Year Recap 2020 - Some Objectives 2021

 Well... This the end of the year... So I've surpassed my goal of books read and next year I will try go to one per week - so 54 novels. Some will be audiobooks BUT let us hope not many. ~

Yeah, no eBooks, please.

Let us see what I read. Let us start with my favorite, of course;

• Blood Money - CL Werner
• Road of Skulls - Josh Reynolds
• The Devil Next Door - Tim Curran
• The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan
• 13th Legion - Gav Thorpe
• Spiderlight - Adrian Tchaikovsky
• First and Only - Dan Abnett

As you can see most of all are from Black Library. One it's the first of 14 saga that will take me a while to read and other it's one of my favourite horror writers Tim Curran.

Some of the boring/bad ones...

• Doctor Who: The Doctor's Tale - Marc Platt
• Sepulturum - Nick Kyme
• In the Belly of the Beast and Other Tales of Cthulhu Wars - Ben Monroe
• Final Fantasy Type - Manga
• Excavation - James Rollins
• The Underwhelming - Tim Curran (a rare miss)
• Whiteout - Ken Follet
• The Oubliette - JC Sterns

This are the novels I didn't enjoy at all, and to me If I didn't read them it would be better but alas. Even the bad books sometimes teach you something.

Now particularities...

Average Page Book - 251 (But If remove audiobooks and Manga it rises to 298 (not that better haha)

Average Year of books - 2003   

•     12 Black Library novels

Fantasy         8

Historical 1

Horror         18

Light Novel 1

Mystery     3

Sci-Fi         13

Thriller         2

Grand Total 46

Since 1950 I've read a book, one for each year. The only one missing it's 1952. Let us find one.

    

This is something I want to change a bit..... This is my New Year Resolution.

Buy less books. Much less books.

Each year I buy more than I read... Just to give you an example - I've bought 1696 books and I've read 602. It's beginning to be insupportable in terms of space, in terms of finances and to me that's going. My goal will be - buy at most 52.

Goals I want to buy and will buy or I am waiting

- Black Library books, paperbacks are a much... Let talk around half of the 52 will be them.~

• The Mage-Fire War (Already Bought)
• Spear of Malice (Already bought)
• Gareth Hanrahan 3 novel (already bought)
• Brandon Sanderson 
• Matthew Ward 2 & 3 books
• Joe Abercrombie 3 novel in the trilogy
• David Hair 1st book of trilogy
• Adrian Tchaikovsky

Maybe or IF

• Mike Shackle  / Devin Madson / Brian Naslund / Jonathan French / Evan Winter / A J Smith /   John Gwynne / Steven Erikson / Ian C Esslemont / K J Parker /  Guy Gavriel Kay / Anna Smith Spark 
• Litany of Dreams / The Last Ritual (Arkham Horror) 
• The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All - If it's cheaper
• Fairhaven Rising - If it's release this year
• Dune Trilogy
• Jack Campbell new series 5+3

Regarding boardgames I will also tone down and keep them to a minimum...

Waiting to receive - Already pay

• Kingdom Death 3 Wave (4 Wave 2022?)
• Solomon Kane -Q1 2021
• Trudvang Chronicles Musphelheim -Q1 2021
• Matchbox Collection - Q1 - 2021
• Lawyer Up - Q1 - 2021
• Elder Dice- Q1 - 2021

• Carnival Zombie - Q2 2021 
• Eternal Adversary - Q2 2021
• Etherfields 2 Wave - (Q2 2021)
• Oathsworm -Q2 - 2021
• Dawn of Madness -Q2 - 2021
• Frosthaven -Q2 - 2021
• Veilwrath - Q2 - 2021
• Trudvang Adventures 5E- Q2 - 2021
• Spirits of Forest Moonlight  - Q2 - 2021
• Nemesis Lockdown  - Q2 - 2021
• Aeon Trespass Odyssey - Q2 2021 / Wave 2 -2022

• Time of Legends 1.5 - Q3 - 2021
• Stormsunder  - Q3 - 2021
  
  
• Middara Trilogy - Q2 - 2022

- Missing Postages

• Return of Planet Apocalpyse - Missing Postages
• Paladin™ Card Protectors and Accessories: Season 5 - Missing Postages
• Darkest Dungeon - Missing Postages
• Knockdown - Missing Postages
• Frostpunk - Missing Postages
• Momiji - Missing Postages

There are two or three in line for next year. True be told I've bought some for my son and me, others are more for me... Let us see

Book Review: Road of Skulls - Joshua Reynolds

Finally a novel that makes Gotrek justice.

First of all it develops Gotrek while not going against the timeline already in place. But we also learn a lot about Gotrek grudge that surprised me. Felix was really interesting character here. More bold. More akin a remembrancer while elfslayer or zombieslayer was more boring duo. It didn't really gone anywhere. Althought here we see battles, we see dwarves, we see history, we see a glimpse of all.

The Chaos part were really interesting as well. We learn more about how a horde of chaos works. the politics, the champions, the mistrust - the lack of honor or good traits.

Enfin, really interesting. Josh Reynolds really surprised me here. Not since William King I enjoy more a Gotrek novel. 

Book Review: Attack of the Necron - Cavan Scott

This was created to make children into Black Library world. I can't say it's as much woke as I initially thought. In this story we follow 3 kids and one talking monkey as they are leaving a world after being attack my Necrons. It's really fast paced. There are some glimpses on how somethings work like Warp and other travel information. Nothing really regarding Chaos, The Emperor and so on... There are some cliches you expect from a children book. BUT to me perfectly honest I believe it's a solid book for children not for adults. It's not that developed.

Black Library & Games Workshop are Woke BUT they also know they can't change overnight or most of their writers/readers will skip them. The books are interesting because they usually don't dwell on comparisons between nowadays politics. I really hope they stop this BUT it seems they will not. 

Michael Moorcock Reading Guide

Michael Moorcock invented Multiverse. His multiverse joins every novel, short story he wrote. Even when going outside his fields of writing. Of course he is most known for Elric there are a lot of them, Hawkhood, Von Beck, Corum, Cornelius and Earl Aubec. I've read several of this novels & short stories but my gaol it's go all in.. I know he is a odd ball. Some novels are crap, other's his anarchist way of life show a lot, well to be honest most of them. But alas I really enjoy Elric (but I only read 3 of his novels). My gaol it's sto start reading a couple of them this year.

1. Von Bek

• The War Hound and the World's Pain
• The City in the Autumn Stars
• The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius (ss)

2. The Eternal Champion

• The Eternal Champion
• The Sundered Worlds* (aka The Blood-Red Game)
• Phoenix in Obsidian (aka The Silver Warriors)
• he Dragon in the Sword

3. Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles

4. Hawkmoon (aka The History of the Runestaff)

• The Jewel in the Skull
• The Mad God's Amulet (aka Sorcerer’s Amulet)
• The Sword of the Dawn
• The Runestaff (aka The Secret of the Runestaff)

5. Corum (aka The Swords Trilogy/The Swords of Corum/Corum: The Coming of Chaos)

• The Knight of the Swords
• The Queen of the Swords
• The King of the Swords

6. Sailing to Utopia

• The Ice Schooner
• The Black Corridor (Already Read)
• The Distant Suns  (Already Read)
• Flux (ss)

7. A Nomad of the Time Streams (aka The Nomad of Time)

• The War Lord of the Air
• The Land Leviathan
• The Steel Tsar

8. Warrior of Mars

• City of the Beast* (aka Warriors of Mars)
• Lord of the Spiders* (aka Blades of Mars)
• Masters of the Pit* (aka Barbarians of Mars)

9. 'The End of Time (Part 1)'

• An Alien Heat (in The Dancers at the End of Time omnibus)
• The Hollow Lands (in The Dancers at the End of Time omnibus)
• Pale Roses (ss) (in Legends from the End of Time omnibus)
• White Stars (ss) (in Legends from the End of Time omnibus)

10. 'Rackhir'

...The Roaming Forest• (ss) (Note: included in Elric: To Rescue Tanelorn collection)

11. Elric of Melniboné (aka Elric: Song of the Black Sword)

• Elric of Melniboné
• The Fortress of the Pearl
• The Sailor on the Seas of Fate
• Sailing to the Future (ss)
• Sailing to the Present (ss)
• Sailing to the Past (ss)
• The Dreaming City (ss)
• A Portrait in Ivory (ss)
• While the Gods Laugh (ss)
• Black Petals (ss)
• The Singing Citadel (ss)

12. The Cornelius Quartet (Not really interested)

The Final Programme

Cure for Cancer

The English Assassin

The Condition of Muzak

13. The Roads Between the Worlds

• The Wrecks of Time* (aka The Rituals of Infinity)
• The Winds of Limbo* (aka The Fireclown)
• The Shores of Death* (aka The Twilight Man) (revised)

14. The New Nature of the Catastrophe

15. The Prince With The Silver Hand (aka The Chronicles of Corum)

• The Bull and the Spear
• The Oak and the Ram
• The Sword and the Stallion

16. 'The S.M.A.S.H.* Novels' - Jerry Cornell/Nick Allard

.The LSD Dossier

The Chinese Agent

The Russian Intelligence

Sick Man's Antidote to Spy Heroics

17. 'The End of Time (Part Two)'

• Ancient Shadows (ss) (in Legends from the End of Time omnibus)
• The End of All Songs (in The Dancers at the End of Time omnibus)
• Constant Fire (aka The Transformation of Miss Mavis Ming/A Messiah at the End of Time) (in Legends from the End of Time omnibus)
• Elric at the End of Time (ss) (in Legends from the End of Time omnibus)

18. 'London Novels'

Gloriana, or The Unfulfill'd Queen¹ (Original 1978 - Revised 1993)
Mother London

King of the City

London Bone

19. Stormbringer (aka Elric: The Stealer of Souls)

• The Sleeping Sorceress (aka The Vanishing Tower)
• The Revenge of the Rose
• The Stealer of Souls (ss)
• Kings in Darkness (ss)
• The Caravan of Forgotten Dreams (ss) (aka The Flame Bringers)
• Stormbringer
• Dead God's Homecoming (ss)
• Black Sword's Brothers (ss)
• Sad Giant's Shield (ss)
• Doomed Lord's Passing (ss)

20. A Cornelius Calendar¹

The Adventures of Una Persson and Catherine Cornelius in the Twentieth Century¹

The Entropy Tango¹

Gold Diggers of 1977¹ (aka The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle)

The Alchemist’s Question¹ (ss)

21. 'Sojan'

22. 'Didactic Novels' - Karl Glogauer/Rickhardt von Bek

• Behold the Man
• Breakfast in the Ruins
• The Brothel in Rosenstrasse

23. Earl Aubec

• Earl Aubec (aka Master of Chaos)
• Jesting with Chaos (aka The Last Enchantment)
• The Greater Conqueror
• Going Home
• Hanging the Fool (aka Wheel of Fortune)
• Consuming Passion
• Wolf (available online)
• Environment Problem
• The Opium General
• A Dead Singer
• The Lovebeast
• The Ruins
• The Golden Barge (novel)
• The Deep Fix
• The Real Life Mr Newman
• Goodbye, Miranda
• Islands
• "Some Reminiscences of the Third World War"
• Casablanca
• Going to Canada
• Leaving Pasadena
• Crossing Into Cambodia
• Mars
• The Frozen Cardinal
• Peace on Earth
• The Mountain
• The Time Dweller
• Escape from Evening
• Waiting for the End of Time...
• The Stone Thing
• The Last Call
• My Life
• The Museum of the Future
• To Rescue Tanelorn... 

24. Blood¹

25. Fabulous Harbours¹(All short stories)

26. The War Among the Angels•

• Sumptuous Dress• (ss)

27. 'The [Further] Lives and Times of Jerry Cornelius'

The Lives and Times of Jerry Cornelius• 

The Spencer Inheritance• (ss)

The Camus Connection• (ss)

Cheering for the Rockets• (ss)

Firing the Cathedral• (ss)

The Visible Men• (ss)

Modem Times 2.0• (ss) 

28. 'Seaton Begg/Sexton Blake/Sherlock Holmes'

29. 'Dream Quest Trilogy

• The Dreamthief's Daughter
• The Skrayling Tree
• The White Wolf's Son

30. Count Brass (aka The Chronicles of Castle Brass)

• Count Brass
• The Champion of Garathorm
• The Quest for Tanelorn

31. Colonel Pyat

Byzantium Endures

The Laughter of Carthage

Jerusalem Commands

The Vengeance of Rome

Silverheart

Book Review: Between Two Fires - Christopher Buehlman

I didn't enjoy as much as other people it seems.

First of all it's flagged as horror but it is really not. It's not horror. Maybe Dark Fantasy? If I had to make a genre it's a pseudo-historical fantasy.

This is set in the hundred years war where the black plague was striking mixing with war between angels vs demons (interestingly it's almost the same vibe as Time of Legends: Joan of Arc. True be told that was the main reason I start reading the novel. I had the novel but never really got the time and availability to read it. Then I back the game and so it was a pretext. I started reading in January of 2018 and finish August of 2020. (Almost as the same time to deliver the kickstarter haha). Sorry for the joke... true and sad.

In this novel we follow Thomas (a knight) which founds a young girl who says that all this plague and war is part of something more divinal. They soon depart and met a priest and together go to fulfill the girl dream (deliriuim). Most of the novel it's about this journey - very reminiscent of Joan D' Arc).

This novel it's easy to read but at times the pace, scenario, talk change so much that was hard to say without a doubt what was real or not. Sincerely at times was confusing.

In terms of story and landscape the author really know how to create atmosphere. The plot could have been more elaborated and I believe they've spent much time on the travel and less on the final confrontation. There were times I asked myself why x or y character did the thing they did.

The travels at times, remind me of deadly sins , I could name it at least 4 but probably the remaining I wasn't paying attention. I will not read it again (so much books to read). Maybe in several decades. I will not dispose of the book that for sure.

With all mysticism and angels vs demons we really didn't get the conclusion I hoped. I hope more epic conclusion but alas...

All in all, it was a enjoyable read, the scenes are truly good, the characters have flaws and still we root for them. As I said, my mine gripe was the flow of the tale.

Book Review: BloodLines - Chris Wraight

 

I've just finish this tale. Well, my innitial thoughts, around 50 pages or so was... It looks like I am watching a Judge Dredd kind of story. Knowing the connection between Black Library, Black Flame (and old imprint that made some Judge Dredd novels) I thought that maybe this was it. Black Library has now several brands 40K (both old and new); Horus Heresy; Age of Sigmar (plus the 170 novels in Warhammer Fantasy); Blood Bowl; Necromunda; Time of Legends (now ended); BlackStone fortress & Warcy novels. Of course how to go even further? Lets create Horror & Crime. It's like having several companies within and putting out there 3 dozen novels per year or more if you cont all novellas, short stories and all others.... Imagine you want to read everything they put out? It's impossible. Unless you don't read anything else. Even more it's nigh impossible on finances. The other thing that upsets me is the way they release books... I bought Lukas the Trickster & Legacy of the wolfen (Cursen of Wolfen & Legacy of Russ). Now they are releasing Sagas of Space Wolves The Omnibus that encompases "Ragnar Blackmane", "Curse of the Wulfen", "Legacy of Russ" and "The Hunt for Logan Grimnar" as well as the novellas "Blood on the Mountain and Arjac Rockfist". Now why did you put outt Legacy of Wulfen? 10€ to trash? Or I wont read everything of Space Wolves. This is a good technique but it's a crappy one. You pray on people who purchase every single novella or book and then . OKay here it is plus something new. Enfin, I am goinjg astray with my thoughts. We debating on this... This book is a solid novel. Is it good? It has some parts that interested me and it will have impact on all other novels set on Crime. First the Houses behind, the politics, the setting, the serpent stuff. All of these are very interesting. Varangantua is an interesting setting. It's very 30's vibe. It's very old school crime stories vibe. But let's be true. If you could change some key words this story could have been done in another setting. This author could have change stuff and presented as a new world for him to explore. Remove "By His Hand"; remove some key imperium names and voila. You've got a new world. Some people call it Domestic 40K but to me it's not. It's another setting that will probably get a new boardgame after the innitial success of the novels and there you go. The all Iris stuff; the cars; the guns etc - all felt so detached from the 40K we know that at times I couldn't see being in a 40K universe. Now, it is bad? No, of course it's not. Probator Agusto Zidarov it's a nice interesting trouble character. It's family looked real; the all police interaction between different Probators felt interesting. The all corrupted society including the "police". All was interesting. The pace itself was fine although a bit repetitive. What I really loved was the all cult stuff. Are they chaos? They don't feel like it althought I've check a website and they are branded as Chaos. To me look like another theology stuff that God Emperor is everywhere - the all church vs Christianity stuff we see in some thrillers . To me it was the top of the book, although they didn't dwell much on it. I will continue to to read other stuff from this setting including the new release No Good Men. I hate that title. Should you read it? Yes. If not because it's different from normal 40K novels. As I would also advise reading a 40K horror story. They are all in the same setting so it's cool to go a bit further from the Grimdark and try other genres... You've got a bit of comedy with Cain, chidlren book; so what's the next setting BL?

Book Review: First and Only - Dan Abnett (Gaunt's Ghosts)

This was the second time I've read the novel. The first time was in 2007 (one of the first novels I've read for Black Library) and now. Since I didn't follow with the rest of the series I thought about it and said to myself I would start reading when all finish. We now have all novels so it's a good time to start reading.

This is the first book in 15 novel series plus an anthology. There is also the Double Eagle which is not part of Gaunt BUT it was set on the Sabbat Crusade. IT focus on areal war - highly influenced on Battle of Britain. I believe Titanicus is also set there but I can't confirm for sure.

In this tale we are introduced to Gaunt and his ghosts. One of the most interesting parts is that this is a combination of stories mix with very short stories that connect the dots.

Each story was quite different and I didn't expect that. BUT it was very very entertaining. First of all, I believe this novel set the tone for the coming books (that I have no doubt) but since it was one of the first novels produced by BL it set the tone for Black Library overall.

Dan Abnett it's a great writer, I also have no doubt of it. Gilead's Dead; Double Eagle, Brothers of the Snake and Riders of the Dead are all very good (all 5 stars). (although not totally by him but Darkblade 5 books are a must - Hammers of Ulric is divided for 3 writers and it's really awesome). The only ones I didn't really got into was I am Slaughter and Fell Cargo, and even those are very good. I've read Fell Cargo 10 years ago - more, and I still remember most of the plot.

I have no doubt that he is one of the best of Black Library writers. Unfortunately he is not as prolific as he was in the golden days. Alas...

Imagine a 2 World War setting; now imagine an Commissar (but not one that kills needlessly) and a group of militar personal (around 3000) and the last of their world. When they all died, they world will be just a footnote... Never forget Tanith.
Due to their world geography and fauna they are experts scouts but due to politics they are thrown into the fray and thick of it.

This story begins when a message is intercepted by an astropath and from that moment each story as I said is as different as the last but all with this information in the mix of it. We've got car chases, trenches wars, mystery chase within a massive ship. There are a lot of rivalry inter-regiments and they are more destructive than the proper fight against the cultists and chaos. Have I told you that the baddies are Chaos? They are. Dan Abnett DELIBERATELY don't let us know much of the adversaries because the imperial guard echelons and rivalry are more destructive.

I didn't know ao STL template was, and the importance into he great scheme of things.
Of course they talk about it BUT after reading a hundred books plus pages and pages of info dump I finally have a good grasp of the importance of the discovery. I would have no doubt that If the prize for the Sabbat Worlds Campaign was this STL it would very understandable. Killing an entire world would not be so inconceivable so the death of regiment wouldn't even be an issue. 

Book Review: Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett (Discworld)

Equal Rites it's an interesting sort of book.

It's a Pratchett's novel and full onboard with the other three I've read before (three to be honest - we are honest aren't we? I Suppose we are).

In this novel we follow Granny and her apprentice Esk. She is now a wizard sorry witch something.

It was a bit different from previous books I've read in terms of character so there's that.
Death still appears although only two or three pages at most.
It was interesting to see the Granny perspective on magic. Esk trying to understand psychology headology. The focus on the wizards, the focus on somewhat cthulhu thingy.

Overall it was interesting read.

Book Review: Doctor Who: Domain of the Voord

 Well, I've not heard one audiobook for 3 years.

I want to heard at least some of these series plus others dealing with the first 4 doctors. My favourite one I may say it was the old man. I've watched all first through the fifth episodes. Never watched after the fifth. Got bored with the fifth doctor.

Let us see, if one day I can go back....

Well, This story we meet yet again the Voord - the last time we met them was more than 50 years ago in the tv serial The Keys of Marinus. In this tale we are set on a maritime world that has being invaded by the Voord. Without delay the doctor and his companions are thrown into the fray and start helping the rebellion against the overmind of Voord.

The story focus a lot on Barbara, Ian and Susan. The Doctor is less there and with a tale of over two hours I can count the times the Doctor is there.

Nothing new, nothing spectacular. But entertaining to watch them again. If I had a 10 rating - this was a 5. BUT since I've got to choose between two and three I will say two.

Book Review: The Warblade - David S Garrett

 

Well, I've read the previous back in 2015.

This tales are all connected and you can read them as one big book.

In this tale we follow Konrad, our main protagonist from the beginning when he escapes an attacked village throughout the world, passing Kislev and other parts of the Empire.

In this tale, we begin our adventure beneath the city of Altdorfas Konrad is still searching for his lover Elyssa. 5 years have passed and many friends and colleagues have come and gone. Konrad learns of the plot of the skaven of switching Karl Franz (The Emperor) with a double. He also learns, after confining with the wrong person that there are several cults inbetween the nobility and guards of the Emperor. So, basically Chaos is everyone and everything is is connected to it.

He first escapes Altdorf and re-meets Wolf. With his help he discovers his space in the great scheme of things. With the help of two old friends they go back to Altdorf and try to help the Empire.

All in all, fully action - comparing with the previous ones. Some of Ferring beliefs were thrown here but it didn't felt forced and to be honest It goes with the old views of the Empire. If you had follow from the first books to the later ones, the Empire is quite different. In the old times, they try to go more political focus and even fluff information. Later novels, are more action and less fluff. I mean, it was interesting to know that the skaven almost put a double instead of Karl Franz.

If you go to later novles like Nathan Long trilogy of BlackHearts there is no fluff withing. Fell Cargo? Nada; Necromancer, The Enemy Within, Florian novels, Aaron Rosemborg trilogy - all of these - and I am not saying they are not good - but they have no fluff. Old novels have fluff within. This happens with 40K as well.

To be perfeclty honest - I am content I've read the three novels, because I want to read them all and it's my favorite setting. To a newcomer it's a good place to start - you got glimpses of the Empire, Chaos and Skaven. But overall I cannot say in good conscious it's a good novel or trilogy. There are way better out there... 

Top 10 - Romance - Anime

Romance it's one of my favourite genres to be honest. Mix it with Drama, School and a bit Ecchi and you've got it.

Let me tell about my favorite. top 10 where Romance is the main focus.
Bear in mind that are a lot I didn't watch - here are some examples...
Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso; Nodame Cantabile, Clannad; Nana; Ookami to Koushinryou; Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo; Nagi no Asu kara

Well here are some of my favourites:

1) Tsuki ga Kirei
This is the disney love story about a boy and a girl meeting and falling in love throughout some adversities in school time. There are any major obstacles but it's a nice story with a great happy finale. Advisable to anyone who wants a normal, slice of life romance.

2) Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai
I did enjoy more than Tsuki but that's because this is not a pure romance. Our main character and girlfriend get together really soon and most of the anime is surpassing adversities. It's quite interesting story supernatural mix slice of life and romance. They are not the shy stupid boys/girls you watch everyone.

3) Koe no Katachi
This is how you do romance boys and girls while talking about other important stuff. Prepare to cry.

4) Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru.
Ahh love triangle. The boy is really interesting and while he values himself to worthless the two (three) girls see his potential and fight to get him. He is a really interesting character and worth to watch just for it. Character development right here. Don't expect an ending soon but the third season is on the making.

5) Fune wo Amu / Rec
The first one is more focus on slice of life about a man creating a Japanese dictionary. Nice slow romance. One of the best Slice of Life in my opinion. The second one as the previous is more adulted oriented and it's about two people getting together and working their love life afterwards. It's a bit different from all the others since here they start almost together.

Then we've have love stories for everyone...

6) Kimi no Na wa. love through time...
7) Koi wa Ameagari no You ni - 17 year old girl and 40 plus guy but done right and not just food for the old guys who want new girls
8) High Score Girl & Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san - for younger teen love
9) Byousoku 5 Centimeter & Hotarubi no Mori e - for you to cry (both are movies)
10) Toradora! & Itsudatte Bokura no Koi wa 10 cm Datta. ahh the trope , let work together to get the boy and the girl we love and then they start loving one another. Typical hollywood stuff. But here we have one of the first Tsundere girls.

Honorable mentions:
Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen more comedy but pretty darn sweet.
Sakamichi no Apollon is about somewhat love triangle in the 60's/70's. Really enjoy it.
Tamako Love Story could have been truly something if the series had any romance going on. Suppossedly was a love story but never getting out the ground. This movie done that. 
Just Because! An excelent vibes - from the creator of Bunny Girl Senpai but unfortunally I believe the main character choose poorly. The best girl didn't win in my opinion.

White Album & White Album 2 - The first one is crap. The second one is quite good love triangle that made me cry. They are not connnect besides the name.

Book Review: The Wendigo - Algernon Blackwood

The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood
My rating: 5 of 10 stars

A good novella but a bit old-dated. Interesting reading nevertheless. My problem with it was the simplicity and lack of... horror element. I am sorry, I know it's a cult story but it didn't appeal to me. Blackwood really is connected with nature and gave it a spooky enviromnent but the characteres and beast are nothing spectacular. I understand the historic interest of this story and influence for other writers, like Lovecraft.

It's an atmospheric read that pitches human instinct & superstition against rationalism. Nature versus Society.

"Oh, oh! My feet of fire! My burning feet of fire! Oh, oh! This height and fiery speed!"

View all my reviews

Book Review: The Rats - James Herbert

The Rats by James Herbert
My rating: 8 of 10 stars

This was undoubtly one of the best books of the year. The rats is a pure horror tale from the seventies.

First of all, what I enjoy most of all were... the rats. The killing frenzy. The history behind each attack. One of the best scenes is when the writer gives us four or five pages about a woman fall from being a true believer through whore and now a hobo. Btw that's the only good female protagonist. There aren't any more.

This is the seventies guys and girls. Things were different. Even Stephen King or Koontz, in horror genre, in the seventies gave way much attention to males characters than females.

I really enjoy the attack on the subway. Great images. I won't go to the subway again and look into the darkness and thing there are things watching... and waiting.

So.. Gory, horror, suspense and a bit of sex. Fun as hell. Thank god Herbert wrote two more books. Excellent. BUT as I said before... it was written in the seventies. Like the thirties and Lovecraft you can't compare to what you have now.

Lovecraft = Racist? - Herbert = Machist? I think not. Different times. Different ways of thinking. You can't compare yourself to a medieval guy or even comparing to nowadays - You can't compare a UK or USA citizen with a Japonese or a Somalii. There are different views of the world and so it's my belief that's why there are so many one star reviews on this book. Read the reviews. Most of them think Herbert is a machist. Oh well.

Advisable to anyone who wants to read a good short horror story but don't mind about characters.

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Anime Review: Summer 2019

This season has some interesting shows like Vinland Saga - What if there was anime focus on the vikings? Yeah- it would be perfect and magnificent. I really hope to see a second season. You start rooting for someone and then in the next scene you are hating and in the next you are rooting again. I doubt anyone watching this, start hating Askeladd and then as the episodes advance you starting rooting for him and even crying in some instances.. This is how you make a show. This is how you make characters. Full of flaws but still worth rooting.

My second ten was Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san 2. This is romance in the making. In this show we follow two characters both pre teens. The boy only wants to tease Takagi san but she outsmarts him every time. But this show is not only about that. It's about growth, love, discovery.. It's perfect.

Then another famous one was Dr Stone. A second season is on the making. This story it's about two boys and a girl who after a mysterious light transforms everyone into stone. As time progress the landscape changes and we are thrown into the future. As humans began to awake they are thrown into the stone ages but a boy with a mind that rivals Einstein and everything changes. I really enjoy the show. From the making of stuff, discovery, some romance and even ideals that are against one andother it's very interesting.

Given it's a bit odd. I start hating it and then end up enjoying. It's a story about a boy discovery himself. Basically he is a musician and gay and he's got some problems from before and we discover as the story progress. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YND9-kErbQc Please watch. No doubt the best song I've heard coming from an anime. Full of emotions.

Kanata no Astra is one of those animes that started a bit slow and to be honest just "okish" but as the episodes went you get to know more of the characters and plot and why everything was happening. Really enjoy the last episodes. Didn't saw it coming. Good characters.

Enen no Shouboutai it's a very good TV Series. It's now on season 2, each one with 24 episodes so there's that. It's a Shounen and full of mythology behind. There is a lot of story behind the characters and world. Really enjoy it. It has some ecchi but nothing really that would put off some people. It's not a ecchi driven show but a show who has some ecchi. 

Wasteful Days of High School Girl is a show about nothing. It's a counterpart of Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou. It's like Asobi Asobase. It's about several teens and their life outside school and at times in school as they pick on one another.  It's very interesting and each episode let me smile a bit more. I even started watching the TV Show but the subtitles ended on episode 2. 

O Maidens in Your Savage Season - This show was really a hoot. It's about a bunch of girls in a coming of age and discovering what is sex. Each episode you laugh and smile because you understand their plight.In terms of visual it probably one of the best in this season.

Is it wrong to pick up girls in a Dungeon Season 2. Well this season it's not as good as the first BUT it's still a solid anime. We get more maidens for his harem and plently of fight scenes.

Vinland Saga - 10 Stars
Takagi San - 10 Stars
Dr Stone -8 Stars
O Maidens in Your Savage Season - 8 Stars
Enen no Shouboutai - 7 Stars
Is it wrong to pick up girls in a Dungeon Season  - 7 Stars
Given - 7 Stars
Wasteful Days of High School Girl - 7 Stars
Kanata no Astra - 7 Stars

Book Review: Perpetuity Blues and Other Stories - Neal Barret Jr

Perpetuity Blues and Other Stories by Neal Barrett Jr.
My rating: 2 of 10 stars

This was a weak anthology of stories (in my opinion).
Maybe to someone else they will do nicely. To me, not so much.

Most of them are quite bland - leading nowhere. Most of them have a post-apocalyptic feel to them but are too absurd for me. Maybe this was te premise of that movement. Nevertheless there are a couple of stories that I enjoy (with reservations).

First Class of 61. In a world where most mankind have suddenly dissappear and aliens have come to earth. One of these aliens need a "ghost" hunter. The story is a bit better than others but, who are the aliens, why did they came, where are the rest of the population? Neither questions are answerable and the ending as all other stories come short of a proper conclusion. It just happens.

The other story is the Winter on the Belle Fourche. The best of them all but forgettable and confusing. A psychadelic western with sf and fantasy elements. At the same time it's a story about Emilie Dicksison, the writer and how she came to be a writer. Very good twist.

The other good story until the end was "Under Old New York". A post apocalyptic scenery that was well drawn. A girl, under age, is trying to make a living in New York. She mets several people, who either help her or try to give bad directions. OK good. Now, she arrives at the city and the story ends?? Why? What happenend to her? What? Pretty much dissapointing because it was flowing so well.

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Book Review: UR - Stephen King

UR by Stephen King
My rating: 6 of 10 stars

Very interesting novella. I heard it and the guy reading it was pretty good. Not a monotous note as other I've heard before.

This novella is about a Kindle that besides his normal function as a UR function, showing novels from alternative realities where authors didn't perish when they did as our earth. Besides that he also saw news from alternative realities some equal to ours but others quite different. (Interesting he gave the Democratic Party most of the wins in alternative reality as he is a democratic guy).

After seeing a new that his Now-Ex/Future-To-Be girlfriend was going to be killed along most of the female team he tried to thwart the plans. With the help of a student he makes a plan in motion.

The overall plot is quite simple and the main characters is quite developed.

Even if I didn't read the Dark Tower (so far) I was entertainted by the small references to it. The low men in yellow coat and the cataphrase... "Everyone serves the Tower".

My problems with the story?
I hate Kindles and other e-readers! I enjoy the discussion between our main character and a kid about the difference between e-readers vs paper books. Old School VS New School.

Argh!

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Book Review: Raven - Charles L Grant

Raven by Charles L. Grant
My rating: 4 of 10 stars

This two stars have a reason. The writing is fantastic no doubt about it but I didn't enjoy the characters and the ending.

I felt that most of the book was a little confusing. I will explain now. There isn't a single chapter. The book is separated for paragraphs and one paragraph you are following Neil and the other you are following Julia or Ken or Trish or Brandt or Mandy or even our Main antagonist (but this one was the easier).

Thats why I couldn't enjoy more of the book. I am sorry because I had good hopes for it.

Everyone of the eight characters a backstory (ones more developed than others) and something that interconnect them all.

Our main antagonist was vague and emotionless (for a reason). The ending was good I think but didn't save my savouring of the book.

I will read other books by Charles L Grant whom I consider an excelent prose writer... Examples:

Past sunset in early February, the worst time of the year. Too far from Christmas and too far from spring. Too cold. Too quiet. The light, never strong, too soon gone. Trees without leaves, scarred back, empty nests, fading into the dark; weeds along the roadside, trembling stiffly, shedding burrs, flaring in passing headlights, and fading into the dark; house lights and streetlamps and traffic signals growing brighter, growing brittle, trying desperately, and failing, not to fade into the dark.
No Snow.
No wind.
The landscape grey and dead.

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Review: Skull Full of Kisses

Skull Full of Kisses by Michael West
My rating: 7 of 10 stars

Some of the stories within were quite good. One or another were weak.

Disappearing Act (Introduction by Gary Braunbeck)

Jiki - Short for Jikiwinki is a demon who eats the dead. Nice story about a yakuza with a conscience. A man is drawn to a demon that reminds him of his lost girlfriend. Interesting twist in the end.

The Bridge is a modern tale of ghosts. Weak in my humble opinion. Too amauterish. Too cliche. Too simple (and not in a good way).

Dogs of War - A man's demons haunts his life. What must he do so they can go away? Why did they appear only after the Desert Storm?

Trolling A Story about the sea. Calming sea. When In land why fear the sea creatures? One thing is for sure. I will never touch a woman again without a bit of fear. Ahah (Sorry... :)

Einstein Slingshot is an interesting novelette about time travel. The interesting characters and scenario. A bit predicted in my opinion. Nevertheless I would like to see how Michael West would do with a full lengthed novel.

God Like Me - This one is probably one of the best tales in this book. What would you do if you suddenly discover that you are omnipotent? What if you discover while your boss is yelling at you? This one should have been a larger story.

To Know How to See - Are you what you appear to be? This one was the weakest story in my opinion.

For Her - A love story. A horror love story.

Sanctuary - A story set in the Himalayan as a man tries to find cover of snow storm... but those monks...

Goodnight - is a story of a man as he try to console his grandson after the boy's mother dies in a car accident. A good twist in the end.

In the end Michael West talks a bit about each story tellings us how it came to be or what does it mean to him. Quite good. I would love to see more opinions of the writers about the stories they write.

Advisable to anyone. I can now see why Michael West is such a good writer and have so many good reviews on his books. I will definitely read more from him.

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Anime Review: Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru? & Hensuki: Are you willing to fall in love with a pervert, as long as she's a cutie? (Summer 2019)

Two more animes that focus on Ecchi and by the gods they are fine I guess. The "Do you love your mother" is more a parody of isekai and ecchi mix while these two are more oriented. 

The first one is anime that focus on work out but with cute girls, while the second  is a boy who supposedly has a secret admirer but everyone he meets it's a pervert!. 

Both as I said have ecchi elements BUT they are not solely ecchi.

If I have to compare I would say the latter it's better because it has a story, some ecchi elements but they are the focus is in the story and discover of the Cinderella. The first one, you will learn how to exercise while seeing pretty 3D girls... So what's not to like?

Dumbell 5 Stars / Hensuki 6 Stars

Thoughts XXXVIII - On reading trilogies and other non-solo books.

 Well,what I am trying to talk about it's one thing that troubled me since I started reading.

Basically I read a lot, not counting two or three years in the past 14 I've read more than 50 novels per year, two years well over 100. Reading trilogies or series always had me thinking, that I should not read them because I would have to read the next and the next and so on.

That's why I started with Gaunt Ghosts from BL and then didn't read the second. After 10 years I started yet again reading BUT there are so many I wanted to read that I can't seem to find the motivation to grab the second novel. If this continues in ten years I will have to reread.

Jack Campbell 6 books - I've read 4 of them. 2 in 2014 and 2 in 2016. I don't even remember much :\ but I will start now because I remember enjoying and I want to finish the series and start the next one from them.

Another I started was Michael Moorcock Elric that I read back in 2006 and I want to read them all yet again plus everything else he wrote :\ but to start that it's a big scary task.

The ones I fnish were dragonlance four books plus the follow up's (although they were read in a time I had only under 50 books so..) I am reading for over 14 years Drizzt and I am at half and missing more than 14 books. 

By biggest achievement was Malus Darkblade pentalogy. I read Fiends of the Eastern Front from Mr Bishop. One that I am fully follow up are Comissar Ciaphas Cain & Gotrek and Felix novels. I've been reading them for over 12 years now - but although they are continuous story each are independent and you won't miss much if you haven't read the previous.

In 2008
Start reading Old Man's War and even gave it a 9 but never got to read the other ones.
Start and Finish Star Pilot Grainger 5 novels
Started Nightside book 1, 2 (never read the rest)
Across the nightingale floor 1, 2 (never read the rest)

2009
Incarnations of Immortality I  (never read the rest)
Under the Eagle (simon scarrow) 
Start and finish Starcraft trilogy

2010
City of Saints and Madmen I
Start and finish Daemon Gates - Aaron Rosenberg
Vampire Hunter D 2010/2010/2010/2011/2013/2019 - 25 to go

2011
Percy Jackson & The Olympians I
Inquisition War I

You get the picture... :\
Any ideas, since most of them I enjoy them. Why can't I follow through?

Anime Review: Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? (Summer 2019)

Well, is not so often that I make reviews of anime but I am going to try doing, small reviews for some animes... some I may love it, some I may hate it. 

This one was a very straightforward anime. It never try to be a good isekai with new stuff or so. This is a ecchi anime supported by all those porn coming out of Japan. You know, a bit of porn with you mother ? (or mother in law). They really enjoy this... (and so do we, but we don't talk about it).

Well, this anime it's about a boy who is transported to another world but with his mother but his mother, who has never play a game or so, and wants to connect to her son, becomes the most powerful being in the world.

Enter Mamako Oosuki - that mother you always wanted to... but you will not have. This is a ecchi show so every episode our main character is thrown into something lewd without him wanting or knowing lol

Don't expect anything else because you won't have it. This is straightforward ecchi show in another world....

Book Review: Genesis - Bernard Beckett

Genesis by Bernard Beckett
My rating: 9 of 10 stars

Despise the YA shelf this book is in, it is much more than it. It's a philosophical debate about conscious being. A debate of what makes human... human. A debate between a AI and a human. This is a philosophy novel disguised as a YA dystopia novel.

I was hoping a fast paced book about a dystopia novel but I get a really surprise. This book is fictious future history of a society told in a four hour exam by Anaximander. She, is great admirer of the hero Adam Forde as she tells his tale of how he came to rebel the militarist society sparing a little girl life. To save his life from death he agrees to interact with an android, Art, the first android ever built. From this moment on, we have a debate about what means to be human.

The ending was the best part of the novel. It has a twist like The Sixth Sense.

I was blown away. Advisable to anyone. At meager 200 pages why not?

Some phrases...

"People did as they were told because they were working together, focused on a common threat, a shared enemy. But time passes. Fear becomes a memory. Terror becomes routine; it loses its grip. The founders of The Republic sought to deny the individual, and in doing so they ignored a simple truth. The only thing binding individuals together is ideas. Ideas mutate, and spread; they change their hosts as much as their hosts change them. "

Platonic images come to my mind...
“I talk to you, you make a sound. I kick this wall, it makes a sound. What's the difference? Perhaps you're going to tell me the wall is conscious too?" "I don't know if the wall's conscious," Art replied. "Why don't you ask it?"

"I can't comment on the minds of others. But I can say I believe it suits our purpose to make Adam the noble fool. This is always the problem with building heroes. To keep them pure, we must build them stupid. The world is built on compromise and uncertainty, and such a place is too complex for heroes to flourish."

This is one of those books I will re-read in ten or twenty years.

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Book Review: The Uninvited - Liz Jensen

The Uninvited by Liz Jensen
My rating: 8 of 10 stars

First Impression:

I am thorn between my star rating... The book until the end is near perfect... But the ending...

What a hell Liz?? :\

Second Impression:
This tale follows two linked stories. Hesketh, a man with a Asperger syndrome is an investigator for an insurance company. He travels from place to place to investigate several sabotages on some companies. First he go to China, then Sweden, Dubai and then he travels back to England. Since this book was written on a first perspective we learn a lot about his mind and it's interesting to see a person's mind work. This particular mind is quite interesting because everytime something important is happening is mind drifts off. And in the midst of his conversations with other peoples, if they are female, he drifts off to his blouse and body. Its quite good because we behave like that. When someone is talking to us, our ears may be hearing it but part of our mind drifts off... to someone appearance or its surroundings. Its not usually a first person narrative to have this attention.

At the same time we have a mystery novel mixed with an apocalpytic scenario. It's quite interesting, because as the book advances we leave the mystery part to a apocalpytic survival scenario.

Hesketh, our main character, has lost his partner to someone else (a girl if you want to know) and at the same time he lost a boy... a boy he is not the father but he treats him as if. It's a theme not usually dwell upon. A man who joins a woman that has a boy he becomes his stepfather. As the relation grows so the role of step-father/step-son. But if they got separated what rights has a stepfather? None. It's a fulcral point to this novel this relation. I really enjoy the relation of Hesketh and the other characters and of himself. The reasons he isolated himself and the reasons he is what he is.

The horror, that supposedly it has - it's almost not-existent. There are a couple scenes that make you irk but afraid? I think it depends on the sensibility of a person.

It's quite interesting the children scenario. Why are they behaving like that, why are they killind persons and making man sabotage their works and kill themselves? What's the reason behind?

The step-son, freddy, is one of those children and sometimes he behaves rather normal and other times he behaves like is was a part of a big group. A new evolution of children. Why they are behaving like that? What's happening? It's reveal that it has something to do with CERN's experiments and time travel/multi paralel dimensions. But no explication is given. No real ending (either bad or good). Its just ends , and you get, so.... now what? There is a sequel? No??? So, what happens to the world? And the children? And mankind? Why didn't they kill all children to start again?

This book deals with father/son relation (in this stepfather/stepson), ex's relations, the Asperger situation, the relations between a Asperger and other people and probably the biggest picture of our World Economy. It's good to be able to buy products from Japan, Nordic countries or USA with a click of a button... but at the same time you are dependent from technology and companies that if they stop for a day or so, repurcutions would exist. What happens if a country that is fully dependable on oil had a problem with receiving it? Or wheat or meat? For better or worse, we are a techonological global village. We depenend on everyone.


Advisable?
Yes. Undoubtatly yes. It's a nice short story, with barely 300 pages, and we get a good setting, good characters and good plot. But be prepared to have a french ending for this book. It's not that kind of open ending that make you think and it feels nicely - it's a kind of ending that is so open that you feel cheated. It doesn't give you some short posibilities... it gives endless possibilities of endings.

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Book Review: Doctor Who: The Faceless Ones

Doctor Who: The Faceless Ones by Terrance Dicks
My rating: 3 of 10 stars

One interesting script of a lost episode. Sincererly it was a mistake to cut two characters short so soon. Polly was an good character even if Ben was a weak one. For what I heard/read Polly left Doctor Who after the directors choose to let go of Ben.

I really enjoy Jamie the scottish boy. A charming and interesting character from the past. In my opinion that's a point in his favor since somethings are unknown to him.


The story is simple but leaves a big question in the end. A bit rush scene...

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Book Review: Pague Daemon - Brian Craig (Warhammer Fantasy)

Hmm, another Brian Craig novel. If you don't know, Brian Craig is a pseudonym for Brian Stableford. Brian Stableford is a British writer and wrote a ton of novels back in the 70's and 80's. Some I have read - one of the most memorable were Hooded Swan's 6 novels series published by DAW (you know the yellow books?)

He also wrote Dies Irae Trilogy, Daedealus Mission (6 novels), Asgard trilogy - Then he focus on the Warhammer 5 novels and in between wrote David Lydard trilogy, Genesys trilogy, Emortality 6 novels among other novels. Even now he is publishing novels. I have a lot of his novels having enjoy Hooded Swan a great deal. There are others in the pipeline to read (not counting the ones he wrote for BL - before it was BL)

Apart from that, one of the most interesting things he writes about is that he usually uses biology and sociology stuff on his novels. So it's fairly easy to differentiate his writing or his works comparing with newer BL writing which normally are more , what we call TIE-IN and not as much as novel. It's not they are not good but usually newer novels maintain the status quo of the world. In early BL novels (and this one is BEFORE-BL) they had more freedom - that's my opinion. I won't say that this novel has any lore but if you would change some names this could be their own fantasy series because there are almost no connection to Warhammer Fantasy.

The novel is set in the Border Lands in one of the dozens small states. This particular state, Khypris, is invaded by the Zani with regularity and so they maintain dozen of outposts in the top border. Unfortunately nothing much is said about the Zeni, they sure look like some Germanic tribe that from time to time invaded the roman empire. In this case, they say they invaded due, first good fertile lands for their beasts and then as a test to change from youth to manhood.

In this novel we follow Hamis as initially went on a quest to avenge his dead brother and meeting a magician and two of his apprentices. In their quest to alert Khypris they meet a lot of challenges and there is even a great battle. Sincerely this was not performed very well and instead this Zani, which where a lot more than the defending Khypris were easily thwarted. In the end there is even the battle against a evil plague lord but as I said before, this was way before there was a lot of a lore and to me it was a bit anti-climatic.

This story (which encompasses 90% of the book) is within another story. The story is told by the "bard" Orfeu as he is trading it for safe passage and horses.

As other Brian books there are lot of sociology debates and entire pages where philosophy is debated. This is no exception. I enjoy it, more than the first BUT it's not a excellent book in any regards. It doesn't stand out and I believe it doesn't even try to stand out. It's a tie-in novel BUT to be honest, if you want to read about life in the Borderlands, then read this. As I said before, apart from small references, probably for most people, it can easily read without any knowledge of Warhammer (not Sigmar).

Book Review: Geneviere Undead - Kim Newman

Comparing with the previous book i must say i prefer the former. This one was a compilation of 3 stories (not that interconnected although in terms of timeline they are one after the other). My main problem is that apart from the 3 story thr other two our main protagonist is not the main protagonist. The first story was not to my liking focusing a lot on her lover. The second is a mix of names from novels written between 1800 to 1900 names like vathek, melkor and such... Even the story itself read as a Victorian novel. The third is the one it focus more on Gene. A solid Victorian short story collection... But unfortunally nothing stands out