“Lives are rivers. We imagine we can direct their paths, though in the end there’s but one destination, and we end up being true to ourselves only because we have no choice.” Richard Russo said that his celebrated Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Empire Falls was borne out of a feeling of…

“Forget about what you are escaping from. Reserve your anxiety for what you are escaping to.” It is 1939 and Josef “Joe” Kavalier manages to flee Nazi-occupied Europe and emigrate to the United States to live with his cousin in New York City, Samuel Louis Clayman (or “Sammy Clay”). With…

“What punishment do you set for me?” Stardate: Unknown Well, in my journey through the Star Trek litverse, I have already encountered everyone’s least favorite Ayn Randian Objectivists, Sandra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath, several times. And each encounter has been an atrocious reading experience. I’m not sure how these two…

“After five centuries, the Dynasty of Shad had survived longer than most. Now, suddenly, it teetered on the ragged edge of an abyss –and extinction lay ahead…” Stardate: 7815.3 Captain Kirk throws a surprise birthday party for an aging Dr. McCoy, who is upset about his graying hair (Bones quips:…