M.L.S. Weech's Blog, page 10

The 2021 M.L.S. Weech January Book Cover of the Month is live! Voting for February’s covers has begun!

Greetings all,

We’re one step closer to naming the 2021 M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Year!

The Week 4 2021 M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Month of January is …

Eye of the Fates by AR Colbert was just a really well done cover with some unique color and composition. Fates joins Spark, Ravens of Yellowstone, and The Tinder Box to round up the four nominees for the 2021 M.L.S. Weech January Book Cover of the Month, which you can vote for right here!

The Week 1 2021 M.L.S. Weech February Book Cover of the Month is live, too, and you can vote for that cover right here.

I’d appreciate it if you stopped by my YouTube channel and gave it a like and subscribe. It helps me out and supports these authors and artists.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Visits From A Man Named Nobody 63

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Eighteen

November 20, 2036, 2:21 p.m. 

14 Years, 13 Days Ago

Paul felt truly excited to be approaching his home. He hadn’t seen his mother in quite a while. He couldn’t help looking out of the car window during each turn. A smile came on his face. He spoke with his mother here and there about life and how things were going, but he hand’t been home since Christmas the year before. He took a short flight to get most of the way, some 200 miles, and sent a message for a ride the rest of the way.

The vehicle he was in turned the corner, and the smile on Paul’s face melted in to shock. A black, four-door car sat in the driveway. Paul’s PID dinged, and he jumped a the noise. It was just the driver connecting with his unit to collect the fair for his ride from the airport. Paul slowly got out of the car in a daze. 

It was the same color, make, and model. Paul reached out and touched the car, scrambling to think about what it meant. Maybe it was just the same type of car. It wasn’t like there was only one black car in all the world.

He tired the rear door, surprised it opened. He leaned in, looking at the center console. There it was: the tiny dent he put in it when he hit it in frustration. It was the exact dent, and this was the exact car Nobody had used to drive Paul home.

“So I guess you like it.”

Paul jerked at the sound and knocked his head against the frame of the car. He spun around even as he rubbed his skull. “Where is he!?”

“Where is who?” His mother stood before him in a long, form-fitting pea coat. Some blue jeans peaked out from under the black overgarment. A few streaks of gray had started to creep into her black hair, which was loose around her head and shoulders. 

“Who’s car is this?” Paul asked.

She laughed. “It’s mine.” She cocked her head at him in confusion. “I’m glad you like it?” Her voice squeaked as if it were more of a question than a statement. 

“You bought this car?” Paul asked.

She nodded. 

“When?” 

She shrugged, “About six months ago.”

The math flew through Paul’s mind. “Did someone come to borrow it from you. He’d be about my height with black hair.”

Her face lit up with a bright smile. “What’s going on?” She reached into her pocked and produced a key. “I had this key made for you, so you could borrow it whenever you wanted.” She walked over and held it out to him. “But no one has come to borrow it. Who would?”

So he did steal it! Well, Nobody borrowed his mom’s car without asking. Sure he returned it, but it was stealing regardless of whether or not he gave it back.

Paul held the key staring at it in thought. Then he looked at his mom. “I don’t visit you enough; do I?”

“Come on inside,” she said. “I have some food ready.”

Paul followed her in, and they both removed their coats. Paul wore a university shirt. He wasn’t exactly all about school spirit, but his mom liked the idea of seeing him in a school shirt. His mother wore a simple blouse. It was black with a series of white specks that made the shirt look like a pattern of stars. 

Sure enough, there was a feast on the table even though it was several days before Thanksgiving.  He chuckled. “Your church friends coming over to eat, too?” He tried to keep his tone even, but he never felt comfortable around her church friends. They weren’t bossy or preachy. They were a lot like Jordan, or even Bill. But it wasn’t exactly easy to sit around a table full of people who seemed determined to talk about God in some way, shape, or form.

“They’ll be here for Thanksgiving, but not today. I wanted my son to myself.” She sat down at the table and offered a silent prayer before making a plate. 

Paul bent over and gave her a side hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I’m glad to be home.”

He walked around the table and sat down across from her. 

“So you like the car, huh?” She stabbed her fork at a slice of ham. 

“Yeah.” She offered him the serving dish of meat, and he took it, gratefully plopping a few slices on his own plate before setting it down. 

They traded food as they spoke. 

“So did you notice the mileage change?” Paul asked.

She laughed. “I only pay attention to that stuff when I think it’s getting close to the time I need to change the oil.”

“What about the small dent on the back seat center console?” They’d finished filling their plates, and Paul set to cutting up his food.

“There’s a dent back there?” She took a bite of her own food, completely oblivious to the fact that someone took her car, drove it almost 200 miles,  and returned it.

“Yeah, I saw it when I was checking it out.” He also put it there, but he didn’t intend to say that. 

“The truth is I did buy it hoping you’d use it, which, yes, would mean I’d get to see you more.” She rolled her eyes as if he’d just caught her cheating in a board game. 

Paul let out a breath. “I’ll come visit more, but I wish you’d just say what you want.”

She took a bite, giving him a flat stare as she chewed and swallowed. “What I want is for you to want to come visit me more. I certainly don’t want you to show up on some regular basis just because you think you have to.”

“It’s not that,” Paul said. “I know I should visit more often, and I do want to. I just get caught up on work and other things.”

Her eyes glittered. “Do any of those other things have a name, maybe?”

“No.” This time he gave her the flat stare. 

“So no one since Stacy?” Her tone was as gentle as anyone could make it. She wasn’t trying to bring her up, just see if there was anyone new. 

Paul shook his head, trying to hide his frustration and shame. “Not me, but Jordan just got engaged.”

His mother dropped her knife and fork and clapped excitedly. “Oh that’s wonderful! Do you have a picture? What’s her name? How long have they been dating? What—“ she paused. “What’s wrong?”

She read his expression. Paul offered her a smile and worked at his PID, trying to find a picture of the three of them together.

“It’s OK.” He found a picture and sent it to her PID. 

“Ohhh, she’s beautiful! They look so happy!” She looked at him and narrowed her eyes. “So why does my son have that fake smile he uses when he wants everyone to believe he’s not angry about something.”

“I talked to them about it,” Paul said after swallowing another bite of food. “The truth is I was jealous about their relationship and how much time they were spending together. I felt left out, but we’ve worked it out.”

She stared at him.

“OK, so we don’t hang out like we used to,” Paul admitted. “But things are good in the lab, and I’m still his best man at the wedding.” He took another bite of food. “The truth is none of us really know how to act around each other, so we hang out every now and then, but we haven’t figured it all out yet. Honestly I still have to figure out how to be happy for them instead of thinking about how I’m losing out on two friends.”

“I see.” His mother grabbed a roll and used it to scoop up some mashed potatoes. “It can be challenging when relationships change.”

“How did you do it?” Paul suddenly realized she had experience. One minute, he was living there and hanging out, the next he was at college.

“I have to accept that you’re your own person,” she said. “I have to remind myself that I know you love me, and then I have to appreciate the time I do get with you.”

“Even if you have to buy a car to try and get me to spend more time with you?” 

She smiled. “It’s completely fair to provide motivation for people to come see you. But that motivation isn’t obligation, and that’s the real trick. I don’t want to guilt trip you into spending time with me. I just want to make sure I give you plenty of reasons.”

Paul nodded. That made a kind of sense. 

… to be continued …

My Top Three Reads for 2021!

Greetings all!

If you’ve followed my blog for more than a year, then you’ll know that each year around January, I briefly go over the three best books I’ve read in 2021. Now, these might not be top books of the year as a whole, but they are the best of what I read in that twelve-month period.

According to my Goodreads profile, I read at least 44 books in 2021. I have to say at least because I read a ton of manga, and not all of it is registered in Goodreads. I also read a few books more than once, which counts in my opinion. Now I get that manga are short, but it sure feels good to have a high number on the page. In my defense, I read relentlessly. But I read the Bible mostly, and that’s not the sort of book you read in a day. Then there is my love of epic fantasy, which isn’t as long or demanding as the Bible, but those books are thick!

So today I looked at my Goodreads page and put in a lot of thought. To be honest, it wasn’t very hard to identify the top three, but it was very difficult to rank those in an order I thought I could stand behind. Still, I did my best! Here’s my list.

#3 Demon Slayer by Koytoharu Gotouge: I’ve rewatched Dragonball and started watching Baruto again. I’ve rewatched some episodes of Bleach, and it hasn’t been that long since I finished Naruto for the second time. I believe this, and you can @me all you want: Demon Slayer is the best manga ever.

Why number three? I’ll explain more in future numbers, but it’s not because it isn’t a good story. The characters are so charming, sympathetic, and proactive. The action is awesome. The plot is complete AND concise (key point for the “best manga ever” argument). You can find my review for Volume 23 right here.

#2 Devotions from Psalms and Proverbs by C.H. Spurgeon: This is where things get a little hard to explain. So there are great, amazing stories. Stories you might read again and again, but not every day. Two of my top three reads were books I’d read more than once (including this one.) When I last reviewed this book, I felt bad because it was hard to focus. Then I realized something, I just love this book because it’s like a series of little pick-me-ups. I listen to it when I need help falling asleep. I listen to it when I don’t know what other Christian books to read next. This is the sort of book one keeps on a nightstand and picks up when he needs to be picked up. I came very close to putting this as number one for that reason. So because I couldn’t figure out where to put it, I put it here in the middle. For those of you who are Christian, I really think you should try this out. It’s a great book for perspective, encouragement, rebuke, conviction, and hope. Sure, the Bible is the best source for all of those things, but hearing Spurgeon speak about Psalms and Proverbs is pretty darn good, and a tad bit less overwhelming.

#1 Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson: I promise you that every year I read this book, it will likely be my favorite book. Believe it or not, this is the first time it appears on any of my lists since I started back in 2016, but that’s because there was another Stormlight book on the list, and I felt like it would be cheating to put two on a yearly list. Also, it takes me a long time to get through all the books in that series. There may be a rival or two (for instance, I intent to read the entire Wheel of Time saga here in a while (got a few Sanderson and Dresden books to get through first). Here is the most recent review or reaction I posted about it. I think this book is still the standard by which the Stormlight Archives will be measured. This is where all the best of each character is on display, and while I hold out hope that Book 5 will surpass it, I acknowledge that it has some big shoes to fill.

So that’s my list. Do you have one for the year? Let me know in the comments below. If it’s a post, I’d be happy to reblog it and share it for you. Until then . . .

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: Bleach Volume 60 by Tite Kubo

Spoiler free summary: In Volume 60 of Bleach by Tite Kubo, Isshin, Ichigo’s father, is in the middle of one fight when a new combatant, someone from his past, appears. The fight isn’t what matters; the secrets that it reveals are far more important.

The cover image for this manga was taken from its Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

Character: So we get this huge secret reveals (one which some may find rather anticlimactic), and this news has zero impact on the character, which is my ultimate problem with these later volumes. Here we have all these piece of “shocking” news, and the characters just sort of shrug and move on. In writing, the news isn’t shocking in and of itself. What matters is the impact the information has on the characters. Sure you can have a character remain the same after one shock, and that might show the character’s resolve and stability, but this is the second time in as many arcs that Ichigo had this big reveal moment, and he just sort of plugs along. It doesn’t expand his ability. It doesn’t develop his character. It doesn’t make him question his motives. It just feels unsatisfying for there to be no consequence to what should be a huge plot reveal (even if it’s sort of haphazardly given).

Exposition: The good news is that manga never have the problem of too much exposition. They’re just fundamentally designed to avoid it. The art and action sequences take over, and so we don’t need thousands of words of exposition because we can just see what’s happening. That doesn’t prevent using dialogue to vomit data, but that’s a different issue.

Worldbuilding: I can’t really tell you what we learn, but the non-spoiler version is that the secret I promise in the summary expands the universe to a degree. It gives us some valued back-story as well. At least the back story is interesting and cool. My frustration was that the back story should have been far more impactful than it was.

Dialogue: So years ago, there was this movie. In this movie, during what’s already a pretty cool fight scene, there was a lull in the fight, during which the villain uttered words that have been misquoted ever since. So other writers got it into their heads that all great plot reveals should be done during fight scenes. But that’s not true! It’s impossible! Ok, so it’s not impossible, but it’s also not the only way to do it. Also, that particular “shocking revelation” had an impact on the main character that altered his life and changed how he fought through the rest of the series. So if you’ve looked at all your options for your great plot reveal, and it turns out, the best way to drop this bomb on readers and main characters alike is during a big fight, then at least be sure that the information does more than tell readers what happened. It should change how characters see things.

Description: I can’t remember a single panel from this volume. I read the add copy, and I honestly had trouble remembering the plot other than, “Oh, it’s the plot reveal!” This doesn’t mean the art is bad unless you equate “good” with “memorable.” A lot of the art in Bleach is super awesome and memorable (one of those is coming up). It’s not not as amazing in this particular volume.

Overall: On one hand, this is the volume that made me pick up the series again after I’d quit mid-way through the Fullbringer arc. I thought, “Wow! That’s really got to make for some great story.” I wanted to see how it ended, but at this point in the series, I was more committed to finishing out of determination than desire to see what happened next. This volume should have been what took the story in a powerful dimension that made the fights more than just visual spectacles. Will I watch the anime? Probably … eventually, but I would have had the same level of enjoyment if a friend had just sat down and described it. Of course, that would have made me pick it up and read it. Then I would have been much more upset. The fights are cool, but they aren’t compelling.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Announcing the Week 3 2021 M.L.S. Weech January Book Cover of the Month! Vote for Week 4’s Cover!

Hey all, another week, another book cover! It’s actually New Year’s Eve as I type this, so I’m going to get straight to it.

The Week 3 2021 M.L.S. Weech January Book Cover of the Month is …

Ravens of Yellowstone by Russell James. It’s not that complex a cover, but it’s beautiful rendering of that raven, and the color is awesome. Big congrats to that cover. Yellowstone joins The Tinder Box and Spark in the overall competition.

You can vote for Week 4’s cover right here.

As always, I’d appreciate it if you stopped by my YouTube channel and gave it a like and subscribe. It’s a nice way to help a guy out.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Visits From A Man Named Nobody 62

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Nobody turned off the freeway at the exit to the university. 

“Your friends love you, but their lives are changing, just like your mom’s life changed when she met Bill, and your life changed when you and Jordan went to college,” Nobody said. “You’re not losing Jordan and Lidia anymore than your mother has lost you.”

For some reason, the comment made Paul feel a touch guilty. Sure, he’d called her at least once a week just to say hello. They even played an online game or two just to spend time together. His guilt grew as he tried to remember the last time he’d gone to visit. 

Before that day, he’d just been thinking about how busy he was and how much fun it was to hang out with Jordan and Lidia. Now that he’d felt ignored for a while, he’d wondered if his mother felt the same way, cast off for the new and exciting life as if she’d never mattered. He stared at his PID, but he decided not to call her right there. He’d visit her tomorrow or the next day.

“It’s confusing when you visit,” he said quietly as he let his arm drop to his side. “On one hand each visit gives me a chance to see how your teleportation works. But then you get to talking, and I just want to rip off my own ears.”

“Has nothing I said ever helped you?” Nobody asked.

Paul gave a wry chuckle. “In a way I suppose a lot of it helps.”

He found the strength to call the police when his father was at his worst. He made a friend out of Jordan. And then there was Bill. Losing him hurt, but would he really rather never have met Bill? Wasn’t the life they had together worth holding on to?

But I miss him so much! I’d wouldn’t feel this pain if I didn’t know him.

“You wouldn’t feel loss so strongly if you didn’t have such a great relationship to begin with,” Nobody said. “One day, the pain fades, but that love, it lasts forever.”

“Stop!” Paul said. “Stop reading my mind.”

“I’m not,” Nobody said. “It only feels that way from your point of view.”

“What does my point of view have to do with anything?”

“Honestly, everything,” Nobody answered. “And the way you choose to look at the relationships in your life will have a tremendous impact on the anger you still struggle to control. Your anger comes from two placed, pain and possessiveness. If you can let go of just one of those, you’ll see a remarkable change.”

The car pulled up to Paul’s dormitory. “I have to return this car.” He didn’t say anything else until Paul reached over to open his door. “Are you in control of your life?”

The question froze Paul in his place. He wanted to argue he certainly wasn’t any god’s pawn or play thing. The problem was, he knew he didn’t have any real control. His scholarship was controlled by the board. His friends were pulling away. He’d pulled away from his own mother. He didn’t know if he’d ever have the thing he really wanted. 

“Life is life,” Paul said. “And if I can’t have the thing I want, the least I can do is try to be happy when people I love find it.”

“And what is it you want?” Nobody asked.

“Why do you ask questions when you know what I’m thinking and what I’m going to say?” Paul sank back in his seat and ran his hands down his face. “It’s pointless talking to you.”

“No it isn’t,” Nobody said. “Sometimes a conversation is more about helping a person understand what they’re thinking. I’m asking you to just say it out loud.”

“I want someone in my life I can keep!” He didn’t shout. In fact, it almost came out in a sort of whine. Admitting it felt strangely good and painful. “My mom, Bill, and now Jordan and Lidia, I love them, but I know they’re not mine. I feel like some sort of cool game I played as a kid. Sure, it’s fun to play for a while, but eventually you beat the game or get bored and move on. When will I meet someone who wants to be with me and not go or die?”

Of course, as soon as he said it, he realized how impossible that was. No one has control over when they die. 

“I suppose it’d be nice if there was a being who was eternal and willing to always be with you and never let you go,” Nobody said. “Of course, that means you’d have to believe in Him.”

Paul rolled his eyes and got out of the car. He didn’t even feel guilty about slamming the door. If God had been there Paul’s whole life, why let him get beat as a child? Why take Bill? Why give him such great friends if they were just going to go off on their own one day? And how did a person have a personal relationship with a god anyway?

Paul didn’t even bother looking at Nobody. He just stormed into the dorm and tried very hard not to think about how rejected and alone he felt. 

The End of Chapter Seventeen.

… to be continued …

The 2022 State of the Weech

Greetings all,

Welcome to year five of my eight-year commitment to go all in on becoming a successful author businessman. This is my fourth annual State of the Weech, where I talk about how the previous year went and talk about my plans for 2022.

The most important thing I did during 2021 was improve my marketing. I’ll talk about Hazel more in a moment, but without Hazel, I went from being pleasantly surprised I sold a book to regularly selling nine books a month. I’m convinced that this path is a good one. No, it’s not a fast track, but most good things aren’t “overnight” things. Steady effort in a solid direction usually yields good results, and I’m happy with what one year or so of effort has brought.

I released Betrayed. It didn’t have the response I was hoping for, but without being able to go to conventions, it’s hard to get word out. What I know is that anyone who’s said anything about it loved it, which is encouraging.

Then there’s Hazel. Now that was a success! Currently, Hazel sells about 38 copies a month. I expect that to calm a little. I tend to sell a lot of a book early, and then things die down. However, I’d be happy if Hazel continued to move at this pace. I know Collin and I appreciate every single one of you who’ve tried it.

I managed to finish the discovery draft of Discovered, the final book in the Oneiros Log, and I did a read-through of 1,200 in preparation for a draft I’ll do once I get Discovered to Alpha Readers.

So those are things I have done, but now I need to repeat something I mentioned recently.

I’m still writing as much as I can, but without conventions to bolster sales, money for editors and art is a serious concern. This means I’m going to make whatever progress I can, but I don’t have any real certainty on when things will come out because that just depends on how much I can save, how much I spend in marketing, and how many sales I get. So where the past years I had some pretty solid ideas on when I’d get products out to you, I don’t have that same ability this year.

But I am still working, so allow me to tell you about those projects.

Hopefully in 2023 (but don’t quote me on it): Discovered, the final book in the Oneiros Log. The discovery draft was OK, but it needs some work. I hope to finish the next draft in the next 100 days, which is when hopeful Alpha Readers can count on reading the early version. I do hope to get it out in 2023, but that depends on the things I mentioned above, as do the other projects.

The 1,200: I talked about this recently. I’m actually pretty proud of where that is now, but it does need some work. So each time I get a draft of Discovered done, this is the project I’ll skip to until Discovered is out. This will be the next release you can expect from me baring how long it takes to save up and what smaller projects I might get done.

Visits From A Man Named Nobody: This is my weekly Christian Science Fiction series. It’s larger than I thought (at least this draft). It’s growing in the writing, and I’m discovery writing it, which means it’ll have plenty of kinks to work out. I don’t honestly know when I’ll finish it, but once a draft is done, it’ll take its place in line for release. You can read it now if you want. I’ll do revisions and edits on it before its published through Amazon.

Perception of War: Images of Truth: I’m honestly frustrated I haven’t found a chance to finish the discovery draft. Other projects are more urgent, but as soon as Discovered and The 1,200 are out the door, this puppy is getting some work. This is a very ambitious project, but I can get the writing done, and I plan to. Again, this project is massive! So while I’m going to work very hard on it, it’s going to take time.

New Utopia: This is another older project that’s probably been sitting in a drawer for too long. It needs love, but the the next draft of this story (pitched as Mistborn meets Avatar), won’t be done until Discovered and The 1,200 are as far as I can get them and the Discovery Draft of Perception is done.

Mercer: Now this project could move in a lot of directions because it’s a series of shorter works. I call this Dresden meets Bones, and I love the premise and basic ideas. I haven’t really played with this much in a while, but that’s only because I owe fans of Oneiros a conclusion to their story. I’ll probably start chipping away at this once in between the above projects. So you might see Season One, Episode One before New Utopia.

Leah Saldawn and The Nick of Time: This probably the “older” project that’s farthest from being out. It’s a teen/young reader book that I think is cute, but it’ll have to wait behind those much larger projects.

I’m still working my way toward 60 sales a month. Because of Hazel, I have three averages: My total sales per month, Collin’s and my Hazel sales per month, and my non-Hazel sales per month. The goal for sales per month is still 60, and that’s always been an initial goal aimed at growing after I meet it. I lose less and less each year, and I’m hopeful I get to that first profitable year soon.

If I’m being honest, I’m never going to stop writing. The eight-year goal has always been more about putting in hard-charging, never-back-down energy. It’s spending money on marketing and things like that. I’m hopeful that bears some fruit, but if all I do is write and publish stories I enjoy, that’s OK. I’ll work as hard as I can, and if after eight years, I’m not earning an income, well, I’ll slow down on the costs of publishing and focus more on the writing.

It’s hard to fathom that Bob Drifter came out almost seven years ago! Man it’s been fun!

If you’re interested in helping, the best way to do that is to purchase one of my books, read it, rate it, and review it. You can take it to the next level (if you like the book) by recommending it (or buying it) for a friend. In addition to God’s will, which I will always cheerfully submit to, this dream of mine isn’t possible without loyal readers.

I want to finish as I always do, by praising God, and thanking Him for all of you who read and enjoy my work. I’m blessed to have anyone enjoy my books, and a lot of you are just so wonderful to me with emails and help with reviewing drafts. Thank you.

God bless you all, and thank you for another year. I hope your hear has been amazing.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: Bleach Volume 59 by Tite Kubo

The cover for this manga was taken from its Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

PERSONAL NOTE: My new graphic novel Hazel is out right now, and I’d be honored if you considered picking up a copy!

Spoiler free summary: In Volume 59 of Bleach by Tite Kubo, Ichigo has faced loss before. He’s been beaten. He’s been utterly crushed, but he always had his friends and the seemingly invincible Soul Reaper captains to lean on. The defeat they suffered at the hands of the Vandenreich was complete and terrible. Even through all the losses, there is nothing left to do but what he always does: Get stronger. And he isn’t the only one with more strength to find.

Character: I’m trying to verify this volume is the one I think it is. I read them all in basically two days, so It’s hard to separate one from another in that way. From what I can research at the moment, I feel like this is the one. This Volume is essentially my favorite in the series. It has a great fight (though maybe not the best in this arc). The thing is, this is the volume where characters I care about reveal things that give me a better understanding of who they are. It has great worldbuilding. And these characters grow. Kenpachi steals the show (and some other characters that I hesitate to mention because of spoilers). Almost every other volume has some sort of revelation that was either really cool but poorly executed or just plain uninteresting. This reveal is both interesting and well executed, and that’s why this volume stands out to me. We not only learn why Kenpachi works the way he works, but we understand just how far he’s gone to make it so his fights are a fun challenge.

Exposition: This is still provided through dialogue during fights, but it’s not nearly as cheesy as other fights. This is because the fight isn’t full of comments like, “See there, I set you up for that move.” Instead, the conversation is there. It’s two people who deeply respect each other striving to push each other to a new level. There’s love and respect and loss, and the dialogue is about them rather than an odd sort of commentary of the fight we can see.

Worldbuilding: We learn more about Bankai here and the history of the court guard captains. This is less about Bankai, which we saw plenty of lore on very early on in the series, and more about the backgrounds of characters we actually care about. A lot of this story was rushed in some ways and equally too slow. This is because we get background on characters we only met on issue ago. We have no relationship to the characters that leads us to even care why they’re doing what they’re doing. So the back story at best only makes us care, but then they win or lose, and we never see them again. What’s the point? This volume has character we’ve had a chance to get to know, and it expands on their stories. That expansion gives us insight into the history of the captains and the politics of the world. They work in harmony as great story telling should.

Dialogue: While this is a step up from what it has been, it’s probably not perfect. I will say it’s probably equal to the best that I could do, which I say only to acknowledge that it’s already about as good as I could do at my level. Sometimes I do these reviews, and I worry readers might come to believe I think I could do better. This is an opportunity for me to admit I don’t think I could. However, I do think there is a higher level to dialogue to be reached.

Description: This volume is actually all about description from a certain point of view. This entire volume revolves around two very specific scars, and those scars serve as a storytelling tool that really makes this volume sing. The best part is one of those scars has always been something we knew about but didn’t know the origin of. Here we have description serving not just as a way to distinguish one character from another, but also as a way to develop that character. The scar helps us identify one character from the crowd, but the story of how that scar came to be helps us understand that character better. This is great storytelling at its best.

Overall: The good news is this is my favorite volume. The bad news is there are plenty left to go. I think there’s something to learn about “fighting manga” here. I’ll acknowledge that some of the fights are cool, but fights in an of themselves can only reach a certain level of entertainment. For fights to be memorable, they need meaning and emotion. This volume demonstrates that and helps us see why the others don’t measure up so well.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Announcing the 2021 M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Month! January’s Week 3 Contest is Live!

Greetings All,

We’re officially one step closer to the 2021 M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Year! We have two winners to announce (including last week’s winner), so let’s get to it.

The 2021 M.L.S. Weech December Book Cover of the Month is …

School For Spirits by Aron Lewes beat out three other great covers to take the title and earn it’s place in the 2021 M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Year contest.

January’s contest is already halfway done. The winner for week two is …

The Tinder Box by Kate Elliott was such a unique cover, I’m not surprised it stood out against the competition.

The Tinder Box joins Spark in the January’s overall contest.

You can vote for Week 3’s cover right here.

I’d appreciate it if you all stopped by my YouTube channel and checked it out. Please give it a like, share, and subscribe. It’s where I talk about the book covers and offer my opinions on why they work so well.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Visits From A Man Named Nobody 61

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In that moment, Paul reconsidered walking home. He shut his eyes, taking deep, slow breaths to try and reign his anger in. Lashing out wouldn’t do any good. 

“How do you know what I’m thinking and feeling?” Paul asked. 

Nobody didn’t answer. 

“I’m close to figuring out how you teleport,” Paul continued, “but that doesn’t explain how you always know.”

“You’re close to figuring out teleportation?” Nobody sounded more curious than nervous.

“Yeah,” Paul said. “I’m very close.”

“That would be impressive,” Nobody said. 

“And so all that’s left is to figure out how you’ve always known what I was thinking or feeling, and it’s not just that you’ve been in a similar situation or something like that. You’ve demonstrated knowledge of the actual thoughts in my head in the moments I was thinking them.”

“I can’t read your mind, Paul,” Nobody said. 

“Don’t lie to me!” Paul shouted. 

“I’m not lying, but wether or not you believe me is a choice you have to make,” Nobody replied. “But since I’m right about how you feel for Lidia, then consider where this path might lead.”

“We worked it out,” Paul said.

Nobody didn’t turn to look at Paul, but it was easy to see his head shake. “There isn’t some sort of group agreement one can make to control his own heart. If you resent him for dating her, and her for taking his friendship away, you’ll inevitably come to hate them both.”

“No I won’t,” Paul said. 

“If you say so,” Nobody said. 

“Jordan is my best friend,” Paul said. “We’ve been friends forever.”

“And now Lidia, a woman you suddenly want, is taking more of his time,” Nobody said.

“They’re getting married,” Paul said. “It’s not like we were never going to get married. But it’s  possible to have friends and be married. People do it all the time.”

“It is possible,” Nobody said, “if you’re willing to give up the idea that you own them.”

Paul sat in silence. He had always thought of the people in his life as his in a way. His mother. His friend. The man who should have been his father. 

“So people aren’t supposed to care about others,” Paul finally said.

Nobody let out an odd chuckle. “Christians are commanded to love their neighbors.”

“That’s all I want,” Paul said.

“No it isn’t,” Nobody said. “Consider this question, ‘What is love?’”

Paul sputtered for a few moments. “It’s love. It’s wanting to be around people.”

Nobody shook his head again. “In every reference to love in the Bible, every single one of them is tied to one of three things: Obedience, patience, and sacrifice. God the Father loved us so much, he gave his only son. God the Son, Jesus Christ, loved us so much he laid down his life for us, and he loved the Father so much he obeyed the commands of the Father. The one thing love is never about, is the individual. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. First Corinthians 13, Versus four to seven. Of course that first part was John.”

“Always the Bible,” Paul didn’t bother hiding the derision. 

“Of course,” Nobody said, “but is that definition so horrible? Think of your mother or Jordan. Aren’t they wonderful examples of that definition of love?”

“What’s Jordan giving up for me?” Paul was shocked the words came out of his mouth, but he couldn’t stop them from pouring out. “He’s leaving me. He’s probably leaving the project, and to top it all off he’s taking Lidia with him!”

“And the center of every one of those accusations is you,” Nobody said. “And if you continue thinking in that manner, you’ll only come to hate those two people, one who has ever been loyal and steadfast to you and the other who would support you if you thought of her as anything more than an object of lust.”

“So I’m doomed!” Paul said. “I’m just some wicked, selfish, angry man who is going to end up hating everyone. So why are you here? Why did you ever visit me? Why do you keep pestering me?”

“To show you that you don’t have to be doomed,” Nobody answered.

“I just have to obey a God who has no problems taking,” Paul said.

“He takes,” Nobody said, “and he gives. People tend to focus on the taking, but we wouldn’t have so many wonderful things unless He hadn’t given them first.”

… to be continued …