TJ West

Film Review: “Samson” (2018)

I went into Samson expecting an absolutely dreadful viewing experience. After all, what more could one expect from…
Reading History: “Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World “(Alison Weir)

Elizabeth of York is one of those fascinating figures of English history. Part of this has…
Reading History: “Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings” (Alison Weir)

By this point, Mary Boleyn has become best-known as the major protagonist of Philippa Gregory’s historical…
Reading The Wheel of Time: “Knife of Dreams” (Book 11)

I know it’s been a while since I posted about this series, so I thought I’d…
Reading History: “Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen” (Alison Weir)

I first discovered the work of the historian Alison Weir when I picked up her Life of…
Film Review: “Phantom Thread” (2017) and the Dark Side of Desire

Some spoilers for the film follow. Apparently, 2017 was in some ways the year of desire,…
World Building (17): On Tysfan

The mightiest city in the world, home to almost a million souls, the great Tysfan has…
Film Review: “Star Wars: Episode VIII–The Last Jedi” and the Aesthetics of Resistance

For me, a new Star Wars film is always a cause for celebration. I would consider myself a…
Film Review: “The Shape of Water” (2017) and Subversive Desire

Spoilers Ahead I’ve been a fan of Guillermo del Toro’s work ever since I saw Pan’s Labyrinth as…
World Building (16): The Xhusts of Haranshar

Haranshar is a vast realm. In terms of size, it’s roughly the size of Asia, though…