The Game of Thrones is About to Jump the Rails
I don’t really watch GOT. I’ve seen the first season, which was very enjoyable, but I have neither HBO or the patience and talent to obtain the series in a more illicit manner, nor the finances to buy each season. Nevertheless, I have followed how the series progressed. I, like most readers, loved watching people’s reaction to the Red Wedding, along with the other major moments like the Red Viper’s death. The memes have been great and watching the world learn to love and appreciate the Imp has been something I never really thought I would get to see. So, even though I don’t watch the show, I’ve kept up with it. There have been a lot of articles about what GOT will do if it catches up with the books. This is a valid concern, one that is stressed by the way A Feast for Crows and A Dance…
My Review of Skin Game
I have to admit, I’ve been a bit worried about the Dresden Files. It started with Turn Coat, which was one of my least favorite in the series. I don’t know what it was, it just never scratched that itch I have for the Dresden Files. Then there was Changes, which was good, but the whole point of that book was to be purposely out of sync with the tropes, tone, and style of the rest of the series (hence the name, Changes). Ghost Story was a mix of really bad and really good. I thought Corpsetaker was an odd villain to revisit, but she/he/it really just seemed to serve as a backdrop for Harry’s out of body experience and flashbacks, where the story really shined. Cold Nights was good, but it had a few problems for me, I could take it or leave it. So, yeah, I’ve been a bit worried… Not anymore….
Sherlock Holmes: He Belongs To Everyone
At least now he does. Last week, a judge ruled that the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle concerning Sherlock Holmes were, in fact, in the public domain. Up until this point, stories about the the world’s greatest detective (except for possibly Batman, but I’m willing to see the arguments on both sides for this) could only be written by those who paid a license fee. Apparently, a $5,000 license fee. Wow. Now, if you’re making a blockbuster movie with Robert Downie Jr., that’s chump change. Downie’s bottle water probably cost more than that. If you want to reimagine Mr. Holmes’ adventures though, well, you were probably shit out of luck. On the one hand, all for the Conan Doyle Estate for being able to reap the rewards of a classic character. Doyle created him, put the work in, enjoyed the benefits and then passed those benefits onto his family after…
Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan
Every once and a while I pick up a book that makes me want to quit writing. It’s so good, so well thought out, so incredibly written, that I can’t help but think to myself that I will never, ever be this good and I can just quit. I love these books. The Name of the Wind is probably the best example of this. Promise of Blood is another. The basic premise is about a coup that ends with the execution of a nation’s king. There is a lot about why they overthrew him and how bad he was as a ruler, but that has little bearing. It seems like the people who overthrew him were really just sick of his shit, and had their own personal vendettas to boot. Everything is well written and the characters are great, but what I love, absolutely adore, is the magic. The world…
Violence In Fantasy
Adam Callaway at A Dribble of Ink has a great article that dissects violence, particularly in relation to fantasy. He makes some great points (especially using BioShock 3 where the violence there is ridiculous). The entire time I read it, I was trying to think of novels I loved that didn’t employ violence. I have a few, but none of them are fantasy. And it got me thinking about my own story. In the first novel, Sorcerer Rising, I have a good bit of violence. I think of it as action, but really, that’s how we as a society put a nicer label on violence. That’s not really a problem for me, I’ve always handled that rather well and I think it has a point. Virgil isn’t dark or an anti-hero, but his reaction to horrible things is to throw a whole bunch of horrible right back at it. Very rarely…
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