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    Blog Launch

    July 11, 2019 by

    Hello! My name is Joe Kessler, and I’ve been blogging in one form or another since 2004. This is the launch of my new home for that, where I’ll be posting book reviews and other short pieces of writing. I’m also debuting a Patreon site for anyone who would like to support my efforts through… Read more

  • Movie Review: Rocky (1976)

    January 30, 2026 by

    Movie #5 of 2026: Rocky (1976) The original Rocky film is one of those neat pieces of media where the on-screen plot aligns nicely with the behind-the-scenes story. Viewers get to see a poor boxer plucked from obscurity to fight the heavyweight champion in a nationally-televised bout, going further than anyone thought possible thanks to… Read more

  • Book Review: Privateers by Ben Bova

    January 29, 2026 by

    Book #16 of 2026: Privateers by Ben Bova This 1985 sci-fi novel is the debut volume that author Ben Bova wrote in what became his Grand Tour sequence, although it would subsequently be rendered non-canonical by real-life events influencing how the later books developed. The story here is set in the mid-twenty-first century, in which… Read more

  • Book Review: Doctor Who: The Highest Science by Gareth Roberts

    January 29, 2026 by

    Book #15 of 2026: Doctor Who: The Highest Science by Gareth Roberts (Virgin New Adventures #11) Author Gareth Roberts hasn’t had any fiction published professionally for almost a decade, ever since falling down the same transphobic pipeline as J. K. Rowling. (I can’t say how much of that is by choice versus industry blacklist, though… Read more

  • Book Review: Slow Gods by Claire North

    January 28, 2026 by

    Book #14 of 2026: Slow Gods by Claire North Here’s a space opera full of imaginative worldbuilding detail that still manages to feel empty without compelling characters to populate the setting. Both the narrator’s tone and the general plot remind me of the Animorphs spinoff The Ellimist Chronicles, in which an alien being survives the… Read more

  • Movie Review: The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    January 23, 2026 by

    Movie #4 of 2026: The Matrix Resurrections (2021) Legacy sequels are all the rage lately, with Keanu Reeves even appearing in an unnecessary Bill & Ted venture the year before reprising his more famous role of Neo for this fourth Matrix film. The business reasons behind the trend are obvious, as studios seek to capitalize… Read more

  • Book Review: Funny Story by Emily Henry

    January 22, 2026 by

    Book #12 of 2026: Funny Story by Emily Henry This is my third Emily Henry romance, and while it hasn’t topped Book Lovers for me, I’m relieved it’s not as frustrating a read as Happy Place, either. I’ll split the difference and give this one 3.5 stars, rounded up. The romcom premise is irresistibly ludicrous:… Read more

  • Book Review: The Little Friend by Donna Tartt

    January 17, 2026 by

    Book #11 of 2026: The Little Friend by Donna Tartt The critical consensus on author Donna Tartt’s second novel seems to be that it’s immersively drawn but plodding in plot, which I feel is basically accurate and yet rather beside the point. Which is to say, the story definitely shines best as a slice-of-life family… Read more

  • Movie Review: The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

    January 16, 2026 by

    Movie #3 of 2026: The Matrix Revolutions (2003) A disappointing but acceptable conclusion to the original Matrix trilogy. This third feature is nowhere near as imaginative as its predecessors with their mindbending fight scenes and special effects, rushing through the comparable moments somewhat perfunctorily and spending far too long on the defense of Zion. For… Read more

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