Disney+ Star Wars stuff

Late to the party, I've finally seen "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett" in their entirety.

I have to agree with the general sense that "The Mandalorian" is brilliant and the sort of Star Wars that fans deserve, rather than the incoherent, mishmashed, drivel that was the last three films. And yet, I have questions.

First of all, does every desert planet have Jawas? Did they just migrate from Tatooine or did they migrate to Tatooine at some point?

What the hell is up with Tatooine anyway? For a planet that's furthest from the bright center to the universe, it seems like everyone and their cousins heads out there for this or that.

Is it a requirement for someone in Mandalorian armor to learn to speak Tusken? Or are Mando and Boba Fett just special?

Tatooine is a desert planet, right? I mean, I've seen no bodies of water and "moisture farming" is a thing. So... where the hell are people getting the wood for planks and the Tusken stick weapons?

So Boba Fett. Wow. He's a crime lord who doesn't do crime anymore? How does that work, exactly? Though that's the sort of logic I'd expect from a dude who got punk-smacked by Han Solo and wound up in a Sarlacc pit.

So Luke is not the last Jedi and that's kind of an established thing when he's starting up his Jedi school, before he starts going into attempted nephew-murder and drinking blue milk from the source. So... huh. That kind of makes Rian Johnson's movie even more bullshit, doesn't it?

Review: The Broken Room by Peter Clines

I periodically search to see if Peter Clines has come out with any new books. I loved "14" more than words can say. I enjoyed "The Fold" and managed to read "Terminus" finally. "The Broken Room" is not exactly set in the same world, but... well...

"The Broken Room" is a story of Hector, a top government operative who is beyond badass, and of Natalie, a young orphan who has escaped The Project with the assistance of a dead agent to whom Hector owes a debt.

Natalie tracks down Hector and asks for his help, then things get crazy.

"The Broken Room" has a very Stephen King-vibe to it. There's flavors of "Firestarter" and "The Institute" in the tale, but Clines does not go down Stephen King's roads. No, Clines makes Natalie's and Hector's stories real in very different ways, while tossing the occasional Easter egg to fans of "14" in very clever ways.

I burned through the book in two days and was unable to put it down. Both Hector's and Natalie's stories, and characters, had me completely hooked. I loved this story tremendously. It's not set up for any kind of sequel, but that's fine. It's a brilliant story and I highly recommend it.

Review (okay, reaction): Quillifer series by Walter Jon Williams

Every now and again, Amazon's recommendations are actually not all that bad.

I came across "Quillifer" by Walter Jon Williams and read the synopsis. It sounded intriguing, so I got it for my Kindle and gave it a read. I wasn't past the third chapter when I ordered the next two books in the series. I've just finished the third book and have been giving my brain a chance to catch up.

In summary, the series is about Quillifer, the humble son of a butcher and an apprentice lawyer. When his home city gets attacked by raiders, his life takes some dramatic turns in some seriously weird directions. One of those directions has Quillifer, a lover of the ladies, manage to piss off a goddess-like water spirit who decides she's going to amuse herself by throwing all kinds of torments in Quillifer's way.

Despite this divine interference, Quillifer's fortunes rise. He winds up lover of many ladies and a reluctant soldier as well as... well, why spoil too much?

Williams has an incredibly engaging protagonist in Quillifer, as well as an entertaining and unusual narrative style. The books are all narrated in the first person and written as though they're being told to an audience of a specific character that differs in each book. It's quite fascinating, really. Quillifer's fortunes vary quite a lot and I have to admit I'm finding myself sympathetic to the fellow.

I gather that Williams has six books planned in all. There are three out at the moment: "Quillifer", "Quillifer the Knight", and "Lord Quillifer". I can't wait to see where things go in the next three. It's looking like Williams will actually make headway in the series, unlike past favorite authors of mine like Patrick Rothfuss and George R.R. Martin.

The Madness that is March

Blink and I just let a few months fly by.

I guess that's 2022 in a nutshell.

Fucking hell what a year.