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
the Grilled WebSter Salade grille Chargrilled Heart of Romaine, Point Reyes Blue, Bacon Lardons, Pickled Red Onion, Tomatoes, Blue Cheese Yogurt Dressing 10
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
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!
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
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
Diane’s friend Sandie (who taught with Diane for years and is a member of Diane’s Book Club) is a master at sewing who offered to make us a pair of coronavirus masks. I chose the Super Hero theme and Diane chose a Blue theme (her favorite color). Do you have a coronavirus mask?
Humor can be the best medicine. That’s why my viewing lately has been featuring funny movies that have delighted me over the decades. Leslie Nielsen cracks me up every time I watch this film. In fact, Airplane (1980) was listed at #10 on the American Film Institute’s best comedies of all time.
With cameos by Rod Steiger, Lloyd Bridges, Kareem Abdul Jabar as well as the unforgettable Barbara Billingsley (aka, June Cleaver)–whose role as as a passenger who could “speak jive” makes me laugh every time I see it–Airplane produces more hilarity than most comedies.
