Declan Finn's Blog, page 17
January 28, 2020
William Lehman on writing Vulcan III for Luna
Today we have another author who contributed to the Luna Anthology, William Lehman.
His story is Vulcan III: The first step to Mars was a refueling station on Luna. Building it would take a special crew. Selected for compatibility, engineering savvy, and mental toughness. This was their story.
Vulcan III
When
Declan approached me about this project, I had only written one
short story in my life, and it hadn't been published yet. (It can be
found in "Secret Stairs: a tribute to urban legend")
But I grew up reading Heinlein, Clark and Asimov so I thought I would
take a crack at it.
We
were headed out to the coast for a long weekend (thanksgiving) and
the whole way there this story was biting at the back of my neck.
I
got
so excited about this project that I wrote it over that weekend, in
fact over just under two days of it, with space in there for walks on
the beach.
My
original intent had been to do a stand alone, but now I think this
will turn out to be a distant prequel to the space opera series that
I'll be writing when I get done with one or two more in my current
series. Commander Bradford will be an ancestor of the hero of
the piece, and an overnight at Frozen Base will be the final exercise
before being sworn in as an officer of the United Space Service.
William Lehman Joined the navy at 17, and spent the next 20 years as a Submarine Sonar technician during the end of the cold war, and through Gulf war one. He finished out his Navy career as the Work Programs Director at the Naval Brig Bangor WA and as a Reserve officer for the Bremerton Police department. Learning nothing, he went right back to work for the Navy as a civilian. He's the author of the John Fisher Novels Harvest of Evil, and Keeping the Faith, with Shadow War coming soon. He's also an avid elk hunter, a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism and a Freemason. He currently lives in western Washington, with his wife, and various dogs and cats, the children being grown and on their own.
BUY LUNA HERE
His story is Vulcan III: The first step to Mars was a refueling station on Luna. Building it would take a special crew. Selected for compatibility, engineering savvy, and mental toughness. This was their story.
Vulcan III
When
Declan approached me about this project, I had only written one
short story in my life, and it hadn't been published yet. (It can be
found in "Secret Stairs: a tribute to urban legend")
But I grew up reading Heinlein, Clark and Asimov so I thought I would
take a crack at it.
We
were headed out to the coast for a long weekend (thanksgiving) and
the whole way there this story was biting at the back of my neck.
I
got
so excited about this project that I wrote it over that weekend, in
fact over just under two days of it, with space in there for walks on
the beach.
My
original intent had been to do a stand alone, but now I think this
will turn out to be a distant prequel to the space opera series that
I'll be writing when I get done with one or two more in my current
series. Commander Bradford will be an ancestor of the hero of
the piece, and an overnight at Frozen Base will be the final exercise
before being sworn in as an officer of the United Space Service.
William Lehman Joined the navy at 17, and spent the next 20 years as a Submarine Sonar technician during the end of the cold war, and through Gulf war one. He finished out his Navy career as the Work Programs Director at the Naval Brig Bangor WA and as a Reserve officer for the Bremerton Police department. Learning nothing, he went right back to work for the Navy as a civilian. He's the author of the John Fisher Novels Harvest of Evil, and Keeping the Faith, with Shadow War coming soon. He's also an avid elk hunter, a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism and a Freemason. He currently lives in western Washington, with his wife, and various dogs and cats, the children being grown and on their own.
BUY LUNA HERE
January 27, 2020
The Night My Father Shot the Werewolf, by Josh Griffing
The boys in Mrs. Carroll's third-grade class learned a lot last year, about things like cursive, and multiplying, and werewolves.
Welcome to the Luna anthology.
Things are gonna be strange.
Josh Griffing, on writing The Night My Father Shot the Werewolf
When a boy is nine, his Dad is the most important person in his life, and he should be able to look to Dad to defeat the monsters that hunt in the dark. Sean Grady always knew his Dad would do whatever it took to keep the family safe: this is Sean’s story.
I didn’t really write this one with the Luna Anthology in mind: in fact it was declined by Intergalactic Medicine Show before I’d even heard of the project. I wrote it as an examination of a man’s duty to watch over his family and the measures that duty may require of him.
In some ways it’s a very personal story: I used my own initials for the Dad and like him, I have something of a temper at times. One reader who saw the self-caricature even asked “Is there something you need to tell me?” But the events and—aside from a few broad lines of memoir—the characters are entirely the product of my overactive imagination.
A nod to Stephen King’s “Cycle of the Werewolf” is in order, if only subliminally, and a nod to the architects of leaky old schools in Southern cities where I daydreamed in my formative years.
The question of lycanthropy has long fascinated me, in terms of the division between human and animal identity, and the issue of the “moral monster” that Larry Correia handles so well in his MHI books, especially Alpha and Nemesis. In fact, without a moral axis to the universe, one cannot well call a monster “evil” or call evil “monstrous”. Even in H. P. Lovecraft, the horrors and demons that lurk behind the wrongness of the shadows seem to be merely Other and their terror is as much in the physical threats they pose or the psychic chaos of their divergence from the natural world. Because Lovecraft’s amoralist world offers no Good, the evils he depicts cannot be defeated or even quite acknowledged before “The Rats in the Walls” devour all.
But in a moral universe, Good may conquer Evil, and even when it’s buried, it rises again to destroy the corruption. This principle is a common trope in the old Lon Cheney Jr. wolfman films and much of the werewolf genre, and in the Hammer flick “The Gorgon” (1965) as well, when the monsters’ deaths revert them to their proper human forms, in honor (acknowleged or not) of the imagio dei within.
In the fourth chapter of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar tells of God’s punishing his hubris with boanthropy—though no physical mutation happens—for seven years, and in Kipling’s famous Jungle Books, Mowgli grows up as a human boy among the wolves and beasts of the Indian jungle. Again and again, the theme of man’s distinction from the beasts he resembles is a source of wonder and inquiry, and many cultures share some form of a shape-shifter myth of creatures that are neither quite man or beast.
Is it demonic, or a virus, or magic, or a long-muddied record of some other event long since forgotten, like dragons and giants and world-washing floods? Wherever the Man-among-Beasts comes from, it is the moral agency and duty of Man, integral to who he is as Man (or what C. S. Lewis called hnau in his Space Trilogy), that differentiates werewolves from almost every other monster genre, and without humanity as hnau, the monster might be called “werewolf” or “loup-garou”, but the result is merely one more generically shape-shifting monster story.
But I have said almost too much already. Go get the anthology and read it for yourself!
Josh Griffing is an Army Reservist in Georgia who writes when he can, and reads when he can get away with it.
He has two young children, four insolent cats, and a pair of small and yappy dogs. Amazingly, his wife is still very nearly sane, and for this he is eternally grateful.
He blogs sometimes at https://subcreated-worlds.com/.
Welcome to the Luna anthology.
Things are gonna be strange.
Josh Griffing, on writing The Night My Father Shot the Werewolf
When a boy is nine, his Dad is the most important person in his life, and he should be able to look to Dad to defeat the monsters that hunt in the dark. Sean Grady always knew his Dad would do whatever it took to keep the family safe: this is Sean’s story.
I didn’t really write this one with the Luna Anthology in mind: in fact it was declined by Intergalactic Medicine Show before I’d even heard of the project. I wrote it as an examination of a man’s duty to watch over his family and the measures that duty may require of him.
In some ways it’s a very personal story: I used my own initials for the Dad and like him, I have something of a temper at times. One reader who saw the self-caricature even asked “Is there something you need to tell me?” But the events and—aside from a few broad lines of memoir—the characters are entirely the product of my overactive imagination.
A nod to Stephen King’s “Cycle of the Werewolf” is in order, if only subliminally, and a nod to the architects of leaky old schools in Southern cities where I daydreamed in my formative years.
The question of lycanthropy has long fascinated me, in terms of the division between human and animal identity, and the issue of the “moral monster” that Larry Correia handles so well in his MHI books, especially Alpha and Nemesis. In fact, without a moral axis to the universe, one cannot well call a monster “evil” or call evil “monstrous”. Even in H. P. Lovecraft, the horrors and demons that lurk behind the wrongness of the shadows seem to be merely Other and their terror is as much in the physical threats they pose or the psychic chaos of their divergence from the natural world. Because Lovecraft’s amoralist world offers no Good, the evils he depicts cannot be defeated or even quite acknowledged before “The Rats in the Walls” devour all.
But in a moral universe, Good may conquer Evil, and even when it’s buried, it rises again to destroy the corruption. This principle is a common trope in the old Lon Cheney Jr. wolfman films and much of the werewolf genre, and in the Hammer flick “The Gorgon” (1965) as well, when the monsters’ deaths revert them to their proper human forms, in honor (acknowleged or not) of the imagio dei within.
In the fourth chapter of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar tells of God’s punishing his hubris with boanthropy—though no physical mutation happens—for seven years, and in Kipling’s famous Jungle Books, Mowgli grows up as a human boy among the wolves and beasts of the Indian jungle. Again and again, the theme of man’s distinction from the beasts he resembles is a source of wonder and inquiry, and many cultures share some form of a shape-shifter myth of creatures that are neither quite man or beast.
Is it demonic, or a virus, or magic, or a long-muddied record of some other event long since forgotten, like dragons and giants and world-washing floods? Wherever the Man-among-Beasts comes from, it is the moral agency and duty of Man, integral to who he is as Man (or what C. S. Lewis called hnau in his Space Trilogy), that differentiates werewolves from almost every other monster genre, and without humanity as hnau, the monster might be called “werewolf” or “loup-garou”, but the result is merely one more generically shape-shifting monster story.
But I have said almost too much already. Go get the anthology and read it for yourself!
Josh Griffing is an Army Reservist in Georgia who writes when he can, and reads when he can get away with it. He has two young children, four insolent cats, and a pair of small and yappy dogs. Amazingly, his wife is still very nearly sane, and for this he is eternally grateful.
He blogs sometimes at https://subcreated-worlds.com/.
January 26, 2020
Tuscany Bay's Planetary Anthology: Luna
I am now happy to announce that Luna, the Planetary anthology I edited for Tuscany Bay, is live.
If you recall from when this project was first proposed, Luna was about madness, despair, dreams and illusions.
You know, all of the cheery subjects.
This will also debut the second short story by my wife, listed here as Margot St. Aubin.
Of course she's under an alias. Neither one of us want to be an easy target.
Luna has the following stories and authors.
These are the tales of the orb that lights our night sky and drives the tides of our oceans. The bright companion that orbits our planet, invades our dreams and drives us mad.
The Curse and the Covenant by Ann Margaret Lewis – Tal, in the land of Ur, is son to a Lord. When a demon offers his father a gift to make him and his people like gods, Tal knows it’s a bad idea.
The Doom that Came to Necropolis, by Steve Johnson – Necropolis is a small town, complete with small town values and small town myths. Unbeknownst to them, their doom is about to arrive, riding a motorcycle, and armed with the weapons of science.
How to Train your Werewolf, by Margot St. Aubin – Jason Branch recently escaped from a home for the insane. His only goal now is to rest and be left alone in the woods. But when strangers decide that the same stretch of land would be perfect for their needs, they will soon discover Jason's true madness.
Luna Sea, by Jody Lynn Nye – the moon can be a harsh mistress … or can she?
Regolith, by Penelope Laird – How far would you go to prevent your favorite band from being kidnapped and held for ransom on the Moon?
Crazy like an Elf, by Declan Finn – When astronomer Barbara Davis hired a private security firm, she didn’t expect a man who claimed to be from Middle Earth.
Samaritan, by Karl Gallagher – Thomas' people settled on the Moon to avoid contamination from biotech and nanotech gadgets. But when a high-tech spacer crashes Thomas must risk exile from his home to save the stranger's life.
Moonboy, by Karina L. Fabian – Cory Taylor is the first boy born on the moon and may just be the first to die on it. But his first attempt to leave the moon may move up that date to closer than even he expects.
Fly Me To the Moon, by Mark Wandrey – Annmarie Smith dreamed of going to space, and she finally succeeds in creating a company to mine water on the moon. Everything looks great, until alien first contact makes it all much, much more complicated.
The Hyland Resolution, by Justin Tarquin – Charles Hyland is caught in the crossfire of an interplanetary war, their only hope is that Charles can extricate himself from the labyrinth of his own mind.
Another Fine Day in the Corps, by L.A. Behm II – Some days you get the bear. Some days, the bear is packing mortar rounds.
The Mask of Dhuran Zur, by John C. Wright – Some manuscripts you just shouldn’t read.
Elwood, by Bokerah Brumley – Mysterious things happen to Emma Kelly when she meets the lunatic gypsy at the end of the lane and the gypsy's invisible púca.
Much Madness is Divinest Sense, by Lori Janeski-- A madman doesn't usually believe that he's insane. But the ones who are truly dangerous are the ones who not only believe it, but embrace it.
The Night my Father Shot the Werewolf, by Josh Griffing – The boys in Mrs. Carroll's third-grade class learned a lot last year, about things like cursive, and multiplying, and werewolves.
The Black Dogs of Luna, by Paul Go – The crew of the Sirocco find a nightmare of the ages on the Moon.
Despot Hold ’em, by Caroline Furlong – You have to know when to hold them, know when to fold them. But most importantly of all, know when to run.
Polar Shift, by Richard Paolinelli – After the pole's shift, Sam Peck may just be the last living human being in the entire universe.
The Price of Sanity, by A.M. Freeman – Never make deals with the unknown. Especially when it's paying for your freedom with your soul.
Vulcan III, by William Lehman – Unfortunately for the crew of "Scorpion" the Vulcan III, the moon is the harshest engineering environment we've ever built in, especially when something goes wrong.
Merry By Gaslight, by L. Jagi Lamplighter – What if that million-dollar mansion you hardly dare to long for were so much less than you deserved.
Squeeze on the Moon, by Lou Antonelli – An expert in disaster recovery gets the opportunity of a lifetime – plus a little walk down memory lane.
So, yeah.
This party is just getting started.
Tuscany Bay is an awesome press, lead by a true mensch and an awesome professional in Richard Paolinelli who made certain that this anthology would still happen, and that the last two years worth of work wouldn't be in vain, on the part of either the authors or the editors.
January 19, 2020
Top ten blogs of all time (2020)
Once upon a time, I used to do this every hundred posts or so. But last year, I was busy with the books, and remembering to do a mailing list when I could, and self-publishing novels.
These are the most popular blogs of all time. I can't even tell you how most people found them. But people have liked them. A lot.
And if you're new here, this will give you a sample of what it's like to be here on a regular basis.
Here we go.
10) The Story of Moira Greyland continues
If you don't know who Moira Greyland is, you will soon. All this blog post was about was simply a discussion of Moira's largely biographical work The Last Closet -- I say largely because she bounces from her life to various and sundry issues behind and around her life.
9) Building Catholic Vampire Lore (Honor At Stake)
This was basically how I built my vampire universe for the Love at First Bite series. Elements I've stolen from philosophy, theology, a Star Wars video game called Knights of the Old Republic. There was a lot of miscellaneous theft going on that tied together in a nice neat little deranged bow.
8) Newsflash: Hugo Awards Swamped by Crap
The 2017 Hugo Awards were about as bad as you'd expect. I think that was the last time I paid them even a modicum of attention.
7) A Short Biography of a Catholic Vampire
Another Love at First Bite post. As a historian, I do so enjoy the hidden world genre. It gives me an excuse to get creative with history -- all of the fun of alternate history, without having to write a full butterfly effect of what happens next.
6) Sex, DC Comics, and ... wtf?
2011 is when DC Comics unveiled their New 52 lineup of comic books ... and stopping just short of an R-rating,. with bad character design, bad artwork, and bad choices.
5) Sad Puppies Bite Back
The fever dream that started it all.
Take a fracas going on in fandom, a rash of SWATting happening in the real world, and throw it in for mental processing when someone can't sleep at two in the morning.
4) Who would Captain America vote for? An election special
I posted a few days before Election 2012. So I can guess why this made it so high.
3) Disasters to Marvel At: A Comic Discussion.
This was the day I got fed up with Marvel comics going to pot. It had less to politics at the time and more to do with really terrible decisions by the writers. This included all of Civil War and One more Day.
2) A Review of Death Note (Anime)
This is exactly what it says in the title.
This one also came out of no where. Posted in 2017, it only picked up steam last year. Every day between April and July, it maintained hundreds of hits PER DAY. There was no particular place it came from or reasons for it. It just was.
1) Politics Kills Mercedes Grabowski (August Ames)
This is the story of a woman in pornography, bullied to death by leftist douche bags of Twitter. And it pissed me off because she was only 23.
I can guess how this made the #1 spot. I mentioned porn. Apparently, it's popular, even when people are reading about non-sexual content. Who knew?
Anyway. I hope you find them enjoyable.
You can check out any and all of my latest books here.
If you like, you can sign up for my mailing list here.
These are the most popular blogs of all time. I can't even tell you how most people found them. But people have liked them. A lot.
And if you're new here, this will give you a sample of what it's like to be here on a regular basis.
Here we go.
10) The Story of Moira Greyland continues
If you don't know who Moira Greyland is, you will soon. All this blog post was about was simply a discussion of Moira's largely biographical work The Last Closet -- I say largely because she bounces from her life to various and sundry issues behind and around her life.
9) Building Catholic Vampire Lore (Honor At Stake)
This was basically how I built my vampire universe for the Love at First Bite series. Elements I've stolen from philosophy, theology, a Star Wars video game called Knights of the Old Republic. There was a lot of miscellaneous theft going on that tied together in a nice neat little deranged bow.
8) Newsflash: Hugo Awards Swamped by Crap
The 2017 Hugo Awards were about as bad as you'd expect. I think that was the last time I paid them even a modicum of attention.
7) A Short Biography of a Catholic Vampire
Another Love at First Bite post. As a historian, I do so enjoy the hidden world genre. It gives me an excuse to get creative with history -- all of the fun of alternate history, without having to write a full butterfly effect of what happens next.
6) Sex, DC Comics, and ... wtf?
2011 is when DC Comics unveiled their New 52 lineup of comic books ... and stopping just short of an R-rating,. with bad character design, bad artwork, and bad choices.
5) Sad Puppies Bite Back
The fever dream that started it all.
Take a fracas going on in fandom, a rash of SWATting happening in the real world, and throw it in for mental processing when someone can't sleep at two in the morning.
4) Who would Captain America vote for? An election special
I posted a few days before Election 2012. So I can guess why this made it so high.
3) Disasters to Marvel At: A Comic Discussion.
This was the day I got fed up with Marvel comics going to pot. It had less to politics at the time and more to do with really terrible decisions by the writers. This included all of Civil War and One more Day.
2) A Review of Death Note (Anime)
This is exactly what it says in the title.
This one also came out of no where. Posted in 2017, it only picked up steam last year. Every day between April and July, it maintained hundreds of hits PER DAY. There was no particular place it came from or reasons for it. It just was.
1) Politics Kills Mercedes Grabowski (August Ames)
This is the story of a woman in pornography, bullied to death by leftist douche bags of Twitter. And it pissed me off because she was only 23.
I can guess how this made the #1 spot. I mentioned porn. Apparently, it's popular, even when people are reading about non-sexual content. Who knew?
Anyway. I hope you find them enjoyable.
You can check out any and all of my latest books here.
If you like, you can sign up for my mailing list here.
January 14, 2020
Music to write to: Kamelot - Forever (Cover by Minniva)
Kamelot is a strange group. But they have a good sound.
Minniva, who's ...somewhere in Europe (she sounds like a friend of mine who's Russian) does a great impression of the lead singer's style.
Enjoy. And while you're here, check out some of the books on the right margin.
Minniva, who's ...somewhere in Europe (she sounds like a friend of mine who's Russian) does a great impression of the lead singer's style.
Enjoy. And while you're here, check out some of the books on the right margin.
January 13, 2020
Jim McCoy reviews #DeusVult
I usually post excerpt Jim McCoy's reviews when I link them here.
However, this time, the entire review is just so darned good, I'm just going to link it here.
Enjoy
However, this time, the entire review is just so darned good, I'm just going to link it here.
Enjoy
January 12, 2020
2020 Hindsight
A new year has arrived. Time to get serious ... about ... something.
Let's start simple.
If I had to do all of this all over again, would I?
Probably not the same way, no.
At this point in my life, I can look back and see that I've wasted years.
Follow the bouncing ball of my brain a little.
2000-2004, I spent time in college, getting two bachelor's degrees and a masters degrees.
One bachelor's degree in Philosophy gave me five books (Love at First Bite, A Philosophy for Living ).
The other BA and the Master's gave me six books (five books of The Pius Trilogy, For all their wars are Merry ).
One undergraduate glass in theology led to six books and counting.
Then I made the mistake of going for a PhD.
Why mistake? A PhD is a good thing to have. It makes one qualified to teach at any educational institution.
One, I didn't know then that "PhD" at this particular university meant that you could glad-hand and fellate the egos of the right professors at the right time, instead of you know, doing the work. Work I could do easily enough. Politicking? Not so much.
I jumped ship in December of 2006, never to return.
From 2007-2012, I wasted even more time, going the "proper" route in publication.
So, from 2005-2012, I should probably have been writing books. If you think I write fast now, just imagine how much faster I'd be writing if I had 7 more years of practice. Or how many more books I would have written? I'd be closing in on 30 books by now. Maybe more.
In retrospect, I should have gotten a minor in graphic design so I could make book covers. Or courses in marketing for advertising books.
Hell. Technically, I should have become an electrician. By this point, I'd be making six figures a year, and I could write books in my spare time about how to burn houses down with the right wiring... or the improper wiring.
Anyway, at the end of the day, I'm not doing too terrible. I met my wife because of my books. I have a fan base I enjoy interacting with.
Besides. I've been compelled to write stories since I was 16. I didn't really have an option about writing. it's always just been a matter of what the content was.
Anyway.
For reasons of sanity, this year will be slightly slower than last year. 2019 saw the publication of nine books. Not counting the anthologies.
2020 will see me writing a little less and editing more. I have books in my queue that I haven't looked at in a decade. And the last time I edited stuff and released it, it went over fairly well.
There will also be more Saint Tommy books en route. Though probably not another six this year.
If you have a minute, check my books on Amazon, (here or on the right margin) and save a life -- left a review.
Be well all, and happy new year.
Let's start simple.
If I had to do all of this all over again, would I?
Probably not the same way, no.
At this point in my life, I can look back and see that I've wasted years.
Follow the bouncing ball of my brain a little.
2000-2004, I spent time in college, getting two bachelor's degrees and a masters degrees.
One bachelor's degree in Philosophy gave me five books (Love at First Bite, A Philosophy for Living ).
The other BA and the Master's gave me six books (five books of The Pius Trilogy, For all their wars are Merry ).
One undergraduate glass in theology led to six books and counting.
Then I made the mistake of going for a PhD.
Why mistake? A PhD is a good thing to have. It makes one qualified to teach at any educational institution.
One, I didn't know then that "PhD" at this particular university meant that you could glad-hand and fellate the egos of the right professors at the right time, instead of you know, doing the work. Work I could do easily enough. Politicking? Not so much.
I jumped ship in December of 2006, never to return.
From 2007-2012, I wasted even more time, going the "proper" route in publication.
So, from 2005-2012, I should probably have been writing books. If you think I write fast now, just imagine how much faster I'd be writing if I had 7 more years of practice. Or how many more books I would have written? I'd be closing in on 30 books by now. Maybe more.
In retrospect, I should have gotten a minor in graphic design so I could make book covers. Or courses in marketing for advertising books.
Hell. Technically, I should have become an electrician. By this point, I'd be making six figures a year, and I could write books in my spare time about how to burn houses down with the right wiring... or the improper wiring.
Anyway, at the end of the day, I'm not doing too terrible. I met my wife because of my books. I have a fan base I enjoy interacting with.
Besides. I've been compelled to write stories since I was 16. I didn't really have an option about writing. it's always just been a matter of what the content was.
Anyway.
For reasons of sanity, this year will be slightly slower than last year. 2019 saw the publication of nine books. Not counting the anthologies.
2020 will see me writing a little less and editing more. I have books in my queue that I haven't looked at in a decade. And the last time I edited stuff and released it, it went over fairly well.
There will also be more Saint Tommy books en route. Though probably not another six this year.
If you have a minute, check my books on Amazon, (here or on the right margin) and save a life -- left a review.
Be well all, and happy new year.
December 11, 2019
Ghostbusters: Afterlife - Official Trailer (2020)
Well, that was ... not what I expected.
Let's start with the premise that I no longer think that Ghostbusters holds up as well as it used to. I'm not sure if it's the style, the acting, the writing, it's just not as much fun as I remember it being. And I used to quite enjoy it.
Now .... eh.
Still better than that 2016 abortion.
Now we have a film that's ... technically a sequel? Obviously, it's got at least one set of grandkids from Egon Spengler.
I'll give them points for this. This trailer feels more like Ghostbusters at this early date than the 2016 travesty ever did. It has touches of the music. It has the right sound effects. The minimal CGI looks right. It even has an homage to the original cartoon.
The most important tie-in, however, is that the villain of the piece might be Shandor -- the man who made spook central in the first film because he thought all of humanity should have been wiped out because people were a plague on the Earth.
You know, like Thanos. Only working with the forces of Hell.
It's also nice to see Paul Rudd in a movie that's obviously toned down from his work in the Anti-Man films.
This might be interesting. Not sure if I'd see it, but I'm curious enough to see the next trailer.
Until then, if there's something strange in your neighborhood, I suggest reading up on one Thomas Nolan. Because when he fights the ungodly, it's more literal than usual.
December 10, 2019
Wonder Woman 1984 – Official Trailer
Oh look, it's a comic book movie.
Not a lot to say about this one. It looks bright and colorful. Heck, it looks more colorful than.... every DC movie filmed this decade.
Gal Gadot, as usual, looks stunning. I never really appreciated how long her legs were until the 28 second mark -- the slit up her dress is so long, I expected her to flash the audience, but nope, still... modest? I guess.
Not sure what they're doing with the blonde in the trailer. Supposedly, she'll turn into the Wonder Woman enemy Cheetah. Right now, she looks more likely to turn into Arrow's Felicity Smoake.
Also, it's odd to see that Steve Trevor is back. I wonder how much of this was "He was fun, let's bring him back" and how much was "Chris Pine isn't going to have a Star Trek IV, we can hire him again..." Supposedly there's a variation of monkeypaw syndrome going on during this one, so we'll see what happens.
Apparently, the primary villain is Maxwell Lord, who was only recently turned evil in the comics. He's also suffering from a bad case of 80's hair.
I don't know why they set this in the 80's, since the only thing that seems period specific is the amount of people hanging out in the mall.... and Lord's hair. Ugh.
Meanwhile, if you want a kickass superheroine, I happen to have one right here for you. Meet Amanda. Heh heh heh.
Not a lot to say about this one. It looks bright and colorful. Heck, it looks more colorful than.... every DC movie filmed this decade.
Gal Gadot, as usual, looks stunning. I never really appreciated how long her legs were until the 28 second mark -- the slit up her dress is so long, I expected her to flash the audience, but nope, still... modest? I guess.
Not sure what they're doing with the blonde in the trailer. Supposedly, she'll turn into the Wonder Woman enemy Cheetah. Right now, she looks more likely to turn into Arrow's Felicity Smoake.
Also, it's odd to see that Steve Trevor is back. I wonder how much of this was "He was fun, let's bring him back" and how much was "Chris Pine isn't going to have a Star Trek IV, we can hire him again..." Supposedly there's a variation of monkeypaw syndrome going on during this one, so we'll see what happens.
Apparently, the primary villain is Maxwell Lord, who was only recently turned evil in the comics. He's also suffering from a bad case of 80's hair.
I don't know why they set this in the 80's, since the only thing that seems period specific is the amount of people hanging out in the mall.... and Lord's hair. Ugh.
Meanwhile, if you want a kickass superheroine, I happen to have one right here for you. Meet Amanda. Heh heh heh.
December 9, 2019
Give the gift of reviews this Christmas
Hello everyone.
Last week, I noted just how much I've come out with this year.
The Saint Tommy Boxed Set
Infernal Affairs
City of Shadows
Crusader
Deus Vult
Too Secret Service (Part 1)
Too Secret Service (Part 2)
Too Secret Service (Part 3)
Dances with Werewolves (Part 1)
Dances with Werewolves (Part 2)
Area 51 (The Anthology)
Pluto
12 releases -- six novels (two long ones in five parts), a box set and two anthologies. Damn it's been a busy year.
However, there is one thing I will also note.
My first saint Tommy novel, Hell Spawn (link to the right) as of now has 87 reviews. Honor at Stake (ditto) has 115.
The others, however, need a few more. Technically, even Hell Spawn can use 13 more... because 100 is a magic number. Amazon gifts me a unicorn or something.
So if you wouldn't mind, if there are books kicking around that you've read and have not reviewed, could you please do so. A few lines about how perfect and awesome the books are wouldn't go amiss.
This even includes the individual parts of Too Secret Service and Dances with Werewolves. Remember -- Amazon algorithms are a pain in the ass, and ever evolving to play havoc with how they push your book, and who they show the books two..
As you may have noticed, I haven't been posting with my regular frequency this year. But I think I'm going to spend the next few weeks building up a release schedule of blog posts so I can once again establish a daily release.
Last week, I noted just how much I've come out with this year.
The Saint Tommy Boxed Set
Infernal Affairs
City of Shadows
Crusader
Deus Vult
Too Secret Service (Part 1)
Too Secret Service (Part 2)
Too Secret Service (Part 3)
Dances with Werewolves (Part 1)
Dances with Werewolves (Part 2)
Area 51 (The Anthology)
Pluto
12 releases -- six novels (two long ones in five parts), a box set and two anthologies. Damn it's been a busy year.
However, there is one thing I will also note.
My first saint Tommy novel, Hell Spawn (link to the right) as of now has 87 reviews. Honor at Stake (ditto) has 115.
The others, however, need a few more. Technically, even Hell Spawn can use 13 more... because 100 is a magic number. Amazon gifts me a unicorn or something.
So if you wouldn't mind, if there are books kicking around that you've read and have not reviewed, could you please do so. A few lines about how perfect and awesome the books are wouldn't go amiss.
This even includes the individual parts of Too Secret Service and Dances with Werewolves. Remember -- Amazon algorithms are a pain in the ass, and ever evolving to play havoc with how they push your book, and who they show the books two..
As you may have noticed, I haven't been posting with my regular frequency this year. But I think I'm going to spend the next few weeks building up a release schedule of blog posts so I can once again establish a daily release.
