iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The Dragon On the Border By Gordon R. Dickson The 3rd book in the Dragon Knight series, with the further adventures of a history professor and his wife transported to a fantasy medieval universe. This outing takes him to the Scottish border to battle the Hollow Men. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #dragonknight #fantasy

A hardcover book with a dustjacket cover illustration featuring a dragon sitting behind a woman standing in a red medieval gown, holding a sword testing point down on the ground. There is a pile of armor at her feet. To the left in the background stands a horse wearing armor. To the right stands an old man wearing white robes, holding in both hands a tall staff topped with wings and a floating glowing orb. Next to the man stands a black wolf. In the distant background are snow-covered mountains.

140

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Assorted Crisis Events, Vol. 2 W: Deniz Camp A: Eric Zawadzki (See photos for full credits) More character studies of people dealing with a world where time, physics, and dimensions have become abnormal and bizarre. Delightfully weird. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #comicbook #graphicnovel #shortstories #booksky

Comic book trade paperback collection, with a cover illustration of a man and woman of color standing in a field of flowers, embracing as they look at the viewer. Behind them to the left is what appears to be a dust cloud rising into an orange sky. The right side of the illustration is a number of loose puzzle pieces, which can be seen to be part of the illustration to the left. Underneath the puzzle pieces is what looks like a wood grain, with a line drawing of an older man and a young boy.

060

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Tank Girl: Summer Love Sensation By Hewlett & Martin Originally published in Deadline Magazine, 1990. More adventures of the lovable tank-driving punk Aussie & her mutant kangaroo boyfriend. Guest appearance by a pair of bikers who definitely aren't Peter Fonda & Dennis Hopper 😉. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #tankgirl

011

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Shadows in Bronze By Lindsey Davis The second book in the Marcus Didius Falco series, and a delightful read, as the "informer" of classical Rome investigates a plot against the Caesar, assassins, and pursues a love interest. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #marcusdidiusfalco #ancientrome #mysteries #booksky #investigator

Hardcover book with a dustjacket. The dustjacket has an illustration of a wall of stone blocks, with the book title carved out of the stone at the top. In the center is an opening, with a carved statue of a human figure to the left, wearing robes and looking outwards. Outside there are a series of curved stone steps or seats, an amphitheatre looking out over the sea. In the water far below is a Roman ship, being rowed towards the shore. In the distance a large volcanic mountain looms over the water, smoke wafting from its summit.

110

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Doc Savage #18: The Monsters/The Whisker of Hercules By Kenneth Robeson (Lester Dent) Two more short novels, reprinted in the original pulp format, with the original interior illustrations. The second novel has probably the strangest title of all the Savage books. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #docsavage #booksky #pulp

Squarebound magazine format publication, with a cover painting illustration of a muscular man wearing a torn long-sleeved shirt, one sleeve completely missing. He is being held in a giant human hand, with a sickly grayish green color. In the background is the rippling surface if water.

030

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Rigel Science Fiction Issue #4, Spring 1982 Another vintage magazine from my TBR stack. Includes stories by Gregory Benford, Terry Carr, and Eric Vinicoff, plus others. Mostly fanzine-level art, but another early appearance by comic book artist Brent Anderson. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #sciencefiction #booksky

A saddlestitched magazine with a two-color cover in black and green. A pen and ink illustration covers the cover, showing two men in the foreground, who are looking away from the viewer at a third man behind them. That man is bald and shirtless and is holding a long rod or stick in both hand, up over his shoulder in a posture that appears to be the start of a swing at the other two men. In the background is a futuristic city.

073

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Sahara By Clive Cussler I know, you're thinking, I already saw the movie. But the movie leaves out like two thirds of the book. A Peter Jackson version of this book would be four three-hour movies. Anyway, completely improbable fun. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #dirkpitt #booksky #clivecussler #thriller #spies

070

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Black Notice By Patricia Cornwall Celebrity pathologist Kay Scarpetta faces office intrigue, psychological drama, suspicious international actions from INTERPOL, and a bizarre serial killer who might be a... Werewolf!? This one was fun. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #mystery #booksky #kayscarpetta #serialkiller

050

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Rigel Science Fiction Issue No. 1/Summer 1981 The first issue from an independent publisher, featuring stories from Greg Bear, Richard A. Lupoff, Tom Easton, & David Bischoff. Interior illustrators include an early appearance of comic book artist Brent Anderson. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #sciencefiction #booksky

A saddlestitched magazine with a one-color illustration in grayish purple tones, of a woman sitting amidst a clutter of screens and control panels, her chin resting in one hand, looking directly at the viewer.

Brent Anderson pen and ink illustration of four people in a small boat, fishing, while a curious plesiosaur is swimming under the boat, its long neck curled up out of the water to peer at the people.

060

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Analog Magazine January 1964 Stories by Randall Garrett, Norman Spinrad, John Brunner, and the 2nd part of Frank Herbert's "Dune World," first publication of "Dune" under its original title. Plus a science article about meteorites. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #analog #sciencefiction #sciencefact #booksky #vintage

060

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Doc Savage #12: The Squeaking Goblin/The Evil Gnome By Kenneth Robeson (Lester Dent) Two more of the short Man of Bronze novels, in the original pulp format with the interior illustrations. Not the best of the series, IMHO. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #docsavage #pulpfiction #sciencefiction #booksky

Squarebound publication with a painted cover illustration of Doc Savage, seen from behind and above, climbing the sheer face of a tall building, the street just visible far below in the lower left corner of the image.

170

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Analog Magazine February 1964 Another old issue from my stack. This one's highlight is the concluding section of the original serial publication of Frank Herbert's "Dune," herein titled "Dune World." Front cover by John Schoenherr. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #analog #sciencefiction #sciencefact #magazine #booksky

050

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Sharpe's Fortress, India 1803 By Bernard Cornwell Newly promoted from the ranks, Sharpe faces discrimination from his fellow officers, corruption, the evil machinations of old foe Hakeswill, an impressive Indian fortress, and two scary executioners. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #sharpe #historicalfiction #booksky

A hardcover book with a painted cover illustration, showing a pile of objects sitting in a stony field. The objects include a British military hat from the early 180ps, a musket leaning against a drum, and what might be a small kit bag, all in front of a British flag draped on a short flagpole. In the background, silhouetted against a sunset or sunrise, is an Indian fortress.

070

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Doc Savage #22: Mystery Under the Sea/The Red Terrors By Kenneth Robeson (Lester Dent) Two more short novels, printed in the original pulp format, including the original interior illustrations. I wonder if MUtS was the origin of the Bermuda Triangle myth. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #docsavage #pulpfiction #booksky

0100

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Den, Vol. 2: Muvovum By Richard Corben Another volume of Corben's classic work, beautifully restored by José Villarrubia. This volume features the further adventures of the nerd-turned-hero in a bizarre and barbaric alternate universe. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #comicbooks #sciencefiction #fantasy #booksky

Hardcover graphic novel with a cover illustration showing Den, a large, muscular man, sitting on the back of a reptilian creature with a long neck. Den has a sword upraised in his right hand, preparing to swing at the strange bipedal creature he is holding by the neck in his left hand, while a crowd of the same creatures surround him.

062

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Doc Savage #22: Mystery Under the Sea/The Red Terrors By Kenneth Robeson (Lester Dent) Essays by Will Murray Two more Savage novels, presented in the original pulp format with original interior illustrations, but with corrected text. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #docsavage #pulpfiction #booksky #sciencefiction

Squarebound magazine-format book with a cover painting illustration by James Bama, depicting Doc Savage, his trademark ripped shirt revealing muscular arms and torso. Long trousers and knee-high leather boots complete his ensemble. He is floating underwater, bubbles streaming from his mouth, twisting through branches of coral, heading away from the viewer, towards ruins in the background. Built from large stone blocks, the ruins include a couple pyramids that resemble Mayan edifices.

341

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Bowling With Corpses, and Other Strange Takes from Lands Unknown W/A: Mike Mignola Colors: Dave Stewart A collection of short tales and vignettes set in a fantastical mythic and magic-infused medieval world of Mignola's imagination. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #comicbook #fantasy #mikemignola #booksky

A hardcover sequential art story anthology. The cover illustration shows a boy in medieval dress, holding skull in both hands, and standing on the spread white robes worn by a skeleton standing behind him. In the foreground are a group of bones that look like femurs, standing upright with the lowers buried in the soil. To the left of the main figures, in the background, is an old building with two towers, over which fliesxa giant bat. To the leftist a grandfather clock, a small pile of bones and books, and in the sky a strange bio-organic figure with many limbs covered with rows of circles.

071

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact October 1963 Cover: John Schoenherr I have a stack of old Analogs I am working my way through. This one contains what I believe was the first David Falkayn of the Polesotechnic League story by Poul Anderson. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #sciencefiction #magazine #booksky #vintage

1963 magazine with a cover painting of a wheel-shaped space station, viewed nearly on end, floating in the blackness of space
In the distant back a blue planet is silhouetted against the glow of a faint yellow nebula.

An interior illustration in the magazine, in black and white done in pen and ink, by John Schoenherr. A man in the foreground, wearing clothes of a strange design and carrying a briefcase under his right arm, walks away from a tall spaceship in the background, perched on four large engines. The ship has the classic tapered design of early fictional spaceships. There is a boarding ramp leading to an entry at the very bottom of the ship, between two of the engines. A couple small bipedal figures with long tails are standing near the base of the ship.

060

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

The Last Coyote By Michael Connelly Harry Bosch deals with his multitude of personal issues by finally trying to find out who murdered his prostitute mother when he was a child. His childhood history supplies character development to the max. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #harrybosch #mystery #booksky

060

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

"Dr. Werthless" W: Harold Schechter A: Eric Powell A biography of the man reviled by comic book fans, a psychiatrist who desperately needed to be in therapy himself, Fredric Wertham was a man whose ego overrode his intelligence. (1/2) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #graphicnovel #comicbook #booksky

A hardcover graphic novel, with a dustjacket cover illustration in grey tones, of an aged man, Dr. Fredric Wertham, who has a long, frowning face etched with deep lines around his mouth and on his cheek and neck, has thinning hair, and wears a pair of roundish black-framed glasses. In the foreground is a burning pile of comic books.

130

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Die Trying By Lee Child The 2nd book in the Jack Reacher series, in which our hero is accidentally kidnapped with a woman, by a white supremacist group, led by a megalomaniac intent on fomenting the downfall of the USA, with a deadly plan in place. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #jackreacher #leechild #booksky

A paperback book with a white cover and red text, and an illustration of one large grey fingerprint.

040

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Captain Henry and the Graveyard of Time W: Mike Mignola A: Bruce Zick A steampunkish time travel adventure set in the Hellboy universe, with somewhat frenetic art that perfectly suits the subject matter. Very fun. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #comicbook #graphicnovel #booksky #steampunk #timetravel

A hardcover collection of a comic book miniseries, with an illustration on the front cover. In the near foreground at the bottom is what appears to be a pile of large clocks. On this pile stands a mature, muscular man with short greying hair and a moustache and bushy muttonchops. He is wearing heavy black leather boots, blue trousers, a cream-colored shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a leather vest with many small pockets. He is wearing a mechanized metal gauntlet on his right hand, with wires leading from it to something on his back, and is holding a large cutlass-like sword. Behind him, to his right, stands a man in a kind of spacesuit, with a clear dome over his head. To his left is an older gentleman with longer grey hair in a curled hair Georgian or Regency style, a goatee with a long, pointed moustache, and wearing a blue frock coat with purple trim. He is wearing heavy blue gloves and in both hands is holding upright a columnar mechanical device of some sort. Behind him are three other men in Victorian clothes.
In the background rise many clocktowers, around huge menacing and monstrous mechanical creatures.
At the top is the book title, set in a display serif font with swashes, curved into a flowing shape, reminiscent of Victorian fonts, in red with yellow outlines and a black drop shadow. A decorative clock hand design sets the theme of the book.

040

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

D'orc By Brett Bean Collects issues #1–5. Silly fun about a halfbreed dwarf/orc with a magic shield, having adventures not of his own choosing, while trying to make his way through a violent fantasy world. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #comicbook #fantasy #humor #booksky

Comic book trade paperback with a cover illustration of D'orc, a half dwarf, half orc. He is wearing typical clothes of a medieval milieu. A small round shield with a large eye is on his left arm. He is standing with his feet astraddle of a line of fire on ground otherwise covered with corpses and cast-off medieval weapons. Flames rise into the orange sky behind him, with a portion of a stone wall to the right side.

040

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Synthetics, Vol. 1 W: J. Michael Straczynski A: Tony Parker (See photos for complete credits.) Collects issues #1–4. More SF from the Babylon 5 creator, this one about our impending environmental doom and the creation of genetically modified humans. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #comicbook #sciencefiction #booksky

Comic book trade paperback with a cover illustration of a man holding a pistol, pointed towards the viewer with a forced perspective.

060

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

The Infinity Link By Jeffrey A. Carver An early example of the human consciousness uploaded to a computer theme, coupled with first contact with extraterrestrials. An intriguing story that doesn't leave politics or psychology out of the mix. 1/2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #sciencefiction #booksky

A hardcover book, with a dustjacket cover illustration. The book title and author are at the top in an extrabold sans serif display font. The illustration predominantly features a portrait of a woman, in light blue hues, superimposed over a background of starry space, with some small planetoids in the distance, and one larger in the foreground. A bright light, like a comet or meteor, steaks across the lower right of the image. At the bottom is a flat red plain with a grid of yellow lines showing perspective that stretches into the distance.

1110

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Fear of Death: A Rachel Rising Story By Terry Moore A 1-shot prequel to the Rachel Rising epic, with the usual carefully written and skillfully executed art. Telling the origin of Zoë, with background on the other major characters. Mythic storytelling. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #comicbook #terrymoore #horror #booksky

060

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Doc Savage #11: Cold Death & The South Pole Terror By Kenneth Robeson (Laurence Donovan; Lester Dent) Two more Savage novels reprinted in the original pulp format, with original interior illustrations by Paul Organ, edifying essays, & cover illo by Walter Baumhofer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #pulpfiction #docsavage

Squarebound magazine with a cover illustration painting, showing two men struggling with each other in a dynamic diagonal composition. The man in the foreground is wearing a long-sleeved white button-up collared shirt, and his visible right arm has the sleeve rolled up, with his hand held in front of his chest as he lunges forward. His left arm is stretched out behind him and is not visible, as it extends off the edge of the page. He has short, light brown hair. The man in the background has short dark hair, pronounced facial features, is wearing a dark suit with a white shirt, and is holding a Thompson submachine gun in his right hand that he is firing up into the air. His left hand is raised with fingers spread, as he perhaps is preparing to push the other man away from him.

020

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Foundations (See photos for complete credits.) Fantasy masquerading as SF. The art is quite nice. The story starts out in a promising way, but apparently they crowd-sourced ideas, and fiction writing by committee makes for a messy experience. Maybe they'll clean it up in following stories? ⭐⭐⭐

151

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Powers 25, Vol. 1 (See photos for complete credits.) Powers is back, with a new generation continuing the job of investigating crimes involving the super-powered. Old characters return, superheroes aren't always so super. Writing & art both sharp as ever. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #comicbook #booksky #powers

A trade paperback comic book collection, with a cover illustration of a trio of women of various ages, all wearing police badges and in civilian clothes. Skyscrapers rise behind them. In the lower foreground and in the sky are small silhouettes of superheroes.

070

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Doc Savage #10: Dust of Death; The Stone Man By Kenneth Robeson (Harold A. Davis & Lester Dent Two more pulp sci-fi novels reprinted in the original format, with interior illustrations by Paul Orban & cover art by Walter M. Baumhofer & Emery Clarke. 1/2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #docsavage #pulp #reprint #booksky

The back cover of the magazine, with descriptive text and images of two "Doc Savage" pulp magazine covers.

280

Reposted by Recent Reads

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

The most powerful rising force in American politics today is anti-establishment fury at a rigged economic system. Corporate Democrats refuse to see how big money has corrupted America. They — and their billionaire donors — are some of the biggest enablers of Trump's neo-fascism.

22835251359

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Elseworlds: Batman, Vol. 1 (See photos for complete contents & credits.) A massive collection of stories set in alternate universes. A few of my favorite artists & writers. Mostly entertaining, if not excellent. 1/2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #comicbooks #dccomics #batman #booksky #otherworlds

Comic book trade paperback with a cover illustration showing Batman standing on a rooftop, one foot up on the back of a gargoyle. In the background a searchlight beam spreads up into the sky, ending in the Green Lantern symbol.

120

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Angels & Demons By Dan Brown Our favorite symbologist is drawn into a nefarious scheme involving physicists who have created a dangerous quantity of antimatter, the Illuminati, and the Vatican. The plot moves along too fast for your suspension of disbelief to run out before the end. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #booksky

140

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

The Airtight Garage: The Depressed Hunter By Moebius (Jean Giraud) Another chapter from the life of the mysterious Major, as he seeks to escape from a dreamscape where he has been trapped in a nefarious plot. As always, Giraud's art is ethereal & unearthly. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #moebius #sciencefantasy #booksky

A hardcover graphic novel with an illustration of two people sitting in open cockpits in a futuristic aircraft. The person in front is wearing a red top, the one in the rear wears white with a tall white helmet. The aircraft is yellow with a black nose and tail.

060

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Geiger, Vol. 5 (See photos for complete credits.) The continuing post-apocalyptic adventures/hardships of a tortured radioactive-powered man and his two-headed wolf. A modern twist on a 1950s sci-fi motif. Think Mad Max meets the Incredible Hulk. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #comicbook #sciencefantasy #booksky

Comic book trade paperback with a cover illustration showing a red metal sign laying on the ground. White letters in the sign read "DANGER!" and below that is a yellow triangle with a black skull. There is a track of a large, knobby tire impressed into the ground that has left dents in the upper part of the sign.

050

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Getting Off By Lawrence Block An abused girl enters adulthood and searches for a meaningful relationship, while killing almost every man she has sex with. Then she decides she has to find the men she had sex with, but didn't kill, and kill them, too. So it's a serial killer detective story. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hardcover book with a dustjacket cover illustration painting. A nude woman, with tousled blonde hair, faces away from us, her left arm up with her hand on the back of her neck. Her right hand is behind her, in the small of her back, holding a large kitchen knife with the blade straight down, covering the cleft of her buttocks. She is looking into a room where a nude black-haired woman kneels on a bed, her arms wrapped around a man in front of her, sitting on the edge of the bed, as she helps him take off his shirt. He is wearing black trousers and one of his shoes and a sock are on the floor in front of him.

311

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Lady Mechanika, Vol. 6: Sangre See photos for full credits. Another delicious sci-fi horror adventure with the mysterious steampunk heroine, as she investigates a case involving vampirism. Includes all 5 of the mini-series issues. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #steampunk #scifi #ladymechanika #booksky #vampires

A comic book trade paperback with a cover illustration of a young woman, wearing an ornate costume with a vaguely Victorian design, lots of leather, belts and holsters, and some frilly ruffles on the chest below the neckline. She is holding a katana-like sword in both hands. Behind her is a monstrous creature, silhouetted in mostly black against a red glow, bat-like wings outstretched.

030

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Good as Dead Ws: David & Maria Lapham A: David Lapham (#1–6.) Large-scale crime in a small, isolated town. Corruption. Convoluted histories. Extraterrestrials? Strange goings-on. Disaster. Murder. Mayhem. Poison with no antidote. All this and more! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #comicbook #graphicnovel #booksky

Comic book trade paperback with a cover illustration that has a side view of a bridge stretching across the bottom of the image, with tall trees riding on each side against a night sky. Flames rise from the center of the bridge, spreading up into an orange and brown cloud composed of a collage of characters from the story. The largest figure at the top is a white man with a beard and moustache, wearing a sheriff's badge. Another prominent figure is a young woman with close-cropped hair, holding a military-style pump action shotgun.

040

Reposted by Recent Reads

Bree (half of Kit Rocha) @mostlybree.kitrocha.com · 28/07/2026

Hello, welcome back to DAY TWO of Etsy Sales to Pay Lawyers to Help Us Get Back Our Money, my least fun new repeating holiday but we're gonna celebrate it with rainbows anyway! Want some rainbows???? WE GOT RAINBOWS!!! 20% OFF RAINBOWS!!! thebrokencircle.etsy...

a t-rex painted in a rainbow gradient, with white spots and bright pink hearts along its spine.

A tiny hummingbird with a rainbow body and white wings on the front and a cute little black beak balancing on my fingertips

This one is printed in a vivid sparkle rainbow gradient.

A rainbow squid resting on my hand, showing it's about the size of my fingers.

6223126

Reposted by Recent Reads

Matt Ortega @mattortega.com · 28/07/2026

Stephen Miller said just the other day that all asylum claims are "fake." A couple deported from the U.S. to Guatemala were gagged, bound, and shot dead. Their 14-month old found crying next to their mother's body. People like Miller don't care though because this is the point: ethnic cleansing.

stlpr.org

Overland couple shot dead in Guatemala after local ICE stop led to deportations

The couple’s 14-month-old daughter was found crying beside her mother’s body in a sugarcane field last week, according to Guatemalan authorities and media.

13239151969

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Rogue Moon By Algis Budrys Using a bizarre and dangerous alien artifact on the moon as a plot driver for a psychological drama, this is an early, if not the first, book to explore the psychological and ethical ramifications of live human matter transmission. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #sciencefiction #booksky #classic

Hardcover book with a dustjacket cover illustration showing a man in a spacesuit. He is standing on some sort of structure, and is in front of a mirror wall, although his reflection cannot be seen. He is holding what looks like a large futuristic gun in his hands. (Note that nowhere in the book is a scene where a spacesuited man is armed.) In the background to the right is a craggy lunar landscape, where a large wheeled vehicle stands in front of a tall edifice covered with strange carvings.

130

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

The Punisher: Brain Bleed W: Benjamin Percy A: Julius Ohta Frank Castle is being mind-controlled by a certain criminal mastermind. Or is he? Prepare for some ultra-violence and mayhem as the Punisher gets to work. Nicely written, with art that fits the subject matter quite well. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #comicbook

110

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

The Flash, Vol. 4: Reverse (See photos for complete credits.) Collects #20–25 & 23.2. I found the story implausible. The internal logic just didn't work for me. The art was okay, but occasionally seemed too busy and confusing. I guess I would have loved it when I was 12. ⭐⭐⭐ #theflash #comicbook

Hardcover comic book collection, with a dustjacket cover illustration showing the Flash in the middle distance running towards the viewer. The background is the same bright red as his costume, and a thick yellow bolt of lightning is flashing diagonally across the sky and ending in a burst behind the Flash, silhouetting him. The horizon line is slightly at an angle and the foreground is the same bright yellow as the lightning bolt. What looks like a black shadow from the Flash is stretched out across the foreground towards the viewer.

100

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

The Book of Taltos By Steven Brust A compendium of 2 novels from the Vlad Taltos series, Taltos and Phoenix. One of my favorite fantasy series, with great complex characters, plots, politics, and morals. Each novel can be read as a standalone. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #vladtaltos #fantasy #swordsandsorcery #booksky

A hardcover book with a dustjacket cover illustration of a man with curly hair, holding a sword point down in his left hand. He has a loose-sleeved shirt and is wearing a bulky and or ste falconer's glove on his right hand and lower arm. Perched on the glove is a small dragon-like creature, it's wings raised up and spread, framing the face of the man.

030

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

The Hood: The Saga of Parker Robbins (See photos for complete credits.) Small-time crook finds himself in over his head when he absconds with a cloak that has mysterious powers. Decent writing, lovely art by Kyle Hotz. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #comicbooks #collection #supervillain #booksky #marvelcomics

Comic book trade paperback with an illustration of a silhouetted man in a dark cloak, highlighted in red, against a deep red background. The hood over his head conceals all but a pair of glowing eyes and a portion of his nose and chin. He is holding a semi-automatic pistol in each hand, with wisps of blue smoke rising from the end of the barrel of the pistol that is silhouetted against the red background.

Comic book trade paperback collection contents and credits page.

140

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Here Comes a Candle By Fredric Brown Another tour de force crime noir by the master of the genre, and the king of the slow build to a shock ending, using an inventive style, for the time (written in 1950), incorporating various media types to tell the story. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #crimefiction #noir #booksky

A trade paperback book, with a photo illustration on the cover of a creepy shadow of a man on the wall of a staircase. The image is a still from the film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922).

150

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Nemesis Forever W: Mark Millar A: Matteo Scalera Collects #1–5. Will the supervillain of all supervillains finally get his comeuppance? I'm not spoiling it. Does Millar hate humanity? Seems like it. Is Scalera an excellent artist? Definitely. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #comicbook #supervillain #booksky #millarworld

A comic book trade paperback with an illustration of a figure dressed in white, with a white hood and cape, stands with his arms outstretched, his back to the viewer, on a narrow platform overlooking a city from high above, where explosions spell out "I'm back."

040

Recent Reads @recentreads.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

The Windup Girl By Paolo Bacigalupi A fantastic story set in a future Thailand, in a post-oil future, where politics, technology, cultures, and personalities clash as political and business intrigue leads to violence. An absolute banger of a story. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #sciencefiction #paolobacigalupi #booksky

A hardcover book with a cover painting illustration. In the foreground a large elephant is led by small human figures, through a trash-ridden street, in front of awning-bedecked buildings. In the background rise numerous futuristic skyscrapers, with a zeppelin flying far above.

040