tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168115362009-04-30T12:51:34.447-04:00Open a Book with Teleport CityKeithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887643336475509672noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125This is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site, subject to copyright and fair use.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-62818502626759903572008-07-14T05:29:00.004-04:002008-07-14T17:56:17.286-04:00

By Raymond BensonAppeared in American Playboy Magazine - January 1999Midsummer Night's Doom is a short James Bond adventure written to coincide with Playboy Magazine's 45th anniversary. It is the second short story that Bond continuation author, Raymond Benson wrote that appeared in Playboy, the first being Blast From The Past which ran in 1997. And it goes without saying - I only read Playboy

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-4691823065675988452008-07-09T17:28:00.003-04:002008-07-09T17:50:45.911-04:00

This seemed like the perfect book to start and finish while waiting in an airport, so that's exactly what i did, in between shopping for duty-free scotch whisky and checking the gate assignment board at Heathrow that never seems to be updated until twenty minutes before your flight, and then it changes like ten times. I always expect better of you, Britain. I expect that sort of nonsense from

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887643336475509672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-86135099787688324282008-07-09T17:06:00.006-04:002008-07-09T17:27:00.046-04:00

It's been far too long since I sat down with a sleazy Nick Carter adventure novel, but the time I spent waiting for my flight at the Edinburgh and London airports allowed me to finish Berlin and Last Flight to Moscow, as well as a Sam Durell novel (Assignment White Rajah). Berlin is pretty good -- yet another Nick Carter novel that would, if it was made into a movie, take longer to watch than it

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887643336475509672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-72992515924898263992008-06-26T03:44:00.003-04:002008-06-26T03:58:48.487-04:00

Written By Jim LawrenceIllustrated by Yaroslav HorakOriginally published in syndicated newspapers in Europe 1977Currently published in ‘Death Wing’ by Titan Books 2007More James Bond comic strip mayhem. Titan Books over than last few years have been producing a series of Graphic Novels featuring the classic James Bond newspaper strips. Each of these books contains multiple stories. Starting in

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-2270313385277144922008-06-20T05:50:00.002-04:002008-06-20T20:00:27.318-04:00

Don McGregor and Gary CaldwellDark Horse Comics 1995Cover painting by Christopher MoellerHere we are, about to launch into the final book in The Quasimodo Gambit saga. So far, Bond has been in numerous fist fights and guns battles. He has been knocked out once. Has had to escape from a burning cane field and a whole slither of snakes. Then he had his mouth forced open and leeches placed under his

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-32166077774760909212008-06-16T05:39:00.001-04:002008-06-17T04:55:49.870-04:00

Don McGregor and Gary CaldwellDark Horse Comics 1995Cover painting by Christopher MoellerWhen we left The Quasimodo Gambit James Bond and fellow agent, Nebula Valentine had just had their asses kicked in Jamaica by a religious zealot, Reverend Elias Hazelwood, Ernest 'Light Touch' Force and Maximillian 'Quasimodo' Steel. At the end of the story they had made off with a semi-trailer full of

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-8272194514303091152008-06-13T03:07:00.005-04:002008-06-13T05:06:05.889-04:00

Don McGregor and Gary CaldwellDark Horse Comics 1995Cover painting by Christopher MoellerIn some ways it is very difficult to review a comic book or a graphic novel as most of the story is told in pictures, and a good illustrator can pack quite a bit of information into just a few pages. Reverting the images to a text format for review purposes is quite tricky, stopping short of reviewing each

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-44658705797059096452008-06-06T04:14:00.002-04:002008-06-06T04:27:43.104-04:00

John Garforth, Mirror Books (1978)I first read Sexton Blake And The Demon God when I was stranded in rural New South Wales a few years back. There had been a bit of a stuff-up with a train booking and I found myself without a seat and a day to kill in the small town of Quirindi. As I didn’t know anyone, and the town isn’t large enough to wander off and explore (not for very long, anyway), I

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-9075576908555360002008-04-04T19:00:00.003-04:002008-04-04T19:04:24.410-04:00

Created by Takao SaitoEnglish version published by Viz Media 2006Just a quick one, but because I have looked at a few Golgo 13 movies in Shrimps Chips, I thought entirely appropriate at this time. Despite my recent Shrimps, I am hardly an expert on Manga films. In total, the animé feature films I have watched could be counted on one hand. And I hate to admit, my ignorance of Manga comics is even

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-14407428385339751542008-03-21T21:58:00.003-04:002008-03-21T22:09:58.237-04:00

Tandem Books 1969I hate to admit it, but I was a Nick Carter virgin. I had never read any of Carter's adventures, which is practically a criminal offence here at Teleport City. I figured I’d better quickly rectify the situation and ducked into the nearest second hand book shop. I only had two to chose from, and for an old paperback, at a fairly inflated price. They must be collectible around here

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-83828511982171036232008-03-11T17:40:00.001-04:002008-03-11T17:42:23.733-04:00

Been working my way through a series of books about the struggle for empire in Central Asia, circa 1800-1918...The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk, being an account of the struggle to conquer or at least influence Central Asia undertaken by the British and Russian empires during the 1800s. Absolutely fascinating history, and regardless of your opinion of empire building or the Russo-British opinion

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887643336475509672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-23021889441979195852008-02-27T17:31:00.004-05:002008-03-12T22:04:10.952-04:00

After the critical and popular misfire of The Spy Who Loved Me -- A literary experiment that was noble in intention but fell apart in execution -- the pressure was on Ian Fleming to deliver a top notch Bond adventure to make up for things. At the same time, it's obvious that Fleming was beyond the point of wanting to crank out another by the numbers book. He was going to have to find a way to

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887643336475509672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-42061826580087735042008-02-21T03:10:00.004-05:002008-03-12T22:05:21.075-04:00

Written by Andrei GulyaskiPublished by Scripts Publishing 1967I generally lounge around in a dinner suit, seated in a candy coloured bean bag, nursing a vodka martini while watching spy films from the sixties. But today, with your indulgence, I am going to slip into a burgundy crushed velvet smoking jacket, light my pipe, pour myself a balloon of brandy and make my way to the library. I have a

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-33142223875319747752008-02-17T23:57:00.003-05:002008-03-12T22:05:21.076-04:00

For You Eyes OnlyPenguin Books 2002Live And Let DieListen For Pleasure / Music For Pleasure 1984Here’s a quick observation, rather than a full blown review. As I spend most of my working day in front of a computer, quite often at the end of the day, my eyes are pretty shot. Sometimes I cannot even watch television or read a book. My eyes simply need time to rest. Usually I just turned down the

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-23231915798382011812008-02-10T19:39:00.003-05:002008-03-12T22:05:21.077-04:00

James McGee, Harper Collins (2006) You don’t send a gentleman to catch vermin. You send Hawkwood.Ratcatcher while being quite enjoyable is a ‘Goldfinger’ book. Have you ever watched Goldfinger? Have you noticed that James Bond doesn’t really do anything. He falls into nearly every trap, and in the end, one of the other characters (Pussy Galore) saves the day. Okay, Bond was the catalyst for Pussy

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-60913262225016621892008-02-10T03:53:00.001-05:002008-02-16T19:26:36.065-05:00

Leigh Redhead, Unwin & Allen (2004)For this review, I am going to look at a bit of local fiction. When I was younger (so much younger than today), I used to live in Richmond, which is a inner-city suburb of Melbourne. Richmond is also the home of the M.C.G. or Melbourne Cricket Ground, if you prefer. The M.C.G. is a massive sporting arena, which holds approximately ninety thousand people, and

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-27657734388420488422008-02-08T15:53:00.003-05:002008-03-12T22:05:21.079-04:00

The Life And Death Of Bushranger Ben Hall (2005)Author: Nick Bleszynski 'I might as well have the game as the blame'. As a bright eyed youngster, all of nine years old, I remember at school, every Thursday afternoon we'd listen to the ABC radio's musical school program. Every week they'd teach kids from all over the country a new song. Most of the song's were sugary confections. One that sticks

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-91238788213213674512008-02-08T15:30:00.001-05:002008-02-16T19:24:29.418-05:00

By Patricia Cornwell, Little Brown Books (2002)Here's a quick one. Those of you who have read quite a few of my film reviews will know that I am pretty squeamish. I am not a big fan of serial killer or ‘stalk and slash’ films. I know a lot of people love this kind of stuff because they enjoyed being scared. I, on the other hand tend to watch films as an escape. There are enough examples of the

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-7214698855223342132008-01-24T13:02:00.001-05:002008-01-24T13:02:55.803-05:00

After failing to get the Republican nomination, then losing worse than he thought he would as a third party candidate, Teddy Roosevelt sought to drown his self-doubt and depression by undertaking a rigorous adventure tour of South America. Originally planned as sort of a roughing it eco-tour, Roosevelt soon altered his plans and set off to explore an uncharted river in the heart of the Amazon,

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887643336475509672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-53441916342477872322008-01-24T13:00:00.000-05:002008-01-24T13:01:36.524-05:00

Read Under a Lucky Star: A Lifetime of Adventure by Roy Chapman Andrews while on vacation. This is the expedition leader/director of the Museum of Natural History and Science that Spielberg and Lucas based Indiana Jones on. The book, to keep things short, is unbelievably inspiring, thrilling, and poignant, tracing Andrews' life as he rises throw the ranks at the museum to become one of the great

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887643336475509672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-34198029208439643402007-05-07T16:38:00.000-04:002008-01-06T23:38:20.155-05:00

By Ian Fleming. Copyright 2002 (Reprint), Penguin Publishing.Buy it now from Amazon.comAfter a worthwhile idea (exploring the effect on a normal person's life when they come into contact with James Bond) that turned into the savagely crummy The Spy Who Loved Me, Ian Fleming had a lot to make up for. The trick for the author was finding something unique to do with the long-lived character of James

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887643336475509672noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-17758777146897673582007-01-16T15:15:00.001-05:002008-01-06T23:40:49.190-05:00

By Ian Fleming. Copyright 2002 (Reprint), Penguin Publishing.Buy it now from Amazon.comI hope whatever good will was generated for you (provided you liked the book as much as I did) by Thunderball is still fresh in your memory, because you're going to need to lean heavily upon it if you ever want to make it to the end of Fleming's next Bond novel, The Spy Who Loved Me. It's tempting to just skip

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887643336475509672noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-63411218649589431692006-12-22T15:49:00.001-05:002008-01-06T23:40:49.191-05:00

By Ian Fleming. Copyright 2002 (Reprint), Penguin Publishing.Buy it now from Amazon.comOK, now this is more like it. After muddling through a series of unsatisfying short stories -- some of which were frustrating because they contained the unrealized kernel of a great story, others because they had next to nothing to do with James Bond -- Ian Fleming returns to familiar territory with one of my

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887643336475509672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-1161638656220886532006-11-16T16:23:00.000-05:002008-01-06T23:42:08.339-05:00

Horror Cinema Across the Globe2003, FAB Press. Edited by Steven Schneider.Buy it now from Amazon.comI guess at some point a few years ago, the folks at U.K.-based FAB Press decided they were going to become the best friend and worst enemy of horror film fans the world over by publishing a series of beautifully illustrated, densely-packed volumes on all sorts of topics of interest to fans of

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887643336475509672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16811536.post-1161638523868949652006-11-06T17:21:00.000-05:002008-01-06T23:40:49.191-05:00

By Ian Fleming. Copyright 2002 (Reprint), Penguin Publishing.Buy it now from Amazon.comGoldfinger was a decent enough adventure for James Bond, but it also smacked of "going through the motions" and relying on remixing ingredients from previous novels -- the card cheat angle from Moonraker, the SMERSH funding angle from Live and Let Die, and a couple other things here and there. The next book in

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17887643336475509672noreply@blogger.com6