Film, Spies, Spy 100 Project
Spy 100, #89: The Spy in Black
Occasionally, I find old movies difficult to get invested in, but director Michael Powell’s The Spy in Black (1939)…
April 1, 2015
Drama, Film, Mystery, Spies, Spy 100 ProjectSpy 100, #10: Notorious
The top ten countdown begins with Alfred Hitchcock’s noir romance Notorious (1946), a dark, smoldering affair produced and set…
October 6, 2014
Fantasy, Fiction, Science FictionNovel: My Real Children by Jo Walton
What a lovely read this is: Jo Walton’s My Real Children (2014) is a smooth, beautifully written alternate worlds…
July 17, 2014
Drama, History, Television, World War IITV: Island at War
The six-episode British series Island at War (2004) takes as its subject the German occupation of the Channel Islands…
July 15, 2014
Fiction, SpiesNovel: Midnight in Europe by Alan Furst
Nobody writes historical espionage like Alan Furst, and his latest, Midnight in Europe (2014), is just as beautifully written…
June 27, 2014
Film, History, Spies, Thriller, World War IIFilm: Decision Before Dawn
In light of how soon it was produced after World War II, Decision Before Dawn (1951) has a surprising…
June 23, 2014
Comedy, Drama, Film, World War IIFilm: The Great Escape
There are some films you’ve seen so many times you can’t possibly review them objectively. John Sturges’ World War…
May 22, 2014
Fiction, History, World War IINovel: Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
With Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein established herself as a writer of devastating power. She cements that reputation further…
January 10, 2014
Drama, Film, Spies, Spy 100 ProjectSpy 100, #18: The Man Who Never Was
Quiet, reserved, and free of action, The Man Who Never Was (1956) is an intelligent dramatization of Operation Mincemeat,…
December 22, 2013
Fiction, SpiesNovel: Mission to Paris by Alan Furst
Alan Furst writes brilliant historical espionage novels set just before, during, and after the Second World War. His latest,…
November 30, 2013
Film, Spies, Spy 100 Project, ThrillerSpy 100, #29: Ministry of Fear
Recently issued by Criterion, Ministry of Fear (1944) has pedigree to burn. It’s directed by cinema pioneer Fritz Lang,…
September 16, 2013
Fantasy, History, Science Fiction, SpiesNovel: Necessary Evil by Ian Tregillis
Necessary Evil (2013) concludes Ian Tregillis’ dazzling Milkweed Triptych, and I found it every bit as great as the…
June 13, 2013
Fiction, History, Science Fiction, World War IINovel: In War Times by Kathleen Ann Goonan
Kathleen Ann Goonan’s In War Times (2007) is a thought-provoking SF novel that interestingly mingles history, quantum theory, and…
March 5, 2013
Fiction, History, World War IINovel: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Wow. I’ve reviewed a lot of books here over the last four years, and I’ve loved many of them,…
January 2, 2013