Long ago even for me – in 1976, in fact – some friends of my father's heard about my interest in science fiction and invited me to come with them to a science fiction convention – the first I would ever attend, and the last for many years: Boskone 13. I jumped at the chance and went there with Pat and Peggy Kennedy as my temporary guardians, and registered under my first "handle" – calling myself "Kimball Kinnison", appropriately if arrogantly. In retrospect, I spent an awful lot of money to go there and got a lot [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: Pandora’s Legions
December 5, 2012 By 6 Comments
As I mentioned back in my discussion of Doc Smith, when I was in 6th grade my teacher Mr. Dickinson gave me two SF books to read. One of them, Second-Stage Lensmen by Doc Smith, transformed my world forever. The other was only lesser by comparison with the titanic effect of Doc's work, for it was a truly worthy work by itself: was Pandora's Planet, the earlier edition of the book reissued by Baen as Pandora's Legions. Pandora's Planet was the first story I ever encountered which was told from the point of view of the alien [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: The Deed of Paksenarrion
November 30, 2012 By 15 Comments
The Paladin: one of the most commonly reviled or mocked character classes in Dungeons and Dragons, a Paladin is a warrior who fights for the sake of their deity, gaining certain mystical abilities from their god in return. Often depicted as the classic Knight in Shining Armor, Paladins in RPGs often were played as either Lawful Stupid (so goody-two-shoes that they could be easily suckered into lethal confrontations), or as arrogant Knights Templar, well-intentioned extremists willing to go to ANY lengths to accomplish what [ Continue reading... ]
Under the Influence: The Arduin Grimoires
November 23, 2012 By 12 Comments
Back in the ancient days of roleplaying games, Dungeons and Dragons was pretty much the only game in town, a game consisting of three little booklets: Men & Magic, Monsters and Treasures, and The Underworld and Wilderness Adventures, followed a bit later with the supplements Greyhawk, Blackmoor, and Eldritch Wizardry. But one day, I joined a game with a GM – John Robb – who was using a new book: like the others, it was a staple-bound pamphlet-style book with a sort of buff-colored cover, on which was a warrior [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: The Ophidian Conspiracy
November 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Written by John F. Carr, The Ophidian Conspiracy is one of the least-known SF novels (from a major publisher) that I've encountered. I have a battered, yellowing copy that I picked up somewhere – don't even know where or when, exactly. I cannot find the book at present, and it is so little known that specifics of the book cannot be found on the internet, so this review will lack specific names. If I find the book again I'll edit this review to have the character names and other appropriate details. Its obscurity is [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: Chrono Cross
November 19, 2012 By 2 Comments
I have mentioned previously that I consider Chrono Trigger one of the greatest videogames ever made. One can imagine my anticipation, then, when finally, after several years, a sequel to Chrono Trigger was announced. I reserved Chrono Cross and played it as soon as it came out. As I mentioned in my discussion of Chrono Trigger, I found Chrono Cross disappointing as a sequel; basically it undid or made worse than useless the achievements of your original group of heroes in Chrono Trigger. I had hoped for an actual sequel that [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: The Vision of Escaflowne
November 14, 2012 By 2 Comments
"Was it all just a dream? Or maybe a vision... no, it was real!" While there have been some strong contenders in the last ten years, no anime has yet managed to take the crown of "Best Anime Series" from the one, the only, the incomparable Vision of Escaflowne. Budding track star Hitomi Kanzaki is apparently an ordinary girl, aside from her amazing fleetness of foot and an uncanny ability to read accurate futures from tarot cards. During a practice race, she has a sudden vision of a strange young man, and [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: GIANT ROBO: The Day The Earth Stood Still
November 9, 2012 By 1 Comment
In a future yet to be, the third energy revolution is ushered in by the invention of the Shizuma Drive, and with it, mankind celebrates a new era of prosperity. But within the shadows of this bright new world, two great powers clash… So begins one of the greatest anime ever produced – Giant Robo: The Day The Earth Stood Still. A lushly produced and reimagined version of one of the classics of the "giant robot" subgenre, Giant Robo manages to go above and beyond its origin while remaining true to its roots. [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: Babylon 5
November 5, 2012 By 13 Comments
"It was the dawn of the third age of mankind, ten years after the Earth-Minbari War. The Babylon Project was a dream given form. Its goal: to prevent another war by creating a place where humans and aliens could work out their differences peacefully. It's a port of call, home away from home for diplomats, hustlers, entrepreneurs, and wanderers. Humans and aliens wrapped in two million, five hundred thousand tons of spinning metal, all alone in the night. It can be a dangerous place, but it's our last, best hope for peace. This [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: Thoughts on the Chronicles of Narnia
October 24, 2012 By 10 Comments
Once upon a time, there was a man who had an image in his head, of a faun walking through a snowy wood, carrying parcels and with an umbrella held above him. And the man decided one day to write a story about that image, a story centered around some children sent away from London during the Blitz. The man was C. S. Lewis, and that story was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first of the Chronicles of Narnia to be written and published. The seven Narnia books – in internal chronological [ Continue reading... ]
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