Friday, November 11, 2011

Blue Moods, Amazing Hats, and Perfect Saturdays


Dang, get a load of the smooth gradient in that lake picture. Tasty. Obviously quite-heavily modified in Photoshop, but you can't argue with the results. Cool, mellow minimalist vibe. Nice and blue... like my mood. And my knee-high Uggs.

I'm kidding. My mood is fine.

Actually, I was torn about which picture to lead with tonight. I've found some great ones of late. Here, check this one out...


That... is incredible. Works well with the blue from the previous picture... kinda scroll so you can see them both on the screen at the same time... yeah, like that. Cool eh?

Weird week. But it ended well. Had another great play rehearsal tonight. I won't go into detail, but I will re-state how much I'm enjoying the ride this year. Plus, I got my copy of Skyrim tonight (It's out, after all these years!). It plays pretty well on my system, unlike Battlefield 3. Looking forward to saving the world. Even if it isn't my world. For those that care, I decided to roll a Redguard. Great all-around fighters and totally tough-looking. Unlike me. I'm pretty lame. Redguard, cool; me, lame. Remember that - there will be a quiz later...


I read a book this week... I'm hesitant to admit it. I'm torn, because it was a really good book, but I don't know if I should recommend it, and the book was quite gritty and out of my normal element. Aw, what the heck, I'll tell you...

It was called Sandman Slim, by Richard Kadrey, and it's about a magician who is back on earth (in present day L.A.) after having spent the past decade in Hell. He's back, though he doesn't know how he got back, and he's eager to track down his "friends" that betrayed him a decade earlier, to exact a little tasty revenge for sending him down into Hell (alive, no less). While in Hell, he's learned new magics, and has become very proficient at killing things. They never thought they'd see him again, obviously. But he's back, with a vengeance. The story behind what he did while in Hell, who he really is, and why he was sent back to earth, is really quite fascinating, and written like a noir detective tale.

I won't go into it any further here. Most of you, I'm sure, would be thoroughly uninterested in such a tale, and in fact are possibly wondering why I would read such a thing. Honestly, I don't know. It is darkly funny, well-written, memorable, witty, gritty, and really describes demons and angels in a fascinating way. But make no mistake, the protagonist (Sandman Slim) is a thoroughly unsavory character. I downloaded the free sample chapters from Amazon, along with a ton of other book samples, based on a recommendation from one blog or another... anyway, I wasn't many pages into the free sample before I just knew I had to buy and read the whole book. Sometimes writing just grabs you, regardless the topic. This was one of those times.

If you want to know more about the tale, here's a quick review I found. Or Google it, it won't be hard to find. It is actually the first in a series, but I'm not sure I want to pursue the series any further.

I'm currently reading White Wolf, by David Gemmell. Another winner. I'll probably do a legit review of it when I finish.

It's supposed to rain all day Saturday (11/12). Let's just say, I am completely set: Rain + Saturday + Skyrim + White Wolf. I may even try to squeeze in a little actual work, though most of my work-related obligations are done. Looks like it's shaping up to be a perfect Saturday. We'll see if it lives up to the potential.

Cat in a Hat Stalking You: Your Argument is Invalid.

Well, I'm sitting here in front of my computer, tapping my fingers on my desk, searching my mind for something else to talk about here. And I'm coming up dry. So, I'm going to pull the plug on this post. All is well in my little corner of the world. We'll see what this week holds.

Adios for now,

Dave, On A Roll

PS Condolences to fellow blogger Logan, on his dad's passing.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dave,
Between you and Grace S., my list of books to check out from the library is growing lengthy!

Might I express an frustration? Why to all the fantasy/magic books come in "parts." I find it frustrating. So, I read "Spellwright,"which was good, but of course, it has another part to it! Why can't fantasy writers complete an incredible tale in one volume? Other genres manage, why can't they?

OK. I'm good.

Beth A.

David Wagner said...

From what I understand, when it comes to fantasy, publishers strongly encourage writers to write multiple volumes, for no other reason than $$$. In fact, I read that when new writers (and even established writers) pitch ideas to publishers, they will ask where you plan on taking the story. They don't want to put the effort and $$ into a single-volume tale. They want to know if there will be a way to create a fanbase that will keep on giving. If volume one is a success, they know the odds are far greater that subsequent volumes in the same storyline will also be a success, as opposed to trying out a new tale from scratch.

I think it steams from the (now-dead, I believe) idea that Fantasy is a risky genre to publish.

Brandon Sanderson has it right, I think. He has two stand-alone fantasy tales that are complete, in and of themselves (Elantris and Warbreaker) while still leaving enough wiggle room to allow for another volume, should he choose to revisit the world he created. In fact, I think I read that he will be doing that, at least with Warbreaker. The first book of his Mistborn trilogy can work as a stand-alone tale as well.

I like that.

Dave

logankstewart said...

Skyrim.... Mmmmm.

I've heard great things about Sandman Slim, and the change of style may be something I'll look into someday.