Friday, February 27, 2015
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Just a bit of bile
Found out my credit card got compromised. Fun times that.
To the ratfuck bastards who decided to go apeshit with said card, I leave you with these thoughts:
To the ratfuck bastards who decided to go apeshit with said card, I leave you with these thoughts:
- May you contract something that lives you with a painful burning in your genitals for the balance of your life.
- May you also contract something that delivers you unto a horrific world of pain while rotting your body and keeping you alive in pain for as long as possible.
- May you suffer horrible poverty beyond human imagining.
- May those who care for you spurn you and walk away.
- And I really hope you wind up in prison with a cellmate who is in charge and enjoys deviant sex acts.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Odds and Ends of the brainstem
Had a bacon, bacon, bacon, lettuce, avocado, and tomato sandwich for lunch today.
Could have used a little more bacon.
Got about a third into "The Providence of Fire" by Brian Staveley and decided to stop for a bit. It's kind of a slog. Lots of misfortune happening to people and folks talking about bad stuff, but not a lot actually happening to move the story along.
Now switched over to "Half the World" by Joe Abercrombie. The sequel to the brilliant "Half a King", I'm already well-in and I just started this morning. I need to pace myself if I want this book to last the week, but it's so good...
Sent by a friend:
I believe no further commentary is needed.
So... this. Seriously. $200 for this thing? It's cool, but $200 cool? I am not presently convinced.
Could have used a little more bacon.
Got about a third into "The Providence of Fire" by Brian Staveley and decided to stop for a bit. It's kind of a slog. Lots of misfortune happening to people and folks talking about bad stuff, but not a lot actually happening to move the story along.
Now switched over to "Half the World" by Joe Abercrombie. The sequel to the brilliant "Half a King", I'm already well-in and I just started this morning. I need to pace myself if I want this book to last the week, but it's so good...
Sent by a friend:
I believe no further commentary is needed.
So... this. Seriously. $200 for this thing? It's cool, but $200 cool? I am not presently convinced.
Review: "Emperor of Thorns"
I finished the third novel of Mark Lawrence's "Broken Empire" series the other day on BART.
I have to say I liked "Emperor of Thorns" a lot better than "King of Thorns". "King" felt a little aimless while "Emperor" tied threads together and brought the Dead King into play finally.
Lawrence remains solid in book three with his world-building and does an admirable job turning Honorious Jorg Ancrath into a vaguely-heroic character by the end. I personally feel the ending was a bit rushed, but I was still satisfied, especially after he clearly-established all the stakes.
All aid, it's a clever mix of technology and magic in a gritty story of a nasty SOB's quest to fuck up anyone who gets in his way.
Solid read.
I have to say I liked "Emperor of Thorns" a lot better than "King of Thorns". "King" felt a little aimless while "Emperor" tied threads together and brought the Dead King into play finally.
Lawrence remains solid in book three with his world-building and does an admirable job turning Honorious Jorg Ancrath into a vaguely-heroic character by the end. I personally feel the ending was a bit rushed, but I was still satisfied, especially after he clearly-established all the stakes.
All aid, it's a clever mix of technology and magic in a gritty story of a nasty SOB's quest to fuck up anyone who gets in his way.
Solid read.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Thoughts on beer
Ah beer, how I love thee.
My long weekend was spent partaking no small part of the bounty of hops and other things. I had my Smoked Amber, my brown ales, and other beers as I tried different lunch locales over an extended President's Day weekend.
As almost an afterthought, I bought a bottle of Lava, an Icelandic smoked stout, from a taproom I visited yesterday.
As today is Mardi Gras (or, as they say in the UK, "Pancake Day"), I opened the bottle, toasted some folks and drank the beastie.
I have to say, the Icelanders don't impress me with the smoked beers.
The Germans? They can do smoked beer right. The Scots can do some good smoked beer. I expected an ice-laden volcanic island to have a good sense of smoked flavoring but while I liked my bottle of Lava for its taste, I found it distinctly lacking the "smoked" flavor I so craved. It was a tasty bottle, but severely overpriced.
Next time I'm off to BevMo to buy some bottles of the German stuff.
My long weekend was spent partaking no small part of the bounty of hops and other things. I had my Smoked Amber, my brown ales, and other beers as I tried different lunch locales over an extended President's Day weekend.
As almost an afterthought, I bought a bottle of Lava, an Icelandic smoked stout, from a taproom I visited yesterday.
As today is Mardi Gras (or, as they say in the UK, "Pancake Day"), I opened the bottle, toasted some folks and drank the beastie.
I have to say, the Icelanders don't impress me with the smoked beers.
The Germans? They can do smoked beer right. The Scots can do some good smoked beer. I expected an ice-laden volcanic island to have a good sense of smoked flavoring but while I liked my bottle of Lava for its taste, I found it distinctly lacking the "smoked" flavor I so craved. It was a tasty bottle, but severely overpriced.
Next time I'm off to BevMo to buy some bottles of the German stuff.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Review: "Malice" by John Gwynne
Holy crap that was a good book.
If you take nothing else from my inane ramblings, take that I thought "Malice" was an excellent read and recommend it.
Set in a pseudo-Celtic world of giants and mortals known as "The Banished Lands", "Malice" tells a woven tale of multiple souls caught up in a battle between good and evil.
Shades of Dante's Inferno color "Malice" as the machinations of the Lucifer-analog, Asroth try to bring about the destruction of the world through mortal agents. There's Evnis, an overlooked second-son with ambition and some serious psychological issues. There's Veradis, a loyal swordsman and warrior who feels overshadowed by his older brother and neglected by his father. There's Nathair, who suffers some epic delusions of grandeur. There's Kastell, a slighted young man who takes a convoluted journey to find out who he really is. There's Cywen, a girl with a warrior's heart born in a world where women aren't generally permitted to fight. And finally there's Corben, the brother to Cywen, who just wants to become a strong warrior to protect others but is lined up for far more than he bargained for.
"Malice" is an easy read, with solid, flowing storylines. Gwynne does the multiple point-of-view thing that George R.R. Martin is famed for, and isn't above taking a POV character off the board. His magic, like Martin's, is terrifying, if a bit less-understated. Oh, and there's a few other familiar tropes.
Still, it was quite enjoyable. I placed an order for book two of his series before I was even half-done with book one (which I just finished a little over two hours ago). If you're looking for something half-way between an Arthurian legend and "The Song of Ice and Fire" books, I'd suggest picking up "Malice" and giving it a read.
If you take nothing else from my inane ramblings, take that I thought "Malice" was an excellent read and recommend it.
Set in a pseudo-Celtic world of giants and mortals known as "The Banished Lands", "Malice" tells a woven tale of multiple souls caught up in a battle between good and evil.
Shades of Dante's Inferno color "Malice" as the machinations of the Lucifer-analog, Asroth try to bring about the destruction of the world through mortal agents. There's Evnis, an overlooked second-son with ambition and some serious psychological issues. There's Veradis, a loyal swordsman and warrior who feels overshadowed by his older brother and neglected by his father. There's Nathair, who suffers some epic delusions of grandeur. There's Kastell, a slighted young man who takes a convoluted journey to find out who he really is. There's Cywen, a girl with a warrior's heart born in a world where women aren't generally permitted to fight. And finally there's Corben, the brother to Cywen, who just wants to become a strong warrior to protect others but is lined up for far more than he bargained for.
"Malice" is an easy read, with solid, flowing storylines. Gwynne does the multiple point-of-view thing that George R.R. Martin is famed for, and isn't above taking a POV character off the board. His magic, like Martin's, is terrifying, if a bit less-understated. Oh, and there's a few other familiar tropes.
Still, it was quite enjoyable. I placed an order for book two of his series before I was even half-done with book one (which I just finished a little over two hours ago). If you're looking for something half-way between an Arthurian legend and "The Song of Ice and Fire" books, I'd suggest picking up "Malice" and giving it a read.
Review: "King of Thorns"
So I kind of burned through "King of Thorns" by Mark Lawrence.
The sequel to "Prince of Thorns", "King" continues the journey of Jorg of Ancrath, a psychotic anti-hero in a disturbingly-familiar world.
I'm not really sure exactly what to say about this book. While I enjoyed it, it was less-engaging than "Prince of Thorns". The style was similar, with a mix of present-scenes and flashbacks. I like the explanation for the existence of magic and all that. I also appreciated the point-of-view of Katherine, an important character from "Prince of Thorns", as told through her journal entries. Still, the story felt a bit hollow in parts. The resolution of the Prince of Arrow felt off somehow and there were chunks of Jorg's four-year journey that didn't really keep me engaged.
My commuter-book is now "Emperor of Thorns", if only to complete the series. We'll see where this goes.
The sequel to "Prince of Thorns", "King" continues the journey of Jorg of Ancrath, a psychotic anti-hero in a disturbingly-familiar world.
I'm not really sure exactly what to say about this book. While I enjoyed it, it was less-engaging than "Prince of Thorns". The style was similar, with a mix of present-scenes and flashbacks. I like the explanation for the existence of magic and all that. I also appreciated the point-of-view of Katherine, an important character from "Prince of Thorns", as told through her journal entries. Still, the story felt a bit hollow in parts. The resolution of the Prince of Arrow felt off somehow and there were chunks of Jorg's four-year journey that didn't really keep me engaged.
My commuter-book is now "Emperor of Thorns", if only to complete the series. We'll see where this goes.
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