The Facts of Death (1998) – Raymond Benson

James Bond is back. Building off his previous short story, Blast From the Past, the novel, Zero Minus Ten, and his adaptation of Tomorrow Never Dies, author Raymond Benson thrusts 007 into another globetrotting adventure that takes him from London to Texas, and Cyprus in an attempt to stop a viral outbreak and a growing…

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) – Sam Raimi

Sam Raimi returns to the superhero genre and tinges it with his sense of horror with Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Benedict Cumberbatch returns as the titular Strange as well as multiple versions of the famed sorcerer as he confronts a danger that threatens the whole of the multiverse. Raimi brings his…

The Hardy Boys: The Missing Chums (1928/1962) – Franklin W. Dixon

Frank and Joe Hardy are back in their fourth adventure, The Missing Chums. This quick-paced, fast read book sees the brothers asked by the local Bayport P.D. to help investigate a local shantytown, while their father, Fenton, the renowned detective is called in to investigate a series of national bank robberies… and then there’s one…

Cold (1996) – John Gardner

John Gardner’s final 007 novel, Cold aka Cold Fall, his sixteenth, feels a little bit more like the James Bond we know, a balance between Ian Fleming’s literary creation, and his cinematic iteration. Far more enjoyable than his adaptation of GoldenEye, the novel is split into two parts, taking place before, and then after, his…

Partners in Crime (1929) – Agatha Christie

Tommy and Tuppence, who quickly became one of my favourite creations of Agatha Christie, first introduced in The Secret Adversary, are back in this collection of short stories, that are interconnected, as the married couple take on a number of cases. A Fairy in the Flat opens the book and reveals that Tommy is working…

Mission: Impossible – The Complete Series – Blu-Ray Review

Seven seasons of classic television come to blu-ray this week. You’re mission should you choose to accept it, and you know I’m going to, is to work my way through each and every mission and delight in the (re)discovery of this classic television show. The stylish series collection box set debuts from Paramount Canada today,…

Marvel: Greatest Comics (2020) – Melanie Scott and Stephen Wiacek

The Marvel Universe is huge, it’s interwoven, has history, and can seem kind of daunting when trying to figure out where to jump in. DK Canada’s new book, Marvel: Greatest Comics – 100 Comics That Built A Universe, provides a look at standout, iconic issues that helped create all that came after them. It’s easy…

The Spy Who Loved Me (1962) – Ian Fleming

The tenth James Bond book, and the ninth novel, is this week’s 007 Book Shelf entry, and it’s a bit of a unique creation. It’s a small, almost non-event in the life of secret agent James Bond, and is told from the first person perspective of the heroine of the tale, French-Canadian Vivienne Michel. Recently…