Last autumn to coincide with the release of Fellowship of the Ring in the theaters Del Rey and Houghton Mifflin rereleased the Lord of the Rings trilogy in hardcover, mass market, and trade paperback editions with photo covers of images taken from the film. This autumn, to coincide with the upcoming film release of TheContinue reading “How many covers are too many?”
Author Archives: Allyn
Unfinished Tales
In the process of moving I came across several files folders of old manuscripts, some handwritten, some typed, all of them fragments of stories I wrote many years ago. This is the first in an occasional series presenting some of these story fragments. The Adventure of the French Albino is the sequel to another story,Continue reading “Unfinished Tales”
If I were a video-game character, who would I be?
I am a Gauntlet Adventurer. I strive to improve my living conditions by hoarding gold, food, and sometimes keys and potions. I love adventure, fighting, and particularly winning – especially when there’s a prize at stake. I occasionally get lost inside buildings and can’t find the exit. I need food badly. What Video Game CharacterContinue reading “If I were a video-game character, who would I be?”
The thirty second story
I’ve seen this on two blogs recently, such as James Bow‘s–take a short story and run it through MS Word’s Auto Summary feature. I’ve taken “Memorial Day,” an entry I wrote for Pocket’s Strange New Worlds VI contest, and condensed its 7500 word length to under a hundred: “Thanks.” “Claire Keefe.” “Jake Sisko.” Claire nodded.Continue reading “The thirty second story”
Sweet Home Alabama
Yesterday my sister and I went to see the new Reese Witherspoon film, Sweet Home Alabama. It’s mildly enjoyable, if you check your brain at the door. I’m not saying the film is stupid, but it is cliched, and nothing surprising happens at any point in time. With one exception involving Ethan Embry, but that’sContinue reading “Sweet Home Alabama”
Reaching into the metaphorical mailbag
A reader of this webpage e-mailed me recently with the following observation: How can you say Wesley Crusher replaced someone at the Enterprise’s helm and took their job? The person doing Wesley’s job in the first season was Geordi, and in the second season he became Chief Engineer, so the position was vacant and PicardContinue reading “Reaching into the metaphorical mailbag”
A Faith Restored
I watch very little television. Why? Because there are often better things to do with my time, and spending them passively watching television isn’t the most productive of activities. If there’s a program I like I’ll find the time or make the time to watch. Jonathan Creek, mentioned yesterday, is one of those programs. TheContinue reading “A Faith Restored”
Thank you, BBC America
At long last, BBC America has returned Jonathan Creek to their programming lineup. Last spring I discovered this quirky mystery series about a magician’s illusionist played by Alan Davies who solved locked room mysteries as a hobby, but BBC America insisted on showing only the first season’s episodes with an occasional episode from the secondContinue reading “Thank you, BBC America”
Recent Ramblings
Pocket’s Strange New Worlds contest for this year closes on Tuesday, and I made four submissions this year. I liked this year’s batch of stories. One I’ve mentioned before, about Wesley Crusher and the man he replaced at the Enterprise-D’s conn. Another was about Robin Lefler and her nightmares. The third story was about EzriContinue reading “Recent Ramblings”
Allyn's Crackpot Theory: On Trill Symbiosis
As some of you might be aware, I have some very whacked views on Trill symbiosis, how it began, and why it continues. My theories– Symbiosis must confer an evolutionary advantage (i.e., to further the gene line) to both host and symbiont, otherwise symbiosis doesn’t further the life cycle of either. In other words, symbiosisContinue reading “Allyn's Crackpot Theory: On Trill Symbiosis”