Good afternoon everyone, I trust that you are doing well.
I've had a rather busy couple of days. Work has been busier and significantly more pleasant as of late. Unfortunately, the heater was broken so it was roughly 85 degrees (Fahrenheit) in the office. I was truly buggered. This went on from Wednesday until Friday afternoon.
After I arrived home from work on Friday, having been a particularly long and painful week, I fell asleep shortly after laying down to rest. Alas, missing my opportunity to say goodbye.
Saturday I played in a Magic tournament. Pre-release for the new set which comes out next week. I did okay 2-2-1. Which is roughly as well as I have ever done. I then had to go back to my now cooled office and take care of some stuff before falling asleep early again.
I am such an old man. My life is pretty much work, sleep, read, and tv. In a related note, my life is awesome!
Book review:
Conan Volume 1, by Robert Howard.
The early half of the twentieth century is probably my favorite era in literature. This gives us Tolkien, Lovecraft, Steinbeck, Howard, Leiber, Chandler, and many others. Not to mention the creation of comic books and several of the great comic book characters.
Which brings us to Conan. Conan is one of fantasy's most enduring characters. He has been popular for nearly a century now. Most people know him primarily from the mediocre movies with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (spelled it right, I'm awesome!) but his adventures have been continuously published and many writers have continued his tales.
The book that I read was an anthology of his earliest adventures. I mean earliest in relation to Conan's chronology, not publishing history. They were mostly by Howard himself, but a couple were by other authors. There was a noticeable style difference when reading stories not by Howard, but after a couple pages you get over it.
I should have noted that I have read much of the Conan series before, just not this particular printing, and primarily only Howard's own work.
Overall 3.5 out of 5 stars. Definitely a good read.
Next time it's Something from the Nightshade by Simon R. Green.
Goodbye!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Well, ready to be well read?
People often ask me what I'm reading, or what i have been reading, or what I like to read. Since everyone is so interested I will be listed the books I read this year on here, along with my thoughts on it and a grade. I've done something similar to this before on my old Myspace Blog, so this should come as no surprise to you longtime fans.
As I read over what i just wrote and note how boring that sounds I realize that i have spent far too much time doing boring insurance work lately.
I hereby present to you, my reading list!
The Furies of Calderon Book one of the Codex Alera series
By Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher wrote one of my favorite series with his fantastic Dresden Files. i figured that since I had enjoyed his work so much that I would like to read some of his other stuff. I was slightly underwhelmed.
The world is clearly Roman-inspired. Everyone has some "furies" that they may call upon. These furies are some kind of magical creatures that are linked to the elements (air, wind, water, earth, fire wood, and metal). They seem to exist for the benefit of the people as well as living in the wild.
The plot circles around Tavi, a boy who doesn't have any furies. This is remarkable because everyone has furies. The main story focuses on Amara, a cursor who stumbles onto a plot to kill the emperor.
I never found the story to be terribly gripping. I thought that the narrative dragged considerably towards the middle and didn't get particularly interesting until about 300 pages in. All in all, I did enjoy it and I intend to continue the series.
3 out of 5 stars.
The Hunt For The Red Dragon Book two of The Chronicles of The Imaginarium Geographica
By James A. Owen
First of all. I adored the first book in the series (Here, there be Dragons). So I was very excited when I began reading this book.
The story begins seven years after the events of the first book, which itself took place during World War I. John, Jack, and Charles (our heroes) haven't seen much of one another since their last adventure, when they are called by Jack's brother to meet together. While getting re-acquainted, a young girl flies into the back garden. Her name is Laura Glue and she is the granddaughter of Peter Pan.
The story features Peter Pan and makes allusions to Dante, Richard Burton, The Pied Piper, The Iliad, Arthurian Legend, and Greek Myths.
I loved this book, though not as much as I did the previous book in the series primarily due to having less of the lovable talking badger.
5 of 5 stars.
The Innocent Mage Book one of the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker series
by Karen Miller
I often saw this at the book store and thought it had a cool looking cover. While on holiday with Deborah, I picked it up from a used book store. Despite being over 600 pages long, it read quickly and was thoroughly enjoyed.
Asher is a fisherman who comes to the big city to make his fortune. His plan is to work hard and return home a wealthy man, capable of comfortably supporting his elderly father. He has no idea that his coming was foretold in prophecy and signals the end of days. He befriends the prince and soon finds himself in the palace, more than a little out of place.
I read this book primarily during lunch at work or during my breaks. I really liked the way that the author used regional dialect to express the class difference between Asher and the nobles of the city. There is only one more book in the series, which I will definitely read.
4 out of 5 stars.
The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid
By Bill Bryson
I picked this up from a thrift store some time ago. I decided to read it this week to change up from all the fantasy which has dominated my reading habits as of late.
Bill Bryson writes his tale of growing up in the American Midwest during the 1950's. From 1951 through the 60's, we get to enjoy America from his unique perspective.
I definitely enjoyed this one. Not only was it full of nostalgic goodness, but also facts, statistics, and many references to other work. Bill Bryson definitely did his homework before writing. I liked all the characters in his life, in particular Stephen Katz who apparently features prominently in another of his books.
3 out of 5 stars
I hope you found that properly informative. I give all of these books a full recommendation.
Next up is a collection of Conan stories from Robert Howard, expect to see that added in a couple of days.
As I read over what i just wrote and note how boring that sounds I realize that i have spent far too much time doing boring insurance work lately.
I hereby present to you, my reading list!
The Furies of Calderon Book one of the Codex Alera series
By Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher wrote one of my favorite series with his fantastic Dresden Files. i figured that since I had enjoyed his work so much that I would like to read some of his other stuff. I was slightly underwhelmed.
The world is clearly Roman-inspired. Everyone has some "furies" that they may call upon. These furies are some kind of magical creatures that are linked to the elements (air, wind, water, earth, fire wood, and metal). They seem to exist for the benefit of the people as well as living in the wild.
The plot circles around Tavi, a boy who doesn't have any furies. This is remarkable because everyone has furies. The main story focuses on Amara, a cursor who stumbles onto a plot to kill the emperor.
I never found the story to be terribly gripping. I thought that the narrative dragged considerably towards the middle and didn't get particularly interesting until about 300 pages in. All in all, I did enjoy it and I intend to continue the series.
3 out of 5 stars.
The Hunt For The Red Dragon Book two of The Chronicles of The Imaginarium Geographica
By James A. Owen
First of all. I adored the first book in the series (Here, there be Dragons). So I was very excited when I began reading this book.
The story begins seven years after the events of the first book, which itself took place during World War I. John, Jack, and Charles (our heroes) haven't seen much of one another since their last adventure, when they are called by Jack's brother to meet together. While getting re-acquainted, a young girl flies into the back garden. Her name is Laura Glue and she is the granddaughter of Peter Pan.
The story features Peter Pan and makes allusions to Dante, Richard Burton, The Pied Piper, The Iliad, Arthurian Legend, and Greek Myths.
I loved this book, though not as much as I did the previous book in the series primarily due to having less of the lovable talking badger.
5 of 5 stars.
The Innocent Mage Book one of the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker series
by Karen Miller
I often saw this at the book store and thought it had a cool looking cover. While on holiday with Deborah, I picked it up from a used book store. Despite being over 600 pages long, it read quickly and was thoroughly enjoyed.
Asher is a fisherman who comes to the big city to make his fortune. His plan is to work hard and return home a wealthy man, capable of comfortably supporting his elderly father. He has no idea that his coming was foretold in prophecy and signals the end of days. He befriends the prince and soon finds himself in the palace, more than a little out of place.
I read this book primarily during lunch at work or during my breaks. I really liked the way that the author used regional dialect to express the class difference between Asher and the nobles of the city. There is only one more book in the series, which I will definitely read.
4 out of 5 stars.
The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid
By Bill Bryson
I picked this up from a thrift store some time ago. I decided to read it this week to change up from all the fantasy which has dominated my reading habits as of late.
Bill Bryson writes his tale of growing up in the American Midwest during the 1950's. From 1951 through the 60's, we get to enjoy America from his unique perspective.
I definitely enjoyed this one. Not only was it full of nostalgic goodness, but also facts, statistics, and many references to other work. Bill Bryson definitely did his homework before writing. I liked all the characters in his life, in particular Stephen Katz who apparently features prominently in another of his books.
3 out of 5 stars
I hope you found that properly informative. I give all of these books a full recommendation.
Next up is a collection of Conan stories from Robert Howard, expect to see that added in a couple of days.
Friday, January 15, 2010
D20 Life
I've been thinking a lot about how much better my life would be if it were more like a role-playing game. I call it D20: Life.
Okay, figure that you were a game character. Everything that you own is in the game. Have a laptop? So does your character.
At the end of every day, you receive 1D6 -3 (minimum 0) ticks.
What's a "tick"?
A "tick" is a unit used to make you better. Figure it like this; everyday you have the potential to get better. Maybe you learned something new, maybe you worked out a little, or maybe you got a little happier. Ticks work as thus:
N + 1 = new level. If you have 4 dex, it will take 5 ticks to get to 5. 6 to get to 6 and so on.
So, make a character. Replay your life. If anyone else actually does this, we can do some pretty fun stuff.
Example Character Sheet:
Okay, figure that you were a game character. Everything that you own is in the game. Have a laptop? So does your character.
You build your character based off of yourself. Using the six base stats and a variety of skills.
Any Item, weapon, or clothes that you have, your character also has.
Everything that you do, your character also does. After a fashion...
What's a "tick"?
A "tick" is a unit used to make you better. Figure it like this; everyday you have the potential to get better. Maybe you learned something new, maybe you worked out a little, or maybe you got a little happier. Ticks work as thus:
N + 1 = new level. If you have 4 dex, it will take 5 ticks to get to 5. 6 to get to 6 and so on.
So, make a character. Replay your life. If anyone else actually does this, we can do some pretty fun stuff.
Example Character Sheet:
Blake, Irish Underwriter
Stats: (18 points total to start, distribute as you wish)
Stats: (18 points total to start, distribute as you wish)
STR: 2
DEX: 4
CON: 0
INT: 4
WIS: 3
CHA: 5
Skills: (10 skills, no more than 3 points each)
Math: +2
Card Games: +2
Lit. Knowledge: +3
Research: +1
Fencing: +1
Firearms: +0
Style: +2
Sex appeal: +3
Dance: +1
Driving: +0
Feats: (Make up two feats)
Charm: +5 to a charisma roll against female characters (useable once per round)
Painkillers: May continue for 3 rounds without suffering effect from wounds. (Useable twice per day)
Items: (Stuff that you actually have)
Bag (contains notebook, pens, medicine, water bottle, and 2 books)
Standard outfit (jeans, long sleeve shirt, converse)
Jewelry
Suit and tie
Car (2006 Chevy Aveo)
Knife (3)
Cutlass
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