The Last Wish: Review at SFFWorld

I posted my review of Andrzej Sapkowski's The Last Wish yesterday. Reviews on this book were floating around last year when Gollancz published it in the UK. Here in the US, Orbit just released their edition of the book. This wasn't a novel, as I thought it would be, but rather a collection of stories chronicling Geralt the Witcher's encounters with various monsters and legends out of fair tales and folklore. I liked the stories quite a bit and look forward to following Geralt's adventures.

As reviews started appearing on the blogosphere, there was some heated discussion about the book with varying opinions by some of my blog-o-pals. Considering I really enjoyed the book, I obviously don't completely agree with some of them.

We also shook up the main page at SFFWorld again, bringing my review of Cory Doctorow's Little Brother up top, and also featuring Mark/Hobbit's review of Stephenie Meyer's The Host as well as his latest review Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan and my aforementioned review.

Books in the Mail (W/E 5/17)

Nothing new for review arrived in the mail this week, which might be a good thing. The backlog is probably taller than I am at this point. The good thing is that many of those books aren't publishing until Fall/Winter so I've got a decent amount of time to keep the pile manageable.

However, I did finally get around to buying Tad Williams's Shadowplay, the second of his Shadowmarch series. I've been a big fan of Tad Williams for a while, but I just never got around to picking up the book.

The Digital Plague - Virus Released!

About six months ago, I read and reviewed Jeff Somers's The Electric Church published by Oribit. From my review:

Told from the first person, the reader’s only true window into the world is Avery Cates, but he does seem a rather reliable narrator. Somers affects this very well through Cates’s deprecating internal dialogue as well as his interaction with the team he pulls together for the big kill. Even in the scenes where little action is taking place, Somers maintains a very effective narrative allowing for the pages to turn quite quickly.

The sequel (The Digital Plague) is now out* and as with the previous book, Orbit and Jeff have put together another clever viral marketing campaign. Here's what they tell me (via e-mail):

You might remember last year author Jeff Somers launched an ARG inspired puzzle to support the launch his debut novel The Electric Church (http://the-electric-church.com).

These puzzles are scripted as narratives – the first one told a short story based in the universe of the book, and allowed players to save (in a manner of speaking) the monk.

The original puzzle was solved first by members at Unfiction.com – it's pretty fascinating to watch them work their way through. (http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20984)

His latest book, The Digital Plague, is now out, and he's scripted another puzzle – this one takes place on a messageboard where citizens of Old NewYork are coming to grips with the plague that's taking over the city.

http://the-electric-church.com/forum/

Even readers who aren't up for solving the puzzles can get a kick out of this extension of the book's universe – with topics like "Augments: A place to discuss legal bodily augmentation" and "Elective Surgeries: A place to discuss the newest surgical techniques to extend lifespans, restore youthfulness, and defeat disease."

* I have the book and will be reading and reviewing in the near future. I liked the The Electric Church too much not to find out what Avery Cates has been up to since the conclusion of the novel.

Lastly, to keep the Star Wars theme running, happy 64th to George Lucas!

The Dragon's Nine Sons by Chris Roberson

I posted my review of Chris Roberson’s The Dragon’s Nine Sons a couple of days ago. This was the second novel I read by Roberson and enjoyed it almost as much. Good pacing, a good reveal of each of the main characters and a nifty alternate future history.

As I was stumbling across Chris's blog, I saw this picture that is a creepy and cool interpretation of an 80s icon.

Last, and most certainly not least the trailer for The Clone Wars is up at StarWars.com. I almost forgot about this coming out later in the summer, but this looks cool.

I've been posting quite a bit of Star Wars content lately, haven't I?

Books In the Mail (W/E 5/10)

Here’s the arrivals for last week: Where dates aren’t noted, the book is on shelves now.

Cosmos Incorporated by Maurce G.Dantec
Dantec is a prominent French science fiction writer whose work is now seeing release here in the US. His novel Babylon Babies is the inspiration for the Vin Diesel film Babylon A.D.

Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory
This is Gregory's debut novel publishes in August. This has a 1950s setting and from the back of the book, it sounds a bit like the Bill Paxton film Frailty, except the demons are real. This sound really interesting.

Orphanage and Orphan’s Destiny by Robert Buettner repackaged with a nice uniform treatment by Orbit books. I really enjoyed the first two books (titles link to my reviews) so as I said earlier, I was happy to see Orbit books continue the series when they took over for Warner Aspect.

Orphan’s Journey also arrived, which I’m looking forward to reading.

Queen’s Bastard by C.E. Murphy - In a world where religion has ripped apart the old order, Belinda Primrose is the queen’s secret weapon. The unacknowledged daughter of Lorraine, the first queen to sit on the Aulunian throne, Belinda has been trained as a spy since the age of twelve by her father, Lorraine’s lover and spymaster. Amid court intrigue and magic, loyalty and love can lead to more daring passions, as Belinda discovers that power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.
Sample Chapter

The Brass Bed by Jennifer Stevenson – Paranormal demonic romance. There are a lot of these out there.

Kull: Exile of Atlantis by Robert E. Howard illustrated by Justin Sweet (June from Subterranean)
Need I say more? This looks beautiful, and I’ve only got the advance. Everything about this book says own me. Kull is (unfortunately) best know by the movie which starred Kevin Sorbo in the titular role. However, Kull was "born" before Conan, having appeared in published stories before Conan, if I'm not mistaken. I'm really, REALLY looking forward to reading this one.

Summer Morning, Summer Night by Ray Bradbury (Fall from Subterranean)
In the course of this volume, readers will encounter a gallery of characters brought vividly to life by that indefinable Bradbury magic. Included among them are a pair of elderly sisters whose love potion carries an unexpected consequence; a lonely teacher who discovers love on Green Town's nocturnal streets; a ten-year-old girl who literally unearths the intended victim of a vicious crime; and an aging man who recreates his past with the aid of a loaf of pumpernickel bread.

Conversations in Hearts by John Crowley (September from Subterranean)
The award-winning author of Little, Big, Engine Summer, and the Aegypt novels has graced us with a touching novelette, Conversation Hearts.

The Demon and the City

I put up my review of The Demon and the City by Liz Williams. This is the second installment of her Detective Inspector Chen series, which I'm enjoying. I liked the first one a little more than this one, but still think the series is strong and has a great deal of potential.

A few years ago, I might have said that Epic Fantasy was my favorite subset of Speculative Fiction, but over the past year or so, I've been really gravitating to the Modern Day Wizard stories like Williams, Pratt and Butcher. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy Epic Fantasy, Near Future SF, Space Opera, etc, but as some of my posts recently may have suggested, the "Modern Day Sorcerer" is really working for me.

Mark/Hobbit posted his review of Stephenie Meyer's first "adult" novel, The Host, a couple of days ago, too.

Books In the Mail (W/E 5/3); Iron Man

Here's the list of books I recieved for review last week:

Invincible by Troy Denning
Star Wars Legacy of the Force Book 9
The series looks pretty good (as I said in my last post), but I've got some catching up to do. I think the writers and behind the scenes folks did an impressive job with the New World Order and I've heard the same type of positivity about these books.





The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy edited by Ellen Datlow
This looks to be a new anthology of short fiction, in an increasingly impressive market of original anthologies. I still have Jonathan Strahan's Eclipse on my TBR pile. There are some impressive writers in this book - Jeffrey Ford, Elizabeth Bear, Paul McCauley and Kim Newman



Kilimanjaro: a Fable of Utopia by Mike Resnick (December Subterranean Press)
This is a follow-up to Resnick's watermark novel, Kirinyaga. I haven't read that particular book by Mike Resnick, but what I have read from him, I've enjoyed.

Those Who Went Remain There Still by Cherie Priest (December Subterranean Press)
This looks to be a southern ghost story involving Daniel Boone. I haven't read anything by Cherie Priest so this looks like a good opportunity to giver her a try.

Stonefather by Orson Scott Card (October Subterranean Press)
A novella set in Card's soon-to-be released Mithermages fantasy saga. I went through a pretty big OSC phase a few years ago and haven't read much by him since (I think) Shadow Puppets. This should be a good chance to get reacquainted with his work.


Mrs. Blog o' Stuff and I caught Iron Man over the weekend. I was never a big fan of Iron Man. If I have 20 Iron Man comics in my collection, then that's a lot. I always considered him a B-list Marvel character despite Marvel putting him at the forefrunt of their major storylines over the past few years.


The movie kicked ass. I loved it and didn't expect to like it nearly as much as I did. Downey may be the most perfectly cast superhero this side of Christian Bale. Jeff Bridges was good as the slime-ball enemy. I've seen a lot of his movies but is really that big a guy? Maybe I will give some old Shellhead comics a try on my next visit to the comics shop.

Review & Bookish Catching up

Up went my latest review, The Ancient by R.A. Salvatore, a book I enjoyed more than I expected. I haven't read any of his other DemonWars novels, so this was an introduction that may lead me to more of the books. It was a bit predictable, but I've seem many comments from fans of Salvatore that the earlier books in the series are much better than this one. Still, I enjoyed it and the pages moved pretty swiftly. I read this not too long after Empress, and although Salvatore's novel is cliched like Miller's book, I thought the cliched aspects of Salvatore's novel weren't as overpowering. Essentially, The Ancient was cliched comfort fantasy done pretty well.

Don't forget to go out and pick up or order Little Brother, the book is in stores now and is the best book I've read this year. It just might the most important book of the year, too. I've praised the book since I finished reading it, but I can't help but really urge people to take a look at it. Robert of the Fantasy Book Critic liked it just about as much as I did. 

It's been too long, but I find myself being drawn back into the Star Wars Expanded Universe of novels. I've had the final book, The Unifying Force for almost three or four years now, residing on my version of Aidan's Pile o' Shame.* I really enjoyed most of The New Jedi Order novels and what I've been reading/hearing (specificlly from Jay Tomio, whose reading tastes have similar ranges to mine) about the Legacy of the Force is really good, too. Coincidentally, the final book of the Legacy of the Force, Invicible arrived yesterday from Del Rey the publisher is offering a free dowloadable version of the first book, Betrayal. As much as I want to read that novel, I've got a lot of catching up to do before I get to that book. My brother-in-law has been reading most of the Star Wars Expanded Universe and said The Dark Nest trilogy was pretty good too. Then again, he thought The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno was good, whereas I thought it very, very lacking especially since I've enjoyed other SW novels by Luceno.

* what us** about Aidan is his us of o' for of, something we** try do here at the Blog o' Stuff. I should start posting my weekly recievables a la the Hornswaggler.

**...of course by us I mean me.

Empress Review & SFFWorld goodness, Book Ramblings, Lost/Battlestar

I posted my review of Karen Miller’s Empress today. It started out fairly strong (if predictable), but by the end, the novel turned into the book I've disliked the most so far this year. Not all protagonists can or should be likeable, but when you hate the protagonist by the halfway point of the novel, it doesn’t make for a good reading experience. In addition, the novel itself was uneven, predictable, repetitive, and choppy.

I also posted an interview Pat and I conducted with Kay Kenyon. He’s had it posted on his blog for a bit now, and now it’s up at SFFWorld.

Owen (kater in the SFFWorld forums and one of the mods) posted a cool interview with Brandon Seifert creator of the independently online published Witch Doctor comic. The interview also has some great, great sample artwork.

My addiction to the Dresden Files keeps growing with each book*; I finished Summer Knight last week. I usually read two books at a time, one at work and the gym the other at home. I couldn’t be pulled away from Summer Knight.

Mark posted a stellar review of Richard Morgan’s forthcoming and anticipated Fantasy novel, The Steel Remains. My copy arrived not too long ago and I’ll be getting to it shortly. In the past year or so, I’ve received so many enticing books from various publishers I simply don’t know which book to read next, although I do have a very loose system. Some of the books are Advance copies while some are publication copies I’ve received, and it is really impossible to get to all of them.

*One of those advances is Backup, the Non-Harry Dresden novella being published in October by Subterranean Press with artwork by Mike Mignola**. I’ve still got the final installment of Greg Keyes awesome Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone on my plate, or what Aidan calls the Pile o' Shame, although my pile is a little different than Aidan's defintion. The pile includes collections from Wolfe, Swanwick, Steele, the first of Strahan’s Eclipse anthologies, all the Malazan books up to and including Reaper’s Gale, two of Paul S. Kemp’s Erevis Cale novels, two Culture novels from Iain M. Banks, Peter David’s forthcoming Tigerheart, Jeff Somers’ Digital Plague, the second Marla Mason novel by T.A. Pratt, the final novel in the Star Wars New Jedi Order megaseries, and a forthcoming novel from Greg Bear (City at the End of Time) that looks very interesting. I’ve read some of Bear’s work and enjoyed it, this looks like a good opportunity to “catch up” with him. This whole paragraph isn’t a complaint by any means, just a rambling.

Lost and Battlestar Galactica both continue to make me wish their hour-long episodes didn’t end so quickly. Although Lost didn’t give us any concrete answers this past Thursday, it was enticing and answers seem closer to the horizon. I know the creators really enjoy Stephen King’s work and this week’s episode seemed to hold some thematic similarities with The Dark Tower. I also think BKV’s handiwork was evident in this episode. Battlestar had some more good Baltar stuff with Roslin becoming more of a hardass. Both shows don't clearly paint their heroes - Ben Linus started out as a villain and now he looks like he might be the hero. Roslin seems to be thrust more and more into the antagonist light.

**which only fuels the question – What if Harry met Hellboy? That would be a very cool multimedia crossover, wouldn't it?

Little Brother Redux/Review

With one week before publication, I’ve posted my review of Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother. The quick and dirty is that Cory Doctorow may have written the quintessential Young Adult Science Novel of the early 21st Century. I loved the book and have been telling people who are willing to listen.


Here’s an excerpt from my review:

Doctorow’s novel is scary because it resonates so much with the real world; personal freedoms are sacrificed in order for our own “safety.” Doctorow evokes both Orwell and Philip K. Dick in the sense of paranoia, but Doctorow (obviously) brings a more modern sensibility to the fore. Doctorow has been at the forefront of electronic rights and in the science fiction genre for the past few years, so the culmination of his background and those two authors proves for a great combination. ..... I found it very difficult to put the book down. Entertaining, enlightening and eye-opening, Little Brother will only further reinforce Cory Doctorow’s presence as one of the visionaries of free speech advocacy and great storytelling in the 21st Century.

BSG was, again, pretty good although I have to admit to understanding the frustrations other characters are feeling towards Starbuck. I suppose that's part of the hook with her. I had a baaad feeling that one of the four "revealed" cylons would really go over to the Toaster side, but damn did Tory dive head first. Granted, Caly wasn't much of a screen presence in recent episodes (going back to last year) but her character and who she represents was pretty important. I know they can't cover the whole cast of characters each episode, but I don't think I'm the only one who thought Baltar's absence this past episode was a noticeable gap. All that aside, the show has me glued to the TV.

Worlds, Matter, Devils & Battlestar

Two reviews went up yesterday, both of books I very much enjoyed. A World Too Near is the second book of Kay Kenyon’s The Entire and the Rose – a universe spanning modern planetary romance. Although Kenyon already had an established reputation in the genre, this saga is looking to be a breakout saga having received a great deal of acclaim when the first book, Bright of the Sky was published a year ago. Overall, A World Too Near continues the already enjoyable saga and more importantly, whets the appetite for more.



The other book is Iain M. Banks’s latest Culture novel, Matter. This was my first Banks novel, and subsequently, my first Culture novel. I can understand why the books are highly regarded and really enjoyed this one. I will not lie and say parts of it reminded me a bit of Dune, and that I really dug the seamless blending of a Science Fictional setting with a bit of a Fantasy feel.

The Devils managed to stay alive last night in overtime. Granted the winning goal was something of a flukish goal, but a win is a win. That said, the Devils did a lot of things right; and broke some stumbling blocks they've had for a while against the Rangers, namely scoring and getting more than one goal.

Lastly, Battlestar Galactica was again very good. It didn’t blow me away in the same way that the season opener did, but the hour still went by entirely too fast. There was some interesting stuff between Baltar and Tory, while Starbuck’s crusade to bring Galactica back to Earth is proving to raise some thought-provoking questions.

Wastelands and Cylons

I posted up my review of Wastelands a terrific anthology edited by John Joseph Adams. I thought the collection was extremely well-rounded and looks to be a nice start to Adams’ career as an anthologist.

We also re-did the front page at SFFWorld over the weekend, highlight some good reviews and interviews.

Battlestar on Friday was very, VERY good. I thought it worked extremely well as a foundation for the final season and the space battle in the beginning was awesome. However, I think Scott Ian summed it a bit better. I’ve been a fan of Anthrax for many years, and knew Scott enjoyed the show, but him doing a blog for it is pretty cool.

I feel the same way about Battlestar that I do about Lost – I don’t want the hour that either show is on to end.

Little Brother

I just finished Cory Doctorow's newest/forthcoming novel, Little Brother, earlier tonight, and it just might be the best book I've read this year. Granted it is only April, but the book was fabulous and very thought-provoking. I'll be posting a review of this when the pub date gets closer, but this book should be on everybody's reading list for this year. It is that good and that thought provoking, one of those books that makes you look at the world around you and question that same world.

Also, BSG tomorrow at 10PM. I'm excited.

Waking from March

It’s been a while since I posted, Mrs. Blog o’ Stuff and I were hit last week with the worst colds we have ever had. Sleeping and clear breathing were just not options, let alone spending more than a half hour on my computer after a day in the office.

I put up my latest review, Peter F. Hamilton’s The Dreaming Void, which I really enjoyed. A lot of people were looking forward to this book and I doubt any of them will be disappointed. Epic and vast are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to describing Hamilton’s latest.

I’ve also got to mention that a couple of weeks ago, BantamSpectra published the US edition of John Meaney’s Bone Song, a book I reviewed when it was published by Gollancz about a year ago. After a few correspondences with the US editor, I’m really thinking of listening to this song once again. At the very least I can’t wait to read the sequel, Dark Blood when it publishes in about a year.

Baseball season is officially on and I’m really excited. I didn’t realize how many players switched teams in the off-season, so it should be another fun season. That is of course unless the Red Sox win it all again.

Book Review: Before They Are Hanged

Joe Aberrcombie’s Before They Are Hanged published recently, I finished reading it recently, and posted my review. I loved it and think Joe’s writing improved with the second book in his First Law Trilogy. How the full story will be told remains to be seen, but if the third volume manages to keep pace with The Blade Itself and Before They Are Hanged, then I (and other folks who’ve been following) will be in for a really doozy of a read. Hell, I wouldn’t put it past Joe to up the ante with third book, he just seems like that kind of guy.

Book Review-Starship: Mercenary & Writerly Quandary

Another Monday, another one of my book reviews goes up at SFFWorld. This time, it is the third book in Mike Resnick's Starship saga - Starship: Mercenary. On the whole I liked it, and thought it was an entertaining read, but have mild reservations.

I'm in a bit of a quandary with my writing right now - I'm torn between two projects. One is a novel I completed a couple of years ago and read and marked up after letting it sit for about a year. I know it needs work, but I really believe in the potential of the characters and the story. The book falls into the Urban Fantasy / Supernatural Fantasy subgenre.

The other writing project vying for my fictional writing attention is something I started a couple of months ago. I outlined the sucker, did some character biographiess, and set up some plot points I know I want to hit along the way. This one is much farther from completion, but I am hesitant to abandon it, even for just a week. I would best describe it as post-apocalyptic fantasy and I think (and hope) I'm doing some interesting things in the story.

The End of an Era

It's the end of an era, so to speak as my career as a Marketing / Business Development Editor / Specialist in the Engineering Consulting industry has come to a close. At least for now, the old adage of never say never is a truth in which I find myself believing. I spent just about five years in the industry through a strange set of circumstances and it is scary how quickly those five years flew in my life. I met some really interesting, strange, brilliant, eccentric , funny, kind, amazing, and wonderful people, some of whom, I hope to keep in touch with in the future. Some people who may be reading this know to whom I refer, whether an acquaintance or those reading it directly.

Now; however, I'm going back to the publishing industry. Essentially the rots of where I began my true professional career. There were many things I enjoyed about the publishing industry, and since I'm an admitted biblioholic, I'm thrilled to be going back to my roots. Granted, the last publishing job I had kind of chewed me up and spit me out, but the situation was completely different than what it is now. Since then, I've grown both emotionally and intellectually and am eager to face this next challenge in my life.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that the new job is the next town over from where I live, cutting my commute by 2/3. This is great because it will allow me (hopefully) more time to devote to my writing.

Things You Probably Didn't Need To Know About Me

Things You Probably Didn't Need To Know About Me
Source: the source of all of my memes, the Hornswoggler, the great Antimucker!

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now?
Nothing, aside from the seats themselves.

2. When was the last time you threw up?
Probably about two years ago when I got really drunk on B&B, Jack Daniels, Rum, Beer and Vodka. I was stressed and decided I could drink all of the straight from the bottle.

3. What's your favorite curse word?
Fuck.

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today?
My wife, a co-worker, and probably the guy at Dunkin Donuts because he finally got my order correct.

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
Pulling into the parking lot at work, which is last time I will have done that for this job. Today is my last day here; I start a new job on Monday.

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Checking my work e-mail for the last time here.

7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now?
Probably saying goodbyes to people here who I like.

8. Have you ever been to a strip club?
Yes.

9. What is the last thing you said aloud?
“This fucking cell phone sucks!”

10. What is the best ice cream flavor?
Edy’s French Silk

11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla Coffee.

12. What are you wearing right now?
Jeans, Green Polo Shirt.

13. What was the last thing you ate?
Bagel and cream cheese.

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
No, but I did get a free SoCo hat at the bar last night..

15. When was the last time you ran?
I can’t recall. If I need to get somewhere that fast, I’ll probably get in my car.

16. What's the last sporting event you watched?
NJ Devils game, as they beat the Maple Leafs. Damn Canadians and their improper plurals.

What happened to 17?
It doubled and became 34.

18. Who is the last person you emailed?
A colleague at SFFWorld asking him to look over a review I just finished writing.

19. Ever go camping?
No, I'm spoiled by the simple luxury of running water.

20. Do you have a tan?
No.

Ok, now what happened to 21, 22 & 23????
New Brunswick, New Brunswick/Linden, & Linden

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw?
I don’t drink soda.

25. What did your last IM say?
I haven’t IM’d in over five years, I couldn’t possibly say.

26. Are you someone's best friend?
Yes.

27. What are you doing tomorrow?
Writing, food shopping, and going to my Godson’s “Rock ‘n Roll” party.

28. Where is your mom right now?
At work dealing selling dental tools.

29. Look to your left, what do you see?
A shelf with engineering proposals.

30. What color is your watch?
Black Band white face with NJ Devils Log.

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
Kangaroos.

32. Would you consider plastic surgery?
No.

33. What is your birthstone?
The most boring birthstone of them all; the Topaz.

34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
Yes.

35.How many kids do you want?
Not sure.

36. Do you have a dog?
Not yet.

37. Last person you talked to on the phone?
My wife when my cell phone crapped out back in question #9..

38. Have you met anyone famous?
I’ve met a couple baseball players; however, the most famous person I probably met was Sebastian Bach former lead singer of Skid Row.

39. Any plans today?
Finish of my last day here at the “old job,” pick up some Guinness on the way home, eat pizza with Mrs. Blog ‘o Stuff and probably watch the NJ Devils game.

40. How many states have you lived in?
One

41. Ever go to college?
Just about every day for five years. (Rutgers University 1997)

42. Where are you right now?
My workstation/office/cubicle at work.

43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
Bills.

44. Last song listened to?
Clenching the Fists of Dissent by Machinehead.

46. Are you allergic to anything?
I was allergic to mosquito bites when I was a wee lad, but I think I got over that. Nothing else, well except maybe stupid people.

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
My Godzilla Feet slippers.

48. Are you jealous of anyone?
Who isn’t?

50. Is anyone jealous of you?
The poor soul.

51. What time is it?
About that time.

52. Do any of your friends have children?
Just about all of them.

53. Do you eat healthy?
If I could eat steak every day I could, so no I don’t

54. What do you usually do during the day?
Work, write, eat sleep.

55. Do you hate anyone right now?
Not that I personally know.

56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
Hello. There, I just did.

58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
See question number 17.

59. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
We here in Jersey call it Great Adventure, but yes. At least once a year it seems, plus I had a season pass with some friends right after we were graduted from high school.

60. How did you get one of your scars?
I fell down some stairs when I was a wee lad, which explains the scar on my forehead. I tried to use a whip when I was a teenager and scarred my chin. (J/K)

RIP Gary Gygax

It has been many years since I've really played a good round of Dungeons & Dragons, aside from a recent attempt with my brother-in-law, but those rounds and adventures will always be a fond remembrance. Those rounds of dice rolling, character generation, and late night monster fighting helped to set me on my path to geekdom.

So it is with sadness that I mention the passing of Gary Gygax, the "father of the role-playing game."

Thundering Disappointment

What happens when you (by you I mean me) read a book that has a great advance buzz and you (I) have to write a review? Well, the review I posted today happens. The book in question is Felix Gilman’s Thunderer and it just did not work for me. I realize I’m probably the odd one out here, check out Robert’s (Fantasy Book Critic) glowing review, Jeff VanderMeer’s review or the discussion topics at SFFWorld and Westeros where most of the comments are praise.

I hemmed and hawed for a week or so before committing to writing the review. However, the publisher sent me the book, so I feel I had a responsibility to write and post the review.