Raymond Rugg

Review of Lost Transmissions

Review of Lost Transmissions: The Secret History of Science Fiction and Fantasy Raymond K. Rugg Desirina Boskovich. Lost Transmissions: The Secret History of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Abrams Image, 2019. Hardcover. 304 pg. $29.99. ISBN…

The Spirit of the Pacific in the High Sierra

Long ago the canoe was the preferred mode of transportation on Big Blue, and then the kayak was king. Now the hottest thing going is the standup paddleboard. With a sleek, streamlined board and a simple paddle, the SUP allows riders to navigate Lake…

Nevada's COVID Pause Ends, Restrictions Loosen as of February 2021

On February 15, Nevada’s governor signed Emergency Directive 037 in the first move toward relaxing COVID-19 health and safety protocols in months. It allows for many businesses to increase the number of people allowed inside from 25% to 35%, while…

The Beasts Are Gods

The Beasts Are Gods Erasure Poem Baruch 6, the Epistle of Jeremiah You shall see in Babylon their gods. They holdeth a sceptre as a man and a sword, but they are cats. Therefore fear them, roar and cry before them, worship them, And when any one of…

Tahoe Holds Steady on COVID-19 Protocols

The Tahoe region spans a large stretch of area along the border between California and Nevada, and governing jurisdictions include several counties on both sides of the line. Through the spring and summer, COVID regulations varied quite a bit by…

For COVID-19 Safety Protocols at Tahoe, September Brings More of the Same

The area we know as greater Tahoe stretches from Truckee in the north to Alpine County in the south, including a number of counties in both California and Nevada. Despite earlier steps taken to ease business restrictions, none of the communities…

Back to Books in Reno

Bookworms like me have been very lucky during the past few months in that so much reading material exists online as e-books or even available for purchase to have hard copies delivered to your home. But there's still no real substitute for browsing…

COVID Restrictions Begin to Align Throughout Tahoe

The Tahoe region covers an area that crosses county lines and even state lines, with plenty of federally administrated lands scattered throughout. But we are finally moving into a time in which many of the COVID-19 recovery regulations are beginning…

New Organization Benefits Incline Residents, Restaurants

One reason that the COVID-19 pandemic has been so devastating is that it causes hardships across the community. The efforts being made to maintain and protect people’s health have impacted the economy and the business sector, which in turn…

Figures Unseen: Selected Stories by Steve Rasnic Tem

Figures Unseen by Steve Rasnic Tem is a collection of horror tales for grownups. Oh sure, if a reader really wants to find them, there are ghosts and werewolves and corpses and other staples of the commercial side of the genre to be found. But there…

Tahoe Tap — The Best of the Best

Tahoe is a place where you expect to indulge yourself. Whether you are vacationing here, are a seasonal resident or live in the area all year long, you want to spend your time in a luxurious setting, eat the finest foods and enjoy world-class…

Bear Smart In Lake Tahoe

It's hard to imagine someone visiting or living at Lake Tahoe who doesn't appreciate and respect nature. A large part of the reason that so many people choose to be here is the chance to enjoy the trees, mountains and wildlife of the High Sierra. So…

Art Education

I really do love art that inspires. It’s one reason I arranged my meeting with Jacques in Washington’s finest public gallery. Jacques was good. He moved in such a way that the security cameras registered him, but could never quite capture his face.…

Unicorns! edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois

Author: edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. Stories by Avram Davidson, Theodore Sturgeon, L. Sprague DeCamp, Larry Niven, Harlan Ellison, Thomas Burnett Swann, Stephen R. Donaldson, Eric Norden, Vonda N. McIntyre, Ursula K. Le Guin, Roger…

The Sacred Band by Janet E. Morris and Chris Morris

From the very first chapter of The Sacred Band, I had a feeling about how I wanted to write this review, and the further in I went, the more certain I became. Reading this book from Janet Morris and Chris Morris is exactly like meeting an old…

Robert A. Heinlein: More Fantasy than Meets the Eye

Robert A. Heinlein is known as the dean of science fiction, and was the first Grand Master of the genre. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke are collectively known as the ‘Big Three’ of science fiction. Just the other day, I saw someone…

Independent Contractor

Senator Walsh was quick, his reflexes well honed; when the pilot stepped into the cabin of the plane with a pistol in hand, Walsh leapt from his seat and dropped the assailant with a kick to the head. It snapped the pilot’s neck, and he was dead…

Revisiting Thieves’ World Anthologies – Part Two

Welcome back to our stroll down memory lane in the city of Sanctuary. We’re revisiting the Thieves’ World series, the twelve anthologies that resulted from an idea by Robert Asprin and friends to write sword and sorcery stories in a shared universe.…

Revisiting Thieves’ World Anthologies

Readers of Fantasy-Faction are likely to be familiar with Scott Lynch and his Gentlemen Bastards books. Lynch has a style that is a pleasure to read, and has given us some very memorable characters. But Lynch has also accomplished a highly engaging…

Fantasy Rings: The Ultimate Power Accessory

We all know THE Ring. The One Ring to Rule them all. (And if you don’t, then shame on you.) The Ring is so well-known in popular culture that it was the solution to one of Isaac Asimov’s Black Widowers mysteries. And just yesterday I saw a meme…