T.K. Wade -- Author

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

The Unhardy Boys in Outer Space [Short Story Review]

[I spoil some of the main points of the story.]

"The Unhardy Boys of Outer Space" is a lengthy short story written by Gary K. Wolf and Archbishop John J. Myers. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released, but it references things from the late 90's and early 2000s.)

The story follows two men living in a futuristic space station. Michael is a science fiction writer and his best friend is Father Jack who is a priest. They are both extreme fans of science fiction. Father Jack assists Michael with with ideas as well as writing and editing. The fun of the story stems from the fact that science fiction is being written from outer space. You can imagine how well those books might sell.

This story is a heart-warming tale of two friends that share something in common. A good portion of the story is slice-of-life, where they are simply dealing with their life working on a space station. They continually make scifi and movie references to each other. I recognized most of them, but I feel like a lot of people today might not catch them. This story is a product of its time.

The point of all of those references is just seeing these two dorks get along with each other. It's nice and surprisingly relaxing to read. I say this with a little bit of irritation. I tend to really dislike references made in stories, but I am not sure this one would have worked otherwise. Like I said: it is a product of its time. This story may not be relevant in another decade.

Even though the bulk of the story just deals with these two nerds enjoying each other's company, it does actually get serious towards the third act. One of the younger employees at the station likes to bully them, and his life ends up being in danger when he gets separated from the station in the vacuum of space. These two guys put all their hatred aside to go rescue him, and this turns out to be one of the most intense scenes I have ever read in literature. This was mainly because these two knew near to nothing about space walks. It was a good read, and I enjoyed its conclusion.

Despite the fact that the story has unfortunately dated itself by using so many scifi references, I still recommend this story for its very friendly and relaxing nature. Although it does have some exciting space adventure mixed into it, the core of it is a story about two inseparable friends.

I would also like to say that this story reminds me of stuff my friend Donald White has written. I kept thinking of him while I read this. He used to write stories that tossed constant references into it in a similar way that this story did. I bet he would probably enjoy this one too.

This blog was written on June 4, 2026.

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Monday, June 15, 2026

Backrooms [Movie Review]

"Backrooms" is a movie that was released in 2026. A week ago, in fact. It is the continuation of a freaky horror series that has been running on YouTube for many years. It was directed by the series' creator Kane Parsons.

When I heard he was making a movie for "Backrooms," I suddenly had a good feeling about it. I was a little sad to not have any new content on YouTube for a while, but I felt like it would all pay off eventually.

It did.

"Backrooms" is absolute peak horror as well as an all-around great motion picture experience. It does the very concept of film making some serious well-needed justice in an era that is just full of boiler plate crap.

Now, I don't want to spoil this movie. It's still out! I want to stick only to the bare summary rather than just spoiling everything about it. I may do that later, but this is not the time for that.

"Backrooms" is about a struggling furniture salesman named Clark who stumbles into a section of wall inside the basement of his store that he can simply walk through. On the other side, he finds a strange and surreal place that almost looks normal but really isn't at all. This area is the creepy place we all know as the Backrooms.

That's really all I feel comfortable telling you of the plot. I do want to say that the lead actor, Chiwetel Ejiofor [How the heck do you pronounce that name?!], did some of the best acting for the part of Clark I have seen in a long time. In fact, the entire cast did a fantastic job. I could just about believe these were all real people trying to deal with a place that should be impossible. I don't really have any complaints about this film. It has ended up becoming my favorite horror film of all time.

Naturally, I want to recommend this film, but a question still lingers in my mind: Who is this film for? Well, horror fans naturally. I also might ask if you happen to be a fan of Silent Hill. You may actually like this for similar reasons. "Backrooms" does something similar to Silent Hill, only the lights stay on. Nothing gets disgusting or grungy... they just get very strange and confusing. You have to see it to understand.

Either way, I recommend the film, and I definitely want more in coming years! Once some time goes by, I'll do a bigger breakdown about the finer points of the film, fully spoiling it. I just would rather people go see it right now.

This blog was written on June 3, 2026.

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Wednesday, June 10, 2026

The Moviegoer [Book Review]

"The Moviegoer" is a novel by Walker Percy. It was published in 1960.

I read this on a whim. I was looking through the classics section of the bookstore and just stumbled onto this. I do this sometimes. I had never heard of it or anything. I just picked it up and decided I'd read it, and so I did.

The story followed Binx Bolling, a well-to-do man who is a part of an upper-class family living in New Orleans. He loves going to the movies, but much of the book is him being extremely introspective while also being observant about how reality differs from how the movies present it. This is apparently how the author is as well. It was mentioned in the "About the Author" section. So Binx seems to be some sort of representation of the author in a fictional situation.

The book reads something like a mid-life crisis in progress... handled in a fairly mature manner. Binx is trying to figure out what is real and what is worth doing with the remainder of his life. This often involves trying to spark up sexual relationships with whatever secretary is working for him at the time. There is also a woman being taken care of by the family named Kate that has some major psychological problems. Binx is very attracted to her for different reasons. (Her problems have more to do with her fiancé being killed in an accident. The shock messed her up.)

The author will take you through nearly every aspect of his life in more detail than you probably want to deal with. I have to admit that much of it just about put me to sleep. He was really trying to paint a picture, but I was generally more interested in where the story was going. I can't really fault him for doing this. I think I just prefer things differently in my books.

I was somewhat interested in how a guy like this views religion, since much of his family were religious. He was mostly indifferent to it. It was just something he was uninterested in it, and I have to say that it might have fixed a number of problems for him a bit quicker. Either way, there did not seem to be much hate for it in this book, which is good. The author behaved himself.

I think my main beef with the book is that it barely had anything to do with going to the movies. I mean... it's there. It's very clear he likes the movies, but I kept forgetting it because of the wide gulfs between the redundancies. He would mention a movie or a celebrity, and I would suddenly think, "Oh, right! He likes movies! He's a moviegoer!"

Don't get me wrong. It is the main theme of the book. He just barely brought it up.

I won't be spoiling this one. You get the basic idea. Binx is a man who is trying to figure reality out. That's all. That's the book. It really was not for me. Does that sort of thing interest you? If so, I recommend it. If not, read something else. It just is what it is, and to be fair, it was written well enough for what it is.

This blog was written on May 26, 2026.

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Monday, June 8, 2026

Stay Tooned, Folks! [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the main points of this story.]

"Stay Tooned, Folks!" is a short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

Holy crap! What even was this?!

It took me a little time to figure out what was even going on. Sometimes Gary's stories can just drop you right into a situation, and it's all hands on deck! You have to figure out where you are real fast and then deal with whatever consequences he has forced upon you. It took me several sessions of reading this before I realized the fascinating horror, if you can call it a horror, that was this story.

Indeed, it may not be a horror. It may just be weird.

The story takes place in the same universe as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?". As far as I can tell, there is a very serious human actor named Tadbitty who has a show that is floundering. The director of the show begins inviting toons into the studio in order to change the show's format into more of a goofy comedy affair. The problem is that Tadbitty doesn't really fit into the theme of the new show and is set to be fired/canceled... or... something.

Actually, I had to double take when I got to this part. It appeared, and I am not joking here, that Tadbitty was expected to commit suicide if he ever got canceled. I don't know if this was arranged as a part of his contract or something, but the director literally hands him a gun and tells him to do the deed over a trashcan so as not make a mess. What the actual hell?!

Tadbitty is thankfully offered an alternative to killing himself. He is told that he can be a part of the new show's format if he goes to a place called "Toon You," which converts humans into toons... at least partially. In order to save his own life/career, Tadbitty agrees to do this.

The plan works... but at what cost? Tadbitty's dry and dull personality suddenly shifts into something more psychotic. He is more like a clown now, and even had a very large red nose. He revels in cartoon violence and even enjoys hurting other toons for his own amusement. Roger Rabbit even encourages his behavior, calling it all fun!

Imagine going through a process that turns you into a mad toon to the point where your entire personality changes. I am not sure if this story is intended as a horror, but it sure sometimes felt like one. I was really shocked by it, but I suppose it was no less disturbing than some of the scenes found in the movie. Remember Judge Doom? Yeah? You know what I'm talking about!

Yeah, I actually do recommend this story, but I feel like it's going to strike different people in different ways. For me, it sent shivers down my spine. I cannot even imagine what it would have been like for Tadbitty. And I still cannot believe the forced suicidal implications. What even was that?

This blog was written on May 21, 2026.

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Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Here's Lookin' at You, Babs! [Short Story Review]

"Here's Lookin' at You, Babs!" is a short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

This was a treat. Plain and simple, this whole story is Barbera Walters interviewing Roger Rabbit. It is done how most celebrity interviews are conducted, starting off with a complete introduction of the arrival and meeting. This is then followed by a transcript of the actual interview. The whole thing is witty as hell. Even the parts before Roger shows up is comically written.

If you are a fan of Roger Rabbit in any capacity, then this is a great little gem. It really reminds you what made that character so endearing. He is entirely a toon and is fully knowledgeable about what being a toon is all about. Being he is one of the sillier ones, he does a good job at giving his opinion in his own goofy way. I totally recommend this one.

The story is brief, so I want to keep the review brief as well. I will, however, leave you with my two favorite parts of the whole interview:

Barbera Walters: How old are you?

Roger Rabbit: That's one of two questions you never ask a Toon.

Barbera Walters: What's the other one?

Roger Rabbit: What's the other one.

-----

Barbera Walters: How do you feel about sex in the cinema?

Roger Rabbit: Personally, I prefer popcorn.

This blog was written on May 13, 2026.

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Monday, June 1, 2026

A River Runs Through Toontown [Short Story Review]

"A River Runs Through Toontown" is a short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

Fun fact! Gary K. Wolf is the sole creator of the characters Roger Rabbit and Jessica Rabbit. He wrote the book that the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" was (extremely loosely) based on. As it turns out, the guy also did a lot of weird scifi stories as well, which is why I looked into his stuff. I was wondering when the concept of Toontown was going to show up in his short stories.

The problem with this story, however, is that it is not super great. It barely has any plot at all. It is about a four-minute read. It sounds like it is taking place on a movie set inside of Toontown, populated by a flurry of famous and ancient men. I'm not quite sure why these men are in the story, but they are. None of them are toons.

Roger and Jessica float down a nearby river and just randomly show up. When they talk, they do it silently through talk bubbles, which is how it was handled in the first book. You had to read everything that toons said. Past this, there is not a whole lot to say about this story. It is over almost as quick as it starts.

Still, this is the very first Roger Rabbit short story, and it is sooooo short that it makes recommending it rather easy. There is not much of a commitment issue here. Just read it and form your own opinion. And besides, how can you go wrong with anything involving Jessica Rabbit?

This blog was written on May 11, 2026.

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Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Doctor Rivet and Supercon Sal [Short Story Review]

"Doctor Rivet and Supercon Sal" is a lengthy short science fiction story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

This story is very silly! It involves a con artist who has sex with robots and a women who runs a fake cult who are both taken advantage of by a corrupt drug-runner in outer space. They are basically picked up and pitted against each other... until they realize what is happening. They team up and attempt to get revenge on the drug-runner.

It gets way more complicated than that. In fact, I often had a little trouble trying to keep track of exactly what was happening. This story has a whole lot of things all happening in one fairly brief story. You got some espionage, some breakneck gun battles, and some extremely close calls. All the while, the characters--all the characters--never lose their calm demeanors.

There is even a walking, talking robotic kitchenette that acts as a double spy in the story. By that point, my head was spinning. A kitchenette?! The robotic personification of a place where you cook food?!

Obviously, a lot of this is tongue-in-cheek. It's a comedy. I mean... the male lead likes to hump robots for crying out loud. Not even humanoid ones. Yes, it's that bad.

I actually enjoyed reading this story! I recommend it too. It's just a silly fun read that will kill a couple of hours. Sometimes scifi doesn't have to be serious all of the time.

This blog was written on May 9, 2026.

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