? Any favorites here? GRADE: B

Tracklist:

1. Oops!… I Did It Again – Britney Spears
2. I Kissed A Girl – Katy Perry
3. Just Dance – Lady Gaga feat. Colby O’Donnis
4. Bye Bye Bye – *NSYNC
5. I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyes Peas
6. SexyBack – Justin Timberlake
7. Low – Flo Rida feat. T-Pain
8. Survivor – Destiny’s Child
9. Family Affair – Mary J. Blige
10. Thong Song – Sisqo
11. It Wasn’t Me (feat. Ricardo Ducent) – Shaggy
12. U Got It Bad – Usher
13. This Love – Maroon 5
14. Party In The USA – Miley Cyrus
15. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson
16. Kryptonite – 3 Doors Down
17. The Reason – Hoobastank
18. Hanging By A Moment – Lifehouse
19. How To Save A Life – The Fray