Monthly Archives: August 2018

Summer School: Tolkien 101 Wrap-Up

Posted on August 30, 2018 by

Annnnd it’s a wrap!  Thank you for joining me for Tolkien 101 this summer.  Counting the announcement post and this one, Tolkien 101 stretched for 19 posts.  I covered The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, all nine movies based … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, Sundry, Throwback SF | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Like the Wind by Justin Knight

Posted on August 29, 2018 by

My pick for this week is the recently released Like the Wind by Justin Knight.  Like the Wind is Knight’s homage to anime, a homage packed action and gore.  Like the Wind is the first book in a trilogy and … Continue reading →

Posted in Dystopian/Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Sundry | Tagged | 4 Comments

Review of The Dream of the Iron Dragon by Rob Kroese

Posted on August 28, 2018 by

“Don’t get me wrong, there are worse ways to go out than holding off a Viking horde with a railgun, but it’s not a long-term strategy.” The Dream of an Iron Dragon has such a fun premise: 23rd Century humans … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative History, Book Reviews, Science Fiction | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Tolkien 101: On Fairy Stories

Posted on August 24, 2018 by

Fantasy (in this sense) is, I think, not a lower but a higher form of Art, indeed the most nearly pure form, and so (when achieved) the most potent. I made the mistake of thinking On Fairy Stories would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Sundry, Throwback SF | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Ravencry is Another Grimdark with Hope (but mostly Blood)

Posted on August 21, 2018 by

I’m going to keep this short.  If you haven’t already read the first book in the series, Blackwing, (1) you’re crazy, (2) go read my review of Blackwing.  If you have read Blackwing, then I probably don’t need to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Fantasy | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Tolkien 101: The History of the Hobbit by John Rateliff

Posted on August 16, 2018 by

Writing a post on John Rateliff’s encyclopedic The History of the Hobbit isn’t the problem.  The problem is writing one that doesn’t turn into a 3,000 word behemoth itself.  I will try very hard to keep this post to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Throwback SF | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Rat Queens vol. 5 is a disjointed, hot mess

Posted on August 15, 2018 by

*Sigh*  This graphic novel is a hot mess. The first issue focuses on Orc Dave.  It is interesting and good worldbuilding, but it is also repetitive and tangential.  Why include a flashback at what will be the beginning of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Fantasy | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Oathbringer Continues to Build on a Structurally Remarkable Series

Posted on August 14, 2018 by

This is it.  The review that I’ve been scheduling and cancelling in turn for three months.  I will keep this short, because if you have been looking for Oathbringer review, surely you have found one or…1,998 reviews to read first. … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Fantasy | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Tolkien 101: LOTR Appendices

Posted on August 9, 2018 by

Even as a kid, I was thrown off when I got to the climax of The Return of the King and there was still half a book left.  There is that overlong denouement (a problem Tolkien was able to avoid … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, Sundry | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

July 2018 Month-in-Review

Posted on August 7, 2018 by

July was a good blog month and a bad reading month.  After reading fourteen books (not include two DNFs) last July, this July I only managed to read four books.  But despite a very busy work schedule and still being … Continue reading →

Posted in Sundry | Tagged | 3 Comments