Furlough on Mars

I spent last week on unpaid furlough. I wasn't crazy about lack of pay, but I sure enjoyed the time off with my wife and daughter. We went to a local farm & wildlife sanctuary, had a cookout and other fun things. A few home projects were in the mix, too. (Stained some woodwork in our living room, little bit of garage cleanup, fixed a sprinkler head.) The weather was great for the entire week.

I did not read or write nearly as much as I hoped - but I did read. And yes - I wrote!

I am now 2000 words into a story. I'm back on the wagon and shaking off the rust! I'm sure it will need good editing when the rough draft is done, but at least I am writing and have been getting my a.i.c. time. (ass-in-chair [in front of computer])

For reading, I finished Otis Adelbert Kline's The Swordsman of Mars.



It was good, solid sword-n-planet. It hits all the s-&-p notes; body transference, swordplay, a princess & a savage girl, baridium mines & quirky inventions and scary, large creatures that have dog-like loyalty to their heroic masters. Technically I found it more appealing than E R Burroughs Mars tales. But I'll admit ERB certainly populated his setting with more imaginative creatures.

Definitely worth reading if you like sword-n-planet. Paizo has also published the sequel, The Outlaws of Mars, which I have already purchased and will be reading in future.


That's all for now, (few) loyal readers!

Burn Notice: The Fix

Last week I finished reading, Burn Notice: The Fix by Tod Goldberg. Simply put – it’s the best tie-in I’ve read. Granted, I haven’t read tons of tie-ins, but I’ve read more than a handful of Doctor Who books and a few Star Trek books.

The Fix reads just like an episode of the show. Sometimes tie-ins try to go further or tangential to shows, while some provide a story as close to the t.v. experience. I guess there is room for all kinds, but I liked that this novel felt so much like viewing an episode.

The story takes place after the end of Season 1, and the cover dovetails nicely with the DVD cover for Season 1.


They have done the same with Season 2 and the latest novel, The End Game.


I wish I had held off and saved the book for reading between seasons. Season 3 is airing now. I received The End Game in the mail yesterday via Amazon, and I look forward to reading it between seasons as a nice tie-me-over.

I’m glad also that there are only two novels and no one is trying to churn out a monthly series (yet.) It makes for a nice treat that I can keep up with.

I don’t know if it’s worth reading if you’re unfamiliar with the series, but if you are a fan and not a total t.v. junkie (in other words, you read) then I highly recommend giving The Fix a read.