My Best Friend’s Exorcism (2016) – Grady Hendrix

Where do I even start with this book? I enjoyed this one so much. We were in the local Chapters, and I was immediately caught by the cover. It’s designed to look like a 1980s horror movie on VHS. And the story embraces everything you loved about the 80s – the shows, the music, the…

The Warded Man (2008) – Peter V. Brett

My sweetie recommended this one for me. She was so adamant that I read it, and so convinced that I would enjoy it that she went out and bought me a copy, and I moved it to the top the pile. And, no surprise, she was right! A wonderful combination of fantasy and horror elements,…

Tik-Tok of Oz (1914) – Frank L. Baum

A quick trip to Oz has been overdue, so I figured it was time to dig into book eight in the series, and check in with all those old friends, and new ones, to see what was happening in that faraway land. Following in the quest stories which have been the hallmark of the series…

Star Trek: Crisis On Centaurus (1986) – Brad Ferguson

Well, except for the product placement, the implication that the Earth isn’t under a one government rule, and that the economics of the future are a little different (according to Picard) which is not followed here, most of this tale is fairly enjoyable. In fact, of it had been rewritten and edited a little more…

Dune Messiah (1969) – Frank Herbert

A substantially shorter novel than the first book in the series, Dune Messiah is on the Book Shelf this week. Published four years after Dune, Messiah is set twelve years after the events that saw Paul Atreides become Emperor, marry a princess in name only, and his Fremen launched their jihad on the galaxy. Paul…

Star Trek: Mindshadow (1986) – J.M. Dillard

The Human Adventure continues on the Book Shelf this week with some more non-canon Star Trek adventures. And for the first time in a long time, this was a Trek book I enjoyed. Dillard has a knack for the characters, and while some of the beats may not have been completely inline with Trek, I…

Dune (1965) – Frank Herbert

Arrakis. Dune. Desert planet. It was time for a revisit to Frank Herbert’s science fiction classic. I had journeyed there twice before. The most recent trip had been in the early 90s when my friend Dennis had convinced me to read them again, as they were some of his favourite books. I had worked my…

Star Trek: Pawns and Symbols (1985) – Majliss Larson

Ok. It’s just about time for someone to step in and rein in some of these stories. I know it can’t be far off, but at this point, some of them are really starting to annoy me. This week’s Book Shelf lets me visit a non-canon adventure of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Let’s…

Ur (2009) – Stephen King

Stephen King leaped aboard the digital reader revolution back in 2009 when he wrote this tale that was available only online as a download for said readers. The story follows an English teacher, Wesley, at a mediocre college. His relationship with Ellen, one of the college’s coaches is on the rocks, caused by a lack…