THE THREE MUSKETEERS

I finished reading THE THREE MUSKETEERS by Alexandre Dumas last night. Thick book. A post-worthy accomplishment, I feel.

I liked it a lot. More than imagined I would. I don’t know about earlier English editions. I read the 2018 Lawrence Ellsworth translation. 788 pages or so. The story itself (minus prefaces and appendices) comes in at 760 pages in hardcover with a font none too large. The edition also includes lovely reprinted old illustrations.

Despite Ellsworth’s warning that the middle might sag, I only felt drag towards the end where Dumas focuses too long on Milady’s escape from England. Otherwise, the story had me solidly engaged throughout.

4/5 stars. Not too shabby as a book from the 1840s under the eyes of a modern reader.

cooling on ebooks

I was never one to jump on any "ebooks are evil" bandwagon. I was also never one to insist a person choose between one format or the other (print vs. ebook.) I saw both as tools in the arsenal. eBooks had some value. Less expensive. Physical eReaders (not eReader apps on tablets or computers) are easy to carry around and hold. My tired eyes were thankful for font adjustment, or choosing an ebook because the print font was ridiculously small. And lots of out-of-print books coming back in eBook form.

But there was always that little voice that reminded me, "You don't own eBooks. You buy access to the eBook. It can be pulled at any time."  So, really, what it means is you're renting the eBook. If you're lucky, in most cases, it's a one-time fee and an open-ended rental. I never really saw it as much of an issue.

Until last week.

Everyone thought it would be Amazon.

It was Dark Horse.

I had a period--when I first bought an iPad--where I binge purchased digital comics through various sales. I fell off that eventually, and my son bogarted the iPad. Flash-forward a few years, and my son hasn't been using the iPad as much. I had access the other night. Side quest: I was going to watch the new HELLBOY: The Crooked Man movie. I knew the film was based on a comic. I couldn't recall which digital HELLBOY issues I had acquired. I went to check.

And this greeted me;

Dark Horse are done managing their digital library. Hey, I get it if it's too much work and no returns. And, in future, they will offer digital comics through other platforms.

But what does that mean now? It means, the Dark Horse no longer supports their app. Their library is no longer accessible. If you want to read your comics, you needed to download them all already. And just leave it all on your tablet.

They will also keep a website browser live--but that is also end-of-life, probably at the end of summer.

In their write-up, if you clicked over the FAQ (which I did) one of the prominent questions was;

"Don't I own my digital Dark Horse comics?"

"No, you don't. See Terms & Agreements."

So, there you have it. eBook access revoked. Digital Dark Horse personal library gone.

Now, I am far less eager to add anything else to my Kindle library--even $1 sales.

The Adventures of Zana O'Savin

It might cost me a stamp on my Pulp card, but I must confess I have yet to 'get the hang' of Doc Savage. I find the original stories (I have read to date) to be too clunky. Yes, Dent pours on the action but it's obvious he's thinking action first, explanations later. And I never find the explanations satisfactory.

Though, I do find the concept and setup as having potential. The team. The Empire State building headquarters. The Fortress of Solitude.

Perhaps, if I'd read some of those tales (and saw those Bama 1960s covers!) as a boy, I might not be so critical. But coming in cold as an adult--they just don't work for me.

There are many Doc Savage pastiches out there. I do wonder if any of them might make things gel better.

Enter Craig McDonald's THE ADVENTURES OF ZANA O'SAVIN.

These are different. As much as they have all the pastiche characters, it's hard to refer to these as pastiche.  McDonald has infused this series with a fantasy element that makes it all work. You see, Doc O'Savin is a tulpa--a being manifested from pure thought and will. Created by Lester Dent's own intensity and belief in his own fiction.

This gives McDonald the springboard to weave the team through historical events, provide pulpy action, and give it all depth. I just finished the third entry, THE DEATH KILLERS, and it's a doozy torn from today's headlines.

This is a neat series. Recommended.

Country blues via Donegal

My discovery of the week. A young Irish lass with fingers of fire.

If you only know "When The Levee Breaks" from Led Zeppelin's thunderous adaptation, Muireann Bradley's cover here is faithful to the original Memphis Minnie version--really, all Zeppelin used were the lyrics.

Bonus - watch her fingers work this one! "Police Dog Blues" by Blind Blake.

THE FOG

I watched THE FOG this weekend (the original - which surprises me to note. I'd forgotten there was a remake.) I had seen it once before, ages ago.

Then, I watched it again with Carpenter (and Debra Hill's) commentary track. (blu ray)

Fun movie! It reminded me how much fun a Carpenter movie can be. Easter egg references to "Whately Point" and "Arkham Reef." (though, this is a ghost story, not Lovecraftian.) SHOUT! Factory were in the middle of a Carpenter birthday sale, coincidentally. I bought a handful.

On my writer's bucket list, some day I'd like to write a horror/scifi. Put THE THING ("Who Goes There?",) Quatermass, "The Colour Out of Space," and a host of other tales through my personal mental blender and see what comes out.

Rest with Crom on the mountain, Howard Andrew Jones

I don't have overmuch to say, but wanted to add my voice to the accolades--and sadness at the passing--of Howard Andrew Jones.

I wasn't close to Howard, so another reason I won't say much. Others have it covered.

We knew each other online. We never met in person, which is a shame. I met him through the old Conan dot com forums and/or the Sword & Sorcery dot org website. Could have been either. I corresponded with him, volunteering to put a couple of the online FLASHING SWORDS ezine issues into mobile reader format. In thanks, he sent me two of the Harold Lamb volumes he had edited.

After S-&-S.org fell away, we connected on Facebook but didn't have much interaction. I kept tabs on his progressing writing career. Like everyone else, I was thrilled for him that he finally landed a sword-&-sorcery series with Baen, with his Chronicles of Hanuvar.

I'd not really had interest in getting back into any particular fan groups around heroic fantasy again. About a year and a half ago, a friend invited me to a Discord server in that area. Howard was the first to spot that I had signed on, and he greeted me with a warm welcome.

That's the kind of person he was.

Team Barbarian-Luddite

I've got some real tech fatigue of late.

I'm becoming more and more of a Luddite, in the historic sense. I am not against the technology, I am against many ways it is being (mis-)used. Mainly, because too many people want to make a fast buck, or more money than they ever need, and they are too lazy to put in the work.

Avarice is an ugly beast.

It isn't a matter of "genie out of the bottle" or "opening Pandora's box." Those are supposed to be rare moments in advancement. There are too many genie bottles, and Pandora has a pallet full of boxes, and they are unleashing on a weekly basis.

Strip mining Africa for lithium, "AI" shoved in everywhere (and it is far from being ready for the world where it is rolling out,) and AI farms consuming ridiculous amount of resources (including water!) for what? So kids can cheat at school and let the machines write their papers?

And the abhorrent greedy behavior that comes with it. We don't need a board of certified medical experts to make insurance decisions--we'll feed that information into an "AI" engine! Oops. It seems to baseline to 90% denials. OK. That works for us!

Let's ripoff artists and writers and musicians or other creatives by using their art on our AI training without any compensation! (Because, we all know how rich that business can make you! What do you mean not every author makes Stephen King money?!)

All that misuse is feeding into my dwindling positive tech attitude, even when the tech is applied appropriately.

For Christmas--due to some family miscommunication--we were gifted two birdcam feeders. These seem like a neat idea. For a nature enthusiast like me, it would appear perfect. Smart camera right in the feeder. Super up-close high definition images. The feathers! The beaks! The plumage!

I followed the instructions. The feeder camera sends images over the wifi. (I don't think you can dump them manually as with my trail cam.) So, first, we need to place the feeder close to the house where we can't view the feeder itself from inside. More to the point, as soon as I hooked the camera to our wifi, we experienced wifi outages. I suspect the feeder was dragging the network.

I turned off the feeder cam. I reset the router. It could have been coincidence. Maybe our provider had issues. Maybe the router needed a flush. I'd rather not risk trying another hookup.

I realized that at this point, I can't be bothered. Those feeders would be another thing to manage. (beyond filling them with food.) I have enough in my personal life already that feels like I'm a manager who needs a secretary. (you know--teenagers and pets.)

I've reached tech overload.

I am recalling those letter exchanges between H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. Civilization versus barbarism.

 I am feeling very team Barbarian-Luddite currently.

(Yes. You can point out the irony of complaining on the Internet about out-of-control technology. I am whining on my blog, not social media, at least.)   (image courtesy of Effin' Birds)