Shadow Flutter

Author Tad Williams Genre:  Fantasy Verdict: Very Cool! I think it’s been forever since I started seeing Williams’ tomes eating up shelf space at the library and at book stores.  He’s not an author often mentioned in the same circles as Martin, Weeks, Lawrence, Rothfuss, Sanderson, Erikson, and Hobb.  He’s not a favorite of the in-crowd, and I’ve always wondered why? What’s different, if anything, about his work?  It isn’t that he isn’t popular. There’s another crowd that likes him or his books wouldn’t take up the precious shelf space that they do.  But why aren’t his books recommended more often than they are?  Too many self-generated questions that I needed answers to, so I dove in. Now that I’ve finished book 1 of his first series (a tetralogy), what I still don’t know is why his books aren’t recommended more often.  But what I now know is how much I liked it.  I enjoyed it so much that, once finished, I immediately started r...

This from Axios • When the U.S. military aide carrying the nuclear football entered the Great Hall, Chinese security officials blocked his entry. (The official who carries the nuclear football is supposed to stay close to the president at all times, along with a doctor.) • A U.S. official hurried into the adjoining room and told Kelly what was happening. Kelly rushed over and told the U.S. officials to keep walking — "We're moving in," he said — and the Americans all started moving. • Then there was a commotion. A Chinese security official grabbed Kelly, and Kelly shoved the man’s hand off of his body.  Then a U.S. Secret Service agent grabbed the Chinese security official and tackled him to the ground. https://tinyurl.com/y7lqd9cv So it is U.S. policy that its leader walk into the highest government offices of another country carrying with him the means too obliterate them?   My first thought is, what hutzpah.   But I’ll hold off on that until I ...

Fantasy Humor Fantasy Humor?  How much of that do you see these days with GrimDark all the rage?  But here it is, and it’s good, really good.  Like most humor, the humor here relies on character and situation, and Eames really knocks the characters and situations out of the park. Welcome to a world of monsters and mercenaries. Because of all the monsters, mercenaries are in such great demand that they have booking agents.  If the price is right you can book one over the weekend to rid your town of pesky minotaurs or some such monsters.  (Dragons cost extra.)  But don’t wait until the last minute, the demand is great and tickets are selling fast. Meet Saga, the most famous mercenary band of them all.  The most badass band of them all.  The most legendary band of them all.  The most retired band of them all.  They've been retired for 20 years now.  They thought it was for good.  But what do mercenaries know?  They ha...

This happened twice some years ago. I received a phone call from some guy in Texas. In a most humble and non-threatening voice, not sounding like a telemarketer or scam artist at all, he says to me he’s handicapped and confined to his house but makes a living by making light bulbs in his home and selling them over the phone.   He asks me to buy some. Usually when I get a sales pitch over the phone it’s more direct.   Either I am asked to give to a charity I’ve never heard of, or I'm asked to surrender my social security number so they can free all the money in an account an uncle I never knew I had died and willed to me.   These are old, tried and tired telemarketing gimmicks, but this one was new and fresh.    The whole idea of someone calling asking me to buy homemade lightbulbs to support a handicapped person such as himself was refreshing.  He had succeeded in turning the ignition to my brain on, and my pistons were chugging at a r...