Reading Report March/April 2026

Read Rudyard Kipling’s “A Matter Of Fact.” Gripping, with the power to scare the bejabbers out of a reader with its descriptions. But it really isn’t about horror. From “Kipling’s Science Fiction,” edited by John Brunner.

Also read Kipling’s story “Wireless,” in the Brunner edited book. More fantasy than sci-fi but the glimpses of early wireless telegraphy and a nineteenth-century British Chemist’s shop were interesting.

Started reading “The Flying Stingaree” by John Blaine. A YA mystery novel about Rick Brandt from around the time of the Ken Holt mystery series. I got this one because Holt supposedly gets a cameo. Read the first three chapters; lots of fun. Lots of detail about boating, crabbing and stingarees aka stingrays. Oh, yeah; and a man may have been kidnapped by a flying saucer…

Read “The Good Neighbors,” by Edgar Pangborn. First Pangborn I’d ever read. Satirical and sad at the same time.

Started reading “The Riddle Of the Stone Elephant,” the second YA mystery novel about Ken Holt by Bruce Campbell. I THINK I know what’s gong on; sort of an impossible crime thingie and the clues are there and I spotted them.

For Henry Kuttner’s April 7th birthday I finally started reading “The Dark World,” the novella that was influential on among others Roger Zelazny. Also started reading Kuttner’s “The Land Of the Earthquake.” Both of them were Novellas/Novels originally published in “Startling Stories” magazine. I have a bunch of Kuttner’s “Startling” stuff and am planning to read all of them that I can. Kuttner is just that good.

Read Lord Dunsany’s “Why The Milkman Shudders When He Perceives The Dawn,” which he apparently wrote to spoof his own style. That’s according to a charming account of a public reading by Dunsany by H.P. Lovecraft who was there.

Listened to two other Dunsanay stories on audio:”The Sword Of Welleran,” an influential sword-and-sorcery story I’m surprised I hadn’t read before. The elegant prose almost overshadowed the story. And listened to Dunsany’s “Miss Cubbidge And the Dragon Of Romance.” The ending was probably funnier than back when the story was written.

Started reading from Lawrence Watt-Evans’ new collection “Remembrance Of Things To Come.”

Read “Paul Is Dead.” Fun, and I didn’t see the ending coming.

Read “To See The New Jerusalem .”

Read his poem “When I See Rigel’s Light Sleeting Through The Side Of Heinlein Station.”

Yes, I read the fine weekly offerings by Kaje Harper and the monthly story by E.H. Timms.

I stumbled across one of those “Gothic Fiction” collections this one of time travel stories which has F. Anstey’s “Tourmalin’s Time Cheques.” Sort of a daft “Love Boat” story with time travel. I started in on it and will finish it in time for next month’s report.

I started bumming through a horror/fantasy anthology I’m reading to review for my Queer Sci-Fi column. On that, more later.

And my Grandniece was reading the Dr. Seuss book “Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?” So I read it too! I’d never read it before. A fun book teaching kids about sounds. Moo!

—-jeff baker, april 20, 2026