If you’ve read any of Robert Van Gulik’s Judge Dee mysteries, you’ll enjoy Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013). Conspiracies swirl in Seventh Century China. Dee is just a minor official in the fledgling national police force, but he’s always in the Right Place at the Right Time. Dee uncovers a plot to destroy the Royal Court and result in a regime change. Treachery, spies, betrayal, and weird secrets are just part of the plot Dee investigates. As a first case in a long and illustrious career, this Sea Dragon adventure has a little bit of everything. I particularly enjoyed the fight on the side of a mountain. Eye-popping action! This is the second Detective Dee movie and it’s just as enjoyable as the first one: Detective Dee: Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010). You can find my review of that movie here. GRADE: A

This anthology of faux-Sherlock Holmes stories was published in 1998. Yes, sometimes it takes me some time to get around to reading the books on my shelves. The Confidential Casebook of Sherlock Holmes is a sequel to The Resurrected Holmes: New Cases from the Notes of John. H. Watson, M.D. (a book from 1996 that I’ve never seen). Marvin Kaye writes that these stories were found in a safety deposit box. As you might suspect, the quality of these stories vary widely.

I liked “The Darlington Substitution Scandal” by Henry Slesar although it was easy to figure out. I also enjoyed Edward D. Hoch’s “The Adventure of the Dying Ship” where Hoch places Sherlock Holmes on the Titanic. Carole Bugge tells a tale of where Sherlock Holmes disguises himself as a Catholic priest in “The Revenge of the Fenian Brotherhood.” If you’re looking for some entertaining faux-Sherlock Holmes stories, you’ll like The Confidential Casebook of Sherlock Holmes. GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction — Marvin Kaye 1
Delicate Business
The Darlington Substitution Scandal — Henry Slesar 7
The Adventure of the Old Russian Woman — H. Paul Jeffers 21
The Adventure of the Noble Husband — Peter Cannon 35
The Case of the Woman in the Cellar — Pat Mullen 53
Desperate Business
The Adventure of the Boulevard Assassin — Kathleen Brady 77
The Case of the Ancient British Barrow — Terry McGarry 95
The Adventure of the Dying Ship — Edward D. Hoch 115
The Revenge of the Fenian Brotherhood — Carole Buggé 131
My Blushes, Watson!
The Affair of the Counterfeit Countess — Craig Shaw Gardner 159
The Woman — Aline Myette-Volsky 177
The Little Problem of the Grosvenor Square Furniture — Van “Patrick LoBrutto” (ascribed to Arthur Stanley Jefferson) 197
À La Recherche du Temps Perdu
A Ballad of the White Plague — P. C. Hodgell 211
The Adventure of Vanderbilt and the Yeggman — Roberta Rogow 235
The Secret Marriage of Sherlock Holmes — Shariann Lewitt 257
The Case of Vittoria the Circus Belle — Jay Sheckley 287
Contributors Notes 351
Acknowledgments 355

TITAN BOOKS has published a couple dozen faux-Sherlock Holmes novels. In 2016, they published this anthology of themed Sherlock Holmes stories based on a clever premise: stories about minor characters in Sherlock Holmes stories. For example, Lyndsay Faye’s “River of Silence” features Stanley Hopkins, a young police inspector who first showed up in “The Adventure of Black Peter.” Faye’s story tells how Hopkins and Holmes first met. My favorite story in this book is Ian Edginton’s clever “The Case of the Previous Tenant.” Who lived in 221B Baker Street before Holmes? Edginton’s answer is a terrific tale! Jaine Fenn’s “A Dormitory Haunting” shows what happens to Violet Hunter (from “The Adventure of the Copper Beeches”) when she becomes the head of a private school in Walsall. If you’re a Holmes fan, you’ll enjoy these pastiches. GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Faye, Lyndsay. River of silence. 7
Lovegrove, James. Pure swank. 43
Pratt, Tim. Heavy game of the Pacific Northwest. 67
Fenn, Jaine. Dormitory haunting. 91
Edginton, Ian. Case of the previous tenant. 121
Scott, Cavan. Nor hell a fury. 149
Lane, Andy. Case of the haphazard marksman. 181
Barnes, Jonathan. Presbury papers. 213
Meikle, William. Flash in the pan. 239
Thomas, Jeffrey. Vanishing snake. 257
Bucher-Jones, Simon. Family resemblance. 285
Dennison, Kara. Page turners. 309
Kyme, Nick. Peeler. 331

The Great SF Stories #5 features FIVE stories by Henry Kuttner & C. L. Moore. “Mimsy Were the Borogroves” (adapted as the movie “The Last Mimsy” in 2007) is one of the classic SF stories from this period. But my favorite story in this anthology is “The Proud Robot.” This is one of the “Galloway Gallegher” stories that Kuttner and Moore wrote that were later collected in Robots Have No Tails. Gallegher is a genius, but does his best work when he’s very, very drunk (not politically correct today). When Gallegher wakes up from one of his binges, he finds incredible technology that he invented “under the influence”–but he has no idea how it works or what it does. I love these clever tales and “The Proud Robot” is one of the best stories in the series.

I also enjoyed Leigh Bracket’s “The Hafling” and her husband’s fine short story, “Exile.” Once again, ASTOUNDING dominated the SF field and published the majority of the stories in this anthology. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1943 INTRODUCTION by Martin H. Greenberg and Isaac Asimov 7
“The Cave” by P. Schuyler Miller (ASTOUNDING, January 1943) 11
“The Halfling” by Leigh Brackett (ASTOUNDING, February 1943) 30
“Mimsy Were the Borogoves” by Lewis Padgett (aka, Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore) (ASTOUNDING, February 1943) 57
“Q.U.R.” by Anthony Boucher (ASTOUNDING, March 1943) 91
“Clash by Night” by Lawrence O’Donnell (aka, Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore) (ASTOUNDING, March 1943) 113
“Exile” by Edmond Hamilton (SUPER SCIENCE STORIES, May 1943) 172
“Daymare” by Fredric Brown (THRILLING WONDER STORIES, Fall 1943) 178
“Doorway into Time” by C. L. Moore (FAMOUS FANTASTIC MYSTERIES, September 1943) 219
“The Storm” by A. E. van Vogt (ASTOUNDING, October 1943) 238
“The Proud Robot” by Lewis Padgett (ASTOUNDING, October 1943) 271
“Symbiotica” by Eric Frank Russell (ASTOUNDING, October 1943) 306
“The Iron Standard” by Lewis Padgett (ASTOUNDING, December 1943) 352

The recent Arctic temperatures produced this rare event where parts of Niagara Falls froze. Ten miles from my house, this Winter Wonderland delights tourists and residents willing to trek out into the freezing temperatures. It’s well worth the trip! The spray from Niagara Falls coats everything in ice! Very cool!

The Guardian blurb about Revenger says, “Swashbuckling! Pirates of the Caribbean meet Firefly.” I’m a big fan of Alastair Reynolds’s Space Operas. Revenger is a Young Adult SF novel featuring two feisty teenage sisters, Adrana and Fura Ness. Their father, hobbled by bad financial investments, is on the brink of bankruptcy. Anrana and Fura run away and join a starship as Bone Readers in an effort to restore the family fortune. Each starship has a “bone” or alien technology that allows instantaneous communication with other starships. But, in order for this system to work, Bone Readers are needed to make the connection. That’s why Bone Readers are the most valuable part of a starship’s crew.

The starship Adrana and Fura sign on to is called Monetta’s Mourn. Monetta’s Mourn is a scavenger ship that seeks “baubles” or sites where alien tech can be found and then sold for profit. After one of these missions, Monetta’s Mourn is attacked by a pirate ship, Nightjammer, led by Bosa Sennen. Bosa kills most of the crew of Monetta’s Mourn except for Adrana and another crew member who pretends to be Fura. Fura manages to hide on Monetta’s Mourn until she’s rescued. But the time waiting for rescue makes Fura determined to rescue her sister. Plenty of adventure and double-dealing result. If you’re in the mood for some old fashioned SF storytelling, Revenger delivers. GRADE: B+

This 2017 BBC movie starts out in 1940 as Catrin (Gemma Arterton) gets a job as a screenwriter for the English Ministry of Information. The Ministry wants a movie to inspire the population amid the German bombing. Catrin’s boss, Buckley (Sam Claflin), recognizes her raw talent. Catrin and Buckley work together to write a script that will highlight fading star, Ambrose Hilliard (Bill Nighy), since most of the other movie stars are unavailable. I enjoyed the old fashioned manner of making movies in the 1940s. Their Finest takes you behind the scenes of the production. Plenty of things go wrong. There are gaffs galore. But amid all the confusion, Catrin and Buckley work to produce a quality film. This is one of those movies where you’re going to laugh and cry. Highly recommended! GRADE: A

The New Orleans Saints are 3-point favorites over the LA Rams. I’m with Deb and her family on this one: Saints! The Kansas City Chiefs are favored by 3 points over the New England Patriots. I’m going with the Chiefs. Who do you think will win today?

The weather in Western New York this weekend is predicted to be frightful! A foot of snow, howling winds, and sub-zero temperatures! Big Orange is all gassed up and ready to snowblow! But after I clear the snow from my driveway and clean off my neighbors’ sidewalks, I love to return to the warmth of my home and enjoy a cup of yummy Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Premium Hot Cocoa. Sure, there are plenty of Hot Cocoa mixes out there, but I’ve come to enjoy the rich, creamy taste of Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Premium Hot Cocoa. What’s your favorite hot cocoa?
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size tbsp 3 tbsp = 35g
Amount Per Serving
120 Calories
% Daily Value*
2% Total Fat 1.5g
3% Saturated Fat 0.5g
Trans Fat 0g
0% Cholesterol 0mg
2% Sodium 50mg
10% Total Carbohydrate 30g
7% Dietary Fiber 2g
Sugars 27g
Protein 1g
0% Vitamin A 0 IU
0% Vitamin C 0mg
2% Calcium 20mg
4% Iron 0.7mg