The Dragon and the Castle

Road winds up to a castle door Towers and turrets and ramparts galore A dragon sits on a nearby hill Hatching its plots to attack and kill On a path through the forest and up to that place A young girl walks with an innocent face If you please, says the girl to the ravenous…

Review “Death Masks” by Jim Butcher (published 2003)

“Death Masks” is the fifth in the Dresden Files, a series of books written by Jim Butcher that follow the character Harry Dresden, a wizard living in modern-day Chicago. The books follow a fantastical world that exists alongside the normal world, with magic, a wizard council, vampires, werewolves, demons and all the usual magical creatures.…

The Magic of Ray Harryhausen

When I was a kid I loved fairy-tales, fantasy, myths and legends. Movies that told fantastical adventures were watched and re-watched, and I was especially enthralled with the monsters and other fantastical creatures that appeared. I loved any stories which included magic and fantasy. A lot of these old movies would be shown on tv…

Review “The Last Boy” (2019)

“The Last Boy” is described as science fiction, but personally I would call it fantasy – there is precious little science involved. Sira (Flynn Allen) is living in a caravan with his dying mother. She gives him instructions about a place he needs to travel to, and a map. There is a ‘wind’ that will…

Review “The Father Christmas Letters” by JRR Tolkien.

“The Father Christmas Letters” is a collection of letters and accompanying pictures written by JRR Tolkien for his children. Of course it is traditional in many countries for children to write letters to Father Christmas, but Tolkien’s children were lucky enough to receive letters back. (What a great dad Tolkien must have been, with so…

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time There was a castle, a palace, a kingdom There was a beautiful princess, a handsome prince There was a king and queen, wicked, or benign A wizard counsellor, a fairy godmother A dark forest, a magical tower A witch, an elf, a dwarf Mystical creatures and charmed artifacts Once upon a…

Review “Cat People” (1942)

“Cat People” is a fantasy/horror B movie, directed by Jacques Tourneur. It is one of the films of the period produced by Val Lewton, who has become well-known for his production of these types of films that are a cut above the quality of this sort of film. While “Cat People” has many flaws, it…