I really don't know where the time goes. It seems like yesterday I was watching the Superbowl, and a few days before that I was just getting back from Spain and Portugal. The days and weeks and months seem to go by so quickly now... and the pages come so slowly...
Speaking of Spain and Portugal, I meant to post a lot more about my travels there last summer, and to post some pictures too. Another good intention swallowed by the demands of work and the lateness of the hour. I may still post a few things, though. Better late than never, I suppose... and it was a wonderful trip.
I need to post about WATCHMEN (which I loved) and the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA finale (which I pretty much hated) too. In my copious spare time. But I really do have a lot to say about both. The Watchmen/ Wild Cards compare-and-contrast exercise is an essay in itself...
Subterreanean Press sent me an Advanced Reading Copy of the Jack Vance tribute anthology, SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH, a few days ago, and I've been dipping into it. I'd read all the stories before, of course, but it's still fun to revisit them. I even reread my own story, "A Night at the Tarn House," and thought it held up pretty well. That's always a relief. Sometimes I hate my own stuff when I reread (sometimes I love it, too, I'm a moody sonofabitch).
I hope Jack Vance likes the book. The impact he's had on the field, and especially on the writers in the anthology, has been immense.
I've also just received a couple of advance copies of the limited edition FEAST FOR CROWS from Subterranean. Oh my, oh my. What a beautiful book. Tom Canty is amazing. FEAST is shipping now. Unfortunately, this is a limited edition, and it was long ago sold out. The lettered and numbered editions of the Vance book are also sold out, but copies of the trade hardcover are still available from the Subterranean website... and the trade will still feature the gorgeous interior artwork by Tom Kidd.
Some cool new stuff from Green Ronin Games as well. Their first Wild Cards adventure, ALL IN, has been released, and so has their new Ice & Fire role playing game. I need to write a story about those for my website news page... so much to do, so little time... but here's some pictures of the cover art, to whet your taste, at least:
Visit the Green Ronin website for more information for the games.
Oh, and my new Library Tower is almost complete. Another week, and the renovations should all be done. It's cost a fortune and there's been a lot of noise and dust and disruption, but it will all have been worth it. The tower is gorgeous. I'll try to post pictures, if I can ever find my camera. I took it to the Page One signing for BUSTED FLUSH, snapped lots of pics there, brought it home, and haven't seen it since.
sigh
The Library Tower should help with that too. Finally, some organization.
- Mood:
pensive
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grrm- George R.R. Martin
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Comments
The flashbacks in BSG were annoying and pointless to me.
I would love to see photos of your Library Tower.
I hope the adventures that House Arcady (sworn house to House Lannister) have will make you proud!
Personally, I don't like the cover art for SIFRP at all. Rhaegar looks like he's taking a dump and Robert looks like the Hulk (Robert SMASH!). The angle he's holding his warhammer at looks weird too. The interior art is good, though.
Just my two cents as a gamer.
I wish they'd used the picture of a castle that they used on the quickstart rulebook.
are you sharing dark secrets with them that you wont tell us?
i mean I was in to D&D and MERP and all kind of rpgs, but the story's not done...my money's on Arya being daenrys' champion with tyrion financing the whole thing... but you're gonna kill most of them off next book so what the hell...
how can i play a game based on an incomplete saga?
(still love you and haven't killed myself cause i'm waiting for the next book)
*Kara poofs* *Lee pines*
There is cussing from the other side of the hill.
Lee takes a look and finds an angry Kara. "Um yeah Lee, so apparently the Bucket didn't have that last jump in her after all. I think we're all dead."
Lee considers. "I see. I can live with that, or well not, whatever. Wanna go skip through the fields and be blissfully happy?"
"'K."
I might have been okay with the flakiness of the plot holes and illogic in the last 30 minuets if it were not for the Kara-poof. (My expectations of the show had dropped a lot) I'd gone into the episode thinking that Lee&Kara might not live through it all, but by the point they were in the field it was all *glee*, they are free to be happy togeather. If Moore'd wanted to go that way I wish he'd have had Kara knowing what she was/wasn't and that she'd be leaving soonish from the beginning of the season rather then toying with fans (and poor Lee).
Books belong in their own room whenever possible.
Edited at 2009-03-28 04:12 pm (UTC)
But you shall find,
That by being true
?I/you will stay will you/I!
Echoes of the future past
Find their way to me at last
Memories of friends unknown
Who knows where they have flown?
Friends always say
there will be a better day
But in those longest nights
That are spent in plight/fright/fight
Am I alone? Alone, I am!
Am I undone? Undone, I am!
Will I see the day? The day, I will see!
Will I see my friends? MY FRIENDS, I CAN SEE!
So now I demand to see that post! ;)
Liked the 'practical' side to the end of the BSG finale (where the characters end up, inexplicable Luddite tendencies aside), but thought the mythology was weak. Starbuck's disappearance would have been okay had they stuck with the original plan for her return (her just materialising in Lee's quarters as he prepared to go out and face the Cylons in the Season 3 finale, rather than reappearing in her shiny new Viper), which would have more clearly set-up the supernatural overtones for her departure. As it stands it feels like they set up her return in a practical, explainable manner, and then used the hand of God to whisk her away.
For me, BSG remains one of the best tv shows I've ever watched. Period. But the finale, well, the finale felt liked it belonged to a different show, not the gritty, raw, character driven, emotionally and intellectually challenging epic with an intriguing storyline that I loved (particularly during the first three seasons).
What bugged me the most?
1. Goddidit. Before the finale, particularly during the first two or three seasons, the series maintained a nice balance between the rational and the spiritual/religious, an ambivalence stemming from characters' subjective perspectives that allowed different interpretations. Now: *sigh*.
2. Preachy. In a shallow, pseudo-philosophical way. Thank you especially for teaching me that technology is Really Evil.
3. Going native. Yes, the Luddite solution really made sense. I'm sure that's exactly what you would do if you were stranded on an unknown planet and you still had access to the advanced technology and knowledge you've relied on your entire life. And if you're Lee Adama, I'm sure you could even convince all 30,000 (plus) of your fellow citizens to do the same. Lazy writing (or just forced into a corner).
4. The loose ends were tied up so fast that they either missed most of them or just messed them up. There's something to be said about planning ahead, at least a little, rather than just making stuff up as you go along and then suddenly finding yourself writing the finale and having no clue about how to properly explain all the things you've kinda promised to explain.
5. Take your pick.
Yeah, I pretty much hated the finale as well. Apologies for the rant.
At the time I took the Luddite thing with an eyeroll because it was apparent this was *our* ancient earth. But yeah, that made no sense. I think having a large portion of the ships failing, of the fleet unreachable & forever lost with Galactica needing to be abandoned immediately would have worked better for the same end of no high tech stuff in archaeological digs. I do think that if anyone would be able to convince the fleet to go with it, it would be Lee; he might have to wear his burgundy shirt of hotness though.
I did like the big fight early on. And Roslin was in a relationship more messed up then Lee&Kara which I found funny :)
I think what bothered me the most was how hard they fought to survive and carry on as a people, as a civilization, and then they all split up and went their separate ways. I think maybe it had to happen that way, but it does mean I liked it.
...and the final scene with Adama & Roslin had me crying like a baby.
The best show on TV hands down; it will be missed.
I wish I was more impartial, but I can't refrain from asking if am I the only one who thinks BSG is a crappy tv show. I watch damn near every serialized drama on tv at some point, and I can't make it through a single season of BSG. I hate to be unfairly critical, but am I the only one who thinks the show is poorly written? Oh they are Cyclons, but we can't tell. A civilization capable of greater technology than our own MRI can't tell the difference between artificial and real life. Really? (think Seth and Amy) And we have to maintain freedom of the press as we are hunted like dogs by artificial life forms bent on our destruction. Really? Please don't take away the first amendment, please. Even Lincoln had to suspend Habeus. Why don't we introduce a bit of rationality by constructing future humanity within the framework of how humanity has handled every other crisis. Oh wait, we will avoid that cycle this time. Ugh.
****SPOILERS***
A giant telepathic tentacle-beast-bomb might be both difficult to believably build up to in 3 hours and hard for non-sf/fantasy folks to accept.
I really enjoyed that there was no definite villain. Adrian was just a rational thinking bastard, the Comedian more or less an anarchistic caricature of society.
Rorschach was such a badass character, plus the actor who really looked more like a homeless bum which made it even more awesome.
Guess I got pampered by looking at Komarck's paintings...
I couldn't help but giggle a little bit when I read your post about wanting to comment on Watchmen and the BSG finale. It seems you've created an audience for something else now that people are anxious for you to write. Just don't even hint about WHEN you might plan on doing it because you know if you don't, there's going to be folks whining about broken promises and missed deadlines.
I have to admit I am curious about your opinion too. And while you've got your critic's hat on, do you have an opinion of Fox's Dollhouse by Joss Whedon and co.?
As for BSG...I didn't mind the ending, and it had some good bits in it. Didn't care for the "the in-head persons are really ANGELS" bit but there were some satisfying endings in there.
As for the Vance book..IWANNIT! Can't wait to receive my ordered copy and just eat that sucker up.