Under the (Hard) Covers – Crime and Punishment

Have you ever had a superiority complex one day, and then felt like you were the dirt beneath people’s boots the next? If you have, then you should probably talk to someone about that. But if you haven’t, and just want to read a story from the perspective of such a...

Hot Take: The Minecraft Movie Could’ve Been Good

The Minecraft Movie, at its core, was nothing to ride home about. No real plot or lesson to be taken away. Did it need to have these things? Obviously not. It had a more profitable opening weekend than The Mario Movie and more free advertising from fans than it knew...

Under the (Hard) Covers – Roadside Picnic

The Soviet sci-fi novel “Roadside Picnic,” written by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky and published in 1972, follows Redrick “Red” Schuhart. Following a brief visit from extraterrestrial forces — of whom were never seen, either as beings or their mode of transportation —...

Under the (Hard) Covers – Dune: Messiah

Frank Herbert’s “Dune” revolutionized the sci-fi genre in the same way that J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy changed how audiences and authors engage with fantasy. Whether you like “Star Wars,” “Star Trek” or anything in between that’s star-related,...

Under the (Hard) Covers – Frankenstein

Do you know how some people’s parents compare their kids to other kids? Sometimes you might even catch yourself comparing your own accomplishments to others. It can be difficult to avoid the pitfall of assuming you’re falling behind when you see others your age doing...