November '23 Roundup & Rambling

Raw Data:

Novels – 14 ↑

Short Stories – 0 ⭤

Manga/Graphic Novels – 0 ⭤

Comics – 1 ⭤

Average Rating – 3.20 ↓

Pages – 3592 ↑

Words – 1297K ↑

The Bad:

The Chromatic Court – 1star of very disappointing King in Yellow stories.

The Good:

Sense and Sensibility – 5stars of Classic Goodness

Hedges – 4stars of good advice

Movie:

• Sense and Sensibility – 2008 miniseries
• Sense and Sensibility – 1995 movie
• Sense and Sensibility – 1981 miniseries
• Sense and Sensibility – 1971 miniseries

Miscellaneous Posts:

• CRCL: Double Z
• Crusade – MTG 4E
• [Repost 2023] About
• [Art] Flight into the Night
• Angel in the Rain
• Crystal Rod – MTG 4E
• Shelf Control: Warlock Holmes
• Cursed Land – MTG 4E
• Thanksgiving 2023
• ♪Last of the Rockstars♪
• Cursed Rack – MTG 4E

Personal:

What a flipping month!

We got a new Meatbag at work. He’s not an engineering student slumming, so he’s not MY meatbag intern, but he’s a good enough kid and has a positive attitude. Which really goes a long way when you’re working 9hrs in the rain on a job site 90minutes from the office while sundown is at 4:15pm. I shall now refer to him, if I do, as Meatbag II. That being said, are all 18 year olds such wusses now? He was complaining about how the instrument bag was hurting his back from carrying it. Sure, the bag needs to be replaced, but its functional. I can’t remember if I whined about stuff like that when I was 18 or not. Toughen up kid, life is hard.

Speaking of work. I’ve been doing land survey work for 23 years (given, it was spotty from ’08-’14 when I had to work private security because of the Great Recession) and never had an accident with a cutting utensil. Until this month, when I was sharpening a machete, with a blinking safety sharpener. One slip and sliiiiiiiice, got a nice one inch long cut on my right hand. At first I wasn’t even sure I had cut myself, because the blade was so sharp, but then the blood started pouring out and I was like “yep, cut myself”. So bandaged it up for the day. This was also my introduction to liquid bandages. So remember kids, machetes aren’t toys! Well, except when you’re playing the Machete Game. Then they are the ultimate toy.

Thanksgiving was a nice time spent with a family from church that we’re friends with. Lots of good food and fellowship made for a very mellow day.

I ran to the brink of burnout with my caffeine intake and had to stop for a week. Resetting my biology back to normal is always a miserable experience and makes life seem much much worse while it’s happening. Coupled with all the work and all the stuff going on at church for the holidays, it’s why I had my little angel in the rain post. But I saw the warning signs and stopped before stepping off that brink. Next time, I need to do better at not getting close to the edge at all.

Sadly, Mrs B broke her wrist at work near the end of the month, so that put the kabosh on her working for a couple of weeks at the least. It happened at work, so I’m hoping she can get workmans comp without a huge fight from her employer. But I’m not counting on it. It does mean she’s going to go stir crazy at home, so who know what that means around the house for December. Not like she can actually DO very much, hahahahaa. Thankfully, we’re both in good spirits about it and it wasn’t very painful. Didn’t even know it was broken at first. Wasn’t until she went to the doctors that he said it was broken and not sprained. But feel free to start a Go-Fund-Me campaign so we can live high on the hog for a couple of months off the backs of others 😉

Cover Love:

Even though I showcased this at the beginning of the month, nothing else was able to beat it out for the Cover Love category. While Double Z is a lame title, that cover is pure awesomesauce and I eat it up with a spoon.

Plans for Next Month:

I managed to get my read vs review time down to 2 weeks in November, so I suspect I’ll have no problem getting that down to 1 week in December.

Sense and Sensibility Sundays were a lot of fun (for EVERYONE, bunty, or else!) and so I’m going to semi-repeat the process for “A Christmas Carol” in December. I’ll read the short story and then listen and watch various incarnations of it. Just a heads up though, each successive week will be a sillier version than the previous, so don’t expect much after week two 😉

Other than that, it should be same old, same old. I’m going to take Friday’s off from posting and am giving it serious thought to extending that to Wednesday’s as well. Planning my down time seems to work for keeping me from blogging burn out.

The Chromatic Court (The King in Yellow Anthology #11) 1Star

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: The Chromatic Court
Series: The King in Yellow Anthology #11
Author: Peter Rawlik (ed)
Rating: 1 of 5 Stars
Genre: Cosmic Horror Anthology
Pages: 284
Words: 107K

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This collection of short stories starts off with some modern sexual perversions and insanities masquerading as personal choices, so while that type of thing usually ends in an immediate DNF, I decided to finish the collection.

Sadly, this was as much a Cthulhu collection as it was a King in Yellow collection. I even hesitated to put this into the King in Yellow side of things, but I did and decided to just call this book a complete loss.

What a way to end the month, sigh.

★☆☆☆☆

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From the Publisher and Table of Contents:

The Color of Things © Peter Rawlik

When Lavender is in Bloom © Christine Morgan

Love and Treachery © Joseph S. Pulver Sr.

The Grey Queen © Paul StJohn Mackintosh

The Man in Purple Tatters © Rick Lai

The Green Muse © Jon Black

The Songs of Burning Men © John Linwood Grant

Curse of the White Inferno © Glynn Owen Barrass

The Blues of the Endless Sky © Simon Bucher-Jones

Tatterdemalion in Grey © Micah S. Harris

The Frieze of Helmsly Ainsworth © David Bernard

The Matron in the Wood © Logan Noble

The Duke of Rust © Matt Laughlin

Have you ever been haunted by a work of art?

You may not be merely captured by the craft, but by something that lies in the work’s depths. Something admiring you as you admire it.

Do you know the King in Yellow? The Sepia Prince? The Duke of Rust? Have you heard their whispers coming to you from dried up parchment and faded photographs? Maybe another member of the King’s court has lit upon your life, casting shadows and doubts. Do you worship them, fear them, revere them, or simply seek to understand them? These hallowed nobles who hold court around the King.

Each noble holds an artform in their wavelength. For their color to shine, that art must practiced. There are no older or younger members of the court. Each has existed since before time was a concept they entertained. All of culture has evolved to suit their needs.

Art is in the eye of the beholder, and color is only an abstract concept. The Chromatic Court is very real, you reading this has assured that…

• The King in Yellow & Other Stories (Book 1)
• In the Court of the Yellow King (Book 2)
• The King in Yellow Tales (Book 3)
• A Season in Carcosa (Book 4)
• New Tales of the Yellow Sign (Book 5)
• The Hastur Cycle (Book 6)
• Cassilda’s Song (Book 7)
• The Yellow Sign (Book 8)
• Rehearsals for Oblivion: Act One (Book 9)
• Dedication of the High Priestess (Short Story 10)

Heroes Die (Overworld #1) 2.5Stars

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Heroes Die
Series: Overworld #1
Author: Matthew Stover
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 541
Words: 213K

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So much profanity. So much violence. This was not a nice book. It was grim, gritty and 10 years ago I probably would have either dnf’d the book or at least the trilogy. As it is, I’m giving it lower rating and will be thinking about if I want to continue this.

Stover knows how to write well and tell a captivating story, but he has set out deliberately to tarnish the idea of “Hero” and “Adventure” with a soiled rag soaked in the excrement of lepers. A “hero” can’t be good and virtuous, but must be utilitarian and vicious to gain the end goal. An “adventure” isn’t a wonderful thing but something that exploits everyone involved and debases them at every possible turn. Now whether Stover is actually writing that or some “Message” about it, doesn’t matter. Caine is not a hero. He is an anti-hero and his every action reminds of us that.

I enjoyed the book while I was reading it, but once I finished and started thinking about what I had actually read and the implications behind it (whether in earnest or satirized), my ratings kept plummeting. I was originally thinking it was 4stars because I did enjoy it quite a bit. Then I dropped it half a star for all the gratuitous profanity that would make even a sailor blush. Then I started thinking about Caine and his actions and dropped it another half star. Finally, I realized that Stover wasn’t writing to just tell a good story but to prove or make a point and so I dropped it to it’s current.

And I’m going to end my review before I end up talking my rating even more into the ground.

★★✬☆☆

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From Wikipedia

(click on “Details” to expand the synopsis)

The novels are set in a future dystopia Earth where a parallel world called Overworld reminiscent of the worlds featured in post-Tolkien secondary world fantasy has been discovered. The corporations that run Earth send actors into Overworld in order to provide the masses of an overcrowded world with virtual-reality entertainment.

Hari Michaelson is a famous Actor and son of a now-mentally ill libertarian professor. On Overworld, he is the assassin Caine, while his estranged wife Shanna is another Actor, playing the mage Pallas Ril. Actors who travel to Overworld through advanced technology and assume an alternate persona which they then use to carry out ‘adventures’. Pallas is captured by Ma’elKoth, the Emperor of Overworld’s human kingdom of Ankhana, on one of her adventures. Ma’elKoth’s plan to rule Ankhana by wiping out a final resistance group is blocked by a spell that causes others to forget the existence of the resistance group’s members. The remainder of the book plays out the conflict between Ma’elKoth, Caine and the resistance. Hari finds himself manipulated by both the powers on Overworld and the Studio on Earth, and must defeat them both in order to save himself and Pallas Ril from death. In the end, Hari brings both MaelKoth and Pallas Ril back to Earth and begins the process of showing the world how they’ve been manipulated.

Cursed Rack - MTG 4E

Sense and Sensibility (1971 TV Miniseries)

Another BBC tv miniseries. One thing I’ll note right off is that except for the 2008 version, the BBC has kept child actors out of the picture. While that means excising the third sister, Margaret, from the picture, she plays such a small part that it’s not that big a sacrifice. And not having child actors fully accords with my views on them. More harm is done to children than any possible good by either forcing them or even “allowing” them to be in movies and tv. So bravo to the Beeb for keeping them out. Hollywood should have taken note with their 1995 Version. Oh, won’t SOMEONE think of the children?
~wrings hands piteously~

This was a 4part series with each episode running around 45’ish minutes. Once again the entire run is just under the 3hr mark. That seems to be the regular time frame that the BBC considers optimum. Overall, I tend to agree. It works out very well.

After the 1981 Version, I was dreading taking yet another decade long step backwards. If the 1980’s was a stage play acting, what would this be like? I had horrible images of 70’s hairstyles prancing around in tight dance club suits and randomly breaking out into disco dance moves, ala John Travolta. Now I’m going to have nightmares again 🙁 Thankfully, this was nothing like that at all. This reminded me very much of the 2008 Version in terms of acting and how they presented the material. It felt like a movie. I enjoyed watching this. The relief at finding out there was no disco shouldn’t be discounted though, so maybe I didn’t quite enjoy this as much as I thought I did 😉

Another thing that struck me immediately, was the inclusion of Patricia Routledge as Mrs Jennings. Patricia is better known to me as Hyacinth Bucket, from the british sitcom “Keeping Up Appearances“. That show always leaves me rolling. Mrs Jennings was the perfect role, a good hearted, busybody with no malice whatsoever. Routledge totally owned the role and it was a joy to behold her.

While empire waisted dresses dominated the style scene, there was enough curled hair, jewels and variety of dress to keep every period fanatic in raptures. I also would like to re-emphasize, there was not ONE disco suit on display 😉

I do admit to feeling some story fatigue at this point. But as this is the last screen version, it didn’t hinder me, just kind of added a couple of pounds to my shoulders that I had to drag along. I didn’t force myself to watch this and there was no resignation when it was time to watch the next episode. I was thinking of trying to do this same thing for Pride & Prejudice when I do a buddyread with Lashaan next year. I am questioning the wisdom of that decision, as this experience has quite wiped me out. Not a bad experience, but a very tiring one. But that’s months away, so I refuse to make a choice now about something that far in the future.

As this is the last viewing, I’ve given a few thoughts about how I’d rank them in regards to each other.

• 1995 Movie
• 2008 TV Miniseries
• 1971 TV Miniseries
• 1981 TV Miniseries

And that’s a wrap!

Sense and Sensibility 5Stars

Farsight (Warhammer 40K: Tau) 3Stars

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Farsight
Series: Warhammer 40K: Tau
Author: Phil Kelly
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 124
Words: 39K

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I read this novella as a buddy read with Dave and Markus. We did our conversing via Whatsapp and it worked out quite well for me. I installed it on my computer instead of just using my phone, so it became an instant messenger. Which allowed me to tickety tack away whenever a thought crossed my mind. It also allowed the other two to discuss various Warhammer 40K books and storylines well beyond my knowledge. It was quite enjoyable, just watching others who knew a subject well to be able to talk about it.

This was definitely NOT a place to start if you have no knowledge of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that it isn’t a good place to start for anyone, even those who might be familiar with the Empire of Man. The Tau are aliens and Farsight is a very historical figure. But if you don’t know that going in, as was the case with me, you are forced to wonder why we spend all this time with this apparently random character. If you have a grasp of the history, I’m sure this was a very exciting story.

For me, I was confused completely on my first read through. I complained a lot to Dave and Markus and Markus started talking history. That helped build a framework for me when I read through this again. Without that framework, I’m not sure that even a second read would have been enough.

Overall, while I didn’t dislike this story, I was so at sea for most of it, that it put a real damper on my enthusiasm to read further Tau novels. I’ll read them, but my expectations are quite tempered.

★★★☆☆

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From the Publishers:

The oxide deserts of Arkunasha are red with spilt blood. The orks of Waaagh! Dok have invaded en masse, and the besieged tau settlers are on the edge of extinction. When the famous general O’Shoh arrives to shatter the greenskins at the head of a high-tech army of battlesuits, the tau expect an easy victory, but the battle-hungry orks outnumber the tau four hundred to one, and the planet’s vicious rust storms have a devilish appetite of their own. Can the rising star of the fire caste solve the riddle of Arkunasha’s haunted past before Dok Toofjaw’s monstrous cyborgs conquer the planet completely?
It’s one of Commander Farsight’s defining battles – and features some audacious action sequences, including a vicious duel in a medical chamber that will make you look at Farsight in a whole different way. The story also has all sorts of hints to the origins of Farsight’s famous companions, “the Eight”…

♪The Last of the Rockstars♪

I have never seen the movie The Last of the Mohicans. But I heard the soundtrack back in the 90’s and immediately bought the cd. Ever since, it has been a staple in my (admittedly sparse) musical repertoire.

It has also led to one of those situations that married couples will find happening to them after being together for years. I don’t know how it started, but whenever we have a favorite food and one of us is about to devour the last of it, I’ll just randomly break out with “The Last of the Delicious Food X!” and start booming away with this theme song. It’s funny because we can always just buy more of whatever we’re eating on our next grocery run 🙂

But sometimes, like today, it’s not funny. Because food items stop being made if they’re not popular enough. And when you come to the last one, it is a very bittersweet moment. You are filled with the goodness of the item being devoured but sad on the inside because you know you’ll never be able to consume it again.

So it is with those very mixed feelings that I present the Last of the Pineapple Coconut Rockstar Recovery! I have eulogized this before, in the form of An Ode to Energy Drinks, but now I must mourn. As this post goes live at 0500 Eastern Standard Time, I will be sitting on my couch, reading all of your posts, slowly, ever so slowly, sipping the last can of this delicious nectar. So rejoice with me as I savor the delicious flavor and mourn with me as I know this is the last I will ever taste this nectar.

♪ ♪ ♪♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪♪ ♪

Pineapple Coconut Rockstar Recovery, I who am about to drink you, salute you!

Thanksgiving 2023

Today is the day that Americans are supposed to give Thanks to God for the many blessings they have received over the past year, whether they deserved them or not. In this day and age of Hyper-Commercialism, Uncertainty and Fear, it is all the more important.

If you haven’t figured it out yet (or read my About page), I’m a committed Christian. In this context, it means that I’m specifically giving thanks to Jesus Christ and not just some idea of a greater power. So without further ado, here are the things I am thankful for.

First and foremost, among the people and things I am thankful for, Mrs B continues to top the list. As I swing on the pendulum of my emotions, as Life is Greater than Great one moment and Horribly Horrible the next, she is always there to remind me that they are just my feelings and do not reflect the reality of the situation. She sees my blind spots and makes sure I don’t crash as I’m driving through life. I can’t ask for more in a loving wife.

I am very thankful for my pastor and church family. They continue to remind me that my goal in life is to be like Jesus and to be a faithful witness for Him. They encourage me when I’m not doing that so well and rejoice with me when I am. They are kind and show the love of Christ by their actions to both me and Mrs B. The Bible is taught every week and I’m never getting some feel good message, but the Scripture itself.

With all of our health issues, I am very thankful for our doctors and various medical practitioners and their application of knowledge upon ourselves. I do not take this for granted at all.

On a lighter note, I am thankful for magic cards and the fun they represent in my life. Whether it is showing off the cards of my youth here on the blog, or playing a game over whatsapp with “those continental guys”, I have fun with this game. Being thankful for the little things is just as important as being thankful for the big things.

Finally, what would a thankful post from Bookstooge be without a salute to our favoritest drink ever, that delicious nectar from heaven, Eggnog? Yeah, that’s the stuff!

Conan the Fearless (Conan the Barbarian) 2.5Stars

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Conan the Fearless
Series: Conan the Barbarian
Author: Steve Perry
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 176
Words: 62K

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Each author that has authored multiple Conan stories seems to bring their own slant to things. Perry is definitely all about the monsters and over the top sorcerers and rather silly naming conventions.

In this, the sorcerer is trying to collect all four children of the elements (gotta catch’em all!) and create (and I will quote here) “The Thing of Power”. How original, how amazing, how powerful. /sarcasm. I knocked off a whole star just for that ultra mega totally stupid name. I mean, latinize or greekenize it for goodness sake, don’t be so flipping lazy!

As for the sorcerer, he is one of the Black Square sorcerers and he is opposed by one of the last remaing White Square sorcerers. If you know your Conan lore, or are even semi-familiar with it, you’ll know that the Sorcerers of the Black Circle are a much feared group in the world. One of the original stories by Howard is entitled “People of the Black Circle”. I reviewed it here in fact:

The People of the Black Circle (The Essential Conan #2) ★★★☆½

It was with actual disgust that I saw Perry’s bastardization. I mean, come on! Write like you care more than a plugged nickels’ worth, you sot.

All of the storylines were weak and I’m afraid this little venture into the 5 or 6 stories by Perry about Conan will be some of the weakest I’ve read so far. Stories like this are why Conan had/has a bad name as a franchise fiction series. You might wonder why such a rugged adventurer as myself would continue with such weaksauce but that is because my literary thews are tougher than iron. I will forge on, unafraid and totally victorious. And I will bash the ever living daylights out of these books by Perry until they collapse in defeat at my muscular calves, clad in boot cut jeans.

★★✬☆☆

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From Wikipedia

Conan finds himself in the Corinthian city of Mornstadinos, after he enlists as a bodyguard defending a magician and Eldia, a girl who has control over fire elementals, against an evil mage named Sovartus. Sovartus is collecting such elemental whisperers and already has the other three. He wants Eldia to complete his set. This brings Conan into conflict with a host of other threats as well, including a demon employed by Sovartus and the witch Djuvula, who happens to be the demon’s half-sister, the rich senator Lemparius, who’s actually a were-panther, an avaricious thief named Loganaro, and various monsters. Plots and counter-plots build up to a climax at Sovartus’ stronghold.

• The “Essential Conan” Trilogy
• All of My “Conan” Reviews

Empire’s Doom (Empire Rising #8) 3.5Stars

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Empire’s Doom
Series: Empire Rising #8
Author: David Holmes
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 426
Words: 166K

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Normally with this series, I write a comedic (for me) review where I mock everyone’s name and make light of all of the circumstances. This won’t be happening for this volume and if the future books are as serious, I’ll simply be reviewing these as any other series.

This was a brutal book. While it was obvious what Holmes was doing, it didn’t mean it didn’t hit me any less hard. James’ wife Susannah dying partway through hit me like an express train. Especially since it was all politically motivated by scumbag politicians. If I had been James, I’d have taken my proto-space navy and nuked Earth myself.

Which brings up the ending where the aliens do just that. In the little chapter headings where the writer of the history (ie, this book, in the year 3000) blabs, it was always evident to any halfway observant reader that this event was going to happen. It wasn’t a surprise and for that I am glad, because I don’t know if I could have handled reading about Earth getting nuked 1800 times with no forewarning. The anguish that James feels as he watches it happen was as real to me as anything could be. I could imagine it, because it would be like September 11, just on a world wide scale. What keeps it from being overwhelming, emotionally, is the knowledge that the Empire arises from this and that humanity isn’t broken.

It also made me grin because the aliens assume that this event will break the Spirit of Humanity and that we won’t be in the fight as the Bad Aliens go to fight the Good Aliens. All I could think was “Oh boy, we are SO going to kick their butts!” The Bad Aliens were just as self-centered and egotistical as you could wish for in an Enemy of Humanity. It will be a joy to see them destroyed. None of this “Fear of the Other” bullshit that I see waved around like a white flag of social surrender as we try to understand the poor dears who just nuked us, because really, they have feelings too and aren’t really bad, just misunderstood. *&^%% that. These aliens want us dead or enslaved and will accept nothing else.

So I am looking forward to more of this series as Humanity gets off the ground and starts swinging in the big space bar room brawl that the bad aliens started. I’m hoping for some serious haymakers…

★★★✬☆

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From Bookstooge.blog

The UN ignores James’ warning about the invading aliens. He begins preparing for the inevitable invasion even though this means breaking all existing laws. He is helped by a large group of individuals and groups that believe his message and expect the worst.

On the run and hunted, James must begin a proto-defense force that is strong enough to defend Earth and to help their alien allies.

James’ wife Susanna is killed by the UN in a bungled attempt to arrest her as bait for James. The aliens arrive and despite the best efforts of the UN Navy and James’ adhoc space navy, the Earth is nuked hundreds of times. The book ends with the aliens retreating, sure that the destruction of our homeworld will have broken humanity’s spirit. Oh how little they know.

• All of My “Empire Rising” Reviews