King-a-ding-dong-freakin’-DING! The Stephen King bell tolls yet again, this time for the residents of Castle Rock, Maine. Hoo boy, folks, they’re in for it! When a new shop opens on their main (or Maine) road, the town’s secrets snowball into a monstrous, nigh-unstoppable boulder that threatens to wreck the lives of anyone in its path.…
Author: Cole Rush
Altered Carbon – Bodies Everywhere
In my mid-20s, I smoked a helluva lot of weed. One night, my buddy Mike and I were six or seven bong rips deep on my couch, and we threw on Netflix’s Altered Carbon. I had neither seen nor heard anything about the show. And when I tell you that I recall exactly zero percent…
The Institute – Talented and Grifted
You guys will never guess where Stephen King is taking us next, folks. That’s right, Maine! Specifically, in the deep woods of our only single-syllable state, there’s a mysterious compound where children with special powers are imprisoned and used for their talents in nefarious ways. The Institute is a dark subversion of the magic school…
Malazan Didn’t Change, But I Sure Did
If you passed through Iowa City in the mid-2010s, you might encounter a lanky, baseball-hatted kid in a tie-dye Hawkeyes sweatshirt (me) loping alongside his giant afroed friend Ryan, yapping about fantasy books and other nerdy potpourri. To be fair, that is a likely sighting on any liberal arts college campus, but it’s where today’s…
Quill To Live Crossword: Some Books
Back, back, back again! Here's a fresh puzzle for the sci-fi fans! QTL Crossword: Some Books Need More?! For more puzzles, subscribe to my newsletter, The New Dork Times. It's now completely free, with three weekly puzzles.
Quill To Live Crossword: Grayscale
QTL readers, welcome back to the grid! I'm publishing crosswords on a highly irregular basis now, and I've had this one in the queue for months. Get to solving, or don't. I'm not your dad! QTL Crossword: Grayscale Need More?! For more puzzles, subscribe to my newsletter, The New Dork Times. It's now completely free, with three…
Cujo – I’m A Cat Person
Here’s a multiple choice question for ya: What does “Woof!” mean? A. It’s what my toddler calls all doggies. B. It’s the only exclamation that can capture my feelings of returning from a stressful holiday season to write a review! C. It’s how I feel about Stephen King’s Cujo. D. All of the above. Ding…
Katabasis – Academic Hell
Welcome to hell, beckons R.F. Kuang in Katabasis. It’s basically academia! When I thought back to my agitation at being graded on how well I presented my opinions, I started to agree with Kuang’s ideas. Then, the book dragged on further and further into the depths of hell, and I lost touch with my relationship…
Billy Summers – Seasons Change
The Stephen King bell ringeth once more, this time for Billy Summers. It’s a more grounded tale for King, putting a hitman front and center without any direct supernatural interference. And, by jove, it works quite well! Billy Summers is a former Iraq War sniper who now works as a hitman. But he’s a good…
Quill To Live Crossword 13: Grab Bag
Howdy, folks! Today, I've got a hodgepodge of a puzzle for ya! QTL Crossword: Grab Bag Need More?! For more puzzles, subscribe to my newsletter, The New Dork Times. It's now completely free, with three weekly puzzles.






