BenHaskett.com – book stuff, mostly
This is probably going to sound stupid (or at least obvious) to anyone who already knows anything about Bram Stoker and/or Dracula, but: Wow, y’all, this book is where Dracula comes from. As in, like, this is his first appearance; Bram Stoker, in his 1897 novel, created the character Dracula. And Van Helsing. Like how Walt Disney created …
I hope you’ve been productive over the past year, the Coronavirus year, the year when you were encouraged to simulate life inside a bomb shelter. With the kids home, doing that whole distance learning thing, and with the local parks wrapped in yellow caution tape, we did a few things to break up the monotony. …
I wrote an editorial review for Cormorant Lake. It was phenomenal! Here’s my review: When Evelyn returns home late at night and finds her roommate’s two young girls in a dangerous situation, she finally breaks. She hastily gathers their things and buckles the little girls into the backseat of her ’92 Corolla before racing out of California in …
A copy of my short story sold a few days ago, which was surprising because I hadn’t done anything to make that happen. (Naturally, and like most other hobbyist writers, getting a sale usually involves some sign-spinning on my part.) When I sold a second copy an hour later, I got so suspicious that I …
I wrote an editorial review for The Chowderhead Crusades. It was great! Saying anything is the “Ready Player One for fans of [insert thing here]” can have unintended consequences, but I’m telling you, The Chowderhead Crusades is a good book—and, in a few ways, it’s actually more exemplary of the obscure-trivia-with-practical-applications genre than Ready Player One. Here’s my review: …
I wrote an editorial review for Past Versus Future. It was a pretty good book! Here’s my review: Past Versus Future posits that the big bang was merely a bang in a series of many. Like a cosmic reset button, each bang brings with it a whole new universe where civilizations rise and fall, where species venture beyond their solar …
Actually, this is less a review and more a rambling, diatribe-laden book report, and it’s brimming with spoilers. I spend a lot of time comparing the book and the movie. The short version is: Wow, 2001: A Space Odyssey! Great book! Five stars! I saw elements of many of Clarke’s short stories, including “Holiday on …
I’m about to complain about the most first-world of all first-world problems, so before anyone reads this, I warn you: the following may prove to be a very unsatisfying read, and it basically amounts to me grumbling about not getting a free lunch. I enjoy reading and writing. Reading is easy. But writing, if …
Another short story! Progress with A Troll and his Bard continues to be slow, but to keep myself sharp I’ve been working on more short stories. All Around the Watchtower went live on Amazon on February 1, 2020. You can grab it on Kindle for $2.99. This short tale is about a crew of four astronauts who awaken …
Reading has largely been a time-capsule sort of thing for me, digging up classics and getting in line behind the thousands and thousands of people who’ve already read them. Putting in my two cents long after the zeitgeist has died away. East of Eden, Brave New World, The Hobbit. And honestly, this is usually when …