For those of us who can’t get enough of Dune, Titan books has just published The Art and Soul of Dune, Part Two. You can read of my review of The Art and Soul of Dune, Part One here. Where the first volume focused on the production of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. The Director shares his thought process on the decisions he had to make during the filming of the movie.

This new second volume focuses on more detailed subjects like the design of spacesuits and battle gear. The costumes for the Fremen are also explained.

In the second part of Denis Vileneuve’s Dune, there are a number of combat scenes. Villeneuve wanted to make sure the audience could discern who were the Good Guys and who were the Bad Guys by their battle gear.

If you have any questions about the two-part Dune movie, The Art and Soul of Dune, Parts One and Two should clear with up. Not only are these books a feast for the eyes, but a wealth of inside information is provided. Don’t miss these two wonderful books! And don’t miss the graphic novel! GRADE: A (for both!)

I loved 1967! I graduated from High School, I started my four year residence at Marquette University, and the music was especially wonderful that year!

AM Gold: 1967 offers a cross-section of the music from that year. I still hear local Oldies radio stations and Sirius/XM Radio’s “Soul Town” playing “I Second That Emotion” by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. Still sounds great! 1967 was a big year for The Bee Gees, too. “To Love Somebody” and “Massachusetts” established them as a group on the rise.

There are a few One-Hit Wonders here: Keith’s” 98.6″ and Harpers Bizarre’s “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)”.

One of the biggest hits of 1967 was Bobbie Gentry’s “Old to Billie Joe.” Do you remember these songs? Any favorites here? GRADE: B+

TRACK LIST:

I’m a big fan of Edward D. Hoch’s mystery stories so when Crippen & Landru announced The Will O’ the Wisp Mystery I immediately ordered it. The Will O’ the Wisp Mystery is a series of six interconnected stories about David Piper (aka, “The Manhunter”), the head of the Department of Apprehension. After six convicts escape from prison, Piper follows to clues to discover where the escapees are hiding. But, Hoch is a crafty writer so there’s a much larger scheme lurking behind these six stories.

Also included are Father David Noone mystery stories. My favorite of this group is “Game of Skill” where a man threatens to blow up Noone’s church. I also liked “The Thing in Lover’s Lane” where two murders lead to a surprising conclusion.

If you’re a Hoch fan, The Will O’ the Wisp Mystery is a must read book! GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction by Tom Mead — 7

The Will-O’-the-Wisp Mystery

The Pawn — 11

The Rook — 25

The Knight — 41

The Bishop — 57

The Queen — 72

The King — 89

Father David Noone

Game of Skill — 105

The Thing in Lover’s Lane –124

The Sweating Statue — 145

One More Circus — 159

The Arrow of Ice — 176

Hand of God — 189

Searching for Sammy Sand — 205

Sources — 222

Think of High Potential as Elsbeth from a trailer park. Single mom Morgan Gillory (Kaitlin Olson) gets involved in a murder investigation while she’s cleaning the police squad room–she’s the janitor. While LAPD Detective Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) dismisses Morgan’s analysis of the case, Lieutenant Detective Selena (Judy Reyes) sees Morgan’s potential. Morgan has a 160 I.Q. but her compulsions cause her to lose jobs. I’ve only watched the first episode of High Potential but I’m hooked! GRADE: INCOMPLETE but trending towards an A.

The Buffalo Bills are 5½ point favorites over the winless Jacksonville Jaguars. There’s a sense of desperation by the Jaguars to win this game and save their season. No one wants to start 0-3.

The Bills have several injuries to starters on their Defense so expect a lot of scoring in this game. There’s a chance of rain for this game so passing and running may be affected. More turnovers, too. Go Bills!

The Buffalo Bills play the Jacksonville Jaguars tomorrow night on Monday Night Football. How will your favorite NFL do today?

At the end of Disney+’s Wandavision Wanda Maximoff (aka, The Scarlet Witch) stole Agatha Harkness’ (Kathryn Hahn) witchy powers. Now, three years later, Agatha wants her powers back and decides to walk The Witches Road. In order to do that, Agatha needs a coven. In Episode 2 (of 9) Agatha recruits psychic Lilia (Patti LuPone) to avoid impending homelessness, ex-cop Alice (Ali Ahn) to find out what happened to her missing mother, Jen (Sasheer Zamata) who has a Goop-ish but unsuccessful wellness store, and Sharon (That ’70s Show’s Debra Jo Rupp) because Agatha bullies her into it. Together, Agatha and her coven walk the wild and dangerous Road.

Agatha All Along is the perfect series for the run-up to Halloween. If you’re looking for a TV show to put you in the spooky spirit, this is it! GRADE: INCOMPLETE but trending towards a B+

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/g39358054/best-sci-fi-books/

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/g39385874/best-fantasy-books/

I recently came across these lists of the “Best” SF and Fantasy books. I’m skeptical about some of the books included, but it’s clearly a conversation starter to argue which books belong and which don’t.

How many of these books have you read? How many do you own? Any favorites here?

I’m not sure all of these songs are “Huge #1 Hits!” but they certainly hit the top of the charts, some briefly. Perhaps the best selling song is Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” which found its way into Despicable Me 2 (2013) and sold like hot cakes. Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” stayed on top of the charts for weeks. Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry (Personal)” was in heavy rotation on our local Rock stations.

Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” was played constantly on our local radio stations. John Legend’s romantic “All of Me” received a lot of air play. Do you remember these #1 songs? Any favorites here? GRADE: B+

TRACK LIST:

The best part of Warriors of Blood and Dream is Dorian Valliejo’s cool cover. This anthology from 1995 includes Zen encounters with aliens, wrestlings with shapeshifters, magic and battles in twentieth-century China, trips from exercise rooms into other dimensions, and encounters with mystical masters. So, in effect, there’s something here for everybody interested in Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Jujitsu, Kendo Aikido, T’ai Chi, and other martial arts.

My favorite story in Warriors of Blood and Dream is Joe R. Lansdale’s compelling “Master of Misery.” You can’t get more noirish than this!

If you’re looking for stories with plenty of battles, combat, one-on-one fights, and acrobatic engagements, Warriors of Blood and Dream delivers 15 perilous tales. GRADE: B-

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• 1 · Introduction · Roger Zelazny · in
• 11 · Master of Misery · Joe R. Lansdale · nv *
• 44 · Eye of the Falcon · Gerald Hausman · ss *
• 61 · Listen · Joel Richards · ss *
• 75 · True Grits · Jack C. Haldeman, II · ss *
• 86 · Broadway Johnny · Walter Jon Williams · na *
• 169 · The Seventh Martial Art · Jane Lindskold · ss *
• 182 · Fearless · Dave Smeds · nv *
• 212 · Easy Living · Richard A. Lupoff · nv *
• 240 · Blood Duty · Michael A. Stackpole · ss *
• 245 · Doing the Angry Centipede · Karen Haber · ss *
• 259 · Guardian Angel · Victor Milán · nv *
• 286 · Shapeshifter Finals · Jeffrey A. Carver · nv *
• 314 · Heart of the Moment · Larry Segriff · ss *
• 330 · Sand Man · Steven Barnes · na *
• 420 · A Small Circle · Kazuaki Tanahashi · aw *