#cclap

On Being Human: The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976, Nicholas Roeg)

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976, Nicholas Roeg)

Review by Karl Wolff

Nicholas Roeg’s The Man Who Fell to Earthstars David Bowie as Thomas Jerome Newton as an alien, Rip Torn as Dr. Nathan Bryce, a lusty college professor, and Candy Clark as Mary-Lou, a simple, sweet-hearted girl who works as a maid in a hotel in New Mexico. Bowie runs a giant conglomerate called World Enterprises Corporation,…

CCLaP Fridays: The Blue Kind, by Kathryn Born

Chicago-area author Kathryn Born set her debut novel The Blue Kindin Neom, a dystopian city where the laws of physics are lax. In the aftermath of Drug War II, Allison is a “chain,” meaning she is collateral after a drug deal is made. The drugs in this world are called “mugs” (mind-drugs?). Different mugs offer different experiences, usually warping the laws of physics and the realms of…

CCLaP: “Sweet Thunder” by Ivan Doig and the upcoming release of “On Being Human,” by Karl Wolff

Sweet Thunder By Ivan Doig Riverhead/Penguin Reviewed by Karl Wolff

Sweet Thunderby Ivan Doig is the third novel to feature Morris Morgan, prizefighter, newspaperman, and gambler. Set in Butte, Montana in 1920, the novel follows Morris and his wife Grace to the Montana mining town. An unexpected twist takes them away from their yearlong honeymoon traveling around the world. The twist involves…

A CCLaP Mini-Review and the CCLaP Journal #2

Saga: Volume One By Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples Image Comics Reviewed by Karl Wolff

Behold the awesome that is Saga: Volume One. Written by Brian K. Vaughan and drawn by Fiona Staples, the series begins with an ill-fated love affair and the birth of a child. The lovers Alana and Marko flee their war-ravaged world in order to raise their child in peace. This all sounds pretty much like de…

Shelter in Place Update III: No Particular Place to Go

Wash your hands! Stay at home! Stay safe! Stop the spread!

What do you mean Applebee’s is CLOSED!!!

A quick update. I’m doing a lot of reading and writing during quarantine. Due to my specific job situation, I alternate between a week of work and a week off. I’m on my week off.

I continue to update the CCLaP reviews. I finished up 2014. The last post I updated was my personal book picks for 2013.…

CCLaP Fridays:

The Mustache He’s Always Wanted But Could Never Grow and Other Stories By Brian Alan Ellis A House of Vlad Production Reviewed by Karl Wolff

The short story collection The Mustache He’s Always Wanted To Grow But Never Couldby Brian Alan Ellis spends an unhealthy amount of time among the great unwashed. The back cover gives this inventory: “schemers, dreamers, losers, boozers, stolen televisions,…

CCLaP Fridays:

There Is No End To This Slope By Richard Fulco Wampus Multimedia Reviewed by Karl Wolff

There Is No End To This Slope, by Richard Fulco, follows the life of one textbook salesman named John Lenza. He’s dissatisfied with his work and yearns to be a writer. Unfortunately, he hasn’t written anything besides a series of letters to his dead childhood friend Stephanie. As Fulco illustrates, there is…