THE FANTASTIC DETECTIVE NOTEBOOK: A Survey and Index to Cross-Genre Mystery & Detective Novels in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror By Gary Lovisi

The Fantastic Detective Notebook is a browser’s delight! Gary Lovisi has updated the limited paperback edition from 40 years ago and Stark House has included dozens of eye-popping full-color covers to make this book a necessity for book lovers!

If you’re a fan of fantastic fiction and detective stories–a unique genre blend–Gary Lovisi takes you on a guide tour up and down the mean streets and menacing space ways. Just check out the Table of Contents. You’ll see dozens of authors you’re familiar with who write about Science Fiction Private Investigators and wizardly detectives.

The combination of great full-color cover artwork and bibliographic detail with insightful analysis makes The Fantastic Detective Notebook a great book for readers and collectors. And, it would make a marvelous holiday gift for that hard to please book lover on your Shopping List! Don’t miss this important and unique volume from Stark House! GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction to the 2025 Edition — 9

Preface to the Original Edition — 11

THE AUTHORS:

Mario Acevedo — 21

Lou Anders — 22

Donna Andrews — 22

Neal Asher — 23

Isaac Asimov — 24

Janet Asimov — 31

Robert Aspirin, Linda Evans — 31

Kage Baker — 32

Bruce Balfour — 32

John Barnes –33

K. A. Bedford — 35

Alfred Bester — 36

Lloyd Biggie, Jr. — 37

P. L. Blair — 38

Algernon Blackwood — 39

David Brin — 40

Rosel George Brown — 40

Eric Brown — 41

Fredric Brown — 45

Jim Butcher — 46

Dennis R. Caro — 48

Caleb Carr — 48

Michael Chabon — 49

Jack L. Chalker — 49

Curt Clark (Donald E. Westlake) — 50

Hal Clement — 51

Barney Cohen — 53

James Nelson Coleman — 55

Glen Cook — 55

John Connolly — 60

Arthur Byron Cover — 64

Jamie Craig — 65

John Dalmas — 65

Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois — 66

Maurice G. Dantec — 66

Avram Davidson — 68

Len Deighton –68

Lester del Rey — 69

Mirian Allen deFord — 70

Marianne de Pierres –71

Philip K. Dick — 72

William C. Dietz — 75

J. M. Dillard — 75

George Alec Effinger — 76

P. N. Elrod — 78

Philip Jose Farmer — 81

Jonathan Fast — 81

Joe Clifford Faust — 82

Alan Dean Foster — 82

Andrew Fox — 84

George Foy — 84

Colin Free — 85

Robert Frezza — 86

Eric James Fullilove — 86

W. D. Gagliani — 87

Eric Garcia — 88

Randall Garrett — 89

Jean Mark Gawron — 91

Chet Gottfried — 92

Stephen Goldin — 92

Ron Goulart — 93

Rob Grant — 101

Simon R. Green — 102

Terence M. Green — 104

Martin H. Greenberg — 106

Guy Haley — 106

Warren Hammond — 107

Harry Harrison — 108

Isidore Haiblum — 109

Peter F. Hamilton — 110

Colin Harvey — 111

Lynn S. Hightower — 111

Douglas Hill — 112

Edward D. Hoch — 113

William Hope Hodgson — 114

James P. Hogan — 115

Trevor Hoyle — 116

Bob Ingersoll & Tony Isabella — 116

Maxin Jakubowski & M. Christian — 117

Laurence M. Janifer –117

K. W. Jeter — 118

Colin Kapp –119

Lee Killough — 120

Joe Kimball — 121

Andrew Klavan — 122

Victor Koman — 123

Dean Koontz — 124

Keith Laumer — 124

Stanisław Lem — 125

Jonathan Lethem — 126

Paul Levinson — 128

Frank Belknap Long — 129

Jean Lorrah –129

Katherine MacLean –130

James D. Macdonald — 131

Alan Marks — 131

A. Lee Martinez — 132

Steven E. McDonald — 133

Mike McQuay — 134

Sam Merwin — 135

Chris Moriarty –135

Sam Merwin — 135

Chris Moriarty –135

Lyda Moorehouse — 136

Robert K. Morgan — 136

Robert Morgan (C.J. Henderson) — 139

Ed Naha — 141

Larry Niven — 142

William F. Nolan — 144

Eric Norden — 146

Warren Norwood — 149

Alan E. Nourse –150

Mel Odom –151

Robert O’Riodan — 152

Stephanie Osborn — 153

Alexei Panshin — 154

Robert C. Peterson — 156

Mark Philips — 156

Charles Platt — 157

Fletcher Pratt — 158

Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child — 160

Seabury Quinn — 160

J. Michael Reaves — 161

David V. Reed — 163

Robert Reed — 164

Mike Resnick — 165

Alastair Reynolds — 165

Mack Reynolds — 166

J. D. Robb (Nora Roberts) — 170

Stephen Robinett– 176

Christopher Rowley — 177

Kristine Kathryn Rusch — 178

James Schmitz — 181

William Shatner — 182

Robert Sheckley — 185

John Shirley — 186

Steven I. Shewsbury — 186

Martin Siegel — 186

David Alexander Smith — 187

L. Neil Smith — 188

Wen Spencer — 191

Steven Spruill — 192

Sean Stewart — 194

John E. Stith — 195

Dan Stout — 196

Charles Stross — 199

Anton Strout — 200

Robert Sydney — 201

Jeffrey Thomas — 202

Mark W. Tiedemann — 204

E. C. Tubb — 204

Jack Vance — 205

Mark L. Van Name — 206

Jo Walton — 207

Edward Wellen — 210

Manly Wade Wellman — 210

Ted White — 211

Wynne Whitford — 213

Sean Williams — 214

Nicholas Yermakov (Simon Hawke) — 214

John Zakour & Lawrence Ganem — 215

Roger Zelazny — 220

Afterword — 222

Appendix A: Recommended Reading — 223

Appendix B: Select Short Fiction — 226

Appendix C: A Note on Cover Art — 228

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS VS. BUFFALO BILLS (CBS)

Up to a couple of weeks ago, the Buffalo Bills were favored in this game by 1 1/2 points. Then, Vegas changed the point spread to the Chiefs being favored by 1 1/2 points. This week, Vegas changed the spread again: the Chiefs are now favored by 2 1/2 points.

Why is Vegas changing the point spread? Clearly, all those folks on Fanduel, Draftkings, Caesars Sportsbook, and BetMGM shifted the line from the Bills to the Chiefs. What do they know that we don’t know?

How will your favorite NFL team perform today?

DOWN CEMETERY ROAD [Apple TV+]

Based on a Mick Herron mystery novel of the same name, Down Cemetery Road brings two unlikely women together to investigate a series of unlikely events. Ruth Wilson plays Sarah Tucker, an art restorer, who becomes involved when a child from her neighborhood is injured. When Sarah goes to the hospital, she’s denied admission to the floor where the child is being treated. Sarah witnesses the child being removed from the hospital. When Sarah goes to the Police, she’s told the case has been “flagged” and she’s dismissed.

Frustrated and confused, Sarah–by chance–meets Emma Thompson’s Zoe Boehm, a spiky private investigator who soon has a personal reason to help Sarah and find the missing child.

I’ve only watched the first episode of Down Cemetery Road and can’t wait for the next seven episodes that drop on Wednesdays on Apple TV+. Both Ruth Wilson and Emma Thompson draw you into this nefarious plot. GRADE: Incomplete but trending towards an A

BARBRA STREISAND DUETS

Last week I posted about Best of Duets (you can read about it here) and this week I decided to go with another CD of duets, this time with Barbra Streisand and a varied group of singers.

Some of these songs are hits like “Guilty” and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.” And there are familiar songs like “One Less Bell to Answer/A House is Not a Home” and “The Music of the Night” from Phantom of the Opera and “Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead” from The Wizard of Oz.

Using some audio magic, Barbra sings with Judy Garland on “Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again.”

Barbra Streisand Duets from 2002 is a compilation of several styles: traditional to pop. There’s something here for just about every musical taste. Do you remember these songs? GRADE: B (for Barbra)

TRACK LIST:

1Barbra Streisand With Barry ManilowI Won’t Be The One To Let Go
Arranged By [Orchestra], Conductor – William RossEngineer – Chris BrookeDavid ReitzasHumberto GaticaExecutive-Producer – Barbra StreisandJay LandersMixed By – Mick GuzauskiProducer, Arranged By – Walter AfanasieffProducer, Arranged By, Written-By – Richard MarxWritten-By – Barry Manilow
4:41
2Barbra Streisand With Barry GibbGuilty
Executive-Producer – Charles KoppelmanProducer – Albhy GalutenBarry GibbKarl RichardsonWritten-By – Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb & Maurice Gibb*
4:25
3Barbra Streisand With Neil DiamondYou Don’t Bring Me Flowers
Arranged By, Conductor – Alan LindgrenProducer – Bob GaudioWritten-By – Alan & Marilyn BergmanNeil Diamond
3:25
4Barbra Streisand With Bryan AdamsI Finally Found Someone
Arranged By – R.J. “Mutt” Lange*Arranged By [Strings] – Jack HayesExecutive-Producer – Jay LandersProducer, Arranged By – David FosterWritten-By – Barbra StreisandMarvin HamlischR.J. Lange*Written-By, Arranged By – Bryan Adams
3:43
5Barbra Streisand With Ray CharlesCryin’ Time
Arranged By – Ken WelchMitzi Welch*Producer – Martin ErlichmanWritten-By – Buck Owens
2:18
6Barbra Streisand With Frank SinatraI’ve Got A Crush On You
Arranged By – Patrick WilliamsArranged By [Original Arrangement] – Nelson RiddleExecutive-Producer – Jay LandersProducer – David FosterPhil RamoneWritten-By – George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin*
3:23
7Barbra Streisand With Celine Dion*–Tell Him
Arranged By [Orchestra], Conductor – William RossExecutive-Producer – Barbra StreisandJay LandersProducer – Walter AfanasieffWritten-By – Linda Thompson (2)Written-By, Producer, Arranged By – David FosterWalter Afanasieff
4:53
8Barbra Streisand With Donna SummerNo More Tears (Enough Is Enough)
Arranged By [Vocals] – Luther WatersArranged By, Conductor – Greg MathiesonExecutive-Producer – Charles KoppelmanProducer – Gary KleinWritten-By, Arranged By [Vocals] – Bruce RobertsPaul Jabara
4:43
9Barbra Streisand With Barry GibbWhat Kind Of Fool
Executive-Producer – Charles KoppelmanProducer – Karl RichardsonWritten-By, Producer – Albhy GalutenBarry Gibb
4:07
10Barbra Streisand With Johnny MathisI Have A Love / One Hand, One Heart
Arranged By, Orchestrated By – Billy ByersOrchestrated By – Bill Ross*Producer, Arranged By – David FosterWritten-By – Leonard BernsteinStephen Sondheim
4:45
11Barbra Streisand With Barbra StreisandOne Less Bell To Answer / A House Is Not A Home
Arranged By – Kenny Welch*Orchestrated By – Peter MatzProducer – Richard PerryWritten-By – Burt Bacharach & Hal David*
6:32
12Barbra Streisand With Kris KristoffersonLost Inside Of You
Arranged By – Pat Williams*Producer – Phil RamoneWritten-By – Leon RussellWritten-By, Producer – Barbra Streisand
2:55
13Barbra Streisand With Don JohnsonTill I Loved You
Arranged By – Randy WaldmanProducer, Arranged By – Phil RamoneWritten-By – Maury Yeston
4:17
14Barbra Streisand With Kim CarnesMake No Mistake, He’s Mine
Executive-Producer – Charles KoppelmanProducer, Arranged By [Strings] – Bill CuomoWritten-By, Producer – Kim Carnes
4:11
15Barbra Streisand With Vince GillIf You Ever Leave MeArranged By [Orchestra], Conductor – William RossExecutive-Producer – Barbra StreisandJay LandersProducer, Arranged By – David FosterWritten-By, Producer, Arranged By – Richard Marx4:38
16Barbra Streisand With Michael CrawfordThe Music Of The Night
Arranged By [The London Symphony Orchestra], Conductor – Andrew Pryce JackmanCo-producer – Barbra StreisandProducer – David FosterProducer [Associate] – Don ReedmanJeff JarrattWritten-By – Andrew Lloyd WebberCharles HartRichard Stilgoe
5:38
17Barbra Streisand With Harold ArlenDing-Dong! The Witch Is Dead
Arranged By, Conductor – Peter MatzProducer – Thomas Z. ShepardWritten-By – E.Y. HarburgHarold Arlen
1:54
18Barbra Streisand With Judy GarlandGet Happy / Happy Days Are Here Again
Music Director – Mort LindseyWritten-By [“Get Happy”] – Harold ArlenTed KoehlerWritten-By [“Happy Days Are Here Again”] – Jack YellenMilton Ager
2:22
19Barbra Streisand With Josh GrobanAll I Know Of Love
Arranged By [Orchestra], Conductor – William RossEngineer – David ReitzasFelipe ElguetaExecutive-Producer – Barbra StreisandJay LandersMixed By – Mick GuzauskiWritten-By – Linda Thompson (2)Written-By, Producer, Arranged By – David Foster
4:29

WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #248: FERAL AND HYSTERICAL: MOTHER HORROR’S ULTIMATE READING GUIDE TO DARK AND DISTURBING FICTION BY WOMEN By Sadie Hartmann

I became a Sadie Hartmann (aka, Mother Horror) fan after I read her 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered (you can read my review here). Sadie is back just in time for Halloween with her latest book: Feral and Hysterical: Mother Horror’s Ultimate Reading Guide to Dark and Disturbing Fiction by Women.

This is a browser’s delight with over a hundred scary books categorized by subject and themes. Just take a look at the Table of Contents and you’ll see how Sadie Hartmann organized the many books she recommends.

Fair Warning: you’ll find dozens of books you’ll want to read in Feral and Hysterical: Mother Horror’s Ultimate Reading Guide to Dark and Disturbing Fiction by Women. And maybe a few TV shows and movies, too!

What a great way to celebrate Halloween! GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

  1. Foreword by Anna Ahilborn — 6
  2. Introduction by Sadie Hartmann — 9
  3. What is Vibes Reading? — 11
  4. How to Use This Book — 13
  5. Twisted Haunted Houses — 15
  6. I See Dead People — 21
  7. Bloodthirsty — 25
  8. Unhappily Ever After: Dark Folklore, Fantasy, and Fairy Tales — 31
  9. Don’t Go in the Woods — 37
  10. “The Horror is so Close” by Christina Henry — 42
  11. Documentaries, Cursed Films, and Found Footage — 45
  12. Women vs. The Cult — 49
  13. Gothic Secret Societies — 53
  14. An Escape to a Beautiful Estate with Unexpected Darkness — 57
  15. Gótico Familia — 61
  16. The Tropiest Gothic Horror Trope Ever –67
  17. If These Walls Could Talk — 71
  18. “Damsels and Demons” by Laura Purcell — 76
  19. Horrormance — 78
  20. Horromantasy — 83
  21. Cottage Spells & Family Sagas — 87
  22. 50 States, 50 Books by Women — 92
  23. Women of Splatterpunk — 101
  24. What Women Say About Femicide in Latin America Through Horror Fiction — 107
  25. “On Feminist Fiction” by Alexis Henderson — 112
  26. Eat Your Vegetables — 115
  27. On the Farm — 119
  28. Swampcore & Sporror — 123
  29. Not Your Dad’s Westerns — 129
  30. Exposing Historical Erasure — 132
  31. “History and Horror” by Alma Katsu — 136
  32. Psychic Trauma — 139
  33. Survive Your Living Nightmares — 142
  34. Save Yourself from Hell — 145
  35. Echoes of Frankenstein — 148
  36. Ladies of October: Vintage Horror — 151
  37. Dangerous Games — 157
  38. The Kids Are Not Alright — 161
  39. Sisterhood — 164
  40. Motherhood in Extremis — 169
  41. Maternal Instincts — 173
  42. Like Mother, Like Daughter — 176
  43. Behind Closed Doors — 180
  44. “Just Like Other Girls” by Rae Wilde — 184
  45. Skin Deep: The Ugly Side of Beauty — 187
  46. Transformations — 191
  47. Book Checklist — 194
  48. How to Build Your Home Library (Sustainably) and Read More Books — 199
  49. Acknowledgments — 201
  50. About the Author — 203
  51. Index — 204

Anne Rice’s Talamasca: The Secret Order (AMC)

Anne Rice’s Talamasca: The Secret Order on AMC shows up just a few days before Halloween to liven up the season. For those of you who don’t recognize Talamasca, it’s a new television series created by John Lee Hancock that is based on The Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches by Anne Rice.

The Talamasca franchise includes two television series, Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches. Now, Talamasca: The Secret Order, arrives to focus on the Talamasca, a secret society in Anne Rice’s novels who investigate the paranormal. Spooky!

AMC coined the term “Immortal Universe” with the October 2022 release of its Interview with the Vampire series. Notable characters include the vampires Lestat de Lioncourt and Louis de Pointe du Lac, the witch Rowan Mayfair and paranormal investigator and empath Ciprien Grieve.

If you’re an Anne Rice fan, you might want to check this out this six episode series. The first two episodes are available on AMC now. GRADE: Incomplete, but trending towards a B-

MENTION MY NAME IN HELL By Daniel Boyd

Mention My Name in Hell by Daniel Boyd (aka, Dan Stumpf) is the latest Streak Wilson western. Streak is quick with a gun and has both trouble and The Devil following him. In the past two years, Streak has worked for Wells Fargo, protecting valuable, high priority shipments. He’s also killed 8 men in that time span.

Two bizarre characters, Headless Hinchley and Slasher Jim Trask, want one of those valuable, high priority shipments, specifically the one that’s carrying The Grand Grimoire (aka, The Red Dragon or Satan’s Bible).

Streak Wilson is the only thing standing between them and The Grand Grimoire’s incantation for returning the Dead to living form. If you’re in the mood for a weird western with plenty of surprises, Mention My Name in Hell delivers. GRADE: A

BUFFALO BILLS VS. CAROLINA PANTHERS (CBS)

The 4-2 Buffalo Bills, coming off their Bye Week, travel to Carolina to take on the 4-3 Panthers. The Bills are 7-point favorites, but I suspect this will be a closer game.

Defensive linemen Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi were suspended for six games at the start of the 2025 season for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug (PED) policy, but they have now returned to the team and are eligible to play. The Bills need help with their pass rush badly!

How will your favorite NFL team perform today?

MARVEL’S SPIDEY AND IRON MAN: AVENGERS TEAM-UP! [Disney+]

“Spidey and Iron Man team up with the Avengers to stop Ultron and Green Goblin from controlling all of the city’s devices.” This long-awaited crossover between Spidey and His Amazing Friends and Iron Man and His Awesome Friends made its debut on Disney+. Spidey and Iron Man: Avengers Team Up marks the first major Avengers story for these preschool-age shows, with supporting characters like Captain America (Sam Wilson), Black Panther, Ms. Marvel, and Hulk rounding out the squad. Ten episodes worth of silly fun!

If you’re a MARVEL fan, this off-beat show might take you back a few decades! Just pretend you’re a kid again! GRADE: Incomplete, but trending towards a B.