Author Archives: James Pyles

Book Review of “Ghost Dog: Military Science Fiction Across A Holographic Multiverse” (2018)

ghost dog

Cover art for the 2018 novel “Ghost Dog.”

And so ends the “Dog” trilogy by Ashley R. Pollard.

I just finished reading the third installment in the “Gate Walkers” trilogy, Ghost Dog: Military Science Fiction Across A Holographic Multiverse. I should say I bought all three novels for my Kindle just over two years ago so this is the completion of my reading and reviewing saga.

Just as I said in my reviews of Bad Dog and Strike Dog before it, “Ghost Dog” is faithful to military procedure and culture and at least what we imagine might be the inevitable conflicts between the military and civilian scientists on a joint mission to another planet.

In this book, the protagonist Lara Tachikoma has been promoted to Captain and is charged with leading yet another team of mixed military personnel and various scientific experts through the “pillars,” this time to a moon in orbit around a gas giant whose sun in a red giant. The site is an advanced alien civilization that seems to now be extinct. The mission is to locate and retrieve as much of their advanced technology as possible.

There are two hiccups.

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The Phantom of Dark Lake

dark lake

PHOTO PROMPT © Lisa Fox

The kiosk to the park was long deserted when Charlotte pulled up alongside it. She was surprised that it was so easy to get here despite its reputation.

“Thanks for getting me hear across that crappy backroad.” She slammed shut the door of her ancient four-by-four.

It was still cold an hour later when her booted feet hit the sandy beach. Dark Lake was filled only by underground springs from deep caves. She watched her white breath swirl.

“I know you’re still down there, Mark,” she said. “I’m coming to take you back from that bitch mermaid.” Charlotte stepped forward.

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2025: A Year in Review

2025

© James Pyles

Looking back on 2025 and my publication history, here’s what has presented itself. Frankly, I expected two more anthologies featuring my short stories to have come out this year, but both have been delayed.

To start off with, I had four drabbles published in the Starry Eyed Press anthology Drabbles: First Contact, tales of exactly 100 words long, describing humanity’s first contact with aliens (the images above aren’t presented in publication order).

Then there is my first actual (short) novel Our Legacy, The Stars: A Tom Corbett Adventure. This was previously published in installments on the now defunct Amazon Vella but it was always intended to become its own novel. Old school space opera based on a 1950s TV show. A lot of fun. You should read it.

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Movie Review: “Thunderbolts” (2025)

thunderbolts

© James Pyles

I didn’t anticipate watching Thunderbolts* (2025), yes the asterisk is supposed to be there, but it was at the public library in the new films section, so I figured “why not?”

It was actually better than I thought, but you have to accept it for what it is. I’ll get to that.

Spoiler Alert: This review is loaded with them, so if you haven’t seen the movie and want to be surprised, stop reading now.

Pet Peeve Alert: The characters of Yelena and Alexei were once part of a spy cell pretending to be a typical American family and as such they spoke perfect English. Why, oh why are they now speaking in heavily accented English just to prove they are Russian? It’s stupid.

Now let’s continue…

Basically this is Marvel’s…I was going to say “B-Team” but they aren’t even that high on the list, well most of them anyway…trying to carve their way into being heroes when most of them at least have histories as villains if not actually still being on that list.

We start out with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Natasha Romanoff’s (Scarlett Johansson) secret agent sister (see the 2021 film Black Widow) still living the life of an assassin for the CIA killing people and stealing stuff. She’s totally empty and alone and has no purpose in her life, still grieving over Natasha’s death as seen in Avengers: Endgame (2019).

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Movie Review of “Superman” (2025)

superman

© James Pyles

Last night, I watched James Gunn’s Superman (2025). OMG, where do I begin?

Oh, Spoiler Alert. This review is full of them.

First of all, let me say that I get where Gunn was taking the film and the character. He was balancing Superman as an alien vs Clark as a human. This is seen both in how goofy (in my opinion) both Superman and Clark (played by David Corenswet) appear and behave. Face it. Clark really doesn’t have to act like an inept nebbish to keep people from finding out he’s Superman. Why would people even believe Superman has another identity and if he did, he could be anyone living anywhere.

The secret to Clark’s insecurities, sometimes unstable behavior, and pathetically Boy Scout (even by campy comic book and earlier movie and TV standards) actions and attitudes lies in his humanity, in being raised by Martha and Jonathan Kent on a farm in Kansas.

The Kents, played by Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell respectively, are the quintessential country hicks. I’ve worked in rural settings before, and Ma and Pa Kent might as well have been Ma and Pa Kettle. They weren’t necessarily strong or heroic and are never seen struggling over raising a son from outer space. They’re “just plain folks” and their defining characteristic is how much they love their son.

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Writing in Light

candles

PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

“You want me to write about Hanukah on Christmas Eve.” Mike pressed send in the chat.

“It’s an optional extra credit writing assignment,” Charlotte replied in chat. “Anyway, I thought you didn’t celebrate Christmas.”

“Not in the traditional sense. I don’t believe Jesus was born anywhere near December. Besides, nothing in the Bible says to celebrate his birth,” he sent.

“The assignment is Hanukah,” she replied.

“Okay, how about this? The Hanukah candles held a double meaning for him, both indicating miracles, the burning of the oil to rededicate the Temple for eight days, and the Light of the World.”

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Book Review of “Cold Days” (2012)

cold days

© James Pyles

This morning I finished reading Jim Butcher’s Cold Days (2012), the 14th book in “The Dresden Files” series.

Chicago’s resident wizard, Harry Dresden, is back from the dead. He’s also now the Winter Knight serving the often cruel Winter Queen Mab, and has to figure out what to do since everyone he’s ever known thinks he’s literally six feet under.

Spoiler Alert: This review’s loaded with them so if you haven’t read the novel and want to be surprised, stop here. I will say that the book is well worth your time as are all the others in the series.

Anyway…

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Kickstarter for “Ruins: A Space Opera Anthology”

ruins

Promotional image for the anthology “Ruins.”

Across the vast expanse of space and time lie the remnants of civilizations that reached for the stars—and vanished. Silent cities carved into asteroids. Derelict megastructures drifting between galaxies. Temples buried beneath the red sands of dead worlds.

This book contains 13 bold tales of humanity’s encounters with these cosmic ruins.

That’s how the narrative for the Kickstarter for “Ruins: A Space Opera Anthology” begins.

Just to be clear:

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Death’s a Beach

beach

PHOTO PROMPT © Peter Abbey

For everyone else, it looked like a normal December on the beach in California. Some folks still enjoyed a “too cold for me” dip in the ocean. More, like me, just wanted to walk in the semi-warm weather.

Death always haunts us since, after all, we’re mortal. However some deaths hit harder than others. Most of them are family and friends. Every once in a while, it’s a public figure that some love and others hate.

Then they seem to either get too much of one or the other, at least on social media. I’d rather be walking on sand.

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The Trickster Healer

alley

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

He finally found his prey in a tourist attraction. It took months, working with a couple of dozen patients on his caseload, listening to hundreds of hours of tape. Finally it paid off.

“Dr. Chiron.” Andrew looked up from the bench in the middle of the alley. “What are you doing here?” Andrew’s right hand twitched as if he wanted to reach for the gun in his jacket.

“I knew you’d be here at this moment.” Jacob Chiron pulled the trigger of his semi-automatic three times eliminating another serial killer. Being a psychologist was a good cover for hunting them.

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