Interesting Facts

I have been keeping a excel page with the pages I read per day. Interesting wednesday was the day I read more (4555) followed by Sunday. Saturday was the least productive day (2725) with almost half the pages read comparing to wednesday. June, July and August were the most productive months with almost 100 pages per day. Unfortunatly February, April and November with 56 pages per day. In general I read 75 pages per day this year. My goal was 80 pages per day so it wasn't all that bad. Last year I had read 45 pages per day with 16514 pages read. Now I have increased to 26968 (with more 5 days to read).

Let us hope this next year will be better.

Thoughts (X) Books I've read in 2010

I am unfortunate that I am not doing posts lately but it has been a busy month.
I have read 107 books (so far) these year. My favourite were: (In no particular order)

• Vampire Hunter D - Hideyuki Kikuchi
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J K Rowling
• Grey Seer (Black Library) - C L Werner
• Dune - Frank Herbert
• The Burning Shore (Black Library) - Robert Earl
• Hater - David Moody
• World War Z - Max Brooks
• Daemon Gates Trilogy (Black Library) - Aaron Rosenberg
• Mark of Damnation - James Wallis
• The Reaper are the Angels - Alden Bell
• Darth Bane: Path of Destruction - Drew Karpyshyn

There are some I am eagerly inticipating next year...

• The Crippled God - Steven Erikson
• The Heroes - Joe Abercrombie
• Dog Blood - David moody
• A Magic of Dawn - S L Farrell
• Times of Anger - Andrzej Sapkowski
• Deadline - Mira Grant
• Several Black Library, Snowbooks, Abaddon, Solaris, Wizards of the Coast & Angry Robot

Review: World War Z - Max Brooks

Title - World War Z

Author - Max Brooks

Year - 2006

Stand Alone or Series - Stand Alone 

Pages - 342

Reading Time - 243 days (Abr & Nov 2010)

Rating - 8.5/10

Summary

It began with rumours from China about another pandemic. Then the cases started to multiply and what had looked like the stirrings of a criminal underclass, even the beginnings of a revolution, soon revealed itself to be much, much worse. Faced with a future of mindless, man-eating horror, humanity was forced to accept the logic of world government and face events that tested our sanity and our sense of reality. Based on extensive interviews with survivors and key players in the 10-year fight-back against the horde, "World War Z" brings the very finest traditions of American journalism to bear on what is surely the most incredible story in the history of civilisation.

 

Review

This is a book to anyone who enjoys a good zombie fiction. I think nowadays there are a lot of fiction movies, books tv series out there. It has became a mainstream as vampires, werewolves and such. I think it is the (un)natural need of human to be frighting... andrenaline perhaps?

 

This book is a bit different from others out there. As you know I am a fan of zombies having read dozens books or seen dozens movies. I consider them to be the most interesting fiend of mankind. Better than vampires or werewolves.. This tale as I was saying follows not the attack itself or the survival of humankind but several other aspects. As the book begins we know the war was one by humankind. But what cost? Who were the people involved? How did they reacted to plague? How did they survive? And when did the counter attack began? What happenned to the world after the apocalpyse? This are some of the questions that Max Brooks presents and give answers of course in form of.... a Interviews. Yes. This is a journalist going around the world to talk to the regular joe, or a big star general. He goes from USA to Cuba to China to South Africa to Japan or Russia and other dozen countries. Each have their own way to fight the zombies and survive. We see a democractic and capitalist Cuba as China or a  Russia is now a Theocracy, Tibet is now free and has the biggest city. One thing I found more curious was North Korea. What a hell happened to them? It's an empty country. No Living and No Dead. They just went underground. Why? It reminds me of a dystopia novel. They go underground to save themselves then the goverment lies to them that it still dangerous when it's not... and centuries go by.

 

As you can see it's quite good a book. It tells something of an up-ending doom that could awaits us (not the zombies but an atomic war mayhaps?). It also criticizes the government ineptitude (Hurricane Katrina), corporate corruption and human faults and mostly Isolationism. There are also some cases of survivalism... but for you to get this you must read the novel.

 

As I said; it was interesting read. There are some interviews pretty boring but others are just great. Most of them I imagine what they have passed and I bet Brooks could write a novel for each character. Or some of them...

 

It's an excelent addition to the Zombie genre. I know a movie is going to be made but I wonder how will it be made since it's interviews... Let us hope and see...

 

 

Review: Life as We Know & The World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Title - Life as We Know

Author - Susan Beth Pfeffer

Year - 2006

Stand Alone or Series -Book I

Pages - 337

Reading Time - 6 days (Nov 2009)

Rating - 8/10

Title - The World We Live In

Author - Susan Beth Pfeffer

Year - 2010

Stand Alone or Series -Book III

Pages - 221

Reading Time - 4 days (Oct/Nov 2010)

Rating - 6/10

As you all know I love a good book about apocalpyitic-fiction. This was a bit different from my usual reading. The first book reads as 16 year old girl's journal. The third book follows Miranda journal and the "hero" of the second book (which I did not read because it did not felt quite right in the preview). Since we don't need to read book two I jumped to book three.

 

The story follows a girl life before but mostly after an apocalyptic event that changed life on earth. An asteroid struck the Moon and made it closer to earth. Due to that aproximation there were some cataclysms like huge tidal waves or volcanos erupting that engulf all earth. Our main character Miranda starts as an normal teenager preocupied with boys and homework and such. After that event everything change and we see her change... and that is the key plot for all novel. Something worth reading about... one odd situation was a "green" fresh start. Even after all the chaos people remain somewhat civic and the governmant still helps them... that's not usually what happens. Usually it just ignores the little people or colapses alltogether.

 

The book is written in such easy way that you read a chapter after another just wainting to the end... and the end was quite good. It in own was an ending and to me it would be the perfect ending.

 

Well my first impression of the first book was... "Well, that's quite a read..." ; the third book... "Meh, If I did not read this book I would be happier and with a good impression of Susan Pfeffer abilities..."

I say this because focus more on that relation of both protagonists an unfortunaly everything is disgraced in the end. What were those "Safe Towns"? What a heck? Bah.. And the cat died. It was the only character I did like in the third book where everyone was behaving so different from the first one. They changed a lot in their first year (first book) but the second they were different persons. In overall I would give the series 7.5 but only because of the first book.

Thoughts (IX) Mina Anguelova

Mina Anguelova

Moonlight sets in and we are together 

Night is cold but we are warm

Hands grasp one another as we kiss

You are as beautiful as the first time we met

Like a greek statue imbued in marble

My skin has goose bumps as we touch

My love goddess, my very Life is you

My spirit unified with yours

This neve' ending flame in me

Obi4am-te liobov moia

Ot zemiata do nebeto

An gifted Slav and a proud Lusitan together

Forever we remain; as we are One!

There is pattern; a key if you wish with your name... dedicated to you my sweet byzantine princess...

Review: Swastika Night - Katharine Burdekin

Title - Swastika Night

Author - Katharine Burdekin

Year - 1937

Stand Alone or Series -Stand Alone

Pages - 196

Reading Time - 17 days (November 2010)

Rating - 8.5/10

ReviewThis was an interesting reading. A bit different of other books I've read about a hypotetical Nazi victory. Usually the tales are a couple years to decades into the future but this tale takes us to almost 700 hundreads years into the One Thousand Year Kingdom that Hittler envisioned.

This book was written over 70 years ago. Let's not forget that at that time woman in some countries were gaining a bit of respect but most of the world womens were seem beneath man. This book was written by a woman and depicts a world divided by Japanese and the Nazi Empire. Both treat woman alike. Like cattle. There is one law that said "As a woman is above a worm; so is a man above a woman. As a woman is above a worm so is a worm above a christian." This says a lot no? This story has no major character as a woman but the story concentrates heavily onthe oppression of women and portraying the Nazis as homosexual misogynists. Christians are marginalized (like the europeans did to the Roma people some hundreds years ago) and of course the Jews were eliminated (at the time of the writing of the book there was no plot afoot about the killings of the jews).

This book is a propaganda book. There is no doubt about it. Nazis = Evil and homosexual (in these case the woman who wrote seem to have something against homosexuals). Woman = Poor woman. Christians = Poorer christians and of course Comunism = Good! And that's about it. He even says why fascism and democracy are poor choices of goverment. BAH!

These tale focus on a Knight (German noble) and a englishman as he tells him some secrets about the Nazi Empire.Adolf Hitler is a tall, blond god who personally won "The Twenty Years War". Alfred (the englishman) is astounded when shown a secret, historic photograph depicting Hitler and a girl before a crowd. First, he is shocked that Hitler is a small man with dark hair and a paunch. The crowd seem more interested in the girl; this does not fit the world view of Hitler as god. The photograph's most shocking betrayal of myth is the girl's appearance. Alfred believed her to be a boy — the attractive figure has a proud posture and long, blond hair — and is appreciated by the crowd. Women have developed self-loathing, becoming pathetic beings who have difficulty performing their sole, utilitarian function: reproduction.

Most of the book is the Knights tales about history, woman and christian values are not that bad (and indeed they aren't) but as I said before the book seems a lot about a propaganda book. After the tale that lasts for almost 120 pages the englishman is entrusted with a book depicting the Truth but Alfred is killed by a nazi but before he passes the book to his son telling him that the world is not ready yet.

Believe me when I say it's a nice tale and one to read it for anyone who loves alternative history or philosophy/politics. But as I said the propaganda about womans rights and the freedom of religion and above all the one thing I loath ... comunism!

Everyone is free to write whatever they want, right? We only read it if we want it.

Review: The Black Corridor - Michael Moorcock

Title - The Black Corridor

Author - Michael Moorcock (and Hilary Bailey)

Year - 1969

Stand Alone or Series -Stand Alone

Pages - 126

Reading Time - 7 days (November 2010)

Rating - 6.5/10

Summary

The world is sick. The Forces of Chaos have energised the planet. Leaders, fuhrers, duces, prophets, visionaries, gurus, and politicians are all at each others' throats. And Chaos leers over the broken body of Order. So Ryan freezes his family into suspended animation and sets off for the planet Munich 15040, five years distant. There he will re-establish Order in a New World - and create a happier, healthier, saner and more decent society with the ones he loves. But they are suspended. And they cannot talk. And he is alone in space. And he has been travelling for three years. And he will still be travelling two years hence, and he cannot see his destination, and he is ALONE and LOST and CRACKING UP.

Review

So a Moocock book. After reading the review at Graeme's Fantasy Book Review I  decided to buy and read it. In my opinion the book was not as good as he portrayed it. The book is divided in two parts... the first part is the ramblings of Ryan (our main protagonist) as he travels into another galaxy to settle there with his family. Inbetween chapters we learn about their society and why they must do the voyage. The book is quite easy to read but there are a lot of references of Moorcock own political ideology. That put me off my interest. I must say that I am most displease with all the authors out there simple minded that can don't know anything else than write novels that are more than propaganda fiction. Ken Macleod is another example. It just upsets me. I try to read them but they are so single-minded in their own convictions that they made an image than everything else is just stupid. Bah.

Returning to this novel the ending was quite interesting... It makes you think what a heck happen? Were the pods with only corpses? Weren't there any bodies at all? Was this all the fruit of his own imagination? I think that was the best part of the novel.

In the end I was not displease with everything but those "teachings" he gave about society was excusable.



Review: Darkness on the Edge of Town - Brian Keene

Title - Darkness on the Edge of Town

Author - Brian Keene

Year - 2010

Stand Alone or Series -Stand Alone (Part of

Pages - 264

Reading Time - 4 days (November 2010)

Rating - 7.5/10

Summary

One morning the residents of Walden, Virginia, woke to find themselves cut off from the rest of the world by an impenetrable wall of darkness.

Review

This is my eight book by Brian Keene. He is probably one of my favourite horror writers. My interest began in The Rising and City of the Dead back in 2005. Then it took 4 years for me to rread Castaways, Dead Sea, The Conqueror Worms, The Rising: Selected Scenes from the End of the World, Urban Gothic and now this one. I've made reviews of them all and if Urban Gothic (the last one I read) was somewhat different from what I was used.

The concept of this novel is not new. The Mist or Under the Dome by Stephen King or one episode in Twilight Zone are rather similar. With several connections to other novels like the crazy person Dez (by him we learn a lot about Keene's multiverse about The Darkness or Ob). This was the most interesting part of the book. Everything else is not new...

The plot is quite simple. Darkness surrounds the city and we've got three friends (and a neighbour) that are trying to survive. In the beginning they are only trying to survive by looting a store then they try to escape and in the end they only try to survive until some christian fundamentalists try to kill them.

As the story goes we learn that the darkness is also affecting them. The darkness is not only surrounding them but also inside them. It's making them angry and hateful. We've got murders, raping and several other disgusting activities.

Now the characters... We've got Robbie (our main character) and Christy (one of the worst characterized characters in Keene's multiverse and his long life friend Russ which is the second main character if you life. We've got several other characters but.. meh. Only Dez is different.

The ending was quite interesting and as much of Keene's novels it ends with a cliffhanger. What happened to them? If following Dez ramblings about The Darkness then they were killed by it. Most books by Keene ends not in a nice way (and in my opinion is quite good). Time to time I like to read books with a happy ending but a book with an unhappy ending for the characters are even greater. Specially this kind of endings where we don't know what happened but we know it can't be nice. 


PS: I made a lenghtly review but my computer made me a prank and I lost everything. Bah...

Thoughts (VIII)

People are dumb! Or else the producers make the actors that way. Why?

Imagine this. We've got a full invasion of zombie and some people are safely in the woods.

Good, right? You'll think that right? Wrong. You are in the woods surrounded by trees with animals. Either they turned into zombies and kill you or the zombies come silently in the cover of the night and the sounds of the animals and overrun you.

The second thing is... it's normal you comeback to the ancient rituals of harvesting and hunting. Right? Then why patrol alone? Or gathering  mushrooms and other fruits alone? That's dumb.

There are alot of survival kits (and survival zombie kits) out there. Before making a movie of zombies or another kind of apocalpytic fiction read it...

Book Review: Cycle of Werewolf - Stephen King

Title - Cycle of Werewolf

Author - Stephen King (images by Bernie Wrightson)

Year - 1983

Stand Alone or Series - Novella; Stand Alone

Pages - 128

Reading Time - 7 days (October 2010)

Rating - 7/10

Review

This was an odd book so say the least. This can be considered a novella or a collection of 12 linked short stories. Each story had only four of five pages, one of them would be a painting by one famous (not to me) artist. The paintings are not that good. My girlfriend could do a better job in my opinion.

As I said all stories are linked and each story deals with an werewolf attack or related. This tale is set, as much of King stories, in Maine. A werewolf is killing people and animals and every incident takes place in full moon. Our hero is an unsual one. An eleven year old paralapegic boy. Each story we get a individual character and his life and how they die or worse. In May we've got the first view on Baptist Revedrend Lester Lowe with a strange dream of a church full of werewolves and himself turning into one. In the Independence day we have the first meeting between Marty Coslaw (the eleven year boy) and the werewolf where they boy  injuries the werewolf. In December in the last battle between the boy and the werewolf (which he discovered being the reverend) where he killed it.

This novel has some gruesome writing images (not the paintings) and each kill is somewhat horrible than the next. Specially when the werewolf strips the flesh of the face of a man and wears it.

There are some connections with other King's stories (this part I only knew after reading in wiki), The fifth person killed was Clyde Carliss who is a character from Salem's Lot. There is also another character called Father Callahan.

In my humble opinion I enjoy some of the stories and they all linked nicely. I am not a fan of short stories but that doesn't drift me away from reading them. I am currently reading (along several books) Skeleton Crew, another Stephen King short story collection.



Thoughts (VIII)

"Perhaps one has to become a wolf, however, to fight wolves." - Black Corridor by Michael Moorcock

Is this sentece correct? Must we be evil to fight evil? Someone who fights, to defend himself, in the same way as his attacker is as bad as him? I don't believe it. I believe that wolves eventually will destroy one another.

Fight Evil With Evil - That's a great motto.

Review: Darth Bane: Path of Destruction - Drew Karpyshyn

Title - Darth Bane -Path of Destruction

Author - Drew Karpyshyn

Year - 2006

Stand Alone or Series - Series (first of a trilogy)

Pages - 389

Reading Time - 6 days (October 2010)

Rating - 9/10

Summary
Once the Sith order teemed with followers. But their rivalries divided them in endless battles for supremacy. Until one dark lord at last united the Sith in the quest to enslave the galaxy - and exterminate the Jedi. Yet it would fall to another, far more powerful than the entire Brotherhood of Darkness, to ultimately realize the full potential of the Sith, and wield the awesome power of the dark side as never before.

Review

Sith were always one of my favourite evil groups. It's like Cobra. Well in this tale we begin by meeting Dessel a mining man with a abused father. He knows that he has some connection with the force but he can't really understand what. After some querrels in the mines and at card games he kills a republic trooper and so the only escape is to flee his world to join the sith army. There he train as a trooper and after several accomplished missions he was made sergent and his own army was called Gloom Walkers. After some battles he didn't agreed with his officer and went behind his back (well not behind) and complete the mission with success. He was led to court martial where he met the Dark Lord Kopecz that saw in him great potential.

He was sent to Korriban to become a sith acolyte. He was then trained by Kas'im and Qordis and rapidly become more powerful than most students that learn since childbirth. The sith acolytes where encouraged to battle each others and in one of them he was going to be defeated by a student called Fohargh but with all his rage he kill him instead. At this time Bane became aware that he had killed his father has he had kill his opponent. Both masters become more impressed by Bane (the name he chosen to be called) but at the same time Sirak (the most gifted student) was aware of a threat. As he was losing is power (or at the time he think he was) he challegend Sirak and was savagely beaten. From this moment on the masters didn't gave him almost no attention... 

As he tried to learn for himself he become discontent with the masters teachings and so he become to tutor himself with old books long forgotten by this new order of the Sith as the Brotherhood of Darkness. He also learn why none, by orders of Lord Kaan, took the name Darth as the old ones did. Kaan believe that the old ways almost lead to the destruction of the sith.

Then Githany (a fallen jedi) arrived and she saw in him the tool to defeat Sirak. So Bane secretly learn with her and at the same learn secretly with Kas'im new battle techniques. Both Githany and Kas'im revel in teaching but become afraid of him because he learn fair to rapidly than any other student. He then thinking he was ready challegend Sirak and defeated him sending to the infirmay but not killing. Thus Githany become to doubt Bane. Kas'im gave him a curved-lightsaber belonging to his long departed master which had saved him and after Kas'im killed him.

Bane then went to the Valley of the Dark Lords where he hoped to learn more of the old ways but the place had been sacked by pillagers and jedi thousand years before. After returning empty handing he learn that every student had be levelled to the title of Dark Lord and gone to battle on Ruusan against an army of Light. At that time Githany, who had seceretly allied to Sirak, lured Bane to the archives where he was assaulted by Sirak and two allies of him. However Githany doublecrossed Sirak and as they defeated them Bane disarmed his rival. Sirak begged for mercy, claiming that if Bane spared him, the Zabrak would serve him. Ignoring his pleas, Bane decapitated Sirak, releasing all his fears and guilt in the process and fully opening himself to the dark side. His chains had been broken; he was free.

Bane then didn't follow them to Rusaan and he went to Lehon were he saw a holocron made by Darth Revan who almost ruled the galaxy several housand years before. He learn yet again that the Brotherhood of Darkness was to be destroyed because it had flaws. At that time Kaan sent Kas'im to kill Bane as he feared him. But Bane survived and killed him. Then Kaan sent Githany to kill him with poison. As they shared a passionated kiss Bane tasted the poised and he managed to keep his realization secret. Seeing that Githany understood the source of the strength in the dark side, Bane wondered if she could become his apprentice. He realized, though, that she believed too strongly in Kaan and the Brotherhood to accept his knowledge, and he sent her away, confident that her poison would have no effect on him. But it had. After threating to kill the healer Caleb daughter he was saved.

Afterwards he went to Rusaan and met Kaan but did not join him on his destruction of the Army of Light. As they left the camp he return and was confronted Qordis who tried to ally himself with Bane to destroy Kaan and lead the Brotherhood of darkness. But Bane said he had not to take control the army but destroy it. He then attacked Qordis, with the Force, crippling him. When Qordis begged Bane to let him die in lightsaber combat, claiming it was more honorable, Bane mocked him, and continue to choke him until he died. After belaying some orders that led to the fall of the army of sith Kaan return to the camp and rally their armies in the caves where he played his last card. A Thought Bomb. He thought that it was the only way to kill all jedi at the same time. But his plan was foiled and all siths were destroyed along with some of the jedi including Lord Hoth.

The end of the book Bane finds what he was searching all along... and apprentice... a girl named Zannah.

In my opinion one of the bests books i've read this year. I always loved the Sith and this book delivered that. I learn a lot about them and their rules. This book we learn of a character who is evil and we learn of his way up to becoming that. Strangely is not so different from anyone who wants to be someone and for that won't stop for nothing. Bane is becoming one of the most interesting characters I've ever read.

Quotes

"One Master and one apprentice; one to embody the power, the other to crave it." - Bane

"The Brotherhood must be purged. The Sith must be destroyed and rebuilt." - Bane 

"I am Darth Bane, Dark Lord of the Sith. I will survive. At any cost."  - Bane

"I think he might be the one we've been searching for. He could be the Sith'ari." - Kopecz

Peace is a lie. There is only passion.

Through passion, I gain strength.

Through strength, I gain power.

Through power, I gain victory.

Through victory, my chains are broken.

The Force shall free me.

—Darth Bane, Dark Lord of the Sith

Review: The Running Man - Stephen King

Title - The Running Man

Author - Stephen King (writing Richard Bachman)

Year - 1982

Stand Alone or Series - Stand Alone
Pages - 317

Reading Time - 3 days (October 2010)

Rating - 7/10

Summary

Twenty-five years in the future, the world has fallen into chaos. Darkness and paranoia rule the day. In this bleak landscape, Ben Richards is about to go through hell and back for the only thing left he cares about--his family. As a last effort so save his sick daughter, he applies to become a contestant on a deadly game show where you don't win...you survive. The only problem is, where do you hide when the entire world is looking for you?

Review

I always tried to read Stephen King after all he is considered to be the master of horror. I do not think he is but nevertheless I had to tried. This is the third tried. The fist was The Eyes of the Dragon and the second was Cell. They both were worthy of reading but not that spectacular. I tried to read It but I couldn't. I am now trying to read one story every few days in the anthology The Skeleton Crew.

Now this novel... This novel has some good premises. It is divided in one hundred and one chapters. Each one is at most two or three pages with few exceptions.There is also a movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger as Ben Richards. Never see in it but I will eventually. Now for the plot... Ben Richards is a poor guy with a lovingly wife and needs money to buy some medicine to his daughter so he enlists to participate in some violent games. He goes to a building where he do some tests and is chosen to participate in the most violent and most viewed game ever called the Running Man. The show is simple. He is now a runaway enemy of the state and each hour he is running his family receives 100 dollars (Which is a lot). In the event of surviving 30 days he can gain one bilion dollars. Suffice to say that no one has ever survived the game because their are some man , bounty hunters called hunters led by McCone.  The only rule is that he must sent two tapes per day with messages.

As he runs he meets some people and at the same time we are presented with the world they live in. This novel is set on not so far future (2025) where America is a Totalitarian Dystopia and life is hard. The rich live well and the poor die or live to play the games to earn some money. The air around the cities is polluted to a bigger extent that most people have respiratory condicions.

Of course the game is fixed and he is seen as a bloody almost animal person (at the same time we know that this is the way the upper classes see lowborn classes). As he runs he capture Amelia Williams (a upper class) and makes her a hostages. As he go to a airport he threatens that he is carrying explosives. The lead hunter then is sent to the plane as a second hostage.

As he travels near cities to avoid being blow apart by misseles Killian tells him by a call that he knows that he's got no explosives and he offers him the lead hunter job. He thinks about it but is reluctant because of his wife and daughter becoming targets and at that time Killian tells him that his family is already dead, even before the first time he is shown on air, of course Killian tells him that him and the network had nothing to do with it. Killian then tells him to think about it. As Richards dreams he has a bad nightmare about the killing of his family and as he wokes up he tells Killian that he accepts the offer. After saying that he kills McCone and the rest of the crew and helps Amelia go off the plane with a parachute. After disabling the auto-pilot he makes the plane collide with the Games Building home of the Network.

This book was quite good I must say. I enjoy the characters and the setting. It reminds me of some older movies I've seen (maybe even the running man movie). There are some movies out there with future games full of violence. I know man is beast and we enjoy (at an extent) to see horrible news. We are capable when in a crownd to go berserk... look at the football games, or manifestations. Probably most people wouldn't do that kind of violence if alone but in a "pack" we are wolves in sheep clothes... I wonder where we are going as a society.

I have no major complains about the novel. I think Ben Richards had probably gone to better places to escape The Network and the hunters and that trouble me. Well I will read as I said Skeleton Crew (featuring the novella which was converted to the film The Mist)

Movie Week

I've being seeing a lot of horror movies this last week. Some of them were quite a suprise... Zombieland was one of the best. Mix of Zombie Horror Survival Trip and Comedy. It was quite interesting and funny. Paranormal Activity was another great title. This one had no fun in it. It was quite scary. It had been some time since I was scared by a movie. Most of them I find them amuzing but this one.. I don't like spirits... Zombies I'm okay with them. Vampire as well... but spirits, ghosts and paranormal manifestations are a quite a different story. This movie from what I read it had three endings... This was only one of them. Both others were interesting as well. This one makes you think what really happened. The original one has cut and his only avaiable throught the interent. I've seen the new Friday 13th and it seems It won't be the last. In my opinion I didn't like it. It has lost some interest for me. Gnaw was another good tale... Food will never be the same again. The Final Destination was a good treat in my opinion. I always love this series. Death can be a bitch. Mutant Chronicles was good. In spite of all bad reviews I enjoy it. The world the designers created (this is based on a 80th's board game) was quite good. I enjoy revisiting this world. The science effects were not that good but the plot was. Unfortunally not everyone has the same opinion than me. Last house on The Left it's a remake movie but this one was a good remake. Let the Right one In is a swedish movie based on a book. It was a different kind of terror. Not the usually that the anglo-saxonic countries do. But nevertheless it's quite book... the americans have made their own movie that is currently in the cinemas in my country called Let me In. It's quite frequently. They have done quite adaptations from Japonese movies that are way scarier that the american ones. Then after these movies I've seen the old ones... The Wolf Man (41), Dracula, Mummy Frankenstein and The Invisible Man. The next days I expect to see Trick'r Treat, Halloween, and the Monsters of the Black Lagoon (this one is a oldie). Well... That's my movies... In the Series I've been watching House MD; Star Trek Next Generation; Big Bang Theory; Star Wars Clone Wars; Detective Conan and nothing more...

Review: Blood on The Reik

Blood on the Reik is another great piece of art from the Black Library artists. Every painting is either in black and white coal or a faboulous crafted plates with interesting stories. The only artists that contribuited were John Blanche & David Gallagher. There are some stories that I would like to seem them devolped. Thaliaro (plate no.2) is one of them. An assassin who also is a player on theatres. It's quite good. Hanel (plate no.3) is another great story... A Story about and adventurer that came from Middenheim and went all around the world exploring and adventurer. It would be nice to see where he went. One thing that I wanted after seeing some coal drawings it would be zealots and flagelants stories.

There are other pages dedicated to the wizards. Each order with some coal drawings. Some of them are quite interesting and otheres are rather absurd. The story of Herman Gottz (plate no.6) would be another good story. The street lamps and furniture are quite odd. I wonder what would be like to see in each corner decapitated or human remains on some poles. The punishment devices. The posts with notifications and some rather interesting Crow Posts. It would be awful... The gothic archicture on the other end only makes the world even more grimm that it seems to be. Living in this world would be a terrifying existence. There are other great plates of Motherskin, The Foul Abductor or The Butcher's Son). The some more coal drawings of some friendly races and other humans civilizations and in the end the enemies of mankind like night goblins (good drawings), beastman, animals (dangerous and enemy as well as friendly and of course Mythical creatures). One awesome plate and possibly good story would be Albrechette Wolffpergen (plate 11). An interesting persona follower of Ulric and the old gods. He is a stoic heroe. I think that his tale would be very good to understand the old gods instead of focus all tales in Sigmar. The last plate is about a tree and how it shows in allegory the empire life. Excelent book that makes me understand better the warhammer world and as I read the novels I can make pictures in my mind.

Thoughts (VII) Beasts of Chaos or Humans of the Order

What are we capable of doing in our hour of need? I've read dozens upon dozen books and movies with post-apocaliptic worlds, pandemics or end of the world situations.  And most of them've got situations where a character must make a decision that goes against everything he believes.

• Kill a person to steal some supplies he need
• Kill a lover or friend because he is infected or in dying-pain
• Commit atrocities to the Greater Good
• And so on...

This brings something to my mind. Are we beasts that live in a civilized society and when that society fall we fall as well? Can anyone continue their civilizied behaviour when in dire danger, hunger or peril? Can I kill my mother or sister to save myself? That's the questions I wonder...

We are true beasts in men clothes. Maybe that proverb "Wolves in Sheep clothes" or something like that is indeed true. We do need society and rules. We do need someone who warns if we fall we will be punish. Chaos must not surpassed Order. So must we pray to Chaos or Order? If we are beasts why did we evolve to this fabricated thing? Because we are inteligent? Are the Beast side of us the true human being? What is the better way? Ahh.. the questions... we are indeed apart from every other form of life.

Reviews: Mark of Chaos Concept Art & Insignium Astartes

Insignium Astartes is a good background book to Warhammer 40k fans specially the ones who paint miniatures space marines. In these book they take the example of Ultramarines and gives the various combinations possible of various companies, their history and accomplishment and even their armament. There is also a two dozen or more combinations of other chapters. Their collour schementics. This is a great add to anyone as I said. It's a big book format; A2 I believe. The Mark of Chaos Concept Art was a waste of money and space. There is nothing there that could be thought of useful. It's quite sad that I paid 15 pounds for it. At least the game was good...

Review: The Art of Warhammer

There are some phases on drawings. More cartonnish in the 80's. Some of them remind me of the ealry Fighting Fantasy books. There are some amazing covers in book covers that are represened here. Amazing artists: (in no specific order)

Karl Kopinski

Alex Boyd

Adrian Smith

John Blanche

Geoff Taylor

Clint Langley

Paul Dainton

David Gallagher

Les Edwards

Magestorm cover is one of them by Adrian Smith or Warhammer Armies: The Empire by David Gallagher. There are some black and white that are quite good. Knights and Panther in Warhammer Armies: The Empire in 1993 by John Blanche. One of the best are the covers in Konrad trilogy. Grim and not computer mixed. There are others quite good like one by David Gallacher in 2006. It depicts a Warrior Priest on top of several skulls and dozens of zealots around him. Zealots are always great to drawn. Plenty to discover and paint like nails on their flesh, burns, books and parchments on them and so on.

Emperor Boris's Tomb Barque (pag 61); The Thaumodivinator of the Colleges of Magic (Pag 62), The Soldier's Shiling (pag 63), Automorial of Middenheim Delivered from the Darkness (Pag 64) or Leon Brachwurster's Mechanical Menagerie (Pag 65), Hordes of Chaos (pag 116), Citadel of Chaos (117) are problably the best works on this book. All black and white.

One particular disgusting monster and probably one of the best Nurgle drawings is the cover of the Lost and the Damned. Those monsters with dozen eyes and mouths. Pure disgusting... Some skaven drawings are quite good Skaven Plague Monks (143) or Tomb Kings (151, 152 and 153). The Bretonnian Knights and Armies with their ornated helmets, armour and shields are quite interesting.  (174,175) beautiful. The knights charge in 176,177 is another quite good picture. I would like to have some drawings on my walls with these drawings...The Warhammer Armies: Wood Elves have some quite beautiful drawings. Their green and yellow clothes mixing with the surrounding nature gives them... mystical . One of my favourite drawings is from my favourite Warhammer Book. Gilead's Blood by Paul Dainton.

 

In the end we've got some spectacular draings with several parties fighting Humans VS Chaos, Orcs vs Dwarves and the last Elves vs Dark Elves. This last is something of something... The pale skin and clothes of the white elves against a stormy background and the full army of dark elves... On the top a dark elf riding a Cold One probably a cape of human or elf skin and in other a pure white horse pegasus's alike and a knight with a white shield and white armour. It's peace to my mind this beautiful painting by Paul Dainton.

Review: The Art of Clint Langley

This was an good vision to my weary eyes. Clint Langley can really portrait the hardships and reality of the 40k. (Most of his work is on that ground). He has made some interesting book covers and some of them are among my favourites. (This is a bigger review from one previews one)

Caves of Ice by Sandy Mitchell is one of my favourite. He could portrait the fighting man of the Valhallan Ice Warriors. But my favourite poster (for they are propaganda posters) is For the Emperor.

Eisenhorn is another interesting piece of work. He has done some Ultramarines and Inquisition book covers. All good. Rogue Star is one of my favourite. One of the best is the Imperial Guard comic book cover. In this one he portraits the Space Wolves immensly interesting beings. They are Space Vikings. Dan Abnett on this story gave them life and they are one of my favourite chapters. Words of Blood one of the first anthology had a dark crimson setting (it reminds me of Mark of Chaos duology (Mark of Heresy and Mark of Chaos). They are quite similiar setting and figurines. In these ones I see the motto "In the grim far future there is only war". Necromunda covers are average... not the best by him. Storm of Iron is one of the best. But what can I say with the Malus Darkblade book covers? All of them excelent.
I know that I am saying that I like them all but there are some not so good. They are better than Forgotten Realms of Dragonlane two others worlds.

The problem of these covers I mention is the computer side. I enjoy seeing a good picture but they seem more computer generated than anything else. I would like to see some pictures without computer (or so much computer). Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance as I said are simpler but... they gave more of the artist than these ones. I am not saying is not good believe me. But in my mind I see more work on not-computer ones.