All of these stories suck. I mean literally! Poppy Z. Brite returns with a sequel to her Love In Vein vampire anthology (you can read my review of Love in Vein I here.). Love in Vein II‘s best stories are “First Date” by Richard Laymon about a horny young couple who decide to visit a cemetery at night for a frolic. You can make a good guess at what happens…

Neil Gaiman’s “Snow, Glass, Apples” blends a Queen’s problems ruling a declining kingdom after the death of her husband with a rapacious daughter who has her own deadly agenda.

If your Halloween could use a little spice, you’ll find the stories in both Love in Vain I & II can remedy that situation. GRADE: B

Table of Contents:

• Snow, Glass, Apples – (1995) – short story by Neil Gaiman
• Bela’s Plot – (1997) – short story by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• Armies of the Heart – (1997) – short story by Christopher Fowler
• Whispers in Walled Tombs – (1997) – short story by O’Neil De Noux
• Ceilings and Sky – (1997) – short story by Lucy Taylor
• The Fly Room – (1997) – novelette by Thom Metzger
• The Subtle Ties That Bind – (1997) – short story by David Niall Wilson
• When Memory Fails – (1997) – novelette by Roberta Lannes
• The I of the Eye of the Worm – (1997) – short story by Janet Berliner and George Guthridge
• Stigmata – (1997) – short story by Jean-Daniel Brèque (trans. of Stigmates)
• The Dripping of Sundered Wineskins – (1997) – novella by Brian Hodge
• I’m Not Well, But I’m Better – (1997) – short story by Pat Califia
• Kingyo no fun – (1997) – novelette by Nicholas Royle
• First Date – (1997) – novelette by Richard Laymon
• To Have You with Me – (1997) – short story by Randy Fox
• Dusting the Flowers – (1997) – novelette by David J. Schow
• Bloodlight – (1997) – short story by Stephen Mark Rainey
• The Privilege of the Dead – (1997) – short story by Thomas S. Roche

“Professor Jasper Tempest (played by Ben Miller), a genius criminologist at University of Cambridge, who has OCD and an overbearing mother, assists the police in solving crimes. Miller has stated in an interview that Jasper is also autistic.” (Wikipedia)

I’ve watched the previous four seasons of Professor T and enjoyed the mix of off-beat cast and off-beat murders. Adapted from the hit Belgian series of the same name, Professor T follows the eccentric, meticulously structured Professor Tempest as he solves baffling crimes.

In Episode 1 (of 6) in this new season, Professor Tempest and Dr. Helena Goldberg (played by Juliet Stevenson) are on a vacation to explore a possible relationship. But, two deaths in two days gets Professor T convinced the deaths may be murders. GRADE: B+

“The ability to read long and complex texts was once a widespread skill. It now risks becoming a rare, even esoteric accomplishment. …Though some still argue over the significance of factors like inequality or changes to the education system, it seems increasing obvious that the major culprit is the smartphone…” (p. 6-7)

James Marriott’s message is clear: “Without reading, the world is going to become less rational and more disorganized.” (p. 13) The decline of reading is obvious with the closing of bookstores, the plummeting of book sales, and the reduced usage of libraries (other than supplying movie DVDs).

“In the fragmented, trivialized and angry new world that is being shaped by the smartphone, conspiracy theories and mad ideas spread with terrifying fertility. Political discourse which was once conducted in print–with its remarkable capacity for sustain logical thought and extended argument—now takes place amid the moronic inferno of social media.” (p. 13)

Confrontation, arguments, name-calling are all on the increase. Everyone can air their grievances on-line no matter how silly. In fact, being silly and outrageous only increases “Likes” and audience response. We are drifting into chaos and illiteracy. Artificial Intelligence can’t fix that.

The New Dark Ages provides all the examples of smartphone addiction you could want. The Social Media companies designed their products to be addictive. The result is not only a decline in reading, but depression, anxiety, bullying, and suicidal thoughts (and actions). Our society is spiraling out of control. We have a $40 TRILLION debt with little in the way of repayment. The course we’re on is not sustainable! GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION — 1

1. The reading mind — 15
2.  The rise of reading — 28
3. The rise of the screen — 55
4. The disenlightenment — 82
5. The political power of books — 103
6. The end of democracy? — 117

Conclusion — 154

Acknowledgements — 169

Recommended Reading — 171

Notes — 175

The 5-1 Buffalo Bills are resting after their 33-30 win over the Raiders. Looming ahead is a battle against Jeff Smith’s Ravens on November 1. The Vegas early point spread has the Bills favored by 3 points. That could change…

How will your favorite NFL team perform today?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd89zz5u2Kc

I taught a course in MARKETING for nearly 40 years. Over that time, I saw a lot changes in how companies used marketing to sell their products. Recently, a TV commercial featuring Megan Fox is getting heavy rotation on many channels…especially those watched by men.

Just click on the link above and click on the sound icon in the lower right corner to see and hear Megan Fox do her thing!

Ghostfinders SERIES:
   1. Ghost of a Chance (2010)
   2. Ghost of a Smile (2011)
   3. Ghost of a Dream (2012)
   4. Spirits from Beyond (2013)
   5. Voices from Beyond (2014)
   6. Forces from Beyond (2015)

Here’s a series that will get you in the Halloween mood! Simon R. Green wrote this series from 2010 to 2015. The Ghost Finders series is set in the same world as the Nightside, Secret Histories, and various other Simon R. Green supernatural novels and frequent references to characters and places between them.

The main characters are the leader, JC Chance, who was touched by something from Outside in a recent case and is still trying to determine what all that means; Melody Chambers, girl geek and computer expert; and “Happy” Jack Palmer, Class Eleven telepath and official gloomy bugger who provides occasional comic relief from the horrific events in these books. The Ghost Finders are joined from time to time by JC’s ghost girlfriend, Kim, who is truly creepy.

These three Ghost Finders are part of the Carnacki Institute who are dedicated to “Do Something” about ghosts, and live by the motto “We don’t take any shit from the Hereafter”.

If you’re a fan of Simon R. Green, you know what to expect: plenty of action, plenty of angst, and a dollop of humor when events take a turn for the Worst. Fun reading for Halloween! GRADE: B (FOR ALL THE BOOKS IN THE SERIES)

I own a number of Greatest Hits CDs of The Rolling Stones. Rewind, from 1984, includes many of my favorite songs: “Tumbling Dice,” “Miss You,” “Brown Sugar,” “Waiting on a Friend,” “Angie,” and “Start Me Up.”

After 1984, The Rolling Stones continued to perform in concerts, continued to put out occasional albums, but much of their magic was gone. Rewind captures the essence of what made the Stones the Greatest Rock Band in the World for that era. Are you a Rolling Stones fan? Do you have a favorite song? GRADE: A

TRACK LIST:

1		Miss You	4:45
2		Brown Sugar	3:48
3		Undercover Of The Night	4:29
4		Start Me Up	3:32
5		Tumbling Dice	3:37
6		Hang Fire	2:21
7		It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll (But I Like It)	5:07
8		Emotional Rescue	5:37
9		Beast Of Burden	4:25
10		Fool To Cry	5:04
11		Waiting On A Friend	4:36
12		Angie	4:30
13		Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)	3:26

I have not been pleased with Ellen Datlow’s recently published anthologies. You can read my review of Lovecraft’s Brood here.

Of the 19 stories in All Hallows Eve, I really only liked one of them: “Her Mother’s Business” by Garth Nix. A young girl’s mother is a con artist and uses her wiles to cheat wealthy widows out of vast sums of money by staging a seance with her victim’s dead relative.

Garth Nix cleverly sets the seance in “Her Mother’s Business” on Halloween when other Powers decide to intervene. Sadly, none of the other stories in All Hallows Eve come close to the excellence of this story. GRADE: C

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction Ellen Datlow
Foreword Lisa Morton
That Hannie Agnes Josh Malerman
On the Path, Bleeding Lee Murray
Good Kids Rich Larson
Treats Clay McLeod Chapman
The Levels Livia Llewellyn
Forever Again Michael Marshall Smith
The Devil’s New Year Stephen Graham Jones
Merciless Feast Linda D Addison
Or So the Story Goes Christopher Golden
The Kuker Alma Katsu
Ankou’s Night Brian Evenson
The Hungry Grass Siobhan Carroll
Saturday Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ
Give Me Something Good to Eat Theresa DeLucci
Her Mother’s Business Garth Nix
The Thinning of the Veil Jeffrey Ford
Dare Me Richard Kadrey
On the Night of the Welcome Stranger Nathan Ballingrud
The Auld Woman with the Broom John Langan

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

ABOUT THE EDITOR

Diane and I watched the entertaining Sigrid Nunez interview in the BABEL series on our computer. We used to go to see the BABEL author interviews live at Kleinhans Musical Hall in downtown Buffalo but after a disastrous night last Spring when we couldn’t find any parking amid a driving rain storm, we decided to opt for the online option starting this Fall.

I’ve read Nunez’s The Last of Her Kind (you can read my review here) and Salvation City (you can read my review here) and several of her short stories in various anthologies. Nunez started the evening off by talking about growing up in New York City and her dreams of becoming a writer. Years later, she worked at the New York Review of Books and became a close friend of Susan Sontag (who she wrote about in Sempre Susan).

I was impressed by Nunez’s comments on her National Book Award-winning novel The Friend. She also spoke about What Are You Going Through, which was adapted into the film The Room Next Door directed by Pedro Almodóvar and starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton.

All in all, this wonderful BABEL interview made me want to drop everything and read some Sigrid Nunez! GRADE: A

Books

• A Feather on the Breath of God. New York: HarperCollins. 1995. ISBN 9780312422738.
• Naked Sleeper. New York: HarperCollins. 1996. ISBN 9780060172763.
• Mitz: The Marmoset of Bloomsbury. New York: HarperFlamingo. 1998. ISBN 9780060174071.
• For Rouenna. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2001. ISBN 9780374254308.
• The Last of Her Kind. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2006. ISBN 9780374183813.
• Salvation City. New York: Riverhead Books. 2010. ISBN 9781594487668.
• Sempre Susan: A Memoir of Susan Sontag. New York: Atlas Books. 2011. ISBN 9781594633348.
• The Friend. New York: Riverhead Books. 2018. ISBN 9780735219441.^[26]
• What Are You Going Through. New York: Riverhead Books. 2020. ISBN 9780593191415.
• The Vulnerables. New York: Riverhead Books. 2023. ISBN 9780593715512.^[27]
• It Will Come Back to You: Collected Stories. New York: Riverhead Books. 2026. ISBN 979-8217179152

Kevin Roose, a technology columnist for the New York Times, unravels the story of Artificial Intelligence over the past 20 years and explains why we’re in the mess we’re in with AI.

OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeadMind, and other AI firms are all racing to develop Artificial Intelligence that is…Superintelligent. By “Superintelligent” Roose explains that the AI will be able to able to reason and code at superhuman speed. It will, in fact, be smarter than us.

But, the danger is, the superintelligent Artificial Intelligence could become a threat to humans if it escapes our control. Roose documents several occasions when AI has gone rogue.

The AGI Chronicles is a chilling history of AI…and a warning about what is to come. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Author’s Note on Sources and AI — ix

Prologue — 3

 
Part I :

1. Transformed — 11
2. Tabula rasa — 23
3. Attention — 31
4. Big blob of compute — 37
5. Guys, I’ve had enough — 51
6. The bitter lesson — 58
7. Infohazard — 67
8. Reward is enough — 76
9. Few-shot — 85
10. Meena eats Google — 95
11. BATNA — 102

Part II:

12. Fell the AGI — 113

13. Helpful, honest, harmless — 125

14. Say AGI — 133

15. Low-key research preview — 141

16. Code red — 148

17. War is coming — 160

18. I want to be alive — 169

19. The shoggoth — 178

20. Commitments — 184

21. Titan — 192

22. Accelerate of die — 199

23. Q* — 206

24. Not consistently candid — 213

25. Without its people — 224

Part III :

26. YOLO — 233

27. Glue pizza — 243

28. GPU poor — 253

29. Machines of loving grace — 262

30, Strawberry jam — 270

31. PNG — 279

32. High-flyer — 289

33. Everyone dies — 300

34. Gentle singularity — 311

35 . Relentless — 319

36. Hello from the weights — 329

37. Success disasters — 335

38. Takeoff — 346

Epilogue — 359

Notes — 363

Acknowledgements — 403

Index — 405