The Midnight Rant

Rant Review: Wicked & Whimsical 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Werkshoppe, art by Claire Wilson)

2026-10-31T21:52:53.599-05:00

Getting in just under the wire, my final Halloween puzzle for the year is my first from Werkshoppe. I see these pretty frequently in TJ Maxx and Home Goods, but the ones I typically see don't appeal to me too much. I liked this one enough to grab it when I saw it a couple of months ago, despite already having a puzzle featuring a Halloween shop. This was partly motivated by my wanting to try the brand, of course. I like the vivid, colorful art, and while parts of it are quite busy, there's enough variation in color and textures to keep it from really being difficult. I made it tougher than it had to be by not bothering to sort it beforehand. Just wasn't in the mood for it! I just went through a chunk of my usual Simpsons Treehouse of Horror marathon and plugged away at it.

The pieces are on thick brown board, with a pretty standard feel. Some areas, such as the ghosts, are embossed. This is a nice touch that adds some visual and tactile pizazz. The pieces generally fit well, though there were a few times where a piece had to be forced into place. This didn't occur often enough to be a real issue. Comparing the quality to Werkshoppe's storemate Hobbry, I find that I very much prefer the feel and texture of Hobbry's pieces, but I have no doubt that the Werkshoppe will hold up better over time. While I haven't run into the problems with disassembly many have with Hobbry, seeing how widespread it is would make me hesitant to buy one secondhand. I would have no such reservations about picking up a secondhand Werkshoppe. The included poster is large enough to actually be of use, which is always a plus!

Rant Review: Halloween Adventure 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Boardwalk, art by Eden Lance)

2026-10-28T09:30:00.000-05:00

This is my first Boardwalk puzzle. It's been on my wishlist since last year, but I never saw it for a price I liked until I finally made a Vinted account last week. Seeing one listed for $5 meant an instant purchase! It arrived quickly enough to sit next to my board while I worked my last two puzzles. I love the fun Halloween scene. The pieces are fairly thick blue board with a nice matte finish. They feel good in the hand and snap together well. I only had one false fit in the entire puzzle, and it was quickly sussed out. The pieces have Ravensburger level dust, however. I didn't think to sift them before starting, so I wound up with quite a bit of dust on my board. The Dowdle-style box with magnetic flap and slipcover make for a nice presentation, and a big reference poster and resealable bag complete the package. I really enjoyed putting this together, and I'm sure I'll be doing another Boardwalk in the near future. I'll just make sure I sift out the dust first next time!

Rant Review: Masters of the Universe: Battle in the Clouds 200 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Golden, art by Fred Carillo, 1984)

2026-10-27T09:30:00.000-05:00

Taking a break from Halloween puzzles, I tackled this untitled vintage MOTU puzzle. (I cribbed a title from one of my favorite vintage MOTU minicomics that seemed appropriate.) Skeletor is taking his Pteranodon out for some fresh air when that jerk He-Man shows up in his Wind Raider and starts blasting. Unlike many of the other contemporary puzzles I've done, this one has both in their battle armor. The battle armor He-Man and Skeletor figures were hugely popular, and largely supplanted the original version in much of the marketing and packaging art. While the Wind Raider was well-established as one of the most iconic MOTU vehicles by this point, there were no flying vehicles branded as evil. (The Fright Fighter wouldn't come for another year or two.) A flying creature had to be invented for this aerial battle scene, and a Pteranodon fits the bill as well as anything else. (Interestingly, Pterosaurs would officially become part of MOTU toylines on two separate occasions. Small numbers of the heroic Turbodactyl trickled into stores at the tail end of the vintage MOTU line, and the mechanical Terrordactyl was one of the first mounts released for the 2002 revival. They were frequently seen on the tie-in animated show.)

The art is by frequent MOTU illustrator Fred Carillo. We've seen his art on a few of these puzzles. Someone in production saw fit to remove his signature from the art on the box for some reason, but at least it's still present on the actual puzzle. This scene isn't quite as engaging as some of the other MOTU puzzles I've done, but Carillo imbues the scene with a nice sense of energy that keeps it interesting. The bright colors help, too. These are the same thin, loose-fitting pieces this entire line has had. I only have one vintage MOTU puzzle left, and it's a special one. (Anyone who knows anything about these puzzles will immediately guess what it is.) I'll try to put off doing it until after the holidays, but we'll see.

Rant Review: Monster Mansion 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Mudpuppy/Galison, art by Stephanie Birdsong)

2026-10-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

I picked this up on sale early this year and put it on the pile with my other Halloween-friendly puzzles. I did Welcome to Spooky Town by the same artist last year, and I enjoyed this one even more. It's a bit tougher than that one, but still well on the easy side. I focused on the rooms of the house first, treating each as a mini-puzzle. They went together pretty quickly, then I filled in the gaps between them. The tree and sky were left for last, and while tougher than the rest of the puzzle, the striations on the tree and different colored sections of the sky kept these areas from being tedious.

My favorite little vignettes are the cats holding a seance, legally-distinct Wednesday Addams feeding treats to the ginger cousin the Kong family doesn't talk about, and the demonic cat/squirrel/Chupacabra creature barfing up slime on the front steps.

The pieces don't have the nice matte texture I enjoyed on my last two Galisons. These are the more standard slightly glossy pieces, which are still okay. The fit was good, I experienced no false fits, and there was very little puzzle dust. I have a busy week ahead, but I'm hoping to find time to knock out two more Halloween puzzles before the 31st rolls around.

Rant Review: Halloween Mini Jigsaw Puzzles, 40 pieces each (Made for Retail, artist uncredited)

2026-10-22T09:30:00.000-05:00

I picked up this trio of mini puzzles at Target for $1 each a couple of weeks back. I expected these to have the same cut as the Xmas mini puzzles I got at Target last year, but they are different. After going back to check, these also have ten fewer pieces. Apart from that, piece quality is the same, with thin, glossy pieces. The elongated piece shapes are a bit more interesting than standard "H" cut puzzles. False fits are the name of the game, but the small size and colorful art make it very easy to avoid them. Nobody is expecting top-tier quality from dirt cheap puzzles like these, and they're perfectly acceptable for the price. I think the witch's cauldron is my favorite of the three, as the other two lean a bit more cutesy than I like.

Rant Review: Puzzle Within a Puzzle: Seeing Double 100 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Great American Puzzle Factory, art by John Speirs, 1991)

2026-10-21T11:21:30.609-05:00

This was a thrift store find during the seemingly endless summer, which I dutifully saved for a more appropriate time. At a mere hundred pieces, it went together quickly. I remember seeing this art style quite a lot back in the late '80s and early '90s, and I enjoyed taking it all in as I put it together. Once the puzzle is done, there are fourteen differences to find between the two halves. Can you find them all? The solution is included in case you need a bit of help.

The pieces are thin, sturdy cardboard, and have withstood the past few decades without damage apart from a minor crease in one piece. The pieces snap together well, and the completed puzzle easily passes the pickup test. The price sticker reveals that it originally cost $3.99 at K&B, so I got quite a bargain getting it for a dollar!

Rant Review: Spell Book Society 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Hobbry, art by Rachel Joanis)

2026-10-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

With my puzzling time a bit more limited recently, I wanted to tackle something a bit easier than that Nosferatu puzzle I finished last week. I had just come across this one at TJ Maxx, and straight onto the board it went! It's a bit tougher than it may look, but not really difficult. I worked on the women and the items on the floor first, then began filling in the rug to tie the room together. From there, the fireplace, mantel, and window came together pretty quickly. (Along the way, I discovered that what had looked like a swaddled cat leaning against the fireplace on the box art was actually a teapot hovering in the air to fill a teacup! That made a bit more sense.) I next did the hovering candles and scrolls, leaving the bookshelves and spiral staircase for last. That all went together far more easily than expected. This was a fun puzzle that took me far too long simply because I had to go days at a time without working on it.

The piece quality is unchanged from the other Hobbry puzzles I've done. People either love 'em or hate 'em, and I fall firmly into the former camp. I enjoy the feel of their pieces and the snug fits, and have not encountered the difficulties disassembling the puzzles without causing damage that some have experienced. I have to jostle it around a bit more to get the pieces to separate, but any damage that may result is so minor that I have yet to notice any. I'll be tackling some smaller Halloween-themed puzzles next to get them done before the day is upon us!

Rant Review: Nosferatu 1922 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Quokka, artist uncredited)

2026-10-09T18:36:36.098-05:00

I've had my eye on Quokka puzzles for some time now, but such is the size of my backlog that I couldn't justify dropping $20 on one just to try them out. That changed the moment I saw that they offered a puzzle based on the greatest vampire movie ever made! 1922's Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror is an expressionist classic with an unrelenting air of creepiness and mounting dread that few films can match, particularly if you view it with an accompanying score worthy of the Murnau masterpiece. The art features scenes from the movie, akin to the Lawrence Taylor World of Dracula puzzle I did last year, which depicted scenes from Stoker's novel. The landscape spans Transylvania to Wisborg and the sea that lies between them. The focal point is the image of Orlok emerging from the ship's hold to loom over the city. The film's Count Orlok brings the plague with him, and thus is an even greater threat than the Count Dracula of Stoker's novel. Orlok's only victims aren't the unwilling blood donors upon whom he feeds; Orlok's very presence threatens to transform Wisborg into a city of the dead. The art captures this atmosphere of oppressive horror rather well.

There are so many characters and bits of business that it's almost a Where's Waldo/expressionist horror fusion, an unexpected combo indeed! There is so much sepia that the puzzle was a bit of a slog at times. Areas such as the ship's rigging and the large, intricately detailed buildings also offered some challenge. The section I left for last will come as no surprise to anyone who reads my puzzle reviews: the upper right corner with the rocky terrain and foliage. (I did the lower left section of foliage just before that!) Even if there's only a small area of foliage, it's a safe bet I'll leave it for last!

Once the puzzle is done, there are two envelopes to open. These don't contain extra pieces as with Magic Puzzle Company puzzles, but have little search and find challenges. I found most of the crimes and differences between the large included poster and the actual puzzle as I put it together. Kinda makes me feel bad for whoever had to come up with all those riddles! The QR code promises further activities, but the app took forever to download its update and kept bugging out, and I didn't care enough to keep fighting with it, so I didn't see what it had to offer. These post-puzzle challenges aren't reason enough for a purchase on their own, but they are a nice inclusion, and I appreciate the thought that went into them. They definitely need to work on their app, though!

I can't say I'm a fan of Quokka's pieces, unfortunately. The paper-backed pieces are very sturdy, and have a glossy, somewhat plastic-y finish. False fits were possible, and not too easy to detect in some areas. Correct fits sometimes had to be forced to lock together. This didn't happen too often, but even a dozen or so times is far too much for that sort of thing. Several pieces were bent, and the coating made it very difficult to straighten them without leaving an ugly crease across the top of the piece. Pieces simply don't feel very good in-hand, and that's partly why it took me so long to complete this puzzle. It's enough to put me off wanting to buy another Quokka. I did like the funky piece shapes and bat-shaped whimsies, however, as well as every other aspect of this puzzle, so if Quokka can improve the quality of their pieces, I'll be glad to give them another chance. I also highly recommend that they start crediting their artists!

Rant Review: Spooky Portraits 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Galison, art by Anne Bentley)

2026-09-18T09:30:00.000-05:00

I never got around to grabbing this one last year, and now it's risen from the grave and staggered across my puzzle board! It's a simple, fun piece of art with clearly delineated sections that made it a breeze to assemble. The toughest part was the edge, and it was still quite easy. My favorite portraits are the Bride primping her epic coif, the friendly reaper, the very Margaret Hamiltonian witch, and the Gill Man showing off his new manicure. Happily, the pieces have the matte soft touch texture I liked so much on my last Galison. The foil adds some nice extra visual flair, but it's difficult to capture in a photo. There was more dust than usual, but the fit is as good as usual, and the completed puzzle can be picked up without crumbling.

Rant Review: Ye Olde Spooky Shoppe 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Galison, art by Anne Bentley)

2026-09-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

This new puzzle from Galison's fall lineup is a perfect kickoff to my Halloween puzzling! A vampire emerges from his coffin, presumably to begin his shift as store manager, as a ghost stocks and a skeleton serves as cashier. Candy corn is distributed liberally around the store to show that they know what true horror is all about. There are plenty of fun details scattered about; the severed finger in the tip jar is a particularly nice touch. This is the sort of cool little shop I'd like to have in my town. The slight risk of having my neck bitten or soul stolen while shopping would be a fair trade-off for not having yet another Dollar General or Starbucks in town.

The pieces have a different feel from other Galisons I've done, with a matte soft-touch finish that I quite like. This is a rare case where I didn't even bother to sort out the edge pieces, and just started putting it together right out of the box. The small piece count and colorful art made this a viable way to do the puzzle without any sudden realizations that I'd screwed up and needed to stop and sort. I dislike sorting, so this was a nice change of pace. Expect to see more Galisons soon as I delve further into my stockpile of Halloween puzzles!

Rant Review: Masters of the Universe: King of the Mountain 63 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Golden, art by R.L. Allen, 1983)

2026-09-10T09:30:00.000-05:00

I'm nearing the end of my vintage MOTU puzzles, but I felt like getting one in before kicking off my Halloween puzzling. Like several of the other MOTU puzzles I've done, this one features art by R.L. Allen, who contributed quite a bit of art to licensed MOTU products in the early years. Allen's art lacks the dark, creepy atmosphere seen in the art of Alfredo Alcala, Rudy Obrero, and William George, but it's a rich, colorful sort of old world style which suits the characters well.

Here, Skeletor has been forced into a precarious spot despite wielding the Power Sword. I reckon it's an off day for him. Meanwhile, Man-at-Arms pilots the Wind Raider in pursuit of Tri-Klops, who has apparently stolen a sky sled. The design of the sky sled takes a couple of elements from its appearance in the Battle Ram package art, most notably the large thruster on the back. (Scan via the Battle Ram Blog.) Otherwise, it and the Wind Raider are very accurate to the toy designs, humorously so in the Raider's case, as Man-at-Arms barely fits inside the thing. These are the same thin, rather loose-fitting pieces seen in other puzzles in this series. It's in great shape for its age, and though the Toys-R-Us price sticker is attached, the bit with the price has been torn off at some point. Bummer.

Rant Review: Noah's Ark 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Ravensburger, art by Andre Normil, 1991)

2026-09-09T09:30:00.000-05:00

I recently came across a thrift store in a part of town I rarely visit, and it's become the one spot where I regularly come across good finds. This puzzle is a perfect example. Ravensburger is not a common brand here, and I'd certainly never come across one that was 35 years old before! The box informs us that it was made in West Germany, a detail that definitely roots it in a different era. I'd never done a RB this old before, and it was interesting to note the slight differences in the pieces. The board has a greenish tint rather than the familiar blue, and the texture is slightly different. The fit is good, though slightly looser than most other RBs I've done. I encountered no false fits.

The art has a pretty funky style with some downright bizarre renderings of certain animals, but I like it. (Nevermind that this puzzle was such a cool find that it could have featured a painting of me getting kicked in the nuts, and I probably still would have bought it.) It was tougher than I expected, but still fairly easy overall. For once I actually didn't put off the foliage for last, but only because I had set all the blue pieces aside in another tray as I worked through the puzzle, then moved it when I made a big iced coffee. As I neared the end, I finished the pieces I had at hand before getting up to retrieve that tray. One piece was missing, a shame since the puzzle is in fantastic condition otherwise, but I can't manage to get too annoyed by that since I only paid $1 for it.

Rant Review: Wild & Wacky USA 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (True South, art by Ligia Teodosiu)

2026-08-31T09:30:00.000-05:00

It's high time to tackle another of the True South puzzles I came across at a garage sale earlier this year, so here we go! This US map focuses on funky and fascinating landmarks and roadside attractions, which mixes things up quite a bit from the usual sorts of iconography used to represent each state. It's refreshing to see Mississippi represented by something other than a magnolia or riverboat for once! I've been to a whopping two of these, and not even the one in my state. The box has some text on the back and sides that mentions some of these attractions, but it would have been quite nice if they'd included a poster that identified each attraction and gave a line or two to tell us what it is. Some are iconic and immediately recognizable, but frankly, I have no idea what in the hell some of these things are. Apparently there's a big gold pine cone in southern California, maybe? There's some sort of doomsday contraption sitting atop a pair of suitcases in northern Alabama, or maybe it's a banjo with the neck missing? Washington state seems to have a melting statue of the Elephant Man, but those search terms didn't give me any answers. I enjoyed the puzzle all the same, and trying to figure out what some of this stuff was helped kept things interesting. This is one I put together from the inside out, and the edge was the last thing I completed.

The pieces are pretty much standard cardboard puzzle pieces with a slightly glossy finish and plenty of dust, but the cut is good, and they fit well together. The funky piece shapes helped avoid false fits in the few areas where they might be possible. Apparently newer TS puzzles are of higher quality, but I can't attest to that personally. The quality here is perfectly fine, though, especially for what I paid! Interestingly, this puzzle had a single piece that had been chewed on by a cat or small dog, like the first I did from this batch. Did the previous owners toss their furry friend a pity piece to keep them occupied while they worked on the rest? It'll be interesting to see if the other four have a gnawed-on piece, too.

Rant Review: Bookmark Boulevard 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Hobbry, art by Rachel Joanis)

2026-08-29T09:30:00.000-05:00

The day I posted my review of my first Hobbry puzzle, I came across several more and picked up the ones I liked best. In the interests of comparing different piece counts, I decided to tackle a 500 piecer this time around. The cut is different, but the pieces are the same paper-backed soft matte-finish pieces with the snug fit. I enjoyed handling the pieces every bit as much as with the other Hobbry I've done! I had nowhere near the trouble taking that one apart without damaging it as I anticipated, and that remains the case with this smaller puzzle. The included pinup is rather small, and I can't see it being of much help if you need it. The art on this puzzle isn't quite as captivating to me as the cabin scene on that first one, but it's a nice image that was fun to assemble. Though it's just about easy enough to put together in my sleep, I still left the foliage for last, 'cause that's just how I roll.

Rant Review: Masters of the Universe: Snake Mountain 100 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Golden, art by Fred Carillo, 1984)

2026-08-27T11:18:04.804-05:00

The sounds of battle ring out as Skeletor and He-Man battle on a rickety bridge that looks as if it might go at any moment! (Indeed, the toy version was designed to do just that!) Beast Man & company apparently have the day off since Skeletor fights alone. Or maybe they're on strike to renegotiate their contracts, who knows? This rendering is based on the toy version of Snake Mountain, which looks quite different from its depiction in most media. It came to light many years later that Mattel's designers repurposed a proposed jungle playset dating to early in the MOTU line's life to create the Snake Mountain playset, explaining why it was so different. A bit of artistic license is expected, but some of artist Fred Carillo's choices here just seem odd. Some of the sinister faces embedded in the rock are given greater prominence, which is a definite plus, but the serpent is bizarrely shrunken down. The manacles near the giant demon muppet face are represented by a single oversized one that juts out into the air. It's not a bad piece, but definitely not Carillo's best work. This puzzle has the large, thin pieces typical of the line. The fit is quite snug for such thin pieces.

Rant Review: Wanderlust: Rajasthan 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Spin Masters, art by Muhammed Sajid)

2026-08-26T09:30:00.000-05:00

This was an Ollie's find late last year. The box was bashed in badly enough that I could check inside to ensure that the bag of pieces was sealed. It was cheap and I loved the art, so I grabbed it despite the damage. With its solid purple and floral border, it was clear that this was the sort of puzzle where you're better off doing the edge last, so I set that tray aside after sorting. Somehow I got the idea that I was going to do the big pink scarf first. It didn't take too long for the scarf to inform me that that would not, in fact, be happening, so I pivoted to the banner at the top featuring the camel and peacock. I then began piecing together the edges of the scarf between bouts of working on the background. I feel like that scarf gave me more trouble than it really should have, but once it was finished, the entire puzzle was done shortly afterward.

This is the first puzzle I've done from Spin Masters, and given what I know of the brand, I had my expectations on the low end of the spectrum. It met those head-on, with thin pieces that often had a mushy fit, quite a few creased and partially delaminated pieces, and a fair bit of dust. There were no false fits, however, even with the solid purple border. The included poster is actually large enough to be of assistance, should you need it. Working this puzzle was not a bad experience, but at no point did I forget that I was doing a budget puzzle. I love the art enough that I will likely grab others in the series if I see them at a similarly low price.

Rant Review: Cottage Retreat 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Hobbry, art by Rachel Bowen)

2026-08-21T09:30:00.000-05:00

They must be hurling snowballs in Hell, as I finally found some Hobbry puzzles at Home Goods! I had just about convinced myself that the local HG and TJ Maxx just didn't carry the brand, as I had never seen them at either store. I was pleasantly surprised to come across a trio of them last week, and I grabbed the two I liked most. It would have been very nice if they'd had the entire set people have been finding recently, but I'm not about to complain! Does my first Hobbry puzzle live up to the hype? Read on to find out!

I love the cozy scene depicted here, and though it has one of my most disliked puzzle elements-- namely, lots of foliage-- there's such a variety of elements and colors that it was much easier than it may appear. I don't enjoy sorting, but I knew going in that it would be necessary with this one. I kept it simple, however: I separated the edge pieces, of course, then made separate trays for predominantly blue, light brown, and obvious foliage pieces. The birds were easy to set aside while sorting, and I put them together as I worked on the edge. I missed five edge pieces, more than usual for me, then built the lake. That flowed naturally into the canoe and beaver, then I did the ground area while separating out the pieces for the firepit and chimney. The cabin went together quickly, and then I did the red, orange, and green trees, leaving the bare branches and sky for last. 90% of it was done in a single evening.

The package is quite nice, and is undoubtedly a large part of why this brand is so popular. The box has a nice matte texture, and the gold foil lettering adds a nice bit of pop. It has a somewhat premium vibe, despite being in the $10-13 range. The included pinup featuring the puzzle art is on nice thick paper, but is small enough that it's not likely to be of much help. The pieces have a very nice matte texture, similar to the box. The feel of the pieces reminds me a bit of the Trefl Prime I did a few months ago, though these pieces are thinner and have paper backing. False fits were possible, but not prevalent. The fit is nice and snug, to the point that pieces sometimes suffered minor damage when separating them. I'm not looking forward to attempting to take it apart without damaging it! There's a special piece with no pegs in lower right corner. I'm assuming this is present in all of their puzzles as a signature piece, like the ringed planet piece in Aquarius puzzles. It's a neat touch. I enjoyed my first Hobbry, and will definitely keep an eye out for more whenever I'm in that part of town. Hopefully it won't take me so long to find more!

Editing this slightly later to add my experience with disassembly. It wasn't nearly as bad as expected. I grabbed the top strip and gave it a pull, and it kind of "unzipped" from the rest of the puzzle. I split that into three blocks, put each into a gallon baggy one at a time, and thrashed each one around a bit with my hand to make the pieces disassemble before moving on to the next one. If there was any damage done, it was minor enough that I didn't notice. I won't be shocked if I go to reassemble it at some point and discover minor damage to a few pieces, but I didn't notice any, and there certainly wasn't the widespread damage some have experienced. It makes me wonder if Hobbry have changed something in the manufacturing process with newer batches.

The 007 Re-Read Project: Licence/License to Kill by John Gardner

2026-08-18T09:30:00.000-05:00

Bond is back at TMR after a brief hiatus! Today we're looking at a film novelization, the first of John Gardner's tenure. License to Kill (I'll be using the American spelling since that's what muscle memory leads me to type) remains a divisive movie in the 007 catalogue, and Gardner had the unenviable task of adapting it and making it fit with the continuity of the literary Bond. This created a few headaches that we'll come to presently. As this novel is based on a movie, there's a greater than usual chance that anyone reading this is already familiar with it, but nevertheless, there are

SPOILERS AHEAD!

The plot will be familiar to anyone who has watched the movie. Bond's longtime friend Felix Leiter is on his way to his wedding when he gets word that Franz Sanchez, a major drug baron, has entered the US to fetch his wayward girlfriend, Lupe Lamora. With the kingpin briefly within his jurisdiction, Leiter heads off to grab him, with Bond in tow. Bondian mayhem ensues, culminating in Sanchez's arrest. Felix arrives at the church a bit late, but the wedding goes off without a (further) hitch. Unfortunately, Sanchez's open offer of a massive bribe to anyone who aids him in the event of his arrest proves too tempting for one of the DEA agents, and Sanchez is sprung. His reprisal is swift and brutal, as the newly-minted Mrs. Della Leiter is murdered and Felix is mauled by a shark. (Yes, again.) Sanchez flees to Isthmus, the small South American nation where he makes his home, and Bond resigns from the secret service to seek revenge for his fallen friend.

This movie's plot placed Gardner in an awkward spot, as Felix had already been mauled by a shark in Bond's second literary outing, Live and Let Die. This leads to a scene in which Felix's artificial limbs are ripped off the surely disappointed shark, leaving him in a far less delicate state than in the movie. (Physically, anyway.) The murder of Della, who the novel mentions is an old friend of Bond's, still provides enough motivation for the revenge plot. Another echo of literary Bond adventures past is Sanchez's predilection for whipping Lupe with a whip fashioned from the tail of a stingray, as used by Milton Krest in The Hildebrand Rarity. Another example of the novelization not meshing perfectly with the other books is that Cedar Leiter, Felix's own daughter, doesn't attend his wedding, and goes completely unmentioned. She must have been on one hell of an important mission!

Gardner's novelization follows the plot of the movie closely, with no major deviations caused by working from an early version of the script. There are some minor differences, however. Sanchez's henchmen, even the sadistic Dario, balk at his order to cut out Alvarez's heart. Dario is much different physically from his celluloid counterpart. Della's murder is far more gruesome. In a nod to the changes Gardner had made in his novels, it's mentioned that Bond is down to five cigarettes per day. Gardner makes a point to refer to some of Bond and Leiter's past adventures, ensuring that their friendship is far more apparent that in the movie. Bond splitting from the service to avenge Leiter makes far more sense than in the movie, as their friendship had always been given short shrift in the film series.

Something I'd never noticed while watching the movie that stuck out to me while re-reading this novelization is how Pam Bouvier seems almost an evolution of Nannie Norrich from Gardner's Nobody Lives Forever. Both are depicted as somewhat tomboyish with short haircuts, are capable at close-quarters combat and handguns, and they each carry a small handgun strapped to the upper thigh. Seeing as how the cargo plane battle in The Living Daylights was clearly inspired by a similar scene in Gardner's License Renewed, this may not have been a coincidence. Gardner had to have noticed the similarities, and one can't help but wonder how he felt about it.

Gardner fleshes out a number of more minor scenes and creates new ones that provide some connective tissue between the movie's scenes and setpieces. There are several pages, for example, that reveal exactly how in the hell Bond goes from flying a small plane filled with bales of drug money to walking into a bank in Isthmus with a couple of briefcases. These are scenes that aren't really necessary, but they smooth things out to keep the story flowing more naturally on the page than it would without them. We are also given a bit more background on a few characters. Sanchez, for example, is revealed to be the child of "a fascist German woman and a wealthy Panamanian businessman."

This has no bearing on anything, but I felt it worth mentioning that Gardner gives the name of a news commentator who interviews Sanchez as Anna Rack. It almost makes Holly Goodhead seem subtle!

Notable quotes:

Felix Leiter made a quick movement with his gloved left hand, expertly adjusting the mechanism of his artificial left leg. Bond felt a wave of bleakness as he always did when he saw his old friend manipulate the false limbs, for the shark that had so mutilated Leiter a long time ago now, had been meant for him and, in a strange way, Bond felt responsible.

____________________

(While dangling from the helicopter in pursuit of the fleeing Sanchez's plane.) In spite of the fear that engulfed him, Bond began to laugh. He was thinking that he must look a ludicrous sight, like some movie stuntman doing a particularly daring act for the cameras.

____________________

(Upon finding Felix mauled by a shark again.) Bond was struggling for control. it was almost impossible that this kind of thing could happen to a man a second time.

____________________

Her accent was unequivocally Texan, for the words came out as, "Heidi yawl. Yawl Markin?" (After seeing Gardner's attempts to convey Southern and Texan accents in multiple novels, I never again want to hear an English person complain about how badly we Yanks depict English accents!)

____________________

Bond smiled to himself. The nylon rope was almost half an inch thick, and there was a lot of it. "How the devil do you get this much into the cylinder, and the grappling irons?" he had asked Q.

Briskly, Q had replied, "All done by mirrors, 007. Surely you know that I've been a member of the Magic Circle for a long time." (This makes a lot of sense!)

____________________

The scream hung on the air like some bad odour.

____________________

"The pain goes with time, Felix." Bond was not talking about physical pain, and he knew all the hurt his old friend was suffering from Della's death. "I've been there, old buddy. Never leaves you, but it does get easier."

This story fits rather awkwardly into the literary Bond canon, even if you're only considering the Gardner era. One gets the sense that Gardner's heart wasn't really in this, and it lacks the spark of his better novels. Some the over-the-top action sequences, in particular, seem rather incongruous with the literary 007. I don't consider it an essential post-Fleming novel, unlike Christopher Wood's novelizations, but the novelization of License to Kill is worth the read. Just don't pass over the likes of License Renewed or Icebreaker in favor of it. That does it for today, but I'll be back before too long with a look at John Gardner's Brokenclaw!

Rant Review: Neon 1980s 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (RoseArt, artist uncredited)

2026-08-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

I've been mostly avoiding buying new puzzles for months, but when I saw this on sale for $6, I couldn't resist it. I tend to like puzzles with vibrant colors, so this was right up my alley! The uncredited artist pretty much nailed the vibe, all without infringing on any copyrights. (Though just barely, in a few cases!) A few of the objects are really identified a bit more with the 70s or '90s, but as they did exist in the '80s, I reckon it's fair to include them. The pieces are thin but sturdy, printed on a black board. The fit is nice and snug, but not so tight that they'll be prone to damage during disassembly. There was a good deal of dust, but not Ravensburger level or anything. I did have a few pieces with a minor defect; a thin line ran across several pieces, and it looks as if something scraped against the puzzle before it was cut into pieces. It's not super noticeable, and given how cheap this puzzle was, I'm really not fussed over it. RoseArt seems to be a rather unpopular brand among some online puzzling communities, but I've enjoyed the pair I've done well enough. I won't be running out to buy them by the cartload, but they're quite decent quality for such cheap puzzles. It'll be interesting to see if their larger ones are better or worse if I ever come across a larger one I like.

Rant Review: Kauai, 500 Piece Jigsaw puzzle (Dowdle, Art by Eric Dowdle)

2026-08-10T09:30:00.000-05:00

Another Dowdle down! I really enjoyed this one with all its vibrant colors and festive atmosphere. I was a little surprised at all the wild roosters! It was fun spotting how many were hiding in the foliage as I put the lower third together. There's also a nice pair of sea turtles, always a welcome inclusion! The piece fit is a bit loose, but false fits were not an issue. The poster has plenty of information about the various landmarks, as usual. Learning while puzzling is the best!

Rant Review: Masters of the Universe: Mark of the Sword 100 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Golden, Art by R.L. Allen, 1983)

2026-08-06T09:30:00.000-05:00

I've slowed down a bit on my vintage MOTU puzzles, as I'm down to my last few, but I felt the itch to do one after polishing off that Dowdle much more quickly than expected last night. The scene depicted is a bit of a nail-biter, with He-Man struggling to wrench his half of the Sword of Grayskull free as Mer-Man and Trap Jaw close in. Stratos knocks Skeletor's half of the sword from his grasp, as the skull-faced fiend was undoubtedly about to unleash an energy blast on his nemesis. Too bad he didn't bring his Havoc Staff, too! The scene is evocative of the early MOTU lore that pre-dated the Filmation animated show, as those early stories often focused on Skeletor's quest to unite both halves of the Sword of Power, which had been hidden from him, so he could enter Castle Grayskull and gain access to the power of the ancients, which would enable him to enslave the universe.

This is another piece from the underrated R.L. Allen, who provided quite a bit of MOTU art for licensed products during its early years. Much early MOTU art based the looks of the characters on prototype designs, but Allen's renderings here are entirely faithful to the toys, right down to the "surprise prostate exam" expression on Mer-Man's face. Another nod to the early MOTU lore is Stratos' ability to unleash an energy blast, something various characters did at different times in the first few minicomics. The dramatic scene and use of colors makes for a visually interesting puzzle, and it's fun to imagine the adventure that led to this point. However, with Skeletor disarmed and He-Man wielding half of the sword, it doesn't require much brain power to imagine the ass-beatings that are about to be doled out! The pieces are thin, but fairly sturdy, and nice and large to make them easy for small hands to manage. The fit is loose enough that there's no chance of being able to move sections greater than two or three pieces without them crumbling, but there were no issues with false fits.

Rant Review: Washington D.C. Mall 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Dowdle, art by Eric Dowdle)

2026-08-05T22:37:39.069-05:00

I figured I'd better start tackling some of that massive haul of Dowdles I came across last week, and decided to begin with the one depicting a place I've visited. (Though technically there are two, since one is Best of the World, and I've been there, too.) I visited DC during a school trip to the national forensics (speaking, not CSI) competition in Baltimore in the late '90s. We went to DC for a day, and crammed in as much as we could. This included visits to the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial Wall, and a VIP tour of the Capital Building our teacher had arranged with one of our congressmen. We got to go to many areas that are off-limits to the public outside of a presidentially-instigated insurrection, including a statue dedication in the rotunda and a ride on their subway. We didn't get to visit the White House because there'd been a bomb threat or something, so no tours were being given, and Pennsylvania Avenue was blocked off. We hadn't yet become completely disillusioned with our government, so this didn't phase us much. We took lots of photos, ate at the congressmen's cafeteria, bought tacky souvenirs, and I stood where Jimmy Stewart stood in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and was able to deliver most of his speech there from memory, and a good time was had by all.

The art is nice and colorful, packed with details, and does a good job of capturing the spirit of what our nation's capital should be all about. All sorts of people roam the city, taking in the landmarks, and wouldn't you know it, there isn't an armed thug in sight. Perhaps this is a vision of a celebration that lurks a couple of years in our future? Let's hope so! The pieces are good, fairly thick blue board. The fit is slightly loose, but I had no issues with false fits. There was very little dust, and it was very clean, always nice with a second-hand puzzle! I came across a single long hair while sorting, and as it was slightly wavy, I couldn't swear that it didn't fall from my beard. Hopefully the other nine are as clean and complete as this one!

Rant Review: Mondo 2002/200x Skeletor Figure Timed Edition

2026-07-29T17:22:00.279-05:00

I wasn't expecting this until next month, but you won't hear me complaining! Much of my stuff is packed up and I don't currently have a good photo setup since I'm moving soon, but I took some quick and dirty pics, including some comparisons with what I have handy, of the Mondo 2002 Skeletor timed edition. There's a special guest star if you make it to the end. 😉

Some initial thoughts: The figure and the accessories feel great, very high-quality. Everything has its own wrapping within the packaging, so it's well-protected. The articulation is great, and joints move well and hold poses. The chest is a soft, rubbery material that aids with posing, but I'm a bit worried about how it will hold up over time. If the chest on this thing is cracking and splitting in a year or two, Mondo will have some very displeased customers to deal with. The cloak is very well-made and the wires aid greatly in posing, but I don't know if I'll be using it most of the time. I'll have to work to find display poses that don't have the cloak covering too much of the figure.

The skull plates lock firmly into position within the hood, though I wish a pry tool or something was included to aid with removing them, as I always feel as if I might be on the verge of breaking something. And maybe it's just my big meaty hands, but plugging the straps into the back of the chest armor is very finicky, easily the only thing about the figure (other than the price) that has truly annoyed me. The hold seems firm, though, and I don't expect it to be unfastening on its own.

This is the only time I've sprung for one of Mondo's very pricey figures, and likely the only time I will, but the level of quality here doesn't have me regretting my purchase. I've waited for a high-quality figure of this design for 24 years, and I finally have it! My sole complaint is that they didn't include a skull plate that actually looks like the 2002 toy! That seems like a huge oversight. This figure is awesome, though, and I'm damn glad I sucked it up and paid for the timed edition. Keep scrolling for plenty more photos!

Rant Review: Neuschwanstein Castle, 1,000 (-2) Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Springbok, photographer uncredited, 1979)

2026-07-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

This is the oldest of the trio of vintage Springboks I've found in recent weeks, hailing from my birth year. The blue tint over much of the upper half that made it all look so similar, all that foliage, a large area on the left side that is mostly black, and a fuzzy image made this the most difficult puzzle I've done since tackling a horrendous photomosaic puzzle many years ago. Two chunks of the sky were intact when I opened the box, and I admit that I plopped them directly onto my board with only the faintest trace of shame. This being a Springbok, I put all the suspected edge pieces aside and started working on the castle first. This went pretty quickly, and I moved on to building out from there. When that stalled, I began adding to the pair of sky chunks until they were connected, then built out to the edge and began to work my way around until the edge was complete. I left the lower left chunk, with all that hateful foliage and darkness, for last. Two pieces were missing, but I reckon that's not too bad for a 47 year-old puzzle I got for a dollar. The piece fit wasn't quite as tight as other Springboks I've done, but I'm not sure whether that's simply due to wear, or if they cut them slightly differently at the time. This one didn't have a catalogue insert like my last vintage Springbok, but it did have the inspection tag!

Rant Review: Dampy Donuts on a Dreary Day 300 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Buffalo Games, Art by Charles Wysocki)

2026-07-12T13:16:18.394-05:00

This was a yard sale find a few weeks ago. Quick and easy 300 piecer to serve as a bit of a bit of a breather before beginning a puzzle that promises to be a real doozy! Stay tuned to see it... hopefully soon.