Howard Tayler

Search

Skip to content

Blog
Discussion Policy
Bibliography
Projects
Upcoming Events
Contact

Search for:

Contact

Name

Email

Subject

Your comment

Δ

Howard Reviews

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F July 5, 2024
Years ago while trying to explain that a bad remake does not ruin your childhood, I described modern remakes as attempts to make money by “strip-mining nostalgia.” And before I explain the metaphor further, let me clearly state that BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F is a much, much better movie than that. Strip-mining is how […]
SOUL December 27, 2020
I loved Soul. LOVED. IT. The mythos was fun, the music was amazing, and the story had more heart in it—more truth in it—than anything in recent memory. As an added bonus, if you like jazz, this movie has some amazing things to offer. It’s easily worth a Disney+ subscription. Easily. Yes, it has death, […]
Wonder Woman 1984 December 26, 2020
The up-front summary: I enjoyed Wonder Woman 1984 but I was disappointed. I don’t regret signing up for HBOMax¹, because #WW84 was worth the $15 (cheaper and safer than going to the theater) but I really do wish the film had been… y’know… better. The good: there were lots of fun moments in the film, […]
TENET December 19, 2020
TENET is one of those films like THE SIXTH SENSE in which any review of the film must dance around the fact that it’s very, very difficult to say much about it—especially in any sort of critical examination—without spoiling something. So let me just say this before saying anything else: I enjoyed it. I really […]
Let’s review some movies December 19, 2020
It’s been a while, I know. I haven’t been to the theater since February, and I suppose I could describe my spring, summer, and fall to you, but all three of them were mightily 2020’d, so let’s just give that a miss. Will I make it back to a movie theater anytime soon? I doubt […]

The latest Schlock Mercenary

BOOK 19 Kickstarter: 10 Days Left April 8, 2025
Somebody (probably Howard) forgot to post this news. You should have seen it three weeks ago. Whoops! We’re crowdfunding A FUNCTION OF FIREPOWER, and the project closes in just ten days. The cover looks a lot like this: Cover design by Howard Tayler. Cover illustration by Garrett Berner. The bonus story in A FUNCTION OF […]
The Sketching Begins! January 23, 2025
Book 18, Mandatory Failure, has arrived from the printer. I’ve signed about 2500 copies, and we’ve begun queueing those up for sketches. A few stacks of MANDATORY FAILURE awaiting sketches from Howard My stamina is not what it used to be. I’m as fast as ever, but I wear out pretty quickly. Slow and steady, […]

The most recent Writing Excuses

20.27: The Lens of Why July 6, 2025
We are joined by author Mark Oshiro, who primarily writes YA and middle grade books and was a guest teacher aboard our 2024 cruise! (Our 2025 cruise is over 50% sold out! Learn more and sign up here.) We ask the question, “Why did you write this book?” while focusing specifically on theme and meaning. […]
20.26: Gaming as a Writing Metaphor June 29, 2025
What separates the way we experience a game versus the way we experience a prose narrative? Erin Roberts has written for many games, and she loves games particularly because they give the person experiencing the narrative more choice and more direct agency over what happens. This changes the way that we experience story. When you’re […]

Writer, Illustrator, Consumer