Books – Cult Sci-Fi Movies And Some Wore Blue, Some Wore Gray

Still tyring to get caught up on books, so doubles for another week.

Cult Sci-Fi Movies by Danny Peary (2014) – Ten essays on some of the best science fiction movies of all time.  This book is one of a series of books on cult films (Horror, Crime, Midnight Movies).  Here

he takes on an interesting list including Barbarella, Blade Runner, Forbidden Planet and 2001 plus some lesser known ones like Liquid Sky and Zardoz.  The author’s love of the movies shines through in each essay.  I had to wonder what I was getting into when I saw that “Barbarella” was the opening essay.  While Peary acknowledges the punch-line legacy of the movie, he also notes that there’s more there than meets the eye.  He dives deep into who Jane Fonda was, how the character fits into the larger landscape of her career and her relationship with her then husband and “Barbarella” director, Roger Vadim.  The result is a review that is probably deeper than the movie is but it’s also a sign of the kind of thoughtful work that is to follow.

What you get with each essay is solid look at the background of each film – where the idea came from, who were the creative team members that created it behind the scenes and on camera, then a detailed synopsis, his review and a list of movies you might also enjoy.  This last piece is another gem of the book.  He doesn’t just go for the easy ones, most lists are at least five movies.  For “Barbarella” he suggests (among others) both “The Fifth Element” and “Tank Girl”.

Reading another critics reviews of movies is an invitation to get full of yourself and feel the need to nitpick.  I didn’t always agree with every point but there’s no doubt that Peary does a careful and well crafted job on each of these pieces.  If you love Sci-Fi movies I would certainly point you toward this book.  Great conversation starters for you and your friends.

Peary is a veteran film critic and sportswriter.
The book is available through Workman Publishing Company.

Rated – **** Recommended




Some Wore Blue, Some Wore Gray by Heather Graham (2013) – A series of short biographies of some of the most famous and lesser lights of the Civil War.  Written by veteran romance author

Heather Graham, this was a personal project that she published on her own out of her love for history and the Civil War period.   The Lincoln’s (both President and Mrs.), the Grants, the Lees and Davises are all included.  But so is Clara Barton, George Armstrong Custer, Belle Boyd and Rose Greenhow.  Each chapter approaches the subject as a real person and not as an historic icon which is always refreshing when dealing with some of these figures.

The writing has a very casual feeling to it, perhaps appropriate for the personal project nature of the book.  It reads much less like a history tome and more like a conversation with an interesting fan of the subject.  This also makes the book a very quick read.  At only 79 pages it wasn’t going to be a long read under any circumstances.

For the serious history fan these are pretty lightweight stuff.  It is nice to see the lesser known faces get a moment in the spotlight.  It would be a fine starting point for someone looking to increase their familiarity with the time period and some of the important names of that time.

The book is self published by Heather Graham on Smashwords

Rating – *** Worth A Look