I read the parody for the movie 'Death Wish' when I was a kid, this was one of the few MAD magazines my father had from his childhood. It wasn't untilI read the parody for the movie 'Death Wish' when I was a kid, this was one of the few MAD magazines my father had from his childhood. It wasn't until I was an adult that I saw the movie, and could not help but recall the parody the magazine did of it here. (I recommend the movie... it might be considered 'old' nowadays but it's a classic)
Other topics - Modern Fairy Tales, Some Real Life Scenes We'd Like to See, the Mad Good News, Bad News Book and the Lighter Side of Anxiety.
Yanno, for an issue that's half a century old, several of the strips in regard to anxiety are surprisingly spot-on even today in 2024....more
Ah, the nostalgia. June 1974, 50 years ago. I've read MAD through my childhood, but the ones published before I was born were definitely better. TopicAh, the nostalgia. June 1974, 50 years ago. I've read MAD through my childhood, but the ones published before I was born were definitely better. Topics poked at here are introverts, 'you know something's fishy when', the gas shortage, and a made-up game called basebrawl, which is pretty much what it sounds like....more
1973... almost hard to believe that MAD has been around as long as it has been. Some of the material in here is dated, but there's a reason why MAD wa1973... almost hard to believe that MAD has been around as long as it has been. Some of the material in here is dated, but there's a reason why MAD was so popular back then and is still referenced today.
Featured articles include 'The Lighter Side of Crime in the Streets' (something that still actually rings true today in some parts), 'Fortune Cookies that are Relevant', and 'Magazines for Neglected Sports'. This issue also pokes fun at feminism.
Some of this stuff definitely has not aged well, but it's also a time capsule with the particular movie and TV show it's spoofing (The Heartbreak Kid, Maude)...more
This is a dark comedy and a quite entertaining one. I remember this tale from the made-for-TV movie series from when I was a kid and decided to checkThis is a dark comedy and a quite entertaining one. I remember this tale from the made-for-TV movie series from when I was a kid and decided to check out more of these Arabian Nights tales. The story itself has some social commentary, but that can be taken out and the story is still a funny one.
Because of the mention of the three Abrahamic religions here, this story is dated later than some of the others in this collection so who knows if Scheherazade would have mentioned the religions in her telling of the tale....more
This is one of my favorite tales because even though it's dark and twisted, damn it's bloody clever! I mean, seriou(Included in the Yellow Fairy Book)
This is one of my favorite tales because even though it's dark and twisted, damn it's bloody clever! I mean, seriously, the cheeky bastard manages to turn every misfortune to considerable personal gain.
Yes... this personal gain does cause misfortune for a few other people. In the cheeky bastard's defense though, he doesn't force people to do anything. He just tries to spin the best out of his misfortunes and when other people try to exploit that and it hurts them, whose fault is it really?...more
So this is a posthumous publication of some of Vonnegut's old stories. And I can see why Vonnegut chose to not release them. I have plenty of old stufSo this is a posthumous publication of some of Vonnegut's old stories. And I can see why Vonnegut chose to not release them. I have plenty of old stuff that will never see the light of day. Some of these stories are all right, with some lines and passages that show Vonnegut's wit, but as a whole, this body of work is... it's not great, but not bad either. There are several solid stories in this collection, but a fair amount of them feel more like bits written from boredom or personal musings, not intended by the author for actual publication.
I will admit, I am not a fan of Vonnegut. I just can't get into him, after having read half a dozen of his books (including two short story collections he published when he was still alive) I find his novels (Slaughterhouse 5, Breakfast of Champions, Lonesome No More, Timequake) to be dreck, filled with ramblings that just made me dislike Vonnegut.
On the other hand, the short story collections were more palatable - I think because of the fact that they're short story collections, Vonnegut is given less of a chance to ramble. So if you're interested in Vonnegut's short stories, I recommend (from my own experience with him, at least) check out Welcome to the Monkey House, that collection of stories is more solid and tight than this one....more
For a second I thought the title was misspelled... then I realized it was a pun. Ha. This is a bind-up of Spider Robinson's first three Callahan's PlaFor a second I thought the title was misspelled... then I realized it was a pun. Ha. This is a bind-up of Spider Robinson's first three Callahan's Place books. There's plenty of puns abound, and several spinoffs, including Sally's Place (which I heartily recommend)
The three books in this set can be read by themselves, without needing to read any of the spinoffs or continuations because of how the third book ended. This is light/fun science fiction, with some fantastic and creative stories and puns. Highly recommended for those who like light/funny SF....more
So, finally, here we are, at the end of the series. And the way this book was written, that is what it might be after all, especially as it was publisSo, finally, here we are, at the end of the series. And the way this book was written, that is what it might be after all, especially as it was published 20 years ago. And I'm glad for it, because I loved this series, but like with many series, this could drag on at times. The format of the last couple of books were different than the first few books in this series.
I personally liked the first five books best - the first 3 Callahan, and the 2 Sally's Place. After that, there's still a lot of fun puns and stories - this book DOES merit 3.75 stars, after all, but I don't feel like this book was as strong as its predecessors.
NGL but it got tiring hearing about Jake (the narrator) tell us repeatedly (not just in this book, but since his wife was introduced in book 6) how hot his fat wife is. I mean hey, there's nothing wrong with liking a buxom woman, but when you hear the same shit over 3.5 books you have to wonder if the author has a BBW fetish.
I find the comparison to Robert A. Heinlein appropriate, as I am a fan of both authors, and like their early work, but in later works, both authors get more pervy. I enjoy naughty humor but with both authors it just got overdone in later works.
Tony Donuts Jr. was the best part of this book. The author wrote/described him in hilarious ways - his intelligence, his size, his violence.
I still recommend this series, and both authors, though. This book itself is 3.75 stars but the series as a whole merits 4.25-4.5 stars....more
Well, it's been a trek through the Callahan's series, and this is the eighth, and thus far, next to last novel in the series.
Part of me is happy for tWell, it's been a trek through the Callahan's series, and this is the eighth, and thus far, next to last novel in the series.
Part of me is happy for this volume because there's more fun puns and creative writing. But then part of me also feels like the series got played out. This book isn't quite as good as the first few, but it's still a pretty decent book that garners 4 stars.
Most of the story is about the usual cast of Callahan's/Mary's Place, with a few newcomers to this very extended family and their move down to the Florida Keys to set up a new Place. The actual world-saving bit is less spectacular than I expected, but as I said, it's still a good book. It's also nice to know Robinson is a Heinlein fan because I am one too, though I notice that just like with Heinlein, some of Robinson's later books could get weird and overly sexual sometimes.
Eh. I still recommend these authors on the whole as solid authors in the science fiction community, and this book was certainly fun. Now there's just one book left, so onwards I go!...more
I read this author's other book,The Zoo of Intelligent Animalsbefore I read this, and although that book was written after this one, I recommend reaI read this author's other book,The Zoo of Intelligent Animalsbefore I read this, and although that book was written after this one, I recommend reading in the order that I read them, as Zoo is set in 1977, and this one is set in 2024. (Just my humble opinion as a reader who likes reading in chronological order of story events)
I enjoyed the other book, but I LOVED this one. There were several scenes/descriptions that made me chuckle out loud, which is always a point in favor of the author! (I would have to say my favorite part was in the trading pit in the intergalactic stock exchange, with several HILARIOUS lines and descriptions!)
The premise for this novel is that multiple alien races exist in this world, and while a few humans were aware of their existence back in 1977, the entire world becomes aware in 2024 when Earth has been sold to aliens. This seems like a good thing at first because everyone's debt (individual and countries) has been absorbed, but of course, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and there's some pretty major strings attached.
On the surface this seems like a comedy - and many parts of it are - it's also a scathing commentary on the current state of world affairs in both economy and politics, and some climate change and how one race would view/treat other races they saw as inferior or easily exploitable. So I was quite happy with how this book ended, and to be honest, I wish something like that would happen in real life. I am in full support of the 10 Demandments!
5/5 stars for a humorous, but thought-provoking and honest book....more
Some of the stories in here are pretty entertaining, along with some good writing. However, the collection as a whole is a hit-or-miss of some truly cSome of the stories in here are pretty entertaining, along with some good writing. However, the collection as a whole is a hit-or-miss of some truly clever stories, and some other stories that relied far too heavily on the cliches one often sees in fantasy. Busty women in chain-mail bikinis, you get the idea... hell, the cover and title of this book make the contents pretty clear, and I have no issue with that most of the female main characters are smart AND strong. But after a while, seeing the same cliche over and over gets old.
I mean, sure, this collection is meant to be light-hearted and fun, with some parodies of said tropes in the fantasy genre, but I feel that some of these stories fell somewhat flat. It could be a matter of personal taste, but I can still recommend this book because there's some great lines and jokes in here.
A solid 3.5/5 stars, and worth a look if you like fun sci-fi and fantasy. One thing to note is this was published in 1995, so some of this felt to me a wee bit dated in 2022....more
It's overall a relatively short (novella) length story about a teenage boy dealing with zombies. Sure, we have plenty of zombie stories and movies nowIt's overall a relatively short (novella) length story about a teenage boy dealing with zombies. Sure, we have plenty of zombie stories and movies nowadays so some would call this genre overdone, but I'm not going to hold it against the author. This is a decent first effort for the author, and it'd be interesting if she decided to give a similar treatment to IDK, vampires or fairies. 3.5/5 stars....more
A weird and entertaining story about Siamese (conjoined) twins, only at first, people reading the story who don't know what Siamese twins are, don't kA weird and entertaining story about Siamese (conjoined) twins, only at first, people reading the story who don't know what Siamese twins are, don't know the twins are conjoined because of the way Twain writes about it.
For example - "During the war they were strong partisans, and both fought gallantly all through the great struggle--Eng on the Union side and Chang on the Confederate. They took each other prisoners at Seven Oaks, but the proofs of capture were so evenly balanced in favor of each, that a general army court had to be assembled to determine which one was properly the captor and which the captive. The jury was unable to agree for a long time; but the vexed question was finally decided by agreeing to consider them both prisoners, and then exchanging them. At one time Chang was convicted of disobedience of orders, and sentenced to ten days in the guard-house, but Eng, in spite of all arguments, felt obliged to share his imprisonment, notwithstanding he himself was entirely innocent; and so, to save the blameless brother from suffering, they had to discharge both from custody--the just reward of faithfulness."
"Upon one occasion the brothers fell out about something, and Chang knocked Eng down, and then tripped and fell on him, whereupon both clinched and began to beat and gouge each other without mercy. The bystanders interfered, and tried to separate them, but they could not do it, and so allowed them to fight it out. In the end both were disabled, and were carried to the hospital on one and the same shutter."
It's hard to not appreciate the cleverness in which Twain writes about this subject....more
On the surface, this might seem like sexist twaddle, but actually reading it, you'll see Twain applies his oft-employed satire in this short story ofOn the surface, this might seem like sexist twaddle, but actually reading it, you'll see Twain applies his oft-employed satire in this short story of how little girls "ought" to behave.
After all, he does tell girls that they should not sass people, unless the other person sasses them first. Hey, seems fair enough to me....more
This is essentially a grown-up (in a not-porn way) of the Goofus and Gallant strips from the children's Highlight magazines. The subject matter is preThis is essentially a grown-up (in a not-porn way) of the Goofus and Gallant strips from the children's Highlight magazines. The subject matter is presented in an entertaining but understandable way, and the artwork is great.
My only real complaint is that Darling is a stereotypically handsome guy, looking like something out of Abercrombie and Fitch or some shit. I would have liked for him to be a more average-looking person, to show that niceness can be a quality anyone can have, good-looking or not. Relatively, it's a minor complaint, the subject matter is still very relevant and the artwork is still nice, and I would still recommend it.
Also, while Doofus and Darling are men, the majority of the advice in this book also applies to women, as many of the actions - right or wrong - are not gender-specific....more
M.M. Strawberry
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