It’s been over 20 years since Ellen Nehr called me up and asked if I would write an article for a project she was working on: Deadly Women: The Women Mystery Reader’s Indispensable Companion. I, of course, agreed and the wonderful volume was published in 1998. Just glance at the Table of Contents below and check out all the writers involved in providing information and recommendations for mysteries written by women or featuring women characters.

Just by serendipity, I discovered my copy of Deadly Women which had been mis-shelved for a couple of decades. I spent an hour rereading several of the essays Jan Grape, Dean James, and Ellen Nehr brought together for mystery readers. Bill Crider is here. So is Nancy Pickard, Marcia Muller, Bill Pronzini, and Ed Gorman.

Most of the best known women writers of the 1990s show up here in one form or another. The interviews reveal key facts about the writers. The checklists–although slightly dated–still are valuable.

Deadly Women is a browser’s delight! Many of these detailed articles will send you down mysterious rabbit-holes and generate Want-Lists. If you don’t own a copy of Deadly Women, copies are available for reasonable prices on-line. Do you have a favorite female mystery writer? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Foreword — Jan Grape, Dean James, Ellen Nehr		1	(2)
A Brief Look Back		3	(44)
“O, Pioneers” — Charles Champlin		5	(4)
“Lady and the Dark: Louisa May Alcott’s Literary Double Life” — Elizabeth Foxwell		9	(4)
“From Honey to Freddie” — Robert J. Randisi		13	(4)
“Women in the Pulps” — Bill Pronzini		17	(4)
“Paperback Ladies” — Bill Crider		21	(2)
“Carter Brown’s Fabulous Mystery Babe: Mavis Seidlitz” — George Kelley		23	(4)
“Leave Them Laughing: The Mysteries of Craig Rice” — Jeffrey Marks		27	(4)
“Some Women We Should Be Reading” — Ed Gorman		31	(6)
“Beyond Christie and Kinsey: The Twelve Best Women Mystery Writers You Never Heard Of” — Thomas Leitch		37	(10)
A Conversation with Mary Higgins Clark — Jan Grape		47	(10)
A Mary Higgins Clark Checklist		54	(3)
Interview with Dorothy Cannell — Dean James		57	(4)
Heroines Are Born and Influenced		61	(20)
“I Owe It All to Nancy Drew” — Nancy Pickard		63	(4)
“What Sharon McCone Learned from Judy Bolton” — Marcia Muller		67	(4)
“Nancy Lies about Her Age” — Mary Blount Christian		71	(2)
“Writer’s Bookshelf” — Margaret Maron		73	(2)
“The 10 Best Pieces of Writing Advice I Ever Received…” — Margaret Maron		75	(2)
“Drifting Through the Library Stacks” — Sharon Zukowski		77	(2)
“Early Influences” — Annette Meyers, Wendy Hornsby, John Lutz		79	(2)
Interview with Elizabeth Peters — Dean James		81	(8)
An Elizabeth Peters Checklist		86	(1)
Ten Favorite Mysteries from Barbara Mertz		87	(2)
Interview with Sharan Newman — Dean James		89	(4)
You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby		93	(22)
“Women’s Roles in the Ancient Mystery” — Lynda S. Robinson		95	(4)
“Tough Girls, Hard Cases” — Susan Wittig Albert		99	(4)
“The Lesbian Detective” — Ellen Hart		103	(4)
A Reader’s Checklist of Lesbian Detectives — Jan Grape, Dean James, Ellen Nehr		107	(2)
“PC Hits the Mystery Scene–and Gets Hit In Return” — Kathy Phillips		109	(6)
Interview with Val McDermid — Jerry Sykes		115	(4)
Interview with Patricia Cornwell — Paul Duncan		119	(6)
It’s All Part of the Writing Game		125	(42)
“Why Do They Call Them Cozies?” — Ellen Nehr		127	(2)
“Why I Don’t Write Hard-Boiled” — Carolyn G. Hart		129	(4)
“Why I Don’t Write Cozies” — Teri White		133	(2)
“The Darker Side of My Life” — Billie Sue Mosiman		135	(4)
“Midnight Louie: From Science Fiction to Feline Fiction” — Carole Nelson Douglas		139	(4)
“The Strange and True Story of a Woman Who Wrote Pulp Fiction” — Gayle Lynds		143	(3)
“Life With Ed” — Julie Smith		146	(3)
“Marti MacAlsiter: Tough Cop–Tender Heart” — Eleanor Taylor Brand		149	(2)
“The Older They Get…” — Elizabeth Daniels Squire		151	(4)
A Reader’s Checklist of Older Women Sleuths — Jan Grape, Dean James, Ellen Nehr		155	(2)
“Something to Love and Laugh At (The Aristocratic Sleuth)” — Joyce Christmas		157	(6)
“How Cyberspace Is Changing the Writer’s Life” — Barbara Paul		163	(4)
A Conversation with Marian Babson — Carol Harper		167	(6)
My Mama Told Me There’d Be Days Like This		173	(22)
“Wendy Goes to the Morgue” — Wendy Hornsby		175	(4)
“Where Dottie Came From” — Gar Anthony Haywood		179	(2)
“The Life, Loves (and Twisted Fantasies) of a She-Writer” — Joan Hess		181	(4)
“The Proper Study of Mankind is Woman?” — John Lutz		185	(4)
“Writing Like a Girl” — Wendi Lee		189	(2)
“A Heroine for Me” — Liza Cody		191	(4)
Interview with Minnette Walters — Dean James		195	(4)
Interview with Elizabeth George — Crow Dillon-Parkin		199	(6)
It’s Murder, Y’all		205	(16)
“A Matter of Pedigree” — Deborah Adams		207	(2)
“How I Became Local Color” — Toni L. P. Kelner		209	(2)
“Translating English Into…” — Barbara Burnett Smith		211	(4)
” ‘I’ Is Not Me” — Margaret Maron		215	(3)
A Checklist of Southern Mysteries — Jane Grape, Dean James, Ellen Nehr		218	(3)
Why We Love Kinsey Millhone — Bev DeWeese		221	(6)
Interview with Janet Evanovich — Adrian Muller		227	(6)
Brief Appearances		233	(10)
“Short and Sweet” — Edward D. Hoch		235	(4)
“The Long and Short of It” — Jan Burke		239	(4)
Interview with Nancy Pickard — Jeffrey Marks		243	(6)
A Nancy Pickard Checklist		247	(2)
Get Them While They’re Young		249	(10)
“Murder She Writes: Interview with Joan Lowery Nixon” — Mary Blount Christian		251	(4)
“Pathways, Pointers, and Pearls: Interview with Carol Gorman” — Carol Crowley		255	(4)
“F as in Fascination” — Don Sandstrom		259	(4)
Hidden Treasures or Buried Trash?		263	(12)
“Recycling in the New Millenium” — Susan Rogers Cooper		265	(2)
“Funny You Should Ask” — Barbara Burnett Smith		267	(1)
“Tale of Post-Feminist Gothic” — Carole Nelson Douglas		268	(1)
First Manuscript? — Jan Burke, Lynda S. Robinson, John Lutz, Wendy Hornsby, Gayle Lynds, Mary Blount Christian, Annette Meyers, Ed Hoch, Billie Sue Mosiman, Elizabeth Daniels Squire		269	(6)
Interview with Mary Wings — Adrian Muller		275	(6)
Interview with J.A. Jance — Rylla Goldberg		281	(6)
Interview with Sara Paretsky — Dean James		287	(6)
Deadly Allies		293	(14)
“Chipping Away at Affirmative Action” — P. M. (Pat) Carlson		295	(2)
“President Salutes Past, Looks to Future” — Annette Meyers		297	(2)
“Former Presidents Lead Celebration” — Eve K. Sandstrom		299	(2)
“Private Eye Writers of America `A Very Personal Reflection'” — Robert J. Randisi		301	(4)
A Reader’s Checklist of Female Private Eyes		305	(2)
A Visit with Marcia Muller — Jan Grape		307	(8)
A Marcia Muller Checklist		313	(2)
Does Crime Ever Pay Enough?		315	(26)
“On the Road without Charles Kuralt” — Marlys Millhiser		317	(4)
“Retrospect” — Joan Hess		321	(4)
“An Austin Country Mouse” — Mary Willis Walker		325	(2)
“There’s Not Much Mystery Here…” — Barbara Peters		327	(4)
“Collecting Women Authors” — Jean Swanson		331	(4)
A Sample of Collectible Mysteries by Women Writers		335	(2)
“An Independent Mystery Press…” — Barbara Peters		337	(4)
Interview with Laurie King — Dean James		341	(6)
Interview with Charlotte MacLeod — Dean James		347	(5)
Contributor Notes		352	(6)
Index		358

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Eva Cassidy’s Live at Blues Alley was originally self-released in May 1996. The album was recorded live at the Blues Alley nightclub (Washington, D.C.) in January 1996. It was the last album recorded by Cassidy before her death in November 1996. Eva Cassidy died of melanoma at the age of 33. Eva Cassidy sang a mix songs, some traditional, some classic pop–like “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “People Get Ready,” and the song she’s most known for: “Fields of Gold.” I love her talent and sound. Eva Cassidy died too young.

TRACK LIST:

1. “Cheek to Cheek” (Irving Berlin) – 4:03
2. “Stormy Monday” (T-Bone Walker) – 5:49
3. “Bridge over Troubled Water” (Paul Simon) – 5:33
4. “Fine and Mellow” (Billie Holiday) – 4:03
5. “People Get Ready” (Curtis Mayfield) – 3:36
6. “Blue Skies” (Irving Berlin) – 2:37
7. “Tall Trees in Georgia” (Buffy St. Marie) – 4:05
8. “Fields of Gold” (Sting) – 4:57
9. “Autumn Leaves” (Joseph Kosma, Johnny Mercer, Jacques Prévert) – 4:57
10. “Honeysuckle Rose” (Andy Razaf, Thomas “Fats” Waller) – 3:14
11. “Take Me to the River” (Al Green, Mabon “Teenie” Hodges) – 3:51
12. “What a Wonderful World” (Bob Thiele, George David Weiss) – 5:50
13. “Oh, Had I a Golden Thread” (Pete Seeger) – 4:46 [Studio recording]

Gregg Allman, like his brother Duane, also died too young. But this concert at the Beacon Theatre (New York City) from March 2000 bursts with energy with the Allman Brothers Band delivering their mix of rock, jazz, country, and rhythm & blues.

Peakin’ at the Beacon was the first Allman Brothers Band album to include Derek Trucks on guitar and Oteil Burbridge on bass, and the last to include founding member Dickey Betts.

The instrumental “High Falls” was nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, losing to “Dirty Mind” by Jeff Beck.

This version of the Idlewild South track “Please Call Home” was featured on their greatest hits album The Essential Allman Brothers Band: The Epic Years. GRADE: A (for both live CDs)

TRACK LIST:

All songs written by Gregg Allman, except where noted.

1. “Don’t Want You No More” (Spencer Davis, Edward Hardin) – 3:06
2. “It’s Not My Cross to Bear” – 5:12
3. “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” – 5:46
4. “Every Hungry Woman” – 5:56
5. “Please Call Home” – 4:30
6. “Stand Back” (Gregg Allman, Berry Oakley) – 5:44
7. “Black Hearted Woman” – 6:30
8. “Leave My Blues at Home” – 5:07
9. “Seven Turns” (Dickey Betts) – 4:48
10. “High Falls” (Dickey Betts) – 27:27

A few weeks ago, I read and reviewed ARCADIAN DAYS: GODS, WOMEN, AND MEN FROM GREEK MYTHS by John Spurling (you can read my post here). I always enjoyed Greek myths as a kid, so revisiting many of these classic stories delighted me. After I finished with ARCADIAN DAYS I decided to give GODS AND MORTALS: ANCIENT GREEK MYTHS FOR MODERN READERS By Sarah Iles Johnston a try.

GODS AND MORTALS: ANCIENT GREEK MYTHS FOR MODERN READERS by Sarah Iles Johnston covers some of the same ground as ARCADIAN DAYS but with a slightly different approach. Sarah Iles Johnston first introduces the Greek Gods, then explores the stories of the Gods interacting with humans (frequently in sexual ways), and then dealing with heroes, both human and god-like.

Sarah Iles Johnston then presents a detailed history of the Trojan War and its aftermath. In addition, she provides the sources for the Greek Myths and useful Index of Characters .

If you enjoy Greek Mythology as much as I do, dive into the stories in GODS AND MORTALS: ANCIENT GREEK MYTHS FOR MODERN READERS by Sarah Iles Johnston for hours of fun and enlightenment. GRADE: A

Table of Contents:

• Gods, Mortals and the Myths They Inhabit — 1
• THE GODS — 15
• GODS AND MORTALS — 57
• HEROES — 159
• THE TROJAN WAR — 315
• THE RETURNS — 361
• Ancient Sources for the Myths — 419
• Table of Sources — 433
• Notes on Sources for the Myths — 439
• The Characters of Greek Myths — 453
• Index of Characters — 459
• Acknowledgements — 477

Air was in the theaters a month ago, but I decided to wait until it came to a streaming service we had on our TV. Sure enough, AMAZON Prime Video offered Air this week and I enjoyed every minute of it. When I taught Marketing classes at my former College, I used NIKE examples all the time since most of my students were obsessed with sneakers….especially Air Jordans.

Air focuses on John “Sonny” Vaccaro (Matt Damon) who works in NIKE’s basketball division which is struggling. Vaccaro is a visionary who sees Michael Jordan as the savior of the basketball division…and of NIKE itself. The story is set in 1984 where Adidas and Converse dominates the sneaker market. Phil Knight (Ben Affleck), CEO of NIKE, needs to be convinced that Michael Jordan could be a product Game Changer. Fortunately, Vaccaro gets support from Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) in Marketing and Howard White (Chris Tucker) in Sales.

In a career risking move, Vaccaro travels to North Carolina–unannounced–to meet with Deloris Jordan (Viola Davis), Michael Jordan’s mother. As Vaccaro makes his pitch to Deloris, he predicts to her what the future meetings with Adidas and Converse will be like. And, he tells her what questions to ask them.

Although the story concerns the competition among the sneaker companies to lure Michael Jordan to their company, the real action centers around Deloris Jordan and her influence on her son (who has no interest in NIKE).

Although we know the end of Air, the suspense is considerable as Vaccaro bets his career (and the jobs of everyone in the NIKE basketball division) on the outcome of these negotiations. Today, NIKE makes $4 billion each year on Air Jordans. Astonishing! GRADE: A

I love 1980s music and Air incudes plenty from that time!

AIR SOUNDTRACK:

Track Listings

1	Money For Nothing – Dire Straits
2	Blister In the Sun – Violent Femmes
3	Ain’t Nobody – Rufus & Chaka Khan
4	Sister Christian – Night Ranger
5	All I Need Is A Miracle – Mike & The Mechanics
6	Born in the U.S.A. – Bruce Springsteen
7	Sirius – The Alan Parsons Project
8	Rock the Casbah – The Clash
9	My Adidas – RUN DMC
10	In a Big Country – Big Country
11	Tempted – Squeeze
12	Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper
13	Can’t Fight This Feeling – REO Speedwagon

On a distant planet a human colony is struggling to survive with a colder than predicted climate and problems growing food. They are down to 175 people (although they have many embryos ready…if the colony gets established). One of the 175 people is hot-shot pilot named Berto who is being questioned about an incident by the head of the colony, Marshall. Here’s part of the interview:

“Primarily that the Security officers involved were upset about the consequences of their own poor judgement, and one of them decided to work out his frustrations by assaulting an innocent bystander.”

“Huh,” Marshall says. “Mr. Drake assaulted you? How is it then, that he’s in Medical with a cracked zygomatic arch, while you appear to be completely uninjured?”

Berto shrugs. “I said he assaulted me. I didn’t say he did a good job of it.” (p. 169)

If you enjoy this kind if flippant repartee, then you’re likely to enjoy Edward Ashton’s Mickey 7. Ashton invents a future where human personalities can be stored and then reinserted into bio-3D printed bodies. This technology is used to provide a Mission Expendable–in this case Mickey 7–who does the serious and deadly work for the colony necessary for it to exist. And, this Mickey Barnes has died six times and has been regenerated for a 7th time.

Mickey 7 encounters a giant alien centipede on a mission outside the colony dome. Berto, the pilot who was providing air support, reports Mickey 7 has died…but doesn’t see that the giant alien centipede returns Mickey 7 to the dome unhurt. With the report that Mickey 7 has died, the Lab regenerates a Mickey 8. That becomes the focus of the novel with both funny and moving moments as the two Mickeys have to resolve their differences and keep their secrets while trying to stay alive from Marshall’s distaste for Expendables.

Mickey 7 is currently in production as a feature film. I’ll go see it! GRADE: B+

James Geary’s I Is an Other (2011) explores metaphors and how they work (or don’t work). Here are some examples of metaphors that don’t work:

“She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room temperature Canadian beef.” (p. 144)

“He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.” (p. 144)

Geary explains what makes metaphors work effectively. A metaphor activates two thoughts of two different things at the same time. To illustrate how this works, Geary resorts to one of my favorite Star Trek episodes:

“This same lack of essential context is what perplexed the crew of the Starship Enterprise when they encountered the Tamarians in the ‘Darmok’ episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The Tamarians speak a language no one has yet been able to fully decipher. The Tarmarian tongue is so elusive because it is so allusive, consisting entirely of kennings from the alien race’s mythology and history.” (p. 162) That is, the Tamarians speak in metaphors. In comprehending metaphor, context is king. Once the crew of the Enterprise figure out the context of the Tamarians, they cracked the language code.

I enjoy James Geary’s breezy books on metaphors, aphorisms, and wit. Highly recommended! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Foreword: Why I is an Other p. 1
Metaphor and Thought: All Shook Up p. 5
Metaphor and Etymology: Language is Fossil Poetry p. 17
Metaphor and Money: How High Can a Dead Cat Bounce? p. 29
Metaphor and the Mind: Imagining an Apple in Someone’s Eye p. 44
Metaphor and Advertising: Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads in Them p. 58
Metaphor and the Brain: Bright Sneezes and Loud Sunlight p. 76
Metaphor and the Body: Anger is a Heated Fluid in a Container p. 94
Metaphor and Politics: Freedom Fries and Liberty Cabbage p. 112
Metaphor and Pleasure: Experience is a Comb That Nature Gives to Bald Men p. 137
Metaphor and Children: How Should One Refer to the Sky? p. 152
Metaphor and Science: The Earth is Like a Rice Pudding p. 167
Metaphor and Parables and Proverbs: Mighty Darn Good Lies p. 179
Metaphor and Innovation: Make it Strange p. 197
Metaphor and Psychology: A Little Splash of Color From My Mother p. 208
Backword: The Logic of Metaphor p. 223
Acknowledgments p. 227
Notes p. 229
Bibliography p. 259
Index p. 291

I’ve enjoyed Elizabeth Hardwick’s essays over the years so this new collection of Hardwick’s more obscure essays caused me to rejoice! Take “On Reading the Writings of Women” for example. I’m always intrigued by writer’s opinions of other writers. Hardwick writes, “I found the English novelist Iris Murdoch’s book The Bell nearly unreadable. It seemed to me slow, unreal, with a superabundance of symbolic action that dulled the edge of the inspiration.” (p. 223-224).

While Hardwick wasn’t impressed by Murdoch’s work, she did read Doris Lessing’s books and raved: “These books are all superb–the works of a woman with an extraordinary gift for fiction.” (p. 224)

Many of these pieces originally were published in magazines which reflects both the content and the writing style. “Faye Dunaway” shows Hardwick’s knowledge of movies and how they display societal issues. Hardwick can also be nerdy in articles like “Knowing Sontag” and “Balanchine.”

The weakest articles–simply because they’re dated–are the political pieces. Does anyone remember the Kennedy scandals beyond Chapppaquiddick? Hardwick provides plenty of evidence that all the Kennedy men trifled with women not their wives.

If you’re looking for intelligent commentary on social, literary, cultural, and political issues, The Uncollected Essays of Elizabeth Hardwick provides plenty to think about. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction vii

The Art of the Essay 1

Places, People, Things

New York City: Crash Course 13

Lexington, Kentucky 24

Puritanical Pleasures 37

The Émigré 47

Balanchine 54

Faye Dunaway 59

Knowing Sontag 65

Katherine Anne 68

Things 77

Piety and Politics

Elections 87

Mr. America 90

Piety and Politics 97

The Kennedy Scandals 106

The Menendez Show 122

Family Values 139

Head Over Heels 155

On Behalf of the Unborn 167

Feminine Principle

The American Woman as Snow Queen 171

The Feminine Principle 180

Women Re Women 189

The Ties Women Cannot Shake, and Have 196

Is the “Equal” Woman More Vulnerable? 200

Suicide and Women 206

When to Cast Out, Give Up, Let Go 213

Readings

On Reading the Writings of Women 223

Reading 229

Southern Literature: The Cultural Assumptions of Regionalism 236

Musings

Basic Englishing 251

Parsifal 255

The Eternal Heartbreak 257

The Heart of the Seasons 263

Notes on Leonardo and the Future of the Past 270

Grits Soufflé 276

Christmas Past 278

Acknowledgments 280

Sources 281

I spent most of last week listening to new music CDs. The two I enjoyed the most are Jessie Ware’s That Feels Good! and Lana Del Rey’s There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.

As the review in the Wall Street Journal says: “The title track on Jessie Ware’s That Feels Good! launches with a clear statement of purpose as friends of Ms. Ware, including Kylie Minogue and Róisín Murphy, whisper the titular phrase repeatedly just before the irresistible beat kicks in. Its groove, powered by a rubbery bassline and surging horns, is a marvel of arrangement—there’s a great deal going on, but the track also feels infectiously light and spacious. And then the following “Free Yourself” adds a hypnotic piano and shouted background vocals to the body-moving mix, while the third track, “Pearls,” combines the force and confidence of Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” with the warmth of Donna Summer.” I agree.

I was blown away in 2019 by Lana Del Rey’s “Norman F—ing Rockwell!” It created a world of sound and music that kept me listening to it for weeks. Now Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd arrives with the same level of energy and wonder. This is Lana Del Rey’s 9th album and should rank near the top in quality. She also involves a talented team to boost her music: her frequent partner Jack Antonoff makes many contributions, and Drew Erickson and Zach Dawes, both of whom have worked with Ms. Del Rey on previous albums, appear here on multiple tracks—often to fold in dreamy strings, evoking the billowy arrangements favored by Natalie Mering of Weyes Blood.

If you’re in the mood for some marvelous music miles away from contemporary radio bilge, here are two winners! GRADE: A (for both)

TRACK LIST:

		That! Feels Good!	4:22
		Free Yourself	3:54
		Pearls	4:03
		Hello Love	4:42
		Begin Again	5:24
		Beautiful People	3:35
		Freak Me Now	3:28
		Shake The Bottle	3:23
		Lightning	3:10
		These Lips	4:21

TRACK LIST:

The Grants
A2		Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
A3		Sweet
A4		A&W
B1		Judah Smith Interlude
B2		Candy NecklaceFeaturing – Jon Batiste Featuring – Jon Batiste
B3		Jon Batiste Interlude
B4		Kintsugi
C1		Fingertips
C2		Paris, TexasFeaturing – SYML Featuring – SYML
C3		Grandfather Please Stand On The Shoulders Of My Father While He’s Deep-Sea Fishing
C4		Let The Light InFeaturing – Father John Misty Featuring – Father John Misty
D1		MargaretFeaturing – BleachersF eaturing – Bleachers
D2		Fishtail
D3		PeppersFeaturing – Tommy Genesis Featuring – Tommy Genesis
D4		Taco Truck x VB

I became a Fritz Leiber fan when I read his classic SF novel, The Big Time (1958).  It was awarded the Hugo Award for Best Novelette. The Big Time was published originally in two parts in Galaxy Magazine‘s March and April 1958 issues, illustrated by Virgil Finlay. Then ACE Books published The Big Time and The Mind Spider and Other Stories as ACE Double D-491.

Where The Big Time focuses on “The Change War” where two opposing factions use time travel to wage their conflict, some of Leiber’s short stories in The Mind Spider and Other Stories use elements of the Change War to propel their plots. Probably the most well known of these stories is “The Oldest Soldier” who shows how deadly the Change War can be. I enjoyed the mystery solving aspects of “The Number of the Beast” where a human policeman must solve a case involving alien telepaths. “Midnight in the Mirror World” is not a Change War story, but it has a haunting puzzle dealing with a mysterious Mirror World. I enjoy Fritz Leiber’s SF and fantasy novels, but he’s also adept at writing entertaining short stories. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• x • Foreword (The Mind Spider and Other Stories) • (1961) • essay by Fritz Leiber
• 1 • The Haunted Future • [Change War] • (1959) • novelette by Fritz Leiber
• 55 • Damnation Morning • [Change War] • (1959) • short story by Fritz Leiber
• 72 • The Oldest Soldier • [Change War] • (1960) • short story by Fritz Leiber
• 95 • Midnight in the Mirror World • (1964) • short story by Fritz Leiber
• 116 • The Number of the Beast • [Change War] • (1958) • short story by Fritz Leiber
• 129 • The Mind Spider • [Change War] • (1959) • short story by Fritz Leiber