Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
The Qwillery: Interview with Justin Gustainis and Giveaway - Jul...
The Qwillery: Interview with Justin Gustainis and Giveaway - Jul...: "Please welcome Justin Gustainis to The Qwillery. TQ : What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk? Justin : I have a har..."
The Qwillery: Interview with Seressia Glass and Giveaway - July ...
The Qwillery: Interview with Seressia Glass and Giveaway - July ...: "Please welcome Seressia Glass to The Qwillery. TQ : What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk? Seressia : The biggest..."
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Return of the new fantasy king
I just read a review on Salon (http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2011/07/10/a_dance_with_dragons/) of the new George R.R. Martin update to A Song of Ice and Fire: "A Dance With Dragons.
Here's a letter I posted after reading the review (lucky SOB gets to read advance releases)
After recently completing a marathon re read of the preceding books I am awaiting with dire anticipation the delivery of my copy of "A Dance With Dragons". Don't tell me I should have ordered Kindle.. I still want the feel, heft and smell of a real book in my hands.
I don't think Mr. Martin will disappoint me, I found Feast of Crows to be a good read because it updated me on what was happening with other characters who had been left to wander while he dealt with other matters. .
After he has taken so long to continue his epic tale, my main fear is that Martin will pull a Robert Jordan; drag out the story and then die without completing it. Martin is not getting any younger and shows risk factors for coronary disease. I also fear that I will die before he finishes the cycle..waiting for his book has kept me going through congestive heart failure and other health afflictions. So George put down the Wild Cards and hurry up and deal out the rest of the story, please.
Here's a letter I posted after reading the review (lucky SOB gets to read advance releases)
After recently completing a marathon re read of the preceding books I am awaiting with dire anticipation the delivery of my copy of "A Dance With Dragons". Don't tell me I should have ordered Kindle.. I still want the feel, heft and smell of a real book in my hands.
I don't think Mr. Martin will disappoint me, I found Feast of Crows to be a good read because it updated me on what was happening with other characters who had been left to wander while he dealt with other matters. .
After he has taken so long to continue his epic tale, my main fear is that Martin will pull a Robert Jordan; drag out the story and then die without completing it. Martin is not getting any younger and shows risk factors for coronary disease. I also fear that I will die before he finishes the cycle..waiting for his book has kept me going through congestive heart failure and other health afflictions. So George put down the Wild Cards and hurry up and deal out the rest of the story, please.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Well TNT has done a good thing and renewed "Falling Skies" for a second season. I've been followig it since it first came on and find that its a pretty good show. Noah Wylie (ER/ The Librarian) and Moon Bloodgood are faves of mine so that keeps me watching even though the writing could use some improvement.. It and the new season of "True Blood" helps fill the void until we get another season of Game of Thrones and the rest of Dr. Who's season. I'm also looking forward to return of Haven, Warehouse 13 and Eureka to the SciFi channel (I hate that Syfy- Siify) so I can start watching it again( All those cheap ass reality shows are nothing but dreck, but they're cheap that's why they are on the air all over the place)..I am also looking forward to trying out Alpha's on Monday night.
Remember back in the 90's when we had so much to choose from in syndication, Babylon 5, War of the Worlds, Xena, Hercules, Cleopatra 2525(a guilty pleasure), Queen of Hearts, Briscoe County, an a bunch of others. Now we are hard pressed to find anything to watch because they keep cancelling the shows before they have a chance.
I need some good escapist fare to take my mind off how the American voter has let the GOP ruin this country and turn the working stiff into virtual peons..Its getting to be like the Shadowrun books around here innit?
Remember back in the 90's when we had so much to choose from in syndication, Babylon 5, War of the Worlds, Xena, Hercules, Cleopatra 2525(a guilty pleasure), Queen of Hearts, Briscoe County, an a bunch of others. Now we are hard pressed to find anything to watch because they keep cancelling the shows before they have a chance.
I need some good escapist fare to take my mind off how the American voter has let the GOP ruin this country and turn the working stiff into virtual peons..Its getting to be like the Shadowrun books around here innit?
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
I'm back and oh happy day, my wife found a discarded bookcase that was almost 8 feet long just 2 shelves, but we were able to unpack 16 boxes of books that we had no shelf space for, the cats love it too, mama cat Priscilla and her 5 kittens have been climbing all over it and discovering new places to hide and ambush each other.
I've just finished Arthur C. Clarke and Fred Pohl's "Last Theorem" a Space Opera with cozmic overloards planning on destroying the Earth, a plausible setup of world control a la 1984 and some interesting ideas about Math, and naturally Fermat's theorem... the critics didn't like it too much, but I found it to be an interesting quick read.
Speaking of "Space Opera" check out Eon's "The New Space Opera" edited by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan. Its a collection of stories that represent the newest iteration of the Space Opera genre created by E.E. Doc Smith, The Futurians, C.L. Moore and others. I'm about halfway through and have enjoyed most of the stories.. you've got contributions from Gwynith Jones, Ian McDonald, the late Kage Baker, Robert Silverberg, Walter Jon Williams and others who manage to turn out an interesting story. Some of the stories are worth your time, such as one where you find out a visit from an angel isn't necessarily a good thing.
These 2 books are a little old, one is from 2008 the other from 2007 but these days buying new books puts a major strain on my budget so I haunt thrift stores, used bok stores and my public library's monthly sale (a box of books for $6) where I can sometimes find some real treasures.
I will somehow eke out enough sheckels next week to buy George R.R. Martin's latest addition to the Song of Ice and Fire. Maybe someday I'll find a real job that will enable me to have some disposable income..bu that's a rant for another day... I'm going back to my books.
I've just finished Arthur C. Clarke and Fred Pohl's "Last Theorem" a Space Opera with cozmic overloards planning on destroying the Earth, a plausible setup of world control a la 1984 and some interesting ideas about Math, and naturally Fermat's theorem... the critics didn't like it too much, but I found it to be an interesting quick read.
Speaking of "Space Opera" check out Eon's "The New Space Opera" edited by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan. Its a collection of stories that represent the newest iteration of the Space Opera genre created by E.E. Doc Smith, The Futurians, C.L. Moore and others. I'm about halfway through and have enjoyed most of the stories.. you've got contributions from Gwynith Jones, Ian McDonald, the late Kage Baker, Robert Silverberg, Walter Jon Williams and others who manage to turn out an interesting story. Some of the stories are worth your time, such as one where you find out a visit from an angel isn't necessarily a good thing.
These 2 books are a little old, one is from 2008 the other from 2007 but these days buying new books puts a major strain on my budget so I haunt thrift stores, used bok stores and my public library's monthly sale (a box of books for $6) where I can sometimes find some real treasures.
I will somehow eke out enough sheckels next week to buy George R.R. Martin's latest addition to the Song of Ice and Fire. Maybe someday I'll find a real job that will enable me to have some disposable income..bu that's a rant for another day... I'm going back to my books.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
More than 2 years since my first post. I really have been too busy reading. In honor of the HBO Series and the long awaited release of book 5 in the "Game of Thrones" I have re-read all 4 of the books.. I must say with his cast of thousands George R.R. certainly makes it a job to keep up with who's who and who did what to who..But he does do a good job on keeping up with the Lions and the Wolves and who lives and dies. I have thoroughly enjoyed the books and the HBO series and I am eagerly looking forward to season 2, which should be A Clash of Kings. The great part about the TV show is George R.R.'s input and his long experience of writing and over seeing the writing of good TV (Beauty and the Beast, Twilight Zone the Series).
Before I got into re-reading the Game of Thrones I spent time devouring the first 2 books of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy.. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire, I have not yet acquired a copy of the third book The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest due to financial constraints. I did watch all three movies thanks to Blockbuster.. If you are looking for some good thrillers read/see all three. Its a pity Larrson died before completing more books.
Speaking of dying let us raise a cup for Joel Rosenberg, Artist Jeffrey Catherine Jones, authors Joanna Russ, Diana Wynn Jones and Brian Jacques.
I must return to my favorite chair more books await me. Thank heavens for the monthly Library Sale. I promise I will not stay away so long this time.
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