No, get that thing.
3.5 out of 5
Sorcerers. If you stab them and they don’t die they have an absolute shitload of deathtraps.
4 out of 5
Tags: 4.0, sword and sorcery, z short story
Sorcerers. If you stab them and they don’t die they have an absolute shitload of deathtraps.
4 out of 5
Better if you geas don’t think about it, brothers.
3.5 out of 5
Tags: 3.5, sword and sorcery, z short story
Kill dad, no big deal short girls. Want furs?
3 out of 5
Tags: 3.0, sword and sorcery, z short story
Kill dad, no big deal short girls. Want furs?
3 out of 5
Better if you geas don’t think about it, brothers.
3.5 out of 5
Willie is helping out a friend in New Guinea, when Modesty comes to visit. After some plane trouble they discover a local girl on the run – and find out that she has been trained as a nurse, so speaks English as part of a bridging program.
After her are the not so educated, who have been manipulated by an Irish psychopath that the pair have stumbled across before. The Iron God of the title is a safe he wants Willie to crack, containing a fortune.
4 out of 5
Tags: 4.0, as strip, spy superhero
Maude Tiller helps to capture a spy. Said woman’s employers want her back, so they hire Salamander Four to snatch Maude.
When Modesty and Willie realise the government aren’t going to agree to a swap for such a junior agent they go into action, and have to scam all sides to get Maude out of trouble
Plus, Willie and Modesty in fairyland.
4 out of 5
Tags: 4.0, as strip, spy superhero
It is Mardi Gras for Willie and Modesty – but the trouble magnets run across a hanging. Not to mention Steve Taylor, who is there to handle a threat to drown the city of New Orleans if they don’t pay a ransom.
So it is costumes and hanging for Modesty Blaise, as a married couple have a thing for the noose because of the execution of the wife’s father.
4 out of 5
Tags: 4.0, as strip, spy superhero
“The demon let out a blood-curdling shriek. Even though his mask muffled his voice, the cry was so sudden, so shocking, that Haakon felt like he had been struck by lightning. His muscles jumped and he couldn’t think straight enough to react to the flickering steel lunging toward his face. Instinctively Haakon took a passing step back, twisting his body to the left. The blade of the pole-arm snapped past him, and with a flick of his wrists, the demon whirled the pole in a tight circle. The blade seemed to jump sideways, coming right for his face even though his body was turned in profile to the other fighter.”
3 out of 5
If an actual director and film company with a clue had the rights to the movie when a certain actress was in her prime, we might have had tie-in editions like this :-
Tags: Analysis
If an actual director and film company with a clue had the rights to the movie when a certain actress was in her prime, we might have had tie-in editions like this :-
Tags: Analysis
If an actual director and film company with a clue had the rights to the movie when a certain actress was in her prime, we might have had tie-in editions like this :-
If an actual director and film company with a clue had the rights to the movie when a certain actress was in her prime, we might have had tie-in editions like this :-
A Bluebeard in this sense is a male black widow, not a pirate, as you might think.
This particularly variety goes after rich wallflowers, and after an appropriate length of time, gets rid of them with the help of his two creepy daughters.
When a relative of Rene’s is the next target, Modesty decides to investigate.
She is bemused by Willie Garvin’s just-majority ownership of a circus, and even more surprised when he helps out with an elephant!
3.5 out of 5
Tags: 3.5, as strip, spy superhero
““As I explained to Gail earlier, we ended up divided. Half of Black Lodge wanted to enact an old ritual that called for the sacrifice of a human infant. Summoning Leviathan and Behemoth—opening a doorway for them to enter our world, required the sacrifice of an infant. A number of our members believed that banishing them and closing the doorway would require the same thing. They learned of several surviving infants—one in Australia, one in Illinois, and one or two elsewhere, and went in search of them. The other half of my group labored to stop them. We were convinced that there was another way to banish Behemoth and Leviathan, seal the gate, and undo the damage caused by the cultists. Regrettably, we wasted too much time in-fighting when we should have been acting together, and now it’s too late. Behemoth and Leviathan have both moved on to another version of Earth—another level.””
3.5 out of 5
““There are thirteen entities—supernatural beings—neither demon nor angel, but something far older and far more powerful, whose only goal is the complete destruction of all creation and existence. They are older than our universe and they intend to be here still when our universe is gone. Are any of you familiar with string theory or alternate dimensions?”
All three nodded.”
No, killing them all isn’t ensuring their future, old guys.
3.5 out of 5
Tags: 3.5, science fiction, z anime
Willie is rather amused when a teenaged jewel thief breaks in and leaves Modesty roses in their safe. He is a big fan – and also the nephew of Brookie of Scotland CID. Not one for cradle snatching, Modesty has to provide this young man with a lesson that life isn’t really like Raffles.
A new fence in town does this for her by snatching him – but now she has to get Rufus and his girlfriend back alive.
4.5 out of 5
Tags: 4.5, as strip, spy superhero
This time it is Modesty an old enemy tries attacking mentally – he has hired a psychologist to give her amnesia and then convince her that Willie Garvin is a deadly enemy. A problem keeping a strong personality like this under control, however, before a chairlift confrontation, with an assist from Maude Tiller.
4 out of 5
Tags: 4.0, as strip, spy superhero
Modesty is holidaying in Sydney – with an eccentric Australian scientist, while Willie goes opal hunting on camel near Andamooka.
An old criminal acquaintance is disturbed to learn she is town when he has a nickel scam planned. Blaise and Garvin don’t mind scams – but they take a ruthlessly dim view of hostage taking. Plus they have help in Jacko, a local and ex-network member, currently on walkabout. You won’t see boomerangs used like this anywhere else.
4.5 out of 5
Tags: 4.5, as strip, spy superhero
A couple of hippies stumble across an anachronistic manhunt, and Willie and Modesty stumble across them.
An agent of Tarrant’s had infiltrated a bizarre medieval re-enactment setup run by some ex-commandos. So now Blaise and Garvin fancy being the rich guests the next time. Swords and axes it is.
4 out of 5
Tags: 4.0, as strip, spy superhero
Back to an unstable little Central American town for Modesty – where she has found a new boyfriend.
The woman of whom he was the old boyfriend does not take this too kindly, and she is the daughter of the British envoy. She is also soon a hostage as the local terrorist group who wants to overthrow the stability through dictatorship currently achieved kidnap her.
Do you risk your life to rescue someone that you all despise? The answer is yes, if it means giving in to terrorists otherwise – or letting them feed people to giant anacondas.
3.5 out of 5
Tags: 3.5, as strip, spy superhero
A sheikh of the progressive kind has become enamored of gambling with Modesty – and he is useless, so she is sick of winning all the time, even for matchsticks.
An opening to divert him appears in the form of a troupe of dancer whose manager has done a runner – and the sheik offers to hire them.
Trouble at home though as his brother and the military leader stage a coup, a plane crash, and a dancing troupe become harem girls, Modesty as well.
The sheikh’s young daughter is held hostage, and when Willie tries to infiltrate to get to Modesty she thinks he is a djinn.
Harem sieges and hopeless djinns complete with a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost in the first full Romero story.
4.5 out of 5
Tags: 4.5, as strip, spy superhero
These are the Japanese variety. When a martial arts master friend of Blaise and Garvin’s granddaughter is knifed because she learned that Phoenix existed, they decided to investigate.
Little did they realise the War-lords want them to work for them – training their army of post-apocalyptic readiness as two of the best combat specialists in the world.
They hold another friend hostage to make them co-operate.
4 out of 5
Tags: 4.0, as strip, spy superhero
The mafia decide they’d like to move in and take over the heterogeneous British criminal underworld, in efficient ruthless style. They use a film studio as a cover – and a good place to practise crimes.
Brookie mentions the problem to Modesty – who promptly tells him she isn’t Batman, and doesn’t go looking for trouble.
She does when she is on the scene when a bank guard is shotgunned to death in front of her, though. A little matter of a possible public execution to avoid, though.
3.5 out of 5
Tags: 3.5, as strip, spy superhero
A Russian defector who is a consultant to the CIA and former seller of information to Modesty’s Network is actually not what he seems.
He is actually playing a double game. Along with some underlings, he snatches Garvin, and drugs him into hallucinatory terror to try and get Blaise to do what he wants.
They have him at a secure location – a mountain mansion only reachable by helicopter. Unless you have the help of an ornery old sniper who happens to have a pair of trained golden eagles, that is, even if you are a female crittur.
5 out of 5
Tags: 5.0, as strip, spy superhero
Gary Foshee, a collector and designer of puzzles from Issaquah near Seattle walked to the lectern to present his talk. It consisted of the following three sentences: “I have two children. One is a boy born on a Tuesday. What is the probability I have two boys?”
The event was the Gathering for Gardner earlier this year, a convention held every two years in Atlanta, Georgia, uniting mathematicians, magicians and puzzle enthusiasts. The audience was silent as they pondered the question.
5 out of 5
http://www.gregegan.net/ESSAYS/TUESDAY/Tuesday.html
Tags: 4.5, mathematics, z academic
A pretty ordinary book. The best thing about it is the classier cover.
Blackstone is a secret agent type for a Faerie organisation – something that is made easier when you can do the magic thing and change your appearance. No Shadow or Batman type disguise skills needed.
Runs into a cop she fancies the arse of – who is a part-giant – the part without the height it seems. A midget giant? Woman with secret, can’t get involved as it can be dangerous to the mission, etc., etc.
What happens is just not that interesting – seems to be about enough plot for a novella, really.
2.5 out of 5
Vampires bloody everywhere.
Or bloody vampires everywhere. After Kell gets done with them, anyway.
In the second book of this Gemmellesque homage trilogy Kell is still looking to rescue his granddaughter. Saark is still attempting to be able to just have a good time – with the problem that almost anyone he runs into wants to kill or eat him. Including the evil vampire sisters on the cover. They are happy to do this to Kell, too, though – happy to share the evil slaying around.
The things (and people) they have done in the past continue to come back to haunt them. One of whom of course has his granddaughter.
There’s a wild card force with the addition of another ancient race, or at least one member of.
Once you get some way into this you can see where the obvious trilogitis it has will leave it. However, it doesn’t hide this fact, with Book 2 stamped on it.
Apart from that, it is as good as the first book.
3.5 out of 5
Modesty is romancing a young Italian architect in Vienna – who is restoring an old building for a wealthy client. He comes across a letter in the process, belonging to an ancestor of a rival who takes his lineage very seriously. Two young street urchins get in the way, to Modesty’s amusement – as they remind her of her. What they nick from her boyfriend, however, gets him killed.
Modesty wants revenge, and enlists Willie’s help to pose as a man who can use a thermic lance to crack the secret of The Red Gryphon, and help her dispose of some human Viennese rubbish.
4 out of 5
Tags: 4.0, as strip, spy superhero
Modesty and Willie are taking a holiday with a wealthy friend who owns a nice boat. Unfortunately he has a bunch of others along for the ride who are snobby rich bitches, as Modesty puts it, and they give the cockney Garvin a very hard time. So the pair decide to bail out literally, swimming for a desert island.
Willie cannot believe his eyes after they have been there a short time, and he is making a raft – when he spots a Roman trireme. A movie is being made by director Eddie Grant, and he has chosen this island for location shooting.
Grant gives them a lift to civilisation, where they run into Gerald Tarrant – who is part of a CIA operation to recover a missing item the spooks want badly. The man who has it is an ex-acquaintance of the pair from their Network days named Lim – who has lost his panache, according to Modesty, and is now a ruthless criminal. However, he saved her life in the past which complicates things. And also leads to a bunch of film crew in chains rowing, and a battle on a trireme.
5 out of 5
Tags: 5.0, as strip, spy superhero
Willie saves a drugged out hippie chick from breaking her neck – and given the pair’s hatred of drugs, they decide to do some investigating, after getting some advice from a friend in the police.
Sometimes it is the little old ladies who are the evil bad guys in this, the most dated of the stories. Modesty and Willie are out to take no prisoners here.
3.5 out of 5
Tags: 3.5, as strip, spy superhero
Secretaries of Death, that is what Gabriel is up to. Running a normal looking secretarial school, but looking to find the occasional woman bent enough to work for him to steal secrets, kill people, that sort of thing.
When Tarrant is involved and mentions this, Blaise and Garvin certainly smell a Gabriel-sized rat. However, he is ready for them, with chains, collars, and a drowning basement death trap.
5 out of 5
Tags: 5.0, as strip, spy superhero
“As you can see from the trailer, Planet of the Vampires is definitely a movie of its time. A real Spaghetti-Raygun movie, if you will. One of the more interesting scenes that you’ve probably seen in another movie…like say Alien is the following scene:
Another thing that is memorable about this movie are the costumes. The all-leather, high and notched Dracula-collars and the bold yellow racing stripes kind of resemble something that you’d find on an Italian race car driver and might have been designed by Gucci or one of the more fashionable houses of haute couture. These costumes must have been hotter than blazes to wear, but they are still cool, they’re very reminiscent of motorcycle leathers for outspace motocross. Check them out:”
4 out of 5
http://oldschoolheretic.blogspot.com/2010/08/planet-of-vampires.html
Tags: 4.0, study, z non fiction
“6. You have recently embarked on a new project, an e-publishing venture called Wizard’s Tower Press and Kevin is one of your business partners in that, isn’t he? Can you explain what Wizard’s Tower Press is all about?
It is a long story, but for complicated reasons involving travel to the USA I found myself needing to have a real business that involved going to conventions. Publishing seemed to be the obvious route to take, but I had no money to invest so I had to find some way to do it that didn’t involve potentially bankrupting myself. As a result I am getting involved in ebooks. Kevin, as always, is my sounding board, moral support, and detail-oriented nag, but I have many other fine people working for me as well, including Anne Gray who did such a wonderful job of fixing my grammar for Emerald City.
Mostly what we will be doing at Wizard’s Tower is finding books that are long out of print that the big publishers are not interested in, and making them available again as ebooks. I’m not expecting to grow a huge company, or discover the next William Gibson, or anything like that, but I do hope I can help out the many mid-list authors whose careers are stagnating because the publishers and bookstores are increasingly focused on best sellers.”
4 out of 5
http://helenlowe.info/blog/2010/08/25/an-interview-with-cheryl-morgan/
“Elizabeth Hand: Well, to me they never seemed all that transgressive, to tell you the truth. I was a tomboy as a kid—I was skinny and had cropped hair and was often mistaken for a boy—and up until I was about six I had my own very fluid ideas of gender in that I believed that, somehow, an individual could choose whether or not s/he wanted to be a boy or a girl. I identified more with boys than girls, so I assumed that eventually everything would sort itself out and I’d end up on that side of the bullpen. I was pretty bummed out when I realized I was stuck being a girl. I was like Anybody’s in West Side Story. I wanted to be tough. When we lived in Yonkers in a neighborhood full of kids, I was always getting into fights with boys and coming home with a black eye. I was provoking fights with boys. I liked fighting, even though I always got decked. I should have gone into Roller Derby.”
4 out of 5
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/08/an-interview-with-elizabeth-hand
“How did you get involved with science fiction blog i09? How has becoming an influential blogger changed your relationship to the field?
Annalee Newitz and I were putting out other magazine, a print magazine whose theme was not having a theme, for five years from 2002 to 2007. We published people like Rudy Rucker and Terry Bisson, along with articles about human rights for clones and 21st century eugenics programs. We organized weird events to raise money for it, like our Ballerina Pie Fight. Annalee and I also co-edited a book of essays by female geeks called She’s Such A Geek!, which came out in 2007. So when Gawker approached Annalee to launch a blog about science fiction and science, she thought of including me, which I’m incredibly grateful for. ”
3.5 out of 5
“Can you remember the first time you became aware of werewolves? Tell me about that first encounter.
When I was a kid my Aunt Darlene used to tell me stories that would scare me senseless. She was only seven years older than I was, so she was more like an older sister than an aunt. One time she told me this grisly story about a boy my age being bitten by a werewolf, and he would hunt around looking for little kids to eat. That story scared me so bad I didn’t sleep that night. I kept swearing I heard him outside of my bedroom window, howling. Prowling. Wanting to eat me.”
4 out of 5
http://suvudu.com/2010/08/interview-with-paul-jessup-author-werewolves.html
A criminal named Bellman that Blaise and Garvin hounded to exhaustion snatches them for revenge – he has aged badly, and suffered multiple heart attacks, and wants to see them suffer in a rigged death trap manhunt before he expires.
Seems some people don’t learn, as in the case of this pair they definitely are The Most Dangerous Game.
4 out of 5
Tags: 4.0, as strip, spy superhero
Modesty has decided to take some time off, and go native in a small Central American town, staying with a blind sculptor.
Things turn for the worse when the local president no longer rules, and a low-rent crimelord decides to have some of the local women taken for his use.
Blaise and friends take a dim view of this – and run across an old Irish friend who gives Modesty and Willie a big assist.
4 out of 5
Tags: 4.0, as strip, spy superhero
Willie Garvin accidentally blowing the cover on a French agent and old girlfriend leads them to tangle with a highly professional gang out to hit a train. How do they plan to carry out their heavy gold loot? An exoskeleton.
3.5 out of 5
Tags: 3.5, as strip, spy superhero
When a beetle in amber disappears, Modesty Blaise knows it is time to repay a debt – to an old guru that helped her in the past.
A Himalayan bear is supposed to point the way to an important reincarnation, so their task is to escort it to safety – with the help of some rebels, and with the Chinese army after them.
4 out of 5
Tags: 4.0, as strip, spy superhero
Old flame’s Miskatonic Jersey hillbilly transformation.
4 out of 5