Before ‘Bates Motel’: ‘Psycho’ (1959) (Book review)
Welcome to a new series where I look back at the books and movies of the “Psycho” franchise before its revival in “Bates Motel,” one of the best TV shows of the decade, which will […]
Books
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Coruscant Nights III: Patterns of Force’ (2009) (Book review)
Following two solid lead-ins, “Patterns of Force” (2009) is a satisfying final chapter in Michael Reaves’ “Coruscant Nights” trilogy. It’s definitely pulpy (mostly in a good way) and it gets bizarrely untethered at times, but Reaves provides […]
Douglas Preston’s ‘Lost City of the Monkey God’ a gripping chronicle of archaeology, history (Book review)
“The Lost City of the Monkey God” (January, hardcover) looks from its cover like the latest Douglas Preston thriller, perhaps along the lines of “The Codex,” something about tromping through Central America in search of a […]
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Coruscant Nights II: Street of Shadows’ (2008) (Book review)
Michael Reaves steps up his game in “Coruscant Nights II: Street of Shadows” (2008), which has more of a true mystery plot than the trilogy’s first book and even better tie-ins to the wider Expanded Universe. While […]
‘The Obsidian Chamber’ is Preston & Child’s craziest ride
Book review: The 16th Agent Pendergast novel is Preston & Child’s craziest ride, but it’s also a key Constance Greene novel.
Chuck Klosterman delivers his ultimate think-piece, ‘But What If We’re Wrong?’ (Book review)
With a mix of his own ideas and the spotlighting of others’, Chuck Klosterman’s ninth book, “But What If We’re Wrong” (2016), had me wanting to discuss these ideas with someone after each chapter. Like all of […]
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight’ (2008) (Book review)
If you’re following the EU in chronological order, Michael Reaves’ “Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight” (2008) is an oddity for a couple reasons. First, rather than trying to track down Obi-Wan and Yoda, as one might expect, […]
Preston & Child’s ‘Beyond the Ice Limit’ blends familiar sci-fi themes into a fun, but too shallow, ride (Book review)
After receiving “many thousands” of letters and emails asking for a sequel to “The Ice Limit” (2000) (as they recount in an author’s note), Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child finally go “Beyond the Ice Limit” (May 2016, […]
Preston & Child explore salt marshes, mudflats and lighthouses in ‘Crimson Shore’ (Book review)
“Crimson Shore” (November 2015 hardcover; now in paperback) is in many ways a classic standalone Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child potboiler, but it also has character, plot and thematic elements that push the Agent Pendergast series […]
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader’ (2005) (Book review)
We knew Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were the same person since 1980, but it wasn’t until after “Revenge of the Sith” came out that we learned how Anakin feels being Vader. For that reason, “Dark […]