C.T. Phipps's Blog, page 50

Worldbuilding #2: Lucifer's Star universe

Article 1#: Supervillainy-Verse
Article 2#: Lucifer's Star universe

Hey folks,

    It's been awhile since I did my initial write-up for the Supervillainy Saga. I had a lot of fun detailing my notes for the backstory of the world, its characters, and what I was thinking when I created it. Now I'm extra pleased to share the notes that went into creating Lucifer's Star, my fantastic dark space opera setting that I cheerfully think of as my own personal "R-rated Star Wars."

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Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron review

    ALPHABET SQUADRON by Alexander Freed is a book that I was very eager to get into because it struck me as just up my alley. I've always been a huge fan of the Star Wars starfighter stories with Rogue Squadron, Wraith Squadron, the old TIE Fighter video game, and the recent Star Wars: Resistance. I also enjoyed the previously written Twilight Company by the author. Freed has a somewhat unromantic view of war as well as the Rebel Alliance's fight against the Empire. It's unsur...

The Future of Supervillainy is now available in audiobook!

 Hey folks,

I have some excellent news! THE FUTURE OF SUPERVILLAINY is now available on audiobook, ebook, and in paperback format.

Gary Karkofsky, a.k.a Merciless: The Supervillainy without Mercy, has decided to retire from supervillainy. He's lost too many friends and killed too many people (though they all had it coming). Unfortunately, this proves to be easier said than done when the Department of Supernatural Services (DOSS) shows up to arrest him for all of his crimes. Quickly landin...

Star Wars essay: How the First Order came to be

     I'm a huge fan of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, whether it is the classic Legends or the new canon version. I bought my first adult novel when I was twelve in Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn and eventually read literally hundreds of the books. I'm not against the reboot because I think they covered literally everything they possibly could with the classic trio up to Crucible by Troy Denning. 

    However, there are some issues with world-build...

Neo-Cthulhu Mythos book recommendations

I'm no stranger to the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. I've written my own works in his universe with the CTHULHU ARMAGEDDON series as well as participating in the TALES OF THE AL-AZIF collection. I've also been a fan of the Call of Cthulhu game, the Big C's inclusion in everything from video games to the Justice League cartoon, and many of the wonderful pastiches done by authors who enjoyed HPL's work.

However, it is Sturgeon's Law that 90% of anything written about anything is going to be crap....

Freaks of Nature (2015) review

    Freaks of Nature is a movie that slipped under a lot of people's radar and probably was most likely to be encountered in your local Walmart's Direct-to-DVD shelf. Certainly, I completely missed it and am kicking myself for not watching it immediately. It's such a delightfully messed up premise and humorous from beginning to end.

Petra is a lovely woman. It's hard to buy her as an outcast.    The premise is a small town in Ohio, Dillford, is the home for the Ri...

Star Wars: Resistance Season One review

    So, I didn't expect to like STAR WARS: RESISTANCE. It took me a while to warm up to the concept of STAR WARS: REBELS and that was based around a lot of concepts that I enjoyed, feeling very much like a West End Games STAR WARS: THE ROLEPLAYING GAME campaign. It included things like Inquisitors, Sith Holocrons, Darth Maul, and eventually Grand Admiral Thrawn. It took awhile to perculate, though. The first season's first half wasn't very good, IMHO, and it wasn't until Grand...

Alita: Battle Angel review

    ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL is a movie I missed during its initial run in theaters. This is a shame because I watched the original OVA when I was in highs school. I remember enjoying the fascinating juxtaposition of the flying city of Zalem over the horrible slums of Scrapyard. So, I was pleased when James Cameron stated he wanted to make a movie about the series. Mind you, that was literally decades ago so I was pretty certain I would never see the actual movie. Thankfully, that c...

Redemptor by Seth Skorkowsky

REDEMPTOR by Seth Skorkowsky is the latest of the Valducan series. I'm very fond of this urban fantasy series and its premise: that there is an organization of monster hunters armed with magical weapons that allow them to kill the hundreds of demons afflicting the Earth. Each book has a different protagonist but often has guest stars of the original cast. This book, Redemptor, is unique in that it is named after a villain's weapon rather than one of the heroes' weapons.

    The...

Yakuza Kiwami 2 review

    YAKUZA KIWAMI 2 is the sequel to the original YAKUZA game, updated like its predecessor with new graphics and a combat system to reflect changing times. The original story was my favorite game of 2019, having a shockingly good story and a lot of interesting twists as well as turns. There were perhaps too many cutscenes and the gameplay has always been somewhat serviceable but it was immensely fun. So, I decided to pick up the sequel and see if it was every bit as good (if n...