Assaph Mehr's Blog, page 8

Book Review: Pulling the Wings Off Angels, by K.J. Parker

I love KJ Parker’s works, and was in a mood for something more philosophical (while otherwise tearing through the highly-entertaining, non-brain-taxing, Iron Druid series).

What to Expect

A novella that explores good and evil, predestination, free will vs original sin, and a plethora of other religious themed subjects, all packaged up in Parker’s usual fantasy world (which feels like a Byzantine setup, a lot closer to history than the usual faux-mediaeval fantasy). Expect the typical P...

Instagram is DEAD 😱

Apparently I’m a vile offender, an antisocial creature, and do not deserve Instagram.

Wait, what?

Without any reason – at least none that was given to me – Instagram had randomly disabled my account at the start of February. When I tried to reinstate it, all I got was “Your account was permanently disabled” message, noting also that there is no appeal.

I have been using the platform for a few years, alternating posts about my books with personal photography and the occasional book m...

Book Reviews: Hexed & Hammered (Iron Druid #2 and #3), by Kevin Hearne

The Iron Druid chronicles started as a fun series, a perfect read over the holiday season.

What to Expect

Picking up from the last novel, Hexed sees Atticus and his gang square off against those who think him weakened after the last novel, particularly witches from the old world. Expect the same shenanigans, with quips and pop-references amidst the action.

Hammered again continues the events of the previous novel, this time with Atticus fulfilling promises he made when securing aid ...

How much “intelligence” fits in AI Arts?

A while ago I had a post about playing with AI generated paintings. This is a fast-moving field, and between the recent release of ChatGPT and working with machine learning for natural language processing tools in my day-job, I thought I’d share some more insights.

First, can you even tell the difference?

Staying with pictures for a moment, can you tell if these artworks were created by artificial intelligence or a human? Go on, take the quiz and let me know how you did. Even if you p...

Book Review: Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1), by Kevin Hearne

I’ve heard good things about the Iron Druid chronicles, and finally found the time to start the series.

What to Expect

A solid contemporary urban-fantasy, steeped in Irish mythology. Atticus is a 2,000 year old druid, with deep connection to the earth and some old enemies he’d rather not meet again. Naturally they come hounding him, resulting in the inevitable clash of mythology, supernatural, and nature.

What I liked

I loved the character of Atticus, proving that growing old and...

Setting a higher bar: happy new year :D

OK, so considering the last couple of years the bar ain’t that high Still, here’s to happier times in the future, and not just in the distant past.

On a personal note, the past year has been busy. Took on more responsibilities with the day-job, saw burn-out happen to those around me and realised I’m on the same trajectory, started a better job (more responsibility, but better balanced), lost said new job 3 weeks before Xmas, and interviewed madly between packing and moving interstate. In bet...

Book Review: Crime Wave 2: Women of a Certain Age: A Canada West Anthology

Sometimes one is in in an uncertain mood, unsure of what to read next and wishing to try several things. Anthologies offer a selection of quick samples, showing windows into what might be worth exploring further.

What to Expect

Sixteen short stories, written by women and with female protagonist, all involving and revolving around a crime of some sort, and taking places around Canada. Don’t be fooled by the ‘certain age’ in the title — the protagonist cover anything from pre-teen childr...

Book Review: A Nymph Returns to the Sea, by Douglas Lumsden

The Alex Southerland series is one of the very best urban fantasy detective series out there, and I’m always keen to jump into the latest installment (see my reviews on past novels).

What to Expect

Alex is in a bad place in his life, sinking into a bottle of rye after a bad breakup. In an effort to crawl out he’s looking for work, and when no one would hire him he drums up a tenuous case for himself. Which, naturally, ends up pitting him against crime organisations, intelligence agenci...

Creative outlets

Those of you with a passing knowledge of this blog know that I write on occasion. I haven’t been writing nearly enough, life just got in the way over the past couple of years. Doesn’t mean I don’t plan to get back to it (for a reasonable value of “soon”), or that I don’t seek out creative outlets.

With all the current buzz on AI Art, I thought I’d give it a poke to see how it works. Following are some images (whether ‘art’ or not) and some notes about what I think.

The Experime...

Book Review: The Signet Ring: A Trouvères Adventure, By Ellis Knox

I loved Knox’s AltEarth blend of historical-fantasy since I first saw (the excellent Goblins at the Gate), so I was very keen to try this latest installment, especially as it’s promising a mystery.

What to Expect

Expect a classic tale of mystery, where the protagonists – in this case, a band of actors – are drawn into solving a crime. When a fellow thespian is accused of theft, they start poking about to help – and this naturally leads them to larger machinations.

With a backdrop of...