From 1991 comes this surprising movie with Kenneth Branagh (who directed the movie, too!), Emma Thompson, Derek Jacobi, Robin Williams, Andy Garcia, and Wayne Knight (“Newman” from SEINFELD). Kenneth Branagh plays an LA private eye who investigates a woman with amnesia (Emma Thompson). At first, Emma Thompson’s character can’t speak, but with the help of a hypnotist played by Derek Jacobi, she starts to regain fragments of her memory. The plot revolves around “past lives” where Branagh was a composer and Emma Thompson was his wife who is murdered. The movie jumps back and forth in Time. Special features include the trailer, commentary with producer Lindsay Doran and screenwriter Scott Frank, and commentary by Kenneth Branagh. I enjoyed this. GRADE: B+

Decades ago, publishers would bring out “The Best of” collections of Science Fiction and Fantasy writers on a regular basis. That tradition still lives at BAEN BOOKS. BAEN BOOKS is publishing The Best of Ben Bova in three volumes. Now, with the help of canny Hank Davis, we have Volume One of The Best of Gordon R. Dickson. Dickson was one of my favorite writers when I started reading Science Fiction back in the 1960s. This collection presents Dickson’s work from the 1950s and 1960s. Volume 2, scheduled for 2018, will collect stories from the 1970s and 1980s. If you’re a fan of traditional SF storytelling, you’ll enjoy these stories. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Love Song” (previously unpublished)
“Miss Prinks” (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, June, 1954)
“Our First Death” (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, August, 1955)
“St. Dragon and the George” (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, September, 1957)
“Friend for Life” (Venture Science Fiction, March, 1957)
“Danger—Human” (Astounding Science Fiction, December, 1957)
“Fleegl of Fleegl” (Venture Science Fiction, May, 1958)
“The Question” (Astounding Science Fiction, May, 1958)
“The Girl Who Played Wolf” (Fantastic, August, 1958)
“The Dreamsman” (Star Science Fiction #6, 1959)
“One on Trial” (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, May, 1960)
“An Honorable Death” (Galaxy Magazine, February, 1961)
“Whatever Gods There Be” (Amazing Stories, July, 1961)
“Idiot Solvant” (Analog Science Fiction-Science Fact, January, 1962)
“Dolphin’s Way” (Analog Science Fact-Science Fiction, June, 1964)
OTHER ANTHOLOGIES EDITED BY HANK DAVIS:
The Best of the Bolos: Their Finest Hour (2010)
A Cosmic Christmas (2012)
A Cosmic Christmas 2 (2013)
In Space No One Can Hear You Scream (2013)
The Baen Big Book of Monsters (2014)
As Time Goes By (2015)
Future Wars … and Other Punchlines (2015)
Worst Contact (2016)
Things from Outer Space (2016)
If This Goes Wrong… (2016)

I enjoyed reading Elif Batuman’s quirky and humorous memoir of her Stanford University graduate student days in The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them. You can read my review here. So I thought I might like Elif Batuman’s new novel, The Idiot. It’s the story of a Harvard University freshman named Selin in the mid-1990s who deals with her unusual roommates, the new phenomenon of email, and her academic courses. Of course, Selin develops a crush on a senior. They start to exchange weird emails. In fact, for a good chunk of The Idiot Selin is either waiting for an email or writing emails trying to figure out the object of her affections. This goes on for 423 pages. Yes, there are moments of humor. I especially liked the bizarre story Selin and her fellow students in her Russian class try to decipher. Elif Batuman wrote this novel 17 years ago and then “tweaked” it for this publication. Not a good result. GRADE: C

Isaac Asimov wrote about a collapsing interstellar empire in his Foundation trilogy. Harri Seldon figured out “pyschohistory” that could predict the Future. And Seldon’s equations predicted that the Empire would fall and Dark Ages would begin. Seldon and a band of scientists, armed with their knowledge of the Future, try to cut the Dark Ages short.

In The Collapsing Empire, John Scalzi writes about an interstellar empire that’s linked by “The Flow” which allows a short-cut between far-flung planets and human colonies. A scientist on a planet called End figures out the Flow is going away and all the human colonies will be isolated. The Empire will collapse. If you’re a fan of this kind of 1950’s story-telling, then The Collapsing Empire will entertain you. Scalzi sets up the plotting to suggest further sequels. GRADE: B

The Joker collects seven episodes from Batman: The Animated Series. There’s 158 minutes of entertaining adventures on this DVD. TARGET has this DVD at the best price of $8.99. The episodes on this disk are: “The Joker’s Favor,” “Vendetta,” “Fear of Victory,” The Clock King,” “Appointment in Crime Alley,” Mad as a Hatter,” and “Dreams of Darkness.” If you have the box sets of Batman: The Animated Series you can skip The Joker which is just compilation. But, if you’re a fan of Batman and the Joker, this is an inexpensive way to acquire a few hours of fun viewing. Who’s your favorite comic book villain? GRADE: B+

HARD CASE CRIME found the lost Donald Lam/Bertha Cool mystery (my review of The Knife Slipped is here) and published it. Now they found a missing Donald E. Westlake novel, Forever and a Death which is based on scripts Westlake wrote for a James Bond movie that was never made. Richard Curtis is a zillionaire who has a secret plan to punish the Chinese for taking over Hong Kong and ruining his business prospects. But, Curtis’s convoluted plan takes over 400 pages to accomplish. That’s one problem. The other problem with Forever and a Death is that there really isn’t a protagonist. George Manville, an engineer, starts out in that role but then disappears for large chunks of the book. Henry James called novels like this “loose, baggy monsters” and just about fits. For a more positive review, you can check out Bill Crider’s take here. What’s your favorite Donald E. Westlake novel? GRADE: B-

For those of you who wanted to watch DOCTOR WHO but felt that you were going to be confused by a series that’s been going for decades, here is your chance to get up to speed. Steven Moffat, the show runner, says the premiere of Doctor Who, Season 10 has been carefully designed so that newcomers to DOCTOR WHO will be oriented to the series and will feel comfortable with the characters. Peter Capaldi returns as the Doctor and he has a new companion, “Bill” Potts (played by Pearl Mackie). Some theaters are bringing this episode to the Big Screen. Check Fathom Events online for details. This looks like a very good season of DOCTOR WHO based on the trailers I’ve seen.

John Holbrook Vance is better known as Jack Vance, famous Science Fiction writer. But, back in the 1960s, Vance wrote two mysteries featuring Sheriff Joe Bain of bucolic San Rodrigo County in California. I reviewed the first Sheriff Joe Bain mystery, The Fox Valley Murders here. The Pleasant Grove Murders opens with a dead mail carrier. Sheriff Joe Bain investigates the wealthy community and finds plenty of conflicts under the surface of this pleasant neighborhood. If you’re looking for a “Small Town” mystery with a clever twist at the end, The Pleasant Grove Murders delivers. GRADE: A-

I’ve been a fan of Patricia A. McKillip’s fantasies since I read The Riddle-Master of Hed 20 years ago. In addition to writing finely crafted fantasy novels, McKillip is a gifted short story writer. Dreams of Distant Shores is a new collection recently published by Tachyon with a great Thomas Canty painting, “By the Window,” on the cover. “Weird” is a clever puzzle story. “Mer” gives us a witch turned into a sort of mermaid. “The Gorgon in the Cupboard” explores the mysteries of Love. “Which Witch” provides an insight into the Witch World. “Edith and Henry Go Motoring” takes the reader on an exotic trip. “Alien” explores what that word really means. “Something Rich and Strange” is the longest story in Dreams of Distant Shores and presents the implications of obsession. I found McKillip’s “Writing High Fantasy” full of insights into McKillip’s work. And Peter S. Beagle’s “Afterward” both praises and analyzes McKillip’s stories in this volume. Dreams of Distant Shores is one of the best fantasy short story collections of the year! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Weird
Mer  (original to this collection)
The Gorgon in the Cupboard
Which Witch
Edith and Henry Go Motoring (original to this collection)
Alien (original to this collection)
Something Rich and Strange
Writing High Fantasy (original to this collection)
Dear Pat: Afterward by Peter S. Beagle