Carl Alves's Blog, page 39

Game of Thrones: House of Black and White review

“House of Black and White” was mostly about the ramifications of the three big characters who died in the previous season: Tywin Lannister, Prince Oberyn, and Lord Commander Mormont. This episode lacked much of the explosiveness associated with Game of Thrones, but it was useful for setting up future story lines and had a good bit of political intrigue.

Arya Stark
Yay, Arya is back. She remains one of my favorite characters. I especially enjoy that she shows no fear like when she pulled out her sword and threatened the men who confronted her on the street. After all, what can possibly happen to her that would be worse than what she has already gone through? I’m not sure why Jaqen H’ghar originally refused to see her before coming to her aid on the streets. They had an interesting relationship, and I’m glad to see it rekindled.

Brienne
Brienne’s character has really seemed to lose her way. She used to be strong and utterly loyal. Now, she seems almost desperate for a master to serve. Yes, Katlyn accepted your sword once upon a time, but she’s dead. The Stark girls clearly don’t know who you are and don’t trust you. Give it up already and move on to a new master.

Jaime Lannister
Jaime still seems a bit confused after his father’s death. Clearly, that was not his intention when he freed Tyrion. Now, he plans on going to Dorne to bring his daughter Myrcella home. He has one hand and he’s going into a den of vipers. Good luck, dude. On the other hand, I love the fact that he enlisted Bronn to join him in his quest. Their interaction was great, and I can see more to come with that. I don’t think Bronn will hesitate giving up his bride to be, who is a bit homely, and he can’t even get the castle he desires if he marries her.

Cersei Lannister
I’m pretty sure they were trying to evoke sympathy with Cersei. Her son and father were both recently murdered. Her daughter is stuck in hostile territory in Dorne. But she loses any possible sympathy when she has her henchmen beheading every dwarf to be found. Not a good time to be a little person in Westeros.

Jon Snow
Jon Snow totally kicked butt in this episode. After defying Stannis in the last episode, he is given an offer by Stannis to be given the full rights associated with a true born son as can only be ordered by a king, and to become the Lord of Winterfell. Jon is too honorable to leave his post in the Night’s Watch and winds up becoming the new Lord Commander. The one thing that was disappointing in this sequence is that in the book Samwell Tarley engages in some serious political behind the scenes maneuvering and wheeling and dealing to get support for Jon to become the Lord Commander, which was much better than the impromptu speech in this episode.

Daenerys
Things are not going so well for my favorite Queen to be. The Sons of the Harpy are killing off her people. She opts to have a fair trial for the member of the Sons of the Harpy who killed one of her Unsullied. When Mossador goes rogue and kills the man, she orders him publicly executed. First, it doesn’t make sense to not give Mossador a public trial, and second, it was dumb to execute him. This was the same mistake Robb Stark made when he beheaded Rickard Karstark for killing two of the Lannisters against his order. Justice is one thing, but you have to take into account the political ramifications of such a move. This shows me that she truly needs Tyrion Lannister on her side to guide her. She may be a strong leader, but she needs someone with Tyrion’s intelligence and political savvy. On the plus side, it was great to see Drogon return.

This was not my favorite Game of Thrones episode, but it was certainly enjoyable.

Monster Mash Round 1 El Cucuy vs. Cthulhu

El Cucuy

El Cucuy is the Mexican version of the boogie man, recently featured in the television show Grimm. In the Latin American culture, parents use the name El Cucuy to scare their children to prevent them from misbehaving. This ghost-spirit is believed to kidnap poorly behaved children and devour them, not leaving a trace of the child behind. El Cucuy doesn’t have a consistent physical description and is believed to be a shape-shifter.



El Cucuy is believed to hide in either dark rooms of the house or on the roof. This creature is represented by a carved vegetable lantern made from a pumpkin with two eyes and a mouth, that is left in dark places with a light inside to scare people. In its origin stories going back to Portugal and Galicia, it has taken the form of a dragon.



Cthulhu


Cthulhu is part of a larger overarching mythology that H.P. Lovecraft created involving extraterrestrial creatures whose existence is beyond human understanding. Cthulhu is the most famous of Lovecraft’s creations. He is believed by some to be the monster in the movie “Cloverfield”. In the story “The Call of Cthulhu”, the characters in the story only see him through dreams or artwork. Cthulhu is an ancient god that has an elephantile appearance with tentacles coming out of his mouth, claws on his hands, and wings on his back. He had been trapped in R’lyeh, an underwater city.



Cthulhu is part dragon, part human, and part octopus. Cthulhu once ruled the Earth and is destined to rule it again. He was trapped in the ocean after a massive earthquake sunk the city he lived in. Although there are variations on the way his name is pronounced, the most popular pronunciation among Cthulhu fans is “kuh-THOO-loo.”



I’m sure if I was of Hispanic origin, I might feel differently. If I was tormented as a child with the possibility of El Cucuy devouring me, I would probably give the Mexican boogie man more of a chance. But I don’t see this as much of a competition. Cthulhu is an ancient god of immense size, strength, and power. Cthulhu is utterly devastating and would be able to swallow El Cucuy whole. This matchup is going to go to Cthulhu by utter devastation.

Monster Mash Round 1 Werewolf vs. Bunyip

Monster Mash round 1

Werewolf vs. Bunyip

Werewolf

Werewolves are not quite as prevalent in legend and in pop culture as vampires, but they are not far behind. They made it into the Twilight movies and True Blood. According to legend, people become werewolves when being bit by another werewolf or having been cursed.



The concept of the werewolf originated in Europe, but can be found in legend throughout the world. Their vulnerability to silver or silver bullets are not found in legend but come from fictional accounts of werewolves. In Europe, werewolves are often tied to magic, whether by transforming into wolves through a magical device or through an incantation. Werewolves were also thought to attain their current state as a result of a punishment from God. They have super strength and agility, along with the fighting prowess of wolves and the ability to take significant damage.


Bunyip

Bunyips originate in Australian Aboriginal legend. They are believed to eat people or animals at night. Their cries in the middle of the night have terrified Aborigines for ages. Aborigines have been known to be so frightened of them that they would not go near bodies of water where bunyips were reputed to be found. They are thought to be spiritual creatures by some whose purpose is to punish children.



Bunyips don’t always have a consistent description. Some are thought to look like massive snakes with a beard and mane. Others are described as being more humanoid in appearance with fur covering them and having a bird-like head. Some scientists believe that bunyips are actually the pre-historic animal, the diprotodon, which has been extinct for 20,000 years.



Bunyips certainly may be a terror to the children of Australia, in particular those of Aboriginal background, but how would they stack up against these blood thirsty lycanthropes. By all accounts, werewolves would have a significant edge in speed and ferocity. They would likely be able to run circles around the bunyip and have a greater fighting skill. I would have to go with the werewolf in a heated scrap.

Monster Mash Round 1 Zombie vs. Manticore

Zombies

Zombies have become ultra-popular in today’s culture, possibly exceeding vampires. One of the highest rated shows on Television is AMC’s The Walking Dead, and there have been a myriad of movies and novels written about them. The traditional zombie is a slow moving, stumbling creature that is awfully fond of eating the brains of its victims. There have been other, hyper-fast, crazed zombies like those in 28 Days Later. The latter zombies would definitely be more fierce, and harder to defeat, so we’ll go with those in this battle.



Some things you always wanted to know about zombies:



The word “zombie” comes from the African word nzambi, which means “god.”



Based on common zombie mythos, the only way to kill a zombie is to damage its brain or cut off its head.



Zombies have the traditional zombie limp because their bodies are being decomposed as any other normal corpse would. Additionally, rigor mortis would cause major tissue and muscle damage as the zombies walk. Since zombies can’t heal, any damage they sustain is permanent.


Manticore

Manticores come from Persian legend. The name means “man-eater”. They have the body of a lion, the face of a human, and a tail that has a stinger similar to that of a scorpion. Their mouth has three rows of teeth, and their tales have poisonous spines that they could use as a weapon by shooting them out. Although originating in Persia, the legend of the manticore can be found in various places around the world. They were believed to be found in the jungles of India, and are found in Greek, Roman, German, Hungarian, and Spanish lore. Much like the Sphinx, they are believed to challenge their prey with riddles before killing them.



The manticore is a particularly dangerous creature. At a distance, it can lift its stinger over its head and shoot it like an arrow. It can straighten its tail and shoot foes from behind with its stinger. In close, it can fight with its claws, teeth, and stinger. It is reputed to feed on humans and also larger prey such as elephants.



For as popular as zombies are, they don’t stand much of a chance against a manticore. I’ve seen Darryl from The Walking Dead kill zombies without breaking a sweat. How would they stand up against this type of killing machine. Ask yourself this question, who would you rather have to face, a zombie or a manticore? Case closed. The manticore advances to the second round.

The Story Behind the Story: The Last Ride

I am not a big fan of serial killer stories because they are so overdone in modern fiction. Serial killer stories tend to be generic, and the killers themselves tend to be not remotely believable. If popular fiction reflected real society, every third person living in the United States would be a serial killer. The Last Ride was the second story I ever wrote, and was originally published in Demon Minds magazine. It was a story idea my wife presented to me. It was such a neat concept that I had to pursue it, despite my serial killer aversion.

The story is told through the point of view of our killer. He’s a collector. From the time of his youth, he has been killing things and taking a part of them: an ear, an eye, a hand. These days, when he feels a need to collect, he begins to hitchhike across the country. He kills the poor, unsuspecting folk who are unfortunate to give him a ride. He doesn’t feel as if he’s doing anything wrong. For him, this is as natural as breathing.

I liked this vehicle of telling the story. For me, hitchhiking is the sort of crazy thing that I would never even consider, whether it’s giving somebody a ride or accepting one. Think about it. You have no idea who’s going to be on the other end. I know that back in the day in the sixties and seventies this was a common thing to do, but these days you have to be nuts to be involved with hitchhiking. And if you are thinking about it, you might want to read my story The Last Ride at http://www.carlalves.com/blog-post/th....

The Last Ride by Carl Alves

This is my story The Last Ride, which first appeared in Demon Minds magazine.

THE LAST RIDE

By Carl Alves

“So where ya heading, partner?” Tim Meade asked from the driver’s side of his worn Dodge Durango.
“North,” the hitchhiker replied.
Tim had picked him up a mile down the road. “Don’t say much do you?”
“Not unless I have reason to.” The hitchhiker wore a red flannel shirt and dark jeans, and spoke in a low monotone.
Tim downshifted the Durango to pick up speed as he pulled onto the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. “That’s fine by me. Lots of people just talk and talk and talk. Most don’t even say shit.”
The hitchhiker nodded.
“Lucky for you, I reckon, that I’m heading towards Syracuse.” Tim picked up speed. “I have to see my brother-in-law Ray. Lookin’ to buy a tractor and some other farm equipment from him. Ray’s well intentioned and all, but let me tell ya, he’s a dumbass. I don’t imagine you’ll be runnin’ into Ray any time soon, so I can’t see the harm in telling you.”
The hitchhiker remained expressionless.
“So anyway, Ray had himself a modest little farm out there near Syracuse. Had some chickens and cattle, grew potatoes, squash, and had an apple grove. Nothin’ great, mind ya, but enough to earn a living. Like I mentioned before, Ray ain’t very bright and to make matters worse, he’s a dreamer. So he decides that he’s gonna give up farming and take some course on computers. I told my sister Betty to dump him. You know what I’m saying, partner.”
The hitchhiker nodded and put his brown leather travel bag on the floor by his feet.
“So old Ray decides to sell his farm. Now the farm, that’s something you can build and do something with. It’s something you can call your own. Not these computers. He wasn’t a great farmer, but at least he could earn himself a living.”
Tim glanced at the hitchhiker, who looked stone-faced.
“So you never told me your name there, partner.”
“Ron. Ron Cray.”
Tim smiled. “Now I got a name to attach to the face. Yeah, I could use myself some more farm equipment. I got some that’s about dying on me. Reckon I can get myself a good deal from Ray, seeing how’s were kin and all.”
They hardly spoke for the next hour. Tim crossed the New York State border and spotted an exit with signs for a gas station and a Wendy’s. “I need gas. If you want some grub, you can get some over there.”
“Sure,” Cray said.
“So what line of work are you in, Ron? Still don’t know much about you, partner.”
“I’m a collector.” For the first time, Cray cracked a smile.
“Well, what kind of items do you collect?” Tim asked.
“Rare items. Teeth, eyeballs, a spleen here and there.”
Tim’s brows arched as he looked at Cray. “Well, that’s some pretty peculiar shit.”
He turned onto the exit and stopped at the turning lane at a traffic light.
“Normally, I wouldn’t tell someone that,” Cray said. “But seeing as how I’m going to kill you, I figured it wouldn’t hurt. “
Tim turned as a knife with a nine-inch blade descended toward his right leg. He stared in disbelief as the buck knife sunk into his leg, cutting down to the bone.
Cray’s eyes flashed with excitement.
Tim screamed in agony. He hadn’t felt this much pain since taking a bullet in ‘Nam. Blood erupted from his leg. Within seconds, his pants were colored crimson. How could this be happening? Just trying to help this partner out.
Tim tried to open his door, but Cray grabbed his left arm. Cray removed the knife that had been buried in his leg.
“What the fuck!” Tim turned toward the passenger side. Losing too much blood. Probably got an artery. He reached out with his hands in an attempt to fend off his attacker. As he came forward, Cray buried the buck knife into his throat, causing Meade to choke on his own blood.
Meade fell forward, convulsing. Ron dragged the dead man’s body into the passenger’s side. As the traffic light turned green, he walked around to the driver’s side. There were still no other cars on this desolate road, and therefore no witnesses.
Ron stepped into the driver’s side and put the Durango into gear. Covered in blood, he smiled and stared at the dead man sitting next to him. He would have to clean himself before moving on. Before he did, he would add to his collection from the deceased, his final gift to the world.
***

Ron Cray held his thumb out on Church Road. He was outside of Binghamton, New York. He had just added to his collection. It was a family of four driving in a Dodge Caravan. They had made the mistake of trying to help.
Ron’s body count was now up to nine in the past week. He had been picked up four times since he started his journey in Havertown, Pennsylvania. Those who gave him a ride, must have thought him to be quiet and well-intentioned, since he said little.
When he told Tim Meade that he was a collector, he was not lying. He had been since he was a child. It started off innocently enough. He collected stamps and shells, items that many people collected. His father had beat him unmercifully after finding out about his doll collection. Ron had to complete that one in secret. He graduated to collecting insects, but that only whet his appetite. He then collected animal parts, taking a leg or a paw or a tail from different animals he killed. Before long, he discovered he enjoyed crushing the animals in his hands as much as he enjoyed collecting.
When animals were not enough, he collected human parts. He purchased some body parts from mail order catalogs, but that did not give him satisfaction, so he killed people and use them to add to his collection. After a kill, he would take an ear, a nose, a tongue or other body part, pack it up, and ship it to his home address immediately.
He lived alone in his house, which was like a museum featuring his collections. He had a collection of rare coins prominently displayed in his living room. His more private ones that could get him in trouble with the law were in his basement.
Ron walked for a half-hour before two physically fit men in their early thirties picked him up. Ron smiled, and settled into the back seat of their PT Cruiser.
Mike, who was driving, and Keon, who sat in the passenger’s side, tried to engage him in conversation, but Ron did not participate. Eventually, they talked to each other, as if he were not there.
Forty minutes after they had picked him up, Ron noticed something interesting. Based on the way they interacted, Ron surmised that they were lovers. At one point they briefly held hands, but quickly retracted. He had nothing against that lifestyle, but it would make this kill more intriguing. While they chatted, he thought of the possibilities.
“So what do you do for a living?” Mike asked.
“I’m a collector.” Ron’s heart beat quickened and blood rushed to his face. That was the point of no return where he knew he would have to kill them.
It happened on Bay Hill Road. Ron had been waiting for the right moment when the car stopped. They were at a traffic light and there were no other cars at the intersection. He pulled out a thin rope from his traveling bag. From the back seat of the car, he reached forward and slipped the rope over Keon’s throat. Ron had to calm himself since he nearly shook with excitement. Two more victims to collect.
Keon’s arms and legs thrashed.
Mike turned around, his face contorted. “What the hell’s going on?”
Ron’s eyes lit when he saw the fear on Mike’s face.
“H…help me,” Keon said.
As Mike tried to grab him, Ron pulled the rope tighter, and crouched back into his seat so that Mike couldn’t reach him. Meanwhile, Keon continued to thrash as he tried to break free. Mike abandoned his attempt to get to Ron and grabbed strangling his lover. But he could not break Ron’s strong hold, and Keon’s face turned deep purple.
“You son of a bitch!” Mike sunk his teeth into Ron’s hand.
Ron growled, but would not let go until Keon stopped thrashing.
Mike sobbed. “You bastard,” he said between tears. Mike scrambled in attempt to exit the car, but Ron grabbed Mike’s right arm. With his free hand, he brought the buck knife in a sweeping arc that descended into Mike’s shoulder.
Mike’s scream was cut short when Cray grabbed his hair and pulled his head toward him. With his right hand, he sliced Mike’s throat with the buck knife.
Mike slumped to the side. His head was next to his partner’s. Ron closed his eyes and smiled. Taking the life of his victims was a sheer thrill ride. It filled him with energy. But the time after the kill was even better. He felt at peace with himself and the world. He felt serenity.
Mike and Keon had to be properly displayed, so he sat Mike up on the back seat of the car. He then let Keon’s head rest gently on Mike’s shoulder, and placed Mike’s hand on the back of Keon’s head. Too bad he didn’t have a camera. This was a precious moment that should be recorded.
A car drove in his direction, spoiling the moment. He collected an ear from each of them before making a hasty exit.
***
As Ron Cray stood on Crandall St. in Utica, New York trying to thumb his next ride, he wondered how long this trip would continue. His chances of being caught increased with each time he collected a victim. But he couldn’t stop. With each life he claimed, his compulsion grew stronger.
After unsuccessfully attempting to catch a ride for fifteen minutes, he found an easy mark, a short, balding man driving a Chevy Impala. Ron smiled as the car pulled over.
The man opened the door. “Howdy, fella. Jay Cretian’s the name.” He extended his hand and Ron shook it. “What’s your name there, pal?”
“Ron Cray.”
“It’s good to meet you. So where are you heading?”
“West,” Ron replied.
“How convenient. I’m heading towards Ohio. I’m going to cut across the state, so you can ride with me as far west as Ohio. Then I’ll have to let you go. You know how it is. Can’t wait to see my wife and kids. I’m on my way back from a business trip. It was real productive, let me tell you. I scored some excellent clients.”
“Yeah, me too,” Ron muttered under his breath.
“What did you say there, Ron?”
Cray did not reply.
“The sky looks like it’s darkening. Fortunately for you I arrived now, or you might have gotten soaked. Looks like your traveling pretty light. I don’t see an umbrella on you. It’s always good to carry one. One time I was walking into work, and out of nowhere it just starts raining. And I’m not talking about a little piddle-paddle rain. I’m talking about hammering rain. Thunder and lightning, too. So I noticed just ahead of me a man dressed in a blue suit. He was a director at my company. I run over and give him my umbrella and we walked to the entrance. He was real appreciative. I even landed a job interview out of it. So it pays to be prepared.”
A half-hour later, Jay continued with his endless droning conversation. “That was the last time I went to that restaurant. I mean, come on, how long do you have to wait to get your meal. And they brought out the entrée before they brought out the appetizer. The waitress who took our order, I mean there had to be something wrong with her. A person can’t be that stupid. So, they brought the main course out and I’m like where’s the appetizer. I ordered the Buffalo wings. Another waitress comes over to the table and says that it’s been sitting on the counter. So how long was it sitting there? Then the restaurant manager comes out and says that they’ll reheat the appetizer. They go ahead and do that while we start eating. After all, I’m hungry at this point. And then they bring the appetizer out.”
“Tough break,” Ron said.
“So we eat the meal. All this time I’m telling my wife they better take care of us on this. I’m looking for some kind of break here. Like maybe don’t charge for the appetizer or something, free drinks, I mean throw me a bone. I get the bill and nothing. No sort of discount, not even like a half off your next visit. So I tell my wife screw it. We’re not coming back. And it’s a shame because the food was pretty good.”
Ron didn’t say anything, content to soak up what he could about this man’s life. Finding out about his victims helped decide how they would die.
Fifteen minutes later, Jay had hardly taken a breath. “I told my wife Sally that there’s no way your mother is staying with us. I don’t care that her basement’s flooded. Every time she comes over, the woman drives me nuts with her constant nagging. Mother-in-laws, don’t you just want to kill them some times. I mean seriously.”
An hour into the ride, Ron slowly opened his leather carrying bag. The time was drawing near and he wanted to be ready. He removed the sheathing that covered his trusted buck knife.
When they were stopped at a traffic light prior to getting on Route 56, Ron reached into his bag and grabbed the knife.
Jay said, “You know that’s a really nice bag you got there. I have a similar one. I use it when I go fishing. Are you into fishing? There’s a lake nearby us that I like to go with my daughter Alexis. My oldest son Bobby really isn’t into it, but for some reason my daughter is. You just can’t figure certain things like that…”
Ron quickly put away the bag since he could no longer surprise Jay. He gritted his teeth. This was taking too long. He considered abandoning his plans, but Jay would make a great addition to his collection.
For a few minutes, Jay was actually silent. He had an alarmed look on his face. “Did you hear that? Oh no. Not again.” Jay shook his head. “I think I got another flat. This is the second time in a couple weeks. I’m going to have to pull over and take a look. It never fails.”
Jay slowed down and drove the car deep into the side of the road.
“I have to check this out,” Jay said. “I’ll be a minute.”
“Take your time.” This was the opportunity Ron had been waiting for.
Jay exited the car as Ron grabbed his duffel bag. Just as he opened it and reached for his buck knife, Jay knocked on the passenger side window. Ron opened the door. “What’s going on?”
“I need a little help,” replied Jay.
“Well, I’m not really handy with cars, but we’ll see what we can do.” Ron exited the Impala. He zipped up his bag and carried it with him
Jay handed him a tire iron. “Can you undo these lug nuts?”
Ron bent down to loosen the nuts. His senses were alerted when he saw the tire was not flat. He looked up and Jay swung a crowbar that connected on his forehead sending him to the dirt. Ron tasted his own blood.
Jay dropped the crowbar and struggled as he dragged Ron’s body into the woods.
Ron was dazed and immobile. Before he regained his senses, Jay smashed his ribs with the crowbar.
Ron’s body surged with pain. He felt like a bundle of nerve endings. In the back of his mind a voice told him it couldn’t end like this. He still had more collecting to do. Another swing caused his ribs to crack. It felt like an explosion inside.
“So you probably figured I wouldn’t do this to you. But you see, there’s something wrong in my normal life. And every once in a while, I’m just about ready to snap.” Jay crushed Ron’s jaw with the crowbar. “You see things just start to accumulate and I get so angry and frustrated. I don’t want to take it out on my family. I love them, after all. I don’t want to go crazy at work. They might fire me, and then what will I do to maintain my normal lifestyle. So what does a guy like me do to get rid of all of this anger?” Another swing and more bones broke. “A few years back I decided to take a trip. You know, just drive around by myself. Nothing but solitude. And then, on my first trip, I picked up unsuspecting hitchhikers like yourself. Well, one thing led to another and here we are. We’re all better off really. Well, maybe not you, but the rest of us are.”
Jay Cretian smashed him on the head with the crowbar. “That feels much better.”

Two For Eternity: World War 2

This will be my last blog post on the time periods I wrote about in my novel Two For Eternity. Originally I wasn’t going to include a section in Two For Eternity that was so close to modern day, since the last twenty chapters or so take place in present time, but the Nazi regime was too irresistibly evil for me to pass up. My antagonist Vrag is the ultimate villain, which would make him a natural fit for the Nazi party. I decided on writing a daring rescue scene where Raiken, the book’s protagonist, is commissioned by Winston Churchill to rescue a Jewish scientist vital to the Allies,who is being held in a German prison camp.


Most of my research focused on prison camps, and I picked up some interesting nuggets along the way. One thing I learned is that Jewish prisoners were held in a separate part of the prison camp in barracks far away from the main barracks. The buildings that they were housed in were elevated off of the grounds on stilts. Beneath the barracks, the prison guards would sneak underneath and eavesdrop on the prisoners. They also often set rottweilers and German shepherds loose on the prisoners.


The other interesting tid bit of info which I featured prominently was the formation of the world’s first special forces, Britain’s SAS. They were the precursors to the SEALs and the Rangers and many of the elite fighting units we have today. Started by David Sterling, their motto was “Who Dares Wins”. I made Raiken one of the original members of the SAS, a natural fit for someone of his supernatural abilities. Read more in Two For Eternity, out now on Amazon.

Two For Eternity: The Spanish Inquisition

This is probably becoming a repeating theme here, writing about shortcomings in the Catholic Church's long history. 1478 to 1834 marked a vicious and bloody period in both Spain and the Church's history. Instituted in 1478 by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella as a way of uniting the country in a bloody purge against Jews, Protestants, Muslims and those who did not practice the "true faith", the Inquisition took shape when Tomas de Torquemada became the Inquisitor General of Spain in 1483. Torquemada was largely responsible for instituting some of the barbaric practices of the Inquisition, not to mention two thousand deaths that occurred during his reign.

When accused of heresy, the heretic didn't stand much of a chance. They were brought in front of an Inquisition tribunal. The heretic's positions would then be confisicated from them, and they could no longer pass it down to descendents even if they were found to be not guilty. Inquisitional prisons were known for their innovative torture methods such as the use of the toca, the potro, and the garrucha. They were generally tortured until they confessed. The culmination of all of the festivities was the Auto de Fe, which was a profession of faith, started with prayers and singing and ending with burning heretics at the stake, a great day of fun for the whole family. I don't know about you but I don't think I would be particularly fond of watching people burn alive during my religious ceremonies.

In the part of Two For Eternity that centers around the Inquisition, my protagonist, Raiken is a fisherman living in Portugal. His family is of Jewish descent, and when his daughter, along with her husband and child are arrested for heresy in Spain, he goes to rescue them. In the process of breaking into prisons in Seville, he learns that his ancient nemesis, Vrag, is the Inquisitor general of Spain. This sets up a big action sequence where Raiken has to both save his family and kill Spain's Inquisitor General. Sounds good. You can read more by purchasing a copy of Two For Eternity, available now on

Two For Eternity: The Crusades

I want to preface this by writing that I'm Roman Catholic and went through twelve years of Catholic School. Having said that, I have to call it the way I see it. I would rather write the truth than make friends. The truth is the Catholic Church has a bit of shady past, none more evident than what occurred during the time of the Crusades. Although I don't doubt the sincerity of many of the Crusaders, since in their minds they were driving the heathens out of their church's lands and in the process they would be cleared of their sins. The problem was the people running the Crusades, mainly Church leaders and wealthy barons and businessmen had one motivation - greed. For them, it was about capturing land and obtaining riches in the form of holy relics and gold.

The Crusaders were known for their brutality. In the town of Worms, in the land that is now Germany, the Crusaders abducted all of the Jews in town and gave them the option of converting to Christianity or die.

The other epidemic from this time period was the Knights Templar, a group that started with humble beginnings, protecting travelers on their way to the Holy Land. With a combination of greed and ruthlessness, they amassed great wealth and weapons, eventually becoming the Church's military arm. They answered to no one and massacred their opposition with impunity. They grew so strong that they created the world's first banking system and later funded entire governments. That's why I made my villain Vrag the Grand Master of the Knights Templar in this section of my novel leading up to a good battle scene, where Raiken, who at this point is a Cardinal trying to subvert them from within, does battle with his ancient nemesis. You can read more by purchasing a copy of Two For Eternity, now available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Two-Eternity-Ca....

Two For Eternity: The Vikings

I made a short, one chapter diversion in my novel Two For Eternity, setting this chapter in the Kingdom of Norway in 984 AD. There were a couple of reasons that I wanted to get this time period into the novel. The first is to establish that the vikings were in fact the first Europeans to land in the Americas, and second, because vikings are just plain cool. I have always been fascinated with Nordic culture and mythology. It was a people made of fierce warriors and a culture dominated by honor and valor. Unlike Christopher Columbus and the other explorers of his ilk, they did not come to this land and destroy the people who lived here.

This particular chapter explored the viking exploration of the Newfoundland area in Canada. I tried to capture some of the swashbuckling ways of the vikings as well as their spirit of adventure. I also set up a battle scene between Raiken and Vrag, my two main characters. If you like a little adventure in your reading, then pick up my novel Two For Eternity at http://www.amazon.com/Two-Eternity-Ca....