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 …
Author Archives: Joe Kessler
Book Review: The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025 edited by Nnedi Okorafor
Book #13 of 2026: The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025 edited by Nnedi Okorafor I got my hopes up during the introduction to this collection, in which series editor John Joseph Adams explains the selection methodology: he himself read several thousand short stories of genre fiction published throughout a single calendar year, aiming …
The Matrix movies, ranked
Overall rating: ★★★★☆ Previously on Film Franchise Fridays:
Movie Review: The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
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 …
Continue reading “Movie Review: The Matrix Resurrections (2021)”
Book Review: Funny Story by Emily Henry
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: …
Book Review: The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
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 …
Continue reading “Book Review: The Little Friend by Donna Tartt”
Movie Review: The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
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 …
Continue reading “Movie Review: The Matrix Revolutions (2003)”
TV Review: Classic Doctor Who, season 23
TV #3 of 2026: Classic Doctor Who, season 23 If you’re a modern viewer catching up on old Doctor Who, you might not notice anything immediately amiss when finishing season 22 and starting this next one. There’s an introductory framing device that’s new, involving the Time Lords putting the Sixth Doctor on trial for his …
Book Review: Tales from the Nightside by Simon R. Green
Book #10 of 2026: Tales from the Nightside by Simon R. Green Three years after the main Nightside series concluded, author Simon R. Green released this anthology of shorter stories set in the same supernatural corner of London. All but the concluding novella The Big Game had been previously published elsewhere, while four of the …
Continue reading “Book Review: Tales from the Nightside by Simon R. Green”
Book Review: A Spell to Wake the Dead by Nicole Lesperance
Book #9 of 2026: A Spell to Wake the Dead by Nicole Lesperance This novel has a neat beginning that it then proceeds to squander, becoming one of those stories where I can viscerally feel my rating for it dropping as I continue to read along. The initial premise involves a trio of queer and …
Continue reading “Book Review: A Spell to Wake the Dead by Nicole Lesperance”
The Lesser Joke: book reviews and more 