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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Review of “Jurassic World: Rebirth” (2025)

rebirth

© James Pyles

In my last review, I mentioned getting two movies from the public library. The second was Jurassic World: Rebirth. I almost want to say “reboot” because we get a whole new cast of characters, most notably Scarlett Johansson playing the mercenary Zora Bennett.

The film takes place a few years after events in Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) starring another Marvel movie alum Chris Pratt as Owen Grady. Dinosaurs are now sharing the planet with all the other 21st century life forms including humans. However, due to changes in oxygen, temperature, and so on, most dinos are living in areas somewhere near the equator. That’s a convenient way to limit their exposure to people, but it was previously established that at least some dinosaurs can live in colder climates.

Well, this is entertainment.

Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t seen the film and want to be surprised, read no further. You have been warned.

The movie starts in 2008 in a dinosaur genetics lab on Île Saint-Hubert. In previous films, we’ve already seen that audiences got bored seeing the “same old dinosaurs,” so the big money people demanded that the scientists create ever more exciting (and more dangerous) hybrids. The lab has a stupid accident, dropping containment and all hell breaks loose.

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Review of “Captain America: Brave New World” (2025)

brave

© James Pyles

Last night, I watched a couple of movies I got from my local public library branch. The first one was Captain America: Brave New World (2025). I have to agree with the opinions of most of the other folks who have long since seen this film. It wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t great either.

Spoiler Alert: Before I go on, be aware there are plenty of spoilers below. You have been warned.

I should say that I’ve never seen any episodes of the TV show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) nor do I intend to. I’ll assume that the little bits and pieces in the movie I didn’t understand such as who the heck Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) was supposed to be were introduced in that series.

It seemed a little improbable that Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) was President of the United States given how hostile and aggressive he had been across his military career. Then again, there were a few small parallels to our real-life President Donald Trump, so maybe it wasn’t such a fantastic leap.

The movie, from what I understand, was styled after any number of political thrillers involving dark conspiracies. That said, I think Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) did a better job in that arena.

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Fear Burns Like A Fire

market

PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

The dark woman looked nervous as she served the older white couple their coffee.

“Thanks.” He nodded his head and smiled when she set the tray down. His wife looked at the waitress, the owner’s granddaughter, with unbidden pity.

“This is the last place in town to get a decent cup of coffee,” he said putting two sugar cubes into his small cup.

“Harry, she was scared to death of us,” said his wife.

“I can hardly blame her.” He took a sip and decided it needed to cool. “The whole anti-immigrant movement has chased away most families like hers.”

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Book Review: “In Shadow Spawned: The Shattered Throne Sequence Book One”

in shadow spawned

© James Pyles

I’ve worked with authors Jason Russell and A.S. Charly before, but as an author submitting stories to a publisher, namely Starry Eyed Press. I’ve also read and reviewed books they have previously written. Since I believe one good turn deserves another (and I hope they’ll review some of the stuff I didn’t write for them), I decided to buy and review their latest offering In Shadow Spawned: The Shattered Throne Sequence Book One

It’s available from Amazon in Hardcover, paperback, and Kindle formats. I chose the latter for affordability and instant access.

NOTE: There are some spoilers in my review so keep that in mind before continuing.

The story takes place in the mythical realm of Delandaar, an ancient time of Kings and Empires which also includes wielders of something called Glyphs. These are conceptual objects that existed before the first human languages and adepts can learn to manipulate the power of their meaning.

The novel opens with one such practitioner, Daks, in pursuit of someone or something that has attempted to assassinate his King. He fails to catch it, but whatever force committed the deed is not an isolated occurrence. Other mysterious and terrible events have been happening across the countryside. Those activities spur not only Daks, but a number of other people and groups into the adventures we see in this novel.

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Through The Looking Glasses

glasses

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

“Dad?” Rod turned to his front door as his Dad Frank walked in. He was expecting him to bring the pumpkin pie, but the old man had something else.

“Happy Thanksgiving, son,” said Frank. “Where are Holly and the kids?”

“Kitchen and the backyard respectively.” Rod’s mouth was agape. “What’s that on your face?”

“These glasses?” Frank chuckled and looked around the living room.

“What was your ophthalmologist thinking?”

“Ever see the movie ‘They Live,’ Rod?”

“Yeah, but…”

“I can see you’re real. I just want to make sure about the rest of my family.”

“You’re off your meds, right?”

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Poof!

flowers

PHOTO PROMPT © Sandra Crook

Jake sat his old bones down beside the Mumblebon bush again. He’d discovered it some weeks ago when taking his morning hike behind his house. The day he saw the strange blossoms; he bent over to get a closer look and…

“Poof.”

A blossom popped into his face and he could hear it talking. Since then they’d become fast friends.

“The world’s gotten so bad out there,” said Jake.

“The world is so peaceful in here,” said Mumble.

“I’m too old for this,” said Jake. “I want that kind of peace.”

“Come closer,” said the blossoms.

Jake leaned down.

“Poof.”

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Relaxing at Sunset

pool

PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

Harold thought it was great that his friend Jimmy let him use his place in the Arizona desert while he had to stay in Phoenix. At sunset, it was still warm enough to relax in the pool with a drink, and in November, too.

“This is the life,” he said sipping at another bourbon. “At least while the food lasts.”

The emergency news channel was coming across his phone. The narrator was describing the vampire plague sweeping every populated area in the world.

“It’ll take ‘em a while to find me. After Jimmy turns, I wonder if he’ll come home?”

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Book Review of “Memory’s Legion: The Complete Expanse Story Collection” (2022)

memory's legion

© James Pyles

A few years back, I read all of the Expanse novel series by James S.A. Corey (really Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) thanks to a suggestion from someone I used to work with and my local public library. I’ve never seen the television series, though I’ve heard it was quite good. I really enjoyed the books though.

You can search my blog and read all of my reviews of them.

A number of weeks ago, I was killing time in the library when I came upon a copy of Memory’s Legion: The Complete Expanse Story Collection (2022). They were the only Expanse stories I hadn’t read, so, of course, I checked it out.

It was different than what I expected. Still good and entertaining, but the tone felt, I don’t know, more depressing maybe?

The stories, almost all of them really, are prequels or “origin” stories to certain Expanse characters, other viewpoints of existing storylines, and even “how did this get invented?”

I won’t throw out too many spoilers so don’t expect to find out from me which Expanse characters you’re familiar with make appearances here.

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Who Puts Up Yellow Christmas Lights?

window

PHOTO PROMPT ©Yvette Prior

“Who puts up a Christmas tree in November and why only yellow lights?” Griffin thought. He turned from the window and back to his enemy.

Kemp developed the invisibility program for the government. Griffin was their guinea pig, but it was never about science. Griffin was their ultimate political assassin, an invisible man.

“You said you couldn’t bring me back,” Griffin mused. “You’re my next victim…”

Griffin’s skin lit on fire and he collapsed on the carpet. Kemp put down his smartphone and rose from the sofa.

“The yellow lights are my security system, Griffin,” said Kemp. “They’re killing you.”

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