"If You Lose the Power to Laugh, You Lose the Power to Think." -- Clarence Darrow

Dun dun DUNNNNNN!!!! Oooh, dramatic intro music! And gee, what a coincidence! It started with today's letter! D! Ah, brings back memories of report cards of long ago...

So, the Easter short movie we filmed is in the can, and the Lazarus beard is officially trimmed off again. I watched a near-final version of it today, and it's solid. It ain't gonna win no Academy Award nominations or anything, but it certainly has its merits. Not bad for our first project... Next time... next time I'll be more ready.

But on to today's letter.... looking over my lists, I see I have a lot of ground to cover again tonight.

Favorite Movies (D):

Duck Soup (1933): Ah, yes, the great Marx Brother's classic. Today it is widely considered to be their best movie, but at the time, it did so poorly in the theaters that Paramount terminated its contract with the Marx Brothers, allowing MGM to swoop in and sign them, where they produced many other great films. Ah, well, live and learn, eh? Anyway, so many memorable scenes, many strung one right after the other. I watch this one many times per year, especially when I need a good laugh to cheer me up.

The Dresser (1983): This is another rare film with two lead actors both getting a Best Actor nomination. The best short synopsis of this film that I've found is on IMDB: "An effeminate personal assistant of a deteriorating veteran stage actor struggles to get him through a difficult performance of King Lear." Well, yes, that summarizes it nicely, but I doubt that description does anything to make you want to rush out and see it, like you should. Tom Courtenay was nominated for his role as the assistant - a role which he also received a Tony nomination for when he played the part on Broadway - and is terrific... but Albert Finney's performance as "Sir", the aged stage actor mentally disintegrating in the midst of an amazing performance of King Lear, is like nothing I've ever seen. Really, I could go on and on about it, but I have lots o' ground to cover. If you love great film acting and/or great stage acting, you really need to track down The Dresser and watch it.

Favorite Actors/Actresses (D):

Benicio del Toro: This is another case of bridging categories here. On the one hand, I love Benicio in just about everything of his I've seen. Every time he's on screen, you can't take your eyes off of him. He definitely has a place on my Favorite Actors list. But I would be remiss if I didn't highlight his performance in 21 Grams. If you haven't seen this film, you should consider adding it to your List of Movies That Will Rip My Heart Out and Throw It In a Running Blender. You need to be made of steel to watch this movie, but if you enjoy feasting on amazing, world-class acting, this one will leave you feeling like a glutton. Naomi Watts is incredible. Sean Penn has never been better. But Benicio...

He plays an erstwhile petty criminal who has cleaned up his act several years before, given his life to Jesus (with a vengeance), and is trying his hardest to fly straight, and take as many troubled, lost souls with him. But an unfortunate string of bad luck devastates his life and sees all that he's clawed for crumble to ashes in his hands. How this meshes with the storylines of Penn and Watts you'll have to see yourself (if you haven't already), but heed my warning - this film is an unrelenting series of punches to the stomach.

If it just had amazing Oscar-nominated acting, it would be one thing. But the way the movie is edited takes it to a whole new level. It is told in jumps and pieces, mixing scenes from all over the movie, like drops of rain falling on a dry sidewalk, until by the end of the film, the sidewalk is covered, the story has been told in full, and you've pieced it all together. How the film-makers accomplished this, I have no idea. It is ambitious in the extreme. But thoroughly successful. Incredibly impressive.

I guess I should have saved all that about the film for "T Day", when I revisit it... but the point is, Benicio is just incredible. I'll talk more about Naomi Watts when I get to "W Day"...

He was also terrific in Snatch, Traffic, and the Usual Suspects.

[Honorable Mentions: Bette Davis]

Favorite Performances (D):

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 1: Oh, come on... don't roll your eyes. When the first Pirates movie came out, it seemed universally agreed that Depp's portrayal of Captain Jack was rich, solid, fun and thoroughly memorable. I certainly agree. Man, there were so many points in that movie, while I watched it the first time with a big goofy smile on my face, where I said, "Oh, man, I wish I'd written that scene!" Such an incredible script. Of course, as with the Matrix films, the first was incredible (dare I say "ground-breaking"?), but the sequels leave quite a bit to be desired. Too much of a good thing, sorry Johnny. But the first film? Epic, incredible, near-perfect. What a ride, and what an acting performance. Also loved Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa.

[Honorable Mentions: Robert DeNiro in Analyze This]

Shifting gears here, let's hit music...

Favorite Bands (D):

Depeche Mode: If there was one band that stands the tallest in my formative years growing up, it would be Depeche Mode. My best friend Jason introduced me to them back in the early eighties, and I became intimately familiar with all of their work, from Speak & Spell (1981) through Violator (1990). In the early days of music sharing (Napster, Kazaa), I spent countless hours scouring the servers, looking for rare remixes, imports, B-sides, audio interviews, anything I could find. (Of course, I've since deleted them all, since I didn't get them legally - I buy all my music legally now! Whew, glad I added that!) Way, way too many songs to ever make a reasonable Favorites list, but the list would include: But Not Tonight, Tora Tora Tora, Clean, Get Right With Me, Stories of Old, Never Let Me Down Again, Stripped and many many others... Not sure what it was/is about them that clicks with me so, but they do.

Favorite Songs (D):

Dare You To Move by Switchfoot

[Honorable Mentions: Domino, by Genesis

Down To My Last, Alter Bridge

Drive In Drive Out, by the Dave Matthews Band]

Favorite Comics (D):

Dilbert (by Scott Adams): When a strip is as poorly drawn as Dilbert is, it has to make up for it in some other way. In this case, it is terrific absurd humor, smart writing, and memorable oddball characters. This strip has an abundance of all three. As with most things, the early work is better. Still, Dilbert easily qualifies as a Favorite of mine.

OK, enough! Let me wrap this up, so I can go get some actual work done, lol...

Odds & Ends (D):

Favorite Games: Descent (1995) (Countless vertigo-inducing hours spent careening through the levels. The Thief Bot in Descent 2 killed the series for me.)
Favorite Book Characters: Dogman (First Law Series & The Heroes, by J. Abercrombie), Druss the Legend (Featured in many titles by David Gemmell), Dienekes (Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield)
Favorite Movie Characters: Mr. Darcy and Lady Catherine DeBurgh (Pride & Prejudice (BBC 1995))

OK, that's enough for today, methinks. Tune in tomorrow for E!

Adios for now,

Dave the Distractable, Diffuse and Dumbfounded

"By and Large, Language is a Tool for Concealing the Truth." -- George Carlin

I thought it fitting for tonight's post to start it off at sea level... get it, "C level"!!! BUAHAHAHAH--- *cough cough* whoa, laughed a bit too hard that time, sorry... got me to coughing... hope I didn't damage my singing voice... O, I'm such the crooner, you know... here, let me sing you a few rounds of Louie Louie...

Or not.

OK, here we are, three days deep into the A to Z Challenge, and I'm firing on all cylinders! Let's begin, shall we? We'll start with movies again... I only have one tonight! *GASP*!

Favorite Movies (C):

Chronicles of Riddick (2004): Those of you that know me know that I don't get too into sci-fi... which has always puzzled me, since I'm heavy into fantasy, which is like its Siamese twin or something. I try to like it, but I can only get so far into it before my enthusiasm evaporates like morning dew. But a few Sci-fi titles connect with me, and one of those is Chronicles of Riddick. Yes, it's campy (A really hot planet named "Crematoria"? Seriously?). Yes, it has silly one-liners, absurdly-impossible action scenes, a hokey story, and passable acting (even from the great Judy Dench), but still, I really like it. Vin Diesel fits the lead role perfectly. Karl Urban is in it (he also played Eomer in the LOTR trilogy), and it does feature the rare Triple Pun... ("Skittish, Tombs..." sorry, can't find the clip online, and explaining it would take too long...)... I loved the opening monologue where Dench's voice is setting up the movie and she says, "In normal times, evil would be fought by good. But in times like these, well, it should be fought by another kind of evil." This thought led directly to the underlying concept for my fantasy novel that I'm writing, whereby good has to be fought and overthrown by another kind of good... Anyway, Riddick is fun, visually interesting, full of action, and has a terrific ending.

Better stick with acting here... but I might need to make a distinction. I have separate categories for Favorite Actors/Actresses, Favorite Acting Performances, and Favorite Movie Characters. The distinction between the three seems apparent to me, but maybe I should elaborate a bit... take Riddick for example... Vin Diesel plays the role well, but he ain't one of my favorite actors. And actually, the performance works, but it wasn't exactly a stellar/memorable performance. The character of Riddick barely squeaked onto my list, because the character is pretty friggin awesome. Does that make sense?

Bah, nevermind. I'll move on... wait, here's an example...

Favorite Acting Performances (C):

John Cusack in Grosse Pointe Blank (1997): OK, so I'm a big John Cusack fan from way back in the Better Off Dead days. He just has terrific presence, great timing (comedic and otherwise), and a quirkiness about him that I find awesome. So he's definitely on my Favorite Actor list. He plays a hit man who gets an invitation to go back to his hometown in Michigan for his ten year high school reunion. He just nails the role - it is thoroughly watchable and enjoyable. I shudder to think of how the role might have been handled by any number of his peers. So the performance was terrific, it's on my Favorite Performance list. And the character of Martin Blank itself is a fascinating character. Conflicted, professional, unhinged, cooler than ice, smart... good stuff, and one of my Favorite Characters... so it's on that list as well. All that being said, it's a given that it's on my Favorite Movies list as well... a clean sweep! Plus, I routinely quote the thing, to this day!

While I'm on the topic...

Favorite Movie Characters (C):

Phil Connors (Bill Murray) in Groundhog Day (1993): I'm sure you've seen this one, so I don't need to set it up too much. I love the character arc on this one. Starts off as an arrogant prick, ends up as Mr. Wonderful... Bill Murray is terrific, as usual, and the script is top notch - one of the best comedy scripts of all time, I think. I'm sure you're all with me on this one... even if you're not the biggest Bill Murray fan, you gotta admit he nailed this one.

[Honorable Mentions: Mr. Collins (David Bamber, Pride & Prejudice (BBC 1995))

Don Corleone (Marlon Brando, The Godfather (1972))]

Gotta throw a bone to TV characters here...

Favorite TV Characters (C):

Dr. Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons in Big Bang Theory): Man, this show has great writers. Smart, nerdy comedy... but unfortunately, it doesn't take a genius to figure out the double entendre in the name of the show... every episode includes something about sex... it's a shame (an unnecessary, really), since the show and the characters are so darned funny... love Dr. Cooper's character. He rocks.

Hmm... seems almost all of my favorites are men, have you noticed? Well, we'll get to Lady Catherine De Burgh tomorrow...

And now, a song...

Favorite Songs (C):

Hmm... I have three under Favorite Songs, but I don't want to embed them... Cinderella Man by Eminem has profanity in it, but I love the energy. Close To Me by The Cure is a fave for nostalgia's sake, but it is very much an Eighties song... and Close Enough To Change by Margaret Becker is great lyrically and musically, but it is way mellow... so let me shift gears a bit...

Favorite Bands/Singers (C):

Creed: Yes, I know. The only band that seems to be more ridiculed than Creed for some reason is Coldplay, whom I also consider a Favorite. I don't get it! Am I musically retarded or something? Why do people think Creed sucks? I think they have a terrific sound and a ton of great songs... Coldplay has some great stuff as well. Oh, well, if liking them both means I'm lame, then so be it... at least I don't like Nickelback...

Favorite Comics (C):

This one is a no-brainer...

Calvin & Hobbes (1985-1995): Yeah, like I need to tell you about this strip....

OK, time to wrap this post up...

Odds & Ends (C):

Favorite Games: Call of Duty (the original one)
People I'd Like To Meet: Frank Caliendo (comedian/impressionist); George Carlin (yes, I know he's dead); Steven Colbert (one of the funniest men alive); Jeb Corliss (almost died this January in his squirrel suit).
Favorite Book Characters: Curnden Craw (The Heroes, J. Abercrombie); Sandor and Gregor Clegane (Song of Ice and Fire Series by GRRMartin)
Favorite Websites/Blogs: Cake Mix, Cracked
Favorite Places To Eat: Chipotle
Favorite Daughters: Chris

I think that about wraps it up for C. "See" you tomorrow...

Dave the Chucklehead

"You've Got To Be Honest. If You Can Fake That, You've Got It Made." -- George Burns

Greetings to all of you wonderful people! And to all of the semi-wonderful ones as well. And, why not... welcome to the scalawags and turds as well... I bet your mothers are proud. I saw a bumper-sticker once that said "My Son was Scumbag of the Month at Chino State Penitentiary." I had a good laugh at that one. Other good ones I've seen are "We're staying together for the dogs" and (on a septic truck) "Have You Hugged Your Septic Pumper Today?"

OK, so, for the A To Z Challenge, I've noticed that some letters on my Favorites List have a ton of items on them, in total... B is one of those, so I'm going to dive in and see how far into the list I get before running out the door screaming, and sprinting up the street, pulling out tufts of hair, wearing only one sock and an addled expression... (That reminds me... if it comes to that, can I call you later to come bail me out of jail?)

Favorite Movies (B):

No, I don't mean "B Movies" silly... I mean movies that start with B...

Band of Brothers (2001): OK, I cheated on this one, I admit it. It's a 13-Episode TV series (HBO), but I'm going to lump it in with the Movies, since it doesn't belong in the same league as the likes of House, Burn Notice, LOST, Big Bang Theory and other shows I like and/or tolerate. Once this series gets past the opening episode (where they train for battle) and the action overseas starts in earnest, Band of Brothers is truly gripping. I'm a big fan of all things WW2 to begin with, plus I enjoy great acting, great writing and stories about "real men"... you know, otherwise-ordinary men who become extraordinary under the right circumstances... add all that up, and you can hardly be surprised that Band of Brothers registers so strongly with me. Lots of great cameos scattered through the series as well, adding to the enjoyment.

Batman Begins (2005): As much as I enjoyed Heath Ledger's performance as Joker in Dark Knight (2008), I have to admit that I think Batman Begins is the better movie. The development of Bruce Wayne's character was handled really well, I think, and the rest of the cast works so well together. I loved Cillian Murphy as the Scarecrow - it bothered me to no end the way his character was neutered in The Dark Knight - part of the reason I was down a bit on that film (that, and Dark Knight was about 20 minutes too long). I'm good with Bale as Batman, for the most part -- certainly better than any other actor who has tried his hand at the role -- but what sells the movies for me are the villains. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Tom Hardy does with Bane in the upcoming conclusion to the Batman Trilogy. Hardy is awesome.

The Breakfast Club (1985): Yes, it's not a perfect film by any stretch. The writing is memorable yet corny. It's purely dialog-driven. The characters are fairly stereotypical. And Molly Ringwald's hairdo changes radically from shot to shot for no reason! So why is this film a favorite? Well, it represents a certain time period of my life. It just hits a strong note inside me somewhere. It just means something to me, that's all! I must have watched this movie a hundred times growing up. In fact, my best friend Jason and I would routinely quote huge segments of it, for fun. I think we tried to quote the entire movie one time, from opening monologue to closing credits... don't recall if we made it or not, but I do remember we attempted it.

[Honorable Mention: Braveheart (1995), Big Fish (2003)]

Favorite Acting Performances (B):

Javier Bardem in Biutiful (2010): This ranks up there with the greatest performances I've ever seen. Best known (perhaps) for playing Anton Chigurh in the Coen Brothers Oscar-Winner, No Country For Old Men, I'm of the opinion that his portrayal of Uxbal, a dying man trying to get things right with his life and his family before dying, is by far the greater performance. Extremely powerful and moving. I've always been of the opinion that the key to stellar acting is what you do with your body when you aren't saying anything - with your eyes specifically. It's all about the eyes, and the micro-expressions that go with/between the words. Bardem's performance is an acting clinic. If you can handle subtitles, I highly recommend you steel yourself and watch this film.

Eric Bana in Chopper (2000): In his first real major film role, Eric Bana portrayed the famous Aussie criminal Mark "Chopper" Read, putting on 30 pounds and spending time in prison with the real Chopper Read. A mesmerizing, often unnerving portrayal of a man who is equal parts crazy, intelligent, violent and riveting. Again, it's the eyes and the micro-expressions that sell this for me. Not for the weak of heart/stomach, but if you fancy great performances, make time for this one.

Big fan of Eric Bana. Blackhawk Down, Troy, Munich... I even liked him as the Hulk (though no one else did...)

[Honorable Mentions: Marlon Brando (The Godfather), Adrien Brody (The Pianist)]

Favorite Comics (B):

Bloom County by Berke Breathed (1980 - 1989):

Growing up, I couldn't get enough of Bloom County. In fact, this one counts as 3 entries in the B list, for the name of the strip, the name of the cartoonist Berke Breathed, and the name of my favorite character in the strip, Bill the Cat...

Yep, that's Bill. Perhaps the first cartoon character I took the time to learn how to draw. Bill, Opus, Milo, Binkley, Steve Dallas, Portnoy... gah, the character list is far too extensive to list. It even featured a Basselope named Rosebud...

Yep, part Basset Hound, part Antelope...

Irreverent, hilarious, often political, but also filled with cultural references that have dated much of the archive. Lots of references to Ronald Reagan, and world/cultural events from the early- to late-eighties. Nevertheless, a very smart, witty, intelligent and most importantly hugely amusing strip, and a highlight of my high school years.

Click to enlarge, so you can read it. Good stuff.

People I'd Like To Meet (B):

Ed Bassmaster: Look, you know me... I enjoy my gas, what can I say? A nicely-timed blast of wind sets me to giggling like a typical junior-high male... I guess I'll always be a 6th grader at heart, at least in part. I've tried to change, but it ain't happening. I am what I am... all that said, Ed Bassmaster (and his pal Jack Vale) have provided more laughs per YouTube Clip for me the past few years than anyone else, and for that I'd like to shake his hand...



Maybe not his left hand, though... his Farting Santa clip is a fave as well...

[Honorable Mention: Bill Burr (comedian)]

Favorite Games (B):

Battlefield 2 (2005): According my BF2 stats page, I've played 640 hours of Battlefield 2... no, that isn't a typo... 640 hours... Anyway, this game is an online, multiplayer battle simulator that offered something for every type of virtual warrior. You could squad-up and capture control points as a team, you could go solo and camp a high spot as a sniper. You could grab a transport heli and ferry teammates around the map (usually under enemy fire), or grab an attack heli and dish out some pain. You could hop into a fighter jet and either dogfight enemy jets or strafe/attack ground units/control points. You could lurk in the shadows with your knife, be an engineer and repair broken equipment/vehicles, be a medic and heal/revive teammates... you could even be team commander and call in artillery and drop supplies on squads in need. Personally, I excelled at defending control points with my anti-vehicle weaponry, blowing up tanks, jeeps, armor vehicles and occasional helicopters. Endless fun.

[Honorable Mention: Boggle]

Favorite Songs (B):

Boy On A String (Jars of Clay):



[Honorable Mentions: Black & Blue (Christina Perri)
Blackbird (Alter Bridge)
Broken Wings (Alter Bridge)
But Not Tonight (Depeche Mode)]

Ooh, I was going to wrap it up, but I have to hit one more category...

Favorite Movie Characters (B):

Boromir (Sean Bean): Awww yeah! My man, Boromir! Something about Boromir really rings with me (pardon the pun). Yes, a flawed character, I get that. Maybe that's why I dig him so much. I think he was genuinely motivated by wanting to help his people and his city (rather than personal glory), and he sacrificed himself in perhaps the coolest death scene in fantasy film anywhere... You can like Aragorn, Legolas, Frodo, go for it... I'll take Boromir, warts and all.

[Honorable Mentions: Jason Bourne (Matt Damon, Bourne Trilogy)

Mr. Bennett (Benjamin Whitrow, in Pride & Prejudice (BBC 1995))

Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day Lewis, Gangs of New York)

Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca)]

Odds and Ends: 

Favorite Book Character: Bast (Name of the Wind, P. Rothfuss)

Favorite Bands/Singers: The Beatles, Margaret Becker

Favorite TV Characters: Jack Bauer (24)

Favorite Websites: Bits & Pieces (link is on sidebar)

---------------------------

Whew, that was a mouthful. Looks like less to wade through for C... So I guess I'll C you tuesday! BUAHAHAHA!!!!!

Dave the Baffled, Befuddled and Bewitched

"Change In All Things Is Sweet." -- Aristotle

Into the Abyss!

OK, this is my first post in the A To Z Challenge! I went back and forth about what to do each day, as far as theme... I have decided to simply extrapolate on what I normally do, which is -- everybody say it with me -- TALK ABOUT ME!!! Woohooo! So I've assembled a lengthy list of my "favorite" things, and then alphabetized each category, and will pull from them each day, provided I have content for each letter... you know, Favorite Books/Movies/Actors/Songs/Games/Etc.

I briefly considered simply coming up with a crass synonym for "passing wind" each day (trust me, I can think of one for each letter, easy), but then you would lose what little respect you have left for me, and I would die a lonely, broken (though self-satisfied and amused) man, steeped in shame and ignominy.

Here we go!

Favorite Movies (A):

Aliens (1986): Talk about intense, this was the first (and only) movie I ever had to pause and walk away from for a half-hour before coming back to finish watching it. It came out when I was still in high school (1986), but I didn't see it until it came out on VHS. It got 7 Academy Award Nominations, including a Best Actress nod for Sigourney Weaver (a landmark nomination, considering the genre). Entertainment Weekly has rated it the second best action movie of all time (behind Die Hard). As for me, it marks the only time I will mention Bill Paxton for his acting... his turn as Hudson, as well as Michael Biehn's turn as Hicks, stood out as highlights for me. Ironically, they were both also in Tombstone, another movie on my Favorites List (actually, Die Hard is on the list as well...) High tension, extremely quotable.

Amadeus (1984):  Nominated for 11 Academy Awards -- and winning 8 -- this is one of my all-time Faves. Both lead actors were nominated for Best Actor. As much as I enjoyed F. Murray Abraham's performance as Salieri (for which he won the Oscar), I enjoyed Tom Hulce's amazing performance as Mozart even more. Such an unhinged, explosive performance, I enjoy it every time I watch it. Oddly, neither of them have done much of note since. Oh, they've been busy (Abraham more-so than Hulce), but nothing anywhere near the caliber or acclaim of Amadeus. Emotionally draining, but rewarding.

All About Eve (1950): Absolutely love this script. The dialog is incredible, as are the performances from the entire cast. In fact, among the 14 Academy Award Nominations it received (winning 8), there are no less than 5 nominations for the actors/actresses. The only actor/actress that won was George Sanders for his memorable turn as Addison DeWitt. They could make a movie about all the behind the scenes drama that went on as the film was made. Like a real soap opera. Absolutely love Bette Davis' performance as aging stage actress Margo Channing in this film. Also featured an unknown Marilyn Monroe. Great story, even better writing.

[Honorable Mention: The Abyss (1989)]

Favorite Songs (A):

All The Heavens, by Third Day:

[Honorable Mentions: All I Can Say by David Crowder 

Amsterdam by Coldplay

And Your Praise Goes On, by Chris Rice]

Favorite Bands (A):

Alter Bridge: These guys basically used to be Creed (a band which I hesitatingly admit that I also like a lot), and they have some terrific music - several examples of which will be making appearances on the appropriate days this month. Honestly, I never even heard of Creed or Alter Bridge until after the controversy surrounding their split... from what I understand (which isn't much, honestly, because I don't really care), many people soured on the band after the controversy erupted. Thankfully I missed all of it, and can merely enjoy their music. 

Here is Before Tomorrow Comes, for your listening pleasure!!!

[Honorable Mention: Angels & Airwaves]

People I'd Like To Meet (A): 

Kurt Angle: Yes, Kurt Angle is a pro wrestler. He was a legitimate champion amateur wrestler before becoming a Sports Entertainer... in fact, he won the Olympic Gold Medal in 1996 in the Altanta summer games. He is an incredible athlete - you should see him move in the ring. There's a huge difference between wrestlers raised in and groomed for sports entertainment, and those that come from amateur wrestling backgrounds. His athleticism is a joy to watch, he's ultra-tough and ultra-competitive, and thus his matches are different, and a lot of fun to watch. I'm not anywhere near as into pro wrestling as I used to be, but I'll watch a Kurt Angle match any time.

[Honorable Mention: Scott Adams (creator of Dilbert)]

Favorite Authors (A): 

Joe Abercrombie: Surprise! One of my very favorite authors of any genre, Abercrombie is first of all engaging, and also equal parts gritty, funny, brutal, and most importantly entertaining. His style agrees with me (perhaps) more than any other author. I feel like I've been turned loose when I read him. It's hard to explain - I just fall right in and go, go, go. Extremely satisfying characters, action, story and dialog. What I love about his work is that at any time, he could sneak in a line of dialog or description that will just make me bust up laughing. Great books, and hopefully many more to come. I put him right up there with Steven Pressfield as my very favorite authors. If you enjoy fantasy writing with an edge, and can handle liberal amounts of violence and hard language, pick up these books and feast, my friend. Those are the times, indeed.

Favorite Book Characters (A):

Ametheus (from Second Sight, by Greg Hamerton): Though Ametheus is alluded to in The Riddler's Gift, he doesn't really make his appearance until Second Sight. He's a sorcerer who is pure chaos in bodily form. Even though he stands against the Gyre of Wizards, and is poised to bring about the end of the whole world that Greg Hamerton has so thoroughly and fascinatingly created, it would be inaccurate to call him "evil." I think that's a bit of a cop-out. He is what he is, whatever label you want to put on it. His personality, being steeped in chaos, is fractured into pieces, each piece pulling Ametheus in a different direction. His power is such that, among other things, he can restructure the world, swapping around great swaths of land and sky, so that it's like a giant patchwork quilt, and has laced the entire realm (save Eyri) with wildfyre, to prohibit anyone else (especially the Gyre of Wizards that oppose him) from using magic. Truly a multi-layered, fascinating and (in a sense) sympathetic character, I highly recommend both The Riddler's Gift and Second Sight so you can get to know him yourself.

[Honorable Mention: Arlen from The Warded Man by Peter Brett]

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I think I'll leave it at that for now. I had other categories, but I think post length is getting to be an issue. Not sure if I'll keep up this approach to my alphabet posts or not - I guess that depends on the feedback I get. If you just skimmed it and thought it overmuch and/or overdone, let me know, and I'll just pick one or two things per day/letter, and clump the rest into a single end paragraph.

Adios for now.

Dave the Absorbed, Addled and Ambivalent