Scott Tracy Grif­fin (web­site) has written and compiled a wonderful coffee table book called Tarzan The Centennial Celebration, which I thought was marvelous, a feast to the eyes and a great gift to any Tarzan, comics, movies or pop-culture fan. Mr. Griffin was kind enough to answer a few questions for me. | Q. Tarzan has been a beloved figure since its inception to this day. Why do you think thae story has such a grep on kids and kids at heart for generations? A. Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs tapped into a primordial fantasy that speaks to many of us: the desire to return to nature and be free of the conventions and restrictions of civilization. It’s wish-fulfillment and empowerment on the most basic levels—Tarzan, a mental, moral, and physical superman, embodies the person we would like to be, living the life we’d love to live. | Q. What prompted you to write the book? A. I’ve been a Burroughs fan since childhood, and his writing has always inspired my artistic pursuits. After years of waiting, I finally had an opportunity to create the manner of illustrated Tarzan book I would have loved as a child—or an adult. The timing of the Centennial…

Buy this Star Wars Book in paper or electronic copy* Andrew: Originally published at: http://www.rancorslovetoread.com/2009/01/andrews-review-of-jedi-academy-trilogy.html 3/5 Rancors – Kevin J. Anderson played a prominent role in the Star Wars Expanded Universe for a few years in the mid-1990s. His projects included the Tales of the Jedi comics published by Dark Horse, the Illustrated Guide to the Star Wars Universe, editorial and authorial duties on three Tales collections, various youth-oriented fiction, and a few of the adult novels. Jedi Search was his first book in the Jedi Academy Trilogy, set after the pivotal events of Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy and the Dark Empire comic series. This trilogy typifies many of the characteristics often associated with the 90s Bantam Spectra era of Star Wars publishing, following the main movie characters as they battle a newly emerged ex-Imperial leader and throwing a new super weapon or two into the mix. This first part of the trilogy opens with the New Republic in the process of re-claiming Coruscant after the recent Imperial reoccupation. It’s interesting how openly the book ties to the Dark Empire comics series in some of the early scenes. Readers who stick only to the books will be quite confused when…

Colin Thiele, born today 16 November, 1920 (d: 4 September 2006) was an Australian award winning author and educator who published over 100 books.

Tarzan The Centennial Celebration by Scott Tracy Griffin is a coffee table book (13″ x 10 1/4″) celebrating 100 years of the famous lord of the jungle. Mr. Griffin is the leading authority on Edgar Rice Burroughs and on his 1912 creation of which this book is about.

Article first published as Book Review: The Hollow Man by Oliver Harris on Blogcritics. About: The Hollow Man by Oliver Harris is a novel introduction a new character, cop Nick Belsey, in what seems to be the first of a series. Nick Belsey is an English policeman who seems to have no ethics and corrupt morals which constantly traps him in the lure of easy money. The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy of this book –to enter fill out the Raf­fle­copt­ter form at the end of the post. 480 pages Publisher: Harper Paperbacks Language: English ISBN-10: 0062136712 My rating for The Hollow Man – 4 Buy this book in paper or elec­tronic format* Thoughts: The Hollow Man by Oliver Harris (website | @oliharrisauthor) moves at a breakneck speed with a spectacular ending which plants destruction and bedlam in the English countryside. The book introduces anti-hero Nick Belsey, a Detective Constable in the Hampstead CID. Belsey has a serious drinking problem, is ethically challenged and is in personal debt up to his eyeballs. In fact, his paycheck no longer covers the minimum amount owed on his loans. Belsey breaks every rule he could find, from squatting in a house where a crime has happened, to taking money, identity theft and more. All…

When I first got the email from Mr. Rodriguez about his new play, my first instinct was to tell him that I might not be the right blogger to read it. After all, I’m not much for plays, however Mr. Rodriguez’s email was very intriguing – I accepted and I’m glad I did. Buy this play in paper or electronic format* Don Quixote For a New Millennium: The Adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho at the Ducal Court by Diogenes Rodriguez tells the old story of Don Quixote with a new translation which tries to capture the spirit of the book. As anyone can tell you, Don Quixote is a difficult book to translate because much of the humor, stories and innuendos depends on your understanding of the language and culture, much like Shakespeare’s plays. Mr. Rodriguez achieves this by introducing a narrator into the story which helps explain the audience what’s going on and move the story forward. The play itself is captivating and, I believe, manages to capture the spirit in which Cervantes intended to convey in his classic book. However, the real surprise for me was the part at the beginning which deals with history, linguistics and the philosophy of Don Quixote. I loved the…

Article first published as Book Review: Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap Stories on Blogcritics. About: Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap Stories is a non-fiction book by the famous rocker. Randy Bachman, a musician from Winnipeg who was in the Guess Who, BTO and other bands tells about his career and the people he met. 288 pages Publisher: Pintail Language: English ISBN-10: 0670066591 My rating for Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap Stories – 4 By this book in paper or electronic format* Thoughts: Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap Stories is a short book with many short stories. Mr. Bachman has sat down and wrote down great memories from a great career, reading the book I felt as if he would play a song after each story. My favorite story is one of the longer ones about Les Paul. Mr. Bachman saw Les Paul play at his hometown in Canada where he watched through the kitchen door since he was too young to enter the premises. Mr. Paul talked a bit with the young guitarist and showed him how he played a song. Fast forward years later when, now established musician Randy Bachman was introduced to Les Paul who actually remembered the-kid-from-the-restaurant and about an encounter even later when they got to play…

The Music of James Bond by Jon Burlingame tells of the real-life dramas which accompanied the sound track to the 007 movies up to Quantum of Solace.

On t his day, Swedish author Karl Stig-Erland “Stieg” Larsson (15 August, 1954 – 9 November, 2004) passed away before he could witness his books becoming an international phenomena. Books by Stieg Larsson 1) Larsson lived with his grandparents Skelleftehamm in N. Sweden while his parents moved to Stockholm to pursue better job opportunities. Larsson joined his parents and brother in the early 60s. 2) According to Gabrielsson, Larsson set most of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in northern Sweden because that’s where he spend his childhood (Gabrielsson calls the area the “godforsaken places at the back of beyond”). 3) Larsson worked as a graphic designer and an investigative journalist focusing on right-wing extremists. 4) While on vacation with his companion, Eva Gabrielsson, Larsson started writing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. He completed the manuscripts for what would eventually become the Millennium Trilogy over the next 3 years later. 5) The original title for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was Men Who Hate Women (Man Som Hatar Kvinnor). 6) A month after he submitted the manuscripts to a Swedish publisher Stieg Larsson – age 50 – a notorious junk food fanatic and heavy smoker, died of a massive heart…

Joining the Army to get away from the depression, 25 year-old Felix Spars arrives in Italy as a captain in the 157th Infantry Regiment of the 45th Division – the Thunderbirds. Sparks proves to be a natural leader and a man of high intelligence, moral and respectability leading his men in 4 amphibious invasions, through the rough mountainous terrains of Italy and France and winter combat against the SS on the German border.