From 1982 to 2004, TOR Books published 48 Conan pastiches (the complete list is here). I’ve read a couple dozen of those TOR Conan novels and found the quality to be uneven. But there seems to be agreement that one of the best pastiches in the TOR series was Conan and the Emerald Lotus (Nov. 1995) by John C. Hocking (check out rankings here).

After almost 20 years, John C. Hocking finally finished the sequel to Conan and the Emerald Lotus: Conan and the Living Plague (2020). Titan Books has brought out Conan and the Emerald Lotus and Conan and the Living Plague together in one large volume titled Conan: City of the Dead (2024).

Conan and the Emerald Lotus tells the tale of Conan and a beautiful, but addicted sorceress who travels to The Dragon’s Spine deep in the desert to get more magic power from the Emerald Lotus. Evil sorcerer Ethram-Fal’s stronghold in the badlands of ancient Stygia holds both the Emerald Lotus and deadly traps.

Conan and the Living Plague is a solid sequel to Conan and the Emerald Lotus. Conan is recruited by a weak nobleman to be part of a small mercenary force headed to the isolated mountain city of Dulcine. Dulcine is situated on a diamond mine and rumored to have colossal wealth. But, the city is filled with ghouls and a murderous entity created from dark magic. The mercenary force manage to enter the doomed city of Dulcine, but the terrors just begin. I really loved Hocking’s adding a dash of H. P. Lovecraft to the mix!

If you’re a fan of Conan the Barbarian, you’ll love Conan: City of the Dead. GRADE: A (for both)

On June 13, 2024, I posted about The Soul Story, Volume 2. Steve Oerkfitz liked the compilation and commented, “Probably the best one you have reviewed that I can recall.”

So to honor Steve after his untimely death, I offer this initial 2-CD set of the TIME-LIFE series. I would like to think Steve would have loved this compilation as much as he loved The Soul Story, Volume 2. GRADE: A

TRACK LIST:

1-1	Wilson Pickett–	634-5789
1-2	Sam & Dave–	Soul Man
1-3	Aretha Franklin–	Don’t Play That Song
1-4	Eddie Floyd–	Knock On Wood
1-5	Al Green–	Tired Of Being Alone
1-6	Johnnie Taylor–	Who’s Making Love
1-7	Solomon Burke–	Got To Get You Off My Mind
1-8	Jean Knight–	Mr. Big Stuff
1-9	Bar-Kays–	Soul Finger
1-10	Otis Redding–	Try A Little Tenderness
1-11	Barbara Acklin–	Love Makes A Woman
1-12	The O’Jays–	Back Stabbers
1-13	Doris Troy–	Just One Look
1-14	Joe Simon–	The Chokin’ Kind
1-15	Barbara Lewis–	Baby, I’m Yours
2-1	Ray Charles–	What’d I Say
2-2	Aretha Franklin–	(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman
2-3	Ike & Tina Turner–	A Fool In Love
2-4	Ben E. King–	Spanish Harlem
2-5	Otis Redding–	That’s How Strong My Love Is
2-6	Darrell Banks–	Open The Door To Your Heart
2-7	Wilson Pickett–	I Found A Love
2-8	Jerry Butler–	He Will Break Your Heart
2-9	Dionne Warwick–	Walk On By
2-10	The Impressions–	Choice Of Colors
2-11	The Capitols–	Cool Jerk
2-12	Linda Jones–	Hypnotized
2-13	Deon Jackson–	Love Makes The World Go ‘Round
2-14	Carla Thomas–	Gee Whiz (Look At His Eyes)
2-15	The Mar-Keys–	Last Night

Robert Hichens (1864-1959) was a prolific writer producing over 60 novels, a dozen short story collections, travel non-fiction, and plays. Several movies were made based on Hichens’s works, most prominently, Alfred Hitchcock’s THE PARADINE CASE (1947).

In his excellent “Introduction,” S. T. Joshi maps Hichens’s long writing career from decade to decade. Of the short stories included in The Folly of Eustace and Other Satires and Stories I was most affected by “The Lift.” A young man finds himself stuck in a stalled elevator with a middle-age woman who does not understand his language. The woman is married to a man who insults her and abuses her. The woman’s husband has threatened to kill her. The woman begs the young man for help, yet he thinks he’s helpless in this situation. The psychological aspects of the story are haunting.

Hichens’s stories always feature strong women. I also liked “A Boudoir Boy” where a 64-year-old woman entices a young man to teach her how to be “decadent.” A clever and satiric story!

If you’re looking for something different from a century ago, you might give The Folly of Eustace and Other Satires and Stories a try. You’ll be entertained and surprised! GRADE: B

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction by S. T. Joshi –7

The folly of Eustace — 13

The Two Fears — 33

The Lift — 38

The Last Time — 51

The Facade — 92

The Letter — 135

A Boudoir Boy — 181

The Piano — 192

The Worth While Man — 206

Bibliography — 222

I fell in love with Lucy Lawless when she showed up on my TV in  Xena: Warrior Princes. Now she plays PI Alexa Crowe, former detective of the Victoria Police Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) in My Life is Murder.

The fourth season consists of 8 episodes. If you’re in the mood for a “cozy” style of mystery, give My Life is Murder a try. I’ve only watched one episode so…GRADE: Incomplete but trend towards a B.

Dmitri Alperovitch is a member of a national security think tank. He is also cofounder of Crowdstrike, one of the world’s largest cybersecurity companies. Alperovitch believes China is preparing for a 2028 invasion of Taiwan. He provides the data that leads him to this conclusion.

Alperovitch suggests several strategies to prepare for this eventuality…and perhaps dissuade China from taking this world order destabilizing step. But we have to act quickly!

Alperovitch believes China plans the Taiwan invasion as a result of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Alperovitch’s analysis of the U.S. and NATO response to Putin’s actions only gives China incentives to prepare to conquer Taiwan. One way China might be deterred from their Taiwan plans is if Ukraine “wins” against Russia. If the U.S. and NATO can provide the weapons and resources for the Ukrainians to stop the Russian advances into their territory, China may re-think their Taiwan plans.

So far, both the U.S. and NATO have not done a good job providing the Ukrainians with the resources they need to resist Russian aggression. That leads China in believing if they attack Taiwan, the U.S. and its allies in the Pacific won’t support Taiwan enough to stop the Chinese invasion.

My favorite chapter in World on the Brink is Chapter 4: They Are Weaker Than We Think. Alperovitch’s analysis of Chinese politics and culture show significant problems. The major problem is China does not have advanced computer chips that make Western military weapons so sophisticated and and powerful. That could be a turning point in an attack on Taiwan if the island nation has better weaponry. Chinese leaders know that a long war could be a threat to their Government.

Alperovitch calculates that if the U.S. can keep its allies united, China will continue to procrastinate with their military plans. Also, if the U.S. can stay focused and avoid the gaffs committed in the past year with failures to supply Ukraine adequately, disaster might be avoided. What do you think? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Prologue: A Dispatch from the Future 1

Introduction 13

Part I Cold War II, a New Era

Chapter 1 The Road to the Brink 31

Chapter 2 Distracted and Disoriented 67

Chapter 3 The Taiwan Dilemma 95

Chapter 4 They Are Weaker Than We Think 139

Chapter 5 We Are Stronger Than We Think 169

Part II A Game Plan for Victory

Chapter 6 Step One-Enable Innovation 191

Chapter 7 Step Two-Defend Innovation 257

Chapter 8 Step Three-Say Yes to Our Friends 299

Chapter 9 Step Four-Say No to Distractions 329

Conclusion 353

Acknowledgments 363

Source Notes 367

Should Biden stay or should he go? The Economist and The New York Times and plenty of other media outlets and pundits–including George Clooney–say Biden should withdraw from the Presidential race. What do you think?

I tend to live in the Past and from time to time I go on a nostalgia kick. This week it was Doc Savage (it was Tarzan a couple of weeks ago). I started reading and collecting Doc Savage paperbacks back in 1964 and I’m nowhere near reading all 182 Doc Savage novels but I have read dozens of them.

Robert Micheal “Bobb” Cotter’s A History of the Doc Savage Adventures presents plenty of information on the series and captures the unique aspects of the character. Doc Savage first appeared in 1933 with the Great Depression and the prospect of a world war affecting the stories. Science is blended with acton as Doc Savage and his band of skilled heroes take on villains and mysterious entities.

The artwork section of A History of the Doc Savage Adventures features illustrations, covers, and original artwork. I enjoyed the chapters on Doc Savage paperbacks, the pulp magazines, the comic books, and various fanzines. Also useful is an appendix that offers biographies of all major contributors to the Doc Savage series.

If you’re a Doc Savage fan, A History of the Doc Savage Adventures is a must-read! Do you have a favorite Doc Savage novel? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction—Who Is Doc Savage?      1

One. A New Deal, a New Hero      11
Two. All This and World War, Too      105
Three. The Bronze Age Meets the Atomic Age      140
Four. The Doc Savage History of Comics      158
Five. Doc Savage on the Air and in the Movie(s)      173
Six. The Fan(zines) of Bronze      190
Seven. The New Adventures of Doc Savage      202

Appendices
1. The People Behind Doc Savage      211
2. The Best of Doc Savage: Novels, Pulp and Paperback Covers      218
3. Street & Smith’s Doc Savage Magazine Issues      221
4. Bantam’s Doc Savage Paperbacks      223
5. Doc Savage Comicography      224
Bibliography      229
Index      231

“She’d left older man Leonard behind in New York and partnered with a series of increasingly boyish catches: hairy David Crosby was soon dumped for wispy Gram Nash, who lost out to lanky James Taylor, now by the world as Sweet Baby James. He was later replaced (though only for an unhappy moment) by wide-eyed Jackson Browne.” (p. 45)

Ann Powers, veteran music critic for National Public Radio and other media outlets, takes a chronological approach to Joni Mitchell’s career. Joni and Chuck Mitchell get married, have a daughter, Kelly Dale, and then split: “one month into the marriage, he checked out, I chickened out.” (p. 86). I was surprised to learn Judy Collins and Mama Cass had the same dilemma Joni Mitchell had with Kelly Dale. It was a rough time for single mothers who wanted to be singers.

The dilemma of being a mother weighed on Joni Mitchell. “She might have still gone back to art school. She could have stayed in one place and raised her child. Joni Mitchell, having burned those roads behind her, knew something most people her age didn’t know about commitment: its allure, but also its costs.” (p. 88)

The big career break came in 1968 when Judy Collins heard “Both Sides Now” and knew it was the perfect song for her. “She recored it, and recored it again. She knew her version could be a hit, with its distinctive woodwind-driven arrangement by Joshua Rifkin, but at first the mix was wrong.” “…So David Anderle–one of Collins’s main producers… remixed it and remixed it, and remixed it and remixed it. And finally he got a mix that worked and suddenly got really big.” (97-98)

Ann Powers also points out influences on Joni Mitchell’s work. In 1959, Miles Davis brought out Kind of Blue which became an instant classic. Joni Mitchell loved Kind of Blue and that influence shows up on her Blue album in 1971. Powers’s analysis of Blue (p. 178-191) is one of the high points of Traveling.

I also enjoyed the chapter on how Court and Spark came together. But as the 1970s tail off, so does Joni Mitchell’s career. New musical styles dominate the airwaves and Mitchell’s style of music is relegated to Easy Listen stations.

The 1980s and 1990s featured another marriage (which ended in 1994) and more jazzy recordings that received mixed reviews and weak sales. In 2015, Joni Mitchell suffered a brain aneurysm. She was unable to speak clearly at first and could no longer walk. Today, Joni Mitchell is celebrated as a brilliant songwriter and performer. If you’re a Joni Mitchell fan, you’ll learn a lot that you didn’t know about this iconic figure in Ann Powers’s Traveling. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

A Note On Naming IX 

Introduction: Drawing the Maps 1 

1 Childish Things 35 

2 The Humming of the Wheels 60 

3 The Boys 113 

4 The Sorrow 161 

5 Freedom through Fusion 193 

6 Hejira Means Pilgrimage 235 

7 For Art’s Sake 265 

8 The Marriage 289 

9 Weaving Garlands 337 

10 Emissaries 367 

ViVa: A Moving Conclusion 399 

Acknowledgments 406 

Notes 409 

Index 424 

Terrific music, 5 CDs worth! Joni Mitchell was at the top of her game during this period of time! GRADE: A

TRACK LIST:

Disc one:

No.	Title	Length
1.	“Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire”	3:58
2.	“For the Roses”	4:03

No.	Title	Length
3.	“Banquet”	3:13
4.	“Lesson in Survival”	3:15
5.	“Like Veils Said Lorraine”	2:15
6.	“See You Sometime”	3:04

No.	Title	Length
7.	“This Flight Tonight“	3:30
8.	“Electricity”	3:26
9.	“Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire”	5:22
10.	“Big Yellow Taxi“	3:16
11.	“Blue“	2:38
12.	“For Free”	4:37
13.	“Banquet”	3:20
14.	“All I Want”	3:38
15.	“A Case of You” (intro)	0:39
16.	“A Case of You”	4:41
17.	“Carey” (intro)	1:29
18.	“Carey”	3:19
19.	“Lesson in Survival”	3:18
20.	“Woodstock“	4:06
21.	“You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” (intro)	0:29
22.	“You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio”	2:54
23.	“For the Roses” (intro)	0:37
24.	“For the Roses”	3:52

Disc two:

No.	Title	Length
1.	“Both Sides Now“	5:42
2.	“My Old Man”	3:54
3.	“The Circle Game” (intro)	1:50
4.	“The Circle Game”	5:57

No.	Title	Length
5.	“Medley: Bony Moronie / Summertime Blues / You Never Can Tell” (with James Taylor)	3:59
6.	“Electricity” (with James Taylor)	3:32
7.	“You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” (with Neil Young and the Stray Gators)	3:26
8.	“See You Sometime” (early version with bass & drums)	3:11
9.	“You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” (early version with bass & drums)	2:58

No.	Title	Length
10.	“Judgement of the Moon and Stars (Ludwig’s Tune)” (intro)	0:45
11.	“Judgement of the Moon and Stars (Ludwig’s Tune)”	5:49

No.	Title	Length
12.	“Blonde in the Bleachers” (alternate guitar mix)	2:43
13.	“Let the Wind Carry Me” (piano/vocal mix)	4:00
14.	“Barangrill” (guitar/vocal mix)	2:52
15.	“Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire” (sax guide vocal)	4:17
16.	“Sunrise Raga”	3:42
17.	“Twisted” (early alternate version)	2:01

No.	Title	Length
18.	“Big Yellow Taxi” (intro)	0:59
19.	“Big Yellow Taxi”	2:40

Disc three:

No.	Title	Length
1.	“Piano Suite: Down to You / Court and Spark / Car on a Hill / Down to You”	12:33
2.	“People’s Parties”	3:02
3.	“Help Me“	3:31
4.	“Just Like This Train”	3:48
5.	“Raised on Robbery“	2:55
6.	“Trouble Child”	3:54

No.	Title	Length
7.	“Raised on Robbery” (early working version)	3:10
8.	“Raised on Robbery” (with Neil Young and the Santa Monica Flyers)	3:36

No.	Title	Length
9.	“People’s Parties” (early alternate take)	2:50
10.	“Trouble Child” (early alternate take)	3:40
11.	“Car on a Hill” (early alternate take)	2:37
12.	“Down to You” (alternate take)	5:37
13.	“The Same Situation” (alt piano/vocal mix)	3:09
14.	“Bonderia”	3:21

No.	Title	Length
15.	“Introduction”	0:38
16.	“This Flight Tonight” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express)	3:38
17.	“You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express)	4:23
18.	“Free Man in Paris” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express)	3:14
19.	“The Same Situation” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express)	3:35
20.	“Just Like This Train” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express)	4:18

Disc four:

No.	Title	Length
1.	“Rainy Night House” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express)	4:16
2.	“Woodstock” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express)	5:04
3.	“Cactus Tree”	5:29
4.	“Big Yellow Taxi”	3:16
5.	“People’s Parties” (intro)	6:06
6.	“People’s Parties”	3:02
7.	“All I Want”	3:49
8.	“A Case of You”	5:04
9.	“For the Roses” (intro)	7:52
10.	“For the Roses”	4:14
11.	“Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire” (with Tom Scott)	5:30
12.	“Blue”	2:48
13.	“For Free” (with Tom Scott)	4:40
14.	“Trouble Child” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express)	4:11
15.	“Help Me” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express)	3:58
16.	“Car on a Hill” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express)	2:53

Disc five:

No.	Title	Length
1.	“Jericho” (intro)	0:29
2.	“Jericho”	3:17

No.	Title	Length
3.	“Woman of Heart and Mind”	3:35

No.	Title	Length
4.	“In France They Kiss on Main Street“	3:06
5.	“Edith and the Kingpin”	3:33
6.	“Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow”	2:28
7.	“Shades of Scarlett Conquering”	4:52
8.	“The Boho Dance”	3:54
9.	“Harry’s House”	4:02
10.	“Dreamland”	4:08

No.	Title	Length
11.	“In France They Kiss on Main Street” (guitar/alternate vocal)	3:25
12.	“The Jungle Line” (alternate version)	4:36
13.	“Edith and the Kingpin” (alternate version)	3:36
14.	“Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow” (alternate version)	4:14
15.	“Shades of Scarlett Conquering” (alternate version)	5:41
16.	“The Boho Dance” (alternate version)	3:55
17.	“Dreamland” (early alternate band version)	4:43

One of my favorite stories in Murder Is My Business is Max Allan Collins’s “Guest Service” featuring his well known killer, Quarry. Quarry has semi-retired and is working as a manager at a resort. Circumstances eventuate that bring Quarry back to his killing ways.

My other favorite story is Lawrence Block’s “Keller on Horseback” where Block’s professional hit-man, Keller, is sent on an assignment to a small town in Wyoming. Keller doesn’t know who hired him to kill a popular, wealthy resident of the town. The assignment is fraught mystery and Keller makes some unusual decisions in this unconventional tale.

There are many solid stories in Murder Is My Business by a number of “name” writers. If you’re in the mood for murder, this book is the place to find it. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION: MURDER WAS HIS BUSINESS By Max Allan Collins — 7

The bishop and the hit man / by Andrew Greeley — 13

The man who shot Trinity Valance / by Paul Bishop. — 29

With anchovies / by John Lutz — 47

Guest services / by Max Allan Collins — 65

The matchstick and the rubber band / by Lynn F. Myers, Jr. — 89

Hitback / by Wayne D. Dundee — 101

Undercover / by Carolyn Wheat — 125

Angel face / by Daniel Helpingstine — 141

Improvident excess / by Barry N. Malzberg –153

The king of horror / by Stephen Mertz — 165

A nice save / by Edward Wellen –183

Without a trace / by Warren Murphy — 187

Runner and the deathbringer / by Teri White — 211

The operation / by Henry Slesar — 223

Surrogate / by Ed Gorman — 235

Keller on horseback / by Lawrence Block — 245

Everybody’s watching me / by Mickey Spillane — 275