Year Recap - 2020 Changes & Boardgames

I've watch a lot of anime this season. 2600 plus animes. Lets be real today it's 20 of December so...

I've watch more TV Series. There are a lot of interesting shows debuting nowadays - I've skip and stop some because they were crap - shows that bend their knees to Social Justice per example.

Let's start Boardgames. 
I am going to try to play a bit more. I have yet to learn playing Tainted Grail; Nemesis; Lord of Hellas; Fortune and Glory; Dawn of Zeds & Cthulhu Death May Die. I am going to learn and play them this year (with others that will arrive...) Comparing with the olde years it will be far less but I know some will come - Reichbusters; Invasions; Carnival Zombie; Planet Apocalpyse & Solomon Kane.I Highly doubt I will receive Shadows of Brimstone: Adventures; Middara The Trilogy; Aeon Trespass or Eternal Adversary.

Regarding TV Shows I've watch more than last year which surprised me.

Sex Education - Not crap but not that bad. Some SJW stuff but overall bearable 5/10
Love. Death & Robots - Good animation show by netflix. A couple interesting stories. 7/10 Advisable.
Nightflyers - based on a George Martin novella. Sincerally not good 3/10
Kingdom - A korea show about zombies in medieval korea. What's not to like? Very good indeed. Eagerly waiting season 2 - 8/10
Orville Season 2- Great sci-fi show - way better than star trek. Some episodes touch sjw stuff but overall it was very good 8/10
The Kirlian Frequency - Crap animation and show 2/10
The Walking Dead Season 8 - Bearable. I am not enjoying this last years but overall they are still good 6/10
The Society - Teen soap opera. Some episodes were nigh impossible to watch with such SJW crap 3/10 - not going to watch season 2 unless this crap disappears. 2/10 
The Rain Season 2 - Enough to say I will not watch season 3. 2/10
Chernobyl - Great show about some of our world darkest moments - (at least for europe) 9/10
The Hot Zone - Great show. Advisable to anyone who loves medical, investigation and a bit of drama. 7/10
Scream: The TV Series Season 3 (or one since they restarted) - Crap. I will not watch season 4 (or 2) if you like. Oh it's full of SJW crap. 3/10
Dark Web - Not good- Not advisable. Sounded good but it was not. Poor plot and characters.
Origin - started fine and ended badly. Don't watch. 3/10
Good Omens - Excelent TV Series. Great Adaptation. 9/10
Swamp Thing - So this was cancelled before it premiere but it's way better than other crappy shows like Batwoman or Super Girl. But it didn't bend the knee as other shows so it was cancelled. 8/10
The Rook - nice spy tv show with mix of super powers. A bit slow and predictable. 6/10
The Boys - What a joy. This show didn't bend the knee to SJW and proofed that changing story and characters just for the sake of diversity is wrong. If you want your character to be a lesbian or gay do it. Don't change everything to give importance when it doesn't have any. We spectators don't care Dumbledore was gay or not. Why should we? It's a character and that's whats important. He was a good character and was gay not the other way around (being gay made him a good character if you didn't understood). 9/10
The Lamb of God - nice yet a confusing story. A bit boring at times 5/10
Fear The Walking Dead Season 5 - What was the purpose of this series? Overall probably the worst season we had 4/10
The Outpost Season 2 - A show I thought it had no future yet it show me wrong. Entertaining fantasy show.
Final Space Season 2 - A real good animation from the USA. Sometimes it bend the knee and sometimes show them the middle finger. to be honest worse than the season 1.
Age of Living Dead - Crappy show - don't watch it. Even the worse season of walking dead it's better. 
The I-Land - It would be a interesting show if it could have went a bit further. Stuff was never really explained but overall entertaining show to watch over a couple of matinees. 5/10
Daybreak - a good show about an apocalpyse. It bended the knee so much that made it a parody of it. Some can watch and think this is crap because it made all SJW stuff stick out while others said that it made a parody of SJW. I am part of the latter. Advisable. 7/10
Green Frontier - Started with a bang and when out like a candle... Weak plot. Why the nazis are the bad guys after 80 years? Oh my... 3/10
Creepshow - A good horror anthology. some stories were very good to be honest. But most were just average. 6/10
Zomboat - a good british zombie story. It has some SJW crap but overall acceptable. 8/10 
Two Sentence Horror Story - Bad. 2/10
Kuzu no Honkai - If you have watched the anime don't bother. Its like they used the anime as the storyboard. 5/10
Are you afraid of the Dark - good horror show for kids and grownups. 7/10
The Haunting of Hill House - A great horror show. Highly advisable. Wish for a second season 9/10
See - The first apple show I watched. a good post apocalyptic show. It bended the knee at some stuff but it's bearable. Overall it was very interesting with several plotholes and a second season it's needed to watch. 8/10
Le Guerre des Mondes - bad and don't waste your time 2/10
War of the World - again don't waste your time 3/10

Modern Family & Big Bang Theory & Young Sheldon - I am watching with my wife. Interesting show. BBT unfortunately finished.

What I am watching? Well...
I will be watching Lost in Space Second season coming on 23 December.
Evil Season 1 - Several episodes are awful bending the knee but overall it's a nice story
The Walking Dead Season 10; 
The Purge which I just finished. Better than the first season
The Mandalorian - This is Star Wars - This is the way disney.
Servant - ahh a horror story with thriller and oddity in the mix
Reprisal - Interesting revenge story
The Witcher - With two episodes so far I am really loving...
Marianne - Good Horror; comedy french show.

I will talk anime in the next post.

Books 2019 and What's coming for 2020

Well this year was bad, comparing to last year it was better but still it's bad. Only 17 novels (probably finish the one I am a reading plus another).

10 were from Black Library at least.

So what was my favorite? Unfortunately not one of the would give a 9 or 10. Even 8 it's a bit of stretch. 

Iron Resolve a novella from Black Library was a very good one to my opinion. The rest were medium to bad.

So what's to come from 2020?
Well I am really going to try to read more this year. I am going to aim for 36 novels (would love to get to 54 but I believe it's too much.

At least

• 2 or 3 Agatha Christie
• 1 or 2 Vampire Hunter D 
• 1 or 2 novels from Dragonlance to finish the trilogy.
• 1 Drizzt novel (The Two Swords) - Maybe start with The Orc King
• Reread Elric Saga Part 1 (3 novels)
• Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Finish The Stand by Stephen King (finally?)
• 1 or 2 Stephen king novels
• Warhammer 40K and Fantasy novels
• Iron Guard - Mark Clapham (40K)
• Imperial Glory - Richard Williams (40K)
• Castle of Blood - C L Werner (Warhammer Horror)
• Plus others from Warhammer Horror that will be released
• Curse of Necrach - Steven Savile
• Knights of the Blazing Sun - Josh Reynolds
• Wulfrik - C L Werner
• Sigvald - Darius Hinks
• Valkia the Bloody - Sarah Cawkel
• Gilead's Curse - Dan Abnett & Nik Vincent

This is my idea but lets us see I can do it... Who knows?

Book Review: Severed (Nate Crowley) Black Library

A interesting novela regarding Necrons internal affair. This story only has three characters. Nemesor Zahndrekh and Vargard Obyron (interesting both have miniatures you can buy in GW shop).

As I said it was interesting because it was told in Necron point of view and we learn more on how they see other races and themselves. As being alien species they felt alien with different interests and morals.

We also learn more about the dinasties system and how it function and why Necrons sometimes fight other necrons.

A bit of political drama and what does it mean to be a necrontyr.

It's a bit sad story to be honest with the feeling they don't identify themselves machines (hating machines - like the Cult Mechanicus) and explaining how they see life.

Overall a sad story of one the mightiest race. Advisable.

Book Review: The Colonel's Monograph (Graham McNeill) Black Library

So I am on a roll reading these Warhammer Horror Stories.
This one is also told in first person perspective. In it we follow Sullo a archivist as she is trying to live after retiring. the son of a very famous Grayloc asks us if she would like to catalog her library and she promptly agrees.

There are some really interesting passages where she is describing about the books the Colonel had (including some interesting nods). Inbetween we follow Sullo as she goes in the nearby city trying to learn more about her benefactor and story of her fall.

I am not going to dwell much on the plot but I enjoy the little snippets in the bottom of the page, put by some inquisitor and warnings. It was a slow building dread as we uncover more and more about the history of the books.

Really enjoy learning more about the world, the wars they were in.

The last dozen pages it's more action filled scenes and we learn more about all that unfold (and the demon within). A spooky tale, more akin to some gothic tale.

Book Review: Iron Resolve (Steve Lyons) Black Library

What a nice story. Finally a good old astra millitarum story featuring Mordians. They are a very interesting bunch very focus on order, disciple and duty. Their armor always pristine.

In this story we follow Myers as his company battle some feral orks. After his initial battle he is wounded and taken back to the medicae where they accused him of self inflicted wound. From this moment on and until the last 30 pages the story resolves around him having some flashbacks as we try to understand did he really wound himself?

I wont spoiler here. Last 30 pages are a blast with more action scenes.

Very interesting story. Remind me of fifteen hours or other imperial guard novel. I do prefer them to space marines. They are more human and have doubts and change of heart.

Advisable to read to anyone who wants a nice imperial guard story primally focus on character.

Book Review: The Bloodied Rose - Danie Ware (Black Library)

So this the first novella from the Black Library new novella series that started yesteryear.
In the Bloodied Rose we follow a group of Sororitas from the Order of the Bloody Rose. They are going back to Lautis to try to understand what happened to the world they deemed cleansed and as another group of Sororitas and a mechanicum team went missing.

We follow Sister Superior Augusta, Jatoya (2nd in command), Viola, Melia, Caia & Akemi (the newcomer) as they uncover what happened and their battle against chaos of Khorne. It was very interesting to learn about the Sororitas and their beliefs.

It was also interesting to read all those latin phrases :)

The highlight was the monologue where he compared the path of Khorne and the path of blood for the Emperor

Very interesting all in all - I have now Wreck in Ruin to read. Probably not right away but in the near future. I believe that this could have been made like Dan Abnett Space Marine novel where we get an amalgamation of short stories/novellas focusing on a chapter.

Book Review: Black Orchid (Neil Gaiman)

Black Orchid by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 3 of 10 stars

No doubt that the art is stunning and makes you feel as though you're in a dream, but the story to me was a let down. I didn't enjoy that much. Nevertheless it was good to see a comic superhero turned into a psycological adventure instead of the usual action. Quite good. It was nice to see Lex Luthor. In the end it was not my favourite comic book, and I was at a loss with the second of three chapters, and I was a bit disappointing.

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Book Review: Little Brothers (Rick Hautala)

Little Brothers by Rick Hautala
My rating: 6 of 10 stars

Well it's difficult to review this book. Some parts were quite good and others were just awfuly treated.

The main character is a 12-year-old boy called Kip who was the lone witness of his mother's death (even if he doesn't remember plainly) five years before of this story. Everyone else thinks she was killed by homeless guy. The only person who knows differently is a alcoholic indian called John Watson that the true culprits are The untcigahunk or "Little Brothers".

This book goes for about 500 pages giving some information about the daily life of the main character, is rebelious older brother, his father and a to-be-lover and a couple of other minor characters.

In my opinion this book could have been cut to 300 pages novel. One thing is for sure the development of Marty (his older brother) is the only one that I took notice. Every other character don't evolve. Even the love of Kip's father begins to blossom and at the middle of the book she just dissappears without any information and reason. Why was she in it at all?

My other problem is a the ending, or the killing of the beasts. It was too easy without any damage to the main chararacters and everyone involved.

My advice? A true horror fan.

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Book Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 6 of 10 stars

This was one of the first audiobooks I read. Well it was the first full lengthened novel I read. Well sort of because this novel had around 250 pages.

First of all, Neil Gaiman is no doubt a good writer and since he wrote the novel he read the book flawlessly.

This is a story of a man who returns home to a funeral after several years and after going to a house he starts remembering his own past.

This story is a good fantasy/literature fiction. It's a story with a magic realism into it. It's a perfect book to those who veheemently say that will not read fantasy and that's not a real genre or at least accredited part of literature fiction.

I really enjoyed knowing about the unamed character has he goes through some problematic time in his life. I like the three womans (remind us of the old celtic trinity, or the phases of the moon. The Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone.

My problem with the novel was the over simplicity of all, nevertheless a good story, but not for children. Well they can read but a adult will compreehend better the links to folk tales, myths and story.

Interesting Phrase: “I’m going to tell you something important. Grown-ups don’t look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they’re big and thoughtless and they always know what they’re doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. The truth is, there aren’t any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world.”

Advisable to all.

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2019 Anime - Best For Me

Lets talk about anime in 2019. Ah... I've watch a lot of shows.

WINTER 2019

• Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (Kinema Citrus)
• Yakusoku no Neverland (Cloverworks)
• Mob Psycho 100 II (Bones)
• Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen (A-1 Pictures)
• Domestic na Kanojo (Diomedea)
• Dororo (MAPPA)
• Kakegurui×× (MAPPA)
• 5-toubun no Hanayome (Tezuka Productions)
• Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue. (Zero-G)

SPRING 2019

• Kimetsu no Yaiba (ufotable)
• Kono Oto Tomare! (Platinium Vision)
• Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai (Arvo Animation, Silver)
• Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3 Part 2 (Wit Studio)
• One Punch Man 2nd Season (J. C. Staff)
• Senryuu Shoujo (Connect)

SUMMER 2019

• Vinland Saga (Wit Studio)
• Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san 2 (Shin-El Animation)
• Enen no Shouboutai (David Production)
• Dr. Stone (TMS Entertainment)
• Joshikousei no Mudazukai (Passione)
• Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo. (Lay-duce)

FALL 2019

• Shinchou Yuusha: Kono Yuusha ga Ore Tueee Kuse ni Shinchou Sugiru (White Fox)
• High Score Girl II (J. C. Staff)
• Ore wo Suki nano wa Omae dake ka yo (Connect)
• Beastars (Orange)
• Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai! (Arvo Animation Silver)
• Chihayafuru 3 (Madhouse)
• Kono Oto Tomare! 2nd Season (Platinium Vision)

So all in all these are my top for each season. 
Top 10

1. - Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san 2 (Comedy, Romance, School, Shounen, Slice of Life)
2. - Vinland Saga  (Action, Adventure, Historical, Drama, Seinen)
3. - High Score Girl II  (Game, Comedy, Romance, School, Seinen)
4. - Kono Oto Tomare! (Drama, Music, Romance, School, Shounen)
5. - Kimetsu no Yaiba (Action, Demons, Historical, Shounen, Supernatural)
6. - Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai! (Comedy, Harem, Romance, School, Shounen)
7. - 5-toubun no Hanayome (Harem, Comedy, Romance, School, Shounen) 
8. - Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3 Part 2 (Action, Drama, Fantasy, Military, Mystery, Shounen, Super Power)
9. - Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue. (Slice of Life, Comedy)
10. - Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen (Comedy, Psychological, Romance, School, Seinen)

Honorable Mentions

• Yakusoku no Neverland
• Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari

It seems, not to anyone doubt, that my favorite genre is romance. 6 of 10. Action 3 of 10. True be told all of them are Shounen or Seinen.

Book Review: The Deadliest Strain (Jan Coffey) 2007

What a crappy book. I thought this was some-kind of post apocalyptic fiction but instead it was a romance mixed with Kurdistan propaganda.

It was bad in every way. The plot was crappy at best. So basically there is some-kind of virus that kills very quickly and jumps pretty quickly between persons. There is not a hint of how it happens but a person which is behind bars for a lot of time might help). Thus enter our main protagonist that in a couple of minutes already makes her talk when in the previous 5 years she said no word. Then he discovers pretty quickly that she wasn't the person who they thought she was. What a crap.

From this moment on it begins a romance and he totally believe hers (5m of knowing her) which her colleagues and agency say that she was the maker of some chemicals weapons... how this guy works for the agency? How gully is he?

Then for 200 pages we receive chapter after chapter some people in the usa who are dying or some government guy being useless OR the travel of the lovebirds searching for her sister to save USA! USA! USA!

In the end, it really doesn't matter because she and her sister and he don't do anything at all and all is save accidently - a bit deus ex machina . CRAPPY

What I learn from this book? Trust everyone even if everyone and everything points that he/she is a mass murderer. USA as a bunch of useless government people; Kurdistan people are victims , Iraqi are murderers and everyone else for that matters. I learn quite a lot.

Crappy useless time

Book Review: The Wicked and the Damned (Anthology) 2019

This is a compilation of three horror stories. The first deals with a commissar and the horrors of the a trench war where lack of communication between HQ and the real fighting man in the thick of it can result of something strange. Spoiler alert...

Yeah the enemy army was vanquished and that comissar and army were still fighting their allies due to lack of communication... Pretty interesting. Good character driven tale.

The second story has less horror right until the end. A military woman will do anything to rise up even by unconventional means. A interesting mystery tale while the last 15 or 20 pages turn into horror.

The last story and to me the weakest is about a priest and faith while mixing with romance give bad choices. More horroresque than the previous. A bit of lovecraftian horror with the changer of ways or to friends know as Tché.

Overall there is a intermix story connecting them all but felt flat because the premises was someone was hiding something but of course was the last story that connect the dots...

Overall good but to me failed in horror department and mystery. 

Book Review: Drop Dead Gorgeous (Wayne Simmons) 2008

Suffice to say I didn't enjoy the book.
Why do you ask?
Well probably because it has some deep flaws.

Our story begins with people dying as we follow a dozen characters lives and how they cope with it. Some were interesting and some were really flat - cardboard. Then some band together others stood alone. We follow every couple of pages about their daily lives (very succinct in my opinion) and how they develop.

There is no explanation on why people fell dead (only in the last two pages we learn of a theory), interesting people are rotting away (not all bodies, women are not - as I said we never learn why).

This book also has some commentary like the republican Irish gal and the British soldier type - of course they hate each other but then try to cope and so on.

The problem is that the book has only 290 pages and so with the setup we are left 50 or so pages to some action, explanation and conclusion - unfortunately it didn't satisfy me. I've seen and read better zombie flicks. I don't want to know why zombies appear (it really doesn't matter in most media) but why only women? He tries to give some explanation but its so far fetch it's really anticlimactic.

The ending is crap... yeah woman are sick of men so they turn into a zombie and kill people who wrong them - so why not the men? So why some women died and other no? Bah
Sorry...

I've heard there is a second book but I will not get it nor read it. Sorry.