Category Archives: Authors

The Virgin and the Houri

Posted on June 17, 2013 by

It’s a popular notion these days that Islamic terrorists believe they’ll be rewarded with seventy-two virgins in Paradise. Why seventy-two? There’s somewhat of a justification for this, but as usual the meme only tells part of the story. The Quran … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion, Islam, Terry Pratchett, Discworld, Authors | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Orgy of Begrem

Posted on June 16, 2013 by

Necrophenia, by Robert Rankin – From the Goodreads reviews, this doesn’t appear to be one of Rankin’s more popular books. I liked it, but it is kind of all over the place, which is not unusual with his more recent … Continue reading →

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The Immigrant Post

Posted on June 4, 2013 by

I was recently thinking about two things that inspired this post. One was how, in the Narnia books, Aslan basically tells the Pevensies they’re too old to keep coming to Narnia. The other is how Oz always appealed to me … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, C.S. Lewis, Characters, Chris Dulabone, Chronicles of Narnia, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors, Rachel Cosgrove Payes, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Age Issues in Xanth

Posted on May 13, 2013 by

Luck of the Draw, by Piers Anthony – An old man named Bryce is made younger, given the power of second sight, and sent to Xanth to participate in a contest for the hand of Princess Harmony. He receives a … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Piers Anthony, Xanth | Tagged | 2 Comments

We’ve Got Your Number

Posted on April 24, 2013 by

Picture by John Vernon Lord I mentioned on Twitter last night that, when I hear the number forty-two, I don’t think of Jackie Robinson, but rather of Douglas Adams or Lewis Carroll. I guess that’s largely because I’m just not … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Douglas Adams, L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, Music, Oz, Oz Authors, Weird Al Yankovic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Guaranteed to Brighton Your Day

Posted on April 13, 2013 by

The Brightonomicon, by Robert Rankin – Published in 2005, this book ties together and references a lot of Rankin’s earlier work. It’s sort of a sequel to The Witches of Chiswick, as well as a link between the Brentford Trilogy … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Brentford Trilogy, Conspiracy Theories, Humor, Robert Rankin | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

From Crow Country to London Below

Posted on March 18, 2013 by

Severed, by Scott Snyder, Scott Tuft, and Attila Futaki – I’m not that familiar with horror comics (well, I’ve sometimes seen Neil Gaiman’s Sandman listed as horror, but I see that more as fantasy with some horror elements), but I … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Comics, Discworld, Mythology, Native American, Terry Pratchett | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pulling Off the Pooley

Posted on March 3, 2013 by

Sex and Drugs and Sausage Rolls, by Robert Rankin – Another one of Rankin’s books full of weirdly meandering plots, conspiracy theories in action, and meta-referential humor. This time, recurring slacker protagonists Jim Pooley and John Omally attempt to manage … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Brentford Trilogy, Robert Rankin | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

This Ain’t No Holle Day

Posted on March 2, 2013 by

The Red Fairy Book, collected by Andrew Lang, edited by Brian Alderson – I have already read several of these Fairy Books, collections of various fairy tales including the famous and the more obscure, but not in order. In his … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Fairy Tales, German, J.R.R. Tolkien, Monsters, Mythology, Norse | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Whether Balrogs Have Wings

Posted on February 22, 2013 by

I thought the Balrogs from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien might be an interesting subject for a post, and I actually found out something kind of amusing when looking up the topic. People who have read or seen the movies … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Discworld, J.R.R. Tolkien, Monsters, Street Fighter, Terry Pratchett, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment