Jason Waltz > Recent Status Updates

Christmas Day 1862, Robert E. Lee voiced - after living his own interpretation of Robert E. Howard's Conan ethos of living, loving, and slaying - that he was content.

First time the biographer identified emphasis as added - and there's been tons of emphasis to this point, which I've been wondering if it was Lee's or the author's. That question remains unanswered, but it is interesting he finally identifies his addition here.

What debacles happen when you don't demand attention and adherence! Finally Lee grew angry, but after far too long quietly trying to avoid conflict. What was more important: keeping the army alive and intact and ready to fight or placating incompetent faux commanders? So much wasted time, effort, and lives.

Received this as a surprise anonymous gift so who am I not to read it right away?!

Pretty cool consistent art really helps contribute to the building tenseness of prologue and Chpt 1. Conan acts like Conan which is great, mostly looks like him. I'm holding opinion on involving all these far-flung Howard characters, but I do especially like El Borak's reaction to the sigil. Good start, thrills and excitement abound!

Not impressed with Granny Lee. He wasted energy, morale, and then allowed men to die in the future by simply pushing problems away and not maning up in the now.

Until these last 2 chapters the author sounded like he liked Lee; these last 2 he sounds more like he looks down upon him.

While the author continues to insert his opinions (at times loquaciously more annoying than others), I've not noticed disagreeing with him until his closing out of chapter 14 with the numbskull observation that R.E.Lee chose war on behalf of the South to avoid problems at home.

Rhodes, "Rainbow Dark": new to me author. Sweet, melancholy, well-told tale. Definitely on the Guilds side, passably Sword & Sorcery.

Friesner, "Honors Among Thieves": silly but okay fantasy tale. No idea why someone would call it Sword and Sorcery though.

Fascinating start. Beautiful preface, great introduction, clever quotes.

While this has actually been far more interesting than anticipated, and it is actually a very easy read (though the author fills it with his opinion), I have realized this book has really impeded my reading content, quality, and speed. Normally I read three or four books a month and that has proven difficult while reading this one. I take this to mean I am bored.

Zub's "Leaving the Garden" is as great as promised! Very cool S&S Attitude Conan and story. Sloppy but appropriate to the story art. Conan is very bad ass in this one! Read and enjoy it!

Also cool full page from Kayanan to open things.

Is no one or nothing not dysfunctional in this world and time? The Lee family sounds odd. The peacetime military sounds just like in *Once an Eagle*.

Zircher's Solomon Kane story and art is pretty good, I look forward to reading its conclusion.

Shanks' article on S.Kane is really strong.

So ends issue 1, I'll say pretty positively good.
Now on to why I'm reading this.

Zub, "Sacrifice in the Sand": good, harsh, one-two punch Conan story.

Issue 1...ok. Great art from De La Torre and Zaffino. "Conan and the Dragon Horde" ok art, scenes, action, and animals good, some people. Story ok, good Ineah plotline, Conan was sorta dumb though.

Jones, "The Sword and the Djinn": surprisingly, a beautiful love story in an S&S anthology. Not surprisingly, a beautiful Howard Andrew Jones story. Skillfully told, really puts us in the place and time, makes us believe in the characters. Pure gold.

Harding, "In the Asps' Nest": deadly story featuring a promising character who pulls off a dramatic assassination. All the back and forth flashbacks within flashbacks was a tad cumbersome but we still got a good story to open things up.

Stone, "Bone Thief": cool story, dark, dangerous, mysterious and thrilling. Good character and some real well done ambiance creation. Great climax. Actually didn't need the last sentence as the 2nd to last made a perfect denouement but it still works just fine. Great closer.

All very true statements regarding the lack of tracking police violence on citizens. Granted 12 years later we're overburdened with tracking but the point still remains: what are the numbers of violent incidents perpetuated by po-po on civilians who proved not to be criminals? Such numbers would be tracked if, once again, we changed the semantic from 'criminal' justice system to VICTIM Justice System.

Calderon, "The Sharpshooter's Curse": 1st person again but also done well. Lots more action and talkin'. Good bloody story.

Bickley, "Reg Comey's Discovery": creepy tale, 1st person POV done well. Not terribly exciting but serviceable.

Nicoll, "Webbed Wings over the Rio Quinto": The first 'just a story' of the anthology. Not bad and described well but no real action.

Linton, "The Hard Road Home": pretty dang good believable storytelling. Mysterious and dangerous, and I was right there for all of it.

Wood, "And the Sky with No Clouds": another well-written Western with true to life characters and a pretty diabolical Wyrd indeed. Good story with a sort of too-easy solution, yet still enjoyable.

Wheeler, "Moonlight Fandango": spectacularly fun story! Felt like the True West while also entertaining with a great magical duo. All the characters were well-written and I'd read of all of them again. Great story continuing the great opening to this antho.

Myths shatter frequently, and there's nothing different here.

Boncher, "When the Hoot Owl Calls": got our first revenant in this here tale. Pretty good battle between good and evil, with a satisfactory climax. Decent Western characters too.

Pilgrim, "Burnt Ends": okay first contact type story realistically told from POV of someone who truly wouldn't have a clue what was happening. Also - great Western author last name.

Whew. Talk about dysfunctional families. Some good points made by Thomas in his preface. Though he does like to do what everyone who has ever written a term paper does: pads the page count by repeating himself through rewording. It has been interesting getting to discover the Lee family.

Tarbell, "A Land of Iron and Steel": pretty dang good opener after I figured out what the heck was going on. Action was fine, it was getting oriented (heh!) what took a bit. Great hero actually and a good plot.