Claws and Saucers, by David Elroy Goldweber
Book Review by Michael D. Griffiths
Have you read this book?
Claws and Saucers, by David Elroy Goldweber is a colossal book that
would block a bullet or perhaps even damage one of the hundreds of
monsters and creatures this impressive collection of reviews holds.
Goldweber sets out to go over the top and give a review for every
Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy movie ever made between 1902-1982.
This encyclopedic volume is an impressive undertaking and certainly
succeeds in what it sets out to do.
Each movie has a two or three paragraph summary and these are organized alphabetically. Movie length and year of production are labeled. Other things are listened like, What's Happening, Famous For. I very much enjoyed the 1-10 ranking system for the following categories: Action, Gore, Sex, Quality, Camp. I think these would be very helpful if I was trying to research a movie I have not seen, and these days it is not too hard to find older movies for free on the web. This could cut down on lost time, or perhaps more importantly give me a heads up in regards to something I might have missed. Don't Miss, is another fun little highlight that he includes for each movie. Lastly we have Notable Metaphors which are the funniest or most important quote from the film.
I have been watching all of these types of movies from the early seventies on and I own half a thousand Speculative Fiction films personally. Despite this, there are literally titles on every page that I have not heard of. Certainly could be a useful tool if I wanted to hop online instead of watching Phantasm for the fiftieth time.
As far as drawback go, these could include that it stops at 1982. I understand Goldweber had to draw a line somewhere and these are considered more of the classic genre. Still it would have been pretty exciting to have a collection like this that was closer to everything ever put out within these fields. Yet it would have been so huge then that you might need a friend to help you lift it. Another issue is that Goldweber seems to fall more heavily on the praising side of the fence and might be a little less critical that some would like. This does not bother me, however. He is passionate about these movies and finds the best that each has to offer. It might have been nice to have pictures too, but hey, you cannot expect everything.
This book does what Goldweber wanted it to do. I am going to award it 4.5 stars for besides the lack of pictures I do not see how this could be done much better.
Each movie has a two or three paragraph summary and these are organized alphabetically. Movie length and year of production are labeled. Other things are listened like, What's Happening, Famous For. I very much enjoyed the 1-10 ranking system for the following categories: Action, Gore, Sex, Quality, Camp. I think these would be very helpful if I was trying to research a movie I have not seen, and these days it is not too hard to find older movies for free on the web. This could cut down on lost time, or perhaps more importantly give me a heads up in regards to something I might have missed. Don't Miss, is another fun little highlight that he includes for each movie. Lastly we have Notable Metaphors which are the funniest or most important quote from the film.
I have been watching all of these types of movies from the early seventies on and I own half a thousand Speculative Fiction films personally. Despite this, there are literally titles on every page that I have not heard of. Certainly could be a useful tool if I wanted to hop online instead of watching Phantasm for the fiftieth time.
As far as drawback go, these could include that it stops at 1982. I understand Goldweber had to draw a line somewhere and these are considered more of the classic genre. Still it would have been pretty exciting to have a collection like this that was closer to everything ever put out within these fields. Yet it would have been so huge then that you might need a friend to help you lift it. Another issue is that Goldweber seems to fall more heavily on the praising side of the fence and might be a little less critical that some would like. This does not bother me, however. He is passionate about these movies and finds the best that each has to offer. It might have been nice to have pictures too, but hey, you cannot expect everything.
This book does what Goldweber wanted it to do. I am going to award it 4.5 stars for besides the lack of pictures I do not see how this could be done much better.
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