A.C. Thompson's Blog, page 2

Sword Play (Forgotten Realms: Netheril, #1) by Clayton Emery-- A Book Review

Sword Play by Clayton Emery

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the first novel I've read that's tied directly to the Dungeons & Dragons multiverse, and according to the lists I found online, is the first chronologically in the extensive Forgotten Realms library. I think knowing beforehand how campy a lot of the material from first and second edition D&D can be increased my enjoyment of Sword Play.

I started reading these books in an attempt to get a feel for the world and lore that makes up the Forgotten Realms. Taking that approach made this book very enjoyable. I think if someone reads this book expecting it to be on par with Lord of the Rings, they're probably going to be disappointed. That being said, I thought this book was a lot of fun. I mean, if you can't laugh about a main character's name being Sunbright Steelshanks, you may be taking this particular branch of the fantasy genre more seriously than it may have ever been intended to be taken.

Is some of the dialogue bordering on, or even crossing over into terrible? Yes. Are the fight scenes over the top and sometimes ridiculous like Saturday morning cartoons from the late '70s and early '80s? Absolutely! But I think that's what makes this book, and maybe even this entire fantasy subgenre so enjoyable for me thus far. It made this 42 year old guy feel like a kid again. I can't find anything wrong with that.

Stick around for future reviews to see if my thoughts about this particular line of books changes, or if the campy holds its enchantment for This Aaron Guy. Only time will tell if the enjoyment holds as I make it further into the Forgotten Realms.

Until next time, stay safe, and above all, be true to yourself.

That Aaron Guy

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The Blue Light Project by Timothy Taylor -- A Book Review

The Blue Light Project by Timothy Taylor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I've had this book on my Nook for years, and I don't even remember where it came from, honestly. I'm thinking it must have been from a Free Friday promotion from Barnes and Noble. I started reading it the other day simply to clear it off of my device, since it's been there for so long. I'm glad I did!

The Blue Light Project is a very interesting commentary on society at large, and of fame and those who seek it in particular. Does fame change both those who achieve it, and those who seek it at all costs? Does the media hold excessive sway over society and dictate not only what, but how people think? These are two of the biggest questions the author explores in his telling of this story about a hostage taker who storms a show called Kiddiefame during a live broadcast.

I thought Mr. Taylor did a superb job introducing the reader to the various characters throughout the book, and I especially liked Rabbit and Eve. When Thomas Pegg was first introduced, I felt like I had just been slimed, and I pretty much hated the character, and hoped he wouldn't be in the book for long. Later, I still didn't really care for him much, but I did find myself feeling a bit of sympathy for him, because even though he's kind of a terrible guy, he had things happen to him in the past that even he didn't completely deserve.

The building tension throughout the book was very well forged, and I felt it pushed the storyline along quite nicely. As the crowds gathered outside the theater where children were being held hostage by an obvious madman, tempers flare, and it seemed that full scale rioting was inevitable. I think reading it now, after our entire country has so recently gone through such a hard time over the past few years, mostly due to the media and their slanted views of pretty much EVERYTHING makes this novel even more poignant, since it was published almost eight years ago.

If you haven't yet read anything by Timothy Taylor, I highly recommend you check out The Blue Light Project. I found it both entertaining and thought provoking.

Until next time, stay safe, and above all, be true to yourself.
That Aaron Guy



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Siege of Talonrend (The Goblin Wars #1) by Stuart Thaman -- A Book Review

Siege of Talonrend by Stuart Thaman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The goblins are coming! The goblins are coming! Ok, so, that line was never put into this book, but it definitely could have been. Siege of Talonrend is an exciting tale of missing kings, fantastic magical weapons, evil plans, and massive attacking armies.

If you're a fan of fantasy fiction (and who isn't?) this first installment in The Goblin Wars series is for you. Once I started reading it, I finished it in an extended reading sprint. My favorite character is Gideon. He's a mighty warrior who has a magic sword that gives him amazing fighting abilities, with one minor caveat: if he draws it and doesn't kill something that has a soul the sword can feed on, the magic within the weapon will eventually kill its wielder. If you want to find out more, you'll have to read the book, as no spoiler of plotlines am I!

I thought the author's storytelling abilities were spot on, and I completely lost track of time while I was reading this one. The battle scenes are epic, the characters came to life, and I even found myself liking a few of the main goblins. We're supposed to just hate goblins from the get go, right? Well, I thought so, too, until I was introduced to Vorst and Gravlox. The more I got to know them, the more I really didn't want them to die before the story ended.

Stuart Thaman has crafted a great tale of fantasy within the pages of Siege of Talonrend, and made me want to find out more about what happens after the goblin attacks on the city. Well played, Mr. Thaman. Well played, indeed.

Until next time, stay safe, and above all, be true to yourself.

That Aaron Guy



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Find Siege of Talonrend on Amazon:

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Siege of Talonrend (The Goblin Wars #1) -- A Book Review

Siege of Talonrend by Stuart Thaman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The goblins are coming! The goblins are coming! Ok, so, that line was never put into this book, but it definitely could have been. Siege of Talonrend is an exciting tale of missing kings, fantastic magical weapons, evil plans, and massive attacking armies.

If you're a fan of fantasy fiction (and who isn't?) this first installment in The Goblin Wars series is for you. Once I started reading it, I finished it in an extended reading sprint. My favorite character is Gideon. He's a mighty warrior who has a magic sword that gives him amazing fighting abilities, with one minor caveat: if he draws it and doesn't kill something that has a soul the sword can feed on, the magic within the weapon will eventually kill its wielder. If you want to find out more, you'll have to read the book, as no spoiler of plotlines am I!

I thought the author's storytelling abilities were spot on, and I completely lost track of time while I was reading this one. The battle scenes are epic, the characters came to life, and I even found myself liking a few of the main goblins. We're supposed to just hate goblins from the get go, right? Well, I thought so, too, until I was introduced to Vorst and Gravlox. The more I got to know them, the more I really didn't want them to die before the story ended.

Stuart Thaman has crafted a great tale of fantasy within the pages of Siege of Talonrend, and made me want to find out more about what happens after the goblin attacks on the city. Well played, Mr. Thaman. Well played, indeed.

Until next time, stay safe, and above all, be true to yourself.

That Aaron Guy



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Find Siege of Talonrend on Amazon:

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Reading more now. Again!

I've had my Nook Simple Touch for a few years now, and hadn't used it in quite some time because it wouldn't charge. I was about to pull the trigger on getting a replacement battery for it, and had even taken the unit apart a few weeks ago to do that. After taking it apart and disconnecting the battery, and then reconnecting it, I tried to see if it would charge. It still just sat there, with the screen saying, "Your Nook's battery is to low to power on. Wait fifteen minutes," or something to that effect. Well, an hour and a half later, the same message was still being displayed.

Last weekend, Deborah and I went to quite a few estate sales, and found a small flea market that was having a 50% of on EVERYTHING sale. I found another Nook that was marked $10, and figured if it would at least power on, I could scavenge the battery from that one to replace the one in my old unit. At only five bucks, why not, right? So I took the new-to-me unit home, and it charged right up. This morning, I was finally going to swap the batteries out, but somehow, I've misplaced the only screwdriver I own that was small enough to take the single screw out of the Nook I just purchased to take it apart. After searching and searching without finding the screwdriver, I had planned on going to the Evil Empire to buy another one, when I figured, "Why don't I just plug the old Nook in and give it another shot at charging?" So, I unplugged the battery from the mother board, reconnected it, and plugged the charger in. For the first time in well over a year, (maybe 2) it's powered up and still charging. Weird how electronics act sometimes, isn't it?

Of course, I still need to run to the store-that-shall-not-be-named to get another mini screwdriver so I can put the thing back together, but at least it's working now. I've been downloading books from Amazon and reading them on my phone for the past few weeks, but I don't really like reading on a backlit screen. I kept downloading books that will work on my Nook, as well, in an effort to force myself to get it back up and running again so I don't have all these books just sitting on my computer without a non-backlit screen with which to read them. For some reason, I didn't want to put them on the Nook I just bought. Probably because I bought it with the intention of selling it if it worked, I guess. If I put books on it, I'd just have to move them over to the other unit. Who wants to go through all that file transfer? Apparently, not me! LOL!

Be patient, everyone who follows the book reviews around these parts. More will be coming soon. In fact, I'm gonna post another new one right after this blog entry goes up, so keep an eye out for it.

Soul Survivor by Susan Faw -- A Book Review

Soul Survivor by Susan Faw

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I thought this book was a decent fantasy series intro, and found it to be entertaining, but some of the descriptions were a bit vague and confusing, and sadly, most of the confusing bits had to do with the magic the story revolves around. This was a fairly quick read, but I'm not sure I'm sold on buying the other books in the series to see what happens next. I just wasn't sucked into the story enough to become invested in the characters. They didn't really seem to be as fleshed out as they could have been. A lot of the fantastic things in the story seemed a bit cliche and unoriginal.

Until next time, stay safe, and above all, be true to yourself.

That Aaron Guy



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Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith -- A Book Review

Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I received this book free as an ebook from a giveaway I found on Google+. Now I kinda want my money back.

I somehow made it 164 pages in, after talking myself into continuing several times. I started reading this one over a month ago, and only made it this far into it. That should be an indicator of how much I didn't really want to read it. Usually, I can burn through a book of this length in a matter of two or three days. The poorly written account of the dinosaur attacking the family on Phantom Ship Island put an end to that, though. I should've grabbed a clue from the hokey dialogue earlier in the book, so I can only blame myself for continuing this far into the book.

If you're going to use an actual location for your story, you should write realistically for the geography. Boat tours at Crater Lake don't drop people off at Phantom Ship, because there's no way anyone could walk around on it. And for the love of all things decent, please, please, please, don't string sentence fragment after sentence fragment after sentence fragment together and try to pass it off as writing. If you do that in dialogue, and actually pull it off, I may forgive you. Do it in an attempt to describe what should be an action sequence, and you've lost me.

Yet another book relegated to the Did Not Finish shelf.

Until next time, stay safe, and above all, be true to yourself.

That Aaron Guy


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The Hope in Me

How many times have I just sat back and watched the world go by, wondering how I fit into it all? Feeling that I had some part to play in it, but having no idea what that part may be? No more will I willingly sit in that place feeling like I have nothing of worth to contribute.

I have been called to write, so here I sit writing. I was never called to be read, yet I write. I wasn't told I would be heard, maybe because I'm supposed to listen and follow, instead. And, of course, write what I've heard and learned, as much for myself as for anyone else.

For too long, I've placed the emphasis of my life on what I have or on what I thought others thought of me. Which is weird, because if people don't really notice me or agree with what I have to say, I'm okay with that. Then, when I have something to say, I'll go ahead and say it. Most times it doesn't agree with what a lot of others are saying, many times because what they're saying makes zero sense to me.

So, I've been told to write, not like I'm a voice calling out in the wilderness, or anything like that. I'm definitely not THAT guy. He was closely related to Jesus. I am, too, of course, but in a totally different way. Yes, I do see the world as a whole as a gaping wilderness where a LOT of people have no idea why they are here. And as every believer, I know it's my duty to help them find the path. The better path. The only path that leads to life.

So, here I sit. My butt in a lawn chair right outside the door of my RV, listening to city traffic seventy feet away, and the piercing whistle of the trains rumbling by every twenty or thirty minutes, pounding out these words that I hope make sense. Words that I pray will convey what they're supposed to convey. I'm just a guy with a keyboard who has lots of words. Hopefully, some of those words are the ones someone needs to hear today. I know things look bad, and that some of them look downright scary, dark, hopeless, and yes, even evil. Trust me, I'm on Facebook, too. WAY more than I should be, I'll admit, because I've been feeling that, too. Like everything is going to hell in a handbasket, and I may just be along for the ride. But I'm not just along for the ride.

I have the conquerer of death itself living inside of me. He wasn't just a challenger who thought He MIGHT be able to conquer death, maybe, someday. He looked death in the face, actually let death take Him, and then kicked the ever living crap out of it. When He came back, He was stronger than ever before because He was no longer bound by an earthly, weak body of mud that was confined by the rules of this fallen world. Instead, He had restored what we were all originally meant to be, fully walking in the blessing, power, protection, love, hope, mercy, grace, and perfection of God's plan for who He wanted us all to be. In fact, He had never been bound by that earthly body of mud, because He had always had perfect relationship with the Father. Remember that time He walked on water. Pretty sure that was completely out of bounds for mere human existence.

So, today, instead of wondering how this thing, or that person's bad decision, or this evil, or that lack, or hunger, or fear, or anger, or hate might affect my day, I'm just going to focus on the Greater One living inside of me. Instead of fearing, I'm going to listen to what He says to that fear, and simply repeat it. Instead of wondering if I'm walking down the path He laid out for my life before He spoke light into existence, I'm going to listen to what He says about me and who I am, and I'm going to tell myself that. Instead of worrying about the world around me crumbling to the ground, which is exactly what it's inevitably going to do at some point in the future, I'm going to listen to what He says about MY day today in THIS place, and believe that.

So, here I sit, writing words that have helped me face my day. I hope they give some measure of hope to you during yours, as well.

Until next time, stay safe, and above all, be true to yourself.

That Aaron Guy

Looking at the Moon

I feel more at peace today than I have in quite some time. It's hard to say if this is due to a full night's sleep, not feeling the imminent demise of Deborah's employment any longer, or because I'm finally embracing my position during this time of my life.

Does it really matter why I feel at peace? I have to answer this question with a hearty "not really". I don't feel even the slightest worry. Not for the future. Not for my finances. Not for whether or not my book is going to sell when I finally get it finished at some point in the (I hope) not too distant future. No, I didn't have some grand revelation from scripture this morning that changed my perspective on life. I read Philippians, which is one of Paul's great letters, but nothing really jumped out at me. Then I read Psalm 80 and the accompanying passage out of Treasury of David, and nothing in particular came out and glowed off the page.

But I don't really need these kinds of things on a daily basis. I just feel more grounded than I have in a while. I'm in Kansas, not in the mountains right next to a river like I was for the past four months. It's like I'm beginning to learn, and I mean really LEARN that my surroundings don't matter. I remember one night when I was leaving work in Fort Mill, South Carolina. I looked up at the moon, which was full that night. I wasn't thinking about anything in particular about the moon, the night sky, or anything like that. I just glanced up at the moon while I was walking across the parking lot toward my truck. And I heard God say, clear as day, "That's the same moon you've looked at for your whole life. It doesn't matter where you are, Aaron, I'm always right there with you." That simple statement really blew me away. In those two short sentences, God affirmed His calling, purpose, and protection and love over my life. What's really cool about that is that the moon I've looked at my whole life is the exact same moon that Abraham looked up at, possibly as he travelled from Ur. And as permanent as that may seem to us, God was around before any of it was spoken into existence, and He was thinking about me and what I'd be thinking and doing at this very moment as I'm writing this before He spoke a word of creation. He was thinking about you, too. And He knew then what you'd be thinking when you read this.

No matter where we are or what we're doing, no matter where our lives take us, God is always right there, and He always knows exactly what we're thinking about, struggling with, worrying about, and hoping for. He's known all of that since before He spoke light into existence. He gave us light to see by before there was even anything physical to see. If He planned that little detail out so well, why would we ever think He'd just leave us to wander around in the darkness by ourselves? Just a random musing this morning in windy Wichita, Kansas.

Until next time, stay safe, and above all, be true to yourself.

That Aaron Guy

Treasury of David

I've been making my way through the Psalms over the past several months, and reading through Treasury of David as a commentary to each chapter. This is part of what I read today:

"Ought not pious people more closely to imitate their heavenly Father in caring for those who have been condemned to die? An eminent Christian lady keeps a record of all who have been sentenced to death, so far as she hears of them, and prays for them every day till their end come. Is not such conduct in sympathy with the heart of God!" - William S. Plumer, as quoted in Charles H. Spurgeon's book The Treasury of David in commentary to Psalm 79:11, which says, "Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die."

This entire Psalm is basically a prayer by Asaph asking God to drop his judgement on heathen forces who have ransacked Jerusalem and the temple, and have killed God's followers. They were even leaving the dead bodies in the streets to rot in complete disrespect for who the Jewish people were and everything they believed.

And then, toward the end of the Psalm, verse eleven pops out as a comment about those who are in prison, and have become so resigned to their position and their fate that they can only sigh. Without even the power to say a proper spoken prayer, they sigh in defeat. Asaph asks God to hear even those sighs and to act to deliver them from their prisons where they have been thrown. Judging from the tenor of the rest of the chapter, these imprisonments are completely unjust, their only crime being that they follow the one true God.

Then the commentary by Plumer ratchets the plea up a notch, giving Christian believers a great example of how we are to see all of our fellowman. Even those who can rightly be called the worst of us, those who have been sentenced to death for stealing someone else's life from them. Even they are loved by the creator of the cosmos. Which means they should be loved and cared for by us, as well. Because they still have free will, and they can still use that will to accept everything God did for EVERY inhabitant of the planet, including the worst of us. THIS is compassion. THIS is loving like Jesus loved. THIS is loving our neighbors as ourselves.

I'll be the first to admit that I miss it on this point more often than I get it right. I don't know how often I've said (especially in the past few months), "Those people are idiots, and they deserve whatever comes their way." And usually, I'm not talking merely about prison time for their poor life decisions and criminal behavior.

I think the main thing I need to remember is that confused and deceived people act exactly like confused and deceived people. They honestly do not know any better. Should there be consequences, even severe ones, for their actions? Absolutely, there should. But at the same time, that doesn't give me the right to wish harm or bodily injury on them. If things make me angry, I need to do better at stepping back, taking a breath, and despising the action without despising the individual that's perpetrating the action. Otherwise, I've already kind of become exactly like them, haven't I? If that's the case, I've become less like the person I was created to be. Every time.

Until next time, stay safe, and above all, be true to yourself.

That Aaron Guy