Anthony Lowe's Blog, page 3
September 9, 2017
Movie Review: The Homesman (2014)
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"You are not socially acceptable."
THE HOMESMAN opens with a very awkward marriage proposal on the part of a woman living alone in Nebraska Territory to a man who can barely stay awake during their dinner. Mary Bee Cuddy (Hillary Swank) is a farmer in an unforgiving part of the country, eking out a fair living but unable to find anyone willing to marry her, which is beginning to cause her great distress.
Meanwhile, as winter picks up, three wives of nearby homesteaders have all gone insane. Unable to cure the women, the church of the nearest town elect Mary Bee to take the three back east across the Mississippi, where they'll be sent back to their families. Before the journey can even begin, Mary Bee runs across a man calling himself George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones), left to die with a noose around his neck and an unsteady horse beneath him. Agreeing to help Mary Bee transport the three women back east in exchange for his life, the five of them set out into wilderness unsure of what they'll come up against.
THE HOMESMAN, which marks Tommy Lee Jones' third film in the director's chair, is (for my money) one of the best Westerns to be made in recent years. Though Jones himself has made the claim that the film has little in common with a traditional Western aside from time and location -- and he's right -- it still fits neatly within the boundaries of a revisionist Western, with its goal of treating familiar imagery with a healthy dose of realism.
The film shines a light on the treatment and overbearing expectations of women on the frontier, and does not shy away from depicting the conditions which first impelled these three women towards insanity. Even Mary Bee, who is the overseer of the journey, finds it difficult escape the pressures of being a single woman. Though only thirty-one years old, she perceives herself as someone who is missing the train, so to speak, to becoming the wife she believes she *must* be and achieving her womanhood in the process. Although she is the one driving the wagon, she and the other three women are all on the same journey, suffering the same affliction at varying intensities. (This also makes the title of the film tragically ironic in context.)
THE HOMESMAN is a very cynical film, and very aware that the conditions that plague its main cast are not going to go away for decades. Its very premise illustrates this, kicked off by a group of men who would rather send their wives away forever than to deal with their suffering. However, it still focuses on a facet of the frontier that very rarely takes center stage in the genre. It's beautifully shot, well-written, and the cast is all around solid. Tommy Lee Jones has created a Western that meshes the aesthetics of the classics with the themes of modern cinema. It's not very optimistic, but then again the West rarely was.
* * * *4 out of 4 Stars
"You are not socially acceptable."
THE HOMESMAN opens with a very awkward marriage proposal on the part of a woman living alone in Nebraska Territory to a man who can barely stay awake during their dinner. Mary Bee Cuddy (Hillary Swank) is a farmer in an unforgiving part of the country, eking out a fair living but unable to find anyone willing to marry her, which is beginning to cause her great distress.
Meanwhile, as winter picks up, three wives of nearby homesteaders have all gone insane. Unable to cure the women, the church of the nearest town elect Mary Bee to take the three back east across the Mississippi, where they'll be sent back to their families. Before the journey can even begin, Mary Bee runs across a man calling himself George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones), left to die with a noose around his neck and an unsteady horse beneath him. Agreeing to help Mary Bee transport the three women back east in exchange for his life, the five of them set out into wilderness unsure of what they'll come up against.
THE HOMESMAN, which marks Tommy Lee Jones' third film in the director's chair, is (for my money) one of the best Westerns to be made in recent years. Though Jones himself has made the claim that the film has little in common with a traditional Western aside from time and location -- and he's right -- it still fits neatly within the boundaries of a revisionist Western, with its goal of treating familiar imagery with a healthy dose of realism.
The film shines a light on the treatment and overbearing expectations of women on the frontier, and does not shy away from depicting the conditions which first impelled these three women towards insanity. Even Mary Bee, who is the overseer of the journey, finds it difficult escape the pressures of being a single woman. Though only thirty-one years old, she perceives herself as someone who is missing the train, so to speak, to becoming the wife she believes she *must* be and achieving her womanhood in the process. Although she is the one driving the wagon, she and the other three women are all on the same journey, suffering the same affliction at varying intensities. (This also makes the title of the film tragically ironic in context.)
THE HOMESMAN is a very cynical film, and very aware that the conditions that plague its main cast are not going to go away for decades. Its very premise illustrates this, kicked off by a group of men who would rather send their wives away forever than to deal with their suffering. However, it still focuses on a facet of the frontier that very rarely takes center stage in the genre. It's beautifully shot, well-written, and the cast is all around solid. Tommy Lee Jones has created a Western that meshes the aesthetics of the classics with the themes of modern cinema. It's not very optimistic, but then again the West rarely was.
* * * *4 out of 4 Stars
October 23, 2016
BLADES OF ELSINGR (Lore of the Reluctant #2) is Out Now! Also, an explanation...
Things moved quickly this week! The cover art was completed and I was able to get the second story in the Lore of the Reluctant series published this morning. Check out the link above for the Amazon Kindle version.
So, since this has been a long time coming, and I've gotten a couple stories published since the first book, let me explain what this series is and what it's attempting to be:
A little over three years ago, I set a goal for myself. I would self-publish at least three novels, regardless of subject/genre, in an attempt to 1) Learn the process of getting a novel to the market, 2) Build a kind of portfolio to show that I can continuously produce full-length projects, 3) Basically just keep myself writing and learn from whatever feedback I was able to get.
The result was the Lore of the Reluctant series, something I've been kicking around for years. Three friends from our world who wake up in a high fantasy realm, complete with everything they'd need to quest without incident. New bodies, new memories, and entire lives to draw upon so that they'd never miss a beat. By the time the series picks up, they've been at it for a while and they're getting kinda bored with the whole prospect. If they can't get back to Earth, they just want to settle down in a quiet city somewhere, but the Realm of Shiloft has other plans for them.
Each book is meant to be a light, standalone "day-in-the-life" story in the vein of the old Conan and Red Sonja novels. Almost nothing plot-wise carries over between novels expect for location and the trio's wanting to just quit the whole thing. My goal is to write at least three of these, keep them short enough so that they can be read casually, ensure the novels don't lean too heavily on each other, and hopefully make them funny as hell.
BLADES OF ELSINGR is the second entry, with one more being written as we speak. I have other projects in the air right now (that I've mentioned here before at one point or another). Work on it will probably progress in earnest over the winter break.
That's it! Please give the story a look if you can, post some feedback if you have the time. Otherwise, I'll see you next update!
September 16, 2016
ALIEN ARTIFACTS - Out Now!
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ALIEN ARTIFACTS, a sci-fi anthology which features my weird western short story, is out in stores now! Here's the description:
My contribution, "The Haint of Sweetwater River," is about an alien device that just might have had an influence on the run-in with the stockgrowers of Wyoming and Ella "Cattle Kate" Watson. Digital copies can be purchased just about anywhere, while the paperback edition can be had on Amazon and Zombies Need Brains official store. (I think copies will end up in Barnes and Noble, but can't be sure there.) Check out the "My Books" section for your options.
Additionally, my publisher, Zombies Need Brains, is running a Kickstarter for their newest round of anthologies. If you like what they've released so far, and wouldn't mind reading more stories about robot invasions, encounters with Death, and underwater civilizations, then consider supporting their project.
Bye for now! (And wish me luck on the upcoming semester!)
ALIEN ARTIFACTS, a sci-fi anthology which features my weird western short story, is out in stores now! Here's the description:
What might we run into as we expand beyond Earth and into the stars? As we explore our own solar system and beyond, it seems inevitable that we’ll run into aliens … and what they’ve left behind. Alien artifacts: what might they reveal about us as we try to unlock their secrets? What might they reveal about the universe?
In this anthology, nineteen of today’s leading science fiction and fantasy authors explore how discovering long lost relics of alien civilizations might change humanity. Join Walter H. Hunt, Julie Novakova, David Farland, Angela Penrose, S.C. Butler, Gail Z. Martin & Larry N. Martin, Juliet E. McKenna, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Andrija Popovic, Jacey Bedford, Sofie Bird, James Van Pelt, Gini Koch, Anthony Lowe, Jennifer Dunne, Coral Moore, Daniel J. Davis, C.S. Friedman, and Seanan McGuire as they discover the stars and the secrets they may hold—both dark and deadly and awe-inspiring.
My contribution, "The Haint of Sweetwater River," is about an alien device that just might have had an influence on the run-in with the stockgrowers of Wyoming and Ella "Cattle Kate" Watson. Digital copies can be purchased just about anywhere, while the paperback edition can be had on Amazon and Zombies Need Brains official store. (I think copies will end up in Barnes and Noble, but can't be sure there.) Check out the "My Books" section for your options.
Additionally, my publisher, Zombies Need Brains, is running a Kickstarter for their newest round of anthologies. If you like what they've released so far, and wouldn't mind reading more stories about robot invasions, encounters with Death, and underwater civilizations, then consider supporting their project.
Bye for now! (And wish me luck on the upcoming semester!)
August 13, 2016
"Gunfight at the Thornmount Colossus" - First Runner-Up (Second Place) in the 2016 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award
About a month ago, I mentioned one of my short stories made it through to the finals in the Baen Books 2016 Fantasy Adventure Award. Welp! Happy to say it made it through to the final three and placed second! Really happy, in fact.
I love the idea that one of my stories is getting some eyes on it from published authors, and I'm really hoping to keep this momentum going. The downside is, obviously, that the story won't be released through the Baen Books website. However, it does free me up to get it out into the world via other avenues, all of which I'm currently exploring.
As for what I'm working on currently:
- BLADES OF ELSINGR is still in a holding pattern due to unforeseen circumstances, but I'm still combing through it in the meantime. Would still like to get it published before the end of the year.
- I have a volley of short stories ready to be sent out to answer the call of open submissions for a few publications. Fingers crossed that one of them gets hooked.
- I'm not quite committing my full attention to it yet, but I'm poking at a novel based on the same weird western universe in which both "The Lonesome Dark" and "Gunfight at the Thornmount Colossus" take place. Still in the research/pre-production phase.
As far as other news, ALIEN ARTIFACTS, which includes my weird western short story, "The Haint of Sweetwater River," is on track to being published by the end of the month! I'll make another post when that date rolls around.
Take care!
I love the idea that one of my stories is getting some eyes on it from published authors, and I'm really hoping to keep this momentum going. The downside is, obviously, that the story won't be released through the Baen Books website. However, it does free me up to get it out into the world via other avenues, all of which I'm currently exploring.
As for what I'm working on currently:
- BLADES OF ELSINGR is still in a holding pattern due to unforeseen circumstances, but I'm still combing through it in the meantime. Would still like to get it published before the end of the year.
- I have a volley of short stories ready to be sent out to answer the call of open submissions for a few publications. Fingers crossed that one of them gets hooked.
- I'm not quite committing my full attention to it yet, but I'm poking at a novel based on the same weird western universe in which both "The Lonesome Dark" and "Gunfight at the Thornmount Colossus" take place. Still in the research/pre-production phase.
As far as other news, ALIEN ARTIFACTS, which includes my weird western short story, "The Haint of Sweetwater River," is on track to being published by the end of the month! I'll make another post when that date rolls around.
Take care!
July 7, 2016
"Gunfight at the Thornmount Colossus" - Finalist in the 2016 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award
Hey, all!
With the publication date of ALIEN ARTIFACTS right around the corner, I got a nice little surprise a few weeks ago. One of my most recent short stories, "Gunfight at the Thornmount Colossus," is a finalist in the 2016 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award! Neat-o!
This story is an indirect sequel to "The Lonesome Dark," which was published by Ragnarok Publications in the ebook version of BLACKGUARDS: TALES OF ASSASSINS, MERCENARIES, AND THIEVES. Both stories take place in a fantasy world very reminiscent of the American Old West, which pulls upon all kinds of legends, folklore, and good ol' fashioned history texts to create a magically-charged patchwork where gunslingers are the new knights-errant.
Fingers crossed "Gunfight" makes it through to the grand prize, but there are nine other (very) talented authors in the running, as well, so I'm just flat out enthused to be up there with them.
Take care!
With the publication date of ALIEN ARTIFACTS right around the corner, I got a nice little surprise a few weeks ago. One of my most recent short stories, "Gunfight at the Thornmount Colossus," is a finalist in the 2016 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award! Neat-o!
This story is an indirect sequel to "The Lonesome Dark," which was published by Ragnarok Publications in the ebook version of BLACKGUARDS: TALES OF ASSASSINS, MERCENARIES, AND THIEVES. Both stories take place in a fantasy world very reminiscent of the American Old West, which pulls upon all kinds of legends, folklore, and good ol' fashioned history texts to create a magically-charged patchwork where gunslingers are the new knights-errant.
Fingers crossed "Gunfight" makes it through to the grand prize, but there are nine other (very) talented authors in the running, as well, so I'm just flat out enthused to be up there with them.
Take care!
April 9, 2016
"The Haint of Sweetwater River" - Available in ALIEN ARTIFACTS by ZNB Publications
It's official! My weird western short story, "The Haint of Sweetwater River," has been selected for publication in ALIEN ARTIFACTS, a sci-fi anthology by the good folks at Zombies Need Brains.
They're aiming for an August release date and I believe it'll be available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. If you're interested in supporting the publisher right just now, you can preorder the limited edition Kickstarter version HERE.
Thanks again to ZNB for the opportunity! Recently read David Farland's weird western short, "Hellfire on the High Frontier" and loved it, so I'm pretty jazzed to have a story alongside his.
For the final Table of Contents, cover art, and synopsis of ALIEN ARTIFACTS, here's the Kickstarter update.
July 2, 2015
'Ey, I'm on Wattpad!
So, I started a Wattpad account today! Feel free to check it out here! (I'll put it in the sidebar, as well.)
http://www.wattpad.com/user/amlowe
Figured it'd be a nice place to post some of my more recent stories. Only have the one up right now--"Rize & Shine: A Confession of Wicked Spirits and Dangerous Magicks"--a short story about a rather infamous moonshiner during Prohibition, but I'm hoping to get more up soon.
http://www.wattpad.com/user/amlowe
Figured it'd be a nice place to post some of my more recent stories. Only have the one up right now--"Rize & Shine: A Confession of Wicked Spirits and Dangerous Magicks"--a short story about a rather infamous moonshiner during Prohibition, but I'm hoping to get more up soon.
'Ey, I'm on Wattad!
So, I started a Wattpad account today! Feel free to check it out here! (I'll put it in the sidebar, as well.)
http://www.wattpad.com/user/amlowe
Figured it'd be a nice place to post some of my more recent stories. Only have the one up right now--"Rize & Shine: A Confession of Wicked Spirits and Dangerous Magicks"--a short story about a rather infamous moonshiner during Prohibition, but I'm hoping to get more up soon.
http://www.wattpad.com/user/amlowe
Figured it'd be a nice place to post some of my more recent stories. Only have the one up right now--"Rize & Shine: A Confession of Wicked Spirits and Dangerous Magicks"--a short story about a rather infamous moonshiner during Prohibition, but I'm hoping to get more up soon.
April 27, 2015
Blackguards and Other Such Things!
Been a long time! A little over four months, which is regrettable, but I have excuses. Here's what I've been up to lately.
1. School! - Feels like one of the busiest semesters so far. Sixteen units, which isn't so bad, but throw in a statistics class and I've been stressing to the max some days. I'm hoping to transfer to a university either this year or next year, so I want to get as many classes in as I can. Hoping by next semester I'll have more room to write consistently.
2. RevisingCity of Blades: I'm still giving my most recent novel a lot of attention, reading and rereading it as frequently as I can while my sister finishes up her semester. Fingers crossed that she'll have time to commit to a cover, but in the meantime I haven't been sitting on my hands.
One announcement: When I titled the book City of Blades, I swear to all of you that I did the research and ensure that there were no other novels by that name. As it happens, now there are two. One by Robert Jackson Bennett (author of City of Stairs) and another by S.M. White (an anthology buddy!). Needless to say, I'll be giving Book Two another title, and I actually like the new one better. After a couple other prospects wrap up, I'll post it here formally.
But with its old title, City of Blades has been making the rounds in the agent circuit, since I feel it's more "publishable" in its current state. Additionally, it's also been entered in Mark Lawrence's "Great Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off!" This was a great opportunity for me, and I'm hoping to have good news to share in the coming months. My novel will be read by Mihir Wanchoo of Fantasy Book Critic. Really excited to see the feedback it'll be getting!
3. Anthologies: The ebook edition of Blackguards: Tales of Assassins, Mercenaries, and Rogues is now available on Kindle (EDIT: and other places!) It contains my fantasy/Western short story, "The Lonesome Dark."
I've also entered another short story from the same universe into another anthology competition, but I haven't heard back from them yet. When I get the word, I'll post it here.
That's about it for now! Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I'll be starting work on Book Three of Lore of the Reluctant this summer. Already have a lot of fun ideas for it.
Take care!
1. School! - Feels like one of the busiest semesters so far. Sixteen units, which isn't so bad, but throw in a statistics class and I've been stressing to the max some days. I'm hoping to transfer to a university either this year or next year, so I want to get as many classes in as I can. Hoping by next semester I'll have more room to write consistently.
2. Revising
One announcement: When I titled the book City of Blades, I swear to all of you that I did the research and ensure that there were no other novels by that name. As it happens, now there are two. One by Robert Jackson Bennett (author of City of Stairs) and another by S.M. White (an anthology buddy!). Needless to say, I'll be giving Book Two another title, and I actually like the new one better. After a couple other prospects wrap up, I'll post it here formally.
But with its old title, City of Blades has been making the rounds in the agent circuit, since I feel it's more "publishable" in its current state. Additionally, it's also been entered in Mark Lawrence's "Great Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off!" This was a great opportunity for me, and I'm hoping to have good news to share in the coming months. My novel will be read by Mihir Wanchoo of Fantasy Book Critic. Really excited to see the feedback it'll be getting!
3. Anthologies: The ebook edition of Blackguards: Tales of Assassins, Mercenaries, and Rogues is now available on Kindle (EDIT: and other places!) It contains my fantasy/Western short story, "The Lonesome Dark."
I've also entered another short story from the same universe into another anthology competition, but I haven't heard back from them yet. When I get the word, I'll post it here.
That's about it for now! Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I'll be starting work on Book Three of Lore of the Reluctant this summer. Already have a lot of fun ideas for it.
Take care!
December 24, 2014
Grimdarkness and BLACKGUARDS
It's official! My short story submission to Ragnarok Publications will be included in the soon-to-be-released dark fantasy anthology: BLACKGUARDS: TALES OF ASSASSINS, MERCENARIES, AND ROGUES.
I'm very excited about this for a few reasons. For one: this will be the first time I'll receive a paycheck from a publisher, which is an awesome kind of validation all its own. Two: I'll be thrown in with a talented bunch of writers. Paul S. Kemp wrote THE OLD REPUBLIC: DECEIVED, one of my favorite Star Wars novels, and Michael J. Sullivan wrote another one of my favorites, HOLLOW WORLD. (I've also begun reading Mr. Sullivan's first Ryria novel, STORM OF SWORDS, and I'm having a blast so far.)
For tree: "The Lonesome Dark" was a story that I was/am really proud of. It's an author's hope that their next project is always, always a culmination of what they've learned and how they've improved, and this story in particular (I hope!) shows how much I've grown as a writer and where my strengths are now at this moment. Plus, I had a lot of fun writing it, so that's pretty cool.
While I didn't make the cut for one of the two slots in the main anthology, my story will be included in the companion anthology, THE BLACKGUARDS BLACKLIST, which is composed of eleven stories that were selected from open submissions exclusively. THE BLACKLIST will be rolled into the ebook release of the anthology, and will be included as a backer reward to those who kickstarted the project.
If you have an interest in pre-ordering the book/ebook, you can do so through the BLACKGUARDS BackerKit RIGHT HERE.
Otherwise, the website says Ragnarok is aiming for a February 2015 release.
See you then!
I'm very excited about this for a few reasons. For one: this will be the first time I'll receive a paycheck from a publisher, which is an awesome kind of validation all its own. Two: I'll be thrown in with a talented bunch of writers. Paul S. Kemp wrote THE OLD REPUBLIC: DECEIVED, one of my favorite Star Wars novels, and Michael J. Sullivan wrote another one of my favorites, HOLLOW WORLD. (I've also begun reading Mr. Sullivan's first Ryria novel, STORM OF SWORDS, and I'm having a blast so far.)
For tree: "The Lonesome Dark" was a story that I was/am really proud of. It's an author's hope that their next project is always, always a culmination of what they've learned and how they've improved, and this story in particular (I hope!) shows how much I've grown as a writer and where my strengths are now at this moment. Plus, I had a lot of fun writing it, so that's pretty cool.
While I didn't make the cut for one of the two slots in the main anthology, my story will be included in the companion anthology, THE BLACKGUARDS BLACKLIST, which is composed of eleven stories that were selected from open submissions exclusively. THE BLACKLIST will be rolled into the ebook release of the anthology, and will be included as a backer reward to those who kickstarted the project.
If you have an interest in pre-ordering the book/ebook, you can do so through the BLACKGUARDS BackerKit RIGHT HERE.
Otherwise, the website says Ragnarok is aiming for a February 2015 release.
See you then!
