-
Review: History of America’s ‘sea soldiers’ is fascinating
The U.S. Marines, once referred to as “sea soldiers”, form one of the main fighting forces. The First Leathernecks is a hymn to the service’s earliest days. The modern image of the U.S. Marine Corps comes from World War II: young men in green camouflage fatigues storming the beaches of tiny islands in the south…
-
Review: Tall ship Lynx gets the love in picture book
The book “America’s Privateer: Lynx and the War of 1812” by J. Dennis Robinson explores the history and construction of the titular ship, emphasizing privateering’s unique role in maritime education and heritage.
-
Tall ship sailor and comic artist Lucy Bellwood
Lucy Bellwood is a dual citizen tall ship sailor and comic artist from Portland. She combines her passions through her comic series “Baggywrinkles,” illustrating her experiences aboard the Lady Washington.
-
Review: Julian Stockwin’s ‘Conquest’ takes the reader to colonial Africa
Julian Stockwin’s ‘Conquest’, another in the Thomas Kydd series, takes on Great Britain’s role in the struggle by European countries to control Africa. Dramatic retellings of the struggle between Great Britain and France under Napoleon often end with Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar, as if everything naval in the Napoleonic Wars that happened after the great…
-
Review: Tillamook Passage gives a rare indigenous view of Oregon coast
Tillamook Passage explores Native American maritime culture through a fictional crewman’s journey during a significant 1788 trading expedition.
-
Lighthouse climbs: The nine best in America
Many lighthouses invite visitors to climb for spectacular views but can be physically demanding and may have height restrictions for children. Each has unique features, operating hours, and fees that support preservation.
-
Project Shiphunt Results: Two sunken ships found
The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary discovered two historic Great Lakes shipwrecks, the M.F. Merrick and Etruria, during Project Shiphunt, involving high school students and advanced technology for future preservation.
-
Review: Julian Stockwin’s ‘Victory’ compares well to Patrick O’Brian
Julian Stockwin’s “Victory” offers an engaging introduction to Thomas Kydd’s adventures, though the hero lacks presence during key battle scenes.
-
Review: ‘On Stranger Tides’? Yo-No-No!
The Pirates of the Caribbean movie series shows no signs of slowing down, though I wish someone would finally hole the franchise below the waterline. Nothing has done as much to revive the popular interest in the Golden Age of Piracy than Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which started in 2003 with Pirates of…
-
Review: Battleship Yamato was doomed from the beginning
The battleship Yamato, one of the largest warships ever to sail, was obsolete almost from the day it was launched. The bomb and torpedo-carrying airplane signaled its doom.
-
2010 Moby Dick review: Yarrr… It blows!
You know a movie like 2010 Moby Dick has a problem when you have to watch the “making of” featurette to understand the story. Ok, maybe I’m being a bit harsh: the new “re-imagining” of the classic Herman Melville novel Moby Dick doesn’t entirely blow. It mostly blows. The premise of the direct-to-DVD release from…
-
Review: Titanic 2 is a sea’s worth of schlock
Titanic 2, a silly B movie by The Asylum, parallels 1912’s disaster with a doomed sequel featuring inadequate effects and character development.
-
Carbon Run: A novel of after the Warming
Global warming. It’s here, it’s real, and it’s changing how we live. What will life be like in a century, after the warming? No one knows. But we can imagine. This is the first post for my blog about the progress of my novel Carbon Run. It’s the story of a man pursued by a…
J.G. Follansbee
Climate science fiction, fantasy fiction, maritime history, screenplays, short stories