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Most readers who enjoy the fantasy genre started consuming speculative fiction in childhood, and it's because of the books read during this period that they maintain a love for these stories. It's likely that the best fantasy books young readers pick up in their youth will hold up well in adulthood because they have universal themes and complex narratives that remain relevant no matter the audience's age. Tales of magic, adventure, and mystery never get old because they all reflect on the real world and communicate messages about how to leave the world better than you found it.

Many of these are part of the best fantasy book series for beginners and can be enjoyed by all readers interested in getting into fantasy. Most, if not all, of these novels have received screen adaptations because of how vividly the stories are and how universally beloved they are. One of the...

New month, new horror recommendations from Deep Cuts Rising. This installment features one random pick as well as four selections reflecting the month of May 2024.

Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.

This month’s offerings include a self-loathing serial killer, a violinist’s murderous ghost, and a postmodern vamp flick.

Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973)

Pictured: Ted Bessell and Sian Barbara Allen in Scream, Pretty Peggy.

Directed by Gordon Hessler.

The TV-movie Scream, Pretty Peggy first aired as part of ABC Movie of the Week. Bette Davis plays the mother of a reclusive sculptor (Ted Bessell), and after the previous housekeeper goes missing, a local college student (Sian Barbara Allen) fills the position. Little does she know, though, the young employee’s predecessor was murdered — and the killer is still on the loose.

Admittedly,...

Actor Scott Bairstow has been sentenced to four months in jail for an attack against a 12-year-old girl. The former Party Of Five star was originally charged with second-degree child rape but entered a modified guilty plea last month to a reduced charge of second-degree assault. Bairstow, who has been in the Snohomish County Jail in Everett, Washington, since December 5, could be freed in 37 days with credit for time served and good behavior. The actor was also ordered to undergo a sexual deviancy evaluation and 12 months of supervision after his release.

Former Party Of Five star Scott Bairstow, accused of raping a 12-year- old girl, has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second degree assault. In the modified guilty plea entered on Friday, Bairstow, 33, maintained he was innocent but conceded he would likely be convicted if the case went to trial. Bairstow is scheduled to be sentenced on January 16. The charge carries a standard sentencing range of three to nine months, says Bairstow's lawyer Mark Mestel. Bairstow was originally charged in May for the alleged incident. The accuser is a relative of Bairstow's wife. Mestel says he spoke with prosecutors on Thursday after the girl refused to be interviewed. Prosecutors said the girl told authorities she had sex with Bairstow in Snohomish County in 1998, when she was 12, and three more times outside Washington state, most recently in 2001.

Eric Mabius has been added to the cast of Showtime's upcoming drama series The L Word (formerly Earthlings). Mabius joins Mia Kirshner, Jennifer Beals, Laurel Holloman and Pam Grier on the show about the lives and loves of a group of West Hollywood women, most of them lesbians. He is replacing Scott Bairstow in the series, set to premiere in January. The L Word centers on a gifted young writer (Kirshner), who moves from Chicago to Los Angeles to live with her boyfriend (Mabius). Getting to know their next-door neighbors, a gay couple (Beals, Holloman), and their friends, the writer starts to question her sexuality. Mabius' credits include the feature Resident Evil and its upcoming sequel. He will next be seen in the indie The Job, recently picked up by Lions Gate Entertainment, opposite William Forsythe, Brad Renfro and Daryl Hannah. Mabius is repped by Innovative Artists, Geordie Frey at his GEF Entertainment and attorney Karl Austen.

A nicely executed throwback to traditional family adventure films, with enough action and teen sex appeal to win over a respectable modern audience, "Wild America" has likeable animals and young heartthrobs to spare in a kind of "My Three Sons"-meets-"Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom".

Directed by William Dear ("Angels in the Outfield"), the Warner Bros. wide release stars the dynamic trio of Jonathan Taylor Thomas ("The Adventures of Pinocchio", TV's "Home Improvement"), Devon Sawa ("Casper") and Scott Bairstow ("White Fang 2") as real-life brothers who spend a summer traveling around the country with a 16mm camera.

Budding naturalists in search of endangered species, a legendary cave filled with sleeping bears and an escape from unadventuresome lives in Fort Smith, Ark., the three Stouffer boys -- Marshall Thomas), Mark (Sawa) and Marty (Bairstow) -- are decent but full of mischief. The leader of the group, narratively speaking, is the youngest shutterbug Marshall, who is often the subject of filmed stunts and other pranks by his competitive older bros.

With an amiable voice-over, the episodic scenario penned by playwright David Michael Wieger in his feature debut stays true to the mid-1960s rural south milieu. Barely touching on the political and cultural turmoil of the times, there is little romance, no references to "Star Trek" and no sporting activities except leader Mark and rebel Marty's inventive ways of putting daredevil Marshall in harm's way.

Their parents are sturdy salt-of-the-earth types, with Marty Sr. (Jamie Sheridan) running a carburetor shop and promising would-be flyer Marshall that one day he'll restore a World War II training plane. Dad, of course, wants his oldest to take over the family business someday, but when the trio of amateur filmmakers is given a professional camera they embark on a mission worthy of the ensemble war movies of the era.

Along with the predictable generational friction caused by pursuing a risky dream come such conventional maneuvers as Marshall stowing away and then winning approval from all concerned for the central road journey the brothers take to national parks and relatively far-flung locales. Encounters with gators, moose, snakes, bears, wild horses and a pair of English hippie girls await them.

Including Frances Fisher as the boys' protective but supportive mom, the performances are sturdy throughout, with the headliners achieving a winning chemistry.

A fun running gambit has Thomas' character devising ways to secretly get back at his brothers with befouled toothbrushes and canteens.

Even with co-producer Mark Stouffer on board, the film has a few unbelievable moments, but it's an entertaining and amiably paced tall tale. Evocatively filmed in wide-screen by David Burr ("The Phantom"), the production overall is first-rate. A special merit badge to animal trainer Senia Phillips for the many splendid scenes with tame and threatening creatures.

WILD AMERICA

Warner Bros.

James G. Robinson presents

a Morgan Creek production

in association with the Steve Tisch Company

A William Dear film

Director William Dear

Prodcuers James G. Robinson, Irby Smith,

Mark Stouffer

Writer David Michael Wieger

Executive producers Gary Barber, Steve Tisch,

Bill Todman Jr.

Director of photography David Burr

Production designer Steven Jordan

Editor O. Nicholas Brown

Music Joel McNeely

Costume designer Mary McLeod

Casting Pam Dixon Mickelson

Color/stereo

Cast:

Marshall Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Mark Devon Sawa

Marty Scott Bairstow

Agnes Frances Fisher

Marty Sr. Jamie Sheridan

Running time -- 107 minutes

MPAA rating: PG...