"The Malevolent Eight" by Sebastien de Castell

Back in July of 2023, as my world was turning to shit in a truly spectacular fashion, with so much more to come later, I finished a book I'd found: "The Malevolent Seven", by Sebastien de Castell. I had a few thoughts on it.

De Castell wrote a sequel and I blazed through it.

"The Malevolent Eight" takes place some months after the conclusion of "The Malevolent Seven". It stars the same characters, with the addition of a completely demented new one named Temper. And it goes in the same batshit crazy directions.

I have to say, I'm hard-pressed to figure which of de Castell's works I enjoy more: his Greatcoats short stories (the longer stories are a bit harder for me to digest) or this series.

The snarky narration of the Malevolent series is a special sort of fantastic, and "The Malevolent Eight" delivers that in spades. And it goes that much further with the addition of the new character.

Overall, the story has much the same sorts of twists and turns as the previous book had (and follows a lot of the patterns I've found with de Castell's protagonist journies, for good or ill).

I'm honestly not sure he's going to try for another book in this world. The ending works as a conclusion but has just enough ambiguity that I could see him squeezing out another if he's inspired. Or takes the right drugs. I mean this book is nuts.

I thoroughly enjoyed this as a crazy romp through epic battles of... um... not really "good" and "evil" so much as... well... read the book and you'll see.

Plus there's a kangaroo. Sort of.

Thoughts on "The Mercy of Gods" by James S.A. Corey

Last night I finished "The Mercy of Gods", the latest novel by the creative team who calls themselves James S.A. Corey, the writers behind "The Expanse" series.

Initially set on Anjin, a lost human colony, it follows the lives of a team of researchers who are caught up in a nightmare when Anjiin is invaded by an alien race known as the Carryx.

The invasion is brutal and vicious, ending with the humans of Anjiin enslaved to the Carryx and many of their best and brightest, including the protagonists, being abducted from their home and taken to the homeworld of the Carryx to be of use.

I'll be honest: I struggled to get through the first third of the book. It felt like a bit of a slog, and after the invasion, it felt like a banquet of despair served in a slog. It wasn't really the sort of story I was inclined to read when everything in the real world seems to be going to shit.

At the recommendation of a friend, I persisted and, a little over halfway through, I found it hard to put the book down. The overall story is, to my mind, a depressing and brutal tale, but there were things in the story that intrigued me and suggested things could get better in future novels.

One thing I'm wondering is if this is set in the same universe as the Expanse, only millennia later. If that's the case, kudos to the subtle insertion by the authors.

While I found the tale itself a bit hard to wade through, the storytelling is excellent. I highly recommend the book, for what that's worth.

Strange New Worlds

I spent New Year's Eve binging season 1 of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds".

Billed as a spin-off of "Star Trek: Discovery" (which is, itself, allegedly a spin-off of the Star Trek franchise), its association with "Discovery" kept me from watching it.

I tried to get through some episodes of "Discovery" while on an international flight. It was shockingly-bad. Like, horrifically bad. Weird alternate-Klingons and lots of labels that were vaguely "Star Trek" while having a show that was painful to watch.

I switched to something else mid-flight and wrote off the franchise.

A friend suggested I give "Strange New Worlds" a chance. It's a sort-of prequel to the original series of "Star Trek". Set during the time Christopher Pike commands the Enterprise, before James T. Kirk takes over. It's got a quirky and fun crew and it really captures the explorer's feel of the original series. There's sime time-travel shenanigans in it, but they keep that sparse, thank goodness. And the stories feel solid and self-contained.

I loved it. I'll have to give season two a try at some point.

Wednesday - the Netflix kind

I was utterly exhausted after a crazy day at work when I decided to fire up "Wednesday", the Netflix horror-comedy-mystery series on Netflix.

I wasn't expecting much, to be honest. Damn was I surprised!

I didn't think anyone could take the mantle from Christina Ricci (who, conveniently, also stars in the show) but Jenna Ortega owns that dark crown now.

Damn. Just... damn! I can't wait to see the next season (and I'm sure there will be another).

Review: "The Martyr" by Anthony Ryan

I read this book months back and never commented. Well, I have a pie in the oven for Thanksgiving festivities, so I figure I'll ramble here.

"The Martyr" is a sequel to "The Pariah", by Anthony Ryan. It's one of his fantasy series that's got that more epic feel to it.

Alwyn the Scribe continues in the holy army of Evadine, the Martyr Arisen. Alwyn, a cynical, former bandit, is bound by Evadine by emotions and magic as he follows her on her holy quest to prevent the dark powers of the Malecite from rising and bringing a Second Scourge to the lands.

As with "The Pariah", I found "The Martyr" to be a fun read. There's a bit of character building, both with Alwyn and those around him, and a glimpse into the wider world Alwyn lives in. Ryan indulges in his penchant for shadowy magics and malignant powers that linger beyond death, as well as mysterious and ageless mentor figures who pop in from time-to-time. Alwyn himself goes through his usual rough go of life, with everyone seeming to want to try to curse or kill him when they're not following him in battle. And there's a lot of battle. And treachery. And politics.

"The Martyr" was a good sequel to the series and I enjoyed it more than "Tower Lord" as a sequel to "Blood Song". I'm hoping the next book keeps staying good and doesn't stray into "Queen of Fire" territory.

I'll be sure to read it either way.

En-compass-ing thoughts

If you could only hear the laugh track I hear!

Anyway, I saw a post on another blog I enjoy and realized that I, too, had backed the referenced Kickstarter. And that made me think of yet another fancy compass I've obtained. So, without further ado, let me speak of compasses. Compassi? What is the plural for compass? Meh, I don't care. Moving on...

The Sailor's Compass by Oceanus Brass

I keep saying I'm going to quit Kickstarter and I never do. Oceanus Brass is one of those Kickstarter creators that make it difficult, if not impossible, for me to ever truly quit. They do nautical-themed things. Doodads. Brass utility knives and sailing gear. They came out with a Kickstarter for their Sailor's Compass and the next thing I knew, I was backing it. Despite the pandemic madness, they sent out the compass pretty quickly. It's a neat little thing. I mean, it's a compass, so it's not like it fires lasers or cuts boxes, but it's a simple, beautiful, functional tool It looks a bit like the sort of ladies' compact my grandmother used to carry about. It's about two inches in diameter and has a glow insert for use in poor or no lighting. I keep it in my "Go Bag", mostly because I think it's too gorgeous to just sit on a shelf and collect dust.

Heirloom Dual Sapphire Titanium Compass

On the topic of gorgeous things, at some point not long after I got the Oceanus Brass compass, I was perusing CountyComm's website, as I am wont to do, and lo, among the new items, was the Heirloom Dual Sapphire Titanium Compass. I couldn't tell you why I succumbed, exactly. It could have been "retail therapy" due to isolation and madness from the COVID Pandemic. It could have been because this compass is just so damn gorgeous. It could have been both. Oh, I bet it was probably both. Anyway, I got one. This compass is about half the size of the Sailor's Compass. It looks mainly like a sort of fob one might have when wearing an old-fashioned waistcoat or vest. It looks a little like a small pocketwatch, to be honest. And I love those, so that might have been part of the appeal. Like the Sailor's Compass, the Heirloom Compass is a functional thing that's also beautiful. The north indicator on the needle glows in the dark, should one need to know north without lights, and it comes (came?) with a little leather sleeve to hold it. I have to admit that every now and again, I'll carry this compass around, even though I don't need one in an urban area. It's just a fun little bauble to carry around.

I suppose I'm good to find north, provided I'm away from strong magnets and the like. And, if anything, I've got some lovely things to talk about.

Daniel Black series by E. William Brown

A friend pushed me to read "Perilous Waif" by E. William Brown some time past. I enjoyed it and have been eagerly awaiting the sequel. In the meantime, I finally broke down and replaced by long-dead Kobo with a Kindle. I decided to fill it up with a few books and got Brown's "Daniel Black" series (only available in eBook).

There's four books in the series so far: Fimbulwinter, Black Coven, Extermination, and Thrall. Rather than go into them in detail, I'll just give my overall impressions as I binge-read them.

The Daniel Black series is about Daniel Black, a software engineer of 21st century Earth who has a spectacularly-bad run of luck. He's recruited by the goddess Hectate to journey to an alternate Earth to save the last of Hectate's worshippers, a sexy murder witch and her equally-sexy hearth witch lover.

As part of the bargain, Daniel is dragged through a stream of chaos that lets him pick up sorcerous powers. Daniel, a former devotee of roleplaying games and video games, munchkins the unholy hell out of this offer, picking up magics around earth, force, flesh, and even mana (the stuff of magic itself). Armed with 21st century knowledge and arcane power, Daniel then proceeds to kick ass in an alternate Earth version of Skandinavia where Ragnarok is starting.

Brown has a gift for really fun narrative. He keeps the story moving and writes entertainingly-intelligent characters. He likes to surround Daniel with a wide variety of sexy and deadly women. Many of them are barely-legal, but his narrative is quick to point out that's relative given the setting. There's lots of polyamourous sex, gratuitous sex, and just... uh... sex. There's also tons of the old ultraviolence mixed in for fun.

Daniel Black's 21st Century American morals and views are tackled in an interesting way through Brown's filter of this alternate Earth. You almost have to pity the first monster that comes across his magical flamethrower. Oops. Spoiler.

The series is a really fun read overall. I have to say, I can't wait for book five in the series. Brown has gone dark since the pandemic, by all accounts. I hope he's okay and hunkered down to crank out more books.

Review: "A Pilgrimage of Swords" and "The Kraken's Tooth" by Anthony Ryan

Fresh off reading "The Pariah", I took the recommendation of a friend of mine and gave Anthony Ryan's "Seven Swords" series a try. So far it's only two books: "A Pilgrimage of Swords" and "The Kraken's Tooth".

I burned through "A Pilgrimage of Swords" in about two days. I got "The Kraken's Tooth" immediately after and started in on that.

The two books go together, so it's easier to ramble about my overall impressions.

In a nutshell, the series is about Guyime, aka "Pilgrim", who bears a cursed sword with a bloodthirsty demon within it. The sword and the demon give our (anti-)hero long life and enhance his badass talents. Guyime, a former king with a decidedly bloodthirsty reputation, is sort of done with the whole mass-murderer routine and is looking to get out of his arrangement with his snarky demonic blade.

In "A Pilgrimage of Swords", Guyime joins a quest to meet the Mad God in order to get a prayer answered. He meets a variety of folk on his quest (as is typical of the trope), including a woman who calls herself "Seeker". Seeker is a beast-charmer on a quest to find her daughter, abducted by slavers.

As one might imagine when one looks for a being called "the Mad God", things go sideways pretty quickly. Guyime and Seeker wind up joining forces, leading into "The Kraken's Tooth". In the second book, the two are on a quest that has tied Seeker's quest for her daughter to Guyime's quest for an end to things. Without giving too much away, krakens are the scariest creatures in the world. Hunting for something called "The Kraken's Tooth", predictably goes in some horribly-wrong directions and involves a magic, demonically-possessed sword. Yes, I think there will be seven books in this series.

Overall the books are quick reads. I'm not going to suggest there's deep character development or anything, but the new characters who come on in the quest are intriguing. I think my favorite character is actually Guyime's sword. Hilariously-evil. I look forward to the rest of the series.

Thoughts on the Sniper Bladeworks LPC and DMF knives

I'm addicted to Kickstarter.

It's a problem.

So back in the midst of the pandemic chaos (okay, earlier in the pandemic chaos) I decided to back a Kickstarter to reboot production of a selection of knives. The company was called Sniper Bladeworks. I liked the look of the LPC (Lance Personal Carry) knife and, having recently gained some bonus money, decided to back said Kickstarter for one of those knives. I later expanded it for the DMF, a burlier, shiny beast of a knife that called to me.

Time passed. Kickstarters almost never hit their target delivery, and that was before a plague swept the planet. To the full credit of Sniper Bladeworks, there was good communication as to the very valid reasons for delay in delivery on the Kickstarter.

And then they did deliver.

The LPC

The LPC is a tough, burly, monster of a knife. It weighs just under a half pound and has a blade that's a shade past three and a half inches long. It's got a slightly-bent "pistol" grip that feels great. My initial reaction was that it's a bugger to open one-handed. I've since practiced a bit and gotten the hang of opening it. I think this is my new favorite knife.

And I own a lot of knives.

It's a sturdy beast of a thing that feels ever so slightly over-made in all the right ways. It's built for right-handed sorts, but that works fine for me. Fresh out of the box (okay, awesome zip-lock package) it was a bit stiff to open one-handed but is now smooth as silk. If I were to be marooned on a desert island, I'd want to have this on my person. I'm actually so enamored with it that it's become a sort of fidget-toy for me. Good thing I work from home these days!

The DMF

I don't properly know what "DMF" stands for. Do massive f*ckery? I honestly can't say. I thought the LPC was a brute as far as folder knives went, but the DMF makes my LPC folder feel almost dainty in comparison. The DMF weighs a bit over a half pound and has these cool bronze accents on the handle and the pivot screw. I'm not really much for bronze coloring, but I have to say it makes the DMF look awfully purdy. The DMF comes in a S30V blade but the Kickstarter offered a "damascus" style blade that's really quite lovely. The blade is beefy and feels indestructable. It's a chopping blade, with less emphasis on the point. More of a working style knife, to my mind. It has the same, slightly-bent, "pistol" style grip. Like the LPC, it takes a bit of practice to get used to opening it one-handed.

It's become my other fidget tool.

Sniper Bladeworks came out with an assortment of blades for their Kickstarter. I didn't really have a reason to get the fixed blades, but they do look cool. Their folding knives are truly outstanding, though!

Damnit Kickstarter! Every time I think I'm past you...

Review (okay, really just a reaction): Godzilla vs Kong

Wow, I've let this blog rot for the last month and a half!

Last night I was able to watch Godzilla vs Kong.

That movie hit the right buttons with me. It was just a few minutes under 2 hours and really doesn't waste time bringing in Godzilla to do his thing. While Godzilla didn't get as much screen time as I'd have liked, when he was on screen, he was kicking ass and breathing radioactive fire. It was glorious. Kong transitioned well from his Vietnam war-era film.

Oh sure, one can complain that the human characters were underdeveloped and one-dimensional. I could comment on that if I could remember any of them at all. I vaguely remember angry guy from the previous movie and Eleven from "Stranger Things" as an even more annoying teenager. I think the kid from Deadpool 2 was in it too. Oh, and some weird little girl who didn't speak. Their scenes were welcome breaks to either go fix a new drink or hit the restroom.

There's no surprises in GvK. It faithfully follows the kaiju movie formula. Act 1 - threat. Act 2 - exposition so the actors can earn a paycheck. Spiced up with a kaiju battle or two, usually left with an ambiguous conclusion. Act 3 - ultimate throwdown, usually with a new threat added in for shits and giggles.

If you're looking for a classic, uncomplicated, kaiju film with modern fx, then Godzilla vs Kong is the perfect viewing. If you're looking for a complex plot with nuanced acting, relatable characters, sanity, and all that stuff, you probably might want to keep looking through your movie queue.

And now things get interesting

So... how's everyone out there in the world?

It's still a dumpster fire here on day 209 since the shelter-in-place was issued in California for the COVID pandemic. And that's still a thing. Spiking again. Yeah.

And there's still people out there who think it's a hoax. Yeah...

Oh, and an election next week! How terrifying exciting! I'm guessing the shitshow will just get more pungent.

Let's see... what can I ramble about that's not related to a horrible illness or politics? OH! I know! I'll ramble on about random stuff. That's always good for a laugh.

So, remember Goruck, that rucksack-making company I mentioned earlier this month? So I got curious and purchased footwear from them. I've been needing new running shoes for a while now, so I got myself a pair of their cross trainers and , because I was curious, their boots.

Goruck MACV-1 Boots

These are some damn fine boots! They're lightweight but quite sturdy. The boot lacks that sort of squishy mesh (they call it spacer mesh) so I've found that these don't squeak at all. At least not thus far. The MACV-1 runs a bit small. I ordered in my usual size and had to return to get the next half-size up. That size fits my feet like a glove and I gotta say these are easily the most comfortable boots I've ever worn. Unlike most boots, I can actually run properly in these (as opposed to just hiking or walking), which is nice. Well worth the price, in my humble opinion.

Goruck I/O Cross Trainers

These I ordered in my shoe size and they fit true to form. I've taken them for walks and running and had no problem breaking them in. No chafing or blisters. Like the MACV-1 boots, these are sturdy with no spacer mesh or anything. The shoe designers did some solid work with these. Also well worth the money.

Masks

Let's see... what else can I ramble on about? Masks? Sure, let's talk masks. So yeah. If you've got half a brain and have been paying any sort of attention, you're probably looking at wearing a mask in public. Or should be. I've tried a variety of options for masks, both with valves and without. Right now, the masks I'm finding work best for me are O2 Mask. Their mask offerings are lightweight, but have some impressive-seeming filters and I've found them easy to breathe through and wash. I'm finding it a bit of a bugger to get filter refills, but their product is still pretty solid.

The Kilij

I feel like I'm somehow doing myself a disservice if I don't go on about some kind of tool or knife or something. I don't think I mentioned this earlier this year, but I backed a Kickstarter (yeah, I know, I still do this...) for a knife - the Kilij by Tepe Designs.

The Kilij is one of those rare Kickstarters that caught me by surprise. I backed it, then I wondered why I backed it, and then I sort of got distracted by stuff going on in the world. Then it funded. Then it delivered on time. And wow, was I impressed! The Kilij is a gorgeous and wicked-sharp knife with exceptionally-smooth opening action. While the damascus finish looked pretty, I opted for the M390 steel and never regretted it. It's a solid and very well-made blade. Did I mention wicked-sharp? 'Cause it is. The point is like a freakin' needle and I've got the nicks on my fingers to support that claim. I'll be watching Tepe Designs in the future. These guys (this guy?) do great work!

Reviews: Goruck

When I came across Goruck on another site, I found myself intrigued by their rucksack offerings (they don't call them "backpacks" and there's a reason for that).

It's 2020 and everything's going to shit. I had some extra money and treated myself to a new bag, thinking that it would be nice should life return to sanity and I could commute again to the office.

I got one of their packs and swapped my messenger bag's contents for a rucksack.

I found myself impressed.

The bag was a GR1 and is a brute of a pack. Goruck's site says they guarantee their bags against any reasonable damage. As I've got this intended as a commuter bag, I think this thing will last me the rest of my natural life. It's a well-padded beast of a bag with a padded laptop sleeve that's accessible outside the main body of the bag. The bag itself opens 180 degrees when unzipped and has all sorts of useful pockets and loops. I'm almost eager for commuting again with this holding my work essentials.

Intrigued, I took a look at Goruck's site and offerings a bit more carefully. I really was just looking for a bag at the time. The quality of the GR1 made me consider obtaining a larger GR3 as a "bug out bag". Seemed a prudent (if steep) purchase at the time, given the way things were going. And then the summer hit in full force with fires and what-not and I've been doubly-happy I made the purchase. Should shit go sideways and I need to get moving, I figure my "bug out bag" will handle whatever punishment is going on around me. Probably better than I will, truth be told.

I'll admit, I've now started to look at the whole "rucking" and "sandbag" stuff that's advertised on the Goruck site. I may give it a try. It's not exactly feasible right now with the toxic air quality here in California, but that may change and I certainly could use a good workout.

They sell boots and shoes as well, it seems. I may have look into those.

A Random February Brain Dump

Well this has been a peculiar winter. After a few years of unseasonably-warm Januarys and Februarys, I have to admit I'm taken aback by actual cold weather in February! Hell, there's snow on the mountains around the San Francisco Bay Area! An uncommon occurrence.

2019 has brought me a new fiction series I'm hooked on: the Shattered Sands series by Bradley P Beaulieu. A story of Ceda, a young, badass, warrior woman hell-bent on avenging her mother's death, the story's got some fascinating (and sometimes disturbing) twists and turns in the rich, vaguely Arabian/Persian world Beaulieu has created. I've burned through the first two books ("Twelve Kings in Sharakhai" and "Blood on the Sands") and now await the remaining two books in the series, out this year. There's novellas that are doing a delightful job of keeping me busy as I await their publication.

Going to be a good year for reading material, all told. The next Expanse book is out next month, along with John Gwynne's next novel. I've finally given in and started reading "Red Sister" by Mark Lawrence (recommended by several friends). I'm hooked and plan to get the rest of that series as well.

So I guess next week we find out if we're having another government shutdown while the orange man-baby debates having another tantrum over funding his medieval ego-toy. Sigh.

Review: Titaner Bolt Pen

Remember how I said I'd never back Kickstaters again? Remember how that was an utter lie? Yeah, that hasn't changed.

So I backed another titanium bolt-action pen, this time by Titaner, a titanium product merchant. The Titaner Bolt Pen is currently fighting with the GP 1945 for my favorite pen. A sturdy, solid, well-constructed pen of titanium (duh), the Titaner Bolt Pen has a unique bolt-action deployment that can be done one-handed by just twisting the cap. On the other end of the pen is a nice, unobtrusive glass-breaker for those "God, I really want to break some glass" moments that everyone has in their lives and, interestingly-enough, there's a little spike-pin tool hidden in the pen that can be used to release SIM cards from phones (or, I suppose, poke things like you might with a tiny pin).

Best of all, the Titaner Bolt Pen can take a variety of refills, from Fisher Space Pen refills to Scheider refills or what-have-you.

I have to say, I'm kinda leaning toward the Titaner Bolt Pen as my current favorite. The GP 1945 is an awesome pen, but I really do like the option of Fisher Space Pen refills.

Oh well. I can always carry both pens!

Review: Zombie Tools Apokatana and Zakasushi

I'm not even going to bother to explain the sequence of events that let me pull off getting both an Apokatana and a Zakashushi from the glorious mad geniuses of Zombie Tools. It's not really an exciting story.

What is exciting is that I have two new swords with leather sheaths for me to swing around my apartment and risk damage to furniture and my precious self.

I regret nothing.

The Apokatana is a brutal monster with a three-foot-plus blade and a long handle to counter the weight. It comes sharp and fierce-looking with the customary acid-etch of a ZT blade. The Zakasushi, it's Wakizashi-equivalent counterpart is shorter and lighter, with a blade that's not quite three feet long but is equally as sharp. Both blades look like something badass enough to make most anyone on the wrong end shit one's self in fear. Zombie Tools advertises their blades as "burly and sharp". They don't joke.

Already I've tried experimental Musashi swings with both blades (Miyamoto Musashi, a legendary Japanese swordsman, was famed for fighting with both katana and wakizashi). I have new respect for anyone who can do that with speed.

Both the Apokatana and the Zakasushi come with kydex sheaths. I opted to go for the leather sheath upgrades, but I have to say I find the kydex sheaths might be a better "fit" overall. For one thing, the kydex sheaths look badass, giving the blades a more ominous, cyberpunkish, look when sheathed. Also, the kydex sheathes fit tighter. Unlike the other leather sheaths I've obtained from Zombie Tools, the sheathes for the Apokatana and the Zakasushi are looser. The blades can potentially slip out easier (though be drawn quickly, so there's that). The sheaths are still gorgeous craftsmanship, though. I tend to leave the blades in the leather, purely for that reason.

Yup. These and actual sword training would actually have me ready for a zombie apocalypse. Maybe.

Review: "Pacific Rim: Uprising"

Holy shit!

So it's no secret that I love giant robots and giant monsters. I loved the original Pacific Rim. It was a movie that pleased me. There might have been some attempt at plot and acting in it, but I can't remember. It was a glorious slug-fest of robots and monsters kicking the shit out of one another in cities as people scrambled to get out of the way.

In short, it was perfect.



I just saw Pacific Rim: Uprising and I gotta say, the sequel may well be better!!!!



Set ten years after the first movie, Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), the son of Stacker Pentecost of the first film, is living as a thief and hustler who deals in Jaeger salvage tech. After a job goes awry, he meets young Amara Namani (Cailee Spaeny), a young prodigy who is building her own tiny Jaeger.

They manage to get arrested and are drafted into the Jaeger program - Amara as a cadet and Jake as a trainer. Turns out old Jake was a Ranger in the program but walked away.

Blah-blah character development blah-blah.

Meanwhile, there's a plan by the brilliant Liwen Shao (Tian Jing), assisted by Dr. Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day) to replace the piloted Jaeger mechs with drone mechs.

Then everything goes horribly, horribly wrong.

Next thing you know, there's renegade Jaeger robots killing people (someone from the first movie bites it, much to my dismay) and treachery followed by the obligatory Kaiju attack. Then it's all Jaeger vs Kaiju action in an orgy of glorious destructive violence set in Tokyo.

Because of course, Tokyo.

There's other characters in the movie and subplots and such but that's all incidental.

Pacific Rim: Uprising is everything one wants and needs from a movie containing giant robot mechs and giant monsters. It's pure awesome bliss. Let no one tell you otherwise. It's currently holding the top spot as my favorite movie in the last couple of years. Fucking genius!

Review: GP 1945 Bolt Action Plus Pen

There was no way I was going to avoid this Kickstarter. A pen that's also a glass breaker and a whistle? And titanium frame? And deploys bolt-action? Good lord, it's like it was designed with me in mind! I love pens. Add in extra funky gadgets and I'm sold.

I backed the Kickstarter and my pen came in around Xmas. Now I have another damn thing to fiddle with and drive people around me crazy. I keep playing with the bolt-action to open and close the pen!

The pen is solid and grips well. If I have a complaint, it's that I'm a tad underwhelmed by the ink cartridge it fits. I prefer Fisher pen cartridges for being more reliable. This one takes some kind of German ink cartridge. They work well enough, but it took some doing to get the pen started.

Oh well. It's not like I don't have other pens should this one run dry.

It's still an awesome pen and totally worth backing!

Looks like you can pre-order one of these on Indiegogo now, if you're inclined.

Review: Stainless Steel Peanut LED Flashlight Kit by Maratac

I'm a sucker for flashlights. I don't deny it.

About a month back, I got a Peanut LED Flashlight from CountyComm. I'd been looking at it for a while. The size appealed to my current desire to lighten my over-burdened keychain a bit.

I'm not generally a fan of twist lights. They have a tendency to twist in the pocket, go on, then run out of power. Still, I thought I'd give the Peanut a try.

The Peanut is a nice, solid constructed little light. It's a tiny thing powered by a 10180 Lithium Cell 70mAh. The whole thing assembled is about as long as the end of my thumb to my first knuckle joint. And it's quite bright.

The Peanut comes with battery, light, and a USB charging cable. I haven't had any issues with the light accidentally turning on, so that's one worry gone. I have a new, very light, favorite on my keychain.

Review: "Persepolis Rising" by James S.A. Corey

In the last week or so, I got the latest Brandon Sanderson novel "Oathbreaker". At an intimidating 1233 pages, I gleefully dove in, grateful for a fat distraction over the holidaze. And I found the book wasn't really grabbing me.

Then my copy of "Persepolis Rising", book 7 of "The Expanse" series by James S.A. Corey came in.

I promised myself I would only read "Persepolis Rising" on my commute and would otherwise see if "Oathbreaker" would rekindle my interest.

It wasn't long before "Persepolis Rising" had more and more of my attention. A few days later (read that as "last night"), I finished "Persepolis Rising".

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

"Persepolis Rising" takes place a time jump after book 6. A fairly long time jump. The crew of the Rocinante, now expanded to the crew it had at the end of "Babylon's Ashes", have been at it for a while and settled into a comfortable life as a crew that is also a family. James Holden and Naomi Nagata are pondering retirement and the crew is pondering their next step. A universe of some 1300 worlds is open to them and colonies are thriving as humanity spreads across the stars.

Then shit goes sideways as the colony of Laconia, home to Winston Duarte's Martian mutineer fleet, makes a reappearance.

And then all shit goes sideways.

In theme and feel, "Persepolis Rising" is akin to The Empire Strikes Back of the series. It's pretty intense and brutal. Not everyone walks away. It's also a fascinating exploration of a "benign" imperialist conquest. It's not "good guys versus bad guys" so much as it's a good five hundred or so pages of conflicting ideologies in a throwdown amidst scary alien technologies and a poorly-understood threat.

There were twists in the novel I did not see coming and I found myself engaged completely and utterly.

I cannot recommend this novel or this series highly enough. If you haven't tried out "The Expanse" yet, you now have seven novels of awesome to wade through. I recommend giving it a try.

And now I'm going to return my attention to "Oathbreaker". I'm some 300-ish pages in, so I'm kinda committed...

Review: The Vakra, by Zombie Tools

A couple of months back, I succumbed to temptation and placed an order for The Vakra, the Zombie Tools version of a Nepalese kukri knife.

It arrived the other day.

I must say one thing: if zombies come a' callin', they're gonna not enjoy the reception they'll get from the Vakra.

Described by Zombie Tools as "a fist full of fuck yeah", the Vakra is a bit longer and more slender than kukri's I've played with before (or even the one I got at some convention in the distant past). Like the other Zombie Tools I've acquired in the past, the Vakra comes sharp, burly, and kinda scary looking. I keep giving it an experimental swing around my apartment and I have to learn to stop doing that. I'll either take out a wall or bookcase or I'll drop it on my foot and loose an appendage. Aside from the brutal, heavy blade, the Vakra's pommel has a jagged bit of joy for when you want to punch something close (a window, a wall, a zombie's teeth, whatever).

The Vakra comes with a Kydex sheath with all sorts of straps and loops to put on a belt and fasten to your leg, or you could pony up for a nice, black leather sheath with belt loop and cord to secure it to your leg.

Why the hell did I spend money on this thing? Oh I don't know. I have no illusions as to how long I'd last in a zombie apocalypse, but it's kind of cool to have. And if I ever have to do yard work (or get dropped in the jungle), this puppy's sure going to be handy. I don't think even I could break this.