Culture
The 10 Best Bounty Hunter Movies
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The bounty hunter is the ultimate outsider in law enforcement. Neither elected like a sheriff nor sworn in like a cop, the bounty hunter gets in harm’s way as much as officers but with less authority and even lesser respect. Also known as bail enforcement or fugitive recovery, bounty hunting is uniquely American. The profession…
Sean Howe on High Times Magazine and Its Enigmatic, Larger-than-Life Editor
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For someone who would dress all in black in the guise of a priest or in a dapper all-white suit, there remain shades of gray surrounding Thomas King Forcade (née Gary Goodson). He blazed out of Phoenix in the late ’60s, becoming the head of the Underground Press Syndicate—a national confederation of often-controversial and incendiary…
On Writing an Urbex Thriller and Exploring the Vertical City
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How far would you go to be the first? The only? All the great cities have become theme parks, and all the theme parks feed lots, Burning Man a millionaires’ mud-wallow, Everest an overbooked junkyard, even the once-infamous Area 51 is a tourist trap. But the most thrilling excursion you’ve never taken could be right…
On the Rise, and Fall, and Uncontainable Rebellion of Cyberpunk
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There once lived a man who was naked, raving, and could not be bound. According to the Gospel: “He tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet.” It turns out (spoiler) he was possessed. The demons were exorcised and cast out of the man. Lacking a human host, the demons possessed an…
A Roundtable Discussion on Dark Academia
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Darkened libraries, exclusive elite schools, looming Gothic towers, charismatic professors, illicit affairs, the tang of autumn in the air… rivalries and obsessions that lead to murder. Why is dark academia such a thought-provoking and alluring genre? That’s exactly what these six authors are trying to answer in today’s round-up. Layne Fargo, “The Ravages”: I started writing…
The Off-Broadway Play Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors Is Cute, Not-So-Bloody Fun
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Gordan Greenberg and Steve Rosen’s new play Dracula: a Comedy of Terrors, now open at New World Stages, is production is replete with playful contradictions. Despite the presence of the word “terrors” in the title, there’s nothing too grisly to worry about. After all, the fanged teeth featured in the logo for the show are…
Reflections on The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s Classic Biblio-Mystery
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Like many great novels, the book you are about to read is one whose every page is imbued with the art of storytelling. Its first five words, ‘I still remember the day’, spoken by the narrator, Daniel Sempere, open the door to what will soon expand into a complex world of both mystery and realism,…
Queer Crime Fiction Coming Out This Fall
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With the exuberance of Pride Month in June, it’s easy to get excited about new queer crime fiction in the summer months. But, with shortening days, ubiquitous Pumpkin Spice lattes, and of course, Halloween—arguably the queerest holiday of the year—the fall is the perfect time to pick up a mystery or thriller exploring the complex…