Galloping Around the Cosmos

 

Galloping Around the Cosmos: Memories of TV's Wagon Train to the Stars from Today's Grown-Up Kids by Jim Beard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Where were you when... such and such happened is often a question but do we remember the first time we watched what would become our favourite show or the media that would become a defining aspect of a maturing personality. It's that question that is posed to various "Grown-Up Kids" in terms of Star Trek, a few of these people I know from having read their writing within the franchise, others I know from other aspects of their work and a few well I've never heard of but they we all share that experience of Star Trek making a difference and leaving a mark on who we would become.

I found all the essays to be enlightening, some certainly resonated more than others but each had that personal aspect that makes this sort of collection both entertaining and most satisfying to read.

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Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

 

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was a little late to this party having only heard of the novel a couple of weeks ago over on twitter (see still good for something). I read the post and immediately bought the novel for my kindle and started reading a few days later and I was immediately sucked into the world where an Orc adventurer can have a midlife career change leaving the questing and bounty hunting behind to open a coffee shop in a distant city. The story itself is pretty straight forward as Viv our erstwhile Orc recovers a mysterious "stone" from the body of a fallen foe, using it as a guide she is led to a run down livery stable and using her life savings she begins to transform the building into a coffee house sometime no one has see outside of the Gnome regions. Various people (human and otherwise) gravitate to her offering friendship and services but all it not easy for the wood be entrepreneur, dealing with local gangs and corrupt "police" when you've made a choice to not use your highly efficient sword to cut through the bull***t makes things more difficult. Overall we are offered a very entertaining story full of wonderful characters and with humour and drama aplenty, well worth checking out if you have a taste for fantasy or looking for something that is a little different.

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