Paul's Scribblings

A little book shopping

2012-01-22T21:00:00.002-05:00

I spent the week waiting on an Amazon book order to finish its tour of the East Coast. No biggie, really, but the package passed by the town next door and went on the Maine on a shipping error, and came back through NJ before finally reaching me. I received Glen Cook's final novel of the Dread Empire - recently rewritten after being lost/stolen - now out in hardback, A Path to Coldness of Heart.

I also threw in To The Stars - and Beyond (The Second Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories), mainly because Charles Gramlich has a tale in it, and I loved the cover.

Today the wife gave me a hall pass and I went shopping. In addition to shoes, music and comics, I picked up some books, too. Arturo Perez-Reverte's latest (perhaps last) tale of Captain Alatriste, Pirates of the Levant. The Ramsey Campbell novelization of the Solomon Kane movie (which I still haven't seen!) Finally, I bought the Baen anthology, Mountain Magic. I have Drake's Old Nathan collection (included,) but the book includes a set of Henry Kuttner tales, too. I would have gone the e'route on that one, sometime, but for this little tidbit on the Baen E'books site;

AN APOLOGY

Unfortunately the Kuttner estate does not allow publication of electronic versions of his works. So we had to remove all of the Kuttner stories from the WebScriptions version. In their place we've added Manly Wade Wellman's John the Balladeer stories. Certainly they fit the books theme of Mountain Magic.

I guess that isn't a total surprise. I noted Saberhagen's estate seem to be handling his e'books, outside of any given publisher. Also, not surprising some Silver John tales were substituted, as I think Drake is in charge of the Wellman publishing estate, so it wouldn't be a tough sell.

(I've run into something similar with some of my vinyl blues LPs having different content on CD - not just augmented, but different...)

Recently read: Southern Gods

2012-01-17T15:45:00.000-05:00

From the NightShade blurb page;

"Recent World War II veteran Bull Ingram is working as muscle when a Memphis DJ hires him to find Ramblin' John Hastur. The mysterious blues man's dark, driving music--broadcast at ever-shifting frequencies by a phantom radio station--is said to make living men insane and dead men rise.

Disturbed and enraged by the bootleg recording the DJ plays for him, Ingram follows Hastur's trail into the strange, uncivilized backwoods of Arkansas..."

With a hook like that, I had to read this one. I am a blues fan, a deep blues fan, and combining the ol' "bluesman sold his soul to the Devil" with Cthulhuian touches put this novel at the top of my to-be-read list for this year.

The story is not only about Bull Ingram, but also Sarah (Rheinhart) Williams. Jacobs craftily puts down two separate sub-plots until they meet and entwine at the climax, just as they should. Bull is on the hunt for a missing man, but also decides something needs to be done about Hastur. Meanwhile, Sarah - with child in tow, fleeing an abusive husband - returns to her old Southern homestead to re-establish relationships with her mother and a childhood friend. But, despite her newfound happiness there is a growing darkness around the Rheinhart plantation.

There are some great scenes along the way. The first time Bull hears a recording of Hastur, the rage and murderous impulses. Finding a dead DJ with a Hastur record still spinning on the turntable. The live performance of Hastur that drives an entire crowd mad and murderous, turning a dive bar into a horrific orgy of death and carnage.

While the plot does lock step like lego blocks, Jacobs needed to fight against suspension of disbelief. Every story has coincidences, of course, to get the actions and characters where they are needed for the plot. It takes a deft hand to keep the coincidence subtle. When everything comes together, it seems almost too perfect - with the inclusion of an expositor priest who has a full knowledge of occult books.

Jacobs might have sensed this, as he explains the coincidences as cosmic. Dark forces are gathering. So, conversely, forces of light are arranging incidents to place the main players together when and where needed. I am still not sure if that entirely worked - it felt a little heavy-handed.

I wanted to be more excited about this novel when I was finished. I guess I came in with a combination of high expectations and my own expectations. Personally, as interested in the blues as I am, I thought the music would really play a heavier role. The music angle really fell out after the climax.

I think that was the crux; the climax really delineates the novel into two halves - and they don't feel balanced. I was happy to read a somewhat shorter novel than a lot out there now, but the first half felt like it needed a longer second half to conclude the story. The first half was great at establishing characters, setting, mood. The second half, naturally pushes into action and mounting horror - yet for all the tension building, things went by quickly and felt a bit flat.

A warning on the gore factor. This story has elements of Cthulhu mythos, but don't expect any Lovercraftian skirting of the gory details. There are some very visceral descriptions - gore, blood, and some disturbing scenes, especially at the crescendo. I don't hold this against Jacobs - this is a horror novel, after all. Just giving warning.

In the end, despite the unbalanced feel, this is a solid horror novel and a strong first novel for a new writer. I would recommend it if you want horror with a different flair.

The Masterworks

2012-01-09T19:00:00.000-05:00

I'd been searching for a comprehensive list of all the titles that fall into these series. The lists on Wikipedia are fine, but I was wondering about the covers. (Fantasy, SciFi)

Someone has already done the footwork. Here are the Fantasy Masterworks and the SciFi Masterworks.
(though, they seem to be missing the hardcover-only SF editions, such as A Canticle for Leibowitz)

These are British editions. I don't plan on collecting them all, that book monkey on my back is already the size of a Mighty Joe Young, but I have some of these and would like to cherry-pick some more.

With the ISBN numbers, I was able to find a bookdealer on AbeBooks who got me these books even cheaper than ordering (and shipping) from Amazon.co.uk, so I might try that again. Need to be sure though, with the ISBN, so I don't end up with a different imprint.

Zombies of Antiquity

2012-01-05T14:09:00.001-05:00

I guess most of you who check-in here also follow historical author, Scott Oden. But if anyone missed it, he's thinking about pulling together an anthology of zombie tales with ancient historical settings.

Personally, I'm not huge on the zombie thing, but much to my surprise, I had an idea come to me quickly. So, I'll be drafting up a tale.

Scott has plenty of Romans, apparently, so if you want to find some other niche in the given date range, I'm sure he'd be interested.

Details here.

2012, here we are

2012-01-03T21:32:00.001-05:00

I squeezed in a read of Strange Worlds before 2011 ended. That was a great way to end the year. Yes, we authors didn't get to preview each others' tales until the book was out.

I'll refrain from a review because I'm one of the writers, but Charles Gramlich has a good review with thumbnail sketches of the tales. (and, a copy of the book to give away!)

I will say that I believe we're in good company and if you want to read a great and varied anthology of new sword-&-planet tales with great illustrations, please check it out. I really dug the variety of the stories. There are echoes and homages to the past with plenty of original things going on, too.

I started reading Southern Gods by John Hornor Jacobs (from Nightshade Books) and it is a doozy of a start.

Riffing off The King in Yellow, Jacobs has recreated the South of 1951, but instead of a book that drives men crazy, it is a song - well, a group of songs, by a certain Ramblin' John Hastur, and a phantom pirate radio station that plays the records. That name should tell you enough. It's cosmic Lovecraftian horror meets the deep blues, working in the whole "bluesman who dealt with the devil" motif. It's great so far.

New Year's resolutions of exercising and writing were thrown a bit off track by a New Year's bout with a stomach bug that went through me and then my wife. So far the kids seem okay which is a relief.

I have a couple of short tales I really want finished and out of my head this year, and sure would like a successful full draft of a novel. Modest goals for some, big goals for others - I hope I find the happy medium.

On a complete side note, I write this as I listen to the Black Crowes on iTunes. If anyone reading doesn't mind doing digital music, Amazon are selling a bunch of MP3 albums right now. There are 1000 titles at $5.00 as a Kindle Fire promotion and there is a huge number of albums that have dropped to $4.99 also. I discovered the price drops a few days before Christmas while perusing my wishlists. The sale(s) are still on. I don't know what the deal with $4.99 is, or how long it will last.

Unlike Amazon's draconian approach to e-books, their MP3s are free rights and can be played anywhere - they are just MP3s. Some might laugh and say "why pay?" but also having been a musician, I avoid pirated music - at least, official releases - I'm not above scrounging up bootlegs. ;)

The discounted albums are all over the board - blues, classic rock, folk. You should check it out, if you have any interest.

edit: 4-Jan-2012; a bunch of the $4.99 albums are returning to their usual prices today. It's like playing whack-a-mole with my wishlists!

2012 - some nice, but pricey, books coming

2011-12-27T19:00:00.000-05:00

Thunder in the Void

The Complete John Thunstone

Where the Summer Ends

Walk on the Wild Side

These are titles I definitely want in print, even if there are eVersions (I don't think there will be.)

I have the two paperback TOR Wagner horror collections, but they are far from good shape.

I don't know how many of Wellman's Thunstone tales I have read. One title rings a bell from an anthology.

I enjoy what I have read from Kuttner, and I need to read more from him. I know he was an influence on Wagner. Kuttner had a gritty, real edge that crept in even when it wasn't supposed to. I really want to read what he did in the space opera vein.

Recently read

2011-12-22T12:30:00.000-05:00

Savage Red Sonja: Queen of the Frozen Wastes

Other than the curves and red hair, I haven't really gotten into Red Sonja. She looks great, but I can't think of a single story that really stands out in my head from what I have read. (granted, I haven't read too much.) This one was in the bargain bin at the local music/comic store, so I grabbed it for yucks.

Not sure about the "Savage" part of the title. The Conan Dark Horse series thankfully has a detailed Wikipedia page on the various imprints, but from what I could find, Red Sonja's Dynamite run doesn't have as concise a page listing.

Sonja has hired herself out as a scout amongst warring faction in the Gunderland mountains. After the battle is concluded, the survivors are beset by beast men who overpower them (and Sonja) and bring them into the underground lair of the Queen of the Frozen Wastes. The Queen rules over neanderthal men, yeti and human slaves, and enjoys watching arena battles and partaking of flesh.

The Queen is some amorphous god who evolves as her followers evolve. She started out with a Neanderthal/Yeti appearance. Now that her followers include men, she has a more human form. That idea for a monster/villain wasn't too bad. But then it felt like the plot created her powers ad hoc as the story rolled along. She can absorb her followers wounds and heal them, unless there has been a killing blow. Also, her evolutionary history varies. First it was the form of her followers, then it was what/who she ate - or bored her fingers into the brains - or, she wouldn't need to kill them if she could "love" them and they would love her.

The latter, basically, is an excuse for a Carmilla-like near-naked Queen to make lesbian overtones toward the chainmail bikini-clad Sonja.

Well, it worked for Hammer horror movies, so power to Dynamite for tapping that 13 yr old horny boy demographic.

Seriously. There might not be quite so much snickering about Red Sonja's appearance if there were some stronger stories behind her.

Maybe my inner dirty old man is just becoming an old man, but the chainmail bikini - which usually doesn't bother me at all - really seemed silly in this story. Sonja is in "the Frozen Wastes". Does anyone really expect her to be wearing nothing but a bikini and a useless cloak that billows wide open in the wind?

I seem to remember when Red Sonja first appeared in the Marvel Conan adaptation of "Shadow of the Vulture", they at least stuck to a chainmail shirt and hot pants. Would it kill 'em to try to make her sexy without going for the near naked route every single time?

Gratuitous covers are fine - Dynamite live on that (just see their Dejah Thoris spin off) but her garments and accouterments in the story should have some logical application to the story.

Or, depending on the Red Sonja mythology - maybe the goddess that granted her those wonderful fighting skills also imbued her with an aura that keeps her body at a constant temperature?

In conclusion - an okay story with some fun eye candy for bargain bin book but not much else going on here in the Frozen Wastes.

Recently read

2011-12-19T21:56:00.001-05:00

The Religion by Tim Willocks

It took me a while to read this, but that is in no way a reflection on the book. It has been a while since, as a reader, I became fully immersed in a thick novel.

The Religion takes place mostly during the 1565 siege of Malta. ("The Religion" are better known to history as the Knights Hospitaller. ) The protagonist, Tannhauser, is a former janisssary who managed to escape his servitude with his head intact and now operates as an opium and arms merchant. The Religion conspire to bring him into the conflict, because his knowledge of the Turk will aide them. But, the conspiracy to bring him to Malta might be at the cost to his own head, as a vindictive member of the Inquisition has his own reasons for keeping him from Malta.

For me, this book was as excellent as I had heard. Tannhauser is a real brutal bastard when he has need to, but he is also a loyal friend when it counts. Like all great heroes, he moves by his own morals and honor. There are moments when I was reminded, strongly, of Karl E. Wagner's Kane, as if Tannhauser were what Kane might have been if Kane were purely historical. (yeah, maybe that makes no sense, but that's what I felt.) Kane with a good dose of Cornwell's Richard Sharpe, perhaps.

The other characters come to life just as fully. There are both small-scale action and sweeping battles scenes. Sex, love, and a world gone mad in perpetual combat.

This was a great read. It is as simple as that.

Some warning on the content. First, Tannhauser is a neutral. The wickedness--and occasional magnanimity--of both sides of the conflict are unabashedly explored. The fanatics, the corrupt, the madmen and the innocents.

The combat is unflinchingly gory, bloody, and septic.

I am fine with both those issues. War is hell. I can read whitewashed combat scenes elsewhere, where appropriate. This novels drops you in the front lines of a horrible conflict - it should be brutal.

So, if you're okay with that, and want a great combination of a sweeping epic historical and some down'n'dirty hard-hitting action, you need to put The Religion on your reading list.

I had originally heard about The Religion through folks at the Conan.com forums. I let it go a few years and finally bought the hardcover (cheap) at a remainders store while on vacation this year.

Although the story does tie up nicely, there are rumors of a planned trilogy.

Next time around, I don't think I can wait for the remainder rack - I'll be buying the second installment when it comes out. And I'll be getting the hardcover.

Reading, 2012

2011-12-13T12:30:00.000-05:00

Soon, many folks will be posting theiryear-end reading wrap-up posts. This year my prose reading will endwith a very low count. I hope to fare better next year. I am goingto try for a minimum of two books per month, and get at leasttwenty-four read. I do not want to get too caught up in the finalnumbers, though. My reading is still a pleasure activity and I don'twant it to become a chore. That is one reason I prefer theoccasional, informal book review on my blog rather than an assigned,scheduled review for a semi-pro web site.

Next year, I would also like to readmore authors who are new to me. I have many sale/free books on myKindle now. Most are the first novels in series to pullin new readers. And, I have a few on my bookshelf, too.

I'll be adding miscellaneous onlinestories, comics and graphic novels to the mix, too.

Here are a couple of covers of ones I amlooking forward to reading (hopefully, early in the year.)

Lost Swords no longer lost

2011-12-04T21:41:00.001-05:00

A few times per year, I look over my bookcase and if there are titles I am interested in replacing with eBooks, I start poking around Amazon (I have a Kindle.)

Sometimes, I am reminded of books I am searching for, or authors I want more of - and if they have out-of-print titles, I'll take a stab.

I've posted before about my tardy discovery and enjoyment of Fred Saberhagen's work. Over the past few years I have been collecting his Berserker tales, Empire of the East, The First Swords trilogy and The Lost Swords series. I have two books in the Lost Swords series to find. Sometime during the year (summer, maybe) I happened upon Kindle editions of the first four. As luck and timing would have it, the Swords books have been (re-)released in eFormat over the course of this year. The covers are primitive, even for eBooks, so I was mildly suspicious. But, they have all been released now (except, I believe, An Armory of Swords, which was an anthology.) The eBooks are being created and published by Saberhagen's literary estate, JSS Literary Productions (which, I think is essentially his wife.)

Too bad there is a disconnect as JSS L. P. also run the Berserker website - the official Saberhagen site, and I see no news announcements about the eBooks. So, I'm spreading the word for the curious, or fans, or fans who have lost their original print Saberhagen books.

I will still find hard copies of my missing two novels, but it's nice to know I can at least fall back to the eBooks if I really am desperate.

preThanksgiving thanks

2011-11-22T12:30:00.000-05:00

I know - this blog is about as exciting as watching paint dry of late. Thanks to you - my few loyal followers - for checking in.

Nothing new to report. I am still behind writing, still reading The Religion.

I have read quite a few single issues of various comics; Superman, Action Comics, Justice League, Planet of the Apes. I am still enjoying them all.

Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes and Avenging Spider-man have started, and I bought the first issues of those, too.

I haven't specifically mentioned this to family, but I wouldn't mind a iPad for Christmas. That's kind of steep, though. If I don't get one, I'll probably buy one early next year. I really want the comic reader(s.) Collecting the print issues is fun, but I really need to manage my space at home. Also, some of the fonts are getting to my aging eyes. Being able to focus on enlarged digital frames would be a boon. So, I am considering following these opening arcs in print and then switching to digital - at least for the DC and Marvel titles.

Bonus perk would be having all my app eReaders in one place - though I'll probably still keep my (hardware) Kindle on the side. Maybe even upgrade that, too, next year.

We'll see.

For the Thanksgiving record, I am thankful for my family, friends, a steady job, food on the table and roof over our heads. I wish the same for everyone else. Let's hope the country is in a better economic state this time next year.

Hacking ivy!

2011-11-09T19:15:00.000-05:00

I managed to brush my wrist over something. Whether it was a poison ivy leaf or some residual oil on a piece of wood, I don't know. Nasty patch on my wrist, a few random spots on my body. It could have been a lot worse. The wrist is localized enough to keep covered and not spread. It's still a nuisance.

On a totally different note, I am finally the victim of an email hack. Joy.

Ages ago, (when my ego was larger - stop laughing) I setup my own domain. I grabbed the first ISP that came along, and wound paying too much and getting very little - in diskspace, certainly. It was such a tiny allotment, I created a Hotmail account to move big files, and register various websites (forums, etc.)

I moved the personal account elsewhere, and kept it for personal email. But, my Hotmail account got hacked the other night. I had gotten lazy and occasionally dropped an address into the Contacts list. Spammer went through the list and spammed some folks. I changed the password, wiped out the Contacts list, but today I still got blocked out. The only reason I want in now is to delete the account.

I've setup two Gmail accounts. One personal, one for everything else. I'm going to ween off the domain thing. It doesn't cost much now, but with the blog serving as a hub, I don't really feel like I need a domain anymore. Or, maybe I'll keep it for the redirect and just stop with the email there. I have time to think about it, I just renewed a few weeks previous.

I'm liking the interface and concepts of Gmail; labeling emails instead of foldering them - allows multi-tag on a single email, instead of deciding which folder to keep it in. Archiving and lots of space to keep years worth of email (if you want, I like to run light with email folders.) And, it's Google, so searching for old emails will be a cinch, especially with labeling and other meta-data.

In theory, it will all work wonderfully...until the next hack.

Guest Blogger - Ty Johnston

2011-11-04T00:30:00.000-04:00

Fantasy author Ty Johnston’s blog tour 2011 is running from November 1 through November 30. His novels include City of Rogues, Bayne’s Climb and More than Kin, all of which are available for the Kindle, the Nook and online at Smashwords. His latest novel, Ghosts of the Asylum, will be available for e-books on November 21.

To find out more, follow him at his blog tyjohnston.blogspot.com. He offers all kinds of links and experiences with e-publishing, along with wonderful concise reviews of books he has read - including many lost classics rediscovered via public domain e-format.

Though this month I’m traveling from blog to blog while promoting my new epic fantasy novel, Ghosts of the Asylum, today I’d like to talk about something more personal, but relative.

When I was ten years old, my mother became a victim of violence. She almost died. Her neck was almost broken. She was left with two cracked discs in her neck and enough pain to cause her to scream.

It was I who found her. It was I who had to call the ambulance and ride to the hospital. It was I who had to sit by her bed for days that turned into weeks.

Growing up in a single-parent household, I had no one to turn to. My father lived a long distance away, and though he helped as much as he could, he was not able to do anything immediately.

Once my mother was free of the hospital, she returned to work and we went on with our lives.

When I was 16, one night at work my mom was pushing a cart and something else cracked in her neck. She was able to drive home, but once there all she could do was lay in bed and scream from the pain. I was older now, and once again I called for the ambulance and rode to the hospital.

In many ways, I grew up in hospitals. For nearly 30 years my mother worked in a hospital, and since she was a single parent when I was young, it seemed I was always hanging out in the hospital waiting for her to get off work. It didn’t bother me emotionally, at least not until I was spending all my time at the hospital watching her slowly heal.

As I mentioned above, I had no one to turn to.

But then I did. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. His name is Terry Brooks.

I have always been a reader, especially of fantasy literature, and during my mother’s first weeks-long hospital stay, I brought along with me Brooks’ The Elfstones of Shannara. There was little I could do for my mother other than to be there for her, and often enough she was unconscious or nearly so, or in the middle of tests, surgery or undergoing treatments.

I found myself alone a lot of the time, alone with fears and thoughts that were more than my 10-year-old self could cope with without wanting to break down. That’s where Terry Brooks came in.

I had never read any of his works before then, though I was familiar with Tolkien and a few other fantasy writers. For short periods of time Brooks took me away to the world of Shannara where evil crawled the land and heroes fought back against it.

Terry Brooks allowed me an escape from the anguish that was then filling my life.

Later, at 16, when I was once more spending a lot of time at the hospital, I picked up the author’s The Sword of Shannara, which was actually Brooks’ first novel. Again I was transported away from the pain that filled mine and my mother’s world.

Admittedly I always had to return to the real world, but as long as I had my nose stuck into one of Brooks’ novels, my mind and heart and soul were soothed.

Some might call that escapism. They might even frown upon it. I think of it as therapy, of a sort.

I had not thought about any of this for the longest time until recently when a friend told me he was going through a personally difficult time in his life concerning his family. I had given him an early digital copy of my Ghosts of the Asylum novel to read on his Kindle, in hopes of getting some feedback. Once I heard about his problems, though he did not go into detail, I told him I fully understood if he would need to set aside my novel.

In response, my friend told me he was hoping to use my novel to help him get through this part of his life.

This brought back much of my own personal history with Terry Brooks and fantasy literature. I was astonished that someone might use one of my novels as their own form of therapy, or escapism, or whatever you wish to call it.

In a way, I was proud, almost to the point of shedding a tear myself. I can recall what it was like to be young and afraid, with fantasy as my only release.

And if I can do that for someone else, even just a little, then I feel I’ve accomplished everything I set out to do as a writer.

This doesn’t mean I’ll stop writing. Perhaps other books and e-books from me would reach other people, allowing them to escape a sometimes harsh reality, or to provide them with moments of succor.

I’m not a big Terry Brooks reader today, but I will never forget what he as a writer did for me in my youth. If I should ever meet him, I’d want to offer a personal thanks. He deserves it.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T14:20:00.000-04:00

Man, I don't think I've ever been as blind-sided by Halloween's arrival as this year!

Between the crazy 80degree(F) weather early in the month, and now a power-crippling snow-storm, it never even felt like autumn. Most towns have also rescheduled trick'or'treat and other holiday events for later days, too.

Busy month personally, too.

My kids did attend a couple of events in costume, at least.

I didn't even get around to reading a horror short story or picking a horror movie. I don't think I'll be awake enough tonight to watch anything. I spent the first half of last night tending the fire in the wood stove until power came back.

I leave you with an illustration, for no other reason than to say, "Happy Halloween!"

Quiet October

2011-10-27T13:27:00.003-04:00

Well, it's been a quiet month on my blog, anyway. Lots of busy stuff at home and work. Nothing I really felt like blogging about.

One thing I came across yesterday was a free teaser comic for Avenging Spider-man, which despite its name, is more about Spider-man team-ups than Spider-man p.o.v. Avengers stories. That could be interesting. Sounds a little like a Spider-man version of Batman: the Brave & the Bold. (serious take, though, not like the humorous t.v. show.)

I haven't really bought much Marvel, been hanging tight with DC. But, as a kid I always liked Spider-man. This title is supposed to focus more on the hero than the alter-ego stories of Peter Parker.

I might give it a try, it starts its run in November.

Strange Worlds!

2011-10-03T21:26:00.001-04:00

It's available now!

Assembled by artist/editor Jeff Doten, this anthology was a collaborative effort. Jeff contacted the writers, each of whom chose a color illustration as the inspiration to craft a sword-&-planet tale. Jeff then added some black & white interiors based on the resulting stories.

It's been a long time since a sword-&-planet anthology of new tales has been published.

I am very excited to be a part of this work, and I share the table of contents with some talented writers!

http://strangeworldsanthology.wordpress.com/

I can't wait to read the other stories! (oh, mine is titled, "Pearls of Uraton")

Planet of the Apes (via Boom Studios)

2011-09-30T12:30:00.000-04:00

For prose, I have been reading Tim Willocks' The Religion, which is great so far. But it is a thick, meaty read, so I've been knocking off some comics when I don't have time for a deep reading session.

Somewhere I had read about the new Planet of the Apes comic from Boom Studios, and read that it was set in the timeline of the original movies. Even though I am a huge ApeHead, this information slipped to the back of my mind (as did the new movie, The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which I have not yet seen.)

I was at the comic store, and spotted the back issues on the shelf, and figured, why not? I bought the first issue. I bought #2 & #3 the following week.

I'm glad I did. I like this comic. It remains faithful to the original setting, while creating its own niche.

The artwork is very good. Enough detail and some nice looser designs where appropriate.

The story works within the original timeline, but the creators are able to mix in some newer elements while remaining true to the PotA universe. Set in the timeline after Battle for the Planet of the Apes, the promise of a peaceful coexistence of apes and mankind is deteriorating. There have been a few wars already between apes and men. In the cities, humans are being marginalized, living in ghettos. Through some mutation, some of the new generation of humans are born mute. There are also religious bomb worshippers. This, of course, dovetails nicely with where the timeline ends - one group of humans deteriorated to mute savages while another group become powerful telepathic mutants.

The technological level is mixed. Some ancient - and therefore ironically more advanced - weapons are in circulation. The apes themselves are not very adept at creating such guns, though they do have some flintlocks. They have dirigibles, too.

Enough of the timeline and setting. The story deals with the assassination of the Lawgiver in the city of Mak. The tragedy for both groups is that this Lawgiver, in particular, was one of the last to truly believe and work toward ape and human equality. To all appearances, a human committed the crime. The apes threaten violent action to bring the killer to justice, if the humans don't find the killer first.

The story features strong female characters, both simian and human. The males aren't shabby, either. The story of the Nix, the gorilla, is intriguing. He believes in equality but he also believes humans don't believe the same for apes. He buries his conflict under devotion to his duty - he will always do what it takes to get the job done. In the past, this put him in prison as a war criminal.

There are many elements in this storyline. And, they are all juggled deftly (so far.)

By the end of the third issue, the killer is revealed to the reader, which I assume will move the story from mystery into action. There are three issues left to this storyline; "The Long War" ends in issue 4, there is apparently a coda tale in issues 5 & 6.

I'll be buying the rest of this story.

Green Lantern Corps #1

2011-09-27T19:00:00.000-04:00

Green Lantern Corps #1

Well, that was disappointing.

My third taste of DC's New 52 has left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I was hoping for some fun space opera with this title. GL stories not bound to Earth. Spaceships, aliens, etc. I'm not against the stories having dramatic weight, either. I've always been interested in John Stewart as the Green Lantern (blame Bruce Timm.)

This issue opens with an evisceration, a beheading and a finger being sliced off - all in graphic detail.

Since when did the Green Lantern Corps become Lone Wolf & Cub?

Violence is right in its place, even graphic if you want - a samurai movie, a hard-edged sword-&-sorcery tale, but in a space opera comic?

Am I missing something?

I can't say I'm very interested in following the rest of this one.

Here's hoping Superman #1 is enjoyable - it's due out tomorrow.

The New 52 - DC Comics

2011-09-20T19:00:00.000-04:00

I gave in. I bought these two issues from DC Comics. I had sworn off individual issues a while back, but I just got too curious about the new Superman revamp.

I would have bought the e-comics. And maybe, with my tired, getting-older eyes, being able to see frames on the big screen probably wouldn't hurt. But the price is the same as print right now (where's the incentive, DC?) I have extra cardboard and bags from when I was still collecting issues.

So, I figured - why not?

I haven't bothered following the news and myriad comments whether this regeneration of most of the DC line has been good or bad for their business. I am sure there are fans. I am sure some were alienated. I might as well decide for myself if I like this new paradigm or not.

I liked the issues. Justice League #1 had a good, action oriented setup featuring the first meeting of the Green Lantern and Batman. (Green Lantern gets the funniest line, too.)

Action Comics #1 was interesting. Superman's backstory has changed. He's still a Kryptonian orphan, but this time, his adoptive parents are not alive when he starts his reporting life in Metropolis. Lois Lane is a rival reporter from a different newspaper. Superman is an unknown, untrusted by authorities. He is waging a crusade for those who can't defend themselves. No government/Reagan patsy Frank Miller created in The Dark Knight Returns here. He is, in some ways, as much vigilante as Batman.

His powers are growing. He can leap buildings (not fly) but seems to be able to get further and he is stronger already.

Lex Luthor is a real unknown at this point. He compares Superman to potentially dangerous invasive species that have historically wiped out ecosystems. He is introduced as a military consultant. Whether he will be "business man with hidden criminal activities" or "mad scientist obsessed with Superman", or something in between, isn't clear.

The new Superman look.

Yup, t-shirt, jeans and work boots do seem silly, but this will evolve. Action Comics will follow this new Superman as he changes from the adult Superboy into Superman. Superman will start from that point (there are 5 years in between.) At that point, he will have an updated costume sans "red undies", with a high collar, and plating that suggests armor (ceremonial Kryptonian armor, according to JL #1, which is, I would guess, tougher than anything on Earth.)

Here's a glimpse. I don't know if this is actually from an upcoming story, or if it is a standalone tribute to the old Fleischer animated cartoon, "The Mechanical Monsters."

I think, for a start, I will be following Action Comics, Superman, Justice League and Green Lantern Corps.

Most people would probably scratch their heads at the idea of following Superman, not Batman. I understand. But Batman's backstory isn't changing. I'm interested in this new Superman and his revamped backstory. (Batman is also featured under four or five different titles! I need to limit my comic buying to some degree.) I'll probably catch up with Batman later via graphic novels.

Green Lantern seems a bit jumbled, to me. Justice League is featuring Hal Jordan, the Corps will include John Stewart and Guy Gardner, but the main Green Lantern title, for now, starts with Sinestro, back as a Green Lantern.

So, I'll go with the Corps for now, hoping for some fun space opera there.

I'll probably switch to graphic novels and/or e-comic bundles down the line, but for now, I'm liking the idea of comic issues again. And I'm excited to see where this all goes, and how it goes.

Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword #2

2011-09-18T10:15:00.000-04:00

"El Borak: The Incident at Hakim's Rest"

Written by Mark Finn

Good self-contained El Borak story. At the very end, though, I did get a little confused as to which side was controlling the fort and who were the besieged and who were the attackers.
---

"Dark Agnes: Storytelling" (Part 2 of 2)

Written by Marc Andreyko

Back at the tavern, the swords come out. Agnes draws some blood. That's it - story over.
---

"A New Game for Costigan"

Written by Joe Casey

I enjoyed this one, though it is a humorous tale. Costigan takes up fight reporting, and proceeds to offend both boxers in the upcoming big match. Hijinks ensue.
---

"Sea Curse"

Written by Robert E. Howard

Not a comic, but a printing of the horror tale with some b&w illustrations. An old hag curses two vile sailors as they embark on another sea outing. A young boy witnesses the Flying Dutchman bringing one of the men home.
---

"The Valley of the Worm"

Written by Robert E. Howard Adapted by Roy Thomas & Gerry Conway

A reprint from 1972, this is an excellent, chilling adaptation of the original Howard story. Niord, an man of ancient times, kills a Cthuluian "worm", and creates the race memory of all the stories of a single man vs. dragon - St. George, Perseus, Beowulf, etc.
---

"Conan and The Jewels of Hesterm" (Part 2 of 3)
Written by Paul Tobin

The story goes right off the rails in this part. Conan breaks into the Temple of the Elder Queen and sneaks past a roomful of guards. Then, he pauses, says, "No, you will know that Conan of Cimmeria was here!" He turns around, marches into the room and kills all the guards but one.

(nitpick rant follows)

Let me repeat that.

Conan sneaks past the guards, and then in a fit of ego, he backtracks and kills them all save one with the sole intent of vaunting. Oh, there is a quick attempt at changing the reason for the slaughter into "the last surviving guard can lead Conan through the temple", but that really isn't setup as the reason. The setup reason is vaunting. It's not like he goes searching for the treasure, cannot find it, and then comes back. He immediately backtracks.

If this were King Conan, or pirate Conan, or battlefield Conan, I might accept his actions. But this is Conan the thief and the last thing he is going to do is to wittingly alarm the entire temple to his presence while he is trying to rob the place! He might become famous as a thief later, but he's not going to brag about it in the middle of the heist!

OK, the above was my initial reaction. On rereading the tale for this review, I realize maybe I missed a few things - or, more likely in my defense, the elements could have been arranged a bit more logically. Conan, in the middle of the slaughter, mentions he is no soft-bred city thief the guards are used to. Maybe if the setup was telegraphed a bit more, I'd believe it.

For instance, 1.) Conan sneaks past the guards 2.) Conan pauses, and says, "They will get me to the treasure quicker" 3.) Conan attacks, during the fight, mentions the soft-bred city thieves and vaunts that they are fighting a Cimmerian (without saying his own name.)

The narrative also mentions that Conan is "reckless". Yes. But his recklessness doesn't belong in this setup. He would attack the room if the guards spotted him - charging in recklessly at four-to-one odds where others would turn and flee. Or, if there were no way past the room, or he was too impatient to find a route around the room, he would recklessly charge.

Even with such changes, I don't believe that after a successful stealth maneuver of getting past guard room, he would return and raise such a ruckus. I don't think any thief would do that, Conan included.

I've said this a lot lately and I will say it again; I don't mind pastiche tales, but you need, at least, to try to understand the established characters and setting in which they live. Conan is not some fool waving a sword at anything that moves, the Hyborian Age is not a substitute for the Forgotten Realms. Do your homework!

(spoiler - highlight to see, and learn the most precious treasure of the temple)
And the most precious treasure of the Temple? As guessed - it's the gorgeous gal with the huge hooters Conan met in the tavern. She lures men to their death in the temple at the hands of the fire demons.
---

So, that's it for issue #2. Better cover this time. One Howard story and one Howard adaptation reprint. Interiors still fine. Definitely worth it if you want to own the adaptation of "Valley of the Worm".

Geek out - The Cult of Timm

2011-09-15T19:00:00.000-04:00

(more Speak Out With Your Geek Out)

In Hollywood chat among 'geeks', Joss Whedon fans have been referred to as "cult of Whedon" and some t-shirts are emblazoned "Whedon is God."

Now, I am not here to slam Whedon or compare, at all. I just use this example to illustrate those who love everything he touches.

Personally, I'd like to start a "Cult of (Bruce) Timm." Because, I thoroughly enjoy any animation project he does that involves the DC Comics universe.

I didn't get into comics until I was well into adulthood. Oh, I had the occasional horror comic, or old Conan comic, (Later, I would acquire graphic novels, collections and issues when Dark Horse revived the Conan line.) But, I never really appreciated the superhero vein.

Then I watched Cartoon Network's Justice League, produced by Bruce Timm.

I was hooked. I still am. I have all the series he produced, Batman: the Animated Series, Superman: the Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League. I went back and caught up. I also have a shelf full of the action figures in my home office.

Since 2007, Timm & company have been producing DC Universe Animated Original Movies. These feature a rotating cast and crew and even changing animation styles. They don't need to have continuity, each stands alone, and I enjoy the mix up. All the movies have been from good to excellent.

I've delved into the occasional comic title, or graphic novel of DC superheroes now. Either because they were directly adapted or because I was curious to learn more. I will continue to do so. I've even picked some issues of the New 52 reboot. I know DC are probably losing some longtime fans, but for me - still a relative newbie - it's exciting to get in the ground floor. As a writer and fan, it will be interesting to see how the line is revamped - and what works, and what doesn't.

In short, I'm excited about superheroes and I don't think I would be saying that without Bruce Timm's work.

I don't know if this is a full geek out because I am not an expert on the history of the DC line, and I don't know minutiae about Bruce Timm. But, he opened the world of superheroes for me like no one had before.

If you haven't seen any of his DC Animated work, do yourself a favor. Pick an episode or a movie, any one should do. If you want a starting point, my favorite of the movies so far was Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.

Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword #1

2011-09-14T21:51:00.002-04:00

"Conan and The Jewels of Hesterm" (Part 1 of 3)
Written by Paul Tobin

This story opening left me cold. It really felt like Dungeons & Dragons. "Hesterm"? "Temple of the Elder Queen"? Jewel thieves chased into the streets by fire-demon guards. Conan's first appearance is cliche as they come, sitting in a tavern, flirting with the bar wench. There is a very large stolen jewel and vague references to it being the temple's second greatest treasure. It's extremely easy to guess what the first greatest treasure is. So, not very Hyborian Age and a predictable storyline.
---

"John Silent: The Earthbound Dead"
Written by Scott Allie

A sequel short to Allie's adaptation of "The Castle of the Devil". Not too bad a horror tale. The cursed book Silent acquired has driven him mad.
---

Six Guns and Scimitars: The Wild West in The Middle East
Written by Mark Finn

An illuminating treatise on El Borak and his world at the very start of the 20th century. No comic here, just a setup for a story in issue #2, which is also written by Mark Finn.
---

"Dark Agnes: Storytelling" (Part 1 of 2)
Written by Marc Andreydo

Another tavern tale. This time setting up the arrival of Agnes. Nice use of conflicting backstory imagery against the tale being told. Not much else going on.
---

"Worms of the Earth"
Written by Robert E. Howard, Adapted by Roy Thomas

This is a reprint of an old b&w Savage Sword of Conan comic. I wasn't sure about the colorizing. I know from some of the Roy Thomas introductions to the Chronicles of Conan collections that occasionally they would colorize a SSOC issue to cover the main Conan comic if something fell through. I always thought the coloring made the pictures too busy, with all the b&w lining already on the page. I'm happy to say "Worms of the Earth" looks great! The colors are earthen, muted and dark. They really fit the tone of the tale.
---

So, that's it for issue #1 contents. Probably worth it for the "Worms of the Earth" reprint, if you don't already have it.

I am no artist, I can't draw, and I feel weird critiquing art but the cover leaves a lot to be desired. It seems, to me, crude. And the bloody face evokes more thoughts of a bloody nose than a hard fight, to me.

The interior art is well done, though.

Notice something about all the stories? We have a comic book named Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword with one Howard adaptation - and that is a reprint. Everything else is "pastiche". I guess part of the charter here is to explore REH's characters further, but shouldn't they start off with adaptations of the original stories and then move into new tales? I can understand keeping the Conan stories for the main comic but no "Blades for France" for Dark Agnes?

Maybe they're saving them for later.

Geek Out - Daleks

2011-09-13T09:29:00.001-04:00

I don't have the ambition to post every day this week on geek subjects, but I figured I'd try to get one in, at least.

With Doctor Who, there are many facets to discuss - various Doctors (he regenerates, you see, becomes a new person & personality with the memories and core values he's always carried), various eras, so many aliens and villains.

I figured I would focus on one aspect that still captivates me to this day, the Doctor's oldest enemies, the Daleks.

Recently, Grognardia asked what was your favorite non-humanoid aliens, and my answer was still the Daleks. In fact, I think that very question highlights one reason I enjoy the Daleks. When you consider all the television scifi from the early days, almost every alien seemed to be either a ball of light (scratched onto the film) or aliens that looked an awful lot like humans in foam rubber masks and gloves, or - my favorite - aliens that take human form for convenience of plot and budget.

The Daleks look nothing like that. For all the FX short comings of the original Doctor Who, the Daleks were an original look. Machines without legs, and yet - they aren't machines either. They aren't robots. They are humanoid, but they were so mutated by nuclear war (and genetic experimenting) they became blobbish, tentacled balls of hatred and malice, and withdrew into "travel machines" to survive. Later, these self-contained life supports systems became weapons in their own right, each cyborg Dalek becoming its own self-contained tank of death & destruction.

Yes, I own a bit of Dalek and Doctor Who merchandise; episode novelizations (which, are great because some of the earliest episodes' tapes were recycled by the BBC and are lost forever), original novels, VHS tapes, DVD upgrades of VHS as they become available, audio dramas. And yes, some of the toys, too.

One thing I have not yet tried are the Dalek Empire audioplays. These dramas feature stories about people battling the Daleks, without the Doctor's involvement. I am not sure I am interested in the Daleks without the Doctor. But, I guess I should give one a listen sometime.

Recently, the Daleks underwent a fairly big redesign. They are now more colorful and physically larger - I guess to be more threatening. (Cynic in me says they were revamped to make the online game more colourful [British spelling intentional.]) I kind of like the new design, but many long time fans are unhappy. Not surprising. Perhaps a balance of old-design Daleks with new-design would have been better than a wholesale swap out.

However they look, I hope they stay around, and are put to good use in strong stories. (Truth be told, the story in which they were revamped was really weak, which is why I have a cynical view that it was rushed to tie-in to the video game.)

The Daleks have changed before, they can change again. Ain't time travel great?

recent read - Sung In Blood

2011-09-08T20:50:00.001-04:00

Summary from Night Shade Books; Protector Jerhke has kept Shasesserre peaceful for hundreds of years. After his brutal murder, his son Rider tries to discover his father's murderer. Rider is helped in his search by his companions, as they battle against the agents of the mysterious Kralj Odehnal. But the murderous dwarf turns out to be an introduction to greater terror, as they match wits with Shai Khe, the powerful sorcerer who wants to rule Shasesserre.

That is exactly what you get in this short novel (novella, really.) I am a fan of Glen Cook, so I enjoyed this quick fix between longer novels. Rider and his team read like Doc Savage and his crew (though, Rider is no Doc.) As usual, Cook plunges the reader into a setting seat-of-the-pants, and it's a fun ride. The opening assassination is darn near worth the price of admission alone.

Rider protects Shasesserre via a Web of magic that also allows communications with his team. Airships powered by ensorceled demons wander the skies.

Su-Cha, a shape-changing, wall penetrating imp, the familiar of Rider, is particularly fun side man. Cook always manages to give everyone just the right quirks and camaraderie. And yes, his team includes a strong man "barbarian" character, too.

This novella originally appeared in 1990 at a convention. Whether it was specifically written for that, or a "trunk" manuscript rescued for the event, there are some weaknesses.

The biggest is the abrupt ending. Some reviews argue Cook should have filled the tale out to a novel. I think--given that is was aimed as a novella--it should actually have been cut shorter. It feels like act one ends, act two starts and stops within a few pages. It might stand alone better with a cleaner cut and no bits of act two.

Fleshing out to a novel might have worked, but it already suffers from some repetition - a lot of chasing, captures and escapes and recaptures. Maybe this was a sly satire on Doc Savage novels but I haven't read enough to be sure on that point. The story might just have needed more editing.

Given that, if you are interested, seek out the ebook (which is considerably less than the limited edition hardcover) or find a used copy.

I enjoyed it, but I'm a fan. It might not be a bad quick introduction to Cook's style, but understand he has much more interesting and stronger works available - the original Black Company trilogy first and foremost.

Hollywood vs. source material

2011-09-05T10:14:00.014-04:00

One thing about Conan the Barbarian (2011) that is not ripe for argument is that the movie was not in any way a direct adaptation of any single Robert E. Howard original Conan story. That is fact. Beyond that all seems matters of opinion. Personally, I felt that even as Howard 'pastiche' it didn't deliver. The setting did not feel to me much like the Hyborian Age. Jason Momoa, as Conan, felt mostly right although even there he might have been closer to the comics' Conan than the Robert E. Howard character. Naturally, any adaptation from one medium to another must make changes to present a successful story. You cannot film a book word-for-word, it doesn't work. You need to adapt. But, there is adapting and then there is "buying a concept at high level and not going any deeper and doing whatever you want."

I know movies are formulaic (I was in a screenwriters group for many years) but Hollywood seems so hung on formulas now that they always seem to believe they know what is better for a story, for getting butts in the movie cinemas. They buy concepts and run (Conan is a brutish guy with a sword in a fantasy setting) instead of examining the finer elements (civilization vs. barbarianism, historical eras lumped together with adventure and sorcery.)

I want to caveat the rest of this post with a big disclaimer - I am no Jonah Hex expert. But, I have read a handful of the original comics via the DC Showcase collection. Last night I caught parts (yes, only parts, not the entire movie - but I'm posting about it anyway) of the movie Jonah Hex and darned if I didn't feel like the same thing had happened to Jonah that had happened to Conan.

Josh Brolin felt like Jonah Hex, from what I saw. But the setting and plot were so far afield from the source material. Jonah Hex, the comic might have been billed as "weird Western" or "strange Western" but in the end, they were always westerns. The "weird" was more like strange murders or hairy hill men who were setup to seem like Bigfoot. I don't know - in the later tales I believe maybe there were more supernatural episodes (or the occasional Batman time-travel crossover) but in essence, they were clearly spawned from the "Man With No Name" Eastwood movies.

The movie took the concept - scarred Confederate bounty hunter - and smushed it into an Wild Wild West (the movie, not the t.v. show) almost-steam-punk extravaganza. Hex armed with a grenade shooting cross bow pistol? Explosions galore. Weird glowing ordinance destroying entire towns. The U.S. President recruiting Hex?

Compare that with the 11 minute short cartoon of Hex DC did direct-to-video, if you can. That cartoon succeeds in 11 minutes where the theatrical movie fails for 81 minutes. Hex hunts a bounty. The bounty has already been killed by a murderous prostitute. She nearly kills Hex. Hex delivers on the payback in appropriately grim fashion.

So, I guess, on reflection, at least Hollywood got a little closer to the source characters on these two movies. But getting the character right doesn't pay off if he doesn't seem to belong in the movie. Next time Hollywood buys on concept alone, maybe they should invest a little more time in exploring what they have.

recent read - The Pathless Trail

2011-08-31T13:01:00.011-04:00

The Pathless Trail by Arthur O. Friel

I stumbled on this by accident at a library book sale a few years ago. I recognized the Centaur imprint, as they had done some Solomon Kane collections under the same Time-Lost series.

I later replaced the paperback with a Kindle version to make some shelf space. I wasn't collecting the Time-Lost series, so no loss – except the Jeffery Jones cover art.

If you've followed the link above to Two-Gun Raconteur, you'll see this novel was read by Robert E. Howard, too. So, that was a bonus. Always interesting to dig to the roots of my own reading roots.

The plot entails three American adventurers in the jungles of South America, searching for a heir who has gone native with the man-eating "Red Bones" tribe – or so it appears. Along the way they must deal with treacherous Europeans, Brazilian and Peruvian rivalry on the river, and cannibal tribes that get more dangerous and combative the deeper the Americans travel into the hinterland.

After reading that Friel had once penned a tale with enough racist overtones that no one today will reprint it, I was prepared for the worst. You know, “superior white men” drivel and savages shaking spears. I was pleased that it is just the opposite. Friel had spent time on South American rivers and in the jungles. He paints a very vivid and veracious picture of jungle life. The white interlopers are fully aware that the natives are their key to survival. The natives are shown as clever and pragmatic, surviving in their harsh world. Before the end battle, the white men convince the cannibal tribe to fight their way – not out of superiority, but because the enemy tribe is led by a German, and the Americans know how he will fight.

It could have used more action, but there is a lot of well done tension building as the journey progresses. The final battle is suitably climatic and exciting.

Two things on the downside. First, there are a couple of racial epithets. Really, just turns of a phrase – nothing derogatory aimed at any given character. They could be changed easily enough, but it does give a window to racial attitudes of the 1920s and isn't exactly pleasant. Literally, though, there are only two such moments – it is not like the work is littered with them or anything.

Second, the secondary characters came across more interesting than the three main heroes. The pair of Brazilian bushmen, Lourenco and Pedro, already had starred in other adventures, so that is not surprising. I found the dialogue of two of the Americans stilted, and the third was rendered phonetically – and I have no idea what kind of a regional accent it was supposed to be – Southern, midWestern, New York City?

In short - it's a quick read, an interesting adventure and I enjoyed it more than I expected. That's always nice.

Mobile improvement

2011-08-30T12:54:00.003-04:00

I was over at Adventures Fantastic via my iPhone the other day, and was surprised when the page popped up mobile ready - meaning, it displayed in a way that played 'nice' when viewing from the iPhone.

I found the Blogger setting. Under Settings->Email & Mobile, if you choose "Yes" on the Mobile Template, your blog will be much more easily read when viewed from a mobile phone. It does not affect viewing from the web browser on a computer.

I wonder which display it would use when viewed from an iPad?

Anyway - if you're on Blogger, you might want to change your setting to help out those accessing from mobile devices.

I've made the flip on mine - which you won't notice unless you're viewing from a mobile device, obviously.

Conan the Disappointing

2011-08-23T23:21:00.006-04:00

Conan the Barbarian (2011)

First off, let me state that the title of this post is just for fun with the old pastiche titles. The movie was disappointing. Conan, as played by Jason Momoa, I really enjoyed.

Finally saw it tonight.

Pretty much what I expected and how I expected to feel about it. I did really enjoy Jason Momoa as Conan - far more accurate than Schwarzenegger ever was.

The young Conan stuff was great. After that - not so much. Way too much riffing off other fantasy tropes. I don't mind pastiche, I can take pastiche if I can't get Robert E. Howard, but I need good pastiche that feels like Conan's world, not some other place. I want a story of Conan in Hyboria, not some run of the mill fantasy riff. The story was far too loose.

The opening narration was far too similar to Lord of the Rings. They damn near lost my attention right off the bat.

I could make a list, but let's just say one other thing that got to me - and I don't know if it's been riffed on much - was the sorcery. The Sand-Dead-Warriors whatever the heck they were. Hyborian sorcery should be treacherous, black candles, chambers in the bowels of the earth, flitting shadows. That 'spell' was pure The Mummy meets Jason and the Argonauts.

I would enjoy Momoa as Conan in a tighter, more faithful story.

Current box office numbers might mean that is a pipe dream.

Superfight; Conan vs. Tarzan

2011-08-19T14:11:00.009-04:00

I am usually not one for "my favorite fictional hero/villain can beat your favorite fictional hero/villain".

However, I stumbled on this essay this morning, and I think it is really well done. (missed it when originally posted)

Fantasy superfight; Conan vs. Tarzan

Charles Saunders, in addition to Imaro and other "sword & soul" work, also enjoys writing about boxing, so this essay has a definite veracity to it - even though it is, in the end, fiction and therefore never truly decided.

I need to read some more Tarzan titles. I've only read the first novel.

Recent reads

2011-08-16T21:16:00.013-04:00

I finally found a stride of more than one post per month, so I figure I should keep it going.

Two recent reads to discuss;

Do the Work by Steven Pressfield

This was a free pre-order on the Kindle. It's a short pep rally. It tangents off Pressfield's War of Art and deals with fighting--what he calls--Resistance. All that intangible fear, laziness, procrastination, etc, that keep you from doing what you need to as an 'artist' (writer, painter, entrepreneur, etc.)

I do like Pressfield's "foolscap" method - any story (or idea) should breakdown to a single sheet of yellow lined paper. For a tale that would be - sentence first act, sentence second act, sentence third act, theme written across the bottom. Take that skeleton and run. (also how this short book is presented, and it's a nice mirroring effect.)

Good pep for free, not sure I'd want to spend too much if you already have War of Art, though.

(Classic) Battlestar Galactica: Cylon Apocalyse by Javier Grillo-Marxuach / Carlos Rafael

I mostly liked the revamped SciFi Channel Battlestar Galactica, but I'm still a child of the 70s, and camp or not, the original still appeals as well. This graphic novel popped up for $5 at the comic store, so I figured, "why not"?

The book opens with an especially enjoyable introduction, where Grillo-Marxuach describes pitching an unaired treatment to Glen Larson in 1979 - only that's not how it really happened because Grillo-Marxuach was only 9 yrs old and living in Puerto Rico at the time.

The story revolves around the Cylons experimenting with biological components and things go very wrong. It is a boon for the 'rag-tag fugitive fleet'. Or is it? Will they be as genocidal as the Cylons if they turn the biology experiment into a weapon?

It delivers on the nostalgia and it was fun to see a 'new' episode in the style and cast of the original series.

I don't know if I would have been fully satisfied had I paid full list price ($15) but for a bargain, it was just the dose of space opera remembrance I needed.

Influence & emotion

2011-08-05T08:52:00.007-04:00

I think Charles is getting to me. :) Not only did I have a dream last night, but I remembered enough of it to post about it. And, it has some relevance to my usual subjects.

I dreamt that I was reunited with a schooldays friend. I was maudlin and noted that we couldn't be children again - though, we certainly could still have childish moments. There was a lot of reminiscing between us, but I was still depressed, and said, "We're just remembering what happened, I want to *feel* that way again."

A writer's lesson right there, I think. It's not enough to relate events in your story like a news reporter, or as some form of public remembrance - you've got to impart what it *feels* to be in your story, what the characters are feeling.

I know this is no secret writers revelation, really. We want to engage our readers. It can't just be neat ideas, plot points and execution, we need to invest in our characters as real, not chess pieces on the board of a plot.

Odd that this concept showed up in my dream. Maybe I need to look at my latest w.i.p. and ensure there is enough emotional pull on the reader. Maybe my subconscious is being my story editor, too!

Heroes of the Fallen

2011-08-02T20:45:00.023-04:00

I finished reading David J. West's Heroes of the Fallen and I enjoyed it. I've heard of plenty of Biblical fiction, but personally I am not familiar with LDS circles, so I'm not sure how much fiction has been spun from the Book of Mormon - but I can probably safely say no one has sprung a pulp, sword-&-sorcery styling spin on things like David has. The originality of this work is refreshing.

I will admit the first half feels a little over burdened. There are many characters and a lot of literal wanderings. But, safe to say by the end I was interested in everyone, and invested in the growing action and tension. David not only gives us heroes and anti-heroes of reflection (Amaron, Aaron & Zelph) but we also get some well-drawn stoic strongmen in Samson & Mormon, either of who could hold their own in a tavern brawl with, well, let's just say ... a barbarian from the north. ;)

The main villain, Akish-Antum and his red-capped Gadiantons are drawn with enough pulp tone that I thought of Fu Manchu and insidious plots where his agents could be anywhere, and they are.

There are a lot of characters, as I said, but they all have some level of dimension. They have reasons and desires, and like any people, some make the right choices because of those needs and some choose the wrong path.

There are lessons in this prose about honor, duty, and defiance; both in the face of villainy and in the face of weakness and apathy of the masses.

This novel, the first half of a much longer work, ends on a cliffhanger. That doesn't mean "this is the start of a series" cliffhanger. Oh no. This means "Sam alone, Frodo taken by the Enemy and things are getting bleak in 'The Two Towers'" cliffhanger.

The good thing is, the cliffhanger works. I want to know what happens. I want to witness some showdowns and battles.

I want more.

(if you want more, then click on the book cover to head over to Amazon and get a copy for yourself)

Dread Empire!

2011-07-29T14:31:00.004-04:00

Those sneaky folks over at NightShade Books have been working under the radar, again. I don't recall any news items about these, but here they are;

Reap the East Wind
An Ill Fate Marshalling

These are reprints, and I've been dying to get my own copies. A friend loaned me An Ill Fate Marshalling and I read it awhile ago.

It's a pity they couldn't talk Glen Cook resurrecting the "lost" (stolen!) novel of the series, The Wrath of Kings and putting all three into another omnibus. (read old interview here)

I'll take 'em, though!

Beowulf & Grendel movie

2011-07-25T14:17:00.006-04:00

I am really late to the party, but I finally watched my DVD of the 2005 Icelandic/Canadian co-production, Beowulf & Grendel. I enjoyed it a lot. I will be lazy and refer you to Bruce Durham's old review. I agree with all his points and assessment. It's worth a viewing if you enjoy Beowulf.

I particularly enjoyed the grim humor in some snippets of dialogue.

Bloating up the Kindle!

2011-07-20T20:44:00.005-04:00

If you didn't see my tweet or Facebook status, Amazon are having a big sale ('The Big Deal', they call it) on Kindle eBooks for the next week. They even have a handful of PYR books, which normally run $15 trade paperback or $10 ebook for $1.99 each.

I just scored;

The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeld Jack (Burton & Swinburne) by Mark Hodder
Dawnthief (Chronicles of the Raven, 1) by James Barclay
Elfsorrow (Legends of the Raven, 1) by James Barclay
Blood of Ambrose by James Enge

Each for $1.99.

Also, another PYR book, Empire in Black & Gold has been on sale for $1.99, too, and that ends July 25, I think.

Granted, these are all series first entries to entice you to buy & read more at full price, but for these prices, I'm fine with that.

Also acquired two history books;

Voices of the Foreign Legion by Adrian D. Gilbert (also, $1.99)

Daily Life in the Middle Ages by Paul B. Newman ($3.99, but that's a huge discount over even the paperback, which is listed at $36!)

The 'Great Deal' sale goes through July 27.

Color changes

2011-07-19T11:38:00.000-04:00

Got bored with the old look, don't mind me.

Writing motivation

2011-07-12T16:01:00.014-04:00

I am so behind watching movies & t.v., if I get my writing goal finished this week, then I am going to treat myself to these on the weekend. (I own the DVDs, I just haven't watched them yet.)

We'll see how the "goals & rewards" system works for me for the next few weeks.

Batman on the beach

2011-07-10T10:46:00.010-04:00

I spent the past four & a half days at the beach with my family and in-laws. Not as relaxing as it could have been - the nine month old is extremely screechy. No exaggeration - you could put your head next to the p.a. column at a Judas Priest concert and have the same effect on your hearing. I kept thinking we'd be asked to leave our inn.

Anyway, I knew with the two children (even with grandparents for babysitting) I wouldn't get much reading done, but I brought the Kindle, anyway.

I was smart in also bringing Batman: Year One with me. Graphic novels are faster, easier reads. I chose this one because I had it on recommendation, and it will be the next story adapted for the DC Universe Animated movies.

It was a very good story. I enjoyed it a lot. I could have done without the reinvention of Selina Kyle (Catwoman) as a bored prostitute, but what is a Frank Miller story without pimps and hookers? ;) The rest though, is stellar as Jim Gordon, Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne fight amidst a sea of crime and corruption. Not even a super-villain here. The mob and corrupt police force are enough. Good storytelling moments. I especially liked a crooked cop's recounting of encountering Batman as something mythical, while the illustrations show exactly what happened and how the (Bat)man was becoming a legend by exaggeration and fear.

So, I managed to read that in its entirety. Also gave in this year and grabbed a hardcover of Tim Willock's The Religion - very same book and discount bookstore I debated about last year. Couldn't pass it up this time. I'll find the shelf space for it. I hope it is as good as some say it is.

We had wireless but I mostly lurked from my iPhone. Between this week & my Facebook 'vacation' last month, I'm getting the bigger picture and remembering/realizing just how much darn noise there is on the Web. Don't get me wrong, I've gotten wonderful information and made plenty of friends, I don't damn the medium. But, I really need to cut back on my web time. I just have too many other pokers in the fires of my life right now.

I'll still follow my blog roll and post here, but I am thinking of cutting way back on Facebook and newsites. Surprisingly, perhaps not Twitter because that is designed to be a fast fix - but it's plenty noisy, too, so that might go.

Besides, with Google+ ramping up, there might be a great nomadic social network migration again. Might as well ramp down for a bit.

Once a reader...

2011-06-17T10:14:00.038-04:00

Once a reader, always a reader. Or, at least, a book collector. My reading time has been scarce of late, but I continue to acquire books. I spent a little coin, lately.

An anthology of stories inspired by the writing of Robert E. Howard. Proceeds go to Project Pride - helping preserve the Howard house and museum in Cross Plains, Texas. Win-win! Click on the book cover image above to order your own copy.

As posted before, I was curious to read a different Moorcock hero (other than Elric). TOR reprinted the Hawkmoon saga (or, The History of the Runestaff.) As nice as the covers and interior illustrations are, the books are a bit thin for their price.

I opted against buying used copies, though.

For the price of a single TOR, I was able to get a new copy of the British Fantasy Masterworks edition, which is an omnibus of all four novels. I did that through ABE Books from a book seller in Indiana, which was cheaper than ordering from Amazon UK, too.

Also through the same seller, I ordered the Fantasy Masterworks edition of Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun. Not a complete omnibus, this features the first two of the four novels that are the story cycle. Fantasy Masterworks did publish the final two novels in a second omnibus.

If I like the first set, I will probably get the second set. I've never read any Wolfe that I'm aware of, so this will be new territory for me - when I get to it.

For an encore, I used some Amazon points to get these;

Facebook vacation

2011-06-06T09:26:00.007-04:00

I decided spur-of-the-moment yesterday to take a week off from Facebook (and Twitter.) No reason in particular - just too much noise. I need to focus both at work and at home (writing.) It all just seemed frivolously distracting - which it is, I understand. Just need a break.

Still reading The Hour of the Dragon.

I'll still be on blog rounds and checking email for anything time-sensitive. And modding over at the Conan forums (which, btw, underwent a server upgrade this weekend.) It's just the chitter-chatter sites I want to avoid for a week.

New blog - no, not mine

2011-06-02T13:18:00.005-04:00

I don't know if any of you checkout my blog links, but a new one has started up that looks very promising.

Frontier Partisans

Jim used to write for The Cimmerian and contributes at the Conan forums.

I am going to enjoy these stories of derring-do!

The Hour of the Dragon

2011-06-01T10:19:00.013-04:00

This might be a dirty secret, considering I am a moderator on the Conan forums and all;

This is my first time reading Robert E. Howard's The Hour of the Dragon.

I've read many of the REH original Conan tales, but I never got to this one. I know it's an important one - REH's only novel. Part of me, I think, wanted to savor that so I'd have something new to read of Howard's.

Well, I'm there now.

Someone asked me how it is to read, I said it feels like coming home.

Aside from that, not much to blog about. Busy at work, busy at home.

I do have a list of writing tasks I need to attend to, both stories and some articles. Now that summer's here, for some reason, I seem to have more stamina for later nights. If I can keep the synapses firing, some late summer night writing will be fun!

Free Comic Book Day results

2011-05-08T08:33:00.002-04:00

I hadn't planned on shopping on Free Comic Book Day. But, I received a Facebook note from a local music/comic chain (Newbury Comics) and in addition to free comics, they offered 'buy one graphic novel, get a 2nd for $1'.

So, I took my daughter and headed out. We were there by 10:45AM and it was quiet. The hardcore crowds had already descended and gone. The freebies were wiped out. No big loss - though I had thought about getting the new Elric series teaser if it was there.

I also wanted to get some Hellboy graphic novels, but they had none. I went with two Hellboy spinoffs, BPRD (vol 7) and Witchfinder (vol 1). I would have liked to start earlier in BPRD, but that was the oldest volume they had on hand.

I also bought a $1 grab bag. Came out with a 1-in-10 rare Red Sonja issue (cover art is "virgin" - no imprint). The oddest thing in the grab bag has to be Female Force with a fictional(?) spy account of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Definitely not one I'd read on my own, but because I have it, I'm rather curious read it. Grab bag also had #1 of The Expendables. I don't know if it is the movie adaptation or a spinoff of the movie storyline. (sequel or prequel?)

And a free pint glass, too.

Not a bad haul for spur of the moment shopping.

An Alarm of Crows

2011-05-04T09:19:00.007-04:00

Last night, at dusk, I heard crows cawing outside. I've had some experience listening to crows. They have a distinctive caw when they are raising an alarm. Usually, they are busy harassing a hawk. Being the raptor-phile that I am, I started glancing out windows, looking to the sky and trees.

I spotted one crow directly behind my house, perched in a maple tree. I couldn't see any hawk. The crow flew off, over the roof, and headed to the front yard. I followed from the kitchen to the living room and gazed out the picture window, still searching for a hawk.

Then I saw what the crows saw. I should have been looking down.

I just caught a glimpse of the red fox as it leapt over a stone wall into my neighbor's yard. I also spotted a white flash dashing. I assume it was a rabbit, but it all happened so fast it might have been the white tip of the tail of a second fox. Entirely unsure on that point.

If you've friended me on Facebook, this won't come as a surprise. Just two nights ago I overheard neighbors talking about hearing a fishercat, and it turns out foxes and fishercats sound similar when making their loud cries. I was suspecting a fox, I've had them traipse through the yard before. But with our healthy population of rodentia this year, I wonder if this fox will stick around. He has plenty to dine upon - chipmunks, red squirrels, gray squirrels, black squirrels, rabbits and we just spotted the woodchuck again over the weekend.

I'm fine with that, it's neat. Only slight concern is for my kids & wife outside playing. Rabid foxes, it seems for some reason, have no fear and attack people. I have no reason to believe this fox is unhealthy, but we'll be vigilant.

too much input

2011-04-25T17:14:00.001-04:00

I swear every time I vow to lessen my websurfing more sites/blogs/discussion-groups/tweeters show up that pique my interest.

Gotta cut down on that stuff.

Irish anecdote

2011-04-08T10:24:00.004-04:00

Last night, I flipped by a travel show, and the host was in a pub in Dublin, Ireland.

I've been to Ireland twice. Such shows always make me yearn to visit again.

I probably won't make it back for a while. My kids have a ways to go before we can travel to cultural/historical destinations and have them appreciate the vacation. (read; they will want to go to Disney World a few times first ;) )

My favorite moment in my Irish travels were when my brother and I, second generation Irish-Americans, met my mother's cousins in Galway.

I was asked a wonderful question.

"Is this the first time you've been home?"

I guess all us Irish-Americans are just on loan; Ireland is our true home.

Still, it's a great place to visit - whether you have Irish blood or not.

Another wishlist entry

2011-04-05T21:36:00.007-04:00

Flipping by a pledge driven re-airing of Ken Burns' The Civil War, I was reminded of all the diary readings from Elisha Hunt Rhodes. He was a Union soldier, and I seem to remember him surviving all the way from the earliest engagements to the end of the war. I always wanted to read his story.

His letters and diaries were collected in All for the Union, which is still available in paperback and has a Kindle edition, too.

Here is the short Wikipedia page about him. Elisha Hunt Rhodes.

Bonus; he's buried at Swan Point cemetery - the same cemetery where H. P. Lovecraft is buried.

Super in-joke!

2011-03-28T09:11:00.009-04:00

This weekend, I noticed in the t.v. guide that Superman was finally appearing on Batman: the Brave & the Bold, in the episode, "Battle of the Super-heroes!". So, we made it a point to watch the episode.

My first thought was, "Wow, they're really going for the corny, old-school Superman".

Then things got real crazy.

And really funny.

Funny, that is, if you are aware of Superdickery.com.

That site collects all the crazy out-of-context Superman comic covers over the years that make you scratch your head. Superman being cruel, Lois trying to get Superman to marry her, etc.

In the episode, Jimmy Olsen even starts to say, "Superman sure is being a d..." before he gets cut off.

It’s all funny, but start with Galleries - “Examples of Superdickery” & “Confounding Covers”.

Some of these covers were directly lifted for the episode.

Just a few I spotted;

Super 1

Super 2

Super 3

And, I believe there were also a few Dark Knight Returns visuals when Superman battled Batman (Batman had armor on), but I didn't get to verify that.

Re-reading the Gael

2011-03-21T10:17:00.016-04:00

As if I didn't have enough new books to read, I got sucked back into some re-reading.

Reading this for entertainment and writing inspiration.

Cormac Mac Art is, perhaps, Robert E. Howard's least realized hero. There were no sales in his lifetime, only two completed tales, and some fragments and outlines.

I don't know why these stories appeal to me so much. Perhaps it is the Irish connection; or the Viking adventure - or both.

I don't remember if I read these before I read Conan or not. Maybe this was my first realization that Howard had various series of tales featuring different heroes aside from Conan.

For those who don't know, Andrew Offutt revived the character in a series of pastiche novels during the 1970s/early1980s. I have all of them, but I've only read three so far.

Unofficially, David Drake contributed a novel, The Dragon Lord, as well. It's a fun read, if you get a hold of it.

Anecdote of reading and napping

2011-03-14T14:52:00.004-04:00

Just a fun anecdote.

Borders dropped their prices this weekend 30%-50% off.

I went to the store again and brought my 2-yr old to get her out of the house for a while.

She fell asleep right as we pulled into our home driveway.

She almost never naps. I couldn't waste the opportunity.

That's the great thing about book shopping. I was able to adapt.

I read a tale from one of my new books in the front seat, she slept in the back for forty minutes.

Then she woke up, and we went inside. :)

(I bought another Warhammer anthology, Death & Dishonour and The King's Gold by Arturo Perez-Reverte (another Captain Alatriste novel.))

A matter of character

2011-03-09T10:24:00.001-05:00

OK, fellow writers. Query time.

How do you create/deal with your characters in fiction?

Do you wing it? Give them detailed character traits, histories, etc?

Not-so-detailed information and discover as you go along writing?

I am curious. I have a pile of stories ideas. I am realizing that in addition to “real life” excuses, some of the ideas just won't gel, and I believe it is a matter of not having a handle on the characters.

I have plots, some neat trappings, but I need to execute those with characters that matter, or really – who cares? And, I know that if you throw three different people (characters) in a room, their traits and habits and reactions and interaction will also create/drive plot.

I realize some of my stronger stories were ones where I made an instant (and easier) connection and intuition with the characters.

So, what do you do when you need to get to know your characters, and it doesn't happen off-the-cuff?

Book buying

2011-02-22T09:34:00.012-05:00

Another long weekend flew by, and the month is nearly closing. Time for a post! ;)

Nothing much here. I want to increase my reading amount this year, but February has been a tight month on my time. I started, and I am still reading, Eric Brighteyes by H. Rider Haggard.

Friday, I had an afternoon free (1/2 day vacation to burn) so I treated myself to book shopping. I went to an independent book seller in my area - a huge warehouse with thousands of books, The New England Mobile Book Fair - which is neither mobile, nor a fair (they are open year round.)

It's a great place, with new books. Sometimes, though, it's as good as a used book store because you might find something out-of-print hidden away. Once I stumbled on a mint, unsold, Conan of the Isles. It must have been there for twenty years before I grabbed it.

Of course, as time goes by, such finds are less likely. But, on Friday, I stumbled on a handful of Saberhagen's Lost Swords novels. No idea where they've been hiding - I guess somewhere in the back, though, being a warehouse, most stuff is out on the shelves. Very happy to acquire those. Also bought a couple of more Warhammer novels, and finally Robert E. Howard's Sword Woman (the new Del Rey edition.)

The business is up for sale (the family owning it would like to retire and move on.) They've been at it 54 years. Everyone hopes someone buys and keeps their model and makes no changes to the store. It's a real treasure, especially in this time of dwindling brick-and-mortar stores.

I decided to curb my spending and left the four TOR re-issues of Moorcock's Hawkmoon on the shelf. I was very tempted, and they are nice. But they are thin books and even with the illustrations the cover price $13.99 seems steep. Lots of folks have said they enjoy these more than Elric, and I am very tempted to read them. But I think I'll just keep an eye out for used editions. The tales have been through a few different publishers.

After all that, Friday night I received the official "your local Borders store is closing" email. 20% off starting Saturday, so I went and bought yet more books. This time, some Dr Seuss for my daughter, a Warhammer omnibus and two titles by A. Lee Martinez, (In the Company of Ogres, The Automatic Detective.) I haven't read Martinez, but I've heard good things about these books. I'm usually not one for comedic fantasy, but these sound like I would enjoy them.

As usual, I now need to find room to squeeze these titles on my bookcases, and find time to read them all!

January reads

2011-01-28T15:26:00.015-05:00

Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian.

The opening novel of O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series, adventures in the Age of Sail.

I had enjoyed the movie adaptation, Master & Commander: Far Side of the World. I'd heard this series praised many times, so I thought I'd give it a read.

Maybe I'm too used to reading action but I slogged through 129 pgs before it got interesting with the first naval battle.

I was expecting more of a direct action series like Cornwell's Sharpe.

While I admire O'Brian's research and documentation of the naval life, there was so much age-of-sail naval jargon that it seemed more like reading a foreign language than elucidation.

I also feel like he dropped a bunch of sly historical jokes and puns that went right over my head. I felt at times that I was reading a "dramedy."

I guess it's just me. I didn't enjoy this novel very much. I might return to the series - perhaps skip to Far Side of the World - but it will be awhile.

Someday I'd like to read another Age of Sail novel as point of comparison; Forester's Horatio Hornblower or Kent's Bolitho novels, perhaps.

Meantime, I took a break from the Age of Sail and delved back into Warhammer with...

Oathbreaker by Nick Kyme.

I just wanted a quick read with violence and action, and Kyme delivered. This novel is about dwarfs (In Warhammer, the plural of "dwarf" is "dwarfs", not "dwarves". Why they insist on this affectation, I don't know.) Dwarfs bashing goblin, orc and skaven heads, and who could want more?

Taking an inspiration from Lord of the Rings, no doubt - imagine if Gimli pulled together a small army of dwarves to retake Moria and you get the plot for this novel. Some of the visuals of the dwarf halls seem to come right from some of the Moria CGI work in the movie adaptation of Fellowship of the Ring.

Uthor, an ambititous dwarf, makes an oath to retake Karak Varn, after the great dwarf hold is taken by skaven (bipedal, intelligent, evil rat men of the Warhammer universe.) Though we are introduced to other dwarf characters, I read this novel quickly and some of the characters blurred for me. This novel is the second of three that form a loose trilogy about the dwarfs as a Warhammer race. We are shown various facets of dwarf society - the merchants, the stone workers, the engineers, the slayers, etc.

In the end, it is more about the dwarfs than any single dwarf. But, that's okay.

It was a fun romp, a quick read and that's all the entertainment I was looking for.

Just an FYI; in the novel trilogy, Oathbreaker is proceeded by Grudgebearer by Gav Thorpe and followed by another Nick Kyme novel, Honourkeeper. Given that they do not feature the same characters, ordering doesn't really matter.

In Black Library fashion, all three will be collected in an omnibus later this year, simply entitled Dwarfs.

Books read in 2010

2010-12-31T09:22:00.018-05:00

I had a very slow reading year, this year. Not sure why. Sure, there was the baby, but he didn't show up until October.

Ah well.

As with writing, I hope to accomplish more reading in 2011.

A lot of these I've blogged about over 2010. Some I never got around to commenting on, for whatever reason.

But, here is the list;

+ The White Company by Arthur Conan Doyle (ebook)

+ Nightmares & Dreamscapes by Stephen King

+ Slaine: The Exile by Steven Savile

+ The Sword of Rhiannon (a.k.a. Sea Kings of Mars) by Leigh Brackett

+ The Space Wolf Omnibus (Space Wolf, Ragnar's Claw, Grey Hunter) by William King (Warhammer 40K)

+ The Berserker Throne by Fred Saberhagen (ebook)

+ Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey (audiobook)

+ Of Berserkers, Swords and Vampires by Fred Saberhagen

+ The Sharp End by David Drake (Hammers' Slammers)

+ The Song of Roland (ebook)

+ Barbarians, Marauders & Infidels by Antonio Santosuosso (history) (ebook)

+ The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson

+ Dark Worlds #1 (ezine)

+ Casca: The Warrior (#17) by Barry Sadler

+ War of Art by Steven Pressfield (ebook)

+ Killing Trail by Charles Gramlich (ebook)

+ Steppe by Piers Anthony

I've noted the one audiobook and ebooks, for fun. All ebooks were read on the Kindle except War of Art which was epub format, so I read it on my Mac using the Barnes&Noble Nook reader app. (much nicer on Mac than the PC version, btw)

I noted Dark Worlds ezine because it was fairly large, but I think there are some other e-reads I forgot to note during the year. I need to be better about that in future.

I am surprised I didn't squeeze in at least one Warhammer read. (I did read the one Warhammer 40K omnibus)

My favorites were The Broken Sword and Of Berserkers, Swords and Vampires. Sword of Rhiannon rounds out my top three.

Happy New Year, see you in 2011!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-24T16:00:00.001-05:00

Thanks to my few loyal readers.

Nothing to say here, other than "Happy Christmas!" (as the Brits say) and happy New Year (if I don't post again between now and then.)

Hopefully, in the new year, I'll have more posts about my own writing than others' works. :)

Leftovers and waiting

2010-12-03T13:28:00.003-05:00

I have leftovers.

Not food.

Unfinished tales.

I need to get them sorted out and off my back. I suppose I could let them go, but part of me believes if I get these monkeys off my back and in their cages, I'll feel better about diving into something larger and new. Far past time I try my hand at a novel.

So, what do I have? Well, I can't give away much.

I have a weird western, a sword-n-planet and a space-opera idea I've been kicking for awhile that feels more leftover than new. I really need to crank out the rough draft.

It's the weekend. Time for caffeine in evening (though, that darn seasonal eggnog & rum are calling ;) )

I am also in my "don't buy anything for yourself" phase of the year. With my late November birthday and Christmas coming, I lay off the Amazon wishlist purchases.

The good news is that I have a pile of Amazon gift certificates waiting (Amazon Visa is a wonderful thing for a book lover.) I'll be getting any books I really want if I don't receive them as gifts. I just need to hold out until Dec 26th.

October to November and beyond

2010-11-22T10:44:00.035-05:00

Despite my ever growing Kindle wishlist, I still thoroughly enjoy the “used book” hunt. During my week off, I managed to shop at a nearby branch of The Book Rack. I could have come out with a lot of books. I kept under control, though, and came out with six. Two Saberhagen Berserker titles, Berserker Fury and Berserker Base. Two Poul Anderson books, The Armies of Elfland and Hrolf Kraki's Saga. Lastly, I completed Andrew Offutt's “War of the Gods on Earth” trilogy by picking up the second and third volumes.

As mentioned in previous posts, I'm enjoying discovering Saberhagen, so grabbing the Berserker titles was a no brainer. There were more Saberhagen titles, but I held off.

As for the Offutt tales, I know he was a mid-mid-list writer of sword-&-sorcery, but I'm still curious about his work, though not expecting much. These knock-off/pastiche/homages like Offutt and John Jakes' Brak the Barbarian would really be the perfect Kindle reads (if they were cheap enough.) I'm curious enough to read them, & grab them when I see them, but I don't go out of my way. If there were e-versions available, I'd let the print editions go to make room for better works on my bookcase.

I'm currently (finally) reading Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword and it is an amazing piece of work. If you don't know its background, here's the long story short. Anderson, like Tolkien, went into the past of the North for ideas and inspiration. Unlike Tolkien, who (from all I've gathered) delved deep into Old English and, by inheritance, used elements from Norse myth, Anderson went straight to the sagas and eddas. (I am no Tolkien expert - if I'm wrong, I'm sure I'll be corrected ;) )

The Broken Sword is a dark, gloomy piece and arrived about the same time as Tolkien. Anderson's work was overshadowed by the first wave of Lord of the Rings hoopla, and that is too bad. The Broken Sword is a very different destination from many of the same influences. For that alone, it's worth reading and comparing to JRR Tolkien's work.

The Broken Sword has been cited by Michael Moorcock as a huge influence on his Elric tales, and its obvious when you read Anderson's work.

(Yeah, don't let the “gay elf” cover fool you. The publisher was attempting to emulate artwork used for Lord of the Rings covers at the time. This other cover is more representative of the content.)

Writing? Nah. For those who don't know, my son was born last month. With a toddler and an infant, I've just about managed to do some reading. I am plugging away at one short tale though. I hope to get the rough draft done this week. If I can, then I just might manage a polish and submission by the end-of-month deadline. If not, I have other ideas to execute once I get back into routine.

Onward with Saberhagen

2010-10-16T22:48:00.003-04:00

Finally cracked open Of Berserkers, Swords & Vampires by Fred Saberhagen today. It's a posthumous collection with stories that sample across his different series settings - and some stand-alone tales.

In honor of October/Halloween, I jumped to the vampire (his version of Dracula) tales at the end. Now, aside from the introduction (which I also read) I'm ready to start at the beginning.

I finally finished Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes. I was not as enraptured by this collection as his earlier collections (Night Shift and Skeleton Crew) but there were some solid tales. King certainly knows how to bring characters to life and pull a reader in - even in stories where things are left unexplained. My favorite tale from this collection isn't even a horror tale. I enjoyed the fantasy tale, "The House on Maple Street" the most, I think.

Currently writing a Lovecraftian historical tale. It's slow going because of real life distraction, but I hope to get enough headway on it. The deadline goes until Dec 1st.

Other writing ideas - big and small - are piling up. I am going to need to add some writing New Year Resolutions to the list for January!

I iMac

2010-09-11T23:48:00.003-04:00

Nothing new to report. Too busy with stuff, just about getting in my reading, never mind my writing.

Lost some time to a crashing computer - an old PC - and decided I'd finally had enough of Windows. We bought an iMac for home. I'm not bothering to debate pros and cons. At this point in my computing life, I feel the Mac is the right place for me. I'm not a gamer. If I were, I'd go console, anyway. I like the creative tools for a Mac - GarageBand to start with. Some interesting writing software, too.

So, in addition to "life in general" stuff, I've been spending evenings setting up software, peripherals and transferring files.

My biggest discovery this week was the Cee Lo Green single, "F--- You." (And it sounds like 'Gnarls Barkley' because Cee Lo is one half of that duo.)

Yeah, it might seem a juvenile title, and it is, but the song is an incredibly catchy pop piece with heavy Motown/old-school-R&B overtones. The video is cute and humorous, too.

Cee Lo Green, "F--- You" NSFW language

I know to folks who know my blues/rock side, this might be a surprise. But, sometimes there is a pop tune that gets to me in a good way. It is a rare occurrence. Like, once every five or ten years. This song is one of those. Certainly, your mileage might vary.

Tempus Fugit

2010-08-15T22:37:00.014-04:00

I finally read a Casca novel, The Warrior (#17). Casca is the Roman soldier who pierced Jesus' side with the spear. As a curse, he is destined to roam the Earth as a soldier until the Second Coming. He can be killed, but never truly dies (he can be resurrected) and his wounds heal quickly. The series features Casca in many historical periods, from ancient times right into Africa and Vietnam. (More data can be found via the link.)

While it probably wasn't the strongest entry in the line, it seemed a good place to start. Seeing as how the tale takes place in the 1860s/70s in the South Pacific, it lacked large, sweeping military action. But it made up for that with bloodthirsty cannibalism and study of culture clash. Good short read for action-adventure, historical fiction.

Don't let the near "romance-novel" cover fool you. It is nothing of the sort.

When I was a kid, I had the Marvel comic adaptation of the original Star Wars movie. Before even The Empire Strikes Back had arrived, the Marvel Star Wars line had taken on a life of its own. I had a few issues past the movie timeline, but always wondered where the storylines went.

I recently learned that some years ago, Dark Horse reprinted the run in graphic novels. Fortunately for me, as I discovered a few months ago, it so happens that Dark Horse has re-(re)-issued the Marvel run in an omnibus. I picked up the omnibus and I'm eager to dig in. It will be interesting to see where the writers went without the (soon to be famous/infamous) heavy hand of George Lucas. (It will also be interesting to see how they eventually did tie-in with an adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back - that omnibus is due later this year.)

Back from vacation

2010-07-18T21:16:00.006-04:00

I'm back. Spent some days at the beach. Having a toddler, I didn't get much reading done, though I did have Kindle in hand. It was great family time though, beach bumming, strolling, walking, eating out. I even squeezed in an acoustic jam with an old friend & others one evening.

Aside from the family and friends fun on the beach, I did a little book hunting. There is a "book warehouse" shop - you know, the ones with the discount books. I wasn't even going to stop in, but I saw The Religion by Tim Willocks displayed near the front of the store. It's a historical fiction novel about the siege of Malta. I've heard good things about this novel, and it was very tempting. In the end, I passed. They had the hardcover, and I am really trying to make space at home. The ebook cost couple of dollars more, but I guess I'm paying for shelf space at this point.

I did, however, find a decent used book store and grabbed three of the eight Lost Swords novels by Fred Saberhagen. They all have spine warping, but for the price, I can deal with it. I know these books aren't currently available in e-format, so I felt justified.

I really need to map out my writing for the next few months. I have about four stories that really need to get written/re-written.

Back to work tomorrow. I would "sigh", but you know - it's what pays for everything, so I won't complain.

Ought update once in a while, eh?

2010-06-27T23:37:00.003-04:00

Sorry you get about one post per month out of me.

This month has been busy with non-reading and non-writing related stuff. A lot of house rearrangement.

And my workplace company moved. Fortunately for me, it's ridiculously close to home. That was pure luck, I had no say in the choice of the new location.

I also got on a huge music kick and I have been acquiring archives for my vinyl - trying to go digital there and free some home space, too.

I read Planet Stories reissue of Piers Anthony's Steppe. Honestly, I thought it was a drag. I just couldn't suspend disbelief, the language was too informal (perhaps this was a y.a. title before they were classified as such?) and far too much exposition that was not only front-loaded but kept coming back.

I wanted to get behind Paizo for adding some newer titles to their classics, but Steppe just didn't move me. I don't know if it is representative of Anthony's writing or not. I believe it's the only title of his that I have read.

Not sure what I'll read next. I feel like I've neglected the Kindle, might be time for another eBook.

Keep reading, keep writing, and keep jamming!

The Lost Sorceress of the Silent Citadel

2010-05-28T10:59:00.007-04:00

Last month (or so), a little "lost" sword-&-planet tale by Michael Moorcock showed up on Tor.com.

"The Lost Sorceress of the Silent Citadel" originally appeared in a 1990s anthology.

It's a quick web read, and while nothing amazing, it does what Moorcock does best - a feverish read from what appeared to be a quick writing session. I haven't read too many long novels from Moorcock, and, as James Enge once wrote, to me it feels that Moorcock's best is when the sparks are flying off the typewriter (computer) and the world building is off-the-cuff and only spawning what is needed to support the tale at hand.

Historically, Moorcock has often praised Leigh Brackett's writing, and this story is an homage. Though, I believe it also reads strongly as an homage to C. L. Moore's tales of Northwest Smith. It has more of a 'Weird Tales' strange alien vistas look'n'feel than a planetary swashbuckler.

I did grin, though, when I read "big sleep" and "long goodbye" directly in the prose. Those were two screenplays Leigh Brackett wrote (she did Hollywood screenwriting as well as science-fantasy-fiction.)

It's a good tale for a quick read and it's free.

Welcome to the Stupid!

2010-05-17T20:45:00.007-04:00

I grow increasingly frustrated, and appalled, and as a parent, frightened by our country's current obsession with being stupid and willingly embracing ignorance.

Why is it a great, wonderful, height of achievement to be a dumbass?

Is this really what we want? Is this a great goal for a nation like ours?

I really hit the wall today - and it was either shout at the innocent clerk or write a nasty letter (I might still) or rant online.

So, please tell me what you think of this genius of a product, clearly aimed at kids;

Yup.

Erasers. "Yummy Erasers"! Great, choke-sized pieces of rubber not only designed to look like candy, but even named YUMMY.

No problem there!

I might add, the store where I saw these had them at the checkout counter NEXT TO THE CANDY.

OK - I see things differently as a parent, so maybe I'm off the wrong tangent here. But, what the *&^%?

Does anyone think this is a good idea? Would anyone buy this shit?

Yes, you can tell your child it's NOT candy. But what if you have multiple children? Let's say one is a bit older, understands it is not candy, but leaves the eraser out somewhere where their toddler sibling can grab it?

This isn't just badly manufactured, and/or poorly designed toys or something. It is made to LOOK like CANDY. It is clearly PITCHED to KIDS.

Why is this shit even created, produced, and sold?

I really hope no one buys this crap.

Lazy bloggin'

2010-05-06T12:46:00.004-04:00

Sorry for lack of activity, here.

Nothing much to post about. I've read a few books - nothing bad but nothing to make me jump up & down. I don't feel like sinking time with reviewing them just now.

Also, trying to get writing done so that puts a crimp on blog post writing and/or reading.

I started watching HBO's The Pacific. I agree with a lot of comments about it not being as strong as Band of Brothers. The story is told from p.o.v. of three (or four) different Marines in different units, so it's hard - initially - to get a handle on them. It's not like BoB where you were with one group every step of the way from basic training through to the end.

Enjoying the new Doctor in Doctor Who, though I was really disappointed with the cartoon-y nature of the Dalek episode, "Victory of the Daleks".

Enjoying home life, too. A trip to the zoo with friends last week was fun.

Forging ahead with reading tech

2010-04-07T11:28:00.024-04:00

I wanted to try some small press e-zines/e-books, but they were in PDF format - which meant reading on the computer screen. I read, however, that the Kindle (Kindle 2) has native PDF support.

First, I dragged some test PDFs over, and they didn't show up on my index. OK. I needed to update the software on my Kindle. The update came out just after Xmas, just after I received mine. Updated smoothly, no problem. PDF files showed on the list.

However, as some Google hits told me beforehand, the native support isn't anything to write home about. You can't adjust font size, the document is very static. It was like reading microfiche without the machine. You could change the orientation to landscape, but it didn't help much.

Off to Google again. There are many methods of converting PDF to Kindle readable formats. Or, for a fee, you can email the doc to Amazon, through a converter, and sent back to the Kindle.

I went with the free option of MobiPocket.com. I downloaded and installed the free publisher, imported the PDFs, rebuilt them into .prc files and dragged them to the Kindle directly through USB. It works great, files (with embedded illustrations, even) came through without any noticeable issue.

Article on using conversion tools

After that success, I went to Lulu.com and bought three items - two issues of Dark Worlds magazine and the new anthology, Swords of Fire.

Rage Machine Books

I've converted those, and sometime in future I'll pull them over to the Kindle and start reading! (only, I wish the PDFs included those great covers, they appear not to - but it's the stories that count.)

Honestly, it might have taken a while to type and to read this, but it was simple and quick thing to do once I was setup!

Quick followup note on an earlier reply to David J. West - yes, the iPad already has a comic reader app. Marvel has created one. (also works on iPhone/iTouch, though with devices that small I guess you'd be looking at one panel at a time - if that!)

I don't have an IPad nor a strong interest in one just now. But in future, depending on what apps it has that can be useful or recreational, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it.

Movies

2010-03-21T22:10:00.014-04:00

Reading my way through a Warhammer 40K omnibus right now, and I'll be dropping my thoughts on that (3 novels) when I've finished 'em all as one big whole.

Meantime, I've managed to catch some movies. (and here are my thoughts, if you are interested.)

Appaloosa

Good western. Gunfights are realistic - they happen and end in a flash. (Yes, the real gunfight at O.K. Corral only lasted something like 30~40 seconds, I remember Jack Palance telling me on Ripley's Believe It or Not, if I recall correctly.) I enjoyed the teaming of both the characters and actors (Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen.)

I am interested in reading the original series of novels by Robert B. Parker. The plot is simple enough - two hired lawman try to bring in a crooked rancher, and things get complicated when they both fall for the new widower in town, Allie French (played by Renee Zellweger.) I had a hard time buying that Allie's affections were worth the trouble the characters went through (frankly, she wasn't a likable character to me.)

Planet Hulk

The Hulk is supposed to be marooned on a planet teaming with non-intelligent life. The Avengers have made the decision for the safety of Earth and the Hulk. But the Hulk smashes the spacecraft's controls, and lands on a planet in the finest sword-n-planet tradition - strange alien creatures, gladiatorial combat, and all the trappings.

Good adaptation of the graphic novel but a lot has been jettisoned for streamlining (and happy endings.) This was not unexpected. The "making of" documentary mentioned that they kept much of the story taking place in the arena as the plot's "spine". For me, that was a detriment. I wanted them out of the arena and exploring the planet more.

It Might Get Loud

This documentary is about three rock icons and how the electric guitar and other musical forces shaped their musical development. Jimmy Page, the Edge and Jack White. Regardless of how you feel about their music, it is a very interesting look at three different guitar players. Being a "white boy bluesman" myself, I found Jack White's story of most interest (also, I already knew plenty about Page and the Edge.) I thought the stylistic choices of the three men was ironic when they all played slide together on "In My Time of Dying". Edge wore his slide on his middle finger, Page on the ring finger and White on the pinky. Perfect serendipitous dovetailing.

Fun and interesting; if you have even a single rock'n'roll bone in your body, check this one out.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths

Another DC Universe direct-to-DVD feature. I think this is my favorite. Expectations are turned upside down as Lex Luthor, last survivor of his world's Justice League, arrives on Earth to seek assistance from the Justice League. On his world, the evil counterparts to the JL are a crime syndicate who answer to no one and now threaten to take absolute control. Good visuals, good story. So far with these movies, I've been enjoying the rotating voice casts, but I admit I am so used to Clancy Brown voicing Lex Luthor that Chris Noth's turn here left me a little cold. Still - that's more about me than his performance.

All in all, a good batch of movies I'm glad to say.

Quick read post

2010-03-02T22:34:00.004-05:00

tired and a bit busy lately, but figured it was March so I should put up something...

Slaine: The Exile by Steven Savile
I was unaware of the history of Slaine when I bought this novel. Slaine is a series and character of the 2000AD British comic company.

I was hoping for lots of Celtic bloody head-bashing. What I read was a very disjointed tale with not nearly enough action to make up for the faults. I have gathered from another review that this novel pulls in years worth of Slaine comic tidbits, characters and plots. I believe the aim was an episodic novel, but it just didn't seem to pull together. Subplots and side characters came and went. The entire second act left me scratching my head as Slaine went from bloodthirsty berserker to a rover, including time as a mercenary caravan guard (ok) to a farmer (say what?) completely dropping his desire for vengeance until well into the third act.

The third act perked up a bit, with the arrival of Ukko, the untrustworthy dwarf sidekick. The plot threads started to gel and the story found direction.. and then the novel just ended!

So, I am curious to read the sequel novel, because of the cliffhanger and growing potential, but I won't rush to read it.

Rambling on eReaders/eBooks

2010-02-09T10:18:00.012-05:00

I am currently reading, Slaine: The Exile, which is a novel tie-in with a comic. (The comic comes from Britain’s 2000AD line.) The novel came out in 2006, and a sequel followed in 2007. The novel was published by Black Flame, who were a division of BL Publishing. (Their main arm is Black Library, who publish the Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 novels.) Black Flame published media tie-in novels. In addition to 2000AD titles, they also novelized some movies into novel series.

I thought about buying the second Slaine novel, but then decided to wait until I read the first novel. Black Flame folded in 2007. As a result, the second Slaine novel, Slaine: The Defiler, is already rare. Now, the first novel isn’t sending me into the stratosphere (more on that in a review post later,) but I’d be curious to go on to the second novel, but not at the prices out there.

"What do you mean I'm out-of-print?!"

Another title they novelized was Fiends of the Eastern Front, a series about vampyrs in the Russian-German front of World War II. There was a trilogy, which in true BL Publishing fashion, wound up in an omnibus. I never did grab a copy, and those are gone too.

Foiled again by “out-of-print”!

Or am I?

I was poking around Wikipedia yesterday, and learned that BL Publishing sold off the 2000AD novels of Black Flame to another company, Rebellion Developments, in 2009. Rebellion have made the titles available as eBooks.

I hopped over to Amazon, and checked the Kindle Store.

Sure enough, the titles are there. They seem reasonably priced - $5.59 per novel.

This perfectly illustrates one of the aspects of eReaders/eBooks that I am most excited about. They can make out-of-print books available. I love hunting used book stores, and if I really want something, I’ll try eBay or ABE Books. But, what if it’s just something I want to try, I’m not sure of the quality? What if the book is so rare, I just can’t get a hold of it?

Imagine all those yellow spine DAW books, Karl E. Wagner’s Kane stories, Robert Adams Horseclans, Sadler’s Casca or the Falcon series by “Mark Ramsay” (house author started by John Maddox Roberts) being available with a mere download.

I grant that Rebellion had an advantage with Black Flame. The Black Flame books, being so new, probably were already on a computer and just needed a formatting pass to make them eReader ready. Older books will require some upfront time and money to be transcribed to computer. I have no idea what it costs a publisher to bring an older book online, but I would hope it would be recovered with a minor amount of sales. (Need to keep the cost attractive.) But it doesn’t cost them printing or warehouse space, certainly.

Will more out-of-print (but not public domain) titles become more and more available via eReaders?

Time will tell. I, for one, certainly hope so!

miscellany

2010-01-22T13:00:00.007-05:00

Today is the natal anniversary of Robert E. Howard (1906-1936), creator of Conan (the Barbarian), Kull, Solomon Kane, Cormac Mac Art, et al.

A toast to your shade, sir!

I spent last week dealing with a virus on our main home computer. They suck, and the people who create them (whether for 'fun' or 'profit') suck. Pox on them. I finally recovered the machine a few nights ago. I think my next desktop will be an iMac. I've had it with Windows clunkiness. (and if needed, you can run Windows right on the Intel Macs now, with the right software purchases.)

I finished my first Kindle read, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The White Company. The story revolved around a young English man's entry into the Medieval world after being cloistered in a monastery. After various incidents, he ends up with a mercenary archery company fighting in France/Spain. I found the book to be .. well, of its time. Slow to start, lots of talk and people traveling from one place to the next. Frankly, I was bored. I guess it's really more of a Romance (not romance) novel. Some humorous stuff, but very little action on the whole. And when the action comes, it is over very quickly. Also some very poor "telling, not showing" where entire dialog passages describe off-page action, like watching a stage play.

On the plus side, lots of historical detail (maybe too much, like Doyle was showing off all his research.) Good source for Medieval clothing, armor, weaponry (though, most weapons are cited, and not described being used!)

On writing, I signed on for a(nother) slot in an anthology (where I have already contributed one tale.) I started working on that this week. It's sword-n-planet, and I have a rough outline. I will enjoy visiting the exotic vistas and running the characters through their paces.

Cheers!

Last reads of 2009

2010-01-09T14:58:00.007-05:00

My last reads of 2009 were...

Brother Berserker by Fred Saberhagen.

Another entry in Saberhagen's long Berserker series. This story featured time travel, as the Berserkers attempt to change the history of a world. Nice touches, interesting time combat, and Saberhagen just has a knack for storytelling that I really enjoy. An enjoyable, if short, entry in the series.

(note: this novel is more commonly known as Brother Assassin - I think I read the British edition/title)

The Sun Over Breda by Arturo Perez-Reverte

The third adventure in the Captain Alatriste series. I liked it but the constant asides and poetry quotations disrupted the narrative. It does have sharp characters that pop off the page and some memorable combats scenes.

I think without the asides, it might have been better served as a novella.

The World of Kindle

2009-12-29T10:24:00.004-05:00

I received a very surprise gift at Christmas - a Kindle.

I have downloaded and I am now reading Arthur Conan Doyle's The White Company.

I also ordered a cover/case right away. I already dropped it once (luckily with no damage) getting it out of the box (don't want to carry it around in a cardboard box, anyway.)

Nothing replaces the feel of a real book. I'll still get those, too. (just did a post-holiday Amazon order, in fact.) But having access to classics and out-of-print (hoping more and more out-of-print books get into the digital realm) make it appealing.

Some music for the New Year

2009-12-23T11:49:00.007-05:00

Taking a break from our regular broadcast of reading (and occasional writing) commentary to plug some good music I found this year.

First up, from Chicago - The Steepwater Band.

The first thing I’ll say is, if you like the Black Crowes, you need to check out this band. I think they are even more rockin’ than the Crowes. Their latest album was produced by Marc Ford, former Black Crowes guitarist. I think Steepwater play closer to their blues roots, with original material with hints of Faces, Beatles, Stones, Hendrix and all that. Very good slide playing, some good jamming, and catchy songs.

On top of all that, they have a jukebox on their website that lets you hear 21 songs (complete, not 30sec samples), so you should absolutely give them a try before you buy. If you buy albums direct from the band’s website, you’ll save money and they get the best deal. The albums are cheap, $10 (Grace & Melody, their latest , is on sale for only $7 right now.)

I have no personal relation to these guys. I just think they are a good, new rock band who deserve some buzz.

Check ‘em out!

On a related tangent, I really like the music of Alvin Youngblood Hart. He usually performs blues or rock, but he has an upcoming project of roots music called the South Memphis String Band. Also featured in this trio is Luther Dickinson, who is currently in (you guessed it) the Black Crowes! Rounding out the trio is Jimbo Mathus , from Squirrel Nut Zippers.

You can hear two of their songs at their MySpace page (or, Facebook page.)

They have announced that a full album will be out in January.

I really got into rootsy, bluesy, string tunes this year, and I am really glad these guys happen to be launching this project for the New Year.

Happy Holidays!

The "to be read" pile

2009-11-19T13:15:00.008-05:00

I've been trading a lot of "to be read" notes with folks lately, and for fun and lack of anything else to post, I thought I'd examine some of those books that I have not read and want to read someday.

For this I think I will only count books that I own, not any book I might eventually acquire or borrow from the library.

While it is great to see new titles and small press getting along, my reading list is growing exponentially, as I am also trying to catch up on many genre readings from the past that I never read before, either.

This is by no means complete, just off the top of my head.

===

Abercrombie's first novel of the First Law trilogy.

Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore. OK, I've read half of them so far. I think I had actually read more than half, but Salvatore went and put out two more trilogies. Also from Salvatore, I have the second Demon Wars novel. I did read the first one, and liked Salvatore getting to play and create his own world, but I didn't feel compelled to rush back.

Elric by Michael Moorcock. Okay, I've read the ACE/(DAW) set (except "Elric at the End of Time".) But I have the reissued Del Reys, and the newer 'between the stories' novels, though I've not heard a lot positive past Fortress of the Pearl.

Star Wars Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn. This was one of the first SW tie-ins after the original film trilogy (not counting Alan Dean Foster's out-of-canon title(s)). It was recommended when I asked for suggestions for good space opera to read.

Crapload of Paizo Planet Stories. I've been getting most of these titles, with exceptions of stuff I already have. I could spend a year reading just these alone.

Along with Planet Stories, I want to read more sword-n-planet. I think with John Carter of Mars movie(s) coming, having some sword-n-planet stories in pocket might be a good idea, so I'd like to learn more and write more (without, obviously, unconsciously aping anyone.) I have Charles G's Talera trilogy on my bookshelf now, having read the first one.

Crapload of Black Library, Warhammer and Warhammer 40K. I can't help it, those damn omnibuses are good deals (see my 'Open Letter' blog entry.)

Ian Fleming's original Bond titles. I've read about half of them. (These I like to savor as they are a finite set.)

Some more Stephen King, particularly his newer story and novella collections. (I have Everything's Eventual and Nightmares and Dreamscapes awaiting.)

Tons of 'lesser' genre titles like Lin Carter's Callisto and John Jakes' Brak the Barbarian.

Fred Saberhagen. I want to read more Berserker tales and I have an omnibus of The First Books of Swords.

And as much as I love Glen Cook, The Black Company is the only series I've read completely. I still have Dread Empire and Garrett novels to read.

Hey, you know. Now that I've written out this list, I see that I've 'sampled' at least a title from most of these series, if not read the entire series.

Maybe later I'll post the other titles I want to read, regardless of whether I have it currently in hand or not....

Resurrection

2009-11-17T15:27:00.004-05:00

I am very excited!

Dale Rippke's excellent site, Heroes of Dark Fantasy is being resurrected.

By popular demand, the first page back is the page concerning Karl E. Wagner's Kane.

Dale will be putting back the other pages, when he can.

For those who don't know, this site has everything you need to know about classic dark fantasy, s&s heroes with lots of interesting essays, maps, character studies, bibliographies.

Elric, Kane, Conan, Kull, Brak, Imaro - all this and more!

I can't wait until it's all back, but Kane is a great start!

October reads

2009-10-18T15:44:00.015-04:00

I managed to get a bit of reading done recently.

Rage of the Behemoth

Heroic fantasy, geared more toward the sub-genre of sword-&-sorcery, with a theme of giant monsters and those who combat them.

Many people have been saying this, and I’ll say it too – this is a great anthology. If you enjoy heroic fantasy and sword-&-sorcery, Jason M. Waltz has pulled together a wonderful collection here. I won’t bother going into standouts, of which there are many, versus lesser tales. The balance on whole is very strong. If you enjoy Andrew Offutt’s Swords Against Darkness series, then Rage of the Behemoth is right up your alley.

Doctor Who: Prisoner of the Daleks

It had been a long time since I’d read a Doctor Who novel, and this was my first read of the new hardcover tie-ins with the new series. This novel features the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant’s character) and, naturally, his old enemies, the Daleks. Yes, the Daleks were all wiped out, but like any good time-traveling aliens, they keep altering histories allowing the Doctor to stumble into their past. Or something – time travel is fuzzy, as even the Doctor would testify.

This was a fun read, and a fast read that moved along at a quick clip, as with the pacing of the updated series. If you like the series and/or Dalek stories, this one should be added to your library. Nice Dalek scheming, gains and counter-gains, and Dalek dialog rendered in its own Dalek font. All good stuff.

Dragonslayer

The epic doom of Gotrek, berserker ‘Slayer’ dwarf continues with human Felix Jaeger at his side. This time out, the duo faces a deadly dragon along with a host of other dangers, including orcs and bandits.

This was solid entry for both the Gotrek and Felix series and Warhammer. A tight tale in and of itself, it also opens threads into bigger things in future novels (such as an impending invasion of the hordes of Chaos.) I liked the lighter use of goofy humor in this one compared to some of the previous entries, though it feels like Warhammer dwarf tales should be read while consuming ale to truly appreciate the effect.

Dear Black Library (open letter)

2009-09-25T20:50:00.005-04:00

Dear Black Library,

You can stop now. Really. I just don't have time to follow two universes with multiple self-contained series. I have other books to read. I have too many of your books on my shelf unread, as it is.

Really. Please stop with the interesting cover blurbs and the eye catching art on the new stuff.

Please.

Also, please stop dropping all these damn good-looking omnibuses on me. It's bad enough I'm interested in your new titles. Then you turn around and create opportunities for me to 'catch up' with reasonably priced, three-for-one omnibuses of previous titles which triples my to-be-read pile in an instant.

Insidious.

Then to top it all off, you provide incredible cover art that makes me drool. It is very hard not to buy an omnibus like the Witch Hunter series. I already have the novels, but then you add a bonus story! Please stop.

Now you've gone and done this. And even though I have these novels, well, ... that cover. If there's a bonus story in this one, all is lost.

Damn.

Alien planet?

2009-09-23T10:02:00.005-04:00

Alien planet?

No, it's Earth. China, to be exact. I got this from TIME.com

Out of This World
This unique geological phenomenon, known as a Danxia landform, can be seen in several places in China. This example is located in Zhangye, Gansu Province. The color is a result of millions of years of accumulated red sandstone and other sediments that have dried and oxidized.

A little sword-&-planet inspiration, though, eh? ;)

A smattering of movies, misc

2009-09-14T21:15:00.005-04:00

I've managed to squeeze in a few movies over the past weeks.

The Last Legion - sword-n-sorcery crammed into a "fall of Rome" tale with ties to Arthurian legend. Yeah, it not only sounds like a mess, it plays like one, too. Might have been better without the Arthurian shoehorning. At least Aishwarya Rai was easy on the eyes.

Last of the Mississippi Jukes - Documentary on the Subway, one of the last original juke joints in Jackson, MS. Good take for a blues fan. Enjoyable performances, though personally I preferred Alvin Youngblood Hart and Chris Thomas King over the smoother electric stuff that dominates the movie. But that's really just personal taste.

The dilapidated hotel that housed the Subway was ultimately demolished after the movie was released, though. :(

Hellboy II: The Golden Army - enjoyable sequel to Hellboy. If anything, the character of Prince Nuada might be an early run of what Elric of Melnibone could look like in a live action movie.

Finally, the direct-to-DVD feature from DC,Green Lantern: First Flight. Don't cringe when you read "direct-to-DVD". These DC Universe animated movies have been enjoyable to outstanding, and this was a solid entry in the series, and a good Green Lantern tale.

On the reading front, still working Rage of the Behemoth. Also checking out the latest Ray Gun Revival (incredible cover!)

And reading some old Jonah Hex (collected Volume 1) for some quick-n-dirty Western fixes.

September update

2009-09-08T14:06:00.003-04:00

Not much to report, but I did finish, rewrote, polished and submitted the sword-n-planet story to the editor. I haven't heard back yet, so I hope he likes it.

On the heels of finishing that, we went into house improvement mode with new carpets (our daughter is crawling and the update was long overdue) and painting to match the new carpets before they arrived, etc. So I haven't done any writing, though I am thinking about my next story (a submission for Rogue Blades Entertainment's Roar of the Crowd anthology, I hope.)

For reading, I'm also behind, working my way through RBE's Rage of the Behemoth. Interesting seeing some of the stories from the slush pile (that I read) making it to the final product.

Weather is cooling off already - we barely had a summer. But that means pumpkin ales can't be far away!

Cheers!

Empire of the East

2009-08-10T13:36:00.007-04:00

For my last two readings, I entered Fred Saberhagen’s Empire of the East. I tore through The Black Mountains and continued on with Changeling Earth. (I had read the first novel, The Broken Lands a year or two back.)

I am not entirely clear on the history of this work. Like Moorcock’s Elric stories, Saberhagen had Empire of the East repackaged and edited a few different times (and some of his Berserker stories apparently fall into that camp, as well.)

The third novel, originally entitled Changeling Earth (the DAW edition I read) was re-titled to Ardneh’s World when Baen took it over. I don’t know if there were any changes

After that, Baen yet again repackaged the entire trilogy into an edited omnibus, Empire of the East.

In my web travels, I have seen Ardneh’s Sword which I believe is a later fourth novel, but could be yet another rework, I don’t know.

Anyway…

I enjoyed the books. The trilogy is a bit different to me, as it uses a post-Apocalyptic setting where both magic and science/technology operate. I.e.: unlike most science fantasy pieces where super-science is the equivalent of magic, here they are two separate entities. For the most part Saberhagen makes it work if you just allow yourself to go along for the ride.

I have only recently started reading Saberhagen and I’m really enjoying his work. There are touches of Bradbury without the purple prose. He has a natural storytelling ability that flows through the tales. I miss these types of fantasy where you can visit well-crafted worlds and characters and yet do it without slugging through a thousand page novel.

There are some nice descriptions of demons and conjuring, an interesting reveal in the last book (as to how the magic came to exist with the technology) and just enough lost technology to keep a reader interested.

I recommend them. They are quick reads, but have nice depth. Choose an edition to your liking and budget ;)

On the writing front, things are going well, if not quickly. I am about 1000 words away (a scene or two) from finishing my current short story. It will definitely need a polish draft after this – I’m really shaking the rust off. And now I have the lump of raw clay in hand to sculpt. I don’t know how many details can be revealed this early, but the story is for a specific upcoming anthology in which I was invited to participate. It was just the sort of real (non-self-made) goal I needed for a kick in the pants to get back on the writing wagon.

It feels good! :) (So good, in fact, I want to get this one finished and start on another one for a possible second anthology!)

Furlough on Mars

2009-07-23T12:30:00.006-04:00

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

2009-07-09T10:05:00.016-04:00

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.

Northwest of Earth by C. L. Moore

2009-06-22T10:02:00.005-04:00

Northwest of Earth is a collection of the tales concerning the space-ways faring rogue, Northwest Smith. Descriptively, one's first impression is that Smith is the prototype for Han Solo. Ray-gun at the hip, leather outfit and scarred face, Smith is an outlaw of the solar system. These stories, written during the Weird Tales heyday of the 1930s, feature the typical solar system of a dry Mars and jungle Venus, but both quite habitable and populated by various races.

While Smith is pure space opera character, though, these stories are not. These stories read far more like Clark Ashton Smith's weird stories. The planets are full of ancient mysteries, lost races, strange civilizations. Smith constantly encounters cosmic horror style antagonists, not aliens. The only time the ray-guns blaze are when dispatching an ancient monster. No shoot-outs here, nor any spaceship dogfights. The stories have far more atmosphere than action.

So, as a different, scifi take on atmospheric weird tales, the Northwest Smith stories are worth a read.

But, as a pure adventure space opera read, Northwest of Earth are not the stories you are looking for.

On a side note; this collection comes from Paizo's Planet Stories line. They have put many old tales into print with more to come. Check them out if you haven't!

The Kobayashi Maru

2009-06-05T13:27:00.005-04:00

After viewing the new Star Trek movie, my wife declared "That's not how the Kobayashi Maru test went!"

Of course, it didn't - the altered timeline took care of that.

The KM test was introduced in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It is a test of character for budding Starfleet officers, where defeat and death are the only option. We learn only that Cadet Kirk "reprogrammed the simulation so it was possible to win". Those are the only details ever offered.

I do not know if the novels are as canon to the Trek universe as the Star Wars novels are to Lucas' universe. But, some are fun "what-ifs" that fill-in holes. I've read some good Trek novels, and some that weren't much better than low-tier fan fiction.

This novel informs us of what really happened during that test. My wife had the book and I decided to read it.

The premise is simple. Kirk, McCoy, Scott, Sulu and Chekov are stranded in a shuttle accident and pass the time revealing how each, in turn, dealt with the infamous test.

Without giving away spoilers, I will say that this book was good, not great. It had some fun moments and some moments that were too "touchy-feely" for Trek.

Pros

Cadet Checkov's solution to the K.M. scenario

Cadet Sulu's introduction to Federation and galactic politics.

Cadet Sulu's solution to the K.M. scenario

Cadet Scott's solution to the K.M. scenario

Cons

Cadet Kirk's solution to the K.M. scenario (just didn't believe it)

Kirk being more fatherly than commanding

Cadet Checkov's follow-on "test" (more like an episode of Survivor than an officer training exercise)

Author telegraphic justification. McCoy literally states, "That's so in character!" after Kirk reveals how he beat the K.M. scenario. Sulu states that his solution is neither funny nor clever before he even begins his flashback.

In fact, Sulu's story is poignant as it tangents off the relationship between Sulu & his great-grandfather and his great-grandfather's death. It's not a bad B-line, but it's more of an downer than an upper.

It's a quick read, not a bad way to pass some time for a Trekker if you find it at a used book shop.

An Empire Unacquainted With Defeat

2009-05-28T13:18:00.011-04:00

Or, perhaps, A Blog Unacquainted With Updates, eh?

Thanks you faithful few who still check back here.

I haven't been writing and because I wanted to keep this blog somewhat focused on writing, I haven't been blathering here. (blathering a bit on Facebook, who knows why)

Reading has been slow, too, but I finally finished Glen Cook's Lord of the Silent Kingdom. I'm not very objective about Cook, I'm a fan boy. I enjoyed this novel but the politics of church(es) and state(s) make this a somewhat complicated world to explore. Cook says it's no different from real world history, and I'd agree. A little streamlining might help, though. The novel just ended, clearly waiting on the next novel for some resolution. But, I mostly enjoyed it, went along for the ride, and there were some surprises along the way. I'll be reading the next novel in the series.

Meantime, I am more excited about a collection of Cook's earlier stories concerning the Dread Empire (a different series, altogether.) The novels were collected in omnibuses by Night Shade Books and now the short stories have been collected and are finally being released. I can't wait to get this book, An Empire Unacquainted With Defeat, on my shelf. I've only ever found one short by Cook, who mostly writes novels.

I have moved onto a Mack Bolan novel, Interception, chock full of violence and intrigue, ghost-written by a friend, Nathan Meyer (his name is buried in the front piece.)

Writing-wise, I am still slowly outlining a couple of things in my head, gathering some research notes, and hope to generate some real, meaty outlines (if nothing else) over the summer.

There, that should be enough links to keep you busy

Reading meme

2009-04-08T13:38:00.004-04:00

Got this from Blog of the Beast.

I know I like Robert E. Howard but I'm still surprised how often he comes up in my answers. I do read more than REH, really I do.

1) What author do you own the most books by? Glen Cook. It could be Robert E. Howard if you count various collections but between The Black Company, The Dread Empire and the Garret P.I. series, I have to think I have more Cook. David Drake count is up there, too.

2) What book do you own the most copies of? I don’t really keep multiple copies of anything. Robert E. Howard takes this by default – I have some duplicate collections between the Baen series and the Del Rey series though the contents aren’t an exact match.

3) Did it bother you that both these questions ended with a preposition? No.

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with? None that I am aware of. A few I might lust for (Red Sonja.)

5) What book have you read the most times in your life? I’ve read quite a few twice but I don’t think I’ve read any book more than that. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, God Knows by Joseph Heller, It by Stephen King - I recall reading twice. Lately, I’ve been answering this question a lot (and “favorites”) and it makes me want to do a bunch of re-reading – but my “to-be-read” pile is already too large.

6) What was your favorite book when you were 10 years old? I don’t recall.

7) What is the worst book you've read in the past year? The Dark Knight Strikes Again by Frank Miller. Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns was a classic. …Strikes Again was utterly nasty, vindictive, unbelievable crap. Just my opinion.

8) What is the best book you've read in the past year? Tie. Sharpe’s Fury and Sharpe’s Escape by Bernard Cornwell. I’d never read any Sharpe before. Now I want to read the rest of the series.

9) If you could force everyone to read one book, what would it be? The Conquering Sword of Conan by Robert E. Howard. I want people to disassociate “Ahnuld” from the character and see how rich, wonderful and original Howard’s character and writing really are. Personally, of the Conan stories, I like ones found in this collection the most.

10) Who deserves the win for the next Nobel Prize for literature? No idea.

11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie? I am always hesitant about such things. On the one hand, there are many stories I’d like to see visually, but I am always afraid Hollywood will miss the interpretation and do it wrong.

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie? See above.

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character. None that I recall.

14) What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult? I don’t think I have.

15) What is the most difficult book you've ever read? Not really sure. Difficult because I didn’t like it but made myself finish it or difficult just getting the words into my head and understood? Either way I’m not sure I have an answer.

16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've ever seen? The only Shakespeare play I’ve seen live was MacBeth when I was in college.

17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians? The French. I respect the Russians but we’ve been allies with France for a very long time.

18) Roth or Updike? N/A. (haven’t read ‘em)

19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers? N/A. (haven’t read ‘em)

20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer? Milton.

21) Austin or Elliot? N/A. (haven’t read ‘em)

22) What is the biggest, most embarrassing gap in your reading? I’ve read a lot of classics, but I’ve missed a lot, too - particularly from the 20th century.

23) What is your favorite novel? At this point, I’d have to say The Black Company by Glen Cook.

24) Favorite play? I don't have one.

25) Favorite poem? “The Return of Sir Richard Grenville” by Robert E. Howard

26) Favorite essay? N/A

27) Favorite short story? “Worms of the Earth” by Robert E. Howard.

28) Favorite work of non-fiction? I haven’t read enough non-fiction. I read history for research but none really jump out at me. I did enjoy Band of Brothers. There are some current titles that intrigue me, but I never seem to read a non-fiction when it’s current.

29) Favorite writers? Glen Cook, Robert E. Howard, Karl E. Wagner, David Drake, Ian Fleming, Joseph Heller, Dan Abnett and plenty of runners up.

30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today? I don’t know.

31) What is your desert island book? If you’ve seen the bookcases in my house then you know this is impossible for me to answer. Maybe, just maybe, Eons of the Night by Robert E. Howard because of the variety, but it lacks any Conan, Kull, Kane, Bran Mak Morn or Cormac Mac Art stories so I don’t know if it would work for me. Maybe one of the Del-Rey "Best of" Howard collections for variety including some of the classic heroes he created.

32) What are you reading now? Lord of the Silent Kingdom by Glen Cook and a Warhammer 40,000 trade paperback comic, Exterminatus.

Wow. Sorry for a fallow month.

2009-03-23T14:53:00.005-04:00

Lots of things on my mind but nothing worth dumping here.

I suppose I could take time and start posting on various subjects but if I'm going to do any deep writing, it should be on my fiction.

Yes, the gears in my head are churning over some writing possibilities but nothing has been committed to page yet.

I read a good Warhammer trade paperback comic, Condemned by Fire.

(that's right, Heff - pictures!)

It features a Witchhunter, but it is not Mathais Thulmann (see my earlier post.)

These comics, produced by Boom-Studios (as opposed to Black Library, who handle the prose novels) are very nice, though I will be waiting for the tpbs because they are a little thin and pricey as individual issues.

Posting this from a MAC at work, just for fun. (running a job on my pc right now, anyway)

What was I reading, then?

2009-02-23T11:09:00.001-05:00

There came across my Web travels a list of "Best Loved Books" as declared by the BBC. The idea of the meme was to note which ones you've read, and - if read - whether you liked or hated them.

Some were popular novels, and some were classics usually read in school.

I have barely read any of them. The odd thing about this is that I have read many things - I have a minor in English and you would think I would have had more hits on such a list, even if most of the books were outside my usual recreational reading genres.

I recall many books in high school that other students were reading that I wasn’t; ‘A Catcher in the Rye’, ‘1984’, ‘Animal Farm’, ‘Lord of the Flies’.

Never read ‘em - still haven’t.

In fact, I’m thinking of listening to the audiobook of ‘Lord of the Flies’ this year.

I read ‘Catch-22’ voluntarily during my senior year, it was a never a requirement for me.

How about you? Any “standard” books that most students read that you never did?

leftovers

2009-01-20T19:35:00.003-05:00

New year. This is a leftover bit of flash from last year. Enjoy.

"One if by Land" by Paul R. McNamee

Powerful swimming strokes propelled Dusimi across the inlet. Reaching the opposite shore, he scrambled among slimy, slippery rocks, finally finding purchase on dry, rough stones above the waterline.

Beneath the moon, the stone tower loomed over him; a strange structure with archways at its base and not a single opening or arrow slit anywhere along its vertical length. Dusimi wondered how the abandoned structure had been defended in ages past. Entering under an archway, he found no entrance over his head, only stone.

Chilled, he dressed in clothes taken from his oil skin sack. He removed his steel mace from the bag, looped the chord to his belt. The gray spit of land was desolate except for the mysterious tower. The ebony-skinned mercenary felt uneasy.

The rough stones of the tower’s outer wall provided plenty of footholds and handholds. Dusimi, a natural born climber, deftly scaled the structure. He crawled over the crude, jagged crenellations of the peak onto the roof.

Under the moonlight, Dusimi espied the hole in the center of the roof; a hole created by design and ringed by cut stones. He skirted the illogical aperture, which provided the only entrance into the tower. Peering cautiously over the opposite edge of the roof, the moonlight exposed a small armada bobbing on the waves. Dusimi knelt to ready his signal lanterns.

Wood scraped rock and someone muttered a curse far below. Dusimi halted, glanced over the roof’s edge. A large rowboat rubbed against the rocks. One man tied off the boat to a jagged stone outcrop, while seven other sailors clambered from the vessel.

A grappling hook scraped across the roof until it caught the wall and held taut. Apparently, the men were not as adept at climbing as Dusimi. He guessed their purpose was the same as his; to signal their land-bound allies of their arrival.

Dusimi crouched and waited. Using his knife, he impaled the neck of the first man who came over the wall. Silenced, the dying man struggled with his attacker. Dusimi had no time to waste; he pushed the man into the waiting maw at the center of the tower roof.

Too late, the black warrior turned to the grappling hook. The second man was over the wall and charging with drawn sword. The man slashed, Dusimi swerved, pressed forward and caught the man’s ribs with glancing blow of his mace. His opponent staggered but recovered before slipping into the waiting hole.

More grappling hooks clattered against stone. Men yelled from below. Dusimi charged, feinted and spun the man around with a fierce blow to the head, sending the leather-armored sailor to the same fate as his comrade, into the belly of the tower.

The tower trembled, Dusimi lost his footing, clutched the crenellations for support. Looking down he saw two sailors swinging wildly on their ropes, feet dislodged by the tremor. But it was not enough. The other men gained the roof before Dusimi could cut a single line. Grim faces encircled him, weapons gleaming in moonlight.

“Black devil,” one face said.

“Send him to hell what he did to our lads,” someone else suggested, pointing a short sword at the hole.

The tower trembled again, and something disgorged from the stone mouth. Fleshy with suckers along its length, it lashed around one man’s waist and pulled him forward. Other tentacles, each the thickness of a man’s arm, emerged from the hole, seeking prey.

Whatever slumbered in the tower had been aroused by flesh and blood. Dusimi joined the melee, beating at the flailing tentacles with his mace, but the spongy flesh resisted damage from such a blunt instrument. The men with swords fared better, though writhing appendages bodily knocked more than one man over the crenellations to their death on the rocks below.

Dusimi retrieved his oil skin bag. His knife slashed open leather flasks of oil, and he tossed them into the hole. Dodging tentacles, he opened a lantern and lit the wick. Darkness swallowed the flame as it plummeted into the abyss.

Firelight and an inhuman, unearthly shriek burst from the hole. The tower reverberated again and again as the creature, insane with pain, slammed its bodyweight against the sides of its chamber. However small it had been when it found refuge in the tower, it had grown too large to exit the hole.

In the chaos, Dusimi found a secure grappling hook. Wrapping his hands in the oil skin bag, he grabbed the rope and slid down to the ground, never looking up, even as stone cracked and men screamed.

The bottom floor of the tower collapsed. The burning beast fell to the ground like a sickly shooting star. Still shrieking inhumanly, its horrific cries carried across the still night for leagues. The thing slithered over the tumbled, broken rocks and plunged into the ocean, smothering the flames upon its blubbery hide.

As it quickly passed through the moonlit shadows, Dusimi briefly thought of squids or kraken - but how one might survive in a land-locked tower away from the sea for years was a mystery he dared not ponder too deeply for sake of his sanity.

Dusimi fled across the rocks, not chancing that the vile beast might return from the water. Dusimi did not consider the mission a failure. He had not lit the lanterns, but the creature’s shriek of pain had warned everyone that hell was breaking loose.

Happy 2009!

2009-01-06T09:18:00.002-05:00

Yes, I'm still here. Just haven't had a lot of time to write anything. Holidays were great - baby Gwyneth met lots of cousins and other relatives.

I'm still reading blogs even if my replies are few and far between.

And Heff - I will get a beer out to you one of these days - sorry I missed the holiday window, but I'll still get you something regional if not seasonal.

The Sky People

2008-12-21T16:00:00.003-05:00

Finally finished S. M. Stirling's The Sky People. I thought it was fun, though I'm somewhat easily amused. I'll admit that while I have read Tarzan and the first five Mars/Barsoom novels, I have not read E. R. Burroughs Venus tales - so I don't have the a measure of comparison.

I liked the alternate timeline of the Cold War and an inhabited solar system - though having to explain it all and make it part of the mystery tied down the action in some spots.

Good stuff, I'll be checking out In the Court of Crimson Kings sometime.

For now, I think I'll take a break from novels and read some short stories from various sources until the new year.

'6 random things about me' meme

2008-11-25T09:20:00.009-05:00

From Charles - Like Charles, I usually don't go for these things but I'm bored and feel like rambling.

1.) Baseball. I really don't follow other sports, and I don't follow much outside of the Red Sox. I was in Little League for one season. Ironically, I wound up on the 'Red Sox' and, like the real team at the time, we tied for first place in our division but lost in a playoff tie-breaker. But thinking back now, it was a neat thing when our coach told us mid-season that we were competing for first place. None of us knew until then. It was a real "Wow!" moment.

2.) Shirts. I really enjoy a comfortable casual shirt. I look forward to cooler weather when I can put on the flannels. A few years ago I discovered VermontFlannel. They are more expensive but they are made in U.S.A. so if you're interested in one for Christmas, by all means stop by and support them. I've been acquiring one shirt per year but missed this year because usually instead of ordering online, I buy one at the Topsfield Fair. We couldn't go this year because it was too close to Linda's due date. Maybe Krampus will bring me one.

3.) Books. Not only do I read, but I collect certain books. Not first editions of Mark Twain or anything, mostly paperbacks. I have nearly all the Conan books - Howard originals and pastiches alike. I am three short. I have all the Ian Fleming James Bond novels. Complete sets of some S&S series - like, Flashing Swords and Swords Against Darkness. One thing you might not suspect is that I am a Joseph Heller (Catch-22) fan, too. I have hardcover copies of all his books except one. I was fortunate enough to have some generous friends who bumped into Joe annually and secured me two personally autographed books from him. I only regret that we never found a way to get me to the annual party to meet him in person.

4.) Guns. I grew up with guns but I don't own any. (I do own some rapiers and a Maori warclub, though, so be careful when you come knocking. ;) ) We weren't a hunting family so I rarely fired guns but I knew where the ammo was and how to load and unload. As Charles said, it's about respect not fear. Or, it should be.

My father and I ordered a flintlock Tower Pistol (1750 British Colonial pistol) kit from Connecticut Valley Arms back in the day. (Apparently they don't do recreations anymore, and that is a shame.) The finished product still hangs over the fireplace back home.

5.) Hobbies. Speaking of that pistol, if I had extra time (and money - be careful what you wish for in this economy ;) ) to indulge in more hobbies, black powder shooting would be one. Not with modern muzzle loaders but with historical pieces/kits as I have an interest in that. Aside from the hobbies that I currently attempt to keep up with (reading, writing, guitar, old Xbox games I've barely touched.) I would add to the list - tabletop miniatures (Warhammer/Warhamer 40K), more video gaming with a new system (PS3, maybe?) and I'd love to try an organized RPG - preferably find someone running a Solomon Kane campaign!

And I'd really like to get back to hiking. For me it's more about seeing wildlife than conquering mountains, though, so just walking through the woods is fine, too.

6.) Writing. I started this blog to make posts about writing and fell off that wagon (as evidenced by this self-indulgence) as I fell off the writing wagon. For any who wants to read more about writing, hang in there. I do have plans for a historical novel. My hope is to thumbnail the outline and characters sketches in December and start writing again in January with a New Year's resolution.

We'll see how that pans out with the baby and all. ;)

Thanks for reading.

Of all the gall

2008-11-18T09:30:00.002-05:00

So, apparently it's not unheard of to have a gall bladder attack as a result of pregnancy/delivery.

Linda's okay now but we lost a few days in the hospital last week. She will have surgery next month to remove her gall bladder.

Luckily, both sets of grandparents are relatively close-by and were able to round robin. The baby had no issues switching temporarily to a bottle with formula.

At least I got some reading done at the hospital. Finished Witch Finder and started S. M. Stirling's The Sky People.

Over-and-out for now.

Full Metal Elves

2008-11-06T09:54:00.001-05:00

Because I have a twisted sense of humor, I find this extremely funny.

NSFW language.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydF9rHC02Hg

Mathias Thulmann

2008-10-29T15:42:00.005-04:00

Taking a break from fatherhood and work to discuss Mathias Thulmann, Witch Hunter of the Empire (of the Warhammer novels.)

There are three novels, and I am reading the second one now, Witch Finder. They are great fun, and if you like Solomon Kane, they are worth checking out. They are like reading a Hammer horror movie from their heyday.

As they often do, the Black Library are reissuing all three novels in an omnibus edition; due in November. The edition will include two previous short stories and a brand new tale. I guess that's kind of like a band releasing a greatest hits album with a single new track to entice fans to buy a collection they already own.

But, it is a sweet cover...

Been a little busy ...

2008-10-21T21:13:00.002-04:00

.. our daughter Gwyneth was born on Friday morning. :)

Kane is back

2008-09-30T09:14:00.007-04:00

Just when I thought I was done with comics...

Well, not "done". I still buy plenty of graphic novels and collections but I had stopped buying monthly issues.

Post Road Pumpkin Ale

2008-09-25T09:06:00.006-04:00

I can't rip the image from the animation, but here's the webpage.

Brooklyn Brewery's Post Road Pumpkin Ale.

It was good. Not as heavy on the spices as the last, but the nutmeg was still a little strong.

Speaking of pumpkin, Dunkin Donuts seasonal Pumpkin Spice Muffins and Donuts are now available.

This morning's breakfast was iced coffee, pumpkin donut and AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie" on repeat.

Yeah!