Walking Into Fire

In This Issue: Truth Seekers, Seven Kingdoms, a Sci-Fi Spy, and a Supernatural Masterpiece

An old ghost drifted out of my past the other day. At the time, I was wearing my “hat” as a journalist, and a source was giving me some info for a news article. As the contact told me about his storied career, I couldn’t help asking, “Did you know Jack Loftus?”

“Jack Loftus! Of course. He’s a legend,” he said.

Yes indeed, Jack certainly is. When I was just starting my career as a journalist, he hired me at Variety newspaper, the showbiz bible. The New York bureau bustled with a motley assortment of curmudgeons, swaggering young reporters, and everything in between—people whose knowledge of music and Broadway and TV and film was massive.

They were all men. Except for me. And because so many of them were colorful—and my head was always split between creative writing and news—I immediately thought of them in literary terms, as Dickensian.

The center of my work universe was Jack, the television editor. I can still hear his defiant laugh and southern drawl remarks when he talked on the phone with irate people. They unleashed threats and absolute fury because Jack (or one of his reporters) had the audacity to write something that nobody was supposed to know—something people needed to know. It was one of the most crucial things he ever taught me: not to back away from the truth, no matter who it pisses off. Although you certainly need to shield the innocent.

It’s become harder and harder for journalists to find the courage to do that. Case in point: just a few days ago, Don Lemon and three other correspondents were arrested for reporting on a protest at a church in Minneapolis. Last year 329 journalists were imprisoned around the world. And while we’re just a month into 2026, so far three reporters have been killed while on the job, and 86 are missing. That’s according to data from the Committee to Protect Journalists.

I’m not like them, and neither was Jack when he was alive. Rather than working on a dangerous front line, we were focused on stories about behind-the-scenes people within media companies and what TV journalists experienced. I have boundless admiration for the reporters who walk into the proverbial fire day in and day out—all in the name of bringing us the truth.

That’s why journalism plays a part in my sci-fi novels: the powerful forces shaping it and the courageous people bringing us the news. Because if we don’t have truthtellers—whether they’re people like Jack or

those involved in more dangerous work—how good is the quality of our lives, anyway?

Now, on to some thoughts on lighter topics: what entertainment I’ve been reading and watching lately. Hope some of it might be good recommends for you!

An Oddball Duo Sets Seven Kingdoms Apart

George R.R. Martin’s latest series doesn’t just copy and paste the Game of Thrones playbook

Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell as Dunk and Egg -- Photograph by Steffan Hill/HBO

Call me crazy, but when the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, came along in 2022, I couldn’t get past the first episode. Some of the main characters seemed too derivative of the ruthless, cunning, mad, valiant assortment in the original series.

Now we have a horse of a much different color on HBO: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. And it had me right at the get-go. Instead of an epic tale with multiple clashing factions, the storyline takes a much different approach. It’s smaller in scope and laced with quirky touches of humor as it chronicles the adventures of an oddball duo.

Seven Kingdoms is based on George R.R. Martin’s novellas, Dunk and Egg, and takes place about a century before Game of Thrones, when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne. The knight mentioned in the novella’s title is Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall. He’s played in the series by former Irish rugby player Peter Claffey, who is indeed a tall glass of water at 6’5”. Dunk sets out on a journey to make a name for himself as a knight. But he’s met with derision if not outright suspicion by everyone save a bald-headed pipsqueak named Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).

My only disappointment with Knight is that the first season is a mere six episodes long, and each clocks in at less than 45 minutes. On the bright side, a second season is in the works and scheduled for release next year.

Peering Through a Spy’s Eyes

The Copenhagen Test thriller is complex, but worth it

Simu Liu as the hacked spy Alexander and Melissa Barrera as fellow spy Michelle -- Photo by: Peacock

Like a spy blending into the background of a dark street corner, The Copenhagen Test doesn’t announce its sci-fi nature right from the outset. Espionage thriller? Sure. Got that. But the scenery and costumes, including a main setting inside an American espionage unit, seem very present day in this Peacock series. It reminded me of The Agency on Paramount+. However, that changes fairly quickly.

The main character, Alexander Hale (played by Simon Liu), is an analyst within the intelligence operation, known as the Orphanage. And he’s also a first generation Chinese American. When he is promoted into field work, Hale becomes aware that his brain has been infiltrated by spyware that allows an unknown enemy to see and hear everything he’s experiencing. Hale and the powers that be at the Orphanage try to unmask the culprits by showing them false information through Hale’s eyes and ears, as if Hale has no idea he’s “aiding” the enemy.

On the face of it, that’s a fairly compelling way of approaching a thriller—especially because it’s laced with themes related to birthright citizenship and racism. However, the plot is complicated, and it requires an extra amount of patience to unravel what’s going on. That didn’t stop me from watching all eight episodes. If it gets renewed for season 2 (no word on that yet), I will definitely be among those giving it another go.

Have you watched it yet? Please drop me a line and tell me what you think.

Why I Couldn’t Get My Act Together Sooner

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern has been enchanting me

Background Image by Will Tippett on Unsplash

I missed my personal goal of getting this newsletter out around the middle of January. One big reason why I didn’t was Erin Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea. I wanted to tell you about it, and I couldn’t do that until I’d read it twice in a row. This excerpt is one of my favorite passages from the supernatural fantasy tale about a underground maze filled with books. In it, Zachary is on an adventure in New York with a being that is to become a very good (but mysterious) friend. This is when they’re just getting to know each other.

Morgenstern writes her novels over the course of many years, and I think that this passage shows what care she takes--and what magical places her mind goes--as she explores the world of her stories and the characters within them. If you’d like to read more about Starless Sea and her first book, Night Circus, here’s a longer piece I wrote a few weeks ago:

Also on My Radar

‘Starfleet Academy’ Is a Joyous Entry Into ‘Star Trek’s’ Iconic Legacy: TV Review—Variety

‘The Bride’ Official Trailer—Warner Bros.

The Lego Pokémon Line Shows Toys Are Only for Rich Adults Now—Wired