I’ll give the usual caveat: The horror novel Japanese Gothic is best experienced going in with as little information as possible. Content warnings for graphic gore, scenes of domestic violence, self-harm, and mental illness. If you’re okay with that, then consider pausing here. While I will try to keep this relatively spoiler-free, there will be […]
Hiking is one of life’s great joys. Turning off the screens and stepping out into nature for an extended period of time, perhaps even several days, is rejuvenating. Unfortunately, as someone with two young kids and a bad back, I’m not really able to go backpacking anymore. So I often find myself trying to live […]
This might feel like a somewhat obvious recommendation to some, but it flew under my radar until now. Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination (originally published as Tiger! Tiger! in the UK) is a 1956 sci-fi novel that some have cited as a precursor to cyberpunk. It’s a work I admit I have some conflicted […]
Things that HP Lovecraft was good at: Creating a mythos. Building atmosphere. Things that HP Lovecraft was bad at: Writing dialog. Creating compelling characters. Not being a racist. As a fan of horror in general, I can’t pretend that Lovecraft isn’t an important touchstone. But the man’s blatant racism is also impossible to ignore, especially […]
Metroid Prime 1-3: A Visual Retrospective is a fabulous resource for learning more than I ever thought I’d be privy to about Nintendo and Retro Studios’ ambitious first-person adventure series. The 210-page hardcover book launches on October 28th, weeks before the series makes its long-awaited return with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on the Switch and […]