The Ricochet Reviewer: Books, Movies, and Comics

  Art and Story: Walter Simonson Fearing for his father's ability to withstand an attack by Surtur, Thor leaves the field of battle on Earth to return to Asgard. Karnilla, Queen of the Norns, continues to withhold aid from the forces of Asgard until Balder the Brave agrees to become her consort, and her ploy may be paying off. Thor’s pal Roger reappears with a possible solution to the winter storms that are destroying the world. And members of the Army appear with news about the reinforcement of Surter’s forces. Beta Ray Bill hatches a plan to outsmart the swarm of demons that threaten to overwhelm his warriors by sheer weight of numbers. Meanwhile, Surter is about to enter Asgard to confront Odin. Heimdall does his best to bar the path. And Surtur in turn bars the way to any help from outside Asgard. Frigga and the children of Asgard encounter an obstacle as they evacuate to safety. Back on Earth, Sif and Bill observe evidence of the devastation facing Asgard. Maddened by her inab...

by Alan Burt Akers (AKA Kenneth Bulmer) Dray Prescot, an English sailor and valiant warrior of the 19th Century, is transported to the distant planet Kregen by powerful beings as a champion for humanity, who live there among many intelligent species.  Thus begins Kenneth Bulmer’s 52-volume tribute to ERB’s Barsoom series.  Kenneth Bulmer Even Bulmer’s choice of pseudonym, Alan Burt Akers, has the same cadence as Edgar Rice Burroughs.  After his mysterious transit, he is immersed in a liquid that grants a 1000-year lifespan by a secret society called the Savanti, who live in the isolated Swinging City of Aphrasoe.  Here some of Bulmer’s humor shines through; for a reader of the 70s, a “swinging city” would be sure to have a racy connotation, but the Savanti literally swing from building to building in their arboreal metropolis.  "Destination Scorpio" (Italian) Here, Dray also meets his version of Dejah Thoris, Delia of Vallia, whom he rescues in defiance of the S...

by Michael Moorcock In a post-apocalyptic future where magic coexists with superscience, Duke Dorian Hawkmoon, a prisoner of an evil empire that is conquering the known world, is compelled to undertake a mission to kidnap the princess of the last nation to withstand the onslaught.  To ensure compliance, a jewel that can transmit everything he sees as well as destroy his brain is implanted in his forehead.  JRR Tolkien has cast a long shadow over the fantasy genre ever since the publication of his Middle Earth books, but at the time of this book’s publication, it was not yet required to produce back- breaking volumes that rivaled the telephone book for thickness (and there’s a dated reference for you).  Michael Moorcock wrote a slim novel that packs a lot of incident into its pages.  Michael Moorcock It features lots of pulpy action, solid world-building, and interesting characters without laboring over details. "A Jewel in the Skull" (Lithuanian) "The Gem in the Skul...