While Ian Fleming’s Dr. No was the first to be made into a film, it was actually the sixth novel featuring the suave James Bond 007. While I haven’t yet read any of the intervening novels between Bond’s Casino Royale debut and this 1958 book, I can say that Dr. No was a much tighter, professionally written story than Casino.
Shatner, William—Man O’ War
I didn’t pick up William Shatner’s 1996 novel, Man O’ War, expecting much. Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek and has been the star of several Priceline.com commercials, is not known for being a writer.
What surprised me was that the book wasn’t half bad.
Adopting a New Way of Thinking
Reproduction is possibly the most important piece of human existence. The central cohesive unit of society is that of the family—an institution that exists primarily for the rearing of children. The physical act of reproduction—sex—is one of the most popular topics of discussion in everything from comedy to gossip to advertising.
Parking Vulture (writing as Tamera Finn)
The vultures were out, circling B-lot. B was a great parking lot. It was close to the classrooms, close to the Student Union building, close to the freshman dorms, and close to most of the classrooms. It was close to everything.
Supreme Court to Hear ‘Enemy Combatant’ Case
The U.S. Supreme Court has announced that it will hear the case of Jose Padilla. Padilla, an American citizen, was arrested after returning to the U.S. from Pakistan, accused of plotting a “dirty bomb” attack, and has been held without trial as an enemy combatant.
Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.