In Defense of Rock-a-Doodle

Rock-a-doodle was a Don Bluth animated film that was released in 1992, and is generally considered to mark the beginning of the downward trend in Bluth films which was continued by things like A Troll in Central Park and The Pebble and the Penguin.  Rock-a-doodle is, perhaps rightly, criticized for a number of things, but I am not part of the critical majority.  Rock-a-doodle has always been and likely will always be one of my top movie picks.  Something about it resonates with me.

Down the Stacks #23: Right Ho, Jeeves!

Have you ever wondered why a common name for butlers in fiction is “Jeeves”?  The answer is this week’s selection for Down the Stacks: Sir P.G. Wodehouse’s classic comedy series Jeeves and Wooster.  The particular volume I’ve selected is Right ho, Jeeves.

The Importance of Good Worldbuilding

If you’ve been reading Down the Stacks, you’ve probably come to the realization that one of the elements of fiction that I care the most about is worldbuilding.  A moving plot and interesting character dynamics are what most people look for in a story, but to my mind no plot or set of characters is complete without an interesting, well-knit world for them to inhabit and interact with.  A well-built world lends itself to further exploration by both the original author and fans, extending a story’s lifespan and providing fodder for discussions.  Worldbuilding also helps to liven up scenes so that the reader’s mental pictures are more than just talking heads on a blank background.

Down the Stacks #22: Horatio Hornblower

This week on Down the Stacks, I’m stepping out of the Science Fiction section of the library again to fulfill a promise I made to myself: to take a look at C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower series.  After reading and reviewing two different sets of books inspired by Hornblower, I wanted to get back to the source and see how good it was.  Fortunately, my local library appears to care about Hornblower quite a bit, since I found the entire series on the shelf, and multiple copies of some volumes.  I haven’t read them all yet, but I’ve got a good feeling about the series based on what I have read.

So, to borrow Honor Harrington’s catchphrase again, let’s be about it.

Redeeming Little Miss Mary Sue: Relationships and History

This is the fourth, and currently final entry of Redeeming Little Miss Mary Sue

Down the Stacks #21: Stone Spring

This week on Down the Stacks, I looked up Stephen Baxter, the co-author of Terry Prachett’s The Long Earth.  Baxter is an aid speculative fiction writer with a particular interest in alternative history.  The book I’ve selected for this week’s review is one of those alternate histories: Stone Spring, first entry in the Northland Trilogy.

Redeeming Little Miss Mary Sue: Roles

This is the third entry in the "Redeeminf little Miss Mary Sue" series.