tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73236689265035842722024-03-21T16:17:19.834-05:00Jimbos Awesome SFF Book and Movie ReviewsReviews of works of Science Fiction and Fantasy fiction, whether in written or dramatic form.Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.comBlogger393125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-6195147083626265592024-03-20T16:20:00.001-05:002024-03-20T16:20:42.668-05:00We're Moving!<p> Jimbo's Awesome Science Fiction and Fantasy Reviews is moving! You can find us at our new address jimbossffreviews.substack.com. Happy Reading!</p>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-28443970763688080372024-03-18T20:09:00.000-05:002024-03-19T11:41:16.189-05:00The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by William Goldman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81CgWx27MKL._SY466_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="284" height="466" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81CgWx27MKL._SY466_.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Listen, it's not my fault. My history with <i>The Princess Bride</i> is composed of a couple decades worth of WUUUUUUUV, TWUUUU WUUUUUV! and I never realized that there was an actual novel that went with the movie. I mean, obviously Fred Savage's grandpa read him the book in the movie, but I thought that was just a prop. I mean, I've spent more hours in bookstores than any sane person and I'd have noticed the thing at some point, right?<br /><br />I mean, it's inconceivable that I could possibly not know about a <i>The Princess Bride</i> book if it existed. There was no chance that could get stuck in the Fire Swamp of ignorance of the existence that it would take to not know that there was a novel. Seriously, you couldn't have stopped me from getting one if I had known about it. I'd have all kinds of fun storming that castle. At least until a rodent of unusual size got to my bookshelf and ate my copy. Even then, I bet I could get my boy Miracle Max to bring my copy back to life so I could read it again.<br /><br />And all of that makes sense until you realize that there actually was such a book and I didn't know about it. At that point I was all just like...<br /><br />"My name is Jimbo McCoy. You killed my delusion. Prepare to buy!" Forunately for me, e-books aren't all that expensive and I won't need a wheelbarrow to carry it in.</p><p>Oh wait, you wanted an actual review and not just me acting like a bigger geek than normal?<br /><br />As you wish.</p><p>Or not.</p><p><br /></p><p>Suck it up, Buttercup.</p><p>Dude, put down the six-fingered sword and the iocaine powder. I'm getting there. I promise.</p><p>Although, all trash talk aside, it does occur to me that it has been far too long since I've watched the movie with my daughters, but I digress. </p><p>Dude, reading this review must be like climbing the Cliffs of Insanity. </p><p>Please don't go all Dread Pirate Roberts on me. I wouldn't like it if you mostly likely killed me in the morning.</p><p><br />Alright, alright. I'll say something meaningful about the book.<br /><br />Dude...<br /><br /><i>The Princess Bride</i> is the most meta book in the history of ever. There is so much here that got left out of the movie because it wouldn't fit, but like "Morgenstern" must have been the worst author in the history of ever. He mentioned a bunch of crap about the history of Guilder and Florin that would totally not work in an actual novel and Goldman is really snarky about it.<br /><br />I mean, I know I'm putting on airs here and I haven't really earned the right to say this, but parts of <i>The Princess Bride</i> read like a review from Jimbo's Awesome SF/F Reviews. Seriously. Goldman has a similar whacky and zany sense of humor. Reading endless pages about the history of women's hats would suck, but reading Goldman's complaints about those pages is pure comedy gold. </p><p>There is a lot more about Inigo Montoya's childhood and his relationship with his father in the book than there was in the movie. This is a good thing. The whole revenge angle takes on so much more importance when we know how close he was to his father, why his father was killed, and how humiliated Montoya was by his fathers murderer. This was good stuff that would have made the movie even better if they could have found a way to work it in. </p><p>The Narrator of the novel, supposedly Goldman himself, is a source of great entertainment as well. The story goes that his father read the book to him as a kid and left lots of it out. That's where a lot of the meta stuff comes in. Now the Narrator wants his son to read the book and can't figure out why he won't. Then the Narrator picks the book up and finds out how bad it was..<br /><br />Yeah, it doesn't sound like the kind of thing you'd want to re-write honestly, but he does and it's amazing. This strikes a chord with me personally because it reminds me a lot of the struggles I've had to get my kids to read the stuff I loved as a kid. I can't even get my oldest to read the stuff I love NOW and it can be a bit of a challenge to deal with mentally. It would be so awesome if they would, but..<br /><br />Yeah.<br /><br />Long story (overly) long this is the type of situation that I can identify with and I'm guessing a lot of you can as well.<br /><br />Of course, all of our favorite characters are there; Westley, Buttercup, Fezzik, Inigo Montoya, Vizzini, etc. Not all of the lines were translated straight from the book though, and it's one of those things where you can end up disappointed not because something isn't entertaining, but because it's not quite the way you remembered it. That much is, I guess, inevitable as the movie writer, actor/actress, director and some other person that I forgot about probably all had a hand in rewriting the dialogue for the movie. It doesn't ruin it, but it is a little different and that took some getting used to. </p><p>One suggestion I'm going to make is to skip the introductions to both the Thirtieth and Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Editions. They don't add a whole lot to the experience and they took a lot of time to get through. I was really surprised by this because I thought I was going to get something really awesome with these, but not so much. I've been more disappointed in my life, obviously, but I kind of wish I could have that time back.</p>Still and all I’m glad I read <i>The Princess Bride.</i> It was a lot of fun exploring something I had loved for a long time in a totally different setting. This was an experience I won't forget. That sounds weird, but it's true. If you haven't read the book, and especially if you're just finding out that it actually exists, I'd recommend reading it.<br /><br /><b>Bottom Line: </b>5.0 out of 5 Boring Intros<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-16013315748658327202024-03-18T12:40:00.002-05:002024-03-19T15:59:31.578-05:00Kevin McDonald's A Nation Interrupted: An Alternate History Novel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91f1s5GwRIL._SY466_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="311" height="466" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91f1s5GwRIL._SY466_.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><br /><p>So, what happens when the Confederate Army finds out that their plans have been intercepted at Antietam BEFORE the battle, changes their plan, wins the war and the Confederate States of America becomes an independent country? How does the future change? World War I? World War II? Think about it: It took the United States and the engineers that built the Transcontinental Railroad to dig the Panama Canal. What happens if the United States doesn't do the work? What then?</p><p>ESPECIALLY World War II. What happens when the United States are not united anymore? What changes when the country that needs to save Britain isn't as big a nation and doesn't have the same population, wealth and industrial base? What happens if the United States makes a more tempting target than the Soviet Union? What then?</p><p>Those are the questions answered by Kevin McDonald in <i>A Nation Interrupted.</i> It's well written and, in places, terrifying. I could see this happening. He's done his research and it shows. And it's weird because a solid grasp on some of the problems his Germans would face, but he doesn't let that stop him or them. He finds a way around things the same way a real world general would have to. He makes it believable. His grasp on the effectiveness of strategic bombing is spot on as well. </p><p>This is a book with an epic cast, although they seem to all be Americans. That works though, especially in today's day and age where many people would be offended if he had included the German point of view. It does lend a certain cardboard feeling to the villains of the piece but, let's face it, they are literal Nazis. Still and all, things may have worked a mite better if we had gotten an opposing viewpoint. </p><p>On the other hand, it's good to see an author who doesn't kowtow to the Leftist stereotype of Americas <i>as</i> Nazis. The Americans in the book, for the most part, are strong, patriotic and opposed to the assholes that have invaded their shores. (Oh, did I fail to mention that the Germans invade New York city? I guess I should've mentioned that little tidbit earlier. Forgive me. It's Monday.)</p><p>McDonald pulls no punches in his depiction of Hitler's Final Solution to the Jewish Question conducted on American soil. There are chunks of that part of the narrative that are quite frankly heart rending and more than just a little disgusting. That's why they work. McDonald has done some real research here. He also does his best to resolve a real-world controversy about how the Allies should have responded to the death camps. I like this. First, because it's necessary but also because his resolution matches with my own take on the issue. </p><p>I have a sneaking suspicion that McDonald my have consumed more than one Harry Turtledove novel because <i>A Nation Interrupted</i> has a very similar feeling to a lot Turtledove's work without the repetitive dialogue. The shifting viewpoints, the strategic acumen and the grittiness of the characters and situations remind me a lot of Turtledove, whose work I've been reading for over twenty-five years now. I enjoy Turtledove's work and, honestly, there's not really a bigger compliment that I could pay to an Alt-Hist novel. <br /><br />Don't tell him that. He'll think I'm calling him old. Nope, the old dude in this story is moi.</p><p>Anyway...</p><p>The action in this book is intense. We find ourselves flying along with bomber crews. We find ourselves sneaking past Nazis. The tension level in <i>A Nation Interrupted</i> is sky high and it stays that way. This is a very quickly paced book. It builds and builds and if you you're not squirming in your seat for the majority of the end of the book you're not paying attention. There is a lot here and the possibility of catastrophic failure is never very far away. </p><p>That's once it gets started though. <i>A Nation Interrupted</i> takes a minute to get started. When I first started reading this, I kind of assumed that it was the first book in a series. It's not. It's a standalone novel, but it works well that way. I do kind of feel like McDonald could have slowed down the pace a bit and given us a trilogy here though. </p><p>There are large chunks of time skipped over with a quick overview of the progress of the war. This works because it keeps things moving and tells the reader what they need to know. It is, also, a missed opportunity in my opinion. It kind of feels like McDonald was in a big hurry to finish a story that probably could have made him a bunch more money if he had allowed it to develop further and turned it into a series.</p><p>I don't want to take this too far though. My favorite season of <i>Babylon 5</i> was the fourth season. What made it so great was that J Michael Stracz...<br /><br />Strazi....<br /><br />Strazy...<br /><br />Uhh...</p><p>The guy who wrote the series didn't think it would get renewed for its fifth season, so he condensed the last two season into one season and it was freaking amazeballs. When the action gets thick, fast, and furious my eyes light up. There was a lot in <i>A Nation Interrupted</i> and it happened very quickly. I liked that.</p><p>And, let's face it, there are a lot of things you can say to an author that are worse than, "Well gee, Mister, I really wish I had more of your work to read, and I would've paid to do it." It's also not like McDonald hasn't published other stuff. I definitely plan to read it. I just kind of wish that it would've been more of this story instead of a completely new one. </p><p>Truth be told though, I'm a little bit bitter. I just read a book that went with one of my favorite books of all time and not only did I spend my whole weekend reading <i>A Nation Interrupted </i>instead of reviewing that, this review forced itself out of my head before I could get the other one written. I blame McDonald for it. As punishment you should all buy his book and make him figure out who to spend all of that money. That'll show him!</p><p><b>Bottom Line:</b> 4.75 out of 5 Fiery Crashes<br /><br /><i>A Nation Interrupted: An Alternate History Novel</i><br />Kevin McDonald<br />Braveship Books, 2020</p><p><i>A Nation Interrupted: An Alternate History Novel</i> is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and buy literally anything from Amazon, I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Nation-Interrupted-Alternate-History-Novel-ebook/dp/B0861Y8ZCF?crid=19N40T94QK1U1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bCW0GuRoXktAdsjLxnsmdF9U6hM4lXRCsFIqUJRRRc9Q-kw_-X5FQ1JNIhLdJd272_VFzUrI7I777PuQZ8vXfW8nInZ_TKwcHNgCnvoo2w4Bk8ftvPbAt6tmVP3y0cKx7_kqG9iYYpRzM9Y2HnjRaHKgsIL0T_4tUcmXanM3MDrKLHOq9gkb64SsDAJsLe-YJcHd4HUbxYZ4DgvQPQ8SjvhG0ejDvr9ZKEQTomTU1zw.NkeDl1OXrhIJSy2D3z9YpZk9LoeI3-NHh3E70KG66w4&dib_tag=se&keywords=a+nation+interrupted&qid=1710783591&sprefix=a+nation+interr%2Caps%2C194&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=jisawsffre-20&linkId=a486e53b958828629d3d874f76c99df4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl">A Nation Interrupted</a></p>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-1800121034440309152024-03-03T19:54:00.002-06:002024-03-03T19:54:26.014-06:00Kimber Grey's The Chosen One's Assistant: Never Meet Your Heroes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81slkovVnTL._SY466_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="311" height="466" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81slkovVnTL._SY466_.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Before I even get started reviewing Kimber Grey's <i>The Chosen One's Assistant: Never Meet Your Heroes</i>, I would like to point out that, not only was it based on <a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2019/09/interview-with-comedy-rock-star-mikey.html">Mikey</a> <a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2019/09/mikey-masons-m.html">Mason's </a> <i>(Not Quite) The Chosen One</i>. His music is epic and I highly recommend listening to it either on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/3vqkez0YFtUOUii0BhnRma?si=EU9dnTF5T4OqooAVJYcRuQ">Spotify</a> or <a href="https://mikeymason.bandcamp.com/">Bandcamp</a>. I loved the track the first time I heard it and I love it still. </p><p><i>The Chosen One's Assistant</i> is every bit as good as the song except better. There is a lot here and that makes it more fun. As opposed to five minutes of music we get over three hundred pages of story. And it's a lot more of a developed story in the book. There's just more time for it. </p><p>And time is something that Tiberius (that's our main character) and The Chosen One (Who has no name. He's just The Chosen One.) don't have as something seems to have gone wrong and is causing the appearance of vampire stoats in an few days away and we're not sure where they're coming from but this can't be good and we need to put a stop to this...<br /></p><p>And Tiberius, who has only been Tiberius for a short while (his gave up his old name when he signed on to be the Chosen One's Assistant. Now he is Tiberius like all of the other assistants before him and all of the ones who will come after.) and he's still learning. And listen, there's a lot to this whole Tiberius thing. He's got to handle all of the chores and all of the healing, meet with people, pray a lot...<br /><br />And there's no training period. He just has to learn everything all at once. With no real help, since the Chosen One is rather self centered and apparently not overly fond of breaking in a new Tiberius every two years. There is a bit of hostility there. </p><p>It's awesome though, because it makes sense. There is a bit of drill sergeant to The Chosen One who doesn't always have time to screw around explaining things. He's a man of action. He kills things for a living. He makes good money doing it, as does Tiberius, but there is a lot to it.<br /></p><p>Tiberius has a lot to do outside of cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. He's the one that's in charge of anything academic. He has to research the route to travel, research the threat once they get there, etc. He also has to meet with the townspeople to coordinate the big party when they get there and to figure out where to stay and whatever else. Tiberius works harder than I do and that's saying something. I respect this character. </p><p>I respect the Chosen One too because, although he can be a bit arrogant at times, he is a true hero and he cares. He doesn't just face down threats for the glory or the loot. He does it to protect the people he serves. He does it because he is indeed the Chosen One and it is his duty.</p><p>He's also a goofball. There is some serious humor in this book and it comes from the Chosen One more or less wimping out. This is where the book is the most like the song, which was a comedy tune about how badly life sucked for the Chosen One's Assistant (he's not referred to as Tiberius in the song.) There's nothing here that you would have to read the book to get per se, but if you've listened to the song a few times (like I told you to earlier) then it goes from hilariously funny to "Oops, I think I dislocated a rib laughing at that one. Bonus points if you listen to the song after you read the book and realize all the stuff you missed the first time and start laughing all over again. </p><p>The Chosen One is also a man of faith. Now, it's not a real world religion. Grey created a fantasy pantheon which she has done a fairly decent job of fleshing out and assigning roles to. There aren't a whole lot of interactions directly with gods, but I like what I see so far. I wouldn't mind seeing more about both the gods and their servants, but there are more books coming, so I guess I'll have to wait. </p><p>But it's the actual exploration of faith in the book that has me hooked. Pretty much every fantasy universe has its pantheon. Most even have clerics or paladins. Very few (<i>The Chosen One's Assistant</i> and R.A. Salvatore's <i>The Cleric Quintet</i> are all that come to mind in High Fantasy. Declan Finn's <i>St Tommy NYPD</i> series is an urban fantasy that shows faith as well but that's about all that I've got in the world of Science Fiction and Fantasy literature.) that actually show acts of <b>faith.</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>Not just praying, but <b>believing</b> and trusting in the god you serve to see you through whatever it is that you're going through. There is strength in faith in the real world and for the Chosen One. Tiberius is working on his. I love the Chosen One's belief and his act of sharing it with others. That's not to say that this is a preachy book. It merely shows the champion and his faith and how he shares it with others to encourage them. Major Kira would be proud. </p><p>There are some really awesome action sequences in the book, too. Tiberius isn't really up to snuff with all of this hand to hand combat stuff, but he's got balls. Big brass ones. I don't think I'd want to go into combat armed with the level of knowledge Tiberius has. I mean, it's good to have a dagger but it's better if you know how to use it properly. The Chosen One is, of course, a badass. Except when he's not. Nice foot guy. But, for the most part, the Chosen One can deliver a beatdown like few others. </p><p>Grey's worldbuilding is first rate as well. She's got a good grasp of what is needed to make a fantasy town work and how trails worked in the Medieval world. She throws in just enough gut wrenching awful to make the totally awesome work even better and I like that about her. This is the first of her books that I've read, but it won't be the last. </p><p><b>Bottom Line: </b>5.0 out of 5 Cramped Toes</p><p><i>The Chosen One's Assistant</i><br />Kimber Grey<br />Greywhisper Graphics Productions, 2022</p><p><i>The Chosen One's Assistant</i> is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and buy literally anything from Amazon, I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.</p><p><a href="<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Ones-Assistant-Never-Heroes-ebook/dp/B09RGCV4M5/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2CG81JUQHZRW8&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.BngC1AUBUOW9l_A8FLqH9cw8ROjF4fV-V_BrRkVAQa6QR7E04mO9le6YkvZXf56BNShgYVqvJHvWW0XAGgYRgQxFvTg41vesZ4M6jT5-y5rdbIySLsb4t22rmSh7jx3QkdIApJJXZjiwRJ5-G7NBIVi3WZkHSW8MzFMCe8_qH2ItzUSfpEf9NebRALm7O3RusIPzmoaY2SPEsm87_k_rfjHqCfazlatSMENtbSqgdKw.lT23_j5WuodkyAKdNQBWVatPOSAXgVl7sBNUATl0oMA&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=the+chosen+ones+assistant+grey&amp;qid=1709512484&amp;sprefix=the+chose+ones+assistant+grey%252Caps%252C156&amp;sr=8-1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=jisawsffre-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=e214ddf69ebfc62381c88c5b144e0361&camp=1789&creative=9325">The Chosen One's Assistant Never Meet Your Heroes</a>">The Chosen One's Assistant</a></p>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-86989418660541437542024-02-28T14:46:00.000-06:002024-02-28T14:46:31.287-06:00Message for the Devil: A King Roger V Adventure by Jason McDonald and Stormy McDonald<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81FEJQgVN9L._AC_UY218_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="136" height="218" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81FEJQgVN9L._AC_UY218_.jpg" width="136" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>King Roger is back and he's up to his armpits in trouble. There's a lot going on in the city of Charleston, South Carolina is in danger. People are dying hideously. Who did it? I didn't know. You still don't. In <i>Message for the Devil</i> by Jason and Stormy McDonald the police think it might be Roger himself. We'd never believe that though would we?</p><p>Part of the problem is with Roger. He grew up in a mystical land on the planet Gaia, sister to Earth, where magic is plentiful and customs are closer to Medieval European than they are to modern American. This creates some problems for our hero as he does not always know the right way to handle things. At one point it becomes obvious that he doesn't even know how to count change. In some cases, I enjoyed that face immensely, because he acts more like a Player Character in a Dungeons & Dragons game than a modern American, but it makes sense in context. </p><p>The story itself is a mystery. Roger has been hired to find a ghost, but it's not just any ghost. Nope. That would be too easy. It has to be the ghost of a convicted murderess who was executed. Rumor has it that she said some nasty things at her own execution...<br /><br />Yeah, it gets ugly quickly. This may have escaped your notice up to this point, but vengeful spirits tend not to be very nice people. Sometimes they can get downright...<br /><br />Vengeful</p><p><br />Okay, that was terrible, but you get the point.</p><p>Hence the whole "dying hideously" that I mentioned earlier. Of course, it gets worse because Roger isn't exactly the most popular guy with the local police and they don't really understand some of his methods. I mean, do you know what a rust potion is? Do you think the police would? Think about it. I wouldn't and I'm a fantasy fan.<br /><br />In a lot of ways, <i>Message for the Devil</i> feels like an early Dresden novel. The hero uses magic, even if Roger doesn't have the raw power that Harry does. There's a mystery. There's a supporting cast of characters that includes the police. There's even a human skull, although Roger doesn't name his skull "Bob." I've always had the feeling that Harry Dresden felt a bit out of place and Roger is certainly out of place. Both heroes have problems with using technology, even if they manifest themselves differently. The McDonalds' world is probably about as well developed as Butcher's was after two or three books as well. (And yes, that means that the McDonalds haven't managed as much worldbuilding in two books as Butcher has managed in eight million. They'll get there. Just 7,999,998 books to go.)</p><p>There's a lot of action in <i>Message for the Devil,</i> too. This is not the Hardy Boys by any stretch of the imagination. Roger is a big fan of bladed weapons and the police, of course, have guns. There is plenty of fighting and running and hiding to keep things lively. This is one of those areas where Roger clearly doesn't not understand the customs and laws of the United States and has a chance to get himself into some very real - and very serious - trouble. He somehow manages to get out of it, at least for the most part. Sort of. Read the book.<br /><br />That's not to say that all there is to <i>Message for the Devil </i>is all action. This isn't a Michael Bay flick and there is no lens flare. </p><p>Huh?<br /><br />Oh, yeah. Listen, I'm not sure how you would do lens flare in a book either, but I'm fairly certain that Bay would find a way to do it. Just don't pay attention to the fact that it doesn't make sense and you'll get it.</p><p>There is some fairly serious research taking place in order to solve the mystery. Speaking as a guy who has spent his time at libraries pouring over microfilm, the research in <i>Message for the Devil</i> makes sense. It reads like it was written by someone who has done some real research, for the simple reason that the characters in the book are smart enough to find the right place to go to and talk to someone who knows the story and where to find the information they need. This isn't a case of some rando jumping on the internet and solving a two hundred year old mystery in five seconds using Google. There's some real work involved here. I like that. The McDonalds some how manage to keep these parts from dragging out too long as well, so props to them.</p><p>There's some personal drama here as well. King Roger abandons his chance to return to his kingdom at the end of <i><a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2022/07/mask-of-vampire-by-stormy-mcdonald-and.html">Thief on King Street</a>. </i>He did so for the love of a woman that he had just met. Yes, that is a cliche but it's used so often because it works. So while all of the insanity is going on, with murders and police problems and hauntings and...<br /><br />You get the idea.<br /><br />...Roger has to get to know the woman that he stayed for and figure out how things work with her. And, quite frankly, IF they work with her. It's not that she's disloyal, or that he is, but we've all been there. Making things work with a new person is never easy. He's a good dude and makes his way through it, but it's not as easy as perhaps he'd like it to be. I'm okay with it though. Easy stuff doesn't make a good story. </p><p><i>Message for the Devil</i> is, as mentioned previously, a sequel. While I certainly do recommend reading the first book, you should be able to enjoy this work either way. There is enough here to move the story along independently and what callbacks there are to the previous story are brief and well enough explained so that you won't feel lost. All in all, this is a story worth reading.</p><p><b>Bottom Line: </b>4.75 out of 5 Golden Coins</p><p><i>Message for the Devil: A King Roger V Adventure</i><br />Jason McDonald and Stormy McDonald<br />Parlatheas Press, 2024</p><p><i>Message for the Devil: A King Roger V Adventure</i> is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and buy literally anything from Amazon I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you. </p><p><a href="<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Message-Devil-Adventures-Roger-Book-ebook/dp/B0CVGRYPRG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=OUOQKP4C198H&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5f7goAIxM-IEtzQHAt5oF3FGzBJQXLw3gwkfkm2UMK5yOxai1S7BSCFGUFNNjZkWDOc1lghLSqVi7i3GWSP8DQ.ixAZ9WI0DigEJIkOdwqZH9LZb-W1fiLwXitC4INbEiY&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=message+for+the+devil+mcdonald&amp;qid=1709153042&amp;sprefix=message+for+the+devil+mcdonald%252Caps%252C112&amp;sr=8-1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=jisawsffre-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=8cc5cf2728e5b539e3cbf2574b6770b7&camp=1789&creative=9325">Message for the Devil</a>">Message for the Devil</a></p>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-70336259795662127932024-02-26T09:27:00.000-06:002024-02-26T09:27:02.819-06:00CBS's Under the Dome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizL19LVNghwQPLiKa03tn5Q4-_LYry2lto5fxUb2r0z6CaIvdbeot54Ae1oAPt_bzmQyruOjCtaSmPFdTz0-Hfri0qJEBg7eWHycXxfYdBjQpvtmFpPVkNTRQc4SEgu5HNSuXXucgX9dG6K7s_KRCGN1agR_1i5pCJiXGOyBO1tZWW-0eT8N5JzldCS-oA/s427/Under_the_Dome_intertitle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="427" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizL19LVNghwQPLiKa03tn5Q4-_LYry2lto5fxUb2r0z6CaIvdbeot54Ae1oAPt_bzmQyruOjCtaSmPFdTz0-Hfri0qJEBg7eWHycXxfYdBjQpvtmFpPVkNTRQc4SEgu5HNSuXXucgX9dG6K7s_KRCGN1agR_1i5pCJiXGOyBO1tZWW-0eT8N5JzldCS-oA/s320/Under_the_Dome_intertitle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><i>Under the Dome</i> is the rarest of the rare: A Science Fiction TV series that is entertaining, exciting and got to finish its full run despite not having the word "Star Trek" in the title. (And listen I've been a Trek fan since forever. I'm just saying that, other than TOS, Trek has gotten <i>a lot</i> of episodes for most of its series where other shows don't. I'm right.) It's a really cool show, despite being a bit on the weird side. I'm a huge Sci-Fi nerd and I'm the one saying that.<br /><br />I don't want to get to far into the plot of the show. I'm not big on doing spoilers in general and this show has a lot of surprises that you deserve to enjoy for yourself. Lord knows that I did. I will say that no matter how long this show goes on, no matter how weird it gets, it's never more than five minutes from getting even weirder. Seriously, strangeness abounds. </p><p>I mean, <i>Under the Dome</i> is based on a Stephen King novel and I'm pretty sure all of those are weird. I say "pretty sure" because, although I've seen a ton of movies based on his books, the only thing I've ever read by Stephen King was his book <i>On Writing</i>. I'm not sure I learned as much about writing as I should have, but even this dude's life has been weird in spots. Imagine writing a book like <i>Cujo, </i>that sold like crazy and got a movie and not even being able to remember it because you were riding the white horse. Crazy.</p><p>Even as weird as it is, though, it's still a believable tale if you can accept that the town of Chester's Mill was surrounded one day by an invisible, impenetrable and indestructable dome. What follows is some of the best tropes from post-apocalyptic literature and some of the awesome characterization every Stephen King movie seems to have. Seriously, it almost feels like I've met some of these people. </p><p>At first no one knows what caused the dome, where it came from or how it is being powered. Things are revealed over the course of the series and that's where a lot of the weirdness comes from. It's not just the causes that are weird though. Sometimes it's the method of answering the questions or, indeed, the way that people come across the right question to ask.</p><p>There is a lot going on politically in the town of Chester's Mill and I don't want to get into all of it, but it will give you whiplash. No one knows who to trust. No one knows who to turn to. Then favorites start to emerge and things get crazy. The whole town turns into one conspiracy theory come true after another and each one weirder than the last. Sworn enemies in one episode are reluctant allies the next and soon best friends before eventually selling each other out and going back to emnity a few episodes later.<br /><br />The thing is that it all makes sense in context. Every crazy moment is based on something that came before and leads to a logical outcome. I love that about this series. Every time I find myself saying "HOW COULD THAT POSSIBLY HAPPEN!?!?!?!?" The answer becomes "Well, first this happened, then that thing did and after the other thing, it couldn't have gone any other way." There's a reason that King has sold more copies than anyone this side of JK Rowling and it's not because he can't carry a plot.</p><p>The special effects for the series are really good for TV too. There are some shooting stars, and several disasters and they all look beautiful. I'd kind of like to see modern movies go back to looking like <i>Under the Dome</i> and spending the money on writers that CBS did for this series. This is a plot and character driven story. The effects add to it, but they're not what the show is based on. <i>Under the Dome</i> is what <a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2023/08/dc-comicss-flash.html" style="font-style: italic;">The Flash</a> and <i><a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2023/06/avatar-way-of-water.html">Avatar: The Way of Water</a></i> could have been if they had made an effort to do more than just look cool.</p><p>I want to talk about some of my favorite characters here, but I can't because I'd spoil too much. Trying to talk about what a character is like in a story like <i>Under the Dome</i> without talking about what they go through is basically impossible. I guess I'll just say to watch out for people with the following names: Big Jim, Junior, Barbie, Nori, and Julia. Those are some of my favorites because reasons. And one of my favorite actresses of all time shows up in Season Three, but saying who would risk telling too much. Let's just say I was happy to see her. </p><p>And it's really the acting that makes <i>Under the Dome</i> as much as anything else does. The good guys are good guys, at least until they're the bad guys. The bad guys are bad, at least until they're the bad guys. And Big Jim is the consummate politician at all times, even when he's doing no-politicky stuff. He's also a used car salesmen with all that that implies. I'll shut up now. You'll thank me later.<br /><br />Wait. That didn't come out right. <br /><br />Whatever.</p><p>The whole series is only thirty-nine episodes so it's an easy binge. I got through it in basically a week although a lot of that was being stuck in the house not feeling good for pretty much an entire weekend. I'm glad I did though. Other than the fact that I almost didn't get my laundry done that weekend at least. I kind of got wrapped up in what I was watching and lost track of little details like what the day and time were. </p><p>And that's probably the best thing about the series. It's so good, so weird, so believable and you care so much about the characters (whether it's because you want to see them succeed or because you want to see them catch a bullet being a separate issue) that you can get lost and not want to find your way back. </p><p>My one regret about watching <i>Under the Dome</i> is that I'll never get to watch it for the first time again. I really loved this show. Here's hoping we get more book to TV show translations, because this is how you can truly do justice to a long book with rich content. </p><p><b>Bottom Line: </b>5.0 out of 5 Pink Stars</p><p><i>Under the Dome</i><br />CBS, 2013-2015</p>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-87017236414993878582024-02-25T17:40:00.002-06:002024-02-25T17:40:27.688-06:00Great Lakes Comic Con After Action Report<p> Did you ever have that feeling? You know the whole thing where something happens and you think to yourself, "I should have done this much sooner?" I was thinking the same thing yesterday when I got home from <a href="https://www.greatlakescomicconvention.com/">Great Lakes Comic Con</a> in Warren, Michigan yesterday because, while it wasn't my first con (or even my first GLCC) and it wasn't my daughter Riley's first comic con, it was the first time we went to one together. I had a great time. He we both are with Ecto 1. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSnZmkzo8Kl6iohTS3E9KYjVGLgW_OMtYz6iEh8S-SnI03ydu0t4B6seUSYZjpEiaGyCaXgO6Esj5CgM39HCjX9V399jbSDhELQRJjHtyGMCYV7LgxMo2GrUxRl6kV9LcNiS8AADjwssLdz-O8kPrdQdcKOaOZkZYjO0iKG2TbBoHPg66JcdcRfRhn0-V/s1024/IMG_8046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSnZmkzo8Kl6iohTS3E9KYjVGLgW_OMtYz6iEh8S-SnI03ydu0t4B6seUSYZjpEiaGyCaXgO6Esj5CgM39HCjX9V399jbSDhELQRJjHtyGMCYV7LgxMo2GrUxRl6kV9LcNiS8AADjwssLdz-O8kPrdQdcKOaOZkZYjO0iKG2TbBoHPg66JcdcRfRhn0-V/s320/IMG_8046.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGoBCbtJplXQksVllR0vMnVBaCo-zzIXrvYI-3mjRAUfd9GlH7n45RpZm0GHzhB0dORqiMadhVLdTsaZN2lMmHoFJ7AH1iBU7hPB3OKlWs5n3v9EWW9HscVnIoatH1NWrjUlszL0AKoIgkvMRAaN70MNtDaS_5I15bYx7mRl2C2IKUNBGGTJfPHy_vwgc/s1600/IMG_8044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGoBCbtJplXQksVllR0vMnVBaCo-zzIXrvYI-3mjRAUfd9GlH7n45RpZm0GHzhB0dORqiMadhVLdTsaZN2lMmHoFJ7AH1iBU7hPB3OKlWs5n3v9EWW9HscVnIoatH1NWrjUlszL0AKoIgkvMRAaN70MNtDaS_5I15bYx7mRl2C2IKUNBGGTJfPHy_vwgc/s320/IMG_8044.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Great Lakes Comic Con takes place four miles north of Detroit and I'm also a huge Ghostbusters fan, so there was really no choice. I had to take a picture with the Ghostbusters car. Oh, and did I mention Ghostbusters?<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6n7R3NyTUPhb4qKndNVg6RgAtSHeROkP-88wr8nPMZIEjatNEQWeGMpasFZvNkmZF1dpnlOL_McPFnBLyFndTnIHGyULcDgw1TekwCS4OjelhKi6JofAoqb99PLaC7RaAKAJ3hEPlT_lyLTPSIlEH4bo7vGF51Z74LOp7OvzrQA5gL6nri1GUDb2BnkMn/s4000/IMG_20240224_105701847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6n7R3NyTUPhb4qKndNVg6RgAtSHeROkP-88wr8nPMZIEjatNEQWeGMpasFZvNkmZF1dpnlOL_McPFnBLyFndTnIHGyULcDgw1TekwCS4OjelhKi6JofAoqb99PLaC7RaAKAJ3hEPlT_lyLTPSIlEH4bo7vGF51Z74LOp7OvzrQA5gL6nri1GUDb2BnkMn/s320/IMG_20240224_105701847.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These guys were a lot of fun. They even gave me a poster for the movie. It's only four weeks away.Who else is excited? </div><div><br /></div>Of course I was there as a member of <a href="http://trmn.org">The Royal Manticoran Navy: The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association</a>. We're a good group of people and we read lots of good books. Check us out!<div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfLEGnVYfsI65iYa6U9jdLyBX0ZAG9EIgPJBNUTCiMeX6ecQNzPVd5fkLIbH-llKu04lGvPggJmqoFkHHePb-kNWnyJDSR8u-i0SD5CBsVRgBJ1N_CrWOX6wb_Z3Nj88Dp3NsUlmr7rnvWsomUlqGHcPJ_Xe4kV_2Ti0-glrTSMbRLipKBtQd8WCBiLnj/s600/422731392_7773507702682943_2526061451931078286_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="338" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfLEGnVYfsI65iYa6U9jdLyBX0ZAG9EIgPJBNUTCiMeX6ecQNzPVd5fkLIbH-llKu04lGvPggJmqoFkHHePb-kNWnyJDSR8u-i0SD5CBsVRgBJ1N_CrWOX6wb_Z3Nj88Dp3NsUlmr7rnvWsomUlqGHcPJ_Xe4kV_2Ti0-glrTSMbRLipKBtQd8WCBiLnj/s320/422731392_7773507702682943_2526061451931078286_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqSHxed1qGPh3vziAfi5Ow6CK4ENz_WO-b0a4m6mw9Pp-Xc5jJv9OXq754ZMuWMmxexTKoI33GeCVdWIYdnhcbp8XM_71KaXsF4B2spmLW5vIl-tiGbIYDRYaIxt5PaKQANAGFkgg1GjZ8TDF9Xrz9BmWBWEeODCIx_OAvPsH0_Qir5q0y8svYIDDpKHW/s1440/409044235_7773672079333172_3496346313870703337_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1440" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqSHxed1qGPh3vziAfi5Ow6CK4ENz_WO-b0a4m6mw9Pp-Xc5jJv9OXq754ZMuWMmxexTKoI33GeCVdWIYdnhcbp8XM_71KaXsF4B2spmLW5vIl-tiGbIYDRYaIxt5PaKQANAGFkgg1GjZ8TDF9Xrz9BmWBWEeODCIx_OAvPsH0_Qir5q0y8svYIDDpKHW/s320/409044235_7773672079333172_3496346313870703337_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6LsGYX7l8PgLawPX4KoJYaOTdF7lQ3K3YyzbdZE1A5eosOnmnMlyc-A4Khei7OCx_Z3w2u_ttKNRfg-gt2YZq3SVXoJcJpyJiJaVrS6TgqksgP7DmKQWhMaFakwF2WsCptG2CgBrbqV96y18FvvveOwHMcfnYyYIRUTAGvf4Fatr2PXx4KpNNwYqFWcw/s2048/422753580_7774081712625542_1527489662359968051_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6LsGYX7l8PgLawPX4KoJYaOTdF7lQ3K3YyzbdZE1A5eosOnmnMlyc-A4Khei7OCx_Z3w2u_ttKNRfg-gt2YZq3SVXoJcJpyJiJaVrS6TgqksgP7DmKQWhMaFakwF2WsCptG2CgBrbqV96y18FvvveOwHMcfnYyYIRUTAGvf4Fatr2PXx4KpNNwYqFWcw/s320/422753580_7774081712625542_1527489662359968051_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Seriously, David Weber is an amazingly awesome author and the Honor Harrington books are his best work. As a personal favor, just because I like you, I'll let you know that you can download the first two books here: <a href="https://www.baen.com/on-basilisk-station.html">On Basilisk Station</a> and <a href="https://www.baen.com/the-honor-of-the-queen.html">The Honor of the Queen</a>. They're awesome books and I'm guessing you agree with my taste in books, so seriously, get them. Read them. Blame me when you buy the whole freaking series. I'm a big boy. I can take it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course there was a ton of stuff to see and buy. That's a comic con standard. There were stands everywhere. Prices varied. I saw boxes of comics at fifty cents per book, classic comics at hundreds of dollars and like a billion different pieces of awesome art. That's standard at any comic con too and a lot of it was awesome. I didn't have the budget to buy all of the stuff I wanted and neither did any ten of the people you know, but if you can't go to a comic con and not just enjoy being around all the cool stuff you need to turn in your geek card and stop watching Firefly. You obviously no longer aim to misbehave. </div><div><p>I've been a fan of GI Joe since his days as A Real American Hero back in the early 80s. I collected the comics and the toys as a kid and I still have a copy of the Sunbow movie from 1987. So when I walked in and saw The Finest (that's the GI Joe Cosplay society) there I had to get a pick, Those guys are awesome and they put a ton of work into their costumes. It was a real treat. Props to Central Command: The Fighting Fifth. You're a bunch of good guys.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbT_TWhyphenhyphenFGnNanimNRzNZsE9t-ssWIH8Xf78uR7IGbtfPlJF7YTluSgej5tzXf31Htb70nOb9R9blIZFXJDDreMxgl3YAw5DiHMltf8h1PO4cWffpPMDL4zk3K5RKv9sG4aSg37M4vPlvMZQ7rBKZ-ADH6KVkEbachxYKURk2omH0SVJeCyNrHE5uwZT_/s4000/IMG_20240224_105542622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbT_TWhyphenhyphenFGnNanimNRzNZsE9t-ssWIH8Xf78uR7IGbtfPlJF7YTluSgej5tzXf31Htb70nOb9R9blIZFXJDDreMxgl3YAw5DiHMltf8h1PO4cWffpPMDL4zk3K5RKv9sG4aSg37M4vPlvMZQ7rBKZ-ADH6KVkEbachxYKURk2omH0SVJeCyNrHE5uwZT_/s320/IMG_20240224_105542622.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thank God for the Fridge. I was surrounded by snakes! And, if you spent any time at <a href="http://hisstank.com">Hisstank</a> back in the day, then you know old thatjimboguy was a loyal Joe. We kicked some serious tail in the GI Joe vs Cobra game on that site. I miss that game sometimes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of serious cosplay, the TRMN booth was located right next to the booth of the 501st Legion. These guys set the standard for serious cosplay. Some of their members appeared in <i>Attack of the Clones</i> in the stormtrooper armor they had made to get into the club. I was impressed. They make some cool props, too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0E_XET6PT5OkTwFZ4n31sgAjNlw5etuUE5GMrV3KeDIvpuaLIcVOlzgD_Ql_Pt5KC27gpJdWMdc507xeKKgK1rF6nRwQSYLmhfbIq3B40oz-PSD5GjEsgdUH9CklMkNHWAQQTwv8XhlZER42nXTivuW5FfdlCnxWCPitnHPzI_cWco25xOL4lfwOw6c9/s4000/IMG_20240224_104044321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0E_XET6PT5OkTwFZ4n31sgAjNlw5etuUE5GMrV3KeDIvpuaLIcVOlzgD_Ql_Pt5KC27gpJdWMdc507xeKKgK1rF6nRwQSYLmhfbIq3B40oz-PSD5GjEsgdUH9CklMkNHWAQQTwv8XhlZER42nXTivuW5FfdlCnxWCPitnHPzI_cWco25xOL4lfwOw6c9/s320/IMG_20240224_104044321.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhp_zo2B6GefRuU-dg5ygYepU9OkWSoyQpsB9YbzTxlHYDMghHQJ92hSMvOPlAUUmwP_ZurelAM3aEXK2Se_tBOEhxiPiKjd2a9pvmIml337NRqqj6lOx8vzVveNJWIERengoetMJW4FoqqeGhgd9TjmV688AgyXqay15hv2RRtvkzkqxBF5T8tyc87qNw/s4000/IMG_20240224_104104487_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhp_zo2B6GefRuU-dg5ygYepU9OkWSoyQpsB9YbzTxlHYDMghHQJ92hSMvOPlAUUmwP_ZurelAM3aEXK2Se_tBOEhxiPiKjd2a9pvmIml337NRqqj6lOx8vzVveNJWIERengoetMJW4FoqqeGhgd9TjmV688AgyXqay15hv2RRtvkzkqxBF5T8tyc87qNw/s320/IMG_20240224_104104487_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqbJHOpqkUcOYdy9Z1WSf2fNO_WRVtYPwg9eJNUmRPVZTkqwIMPd0PObLBTSfzhyRTOHE2nEsqzu9zFXWiFWO9iI4IsXZYaoCXA4FnGPM0I_ktxXOVked2tqRojyr6ouBxAaC24EuHniYo2Q52Rn-dM32NBYjm7ugNDaTQkH0n7khiygt3V7968M9UfsN/s4000/IMG_20240224_104309220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqbJHOpqkUcOYdy9Z1WSf2fNO_WRVtYPwg9eJNUmRPVZTkqwIMPd0PObLBTSfzhyRTOHE2nEsqzu9zFXWiFWO9iI4IsXZYaoCXA4FnGPM0I_ktxXOVked2tqRojyr6ouBxAaC24EuHniYo2Q52Rn-dM32NBYjm7ugNDaTQkH0n7khiygt3V7968M9UfsN/s320/IMG_20240224_104309220.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Good times! I love these guys and I just noticed that I got the Han Solo in carbonite in the background. Seriously, when you're looking for good cosplay done right, look for the 501st. It's always a real treat to get a chance to meet some of these guys and it was super cool that our table was so close to ours. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course, in the TRMN, we consider all cosplay/fan societies to be allies in the fight against...<br /><br />Uhh...<br /><br />Anyway, they're allies. And so I'm glad I got a chance to show them all a little love. Cosplayers are almost invariably kind and fun to be around. If you're ever at an event and you want to walk up to someone in cosplay, I recommend doing so. I've never had one say no to a picture and I've shaken the hands of quite a few. Of course, it's considered polite to start the conversation with, "Awesome cosplay! I love (insert character here)!" People like to be recognized for the hard work that goes into making these costumes. So let them know you appreciate what they did. You'll both feel good when you do it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There were a butt-load of celebrities but I didn't get pics with any of them for budgetary reasons. It kinda sucks that I didn't get a chance to get an autograph from Eric Bischoff or Jason Moore and Noah Sult because I'm a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles guy, but it's all good. It's not the con's fault. It's nothing the celebrities did. It is what it is. Hopefully I'll get a promotion and have more money next year. And don't get me wrong. There were lots of other celebrities there. The celebrities I mentioned were just the one I was really excited about.</div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I played some D&D with my kid as well. There was a little group in the corner running introductory adventures. It wasn't my first adventure or Riley's but it was a good time. And, having only played in homebrew universes, it was nice to finally get to take a trip to Baldur's Gate. I know the place. I've read the books, but it was my first time there at a gaming table. The DM was a good guy whose name I don't remember and he did his best to get everyone involved. It was cool. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />The TMNT panel was at the same time as I was playing D&D so that was kinda rough, but we've all been there, right?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course, part of the fun of any con is getting pics with some of your favorite cosplayers that aren't really part of any cosplay organization, so here are a few of those.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCicMxommKaxs0ywevsGi_fR-ty5ruSfUQlcO5fwxXxic4YEBq4h40JtULTU1uv98wlWkU4IcIqwmZ9mCh9lPoMdKq1MBf0dSbW7SWPtB3xrVUIikkI-tNge1mPo3d5qAe9mMaJPDVB7IcJ5i8-7HasJd90V8wi1oJzJ_7xWVELwwygJQb05vN9FdlZq4/s3264/IMG_20240224_132607080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCicMxommKaxs0ywevsGi_fR-ty5ruSfUQlcO5fwxXxic4YEBq4h40JtULTU1uv98wlWkU4IcIqwmZ9mCh9lPoMdKq1MBf0dSbW7SWPtB3xrVUIikkI-tNge1mPo3d5qAe9mMaJPDVB7IcJ5i8-7HasJd90V8wi1oJzJ_7xWVELwwygJQb05vN9FdlZq4/s320/IMG_20240224_132607080.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkPSDsLqyNcNoogZ4n6IeoBE781DhDBAznXJoe7VZEZjmUR69o9dL1dcKH9uVMGKbGNdl-gDksBQh8kb0t_GIMeVlGfZ3qAxUT_MLQot27y5c3cc7FCWQ0K22C3Ub1Ur7W5ISuZccn3Ywow52CusiyeTusxKJgd_JE_LI0jT2WMP5yAitLE1hskweBkH3/s4000/IMG_20240224_132758567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkPSDsLqyNcNoogZ4n6IeoBE781DhDBAznXJoe7VZEZjmUR69o9dL1dcKH9uVMGKbGNdl-gDksBQh8kb0t_GIMeVlGfZ3qAxUT_MLQot27y5c3cc7FCWQ0K22C3Ub1Ur7W5ISuZccn3Ywow52CusiyeTusxKJgd_JE_LI0jT2WMP5yAitLE1hskweBkH3/s320/IMG_20240224_132758567.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPoBRJWkNePH0qktli60e2yCrnO_BVe9SF3qL33UQg5NhtEflR675iBcGil0iTprTw43OQzu-r68ekDVlbOflnLLVz_wSqZGgDZOL9qvHjTVCPnGtvvamnih-o2XHZSkGjwF8bz2plxyI2x5gac4RfXtLJYH1plEAkqlN4xbyN8R_ecW65JK01brsXS59/s4000/IMG_20240224_105131066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPoBRJWkNePH0qktli60e2yCrnO_BVe9SF3qL33UQg5NhtEflR675iBcGil0iTprTw43OQzu-r68ekDVlbOflnLLVz_wSqZGgDZOL9qvHjTVCPnGtvvamnih-o2XHZSkGjwF8bz2plxyI2x5gac4RfXtLJYH1plEAkqlN4xbyN8R_ecW65JK01brsXS59/s320/IMG_20240224_105131066.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9NAf1QbGAhO_vpWw3T7bu5J95ZgGKkITopj5hC-3bRanvb9UObY6lLZwGl0doTczUfe749nYZuhHV62fULcFmfxL7_ptj9kuA5KgHe_Lv_bk9wElCILWnIzrc0wbEBehMNz1Gs8VMCMhxojMvycEourFBXwjSO0W6MV_ES3yV_e-_eSAngDwo4PGhekhI/s4000/IMG_20240224_105025884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9NAf1QbGAhO_vpWw3T7bu5J95ZgGKkITopj5hC-3bRanvb9UObY6lLZwGl0doTczUfe749nYZuhHV62fULcFmfxL7_ptj9kuA5KgHe_Lv_bk9wElCILWnIzrc0wbEBehMNz1Gs8VMCMhxojMvycEourFBXwjSO0W6MV_ES3yV_e-_eSAngDwo4PGhekhI/s320/IMG_20240224_105025884.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Don't ask me why my hat is always crooked. I don't do that on purpose. <div><br /></div><div>The price was right, too. It was only twenty dollars for an all day pass. The food was about what you'd expect from a college expo center (the con was on the campus of Macomb Community College. I'm an alum, so that part was cool, too.) The prices were decent, too. I got dinner for myself and my kid for less than it probably would have cost me to go to McDonalds and we both got personal pizzas and a twenty ounce bottle of pop. So that part was cool.</div><div><br />All in all, it was a fun day and I can't wait to head back. I also managed to snag myself an autographed book, a comic from and indy comic maker and a Ghostbusters poster, so that part was good. I mean, it's not humanly possible to go to one of these and not buy SOMETHING. I can't wait to go back next year. Hopefully I can get Riley to come. She'll be in college by then, so we'll see how that goes but I plan to be there regardless.</div>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-73279580233617600522024-02-18T18:36:00.002-06:002024-02-18T18:36:27.123-06:00A. Trae McMaken's Dwarves of Ice Cloak, Books 1-4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTC3kFokfTDdQOFWj_StpbklF5N-eW4PwH2Qc3WYIbq8JDUrd-aTiY6gslI11WYS_XdSphUvgeO0WpIWnJUAhZgWxC7NwrxOLhTDyTJqqPwoKCZWIRKQLiQQjoD0IQ8vl7Hd8TGkHNyzcu_IpBDRoP7VJfp_sSUD075XQ99jx03MbEo00J806nZCu3qIXc/s970/534ef53c-1494-463a-8710-7d4edfc45a6d.__CR167,485,1667,1031_PT0_SX970_V1___.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="970" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTC3kFokfTDdQOFWj_StpbklF5N-eW4PwH2Qc3WYIbq8JDUrd-aTiY6gslI11WYS_XdSphUvgeO0WpIWnJUAhZgWxC7NwrxOLhTDyTJqqPwoKCZWIRKQLiQQjoD0IQ8vl7Hd8TGkHNyzcu_IpBDRoP7VJfp_sSUD075XQ99jx03MbEo00J806nZCu3qIXc/s320/534ef53c-1494-463a-8710-7d4edfc45a6d.__CR167,485,1667,1031_PT0_SX970_V1___.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>(Author's note: The author of this review loves dwarves. The author of this review wishes he was a dwarf. The author of this review writes his own dwarf based fiction. You will see the words, dwarf, dwarves and dwarven a lot, although I think I only used the word Dwarfdom once. For that you should be thankful. Unless you love dwarves like I love dwarves in which case I'm sorry I didn't up the dwarfness. For those of you bothered by this phonemon, I have the following to say. "DWARF UP AND READ THE REVIEW!!")</p><p>I have, in the past, been told that epic fantasy stories can only take place in worlds with high magic. I don't think I've ever believed that, but I've always seen it as a wee bit of a challenge to refute. That is the case no longer. A. Trae McMaken's <i>The Dwarves of Ice Cloak,</i> a four book series, puts that argument to rest. This is fantasy as epic as I've ever seen. It's got dwarves. It's got trolls. (and not the internet kind) it's got a dragon at one point. And no dwarf story is complete with goblins as an enemy, even if the author decides to use the dwarven word for the instead. I'm perfectly good with seeing an <i>ursi</i> get a spear to the chest. I mean, it's less typing for the same effect, right?</p><p><br />Good stuff, that.<br /><br />But that's not what makes <i>The Dwarves of Ice Cloak</i> epic. Reading McMaken's series is almost like taking a history survey course (IE American History 1877- present or Japanese history since the Meiji Restoration) only it's taught using memoirs of the most important people during the time period. Imagine taking American History by reading four books: One about Washington, one about Lincoln, one about Reagan and one about like, Biden or probably someone later but I don't have anyone later to mention. (Oh, and for the record I have a BA in History and love reading that, too)<br /><br />This analogy stuff, it's difficult okay. And yeah, it's actually a simile because I used like but whatever.</p><p>Listen, this is epic fantasy at its finest. The first book, <i>The Crippled King</i> starts out with one lone, poor, dwarven prospector on his own. During the series (of only four books) we see the rise and fall of a proud dwarven kingdom and a potential resurgence. A lonely mining claim becomes the capital of all Dwarfdom. It fights battles. It increases in size and wealth internally. It becomes someplace worth living and a capital worth having.<br /><br />And the Ice Cloak dwarves are the dwarfiest dwarves that ever dwarfed. They work hard. They fight hard. They live underground for the most part, but have the inevitable surface dwarves that do the boring stuff like farming and husbandry and also the exciting things like scouting and <i>ursi-</i>slaying. But their miners mine, their crafters craft and dwarf-wifs and maids can craft just as well as the men with none of the factial hair. </p><p>The Dwarven society presented in the books works is amazingly well crafted. I'm guessing that McMaken has done some studying in anthropology in his time. I'm also guessing that there is a huge pile, possibly digital, of notes that McMaken made to be able to keep everything consistent. Ice Cloak is home to a living, breathing group of people whose lives change over time. I got a sense of a grand history while reading these, but it's still undeveloped in most cases. A lot of the time when I started a new book I was wondering how we got here. I had to do a lot of the imagining myself and I like that because it's an excuse to write my own story. I just can't use the words "Ice Cloak." I'd even like to think I could do these concepts justice but we'll see.</p><p>As I alluded to above, there is a huge time gap between stories and the characters from one don't really carry over to the next. This kind of threw me when I first picked up Book Two, <i>The Mouth of Fire.</i> None of the dwarves I expected to see were there. It took me a bit to get into <i>Mouth</i> because of that but once I did I was off and running. For Book Three, <i>The Second Gate</i> and Book Four, <i>Bones of Stone</i> I didn't get that effect because I expected it. <br /><br />And that's probably another one of the strengths of <i>The Dwarves of Ice Cloak. </i>Although I recommend reading the books in order and all together, this is the kind of series where it wouldn't be at all hard to read the books individually or even pick up one of the later books by itself if you wanted to. There are occasional references that people who have read the prior books will enjoy and can hearken back to but they're not overly long nor are they all that important to understanding the story. They're basically just there as incredibly obvious Easter eggs.</p><p>None of the books end on what I would consider to be a true cliffhanger, but all of them end up somewhat unresolved. The reader is left to fill in the rest of the stories themselves and even reading what comes after (in the case of the first three books) doesn't fill in many of the details. I'm reminded, in a way, of the <i>Dragonlance Chronicles</i>, and how they skipped important parts of the story but then, the <i>DC </i>are much closer together in time. The gap between books is literally centuries. They still tie together nicely, but you don't have to know every word that has come before to enjoy the book in your hand right now. </p><p>I'm sad to say that there doesn't seem to be a sequel to <i>Bones of Stone</i>. I feel like there was plenty of room to continue the story and that it hasn't happened. I'll be looking for it though, and I'll be following McMaken. He's got some other stuff out there and most of it appears to be fantasy, I'm sure to pick up another McMaken book sometime soon.</p><p><b>Bottom Line: </b>5.0 out of 5 Living Steel Mining Picks</p><p><i>The Crippled King</i><br /><i>The Mouth of Fire</i><br /><i>The Second Gate</i><br /><i>Bones of Stone</i><br />A. Trae McMaken<br />Lost Pathway Books, 2022-2023</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-51788098713158388812024-02-04T12:53:00.000-06:002024-02-04T12:53:29.136-06:00David Weber's A Beautiful Friendship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_849526-T2/images/I/51PTMMFiorL._SY466_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="309" height="466" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_849526-T2/images/I/51PTMMFiorL._SY466_.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The best way to follow up a super serious post about a graphic novel covering an important subject is by reviewing a Science Fiction novel about treecats.<br /><br />Or sumfin'<br /><br />Listen, this blog is a work in progress and sometimes it gets messy.<br /><br />All of this to say that I recently read David Weber's novel <i>A Beautiful Friendship.</i> You purists out there may be tempted to point out that I did it because I was going to a meet up with a couple local chapters of <a href="https://trmn.org/">The Royal Manticoran Navy: The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association</a>. You may even be right. The fact remains that I helped plan the outing and I picked out the book (along with my buddy/Commanding Officer David) so neener, neener, neener. I read it. I loved it. And, put bluntly, who needs purists anyway?</p><p>So, right, the book...<br /><br />This is the third time I've read the thing, and the first time I've reviewed it. My excuse is because this book is so old that I read it twice before I started my blog in 2015. No system's perfect, right. Better late that never?<br /><br /></p><p>I mean...<br /><br />Yeah, the book.</p><p><i>A Beautiful Friendship</i> is part of the <i>Star Kingdom</i> series which is in and of itself a part of the Honor Harrington universe aka the Honorverse. I've been following these books for about twenty-ish years now, going back to right around the time I met my ex-wife and before I had kids. My oldest is eighteen now. Suffice it to say that I'm a huge fan.</p><p><i>A Beautiful Friendship</i> is a prequel leading back to the origins of the Star Kingdom (later Star Empire) of Manticore and also of the Harrington clan's beginnings as citizens therein. Stephanie Harrington, our heroine and all around likeable young girl, is on a quest to find something to do. Her family has recently immigrated to the SKM after living on a much older, more settled planet with a larger population, more forms of entertainment and people her age who aren't boring. The planet Sphinx is largely still wild with a small contingent of humanity on the planet, trying to make their way and build something.</p><p>Enter Stephanie who, quite frankly, is everything I taught my daughters to be; strong, smart, proud, tough and brave. She has a bit of that teenage brashness about her as well but that makes sense because she's a teenager. So when human settlers start reporting that celery is being burgled from their greenhouses (Sphinxian winters last a long time) she is intrigued. When celery starts disappearing from the Harrington greenhouse, she sets out to find out who or what is doing it. And what she catches on camera...<br /><br />Fans of the mainline Honorverse books all knew what I was when they read the word "celery." What she discovers is the first treecat known to humanity. And when she finds out it has and uses a net made of local fibers, things start to get interesting. Treecats aren't the first sentient species known to humans, but there haven't been many and she's a kid. She's also afraid her parents will find out that she snuck out after dark, in the rain...<br /><br />As adults we sometimes forget how badly it sucked to have to listen to parental instructions about everything. As parents, we know why they were necessary but that doesn't change the fact that we hated it. Weber does an awesome job of putting us back in that teenage mindset, wanting to do more than we're allowed to and frustrated because we can't. Of course, Stephanie is a Harrington and doesn't lack for personal initiative. She's also quite a bit less disciplined than her more famous descendant and finds ways around rules. <br /><br />Seriously, I had to pull out my copy of <i>Better to Beg Forgiveness</i> and make sure that it was indeed written by Michael Z. Williamson and not David Weber, because little Ms. Harrington lives that philosophy to its fullest. And, if it gets her in trouble from time to time, that just makes the whole experience more fun. Every story needs conflict after all.</p><p>I don't want to spoil too much of the book, but this isn't just a book about Man(girl) vs. Nature or Man vs. Parents. There is some serious villainy here and some more subtle danger emanating from pretty much everywhere around Harrington. She deals with it with equanimity for the most part. Stephanie Harrington is a girl who can keep her cool during a crisis. She's the kind of person I'd want along with me if I were doing something requiring guts and a calm mind, even if I might wish for a person with a bit more life experience.</p><p>There is a lot of really cool stuff here about the first few humans who bond with treecats, becoming almost the equivalent of a Treecat and their spouse. It's pretty cool if you've been following the series for a long time and maybe even cooler if you haven't. Those of us who are familiar with Honor and her treecat Nimitz take certain things for granted. Having read the later books, I know how smart treecats are. I'm used to the fact that they can bond with people and some very clear indications of the psychic abilities of treecats and their utility are listed in the later works. </p><p>If you haven't read those books though, a lot of it will come as a surprise. It's a voyage of discovery for Stepanie, her treecat Lionheart and indeed the entire human and treecat species. No one had a way to anticipate what was possible before Lionheart accidentally bonded with Stephanie, and the world takes a weird turn afterward because neither one of them know what to expect, either. As experienced readers we know some of what's coming, but even then, not all of it and the human element in the book leads places I never expected it to go.</p><p><i>A Beautiful Friendship</i> was one of the first books I managed to get my hands on and read after my divorce in 2012. Times were rough then, and it helped me get through a pretty rough time. It's a lot easier to enjoy it this time and I'm glad I took the time to reread it. The writing hasn't changed but I have. This is exactly the right type of book to read if you need a quick distraction from life to make you feel better. People are surprised when they find out that I didn't turn to drinking or drugs when my depression got bad. It's thanks to writers like David Weber and books like <i>ABF</i> that I'm not stuck in lifelong drug/alcohol rehab. If a pick me up is what you need, hie thee off to the bookstore and pick yourself up a copy. If not, buy one anyway. It's a good book regardless.</p><p><b>Bottom Line: </b>5.0 out of 5 Carry Nets</p><p><i>A Beautiful Friendship</i><br />David Weber<br />Baen Books, 2013</p><p><i>A Beautiful Friendship</i> is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and buy literally anything from Amazon I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.</p><p><br /></p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Friendship-Honor-Harrington-Kingdom-ebook/dp/B00AP9CHS4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1M4L138F0YR3L&keywords=a+beautiful+friendship+by+david+weber&qid=1707068756&sprefix=david+weber+a+beaut%252Caps%252C131&sr=8-1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=jisawsffre-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=b1f361e25d669ff897b871c28db2f982&camp=1789&creative=9325">A Beautiful Friendship</a>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-33385482748618883022024-02-03T22:30:00.000-06:002024-02-03T22:30:48.594-06:00They Called Us Enemy - Expanded Edition Written by George Takei, Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott. Art by Harmony Becker<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_849526-T2/images/I/81e6Wyopa4L._SY466_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="337" height="466" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_849526-T2/images/I/81e6Wyopa4L._SY466_.jpg" width="337" /></a></div><p></p><p>Life as a young boy in my the McCoy household centered around three things: Star Trek, sports and World War II movies. I've seen more John Wayne flicks than John Wayne. I knew the names of the bridge crew of the Enterprise before I could name most of my friends parents. And don't get me started on sports or the creative way my own dear father was known to use profanity while watching our local Detroit teams play (and trust me, the man was a master.) It really kind of sucks then that I'm not more excited about sharing an experience that involved both George Takei from ST:TOS and World War II.</p><p>Don't get me wrong. They Called Us Enemy by George Takei et al. is actually a very well written and well drawn graphic novel. (I'm going with the name "graphic novel" even though novel implies fiction and They Called Us Enemy is a true story because there is no word or phrase for a comic book that's non-fiction, at least to the best of my knowledge and belief.) I just kind of wish it hadn't been written.</p><p>Listen folks, I know that the United States has done some screwed up stuff in its past. I have a BA in History, I've studied a bunch of it. From the Indian Wars (and yes, conquest is common throughout history, but paying a bounty for scalps of your enemies is not) slavery/racism, etc. None of that is good and all of it bothers me, but I can't help but have a special hatred of the internment of Japanese citizens of the United States at at time when Hitler was killing camps full of Jews a little bit worse than the rest of it. Maybe I'm wrong for that, but it is what it is. </p><p>For all of that though, They Called Us Enemy is a well written, entertaining, touching and oddly honest depiction of what George Takei went through when his family was forced into a camp. I say oddly honest because he speaks of train trips from camp to camp almost fondly when I would have expected nothing but vitriol. He also makes a point at the end about Americans being willing to talk about the camps and about the beauty of American democracy even if it does screw up at times. It would have been very easy for him to be much more bitter and he's not. That says a lot about him as a person.</p><p>The story is told simply but well. This is not some unreadable treatise by some academic hack. It almost feels like sitting on my grandma's couch cracking nuts and listening to my grandpa tell stories. The writers of this story hit the perfect note. I followed the story from place to place and from event to event easily. Some of it I could readily sympathize with. </p><p>We get a really good look at young George and the Takei family. He does his best to show his readers his parents point of view. His pride in his father's accomplishments and hard work is both obvious and well deserved. His pride in his mother's accomplishments and ingenuity is both of the above as well. Sneaking a forbidden sewing machine into an internment camp was quite the trick and it was every bit as necessary as it must have been frightening to pull off.</p><p>The art in the book is simple but beautiful. It's well drawn and pulls the reader in but it's not too much. It's this weird mix of "we need to use the art to tell the story" and "we need to keep the art from getting in the way of the story" and somehow Harmony Becker pulled it off. I don't know how that's possible, but I saw it with my own eyes. Her drawings depict what happened but without any type of an artistic flourish. This was art that was written by someone who was dedicated to sharing a story and not by someone who wanted to show off.</p><p>I'll take it one step further: The art in They Called Us Enemy is all in black and white and that was a great choice. I like it for two reasons. One is that I grew up on black and white World War II movies and the monochrome look is not just nostalgic, but it evokes that old world feeling for me. With the lack of color I'm transported to a time that feels familiar even though it was over three decades before I was born. The other reason is a little more complicated, but I'll try to explain it like this:</p><p>There are some things that just need to be shown in a somewhat muted manner. I'm not saying they should be silenced, but I am saying that too much color can give a somewhat celebratory mood. No one goes to a fireworks show to see black and white explosions. Patriotic types in the US (and this is a group I belong to) talk about the "red, white, and blue" and not some monochromatic depiction of the American flag. </p><p>Another black and white comic I talked about, Maus, used a black and white color scheme to good effect as well. It is good to keep somber subjects (and the internment of Japanese citizens is certainly something that no one should be proud of) in a darker, more solemn setting. </p><p>I find it necessary to repeat something I said about <i>Maus </i>though: I would be careful giving this type of a comic to a young person, or a classroom full of them, if they didn't have the historical background to go with this. I linked my <i>Maus</i> review earlier. There were some statistics I pointed to at the time regarding the fact that younger people aren't taking the Holocaust as seriously as they should be. I sometimes wonder if that's because of things like comic books about these events. </p><p>I've been told that works like <i>Maus</i> and <i>They Called Us Enemy</i> are the only way to get the emotional impact of their respective events across. That may very well be true. It's also true that most people don't take things they read in comics seriously. I know that Spiegelman and Takei both intended their work to bring attention to important subjects and get a message out. I just hope that their work doesn't accomplish the opposite of what they intended. <br /></p><p>So if you're going to hand a copy of <i>They Called Us Enemy</i> to a young person, make sure you give them some historical background. Make sure that they know this is one family's story and that there were many more families and camps than just the ones in the book. And make sure they know this isn't some made up story. That it actually happened. But read <i>They Called Us Enemy</i> and share it because it's both a good story and an important one. Just do it right.</p><p><br /><b>Bottom Line: </b>5.0 out of 5 Watch Towers</p><p><i>They Called Us Enemy - Expanded Edition</i><br />George Takei, Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott. Art by Harmony Becker<br />Top Shelf Productions, 2019</p><p><i>They Called Us Enemy - Expanded Edition</i> is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and buy literally anything from Amazon, I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084B29Y33?ref_=dbs_m_cmx_rwt_calw_tkin_1&storeType=ebooks&_encoding=UTF8&tag=jisawsffre-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=63b7746fe090d9f266a6804eb9b5fc56&camp=1789&creative=9325">They Called Us Enemy</a>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-3119513316329752202024-02-01T20:38:00.000-06:002024-02-01T20:38:24.383-06:00Happy Golden Anniversary Dungeons and Dragons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR66JMorGPsMrIkSZnC4ZFYY14pOEbslWs6o3QNrXjUHMMKQ6XrucmP-PM_PkZaORvdYbcyzPz656RkfSOk1L1G8EquDxp3uVoKQLF5rbCYdWG-vvSIDvE_0t8wm1W5twzFqxHvMSo2n5vZzi4ke9dQNVvJ_gJEo6ulVDv6OTvU7W6NoJ86NlM7wQCk7aV/s479/Ad_d_2nd_480x480_0936ff4a-7297-4208-8530-780280e6da87_1200x1200.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="330" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR66JMorGPsMrIkSZnC4ZFYY14pOEbslWs6o3QNrXjUHMMKQ6XrucmP-PM_PkZaORvdYbcyzPz656RkfSOk1L1G8EquDxp3uVoKQLF5rbCYdWG-vvSIDvE_0t8wm1W5twzFqxHvMSo2n5vZzi4ke9dQNVvJ_gJEo6ulVDv6OTvU7W6NoJ86NlM7wQCk7aV/s320/Ad_d_2nd_480x480_0936ff4a-7297-4208-8530-780280e6da87_1200x1200.webp" width="220" /></a></div><br /><p>Once upon a time, long ago, a cousin of mine who probably wouldn't admit it anymore introduced me to a game called <i>Advanced Dungeons & Dragons</i>, a game which was then in it Second Edition. It was a game that had everything a young man could ever want: Dragons, Dungeons, Gold, Fighting, Dice...</p><p>It was an adventure that never had to end because, once you were done with the current adventure, you could queue another one up. When I got tired of my dwarven fighter/mage/thief I could switch to playing my elven bard or my human paladin (which I _on no level_ fudged the rolls to make, unless you count reality) and off I would go in pursuit of more treasure, or that one annoying twit that kept arresting people and wanted to know what happened to the magistrate's amulet and why someone said they thought they saw me wearing it. (And that NEVER HAPPENED. Now, had someone said they saw it in my backpack, that may have been a different story.)<br /><br />Now, if you were in the mood to be pedantic (and if you're reading this, you're most likely a geek, a nerd, or both) you may be tempted to point out that my introduction to the game<i> Dungeons and Dragons</i> wasn't really my introduction to <i>D&D</i> overall. I had loved the cartoon when it was on Saturday mornings, even if I thought the Dungeon Master was a little creepy. But honestly, who wouldn't? I kind of still do.</p><p>And it didn't stop there. I discovered the various game world box sets: First <i>Greyhawk</i>, then <i>Spelljammer, Forgotten Realms...</i><br /><br />I could go on. The really important part is that the box sets led to books. I was introduced to <i>The Dragonlance Chronicles</i> by my friend Jeff Cauldwell, and I fell in love with the world of Krynn and fantasy literature in general (IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, JEFF!!). My sister grabbed me one of the <i>Greyhawk</i> novels for Christmas one year. The <i>Dark Sun</i> novels were freaking painfully amazing and gave me flashbacks to the Thomas Covenant novels. Then came <i>Spelljammer</i> and it's take on space travel. OMG DUDE!!! Trek/Wars in D&D. I was in love.</p><p>And then came the <i>Dwarven Nations</i> trilogy. I have a serious love for the dwarven folk and, while I enjoyed Flint Fireforge (and named both <i>D&D </i>and <i>Everquest </i>characters after him) the reason I'm writing a dwarf centered novel, the reason I'm reading an unrelated series about dwarves now, and the reason I started the last campaign I DM'ed in a dwarven town was really <i>The Dwarven Nations Trilogy.</i> I love the little buggers. Hardworking, no-nonsense taking, and yes, I am one of THOSE McCoys (if you don't believe me ask a Hatfield) never giving up, stubborn asshole, and orc skull splitting dwarves are the most bestest things about fantasy fiction. <br /><br />Wait what?<br /><br />You disagree? You're wrong. Dwarves are objectively the best thing that ever happened to fantasy anything. There is no counter argument. <br /><br />But I digress.<br /><br />As usual.<br /><br />Digression is, however, my strongest skill as a blogger.</p><p>Anyone who reads fantasy fiction and hasn't read R.A. Salvatore's Forgotten Realms novels needs to have their head examined while they're wandering off to the bookstore to grab copies. Start with Drizzt Do'Urden and then head over toward Cadderly the cleric afterward. I haven't reviewed the books here because it's been a long time since I read one, but they are magnificent. What's more, the <i>Forgotten Realms</i> are extremely popular in not just Salvatore's novels, but in pretty much everything <i>D&D </i>that takes place in digital form: <i>Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, </i>even <i>Tiny D&D Adventures</i> the old Facebook app before the Google Play store was a thing. And, of course, for pretty much all of the <i>D&D</i> movies. </p><p>I know I'm in the minority in that I loved all four of the movies. I know that most of you would disagree. I know that the first three movies basically felt like bad B movies. I've also sat at more than one gaming table and I have to say that most of those tables couldn't even aspire to be B movies. </p><p>And the thing with <i>D&D</i> is that it doesn't even matter which form you prefer. Someone else out there loves it as much as you do and they'll be happy to discuss it with you. I've seen it happen. Two geeks sitting next to each other not knowing each other and all of a sudden someone mentions painting minis or playing video games and two hours later they're best friends talking about stuff they've done in the game. I have personally walked up to someone reading a copy of a <i>D&D </i>novel at the library and started a conversation. She was cute, too, only I was married at the time. (But if you're reading this, I'm divorced now!) It happens.<br /><br />And listen...<br /><br />I'm not here for the Edition Wars. I've never played <i>Basic D&D</i> regardless of what color the box was. I started with Second Edition, but my buddy Pat (RIP, brother. I told you that shit was bad for you.) had a first edition copy of <i>Unearthed Arcana</i> and it never really occurred to us to convert anything. I've played Third Edition, missed Fourth, and have played and DM'ed 5e. It's time for the proverbial "every edition has its strengths and weaknesses" routine, only I'm not going to bother. Play what you like. Leave others alone and, if you're not a dick, you can sit at my table.<br /><br />The crazy part is that <i>D&D </i>is not just a game either. It's a creative outlet. The first worlds I created, I created for <i>D&D</i> and for the Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game (First Edition). If you can read through all of the various subclasses and/or kits and can't come up with a new twist on an old trope (even if it's just by tweaking something there) then I can't help you. It's all there. And if it's not there, you can create it.<br /><br />That is why, in my opinion, the greatest of all forms of <i>D&D</i> is the homebrew edition. Why? Because it's all about a DM, their players, and what works for them. I've never seen the sheer volume of homebrew that I see in <i>D&D</i> anywhere else. Even if you play modules, I can pretty much guarantee your group is home ruling SOMETHING at your table. The Rules at Written have been trampled over so many times that it's laughable. I LOVE THAT ABOUT THEM.</p><p>Oh, right. Podcasts. I forgot the podcasts. That's probably because I don't listen to them because I suck and you should hate me. Or sumfin'. If my cousin Hallie finds out I haven't watched/listened to <i>Critical Role</i> she's probably gonna kick my ass. I'll get around to it at some point. Probably. I should probably watch/review a season of something at some point. Someday. When I get the time. But never mind me. I know a lot of people love them and that's what matters.</p><p>Oh crap, I forgot the art. I love the art. Larry Elmore is basically the greatest artist ever to pick up a paint brush but there have been a whole bunch of amazeballs fantasy artists and a lot of them have made <i>D&D </i>related artwork. And then there are the magazines...<br /><br />Listen, I've gotta work in the morning. I need to end this here.</p><p>And yes, I know the whole gaming license thing made some people mad. Wizards retracted all the crap and fixed the problem. Everyone is back to making their money again. It's all good. Let's all move on. <br /><br />Roll those dice. Have fun storming the castle. Kill the dragon. Loot the horde. Whine to your DM because you can't afford full plate at first level. But fire it up folks and let's lay some <i>D&D.</i> Thank you, Mr Gygax for the endless hours of fun and fellowship your creation has provided. Here's to hoping it lasts at least another fifty years.</p><p>Some <i>Dungeons & Dragons</i> related merchandise is available for purchase at the links below. If you click the links and buy literally anything from Amazon, I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/dp/0786965606/ref=sr_1_6?crid=UV6GKE8Y87RG&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons&qid=1706841049&sprefix=dungeons+and+%252Caps%252C368&sr=8-6&_encoding=UTF8&tag=jisawsffre-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=efd1917201c2de86ab4c9c8135173d47&camp=1789&creative=9325" target="_blank">Player's Handbook</a></p><div><br /></div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/dp/0786965606/ref=sr_1_6?crid=UV6GKE8Y87RG&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons&qid=1706841049&sprefix=dungeons+and+%252Caps%252C368&sr=8-6&_encoding=UTF8&tag=jisawsffre-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=9c4e06a0f4dc1cda7814d7a4e6d8cfa0&camp=1789&creative=9325" target="_blank">Dungeon Master's Guide</a><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-60852362581103033262024-01-28T14:02:00.001-06:002024-01-28T14:02:55.192-06:00Dan Abnett's Horus Rising<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_849526-T2/images/I/61sabb-ccLL._SY445_SX342_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="314" height="445" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_849526-T2/images/I/61sabb-ccLL._SY445_SX342_.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I have a confession to make. This is my Science Fiction and Fantasy Review blog. I've had it for eight whole years now. I like to consider myself an expert in all matters Science Fiction and Fantasy and, if you're not one, I can probably fool you into believing it, too. One of the reasons I say "fool" is that, before very recently, I had only a concept of the whole "grimdark" sub-genre. I mean, the name is pretty much self-explanatory but I hadn't actually read any of it for myself.</p><p>When considering what I should read to acquaint myself with such a sub-genre a pretty obvious candidate arose: The <i>Warhammer 40k</i> universe is the original grimdark universe and it is very easily available, as long as you don't mind robbing a bank to get it. I mean, it's not as expensive as buying the minis, but I've never played the game. I just know what the books cost. But that led me to another problem: <i>40k </i>is a freaking gargantuan universe. I mean, I've seen bit universes before. I'm a fan of the <i>Four Horsemen Universe</i>. I love pretty much any Dungeons & Dragons fiction, but I'm a bigger fan of <i>Dragonlance</i> than pretty much anything else and the amount of fiction in that universe alone can be just a bit daunting. Neither of those, both of those put together, don't come near the amount of fiction in the <i>40k</i> universe. I didn't want to randomly select whatever. That's just not me, so I went researching.<br /><br />In researching my choice of a starting point, the one constant suggestion was <i>The Horus Heresy,</i> but the one thing every person who made a list recommended not reading was also <i>The Horus Heresy.</i> Apparently, fifty-four books (plus, I gather, a few more anthologies) is too much for some of these lightweights. But not Jimbo. Oh, no. The <i>4HU</i> is almost that size now, and <i>Dragonlance</i> is even bigger. BRING IT!</p><p>So, off I went in search of tasty treats to my local Amazon website and found the first book: Dan Abnett's <i>Horus Rising.</i> It wasn't hard to find. Type the name in, up it pops, there goes my money and BAM! I'm lost in space riding along with the feared Luna Wolves on their mission to make planet Sixty-Three Nineteen compliant with the edicts of the emperor. </p><p>What followed was a lot of fun. If you're as into giant space battles and armored troops charging face first into gunfire, you can't miss this book. If you look a little bit of political intrigue to spice things up you can't go wrong. If you look for the bond between brothers that have faced combat you're in the right place. I was carried along right from the beginning and finished the whole book in basically three days. It was amazing.</p><p>What I hadn't counted on was the way <i>Horus Rising</i> and its author, Dan Abnett, dealt with the moral implications of making war. There is a lot more to this book than its awesome action sequences. The Warmaster, the aforementioned Horus, has a collection of captains under him which form the "Mournival", a group of men which act as advisors and the collective conscience of the Luna Wolves. I was a bit surprised by this. It had an almost Japanese air to it, like an idealized samurai drama, only the code of the Legions is nowhere near the Code of Bushido. It's more like the warrior-philosopher thing, the feeling that the code makes things right and that it's what a warrior should live for.<br /></p><p>The warriors, the Luna Wolves and their brothers in the other Legions, are dedicated to the truth as they see it. This is a philosophy of pure science. It is openly derogatory toward religion and I can't say I was all that happy with it. I'm a Christian, after all, and Christianity is no more welcome in the Legions or on Terra than any other religion. I can live with it though, because it's fictional. Still and all, it led to a bit of a villainous air to this story's heroes. I kind of like that though. Even the good guys aren't good. That's grimdark, right?</p><p>Missing from the first novel were the references I had gained from others. The Luna Wolves travel through space to fight a fierce enemy upon receiving a distress call but I don't remember any reference to "psykers" (assuming that I spelled that right) being burned alive. Clearly, there is more to this story and I need to keep reading, but I'm okay with that.</p><p>I've heard people wonder if it's possible to enjoy <i>40k</i> fiction without playing the game. I can honestly say that I've never sat a <i>40k</i> table and I've never read a single one of their rulebooks, but I loved <i>Horus Rising.</i> There is so much here. I don't feel like I've missed a single bit of background necessary to understand what's going on. I do feel like Abnett went out of his way to make sure he included what was there, but he does it without making his worldbuilding overly obvious. Some would refer to this as "Heinleining" in the details and they're not wrong.</p><p>I have to admit that I have seen several posters with <i>40k</i> troopers carrying swords and chainsaw swords alongside their guns. I always thought that was leaning heavily on the goofy side, but if you read <i>Horus Rising</i> it suddenly makes sense. These are troops that use their weapons effectively and their swords are no exception. If some of them seem to like sword work a little too much that's okay. I enjoyed that part of the story and it's not like they don't have other ways to combat the enemy when a sword isn't what's appropriate.</p><p>I'm forced to admit that I can't wait to get and read the sequel. It's my understanding that this is a shared universe, but I've read plenty of those (to include the <i>4HU </i>and <i>Dragonlance</i>) and that just makes me enjoy a series more. There is something about reading a long series by a single author that I really enjoy, but a new voice keeps things fresh. I'll be headed to download <i>False Gods</i> soon. I can't wait.</p><p><b>Bottom Line: </b>5.0 out of 5 Cracked Carapaces</p><p><i>Horus Rising</i><br />Dan Abnett<br />Black Library, 2016</p><p><i>Horus Rising</i> is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and buy literally anything from Amazon, I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.<br /><br /><br /></p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Horus-Rising-Heresy-Book-ebook/dp/B01MQGRV2R/ref=sr_1_1?crid=19NAIYSM6NRR4&keywords=horus+rising&qid=1706470901&sprefix=horus+ris%252Caps%252C446&sr=8-1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=jisawsffre-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=8e94c19a130e7529d038498d5a9d8fee&camp=1789&creative=9325">Horus Rising</a>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-43365124703822709972024-01-21T12:22:00.000-06:002024-01-21T12:22:15.226-06:00Travis Baldree's Bookshops and Bonedust<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81LnJAvh0mL._AC_UY218_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="141" height="218" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81LnJAvh0mL._AC_UY218_.jpg" width="141" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>It's time, once again, for a relaxing ride down Fantasy Lane with Travis Baldree. He refers to his latest release as <i>Bookshops and Bonedust </i> and, I have to say, it's a worthy prequel to his previous work, <a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2023/10/travis-baldrees-legends-and-lattes.html"><i>Legends and Lattes</i></a>. In this latest release, our heroine, Viv the orc, is forced to take some time off to rehab a leg injury and comes across a new friend who owns (you guessed it) a bookshop.</p><p>The Viv of <i>Bookshops and Bonedust</i> is much younger and more action motivated than the older, retired (from the adventuring life at least) Viv of the original novel. She gets her wound in combat because she won't listen and stay where she's supposed to. She gets out too far out in front and gets herself surrounded because she won't listen to older, wiser people who have been there before. I like that though, because that's pretty much the standard text-book definition of "young orc." This is a Viv who still craves battle and loves the adrenaline rush that comes with it. I can still see enough of the Viv I know and love to recognize her, but she reminds me a little too much of me when I was a teenager and used to speed around the outside of the mall so I could hit the hill by the bank and catch air. (Thankfully, my mom doesn't read my blog so I'm safe revealing that here.)</p><p>This time, instead of former comrades looking for treasure, Viv's crew has a new target, a necromancer. The astute reader may believe that the "bonedust" reference comes from there, but I'll never tell.</p><p>Anyway...<br /><br />Baldree knows his shtick and he knows his audience. <i>Bookshops and Bonedust</i> is nowhere near a carbon copy of <i>Legends and Lattes, </i>but it does contain a whole bunch of what made the first book a success; a relatable main character, a business to be built back from basically nothing and a supporting cast of stars with just enough of an outside threat to spice things up a bit. The type of business he uses this time just adds to the fun.<br /><br />I don't care who you are or what you looking like, there are three types of readers in the world; the type who wants to own a bookshop, the kind who wants to be a librarian and the undecideds who want both (for the record, I'm number three) and Baldree taps into that desire here. Viv doesn't actually own the bookshop in question but she gets to spend the day there helping out and reading for free. It sounds like a good life to me.<br /><br />If you've read the first one (and if you haven't your wrong. Hie thee off to Amazon and pick up your copy.) then you know that the central problem of the story is Viv and her attempt to open a coffee shop in a town that has never heard of coffee. She shows a surprising level of business skills for a person who had led an adventurer's life before opening her place. I hadn't thought about that before, but <i>Bookshops and Bonedust</i> is where she learns those business skills, slowly and by guessing mainly. </p><p>Fern, the owner of Thistleburr Booksellers (and why does the word Thistleburr remind me of Drangonlance character Tasslehoff? I mean, other than that he'd definitely have "borrowed" some books from there.) is not doing as well as she might wish she was and Viv finds ways to help her out. It's a lot of fun, but it also lays the basis for what comes later the way a proper sequel should. <i>Bookshops and Bonedust</i> also reveals why Viv was in such a hurry to get pastries set up in her coffee shop later. I like that part.</p><p>There is a hint of a romance angle here, but it's a pretty relaxed one. When I think of romance literature I think of smut and there is none of that here. It's enough to make one's mind wander, but it's subtle enough that I would have absolutely no problem recommending <i>Bookshops and Bonedust</i> to my twelve year old daughter. Seriously, what's there is there but it fits with the relaxing theme of the book. </p><p>Being a cozy fantasy, there's not a whole lot of violence. That's not the point. Don't get me wrong. I've been known to read <i>Warhammer</i> novels. I don't have a problem with mass battles and extreme violence but this isn't that kind of book. There is, however, a bit. The story starts with the fight where Viv gets her wound and there is a bit of a dust up at the end of the book. It's well done and easy to follow but Baldree keeps things where they belong and manages to keep the feeling of this thing cozy regardless of what little bits of fighting jump out at you.<br /><br />The majority of <i>Bookshops and Bonedust </i>is set in the town of Murk and it kind of feels like a cool little port town. You know, it's that one town you wish you had homebrewed for your <i>Dungeons & Dragons</i> campaign and didn't. It feels just right with the docks, and the inn and all of the other little businesses thrown in, right down to the pain in the butt town watch captain. (And, trust me, every town needs one of those, either to drag your players into a fight they don't want to defend the town or to be a thorn in their backside when they're just trying to mind their own business and buy some spell components.) Honestly, given the fact that Hasbro/Wizards allows others to profit by releasing <i>D&D</i> related content, I could see a module featuring Murk as its setting bringing in some decent loot. Seriously, if Baldree ever decides to start a <i>D&D</i> podcast set in one of his towns I'd love a chance to run a character there. I'm just sayin'...</p><p>The one thing I was hoping for and didn't get was Viv's first drink of coffee. Granted, it's not the town where Viv ordered her coffee from in the first book (the name of which I'm drawing a blank on, but it was a gnomish town that doesn't get much screentime but feels like it would be a lot of fun) but it still would have been nice to see our friendly neighborhood coffee fiend with fangs take her first sip.</p><p>I don't want to spoil too much, but there is something that happens in the book which leads me to believe there will be a sequel. I can't wait to read it, if so. If not, I'm going to go into my bedroom and pout and suck on my thumb. I might even chew the nail a bit. So, anyway, here's hoping.<br /><br /><b>Bottom Line: </b>5.0 out of 5 Satchels</p><p><i>Bookshops and Bonedust</i><br />Travis Baldree<br />Tor, 2023</p><p><i>Bookshops and Bonedust</i> is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and buy literally anything from Amazon, I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.</p><p><br /></p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Bookshops-Bonedust-Travis-Baldree-ebook/dp/B0BQGGVB4K/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2TSK1J489UY7S&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nWYnffh1ZTKpHRnvD9CywQDgRDh0kEbwEh0tOMzv-x_28N_ue_KDCoWfn2RDEJh5guF2UTAad1hm-Ln4URQ0_jcoAsIo08rjN_yyFlg9_Dapq8LzTzThbVEJ7EvOhqT0aUwwD3zziMJpJD_wHnrCd4rVAlM0aduQ5dVyKTzOce8Khb9UiOJgH02a1xLlo_hiGXnyrkDQVJsGJmj2TUjZbxyttR0DSXWq6isk0gJ2pMI.Yewsktgp8AATs9Xg7EUe0WZX5grF4XkSMeuC_nfr6_s&dib_tag=se&keywords=bookshops+and+bonedust&qid=1705855904&sprefix=bookshops+and%252Caps%252C125&sr=8-1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=jisawsffre-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=8afd1d9d7962f047557d6be5667d8060&camp=1789&creative=9325">Bookshops and Bonedust</a>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-58151811158659811222024-01-15T10:08:00.000-06:002024-01-15T10:08:57.991-06:00Disgardium Books Two Through Twelve by Dan Sugralinov<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81PZ2k4gsJL._SY466_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="315" height="466" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81PZ2k4gsJL._SY466_.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><br /><p>It's no longer very often I get carried away in a series and just can't put it down. I've gotten a bit jaded in my old age and being a book reviewer I try to skip around between authors and end up not coming back to a series I swore I was going to finish because not it's eight authors later and I've got a ninth to read and well...<br /><br />You get the idea.</p><p>The fact remains that I love to get swept away by a series. I just spent an entire month reading Dan Sugralinov's <i>Disgardium</i> series. I loved every minute of it and I will get back into this one when the next books come out this su...<br /><br />This s...</p><p><br /></p><p>Thi...</p><p>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!</p><p>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!</p><p>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!</p><p>IT'S NOT FAAAAAAAAAAAAAIR!!!!</p><p>I thought that this was a twelve book series. It's supposed to be a twelve book series. It said it was a twelve book series. It almost is a twelve book series. But...<br /><br />But...</p><p>Book Twelve, appropriately titled <i>Unity</i>, got too long and it got split into three parts and now I have to wait till this summer for parts thirteen and fourteen. I'm gonna freak out here. I can't wait that long to find out how this thing ends.<br /><br />I mean, it's not like it's my first time here. I've been following David Weber's <i>Honorverse</i> since the reign of Bush the Younger and I've had some fairly significant waits there. Don't get me started on how long I had to wait for the end of Jean M. Auel's <i>Earth's Children</i> or what I had to say about the last book afterward. But dude...<br /><br />I thought this thing was going to end at twelve. I was prepared for the big denouement and it didn't come. I feel like I just went on the most awesomest date in the history of ever, go the girl to her front door, leaned in for a kiss and she was like, "Totes wanna kiss you but I gotta pee. Hang out here for a sec." and then took off and left me holding her purse. I mean, I know she'll be back but the suspense is killing me.</p><p>I reviewed the first book, <i>Class A Threat,</i> <a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2023/12/dan-sugralinovs-class-threat-disgardium.html">here</a>. An awful lot has happened since then and most of it is only good in the sense of how entertaining it is. The main character, Alex Sheppard AKA Scyth - his character in the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game known as Disgardium, is one tough kid. And yes, I do mean kid. He starts the story as a fourteen year old and by the end of the twelfth book is only sixteen. At that age though, Alex is hardcore.</p><p>He does battle against everyone and everything in the game world of Disgardium and that's a game where the players have in game pain transferred into their real life bodies. He also faces massive challenges in the real world both from people who wish him harm and from those who wish to bribe him. He's an honest man though, and he manages to not fall by the wayside. I like this kid. He could date my daughters. Well, maybe my oldest. My youngest is only twelve so she's still a bit young.</p><p>Alex, as the name of the first book <i>Class A Threat</i> implies is a Threat in the game of Disgardium, meaning that he has a highly imbalanced power that can change the whole game. How that works/what it means in precise terms is a spoiler. Go read the books if you want to know. What it also means is that he has to hide his status to protect himself from others in the game who would kill his character in order to collect a bounty. It also endangers him in real life, as players and the Snowstorm, the creators of the game, can control his character and how he uses his powers if they can control him.</p><p>Alex is not, however, afraid to use his abilities as a Threat to treat himself to acquire some benefits in the game. He gains levels - a measure of how powerful his character is- at a breakneck pace. He brings in unbelievable amounts of in game money (gold) in the process and that's a big deal. In Sugralinov's world, anyone who has reached the age of majority (sixteen) and passed their citizenship exams can take their gold out of the game and covert it to phoenixes - real world money - and some get extremely rich in the process. With Alex's in game wealth, he can do exactly that IF he takes and passes his citizenship exams. <br /><br />And I'm not going to tell you if he did or how it went if so. Read the books.</p><p>Alex also manages to use his in game wealth to hire a bunch of non-citizens to work for him in-game. Most of them are of legal age and can cash out a small amount of their gold monthly. For most of them, Disgardium is their only source of income. Alex does right by these people and does his best to take care of them both in and out of the game. He takes on more responsibility at the age of sixteen than most people do in their entire lives and he thrives while doing it. Of course, this causes problems in the real world as well. Not everyone can be trusted and not everyone who sells him out means him ill. The world is a big, confusing place for me at forty-seven and this is a kid with the weight of the world on his shoulders. The fact that he can keep moving forward says a lot about him as a person. The fact that I can keep reading and so easily suspend disbelief says a lot about Sugralinov as an author. </p><p>The worldbuilding here is impressive and leaves me a bit confused about Sugralinov's politics. There is enough here to anger members of both parties in the United States, but that's part of what makes it good. I slide back and forth with my reactions to what his characters think and do but they are always believable. Sugralinov appears to be a political writer with his own agenda and no one else's. Also, he doesn't harp on the politics for the most part. </p><p>The action sequences in the real world in the book are intense and fast paced. They make me wince at parts and at many points trying to figure out how Alex and friends were going to get out of what was thrown at them. At least one thing had me convinced that the rest of the stories were going to be written about ghosts but they got out of it alive and somewhat well-ish. At least alive. </p><p>His in-game action sequences are what really got me worked up though. I've played <i>World of Warcraft</i> and <i>Everquest</i> and have literal years invested in game time played. My <i>WoW</i> main had over eighteen months online all by himself. I haven't played in awhile, but Disgardium almost has me back into it.<br /><br /></p><p>Alex/Scyth are involved in some of the most intense player versus player combat sequences imaginable. I've fought encounters in <i>WoW</i> and raided cities. I've never done anything that comes anywhere near what happens in these books. I'd love to just see something like this happen on Twitch or something and I don't even watch Twitch. Alex and friends also do multiple instances and down multiple bosses for the first time ever. This guy has a gaming career that most players three times his age can't even dream of. These are probably the best parts of what would be an awesome series without them.</p><p><i>Disgardium </i>is my new favorite LitRPG series. I can't wait for the last two books. </p><p><b>Bottom Line: </b>5.0 out of 5 Rainbow Crystals</p><p><i>Apostle of the Sleeping Gods, The Destroying Plague, Resistance, Holy War, Path of Spirit, The Demonic Games, Enemy of the Inferno, Glory to the Dominion!, Clear Threat, Out of Play, Unity</i><br />Dan Sugralinov<br />Magic Dome Books 2019-2023</p><p><i>Apostle of the Sleeping Gods: Book Two of Disgardium</i> is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and buy literally anything from Amazon, I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q15DWNC?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_1&storeType=ebooks&qid=1705277812&sr=8-1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=jisawsffre-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=5f0cfad1323fd06e0f85773403f7a5fc&camp=1789&creative=9325">Apostle of The Sleeping Gods</a>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-42007230541105469512024-01-14T18:08:00.000-06:002024-01-14T18:08:48.449-06:00One October Night: 31 Illustrations and Their Stories by Sam Robb Illustrations by Cedar Sanderson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81u7+TnpCHL._SY466_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="315" height="466" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81u7+TnpCHL._SY466_.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>(Listen folks, I'm going lazy on this one. I will grant you that I don't do many anthology posts, but that's because they take too long to write. I usually do a brief review of each story. Here's the problem: It's Sunday night. My Lions are playing in less than two hours and have a decent chance to win their first playoff game in three decades. Last time they won one, I was a high school kid, working at the local grocery store and I missed the game because I was at work. The one review per story dog isn't going to hunt and I need to get this done tonight. So buckle up and put your hardhat on, sweetheart because we're on a trip trying to do this thing justice in less than the two and half hours I average for reviewing an anthology. No, that's not a typo.)</p><p>When Cedar Sanderson wandered by my email one day inquiring as to whether I would do a review for her latest work I was intrigued. Cedar is, after all, one hell of a <a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2015/07/cedar-sandersons-gods-wolfling.html">writer</a> and<a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2022/12/cedar-sandersons-treehouse-art.html"> artist</a> and I've <a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2019/02/cedar-sandersons-lab-gremlins.html">reviewed</a> a <a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2015/05/cedar-sandersons-trickster-noir.html">ton</a> of her <a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2021/01/writing-and-russian-fairytales-guest.html">stuff</a> already. That's because I enjoy it. She's really good at what she does. So of course I perked up my ears when she mentioned the word "experimental." Cedar works in a lab. I was excited. I thought maybe she used her powers of science and finally conjured up the evil spirits from the Nethervoid of the Shadowwalker and we were going to utilize the power of The Dark to level cities and invent popcorn that won't burn in the microwave or something...<br /><br />Right.<br /><br />Like popcorn that won't burn in the microwave will ever actually exist.<br /><br />But then she told me that she had a project with a guy named Sam Robb, whose work I am new to reading, and that it was really cool. I had known that Cedar had participated in Inktober (it's a challenge graphic artists take to do a drawing every day in October) and I was watching her post stuff on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/290543872385601">Facebook</a>. What I hadn't known was that Sam Robb was doing a story every day based on whatever she drew and also the prompts (provided by fans. The process is explained in the book.) that she used to draw them. That sounded just crazy enough to work.<br /><br />Which, admittedly was not assured. I mean, Klinger thought that wearing dresses was crazy enough to get him discharged, right?</p><p>Fortunately though, it did work. It really works well. It worked so well that I manged to read all of <i>One October Night: 31 Illustrations and Their Stories</i> in <b>one freaking day.</b> I don't read entire anthologies in a day ever. They don't flow like novels and it's usually pretty hard to focus on the book when it keeps changing up on me like that. Here's the thing: These stories were so good it didn't matter.</p><p>There is a whole ton of stuff here. At least one story was heavily influenced by HP Lovecraft and written in the same vein as "Call of Cthulu." It was great. There was another about a girl who got an epic birthday present even if it wasn't <i>quite</i> what she expected. It had me chuckling though, even if her father wasn't, at least at first. I've got to admit too, I've never quite seen death portrayed as a wolf before. Although, there was a bit of Pandora (from Greek myth, not the music app) mixed in there as well. </p><p>There is also a story known as "Coffee Failure". I don't want to spoil the story, but any picture with the word "decaf" written on the side of a coffee mug clearly deserves the name. I mean, seriously, who drinks decrappinated anything? Ok, so I bought a box of decrappinated tea bags once but that's because they looked like the good stuff. </p><p>Of course, small planets need saving too, and that's the theme of one of the other stories. That's a crazy one because it sounds like the main character is almost bored by what he discovers before he works it out and finds out what's important. Seriously, it's clearly not meant as a Christmas movie but it has a sort of <i>Miracle on 34th Street</i> feel to it in a way. Kinda. Then there's the coffee shop story. That's touching. It's also cool because it involves a girl who reads books. Who doesn't love girls who read books?</p><p>Anyway...</p><p>Cedar's work is excellent as always. She has a definite style about her that really needs a proper art critic to describe it. I hate to disappoint you all, but this is Jimbo's and we don't have a proper art critic. I guess her defining things are a kind of sweeping strokes with lines that don't always finish. If you don't believe me about the lines try coloring one of her line drawings in Recolor. One click and half the picture is brown. I was kinda mad about that one because those baby dragons on that bookcase needed some color and..<br /><br />I'm off topic again. That wasn't even one of the pics from <i>One October Night.</i></p><p>I'm not doing her work just because I can't. Just know that if you're in to science fiction and, especially, fantasy artwork Cedar is worth checking out. I know she does covers and that's terrific but I almost like her daily stuff more. There's something about the simpleness of the work that just appeals. <br /><br />I did take an art history class once. You'd think I'd be better at this. It's not my fault. Words like "Byzantine" and "Baroque" just don't work here.</p><p>Whatever. Listen. There's a lot more to this book than what I'm showing here.<br /><br />I never, ever in my life even think about discussing forewords in my reviews.</p><p><br />However...</p><p>Both Robb and Sanderson did forewords for <i>One October Night</i> and they talked a bit about the process of how they conceived the stories and images in the book. I almost skipped them <b>(GASP!) </b>but I'm glad I didn't. Reading those forewords changed the way I read the book. I didn't have access to the prompts, obviously, but I did stop at each pic (they precede the story they inspired) and try to figure out what the story was going to be about. I was wrong every time, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I got enjoyment out of trying to guess what was coming. It was like one of those assignments I had in school where I had to write about what happened next in the book we were reading except that it didn't suck and I didn't have to hide that I knew what was coming because I had gotten bored and read ahead. It was great.</p><p>So seriously, give this one a try. I'd like to see someone else try something like this in the future because I feel like this is the type of thing that could become a thoroughly enjoyable trend if we could get enough people signed on to do it. It's that much fun. </p><p><b>Bottom Line: </b>5.0 out of 5 Sacks of Roc Food</p><p><i>One October Night: 31 Illustrations and Their Stories</i><br />Sam Robb/ Cedar Sanderson<br />Sanderley Studios, 2023</p><p><br /></p><p><i>One October Night: 31 Illustrations and Their Stores</i> is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and buy literally anything from Amazon, I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.</p><p><br /></p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&tag=jisawsffre-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=03280a5e795ec1e1032907c50ec99cca&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=digital-text&keywords=one october night sanderson robb">One October Night</a>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-1610396721906793542023-12-25T20:37:00.000-06:002023-12-25T20:37:23.113-06:00The Library Bards!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAI-Afpj9c9bzYQEGnOpLdSkz2Df508j9kL82aNPsEf7X_BANJiySI1guyUrChyWvc3pxVRXfk9-BhUES0FkEQgjYJpeJilJSKMa4IBVluOGJsrol_aplwGK_OvMVmPrdTb0ehCDW5URmdup1BPq0KrPZ8MIq2NeEDk80OLQqpYWpiwcDnEV5LptuxF8l0/s225/download%20(25).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAI-Afpj9c9bzYQEGnOpLdSkz2Df508j9kL82aNPsEf7X_BANJiySI1guyUrChyWvc3pxVRXfk9-BhUES0FkEQgjYJpeJilJSKMa4IBVluOGJsrol_aplwGK_OvMVmPrdTb0ehCDW5URmdup1BPq0KrPZ8MIq2NeEDk80OLQqpYWpiwcDnEV5LptuxF8l0/s1600/download%20(25).jpeg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>What do you get when you cross Weird Al and <a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2019/09/mikey-masons-m.html">Mikey Mason</a>? If you're anything you get excited and a sprained finger from trying to switch your Spotify and find out what the hype is abou...<br /><br />Wait, that's not how that was supposed to go. I'll try again.<br /><br />What do you get when you Cross Weird Al and Mikey Mason? You get the Library Bards! They're a group that I just found out about accidentally while clicking suggestions on Spotify in search of something new and, let me tell you, I'm impressed. </p><p>Seriously, it doesn't get much better than nerdy parodies when I'm trying to keep myself sane while participating in repetitive tasks and, if people look at me funny because I'm singing D-N-D to the tune of AC/DC's TNT well, they're the confused ones. I know what I'm talking about. They only think they do.<br /><br />And seriously, this is an all ages show, with parodies of everyone from the aforementioned AC/DC and Styx to Miley Cyrus. Topics include everything from <i>Star Wars</i> to comics books, to <i>Dungeons & Dragons, </i>to Pokemon and other geeky thing. They even have a single called <i>Grammar Got Run Over.</i> I guess I found them at the right time.<br /><br />It's worth mentioning that one of the members of the group is Bonnie Gordon, formerly of ABC's <i><a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2015/06/abcs-quest.html">The Quest.</a> </i>I've been a fan of her music since she wrote <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNdI2ugMDhc">The Ballad of Sir Ansgar the Fierce</a>.</i> And I can honestly assure you that my admiration for her is based strictly on musical talent and hard work and has nothing to do with her long red hair, good looks or geeky atti...<br /><br /><b>COUGH</b></p><p><b>HACK</b></p><p><b>WHEEZE</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>AHEM</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">Look, I tried. I failed. But whatever. It is what it is. It's not my fault she's hot. And she's done a bunch of other stuff, too including working as the computer voice on <i>Star Trek: Prodigy.</i> Anyone who played on <i>Star Trek</i> can sing to me. Notice that I didn't mention playing trombone. Seriously, I played trombone in high school and Will Riker was my reassurance that I wasn't the worst trombone player in history. But I digress...</p><p style="text-align: left;">I mean, digression is kind of what I'm good at right?</p><p style="text-align: left;">Her co-conspirator in an evil plot to make us all feel happy and entertained is Xander Jeanneret who has a reality TV show background of his own, having been on TBS'<i> King of the Nerds.</i> I didn't realize that, having never seen <i>King of the Nerds</i>, but I might just see if I can track it down on streaming to see if I can figure out who stole my title. I'm sure they know who the TRUE King of the Nerds is and that all of you read his blog, but I doubt that they'd admit it publicly.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The Library Bards have released two albums: Bombarder and Bardcore. I loved both albums. They're produced well and sound good. Their Wikipedia article says that the bards hire people to produce their background music. This is a good thing because, while both are excellent singers and lyricists, knowing one's own limitations is a good thing. They seem to have overcome those admirably by hiring someone else for their strengths.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Bombarded has probably my favorite Library Bards song: <i>DND</i>. I think I mentioned it already, but I don't care. Listen, this is quality. Who doesn't love a song about their favorite tabletop role playing game? Who doesn't love AC/DC? Why wouldn't you love a crossover between the two? I mean seriously. <i>The Princess Bride</i> is another favorite movie (I have not, alas, read the book) and a great song. <i>Come Fly Away</i> crosses Styx's <i>Come Sail Away</i> with <i>Star Wars. </i></p><p style="text-align: left;">Bardcore starts off with a reminder that the Library Bards are <i>All About That Space</i> (No Tribbles!). That one has me rolling everytime. <i>Gandalf</i> features Gollum rapping. Read that again. Rapping freaking Gollum. ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? If not, I suggest holding on for when they come in like a <i>Pokeball</i>, or when Bonnie reminds us all that she's a <i>Geeky Girl.</i> Trust me, Bonnie, we notice. Or at least I did. I mean, I know you're a celebrity and probably get this all the time..<br /><br />Yeah, never mind. I've got no chance. A guy can dream though, right?</p><p style="text-align: left;">While you're listening to Bardcore, listen to <i>Finn and Poe </i>for me and let me know what song they're parodying here. I recognize it but I can't come up with it. The answer to this greatest of all conundrums is on the tip of my tongue, but I have no answer and I was flirting with insanity before I listened to it. Somebody help your boy out here. I deserve it. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Or sumfin'</p><p style="text-align: left;">And, as I've been told by many World of Warcraft players, <i>Shut Up and Raid.</i> (That's one of their singles.) Who am I fooling. I was the official floor inspector for both of my guilds: Atonement and Sadistic Betrayal. I got the nick because I was constantly lying on the floor dead. I was good at my job too. The best tasting flooring in all of Azeroth is at the Wikket boss fight in Return to Kharazan. Strongly oaky, with a slight hint of Murphy's Oil Soap. And, OMG did we wipe a lot there. </p><p style="text-align: left;">And since I'm writing this on Christmas Day (night) I have to mention their other single: Grammar Got Run Over. Not only is it hilarious and awesome, it's also seasonal. I loved it.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I had mentioned something on my Facebook about the Library Bards becoming my new geeky obsession, but that's a little iffy. That's not because the music isn't good enough to obsess over. They've got it going on there. My problem is that they've only got two albums out. When I freaked out over Mikey Mason he had, I think, six albums out AND I got to listen him write a song on Facebook. It was great. I'm not trying to be mean here, though. I'm actually giving the Library Bards the biggest compliment I can give an artist/group of artists: I want more of your art. MAKE ME ANOTHER ALBUM!!! Or, make it for yourselves and I'll listen to it. Either way, more is better and less is NOT more. Trust me on this one.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Bottom Line: </b>5.0 out of 5 Rocking Tracks</p>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-82773478254886103782023-12-17T10:18:00.034-06:002023-12-17T11:46:26.873-06:00Threading The Needle Narrative Choices - A Guest Post by Monalisa Foster<span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYdd0M5FUbVnH_29kyVKYQXTvy1BeDW_Rq0LtcmpW4nEIDY6zU8WOiI2U1g9BXQ5NWMLLBjweFzU87K1OdqX_TyL3ZtRYSadDylrYcSOHwwolA2dKkWqLYTCFLNJG2xjAYMrIiWGIu0zudyQKZ5t94RFzQIdjKyt5Sk2xa2irelDGLOmCnQqdnVVRI3NU/s500/51pW7RFa1PL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYdd0M5FUbVnH_29kyVKYQXTvy1BeDW_Rq0LtcmpW4nEIDY6zU8WOiI2U1g9BXQ5NWMLLBjweFzU87K1OdqX_TyL3ZtRYSadDylrYcSOHwwolA2dKkWqLYTCFLNJG2xjAYMrIiWGIu0zudyQKZ5t94RFzQIdjKyt5Sk2xa2irelDGLOmCnQqdnVVRI3NU/s320/51pW7RFa1PL.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>My Baen Books debut novel <i>Threading the Needle</i> came out a few weeks ago. One of the questions I've been asked about it is why I chose to write it exclusively from Talia's viewpoint, but made it third person rather than first person and if that was a conscious choice.</p><p>Threading the Needle is my first single-viewpoint novel--my <i>Ravages of Honor</i> trilogy has multiple viewpoint characters and dual protagonists.</p><p>It was not the choice to write a single protagonist (Talia) that drove the adoption of single viewpoint, however. </p><p>It was (a) the challenge of it (I try to challenge myself to do/learn something new with each title) and (b) the expected word-count. After 20+ titles (novellas, novelettes, short stories) I know myself as a writer. </p><p>Multiple viewpoints make for larger stories since I tend to develop all the viewpoint characters. I don't use throwaway viewpoints where I give you one character's perspective so we get some datum and then never use that character again. I may in the future, but in general I don't because it makes for a disjointed narrative. I put down books that do this all the time. </p><p>I also knew that I had a better chance of having my book published if I stuck to a 120,000-word limit (Baen's stated preference IIRC). <i>Needle</i> is the shortest novel I've ever written (my <i>RoH</i> series novels are 150,000-160,000 words). And it paid off, not just because it was published, but because I learned a lot in the writing of it. It forced me to consider structural choices that I otherwise would not have. The enforced discipline can work for you. And there were definitely times when I reconsidered it because it made <i>Needle</i> more of a challenge to write. I was very tempted to pre-chew the readers' food for them at times.</p><p>Before I get into how I think it would have made it a different book and what structural reconsiderations I had to use, let's talk definitions.</p><p>There are four (five actually) main narrative schemas (some people call them viewpoints, although that is not entirely correct; you'll see why in a second) in use today. Some, like the objective one (sometimes mistaken for omniscient) have gone out of style.</p><p>So let's start with it. The gray area represents what's on the page and that the voice (except the spoken dialogue) is that of the camera, i.e. the author-narrator. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><img height="197" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/rl3cLPgP2DU5hvtgTCTrWm_AUXv8VvNgVKv_DOz8vcOx13cKvatOqq27WyqaqdcdXQ1b0drgW-c5SNWn34ve7d0VUxEh_petE1vCWJIquTSclYjMnvJtbEfVNz-T0jc-hFfV2rlz4DHULHwKQSXomA" style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" width="272" /></p><p><br /></p><p>This is a true movie-camera perspective and does not give us any internalizations, just what can be observed. As a result, panning the camera as it switches angles can lead to information flow issues and reader confusion. It is one of the reasons it's not used much or used only for "establishing shots" where there is a short overview and then the writer switches to omniscient.</p><p>This is what most people mean by omniscient narration:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img height="207" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/6_C-ixisOLvV2PDQk8fFZ4yFODA9yEwfD7EjdVOwEJnkOMDsYvcplvrGt-YuvHiPehTwfKfj_x_-qTuXukmSi1iDJXs3RTm3mKmHdsZlopLE6agEsX_3C1XmAuYigbR-1t4mxPFoMuC0B8A54WRNfw" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="268" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Not a true movie-camera perspective, this type of narration floats viewpoint from one character to another and the narrative itself (except for spoken dialogue) is that of the author-narrator. The author-narrator is free to observe the mindset (summarize it in his own voice) but not to use character-narrator voice as direct internal monologue (i.e. head-hops). </p><p>Like objective, the panning of the camera can be problematic and there is the added problem of floating viewpoint. If the writer doesn't know how to float viewpoint the reader is left wondering which character's perspective is being used (this is a loss of viewpoint, not a head-hop). Both Dean Koontz and Nora Roberts often write in omniscient and are masters at floating viewpoint. They are so good at it that you don't even realize it or you think they're writing close narration.</p><p>Both the objective and omniscient narrative schemas use third person pronouns and that is one reason they are mixed up with each other as well as the next two schemas: third limited and third close.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img height="301" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/jidXCIRH1N2DagRiEJJMJRswcfYVBMkS7ljSGtejaPLfRnII12VAzo3m3m3Hsfy2JNKlNj_8JzZDx6_lnSRQiAbpLy87RJPKJEyXbCD7hmwt4WrFZzRdZsr8wOf1rVibs7VWStpfkUXem3mOzQjahA" style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" width="390" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Third limited is the one most used in science fiction because it (allegedly) fixes the information flow and loss of perspective/viewpoint problems that tend to creep into omniscient and objective. </p><p>Here, the camera focuses on only one character at a time. There is no floating of viewpoint and hopefully no head-hops either. The camera angle switch is signaled by a change in scene, i.e. three asterisks or a double blank line (now made problematic by formatting paragraphs separated by additional lines). It is a misnomer to say that one scene is written from Red's viewpoint and another from Blue's because the narrative voice is that of the author-narrator. It's the author-narrator limiting (that's why it's called third limited) the perspective to one camera angle, i.e. one character at a time. (Keep reading to third close and you'll see the difference.)</p><p>This allows the writer to convey information to the reader that the character does not know, which is why it's so often used in science fiction and fantasy where explantations are needed. If Red is a caveman, she's not going to know about the meteor that destroyed the dinosaurs, but the writer can still explain that to the reader because it is his/her voice that is narrating (hence the term, author-narrator voice).</p><p>Since this schema uses third person pronouns, it too is often mistaken for omniscient or objective, especially if the writer hops heads or otherwise violates viewpoint.</p><p>Then we have third close, the narrative schema used in <i>Threading the Needle</i>.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f29f7722-7fff-02de-b5a4-a26c184584f3"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 305px; overflow: hidden; width: 393px;"><img height="305" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/j8pO71cvUxCVSlSrsmiVxu4Z4jzMp7GjAede6sI9bueUOPKgZ5ektKxOVpbIUxxefe9glAfJGV-GX1lJEZj_ylO05iMa_fp0U3XAMT7zcETp0kemprhOscQ1y9y76T9fsTehaYiNxlnFiDZAaa4OQA" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="393" /></span></span></span></p><p>Do note how different it is than the other three. The voice/narration on the page is that of the character, i.e. character-narrator voice. If the character doesn't know it, neither does the reader, and that includes anything that might happen in the future, that's behind her and she can't see or didn't hear, and anything in the past that she doesn't know (like if she's a caveman, she couldn't tell us about the meteor). </p><p>It is the closest type of narration (yes, closer than first, you'll see why momentarily) because the story unfolds for the reader in real time. All discovery in the story takes place along with the character and as such, anything the character does know, the reader must as well. So, if they know that they are the murderer they are pretending to chase, the reader must know too, otherwise it's a viewpoint violation.</p><p>Like third limited, you can switch perspectives, i.e. change to Blue's viewpoint. What's different is the voice. There is no author-narrator narration (voice) in third close. The author is not supposed to exist. Anything from the author (like understanding words in a foreign language the character doesn't know) is authorial intrusion.</p><p>Third-close is my favorite schema to write. It is intimate, it puts the reader inside the character's head and heart, it allows the reader to become the character(s). And it means I don't have to pre-chew the readers' food, i.e. tell you what to think or feel. A boon for both of us, I assure you.</p><p>When you have multiple viewpoint characters it allows you to put the reader ahead of the characters and creates tension. It allows you to cut off a scene at an emotional high-point and then switch character-narrators and that makes the reader keep turning the pages. It also creates an ongoing low-level of tension since it gives us the character's internalizations. Tension exists and characterization happens when characters think one thing, but do another, or when you know that they feel a certain way and are wondering if they'll act on the feelings or not. </p><p>But, a third-close narrative is not JUST a first-person narrative with the pronoun switched out. Third-close is linear. First person is not.</p><p>First-person narration is also known as dual narration, because it's the narrator's recount of something that has already happened, i.e. the story is over and we're getting their memory of it. The voice is that of the older, wiser character-narrator. It is distant in time and filtered more heavily.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img height="219" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/v6ovrzmJefvE9uU3X8wX8p2xeFwnK3vbQfHNtP5t2bmZwHYIxNAr8fsFQu3-Z29Z3G9f6IvvGeVXhX7FSp-Rkb7N7-QiT3v2E3rhHYf9Gx-HLUZ8LXMgH9nhW_epS3e-DCGOkS0i66LIbCO0xTNyNw" style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" width="300" /></p><p>The character-narrator knows how it will end (just like the omniscient author-narrator or objective presence) but is withholding that information from the reader. Because of this, it is more distant. It may "feel" close, but there is greater narrative distance between the reader and the story because the story is being filtered twice. First through the character in the story and then through the older narrator's memory. This allows us to tell the reader things that the character did not know at the time the story was happening. The presence of that retrospective older, wiser, voice is an additional filter. </p><p>Had I written Talia as an older, wiser narrator who was telling us what had happened, I could have violated linearity in the story and I could have told the reader things that Talia did not know at the time that the story was unfolding. The point of the retrospective narrator is to impart some wisdom that the younger self did not have and to comment and pontificate on past events. It also allows the writer to drop in information that the character did not know at the time and this is one reason why it's so often used in detective fiction.</p><p>But what about sequels? Going forward, did I want to limit myself to one protagonist doing retrospective narration? Would it be too jarring to switch from dual retrospective narration to single linear? I thought it might be, so that's another reason I went for third-close.</p><p>Notice that I did use first person retrospective, and specifially for these reasons, in <i>Relics</i>, the <i>Threading the Needle</i> tie-in short story on Baen's website (https://www.baen.com/relics). In Relics, due to the short format, I needed that retrospective narrator to give us opinions and commentary that I did not have time to develop otherwise. It has that sci-fi noir tone partly because of the narrative schema.</p><p>So how would Needle have been different if it would have been multiple viewpoint? You would have gotten parallel action lines as they were happening, i.e. what the minor characters were doing off-screen, instead of having to wait for it and have it recounted to Talia, and by extension, to you as readers. It means that everything that was off-screen for the finale was shuffled off to the resolution. Unlike a movie, we don't get to cut back and forth because that can be very disorienting on a page. I would have either had to suddenly go to omniscient narration (and since I'm not Koontz or Roberts, I'm not going to do that) or to cut back and forth between multiple perspectives.</p><p>Would it have made for a better story? It might have imparted more tension in the reader since cutting to scenes from the other characters' viewpoints throughout would have told us what was happening to Lyle (Talia's old partner) while Talia was away. But doing so would not have allowed us to experience Talia's gut-churning uncertainty about what was happening to him. We would have known and NOT been uncertain, even if she was.</p><p>The single viewpoint narrative allowed me to focus on Talia's loyalty, one of the things that David Weber said stood out for him in the story. It is high praise indeed, when someone who is not a combat veteran gets complimented for nailing the "war buddy" aspect of relationships, when you have actual female combat vets e-mail you about how much of themselves they saw in Talia.</p><p>I didn't set out to do this. I set out to provide an authentic, immersive experience via the close, deep, and tight narration. I set out to write a story not just about veterans but one that would both honor and entertain them. </p><p>I will close this by saying that I am humbled and honored by combat veterans reaching out to me to tell me that Talia's experience came across the way that it did.</p><p>That is why I write. That is what I write/live for. And it tells met hat I made the right narrative choice.</p><p> (Blog Owner's Note: If you're interested on more articles on the craft of writing, check out Ms. Foster's Substack <i>So You Wanna Be A Writer</i> at https://monalisafostertheauthor.substack.com/ . I myself have a subscription and it's definitely worth your time.)</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Threading the Needle</i> is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and buy literally anything from Amazon I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=jisawsffre-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0C32T5KSF&asins=B0C32T5KSF&linkId=78f3edaa5e398382389d7468342e15aa&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-26756384186481179152023-12-12T20:19:00.080-06:002023-12-16T09:09:13.503-06:00Monomyth's Grim Tides<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVo6qZtSE2SfPkYobm-OP_2YCTqEAK3y_yYIpFYo22tETTOMhGc4jWoLWZaLabTDh7Z0P6x-ENndp06BtkmftG8asaGV6VfW5pZp_quNZikYLT5fNEmRgfKEWcqmH3yOtmxvSzu9O_r5YxCcVbg99xDjeBVJfEonlJv-b4NnU8f01E59iHTi4Sqzmrn_9n/s720/Picsart_23-12-10_21-17-53-181.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="720" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVo6qZtSE2SfPkYobm-OP_2YCTqEAK3y_yYIpFYo22tETTOMhGc4jWoLWZaLabTDh7Z0P6x-ENndp06BtkmftG8asaGV6VfW5pZp_quNZikYLT5fNEmRgfKEWcqmH3yOtmxvSzu9O_r5YxCcVbg99xDjeBVJfEonlJv-b4NnU8f01E59iHTi4Sqzmrn_9n/s320/Picsart_23-12-10_21-17-53-181.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I like gaming. Do you like gaming? I'm guessing you probably do, because most geeks are gamers and if you're not a gamer you're probably not going to read my blog. That's unfortunate, I suppose. Everyone should read my epic awesomeness (I mean, the name of the blog _is_ Jimbo's AWESOME Science Fiction and Fantasy Reviews) but some people just don't know how to have a good time. </p><p><br />Or sumfin'</p><p>Today though, it's not about a book or a movie. Today, we're discussing a game. A pretty simple one, actually. It's a cell phone app and I don't remember when it came to my attention, but I have been playing it a lot lately. There's a reason for that. It's fun. But it goes a little deeper than that, too.</p><p>At the most basic level, the reason I like <i>Grim Tides</i> is because it's the kind of app that I really enjoy: I don't have to spend my entire paycheck to succeed. I don't have to play constantly to accomplish anything. I don't have to wait for hours because I ran out of my energy when I do feel like playing. There's no "this will be done in six hours while you're asleep and you can't start your next twelve hour project till lunch time tomorrow when you get a chance to play again." type thing. There is crafting, but it's instantaneous as long as your cellular provider isn't being a buttface. I hate you, Cricket.</p><p><br />Anyway...<br /><br />There's a lot of nostalgia for me here, because Grim Tides has a similar feel in a lot of ways to old school console Role Playing Games like <i>Wizardry</i> on the original Nintendo Entertainment System. The levels are easier to navigate, not being mazes like they were back in the day, but the random encounter system and linear advancement remind me a lot of the "olden days" as my oldest daughter would call them.</p><p>Grim Tides has a bit of open world to it, but not really. As you progress in the game, new areas open up and you can get back to the old places as well. I can't get to most places just yet, because I haven't progressed far enough. That's okay though, because I can see where I have yet to go and, if I'm not sure exactly what it takes to unlock each location, at least I know I'll get there eventually. There are new monsters at each new location and each matches with the environment in that area. Honestly, it's like a series of dungeons in <i>Dungeons & Dragons</i> in that manner. </p><p>With a name like <i>Grim Tides,</i> it shouldn't come as a surprise that you have to obtain and maintain your own ship. I was a bit concerned about how the maintenance aspect would work, but it's pretty easy. It's just a matter of docking your ship (which you do at the end of every dungeon crawl) and paying the gold to do it. I have a couple of crew members now, and they add bonuses to different things. It's a matter of picking the right person to give the right bonus and I've done no research. I've probably got the wrong dudes, but whatever. This is not a super serious kind of thing.</p><p><i>Grim Tides </i>is also a single player game and that's something I've been looking for. There is no player versus player content, so I don't have to try to outspend the other guy. While playing another game, I had a guy lecture me because I was so far behind him in increasing my power. It turned out that he had pumped three hundred dollars into the game. I hadn't spent a penny. I'm still convinced that I'm smarter than him, but I got my ass kicked. Lesson learned. I don't play those kinds of games anymore. I've got bills to pay.</p><p>Of course, being free to play means that <i>Grim Tides</i> is ad supported. I don't mind it though. You have the chance to view an ad after every dungeon run to get gold, but you don't have to. There are ads at the bottom of the screen, but they're really non-intrusive. <i>Grim Tides</i> is not the kind of game where you're constantly interrupted by annoying ads. And the amount of gold you earn for watching ads goes up as you level too, so it at least stays relevant.</p><p>There are a number of classes available, but I only have one character so far. He's a Paladin. I figured some healing and some tanking would be a good mix since you don't get a party: <i>Grim Tides</i> is a solo adventure once you get into the dungeon where most of the action takes place. There are plenty of other classes though. I just haven't had time to work through all of them yet.</p><p>Abilities are a huge part of the game. Leveling them requires a lot of gold, but you won't make it if you don't acquire and level them. I really need to experience more than one class to get a good feel for how it works overall, but I like my pally abilities. I've min-maxxed into hacking weapons and the abilities that go with them. This seems to be an effective strategy for now as, from what I can tell, weapons come in tiers and pretty much any weapon of a given tier has the same damage codes. It's the abilities that go with them that change things. And, "whack it as hard as you can as often as you can" has been a tactic that's worked for me for decades now.</p><p>The town you base out of is pretty basic, but it's got what it needs to be interesting. It's also small enough to be easily navigable. There's an Inn where you can buy supplies, acquire quests and raise your morale, as well as storing things you have acquired but don't have an immediate use for. That's an important thing, because inventory space is limited. There's a store, an arena where you can fight and win lots of gold, the harbor and a couple of places to do some crafting of magic items and weapons and armor. </p><p>The story aspect is pretty cool, too. There's a prologue at the beginning and a journal feature that lets you re-read the story entries that you've found so far. It's also where you track your quests and get your rewards. And yes, the story is all about chasing down the evil wizard and his henchmen but it works. </p><p><b>Bottom Line: </b>4.75 out of 5 Undead Pirates</p><p><i>Grim Tides</i><br />Monomyth, 2023?</p>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-74969010106219187932023-12-11T10:00:00.003-06:002023-12-11T15:12:32.533-06:00E.G. Foley's The Lost Heir (The Gryphon Chronicles, Book One)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/91YMNukl49L._SY466_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="311" height="466" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/91YMNukl49L._SY466_.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Okay, so I don't usually mention stuff like this because it's really irrelevant to my (and presumably your) enjoyment of the story, but E.G Foley is actually two people, Eric and Gael Foley. They're a married couple. That's kinda cool. But, with your kind permission, I will now proceed to regale you with my usual nonsense. It makes for fine rea...</p><p><br />*COUGH*<br /><br />*WHEEZE*</p><p><br />Listen. I tried. That makes some kind of difference, right?</p><p>So anyway...<br /><br />E.G. Foley's <i>The Lost Heir</i> has a title that is a spoiler in and of itself, so I guess it's okay if I mention that our hero, one Jake (don't call him Jacob) Reed is more than just your average orphan. I mean, there may be someone searching for him or something, possibly related to his heritage. Or sumfin'. Listen, Jake is honestly a scamp. He's got some magical power (and his first scene in the book was epic) and he is making his way in the world any way that he can. It's not quite the way the local magistrate would prefer, and that's unfortunate, but Jake is not the type of person to overly concern himself with the opinion of an authority figure. I mean that lovingly. This kid is a little rough around the edges the way I kinda like to read a bit, but that's part of his charm.</p><p>Jake also attracts trouble like sugar attracts ants. This kid cannot - under any circumstances - avoid doing the wrong thing at precisely the wrong time. His sense of timing is eerily terrible. That's a trait that keeps things interesting though, and I don't seem to remember being bored at any point during the story, and that's a really rare thing for the first book in a series. The Foleys have a gift for being able to build their world simultaneously with moving the story along. I was expecting some boring exposition and I didn't get any, so kudos to them. <br /><br />What I did get was a feeling of time and place that really worked. Being the guy with the history degree, I'm pretty sure that my college professors would have contracted the vapors immediately upon hearing about a story involving magic and water nymphs in Victorian England. That type of thing is just not historically accurate, no matter how much fun it was. I mean, it seriously was. I guess you wouldn't get this if you've never read a thirty plus page paper about the historical inaccuracies contained in the movie <i>The Last Samurai</i>, but trust me, it's a thing.</p><p>I've started a new job recently here in the real world, and I was looking for a light read, something I could read straight through without putting too much thought into it and just freaking enjoy. I like my new job but it's been a bit stressful trying to learn all the stuff about the things so that I can get the people to buy them. (Yes, Virginia, there is a Telemarketer Claus, and he reviews books) <i>The Lost Heir</i> was the perfect fit. This is not a heavy, plodding Robert Jordan novel (and for the record, that's a good thing. Jordan never used a word when a chapter would do and I couldn't even get through the first <i>Wheel of Time</i> novel.) nor is it something with the dark, twisted sense of foreboding I got while reading <i>Dragonlance Legends. The Last Heir</i> is entertaining and the stakes are high, but it's kind of like the literary equivalent of a good popcorn flick. Speaking of which, I'd pay to see this, and Jake isn't much older than that Potter kid at the start of his story, And Jake's an orphan, too. Hmmm...</p><p>The rest of the cast of characters is also a lot of fun. Jake's best friend is a girl named Dani, and oh wow, do I feel sorry for her. She tries to help Jake out and keep him out of trouble, but I already covered how well that goes. She is loyal to the bone though, and she could hang out with me anytime. She's always there, but she's not afraid to call a bonehead a bonehead. And, while I'm not sure she ever actually uses the word, she lets Jake know what he needs to know. </p><p>Uncle Waldrick, on the other hand, is the piece's antagonist and he desperately deserves a thumb to the eye. I don't like this guy at all. He has no magic of his own, but he has friends and they're just as bad as he is. He has kind of a bit of Cobra Commander to him though. He has grandiose plans, but they never seem to work out. His reach exceeds his grasp, but he never gives up. Jake is the one person in the world who can screw everything up for him. It gets ugly. I hate this guy, but I love to hate him. He's the hero in his own mind though, and has only managed to come into something his brother didn't deserve.</p><p>My one complaint about <i>The Lost Heir</i>, and I'd never have noticed this if I hadn't just re-read the Amazon page for the book, is that it claims to be steampunk and I don't really get that feeling from it. There is some mention of trains, and a quick reference to attempts at flying, but it just doesn't have that weird, old time steam tech thing, at least from my point of view. Now, that may change in later books, and <i>The Lost Heir</i> is the first in a series, but for me it's not Steampunk enough to be Steampunk. I guess it's the right time period. Maybe I'm just being that guy. Other than that though, this is a first class story and I'm kind of ticked off at myself for reading that Amazon page of a book I had already loved. But whatever. I'm giving this story a perfect score anyway, because it deserves one.</p><p><b>Bottom Line: </b>5.0 out of 5 Talking Spiders</p><p><i>The Lost Heir</i><br />E.G Foley<br />Self Published, 2013</p><p><i>The Lost Heir</i> is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and buy literally anything from Amazon, I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.</p><p><br /></p><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=jisawsffre-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B008NZWI0O&asins=B008NZWI0O&linkId=f9dd1519e23d2a344a9ba30156eb3b73&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-42748802810314496782023-12-10T18:55:00.000-06:002023-12-10T18:55:19.055-06:00Dan Sugralinov's Class A Threat (Disgardium Book One)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/51urum3UnQL._SY445_SX342_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="299" height="445" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/51urum3UnQL._SY445_SX342_.jpg" width="299" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p>Sometimes, a book just pushes all the right buttons in just the right order. If you're me then that book is Dan Sugralinov's <i>Class A Threat.</i> Seriously, this book was a real treat. I'll get to the whys and wherefores in a bit, but I don't go through books this quickly very often. I started reading <i>Class A Threat</i> right after finishing another book and I was "taking a quick break" before I started writing my review. I'm still going to review that book, it'll be up tomorrow, but WOW! Sugralinov rocked the dance floor with this one.<br /><br />And nope, that's totally not a reference to any songs named <i>Rock the Casbah</i> and any mistaken lyrics on my part. Nope. Uh-uh! </p><p>DUDE! </p><p>You really should make at least an ATTEMPT at looking convinced. It's not good for my ego to get doubted and we all know my ego is, like, fragile and junk. So be nice and stop trying to harsh my mellow.<br /><br /></p><p>Or sumfin'</p><p><br /></p><p>In a lot of ways, <i>Class A Threat</i> is very similar to another book I've read, only they turned that one into a movie. There's no Eighties nostalgia here, nor is there a group of Gunters out to solve the mystery, but the universe reminds me a lot of <i>Ready Player One.</i> There is a game where you can make real world money, pretty much everyone of at least fourteen years of age plays it or used to, and you can put real world money into it. Seriously, Disgardium is more popular than Candy Crush was in its heyday. This game is everywhere and it's required for kids from the age of fourteen to sixteen. Players that age are confined to areas called "sandboxes" and that's where main character Alex Sheppard starts.</p><p>There is also a dystopian society. The government runs everything. People are divided by class according to their ability to do good things for society. Alex lives on the good side of town as both of his parents are computer programmers who contribute to the game that he plays, but that may not last. See, they're going to get divorced and when they do, their social status will drop. Of course, they may be able to gain it back, but they used to work so well together...<br /><br />Yeah, that and a lot of other teenage problems appear on the pages of <i>Class A Threat.</i> There's school, dating, etc. The thing I like though, is that this isn't <i>Twilight.</i> Alex isn't some whiny little punk starving for attention. He's the kind of kid who gets through what he has to get through in his own way (read: he's a geek) but he doesn't whine much. He does freak out a bit about things that will have an obvious effect on his future, but it's for logical reasons and he's not a mope. I like this kid. He reminds me of me in some ways.</p><p>Well, except for the part where he doesn't end up with the geeky chick. I can't fathom that. Apparently, the other girl is better looking and Alex doesn't understand the concept of a plus five to hotness if she's a geek. Seriously, brain power rocks, and this kid is thinking with his, uhh..</p><p>Well, you get the idea. Oh, and he drinks a bit which was something I didn't really do in high school, and I'm actually serious there. Ask anyone who knew me. The one time I did take a sip of beer by buddy Robbie passed out. It was scary, but I also laughed at him. Also, Bud Dry sucks. But I digress.</p><p>Something else I was very heavily reminded of while reading <i>Class A Threat</i> was my time spent playing <i>World of Warcraft</i>, except for the part where Alex doesn't like it at first. He has to play, so it sucks. But once he gets into it, I'm reminded of my early days. He has no clue about the game, or the world it's played in but he's having a good time and finding a way to make his way in the game, and if he has a little adv...<br /><br />Nevermind, spoilers.</p><p>If you've played WoW though, or really any Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, then you'll see a lot that you'll recognize here. "Gankers", rated Player Versus Player combat, dungeons/instances, raids, Non-Player Characters, different grades of loot drops denoted by colored text, I could go on for hours. Trust me when I tell you that it felt like old home week for a reformed WoWhead. That even goes down to the mounts, although Alex can't <span> afford one at first. Although I am one hundred percent certain, on every level except reality, that the name of the company that makes Disgardium, SnowStorm, was in no way inspired by Blizzard, the company that makes WoW. Yup. Totes coincidental. Totes.</span></p><p>Also like me, Alex manages to find himself a group of friends who actually know what they're doing and can help him in game. Out there somewhere is a woman named Edie, although she was known in game as Persifinee, who taught me how to gear up and how to raid. There's a guy named Dustin, aka Myronath, who taught me how to rep grind, level quickly and earn cool stuff in game. Later, he taught me a lot about how to run a guild. I mean, no one ever really taught me how to play a hunter with Growl turned off, but no system is perfect. So yeah, that part reads true to me, except that I've never gotten to meet Myro or Persi in person and Alex is in the same sandbox his schoolmates are in and they all know each other in real life and actually get to hang out together. </p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-a250b9a2-7fff-08ec-a204-fd363221cba1"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Something that LitRPG writers have to do well is create two worlds that work well together. Sugralinov has done a damn fine job of doing just that. It's very easy to track when Alex is in the real world and when he's in the game, but there's no discontinuity as he switches back and forth. As a matter of fact, Sugralinov does a better job of tracking the real world effects of too much gaming than pretty much any other LitRPG author I've read. This makes <i>Class A Threat</i> believable on a level that a lot of other LitRPG books just aren't. I've already started Book Two, but I'm not going to give the title because it's kind of spoliery for Book One. I'm enjoying it though.<br /></span></span></p><p>It also kinds of bums me out that <i>Class A Threat</i> is too old to nominate for a Dragon Award, because I think it deserves one. Then again, since it's that old there's a ton of sequels to read so I guess I'll get over myself.</p><p><b>Bottom Line: </b>5.0 out of 5 Boxes of Donuts</p><p><i>Class A Threat</i><br />Dan Sugralinov<br />Magic Dome Books, 2019</p><p><i>Class A Threat</i> is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and buy literally anything from Amazon, I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.</p><p><br /></p><iframe sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=jisawsffre-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=B07N33S8C6&asins=B07N33S8C6&linkId=6134c80e2347523befc6e66dbe578f2f&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-69565427748906402652023-12-03T20:32:00.004-06:002023-12-04T13:06:47.560-06:00Lionsgate's The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtAYmlEf5T6X1vIgVWvRhrriEnqbQ8vAbhLV5NTIUnnNjQUW6gnZBd_WnbRzR-rHhKKkLlILxP9NdlMxB5AAk4Uoy2YcBFltu7OoZJncRx2EaNSMSsPW4jlxvG2Pth8bK_vrL7qfzPZDXKmdWdmfwcIYeqTNKAQRdV6kc2qCYNqXURZgPb8X6ykP1Drxut/s349/images%20(7).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="349" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtAYmlEf5T6X1vIgVWvRhrriEnqbQ8vAbhLV5NTIUnnNjQUW6gnZBd_WnbRzR-rHhKKkLlILxP9NdlMxB5AAk4Uoy2YcBFltu7OoZJncRx2EaNSMSsPW4jlxvG2Pth8bK_vrL7qfzPZDXKmdWdmfwcIYeqTNKAQRdV6kc2qCYNqXURZgPb8X6ykP1Drxut/s320/images%20(7).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>(Author's note: Yes, I reviewed the book already. You can read that review <a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2021/02/suzanne-collinss-ballad-of-songbirds.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</p><p>Yes, <i>The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes</i> is a Lionsgate film, but Suzanne Collins is the real genius here. I have read the book twice and now seen the movie and I still can't quite wrap my mind around the fact that she managed to take a complete asshole villain (and if you never wanted to cut President Snow's heart out with a rusty spoon you've never read/seen the original <i>Hunger Games</i> trilogy.) and turn him into a protagonist that truly resonates with her audience. I won't spend too much time on that because I've done that review, but I still marvel at it. Seriously, Collins deserves some kind of major award for that. <br /><br />Of course, there's plenty of action and violence. Young "Corio" is the driving force behind building the Games and continuing them into the future. There is political intrigue. There is friendship, brotherhood, and betrayal. There is an awful lot to this story and it's woven so skillfully that you almost feel like you're living in the world that Collins has created and Lionsgate has replicated. <br /><br />HAVING SUMMARIZED MY LAST REVIEW...</p><p>I was immediately struck by the differences in "feel" between <i>Ballad</i> and the first four movies. <i>Ballad</i> is much grittier, much grimier, and much darker than the others, and I mean darker in the literal sense of how much lighting they probably had on set. My first impression when the movie came up was one word; "noir." Don't get me wrong. It was in full color, but it had that darkness to it. Even later in the movie when the sets are better lit something about the way it looks (it might be a filter. I took a class called Intro to Film, but I don't remember going over how filters work.) is just less bright and glittery.</p><p>I think that's the point though. This is not the Panem of Katniss Everdeen. Panem, in <i>The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes</i> is a nation only ten years removed from a massive civil war that ripped the whole country apart and ended with the Capitol once again holding dominion over its vassal Districts. This is a world where things haven't been put back together yet. It's a world where the to-be-hated president is a young man from a once-great family. It's a world where The Hunger Games are nowhere near what they one day will be and it looks it.</p><p>And seriously, I want to know who designed these sets. Listen folks, I don't watch award shows. I'd rather spend my time watching movies than watching movie stars tell each other how great they are. I'd rather listen to music than watch musicians pat each other on the back. It's weird because they do deserve to be recognized for their efforts and I'm not trying to hate but it's just not my thing. That much having been said; Is there an Oscar for set design? Seriously? If there is, it should go to the people who made <i>Ballad.</i> I'm being one hundred percent sincere here. </p><p>The Capitol goes from grungy to well..<br /><br />Better. Not what it will be but not so war torn either. The classroom has the feeling for a Roman amphitheater. Snow's home has that "it used to be really awesome here" look that I'd never think you could be replicated, but they owned it. The Peacekeeper Barracks is kind of cliche-ish, but it's the freaking military where cookie cutter is the order of the day. The bar where the Peacekeepers party feels like a massive honky-tonk of an earlier era where electricity wasn't really much of a thing. The Arena before the explosions looks very well done and exciting, complete to the turnstiles. Volumnia Gaul's office was eerie, creepy, disgusting and awesome. But it's after the Arena after the explosions take place where they really shine.</p><p>It was great because there were shades of Caesar Flickerman from the original <i>Hunger Games</i> trilogy and his comment about "The use of the rubble" in one of his favorite older arenas. There was definitely rubble in the Arena in Ballad. There were also tunnels, an arch of sorts, some fans...<br /><br />It was amazeballs.<br /><br />It took what would have been a truly lackluster Arena and turned it into a nightmarish land of death. This is where the darker tone really took hold and pushed the story along all on its own. I really got the feeling that you never knew who was coming from where and how things were going to change. </p><p>And yeah, it wasn't the elaborate Arenas of the original trilogy, but it was sixty-five years earlier and that hadn't developed yet. </p><p>The music in the flick was awesome as well. Rachel Zegler has a voice that just won't quit. I've seen stage shows from the upper balcony starring actors and actresses who didn't have voices that strong. They were impressive too. She puts a ton of emotion into everything she sings, too. The definition of good art is that it creates an emotional reaction and Zegler's voice definitely does that. She wins over the Districts, then the Capitol and at some point that Jimbo guy sitting in the theater with her voice. I was in band in high school and I have a love of great show tunes. We played them and I've seen a number of musicals because of the memories they evoke. I have a sneaking suspicion that, thirty years from now, out there somewhere, a forty plus year old former band member is going to remember <i>The Ballad of Lucy Gray-Baird</i> and <i>Nothing You Can Take From Me</i> the same way I remember <i>Jesus Christ Superstar</i> and <i>Memory</i>. Those songs are that good.</p><p>The acting was awesome as well. Tom Blyth makes an awesome Coriolanus Snow. He makes that character live like no other could have. Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray-Baird is amazing. She goes from scared to strong to looking toward the future in a way that few others could. Viola Davis is a perfectly creepy Dr. Gaul. She needs to be. And of course Peter Dinklage is great in whatever he's in. That's just him.</p><p>In short, I loved every minute of <i>The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes</i>. I'd go see it again tomorrow if I could. I can't wait till this thing comes to streaming so I can watch it another few times. I mean that. Snow always lands on top.</p><p><b>Bottom Line:</b> 5.0 out of 5 Scared Tributes</p><p><i>The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes</i><br />Lionsgate, 2023</p><p>Some item related to <i>The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes</i> are available for purchase at the following links. If you click the link and buy literally anything from Amazon, I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you. And, not to be that guy about it, it is Christmas time and I know you've got some shopping to do. So clicky the thingy and throw some pennies atcha boy.</p><p><br /></p><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=jisawsffre-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0CMVXG6LZ&asins=B0CMVXG6LZ&linkId=75b034f6ffe95777d352d7a742c3cd54&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><div><br /></div><br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=jisawsffre-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1338680072&asins=1338680072&linkId=972e31ef282becf33c46e2a95d0bab95&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><iframe sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=jisawsffre-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=1549240528&asins=1549240528&linkId=bf8f4a3d84b719f9660f9c5291eeabfc&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-13231492831555257262023-12-03T18:59:00.000-06:002023-12-03T18:59:15.420-06:00DT Read's Tentacles of the Dominion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81iRvXI86SL._SY466_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="311" height="466" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81iRvXI86SL._SY466_.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Seldom can an author change the entire basis for a series and have it work. John Ringo comes to mind as an author who didn't (and if you've read the Legacy of the Aldenata series AKA The Human/Posleen Wars then you're familiar with the Callie Trilogy. I kinda didn't like them because they didn't fit.) quite make it fit. I never liked the Callie trilogy much, not because it was poorly written, but because it didn't fit the series. </p><p>Enter D.T. Read and her latest (re)release, <i>Tentacles of the Dominion. </i>I was a bit leery at first because I had advanced warning that this was a book unlike the first two books and I wasn't sure how things were going to turn out. I was worrying for no reason though, because this is a damn fine book. </p><p>I've remarked before how well Read writes family life and <i>Tentacles of the Dominion</i> is actually the best example of that so far. Lujan Sergey has been badly wounded while protecting an important person at a treaty signing. His son Tristan, the main character of the first two books, is literally light years away fighting on another planet. His wife is left alone to be with him while he tries to recover from a nearly body-wide paralysis plus blindness and deafness using methods that would not be available in the real world. Read gets into Lujan's head. Read gets into his wife Darcie's head. </p><p>Lujan's recovery is totally believable if you excuse the Science Fictional methods used to make it work. He struggles. He fights. Lujan is an admiral in the Sperzah, which is a spaceborne version of the Navy SEALS and he refuses to give up like one. He has that ungoldy persistence combined with stubborn pigheadedness that gets him through anything he needs to get through. If he pushes himself further than he should at times then so be it. You don't accomplish great things by refusing to challenge yourself or by thinking small. Basically, when I finally get to sit down and have a drink with all of my fictional friends, Lujan gets a double. He's hard core.</p><p>Darcie is the kind of wife that every man wants. She's tough. She's loyal. She sticks by her man no matter what it takes and helps bring him through the fire regardless of the cost to herself. Seriously, I've got a lot of respect for her and she gets a girly froo-froo drink, too. Make that two. She's earned it.</p><p>Oh, and a moment between Lujan and his mother and sisters deserves mention, too. Mom is totally believable to the point where I didn't know whether to laugh along with her or cry for Lujan. Either way, it worked out well and I had a good time with it. And when Tris makes it back, there are times when I almost did well up.<br /><br />I mean, I didn't, obviously, because I'm Jimbo and Jimbo is a big, strong, proud, smart, brave, rough, tough guy.<br /><br />Of course, I taught my daughters to be all of that and they still cry, but not me. Nope. <a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2022/10/declan-finns-blue-saint.html">Never.</a><br /><br />But yeah, speaking as a guy who lost his dad unexpectedly, I felt for Tris when he came back from deployment. He hadn't lost his father but in some ways it had to have felt like he did. The dude in the hospital bed wasn't the guy he went rappelling with last book even if he was. If you've ever seen a loved one go through something catastrophic you'll get that. </p><p>But I also felt for Luj. I'm watching my oldest grow up. She's a high school senior this year, just drove me out to dinner and is getting invitations from lots of colleges because of her brains. I always raised her to do her best and succeed but it's still hard to believe that she's so old and grown up now. It's the same for Luj, who sees his baby grown and helping Dad when he needs it. It's a weird thing if you haven't experienced it, but any parent who has been through a similar time can read that part of the book and feel it in their soul.</p><p>That's not to say that <i>Tentacles of the Dominion</i> is all family and medicine. There is a big-time political plot going on complete with spies, duplicity and murder. There are a few action sequences and they work where they're supposed to. We get that whole pulse pounding feeling a couple times and it's fun but that's not what <i>Tentacle of the Dominion</i> is really all about.</p><p>If you're a fan of my blog then you're familiar with my whole "someone to root for and someone to root against" thing, then you know I love to hate a good villain, and <i>TOTD</i> has one that I just want to reach out and touch, preferably with a bladed weapon in his core region. Seulemont Remarq is sneaky. He's slimy. He's duplicitous. He'll do whatever he needs to do to achieve his ends and he has no sense of remorse. His only loyalty is to himself and on that level he's a fanatic. He seeks power for his government, but not as a loyalist. His goal is to empower the government to empower himself.</p><p>He's got friends and followers, or at least accomplices, in high places, too. There is indeed a great deal of corruption in the government and it seems to be spreading. They even manage to get Lujan retired while he is convalescing, thus removing him from a position where he has a chance to really influence what happens next. It almost has an air of legitimacy but it's fake. And, of course, nothing is worse than fake legitimacy, with the possible exception of my sense of humor. Even that's only possible though.</p><p>I do find myself a bit bummed that this is the end of the trilogy because I feel like there is more story to be told here. I won't go into details because it would spoil too much, but I truly do feel like there should be at least one more book to detail the fallout from this one. I think I can get up with saying that there are some loose ends that need to be tied up. Then again, I hear that there are some sequels coming, turning this into an ongoing series once again and that your favorite blogger might have something to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdXNdqzlfMQ&t=15s">say</a> about how they go. </p><p><b>Bottom Line: </b>5.0 out of 5 Burnt Fuses</p><p><i>Tentacles of the Dominion</i><br />D.T. Read<br />Theogony Books, 2023</p><p><i>Tentacles of the Dominion</i> is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and buy literally anything from Amazon, I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you. And, not to be that guy about it, it is Christmas time and I know you've got some shopping to do. So clicky the thingy and throw some pennies atcha boy.</p><p><br /></p><iframe sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=jisawsffre-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=B0CP89BH2B&asins=B0CP89BH2B&linkId=5021a56185ec4ec5a41b69b02dc07d1e&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-30340614160720031072023-11-27T21:23:00.000-06:002023-11-27T21:23:06.355-06:00Interview with Chris Kennedy<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YOLWPw80KoTWjt5A9RI0t9fw7AYiMYdPYkDSRV5UnORfF-kiQsEC8JYUrYBQ4MZeYEzXi5ieKh-NgVLouxZhjBkZVwL_rZKRWYBu7LLsC9W8cUQTEAZyRSh7Qv1fppdjGThcm-XGxbLeCBaz-Fumw7Oy1n8tzWsDNV3IliiFuDqZyBL9vlw_HSn6-5U2/s224/download%20(23).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="224" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YOLWPw80KoTWjt5A9RI0t9fw7AYiMYdPYkDSRV5UnORfF-kiQsEC8JYUrYBQ4MZeYEzXi5ieKh-NgVLouxZhjBkZVwL_rZKRWYBu7LLsC9W8cUQTEAZyRSh7Qv1fppdjGThcm-XGxbLeCBaz-Fumw7Oy1n8tzWsDNV3IliiFuDqZyBL9vlw_HSn6-5U2/s1600/download%20(23).jpeg" width="224" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Jimbo’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Reviews: </b>Welcome, once again to Interviews with Jimbo. Or sumfin’. Listen, I’ve done a few of these now and I’m starting to think I should have a name for them. I haven’t picked one out because I always the interview I’m writing will probably be the last one, but I always seem to be wrong. So, if you’ve got an idea for a good one, drop it in the comments. And look at me. I’m off topic already.</p><p>With us today is Chris Kennedy, author and owner of Chris Kennedy Publishing. Chris is one of the creators of the Four Horsemen Universe, so full disclosure: I am the Public Relations Officer for The Mercenary Guild: The Official Four Horsemen Universe Fan Association. I may be fanboying a bit here but, almost four hundred posts in, I’ve earned it. So let’s see if we can catch Chris off balance with a tough question up front. It’s an honor to have you, Chris. How are you today?</p><p><b>Chris Kennedy:</b> I’m doing great. Thanks a lot for having me today, Jimbo.</p><p><b>JSFFR:</b> Glad to hear it. I’m a little perplexed as to how to start this interview, so I guess I’ll just start here. I’ve read a whole freaking lot of authors in my life. I’ve been an avid reader since before I started kindergarten in <REDACTED>, and that was a long time ago. Offhand, I can think of like three who have started their own publishing companies. What made you decide to start yours?</p><p><b>CK:</b> Like becoming an author, it just kind of happened. I published the first few books I wrote myself. They did pretty well, and a few people came up to me and said, “You look like you know what you’re doing. Would you publish mine, too?” I did, and after a (not really long) while, I had published fifteen books by other people. One morning I woke up and realized, “Holy cow! I’m a publisher!” With that realization, I started acting like a publisher and everything just kind of flowed from there. Now I have over 400 books published from other people, not counting all the ones I’ve done in German, French, and Spanish.</p><p><b>JSFFR:</b> That’s awesome! So tell me a little bit about Chris Kennedy Publishing itself and whatever imprints you might have that are part of the company. What does each imprint specialize in? Drop a link to the website if you don’t mind.</p><p><b>CK: </b>The main website is here: https://chriskennedypublishing.com/. Chris Kennedy Publishing focuses on fun, message-free science fiction and fantasy. It specializes in military scifi but can be found across the spectrum of both scifi and fantasy. There have been a few others in the past, but there are five imprints currently publishing:</p><p>Theogony Books: The umbrella imprint for most scifi like Salvage Title, The Last Marines, The Lunar Free State, and The Prince of Britannia.</p><p>Seventh Seal Press: The imprint for the Four Horsemen Universe.</p><p>New Mythology Press: The imprint for fantasy.</p><p>Blood Moon Press: The umbrella imprint for several post-apocalyptic series like “The Fallen World.”</p><p>Quillcraft Press: The imprint that helps novice authors build their craft and business.</p><p>All of these can be found on the main website. Readers can join the mailing list at https://chriskennedypublishing.com/newsletter-2/ to get a free short story in the Four Horsemen Universe and keep up with all the special sales and promotions.</p><p><b>JSFFR: </b>Awesome! Thanks! I’ve always had a bit of trouble keeping that all straight. I know you probably can’t get to everybody, but who, other than yourself, are a few of your best-selling authors? </p><p><b>CK:</b> Wow, that’s tough. Where do I draw the line on that? Here are some of our best known, in no particular order: Kevin Steverson, Kevin Ikenberry, Mark Wandrey, William S. Frisbee Jr., Fred Hughes, Kacey Ezell, Marisa Wolf, Jon R. Osborne, Rob Howell, Nick Steverson, Melissa Olthoff, Casey Moores, and D.T. Read. If you’ve read all their books, let me know, and I’ll give you another group of names.</p><p><b>JSFFR:</b> I know you’ve got some mega universes out there, and I frankly haven’t been able to keep up with all of them. Name a few, give me the titles of the first books in the series, and drop a buy link or two if you don’t mind. </p><p><b>CK:</b> Sure. We have four main shared universes. They are:</p><p>The Four Horsemen Universe, which starts with “Cartwright’s Cavaliers.”</p><p>https://chriskennedypublishing.com/product/cartwrights-cavaliers-ebook/</p><p>The Salvage Title Universe, which starts with “Salvage Title.”</p><p>https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H8Q3HBV/</p><p>Murphy’s Lawless, which starts with “Shakes.”</p><p>https://chriskennedypublishing.com/product/shakes-ebook/</p><p>The Fallen World, which starts with “This Fallen World.”</p><p>https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KHLG54J/ </p><p>Of note, Salvage Title is also being made into a series of movies, which we’re really proud of.</p><p><b>JSFFR: </b>Awesome. With a big series it’s important to know where to start. I bought a few books in the middle of a series when I was a kid and hadn’t learned any better yet. But help me out here: I know you and Mark Wandrey created the Four Horsemen Universe. Tell us all how that came to happen.</p><p><b>CK:</b> Like all good author deals, this one started in a bar. Mark and I were at a convention in Indianapolis one year, and he approached me with an idea for the series, for which he already had the first book mostly written. I liked the idea so much, I wrote the second book before he’d even completed the first. Everything just kind of exploded from there, and we’re now approaching 100 books in the series. It’s so much fun as a universe that lots of authors have wanted to play in it.</p><p><b>JSFFR:</b> Sounds like fun! So, I know you’re just starting to sell your own work instead of strictly on Amazon. Help me out here. What’s the link to your store? Will all or only some of your titles be featured? I know a lot of CKP fans buy your titles on Kindle Unlimited. Will they still be available there? And, since I just looked and this part of the site isn’t up yet, when will books be available to purchase at chriskennedypublishing.com?</p><p><b>CK:</b> Due to the way Kindle Unlimited works, if you’re in it, you CAN’T sell books anywhere else. So, when I sell a book on the website, I have to pull it out of KU first. Typically, that’s why we’re starting with a lot of the back catalogue that doesn’t get a lot of love on KU, but all are great books that are worth a read. The benefit of the shop is that it gives us the ability to run great sales that aren’t permitted on KU and sell signed copies of the books people want, as well as swag.</p><p>The shop is now live. You can find it here: https://chriskennedypublishing.com/shop/. </p><p><b>JSSFR:</b> I saw you mention something about a coming swag shop on your website. I know it’s not up yet, but what are you looking at offering there? Any idea when it will be open? No pressure, but it’s almost Christmas. Also, I know there are some Four Horsemen Universe pieces available for purchase already. Where can I find those?</p><p><b>CK:</b> We’re still deciding, but we’re looking at selling a variety of patches, shirts, art, coins, and other things. All of these will be brought in as we can get them sourced.</p><p><b>JSFFR:</b> Cool beans. That’s enough of the publisher Chris Kennedy. Let’s talk to the author Chris Kennedy for a minute. It looks like (assuming I’m remember correctly) your most recent work to be published in English is To Challenge Heaven with David Weber. Tell us a bit about the book, about the Out of the Dark series and let us know how it was working with David Weber. Drop a link.</p><p><b>CK:</b> Actually, my most recent series is the Uplink Squadron series of books. In order to stop an alien invasion, we develop the ability to plug into your space fighter and control it merely by thinking about what you want it to do. There are, however, accidents that occur, and shenanigans result. I really love this series and am really proud of it. You can find it here:</p><p>https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X4W1R6T/</p><p>As far as writing with David goes, I’ve written two books with him, “Into the Light” and “To Challenge Heaven.” Writing with David is awesome—as you might expect—and I learned a lot as a writer doing it.</p><p><b>JSFFR:</b> We’ve talked a bit about the 4HU up to this point, but tell us about some of your other works. I know I’ve reviewed some of your books here but I don’t think I’ve gotten to all of them. If you drop a link, people are more likely to buy. I’m just sayin’. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>CK:</b> Uplink Squadron, for sure. I also have the Occupied Seattle series, which starts out with “Red Tide” (which is available on the web site here: https://chriskennedypublishing.com/product/red-tide-ebook/) and has “Occupied Seattle,” Janissaries,” and eight more books after it. My most recent books in the 4HU are “The Lyons’ Pride” and “World Enders.” “Pride” can be read without reading the previous books and is available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B96JZB1B/. </p><p><b>JSFFR: </b>Awesome. I don’t want to hold you up too badly, so we’ll skip to the last question. This is something I ask everyone I interview on the blog. What question did I not ask that you wish I would have, and how would you have answered it?</p><p><b>CK:</b> One of the things I get asked about all the time is, “Do your anthologies have open spots for new authors?” The answer is, “yes.” We always try to save four slots for new authors to compete for so that they can get a leg up. I got into an anthology I probably didn’t deserve to be in when I was just starting out, and this is my attempt to pay it forward. New authors (and anyone else for that matter) can join the mailing list at https://chriskennedypublishing.com/newsletter-2/ to find out about upcoming opportunities. Readers also get the free short story mentioned above and info on all the great upcoming sales and promotions.</p><p><b>JSFFR:</b> That’s all I’ve got for today. Thanks for taking the time, Chris. It means a lot to me and the rest of your fans. Enjoy your holidays, and know you’re always welcome here at Jimbo’s!</p><p><br /></p>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-18901081758385255302023-11-26T21:13:00.004-06:002023-11-26T21:32:15.949-06:00Interview with Hans G. Schantz: The Based Book Sale<p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-244d3731-7fff-f504-d0cc-7023b9df089f" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik5xAqGBLVqsbuYlCOTXCKkFH55_4Wd6zWIdPtwoY2-Kss3sv40U5lVWb2ytEfqugukBQjpggh3SpLjPQluR78E_FnF7UOffhrGNGdvaV8vamVWXgcnF64kuSjxluXBDH4xvDF03Ikr0BmVK-a14PVefc8cxT3NqKZVcrYRT4BgxU-5L6JVpZwLEuECilp/s1500/1500x500-Come-and-Read-It-Banner.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1500" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik5xAqGBLVqsbuYlCOTXCKkFH55_4Wd6zWIdPtwoY2-Kss3sv40U5lVWb2ytEfqugukBQjpggh3SpLjPQluR78E_FnF7UOffhrGNGdvaV8vamVWXgcnF64kuSjxluXBDH4xvDF03Ikr0BmVK-a14PVefc8cxT3NqKZVcrYRT4BgxU-5L6JVpZwLEuECilp/s320/1500x500-Come-and-Read-It-Banner.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-244d3731-7fff-f504-d0cc-7023b9df089f" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-244d3731-7fff-f504-d0cc-7023b9df089f" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Jimbo’s SF/F Reviews:</b> Greetings! We always aim to please here at Jimbo’s and I got to thinking. How could I share the most books at the best prices just in time for Cyber Monday? Enter Hans G. Schantz and his Based Book Sale. Mr. Schantz, while an author himself, has taken time to put together a sale where everything is on sale for ninety-nine cents or less. No, really. He took his own time to put this together to help out his fellow authors. I think that’s awesome. He was also cool enough to say he would swing by and tell us all a little bit about what he’s got going on. So, in the interest of the (never) hard hitting journalism we practice here at Jimbo’s SF/F Reviews, let’s throw him a softball to get him started. Hi, Hans! How ya doin’?</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Hans G Schantz:</b> Doing well! Now that the Based Book Sale is running, I had the opportunity to have a relaxing Thanksgiving with the family.</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>JSFFR:</b> Good! So I know you’re here to talk about the Based Book Sale, and we’ll get there, but for now, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>HGS:</b> I’m a scientist. My doctoral research was in theoretical physics studying how bound or reactive electromagnetic energy decouples from an antenna and radiates away. I put that theoretical expertise to work designing some of the first commercial ultra-wideband (UWB) antennas, developing the theory to describe near-field wireless links. I’m an inventor with about forty U.S. patents to my credit including UWB antennas, near-field indoor location systems, and a host of other inventions. Finally, I’m an author. My first book was </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Art and Science of Ultrawideband Antennas</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> in 2005 which went to a second edition in 2015. I’ve also written a series of science-fiction alternate-history technothrillers, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Hidden Truth</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A Rambling Wreck</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, and </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Brave and the Bold</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. My latest book is The Wise of Heart, a courtroom drama of biological science versus transgenderism that brings the Scopes Monkey Trial into the twenty-first century. My current project is </span><a href="https://aetherczar.substack.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Fields & Energy: How Electromagnetism and Quantum Mechanics Work and Where Physics Went Wrong</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">.</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>JSFFR: </b>Good to know. Now, Hans, we are not Communists. We believe that you should be compensated for your time. In order to do that, I’m going to need to get some people to buy your books. It is Christmas time after all. So, tell me about about your latest book, </span><a href="https://amzn.to/3Gi5y3q" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Wise of Heart: A Modern-Day Re-Imagining of the Scopes Monkey Trial</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> If you throw in a buy link you’ll save me from having to do it myself. Not that I’m lazy or anything.</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>HGS:</b> No problem! One evening in the early summer of 2022, I settled in to watch </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Inherit the Wind</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> on YouTube - not the 1960 film starring Spencer Tracy, but rather the 1988 television movie version starring Jason Robards and Kirk Douglas. I got a few minutes into watching it, and I had a sudden epiphany. This would make a great story set in the present day, featuring a high school biology teacher caught up in the transgender craze arrested for teaching the facts of biological science in defiance of a state law requiring unquestioning gender affirmation. I turned off the movie, and instead, I hunted down the transcript for the Scopes Monkey Trial.</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And so, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Wise of Heart</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> was born.</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I commissioned Elin Chancey to illustrate my novel. As we got close to release, I decided to launch a crowdfund campaign to pay for the art. Kickstarter approved my campaign. I was fully funded and days from closing when they changed their minds, cancelled my campaign, and returned all the pledges. I described what happened here: </span><a href="https://wiseofheart.substack.com/p/cancelled-by-kickstarter" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://wiseofheart.substack.com/p/cancelled-by-kickstarter</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> The evil they intended turned to good. I replatformed on Funding Into Comics, and the resulting publicity on Fox News, The Blaze, Bounding Into Comics, and Upstream Reviews more than doubled the pledges Kickstarter took from me, including funding an audiobook production. I described how “cancelled by Kickstarter” became the new “banned in Boston,” here: </span><a href="https://wiseofheart.substack.com/p/cancelled-by-kickstarter-is-the-new" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://wiseofheart.substack.com/p/cancelled-by-kickstarter-is-the-new</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The real-life story behind the book was an adventure almost as exciting as the story itself. The real heros are the backers who refused to let my cancellation stand and who followed me over to Fund My Comic and the additional backers who supported me when they heard what was going on. I’m very grateful for the wonderful support Elin and I received to get this project funded. </span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>JSFFR: </b>Sounds like fun. Actually, I follow your Substack, so I’ve seen parts of it already. Speaking of which, why don’t you go ahead and drop links to your Substack, your author page and anywhere else the fans can find and interact with you and/or purchase your work. Enquiring minds want to know. </span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>HGS:</b> I’m serializing </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Wise of Heart</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> at my Substack: </span><a href="https://wiseofheart.substack.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://wiseofheart.substack.com/</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And I’m also serializing it on Arktoons: </span><a href="https://www.arkhaven.com/comics/drama/the-wise-of-heart" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://www.arkhaven.com/comics/drama/the-wise-of-heart</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Or you can buy the book in ebook, paperback, or hardcover, here: </span><a href="https://amzn.to/3QZfBPM" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://amzn.to/3QZfBPM</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">My Amazon page gives you access to all my books: </span><a href="https://amzn.to/3GfwH7l" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://amzn.to/3GfwH7l</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>JSFFR:</b> Thanks! I appreciate it. Now, I know that </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">T</span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wise-Heart-Modern-Day-Re-Imagining-Scopes-ebook/dp/B0CC634V4Q/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2HWTQSZC9RNBL&keywords=hans+g+schantz&qid=1701042224&refinements=p_72%3A1248987011&rnid=1248985011&s=digital-text&sprefix=hans+g+s%2Caps%2C253&sr=1-1" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">he Wise of Heart: A Modern-Day Re-Imagining of the Scopes Monkey Trial</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> isn’t your first published work. Tell us a bit about your earlier work. </span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>HGS:</b> Sure. When I was updated </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Art & Science of Ultrawideband Antennas</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> to a second edition, I made a remarkable breakthrough in understanding how electromagnetism works. Conventional wisdom is that electromagnetism is due to one entity: a photon that is a union of opposites encompassing both wave and particle behavior. Instead, I realized that electromagnetic energy flow consists of two distinct phenomena: fields or waves guiding the flow of energy. And since the fields and the energy take different paths through electromagnetic systems, they cannot be the same thing.</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> I am amazed that the idea I uncovered wasn’t picked up on by Hertz or Heaviside or one of the other nineteenth century electromagnetic pioneers. What if they had? What if the result had been suppressed by an evil conspiracy? After all, Hertz, Fitzgerald, and even Maxwell himself died young. Could it have been murder? And what if that conspiracy were the secret masterminds who pull the strings behind all the other groups and coalitions people think are trying to run the world? That was the premise behind my Hidden Truth novels: </span><a href="https://amzn.to/40Szz3v" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://amzn.to/40Szz3v</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">.</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I wrote the first novel in 2015, and I set my stories in an alternate history timeline, because I was afraid such far-fetched and outrageous concepts as hopelessly corrupt government agents doing the bidding of their evil technocratic and oligarchical overlords in a massive plot to establish totalitarian social control over global society might defy readers’ suspension of disbelief.</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While a number of readers have expressed their delight at realizing the physics actually works out as described in my novels, far more enjoy just reading them: “…[A] masterpiece of alternative-history techno-thriller science fiction.” “Like a Heinlein juvenile, but frankly, better.” You can check out </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Hidden Truth</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and its sequels and judge for yourself.</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>JSFFR:</b> Let’s get down to the purpose of this interview: Tell us a little bit about The Based Book Sale. First things first, why is it important, and what made you decide to start it?</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>HGS:</b> The Conservative Libertarian Fiction Alliance held a monthly “Booknado” with a similar concept. Authors would all pick the same week of the month to offer books for sale and then all mutually promote the sale and each other. I thought that was a great concept, so when they discontinued it, I picked up the ball and ran with it. </span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>JSFFR:</b> Terrific. Just to confirm, let everyone know what the pricing for your sale looks like and why you picked those numbers.</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>HGS:</b> $0.99 is the lowest price Amazon lets you set a sale price. Some people like setting books to free for a sale, but I prefer pricing at $0.99 so the reader has a bit of skin in the game and incentive to read the book to make their investment worthwhile. Many authors will set the first book in a series to $0.99 in hopes that a reader will like the first one and buy the rest at full price, or perhaps read through the series on Kindle Unlimited.</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>JSFFR:</b> Cool. Now, give us a list of a few authors that are on the list. Also, since you’ve had these types of sales in the past, how would an author get put on the list in the future? I am well aware that there is one going on now that ends on November 28, 2023, but do you have your next one planned yet?</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>HGS: </b>It’s easier for me to just give you the complete list. We have works that have previously appeared in one of my sales from these authors: P. Abbott, Kyle Adams, James Alderdice, P Alexander, J.M. Anjewierden, Hawkings Austin, Daniella Bova, Leigh Brackett, Graham Bradley, Timo Burnham, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Howard Butcher, Jonathan P. Brazee, Henry Brown, Rachel Fulton Brown, Bokerah Brumley, V. A. Boston, Jacob Calta, Blake Carpenter, Carlos Carrasco, Kit Sun Cheah, Paul Clayton, Travis J.I. Corcoran, Lucca Dejardins, Jon del Arroz, Declan Finn, Marina Fontaine, Milo James Fowler, A.M. Freeman, Jake Freivald, Adam Furman, Dennis Garcia, Leonard Getz, Peter Grant, Steve Griffiths, Paul Hair, David Hallquist, Eric M. Hamilton, M. Anthony Harris, Harry Harrison, Julian Hawthorne, Frederick Heimbach, Alexander Hellene, Robert E. Howard, Daniel Humphreys, C.S. Johnson, Becky R. Jones, Michael R. Kayser, Joseph Knowles, Robert Kroese, L. Jagi Lamplighter, Moe Lane, Christopher Lansdown, N.R. LaPoint, Frank B. Luke, Robert A Lupton, Loretta Malakie, T.J. Marquis, Russell May, Yakov Merkin, Connor Mccoy, Plum McCauley, Jack Mikkelson, Jonathan Moeller, Neovictorian, Brian Niemeier, Richard Nichols, Andre Norton, Christopher G. Nuttall, John M. Olsen, Chance Paladin, Julie Pascal, Richard Paolinelli, Iris Paustian, George Phillies, P.A. Piatt, Francis Porretto, Justin Robinson, J. Trevor Robinson, Matthew W. Quinn, Hans G. Schantz, Thomas Sewell, Richard Sezov, E.E. “Doc” Smith, R.H. Snow, Steve Stinson, John Taloni, Michael Tierney, Kevin Trainor, Kalkin Trivedi, Henry Vogel, Erik Waag, David J. West, H.G. Wells, Benjamin Wheeler, Ryan Williamson, Christopher Wilson, Dawn Witzke, Fenton Wood, and John C. Wright.</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And the sale has new works from these authors: Tony Andarian, J.M. Anjewierden, D.S. Blake, Graham Bradley, Henry Brown, R.J. Burle, C.J. Carella, J.D. Cowan, C.M. Craig, Richard Davis, Mel Dunay, Jeff Dunteman, Declan Finn, Milo James Fowler, Julie Frost, Karl K. Gallagher, Mark Goldblatt, Josh Griffing, M. Anthony Harris, Seth Hobbs, Rob Howell, Michael F. Kane, Joseph Kellogg, Chris Kennedy, L.S. King, Robert Kroese, L. Jagi Lamplighter, Frank B. Luke, TJ Marquis, Russell May, Christopher Menkhaus, Diana Murray, Ron Nielsen, M.A. Nilles, Melanie Nilles, John M. Olsen, Chance Paladin, S.Kirk Pierzchala, George Phillies, Thomas Plutarch, Francis Porretto, James Pyles, Alexander Robb, David Rowlett, Denton Salle, Steve Stark, K Steele, Kevin Steverson, James R. Strickland, Donald Jacob Uitvlugt, S.C. Vincent, Allison Wade, Matt Waterhouse, Thomas J. Weiss, David J. West, Ryan Williamson, Marisa Wolf, John C. Wright, and Page Zaplendam.</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Email has become unreliable. For instance, if I send an update to the fifty or so of my authors who use GMail, GMail assumes I’m a spammer and blocks the message. </span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The next sale is tentatively scheduled for: (LibertyCon) Wednesday, June 19, 2024, 12:00 AM PDT through Wednesday, June 26, 2024, 12:00 AM PDT. The best way to keep in the loop is to follow me online or at one of the author groups I’m in:</span></p><p><br /></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Noto Sans Symbols", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Telegram: </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria Math", serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">𝔸𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕫𝕒𝕣</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">'</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria Math", serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">𝕤</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria Math", serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">𝔸𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞 </span><a href="http://t.me/aetherstream" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Cambria Math", serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">http://t.me/aetherstream</span></a><span style="font-family: "Cambria Math", serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Noto Sans Symbols", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Gab: @aetherczar </span><a href="https://gab.com/aetherczar" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">https://gab.com/aetherczar</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Noto Sans Symbols", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Twitter: @aetherczar </span><a href="https://twitter.com/AetherCzar" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">https://twitter.com/AetherCzar</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Noto Sans Symbols", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Wise of Heart Substack: </span><a href="https://wiseofheart.substack.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">https://wiseofheart.substack.com/</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Noto Sans Symbols", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Facebook (Write of Center Authors): </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/writeofcenter" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.facebook.com/groups/writeofcenter</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Noto Sans Symbols", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Facebook (CLFA Group): </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/CLFAgroup" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.facebook.com/groups/CLFAgroup</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></p></li></ul><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The sale has grown so big, I’m going to have to evolve my processes to deal with it. But I’ll make announcements through my social media and in the Facebook groups.</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>JSSFR:</b> Good to know. Tell everyone where they can find the sale. Drop a link. </span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>HGS:</b> Right here: </span><a href="https://aetherczar.com/black-friday-cyber-monday-based-book-sale-starts-soon/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://aetherczar.com/black-friday-cyber-monday-based-book-sale-starts-soon/</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> The sale runs through Tuesday November 28.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">JSFFR: Thanks! Last question, and I ask this of everyone I interview: What question should I have asked that I didn’t, and how would you answer it?</span></p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>HGS:</b> I’ll take the opportunity to discuss my current project. I’m serializing </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Fields & Energy: How Electromagnetism and Quantum Mechanics Work and Where Physics Went Wrong</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. At a separate Substack: </span><a href="https://aetherczar.substack.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://aetherczar.substack.com/</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> If you’re interested in a novel take on electromagnetism and how it works, check it out.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>JSFFR: </b>Awesome. Thanks for spending some time with us! It’s been an honor having you. Let me know next time you have a sale I can help promote it again. Stop by again sometime. You're always welcome at Jimbo's.</span></p>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323668926503584272.post-15893677664416590992023-11-26T11:22:00.001-06:002023-11-26T11:22:44.252-06:00Check Out This Trailer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wFNK_KEmcWs" width="320" youtube-src-id="wFNK_KEmcWs"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wow. So Mr. Never Intentionally Watches a Trailer Twice (that being your friendly neighborhood blogger) can't get enough of this one. Seriously. It's weird, too because I can't stop myself from watching it. Anyway, enjoy!</p><p>Seriously, that's the whole post. I'm just posting a link to a trailer from a movie that I'm totally excited to see that's a sequel from a franchise that I love. I'm not going to point out that this trailer makes its movie look exciting. I'm totes going to keep silent about the fact that it focuses on story. I won't even point out that it shows characters that we all know and care about. I'm going to shut my mouth about all of that.<br /><br />I won't rub it in your face that this is one of the very few sequels of movies that had decades between releases that was actually worth watching. I won't mention that <i>Ghostbusters: Afterlife</i> was also a very good movie or that I <a href="https://jimbossffreviews.blogspot.com/2022/01/columbia-pictures-ghostbusters-afterlife.html">reviewed</a> it on this very blog. I would never do anything like that because, let's face it, that would be taking your attention away from a damn fine trailer.<br /><br />So go back up there and watch the trailer. </p><p>Huh?<br /><br />You watched it before you wrote this? Watch it again.<br /><br />Because, let's face it, Hollyweird doesn't really care about providing quality entertainment anymore and it's becoming increasing rare to see a decent movie anymore. Their product is full of angst, whining and post-modern claptrap. They've become so obsessed with subverting norms that it is the norm what is subversive now. They think they're clever, but they're not.</p><p>So I'll leave you alone and ride off into the sunset, content with a job well done. Peace and love to all.</p><p>Some <i>Ghostbusters</i> related merchandise can be found below. If you click a link and purchase literally anything from Amazon I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.</p><p><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=jisawsffre-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B09L1N3S74&asins=B09L1N3S74&linkId=8f8a31969975dd0b62f24a5e80d719dd&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></p><p><br /></p><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=jisawsffre-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B07KWVLVCL&asins=B07KWVLVCL&linkId=c580070c5b2f5ccd451906a293913adf&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=jisawsffre-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0C37ZGKXB&asins=B0C37ZGKXB&linkId=1451a262d7371ef7892439b2b3f76413&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><iframe sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=jisawsffre-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=B07JM52FK1&asins=B07JM52FK1&linkId=db130a4884bc46ab00572625dfe1c574&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>Jim McCoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12524898692671838600noreply@blogger.com0