Colonel Sun
Kingsley Amis’ Colonel Sun was the first James Bond book written entirely after the death of Ian Fleming. Amis sends Bond to Greece to foil a Chinese mastermind and delights in abusing M.
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Diabolique: Ain’t That a Kick in the Head
On Diabolique, I’m delivering a kick to the head and reviewing Brainquake, a completely lunatic pulp novel written by completely lunatic film director Samuel Fuller.
Read moreCultural Gutter: Heavy Light
On the Cultural Gutter, “Heavy Light” traces the origin of Heavy Metal and the important part it played in encouraging me to seek out weird sci-fi, especially if it contained nudity and space janitors.
Read moreI, The Jury
When people imitate or spoof the style of hardboiled detective fiction, they’re imitating Mickey Spillane.
Read moreForever and a Death
Donald E. Westlake, best known for his “Parker” series of thrillers, was hired to write a James Bond movie. In the end, the script was not used, but Westlake reworked the story into an original novel.
Read moreDiabolique: A World of Wicker
On Diabolique, I’m writing about everything to do with Emmanuelle in A World of Wicker. Part one looks at the life of the “real-life Emmanuelle,” and the infamous book attributed to her.
Read moreSex and Naps
On the surface, The Wicker Man is the story of one police constable’s attempt to scrooge up a town’s May Day revelries. Delving deeper into its waters, however, is aided by a few key texts that informed the film.
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