Dark Faith - Anthology

This review took me a while to write, because the stories in this anthology are exceptional. I think it is a rather good read for Halloween even though it was released in May. This book explores the deeper questions of the relations between humanity and that which it worships. There are no sacred cows, as multiple faiths and multiple perspectives are explored.

Ghosts of New York by Jennifer Pelland – A fascinating commentary on the exploitive melodrama that our society has woven from the most profound event in our history in the last 20 years. It speaks from the perspective of the dead, and it is not a pleasant one. Excellently written it sets the whole tone for the book to come.

I Sing a New Psalm by Brian Keene – An excellent story on the consequences of believing and then having that source of that belief removed unexpectedly or arbitrarily. The formating of the story is also quite unique following that of an actual biblical psalm.

He Who Would Not Bow by Wrath James White – A fascinating take on particle physics and the true meaning of the term ‘God Particle’ as well as the true consequences of what the Rapture might actually entail when applied to the real world.

Zen and the Art of Gordon Dratch’s Damnation by Douglas F. Warrick – An amazing contrast between the religious overtones of Zen Buddism and Christianity, as well as the challenge and consequences of living up to our own convictions. It does a better job of describing hell than Dante, that is certain.

Go Tell it On the Mountain by Kyle S. Johnson – An interesting take on what reality would be like if Jesus were essentially a burnt out talent agent. It also has a pointed message on valueing what we have here on Earth whilst we have it.

Different From Other Nights by Eliyanna Kaiser – A demonstration on the exercize of being careful what we tell our children, why we tell it to them, and making sure that they have a complete understanding thereof. Innocence can have severe consequences when it belies ignorance. Also a very interesting look into Jewish tradtions of Passover.

Lilith by Rain Groves – Short poem that is well done.

The Last words of (Not Dutch Schulz) Jesus Christ by Nick Mamatas – This a rather abstract piece that starts with a documentary style account of what would happen if God were Nyrohotep and Jesus was his spawn and someone made a film that tapped into the collective zeitgeist. The second half of the story is the actual script of the film that kind of begs to be made. Mind warping but entertaining read.

To the Jerusalem Crater by Lavie Tidhar – Old Gods are deposed by the New as the walls between worlds bleed together until it is almost impossible to tell one from the other. A fascinating and somewhat surrealistic tale though a bit out of place compared to the others. The descriptions are lush and very visual.

Chimeras & Grotesquiries by Matt Cardin – What if God were One of Us? Just a Stranger On the Bus? Or Maybe a Hobo H.P. Lovecraft on Acid with a Side of Fries. Delightfully messed up story.

You Dream by Ekaterina Sedia – A highly personal experience in the second person. It blends the realm of the dead and the living and of dreaming and the waking world. Very enjoyable.

Mother Urban’s Booke of Dayes by Jay Lake – Danny Broke the World. Danny is rather guilty about this fact, and, as is highly appropriate, uses duct tape (among other things) to fix it. A wondrous look at the actual consequences of prayer and non monotheistic faiths.

The Mad Eyes of the Heron King by Richard Dansky - A lesson on why most human interaction with the supernatural would probably go unreported. Aesopic, whimsical and prophetic, it speaks of the dealings of Leonard, the office worker and the Heron King. And the consequences thereof.

Paint Box, Puzzle Box by D. T. Friedman – An artist conceives of a rather creative way to cheat Death. Death has other ideas. A very enjoyable read.

A Loss for Words by J.C. Hay – Muses can be quite destructive and often demand a heavy price, particularly when their gifts are not properly appreciated, but the relationship can work both ways, even if the victory is only phyric.

Scrawl by Tom Piccirilli – The implications of the supernatural have a light touch in this one, with a far more sensual muse. But what it lacks in the twisting of reality, it makes up for in the travel guide towards the twisted parts thereof.

C{her}y Carvings – A poem. Beautiful and extremely abstract, it invokes light and darkness…

Good Enough by Kelli Dunlap – Some consider Science a religion. The protagonist, Chris follows in the footsteps of those who have passed the path of its worship before, though without the same end result. Twisted but very well written.

First Communions by Geofry Girard – Takes a much different take on the concept of sacrifice, and what giving one’s life for the concept of unlimited unfathomable love can ultimately mean. A strange duality across time in a series of flashbacks between two girls; two witnesses just like in the book of revelations who bear witness to the concept of love in an extremely disturbing way.

The God of Last Moments by Alethea Kontis – A fascinating alegory I had never before considered between Pandora’s box and the hope chest. It also shows the hunger that can easily consume any of us, and the pointlessness of power for its own sake. Fame, fortune or glory can easily be substituted for the powers sought by Max. And furthermore, it ends well too.

Ring Road by Mary Robinette Kowal – Interactions between mortals and gods seldom go well for the mortals involved, though this modern incarnation of ancient norse mythology helps the reader appreciate corn flakes with a side of toast. A trip to Iceland meets disastrous results. It is very well told and, most importantly, is faithful to the feel and theme of the ancient Icelandic mythos.

The Unremembered by Cheysa Burke – The vast majority of the world’s cultures have oral, not written histories and as a result some of the greatest civilizations in the history of mankind have had their histories lost with an untimely death or series of deaths. But in a world where the supernatural can occur, these disquiet spirits take umbrage of this fact and choose Jeli to rectify it. But such knowledge does not come without price.

Desperata or the Desiderata of H.P. Lovecraft by Lon Prater (Poem): The Catacysm of Cthulu

The Choir by Lucien Soulban – The forgotten corners of history give wide berth for the shadows of darkness to move about unseen, providing ample explanation for why dark tentacled things at night might slaughter with abandon to the uncaring unhuman masses above. Set in WWII in a Qship returning to the states with a cargo of ‘shame’ it has an amptly appropriate ending.

The Days of Flaming Motorcycles by Catherynne M. Valente – This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a wimper. And a well stocked collection of spiral ring notebooks from elementry school. A slice of unlife story in which the apocalypse comes in a most uncinematic theme.

Miz Ruthie Pays Her Respects by Lucy A Snyder – A distant family relation comes to pay her respects in an unorthydox way. And a young boy is given a chance at redemption from an unexpected quarter. And finally, an excellent proof that God (in this story at least) does not play favorites.

Paranoia (a Poem) by Kurt Dinan - It isn’t if they really are out to get you. They are.

Hush by Kelly Barnhill - Written in the present tense. The moment is captured and unspoken wood gods of ancient york make their mark upon the modern world. A delightful bundle of mystery makes its mark known as well.

Sandboys by Richard Wright – There are those that believe all things in the universe are animate, that they have a spirit of their own. Is it any wonder then that if there is a grief of sufficient strength that nature herself might not answer back in reply to the unheard cries offered unto it? A story of personal growth.

For My Next Trick I’ll Need a Volunteer by Gary A. Braunbeck – Time takes a glance sideways in a world of infinite possibilities. Faith merges with cosmology in science to provide an explanation to an elemental question of life and death. A cop saves a child with the help of a magical reverend.

Movie: Winter's Bone

This movie is excellent. It is a story about a young 17 year old girl who must take care of her mentally ill mother and two (much) younger siblings. Her father has put the house in rural Kentucky up for collateral on the bond that he received and has now skipped out on the bond. Thus, an ominous warning from the Sheriff forces our heroine to go searching for her ne'er do well father. Only it turns out that daddy was involved with some very dubious people and some very dubious activities, but the children and her mother have no where else to turn so she does what she must.

A very human and detail oriented drama. It also shows people in a fascinating light. I highly recommend it but not for children.

Dragon Con 2010 - Cards and Related Paraphinalia

So every year at Dragon Con I pick up a stack of business cards, promo materials and the like and it gets lost. This year I decided to track it and review it here.

Darkstar - The interactive movie: So on the surface this looks like a game that is part Dragonslayer and part choose your own adventure but when I type in the promotional facebook pace I get nothing. Let's try google: Found it and the wikipedia article and am able to indirectly link to the facebook page via wikipedia. Not a good start for them but I really like the premise so I 'liked' it on Facebook.

GMX Geek Media Expo: Its close, Nashville and looks like a mini Dragoncon. Well put together 3 x 5 inch card. MTAC goes to Dues in easter weekend 2011 on the back looks...odd but potentially interesting. I might go to this, at least a day of it. Its in the 22nd through the 24th of October.

Anime Weekend Atlanta: Nice card. Going on next week. Went once, seemed nice but unfortunately the core of anime culture is really about 10-20 years younger than me. Still, this 'black tie event' thing Friday seems kind of cool. I might get to reuse the suit I got for Gencon...though it would probably be better if I was 'cosplaying' but while I've done costumes, I've never 'cosplayed' and have no idea what I'd do, plus just typing it makes me feel silly.

We shall see.

Dragon Con Steampunk Exhibition: Saw it. Took pictures of it. It was awesome. On the back it had play on con July 2011. Missed last year, I think I'll go next year. Its in Birmingham.

Operation Anime Storm: Giving anime to the troops. Sounds like a worthy charity. Might donate to it when I financially recover from dragon con.

The Legend of Atlantis: July 28-31 2011...a con in the BAHAMAS...You know...I think I can like that idea. I'll check out the cost later.

Web Comic I shall not name: Why? Because he handed out these well timed and well done fliers advocating his web comic...and...they're not well drawn. I might criticize something mainstream but this guy is obviously still learning. I remember what it was like to get one star reviews with Red Anvil. Nevertheless, pass. Might come back when he learns to draw.

11 Cents and a Marta Token: ?!!!!?!?! WTF? What is that doing in there?

The Devils Panties Web Comic...I'd heard about this before, now I'm adding it to my Reader list.

Vexxarr! Looks interesting. Another web comic. Its sci fi and Gag a day, which I like.

I'm also keeping the dragoncon pocket program because it is helpful going through and googling names from panels in areas that I didn't have time to attend later.

Thought there was more than that including some rather interesting steam punk web shows, but I'm sure I can find them on my own later. That will do for now.

Dragon Con 2010

Overall Con: A

The con still rocks. There are some problems, I still had some negative experiences, but on the whole I still highly recommend this con. Let me mention a few specifics:

*Registration: B-. They are more efficient than in years past, but a few minor things could make it go so much faster. I mean to email them some suggestions. They need to find a way to let the badges be mailed out, and even failing that, reduce the need to thumb through books of printed out names. Very stone age. If you paid for Will Call you sailed through in seconds.

*Tracks: A+ More tracks! Most of them were awesome. None of the ones I attended seemed poorly organized.

*Parties: A+. The parties worked like clock work and people knew where to find them and by all accounts had a lot of fun. I, of course, did not have as much fun but I'll address that in another blog. But if you want to go to a con to party, Dragon Con should be at the top of your list.

*Costumes: A-. This is a solid awesome though there were not quite as many truly eye popping costumes, on the other hand the general quality is very very high.

*Need Coffee Fun Time During the Masquerade: D-. I should have known something was wrong with this when they spent over TEN MINUTES of self congratulatory masturbation before they started on the 'fun' which consisted of getting audience members to read from scripts and 'improve'.....Which is sad because the promos they showed indicated that these guys clearly had talent.

*Film Track: A. I do this with reluctance since they consistently reject my stuff, but the reason they do that is because this stiff is ALL very good. The Dragon Con film festival is clearly a national, not a regional film festival and I expect that it will only increase in status and stature. Dr. S vs the Sex Crazed Reefer Zombies rocked on ice skates.

*Track Location: B+ FIVE hotels?! It worked. Barely. They isolated the whedonites and the steampunk stuff over into the Westin, which mostly worked but they need to double the number of shuttles (in my opinion) and add a third track since the Westin seemed kind of empty. Still for the most part, they used the space well.

*Gaming: B. Didn't do much beyond the LARP, but wandered around. They have separated the tournament gaming book into a separate publication. I have no problem with this but they could do to sell ad space in it, and they should have it available at registration rather than making people go down to gaming to get it. But the rest of gaming seemed to run very well and preregistration worked smoother than ever. The hours were really weird though. Also, I should be able to register for a LARP *AT* Gaming Registration rather than having to go to the individual Larp table. That's just silly.

*Dealers Rooms: A+ Awesome. They got this right. The dingy basement one didn't seem dingy this time. The crowds were minimal, and the mix of what I was looking for was very good. Rather strange side note: There were almost no software vendors there. I guess game companies have decided that Dragon Con is not worth their time which is kind of stupid on their part. Really stupid.

Movie: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

In a word...AWESOME! First of all, you should just see this because it is a good movie.

But if you have ever played video games and liked them, especially games from the eighties and the nineties YOU MUST SEE THIS.

The basic plot has been plastered all over the internet, but I'll summarize. Scott Pilgrim finds the girl of his dreams (literally) but to date her he must defeat seven evil Exes. This is a world in which video game physics rule (except for cracking open barrels and randomly eating stuff from them or breaking into people's houses and stealing stuff and...well...OK, SELECTIVE video game physics) and Scott's membership in a small indie band and his video game fighting skills come into play again and again.

The graphics are neat.

The homages to ancient video games are neat.

The character dynamics are actually quite interesting.

But the reason you need to see this is because it is also the FUNNIEST damn movie I have seen in a long time. It actually hurt to laugh. That hasn't happened in quite a while.

I can't recommend this movie enough.

The Dresden Files RPG

Despite rumors that its demise is not yet here, the truth is that the RPG industry isn't what it used to be. Almost everything is moving to electronic. Stores are fewer and farther between, and new games are less. The rpg industry is still vibrant and strong but it is smaller than it was in the 80's or 90's. D&D of course is still alive and well.

One exception to that decline is the Dresden Files RPG, which in two (rather expensive) hard bound volumes creates and refines a system (Fate 3.0) which is revolutionizing most other games (something which in my opinion hasn't happened for a while) but also perfectly captures the spirit of the books upon which they are based. Quite frankly it has been a VERY long time since I've seen a non original (ie adaptation) setting be worth playing. The last one was Angel the RPG and that was what....8 years ago?

The game is essentially story based, which a lot of games claim to be, but this one uses a mechanic and rules set which actually encourages it, with just enough crunch to avoid the floaty 'our game is what we want it to be' feel that a lot of story based games end up being. More importantly in play the thing actually WORKS. It also beautifully put together. Some of the art is merely adequate, but even the adequate work is color INSIDE the book. That's part of the reason this is expensive and it ends up being worth it. This is a new game I not only want to play but WILL play in many games for years to come.

Movie: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Despite the fact that he basically plays Nicholas Cage in every movie that he's in with only very minor variations on the I Am Nicholas Cage In This Movie character, I actually LIKE Nicholas Cage...he makes crappy movies better. In some cases, he even makes a movie good...like say...Next. In this movie he actually plays the character I like him most in....Wizard Who Looks like Harry Dresden and Acts Like Nicolas Cage Playing a Warden in the Dresden Universe.

And he does a damn good job of it!

Unfortunately this movie is not really about that character at all. Instead its about Clueless but Nerdy Science Wanna Be Mage But Doesn't Want To Be Mage Chosen After a Thousand Year Search Who Uses Science! This kid is an OK actor....I could maybe like him in something but in this movie he sucks compared to what I see what the movie should have been. This kid plays the character like obnoxious side kick when unfortunately the movie is ABOUT the obnioux side kick.

The main villain does a pretty good job. He's not Alan Rickman but he holds his own. HIS Sidekick is actually pretty funny. Draco Malfoy as Duche Magician is the second best part of the movie. Also not very much screen time.

But then again this is a Jerry Bruchheimer film....which is to say don't expect much. If you see this cable, its worth watching. It you pay money like I did, I feel sorry for you. If you put it on Netflix....I assure you there are better movies out there to rent.