Time Keeps On Slipping Into the Future

It is quite funny how some stories seem to be circular in form.
Pokémon has once more taken a hold of my spare time, with Gen 5.5 being the current bad guy.
Luckily there is still time to enjoy the better things in life, like rereading old books and reading seemingly old books.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children falls squarely into the second category.
With slightly disturbing black and white 'vintage' trick photographs, it sketches a story of a group of wonderful people who all seem quite improbable. And it will come as no surprise that the protagonist finds out that not only are these people as real as his grandfather described them, the monsters they were supposedly hiding from are as well.
He travels to the UK, hoping to find this band of misfits and stumbles upon them in a pocket time bubble, where they have been since the end of WW II. This leads to the most charming part of the book, with child like exploration of this past town. Unfortunately the book loses its poetic bent just a tad too much at the end to prove really interesting. Nonetheless, the sequel will probably answer all the questions that are left unanswered.

Another take on time travel has that typical Pratchett approach as we wander back into the life of Johnny Maxwell for a fourth time, now with added Discworld references (TM)
Johnny and his mates find a trolley that allows them to travel to tehir town on the day of the great WW II air raid, with people's grandparents calling them spies, Men and Cars in Black, double or triple burgers, girls changing their names every other page and missing sandwiches abound. Try not to take it too seriously and it will all work out fine.

And after that it is time to head out once more into the black

Play All Night, Better Get it Right

While others focus their attention on vampire love triangles, pubescent demi-gods or starving teenager battle royale, I would like to divert that attention to more distinguished forms of entertainment. Say, of men in tailored suits. Well, one man. A skeleton, really. Who casts spells. And drives a vintage Bentley.
Good, I've got your attention. Bear in mind that the views expressed here are not meant to be taken as fact, nor should you assume that any of the aforementioned series are bad in any way. (Heck I've read or seen adaptations of all of them and thoroughly enjoyed them)
But there could be some more love out there for a certain undead detective out there. Mind you, there will be spoilers,i.e. don't read too intensely if you want to start the series yourself. So without further ado, I present to you

Skulduggery Pleasant
A description in three parts

1. Story

It's the world of human fantasy. Every part, every creature of it, is a piece of the dreams and hopes of mankind. Therefore, it has no boundaries.

Our story starts, as all stories start, with an inconspicuous event. The passing of Irishman and chidren's fantasy novel writer Gordon Edgley and the reading of his will, in which he leaves everything to his 12 year old niece, Stephanie, much to the dismay of her relatives.
Also present is the enigmatic former 'partner', mister Skulduggery Pleasant.

Steph decides to stay overnight in her uncle's mansion, when she is attacked by a not quite human assailant and subsequently rescued by detective Pleasant, guns and fireballs blazing.
"Listen up, honey, magic is real, your uncle knew it and seeing as you just got targeted by some very bad men, you'll be up to your neck in this until I find the one responsible for this."
Needless to say, little Stephanie tags along after this, meeting the likes of Ghastly Bespoke - a tailor of battle-resistant outfits -, China Sorrows - glamorous information broker - and Tanith Low - English agent and monster hunter.

Mages were not born with these, sometimes silly sounding, names, but take on a second name to preved themselves from being manipulated through name-magic; a very nasty control effect, which Stephanie experiences firsthand. This leads her to take on the name Valkyrie Cain to escape the effects

These encounters all lead to the retrieval of an artifact tied to Stephanie's ancestors (the Scepter of the Ancients), running from vampires (which are more akin to werewolves in the Pleasant-verse) and a final showdown between Skulduggery and the mage who killed him, Nefarian Serpine.
Nefarian, robbed of his edge as Pleasant cannot be killed like he was last time, obviously loses, whilst Valkyrie saves herself by displaying the first signs of a prodigious sorceress.

The first novel suffers, like most in a series do, from information overload. The writer has to set up the world and its limitations, create compelling characters, set up the transition from 'normal' to 'grand revelation' as well as finishing a tale in case your novel does not prove to be the break out hit you thought it would be.
Something has to give, and usually it is the story.

Luckily, this is remedied in later novels, with minor plot elements turning into major themes for later novels.
And fortunately, the main villains, who ultimately are defeated, tend to play second fiddle to the dastardly henchmen they have, who live to thwart the heroes another time.
Among those are shadowspider monstrosities, turncoats and assassins that can ignore walls.

And of course, the threats grow larger as well, with body snatchers and Lovecraftian horrors being some of the more memorable foes.

2. Dramatis Personae

In our darkest hour we're all just shades of grey

To keep your readers interested, not only need your characters be powerful, independent and interesting, they should also be inherently flawed. Because without that they would not be memorable.

Skulduggery Pleasant
Suave, sarcastic, skeleton. Skulduggery used to be human, until Nefarian Serpine killed his family and subsequently him during the Great War. His rage was so great, however, that he came back, animated his bones and has been going strong since. His methods are questionable sometimes and he can be a cold hearted killer if needed.

Valkyrie Cain
Little Val has everything going for her, last survivor of the Ancient race, magical wunderkind, with her powers growing and diversifying every novel. Unfortunately, this also means she is slowly sliding down the right path, lying to her parents, employing the same scare tactics as Skulduggery and occasionally dipping into some Necromancy.

China Sorrows
Everybody loves China. No, really, any person that lays eyes on her falls in love with her. A trait very handy when extracting information for profit. Calculating, emotionless and yet, she tends to be more on the heroes' side.
Then again, there are those nasty rumours that she used to be the leader of this Lovecraftian cult as well as the one who betrayed Skulduggery's family.

Ghastly Bespoke
Ghastly might be the most sincere of the lot. Taking up trade as a tailor after the Great War, making the most battle-resistant yet splendid looking clothing available. Turning himself to stone to protect his friends and later
returning to life and being the same rock solid horribly scarred lovable giant he was before.

Tanith Low
Who better to fill in as a role model than a kick-ass swordswoman. Tanith is the epitome of physical prowess, mixing up slashes and quips whilst still looking out for her combat partners. This leaves her a bit emotionally stumped, though.

Vaurien Scapegrace
The Killer Supreme, a man who has turned murder into an art form. Or in his case, more of a theoretical discourse on the possibilities of killing people. Every series needs a comic relief henchman and Vaurien fits this part to a T.
Being turned into a zombie might have made him even more incompetent.

Dusk
Brilliant by day, feral by night. Dusk is one of the few vampires who actually uses supernatural medicine to keep from turning into the mindless monster that is a nocturnal vampire. Known to hold a grudge for a very long time, Dusk is as merciless as he is vindictive.

The Torment
Another Macchiavellan mastermind/monster. Dishevelled, disinterested and quite destructive. The Torment is the leader of a group of rogue mages, who willingly seclude themselves from mage society. He also turns into a monstrous arachnid-spewing eight-legged freak at a whim.

Billy-Ray Sanguine
Every series needs a villain you love to hate. Billy-Ray makes it that much easier. Blind assassin, check. Can move through floors and walls, double check. Has an enchanted razor that leaves permanent wounds. We have a winner. Add to that his Texan accent and psychopathic tendencies and you have a villain as cool as a cucumber.

3. World Building

You better wake up. The world you live in is just a sugar-coated topping. There is another world beneath it — the real world. And if you want to survive it, you better learn to pull the trigger!

Characters in a vacuum are nothing. They need rules and a playground to use them in. Luckily, Pleasant-verse provides enough of it.
Leaving aside the fact that there are task forces assigned specifically to convince the general public that 'magic does not exist,' the entire mage network is quite organised, with each country having their own Sanctuary governing them. This leads to a fragile balance between the Sanctuaries, every one of them waiting for the slightest slip up to swoop in and take control. A situation made even more precarious by the Irish Archmage (much like a Hogwarts DADA teacher) being killed off every single novel.

Mages come in two main flavors: Elementals, who throw fireballs, walk on water and hover; and Adepts, who buff their own physical capabilities to turn into frontline fighter-mages. Both have their pros and cons and most neophytes like Valkyrie have until they reach the end of their puberty (well, an event which takes place between 16 and 20) before they have to lock in their discipline. Of course there are other options to choose from, clairvoyancy, necromancy and teleportation, but most mages of those schools have a certain natural predisposition towards it.

Every single mage is influenced by the Great War. Due to their incredible longevity, most of the mages that fought the War are still around. Fragile alliances made back then still resonate in the present and nobody is completely clean. All are morally grey, some more so than others.

Monsters abound as well, ranging from other malevolent wizards to the Faceless Ones, god-like entities locked away millennia ago, now thought to be myth. Zombies, vampires, goblins, Spring-Heeled Jack, they all make an appearance, while not feeling like the monster of the week.

All in all, the detective noir inspired atmosphere, combined with sarcasm and contemporary urban fantasy just work for me. So if Meyer or Collins do not tickle your fancy, why not try some Derek Landy.

Like Memories Seem to Fade

Much time has passed and many books read since I last updated.
But one of them stood a cut above the rest, worthy of mention by itself.

Anthony Horowitz - The House of Silk

Horowitz most certainly delivers with this latest piece of Holmes pastiche. With nearly 400 pages of story told, as it should be, by Watson, this is one of the larger novels to be released.
The story starts off with Watson telling of Holmes' recent passing away. He continues by stating that the case we are about the read, has been sealed away for one hundred years, when people could perhaps stomach the gruesome tale of the Flat Capped Man.

It starts off simple enough, with Holmes demonstrating his genius by a single observation; a client appears requesting help in finding a criminal and this all leads to the main plot of the illustrious House of Silk, an institute that apparently does not shirk from anything evil. Their search leads them to many locales, both familiar and unfamiliar and cameos from unexpected allies.

Now, a better writer than I would be able to describe the story without giving away too many spoilers. But seeing as I understand my limitations, suffice to say that the story will have enough twists to keep you entertained all the way through. (And none of this Dan Brown-esque let's just rehash what's been written before)
Horowitz manages to pull off Doyle's characteristic style of storytelling, without it getting caught up in archaic language or entirely unhinged plot. The cameos or the references aren't too obtrusive, and once the story starts rolling, you'll want to finish it in one reading. It's just that good.

i've Been Here Once Before

A new year, some new reviews.
starting off the year with some reviews on books concerning the monomyth in one way or the other.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians, The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan
Part one of the series makes a lot more sense than the second book which I read some time ago.
Poor little Percy is underappreciated, bad in school and only good at sports, so it is only natural that he should be special. And in a slow grinding first half of the book, he realises that he is no mere boy, but a hero, destined for greatness, even if his true parents denied him. The second half adds the obligatory sidecast of a loyal, yet less competent best friend, the aloof but caring female and the older and wiser big brother type, as well as the true mentors and antagonists for the series.
The book picks up some speed from there, with a swift reinterpretation of some parts of Greek mythology and the Odysseia, culminating in the first 'big showdown,' which of course turns out to be just a starter course.


Blood Ninja - Nick Lake
Ninjas are awesome, they are so because all ninjas are vampires. So fare, the book seemed promising, with an atypical prologue and Meiji era Japan as its setting, it got off to a good start. And when the hero got turned to save his life, it was only logical that the ninja vampire that saved him should take him to his clan to train.
But the point where everything went to heck was when the protagonist proved to be this Marty Stu whom all the world tries either kill or protect. Not to mention the group of friends he gathers along the way who follow him blindly.


And last but not least
De griezelbus 7 - Paul van Loon
The ultimate part in the series comes full circle, wrapping up all those loose ends that slipped in over the years. Although it has neither the impact of the first couple of books nor the stories within stories that made it famous, some things just needed to be said. The cycle is complete, Onnoval has become who he was always destined to be and the world is a darker place because of it.

Up next: birthdays and bullfrogs

From Everywhere Filling the Air

The year is hurtling towards its end once again. And with it, come all the woes and worries we had to endure. For holidays bring spare time, spent in between meals as well as in the evenings leading up to them.

As always I tend to find something to do in those spare hours and the last couple of weeks have had me travelling across the southern provinces, playing video games as well as viewing some of the nicer indie and blockbuster movies of recent times. But that would be getting ahead of myself. And it would be better to save those for the next chaos reconstruction.

To be brief about it all.
If you liked Sherlock Holmes, you will not be disappointed when you go to see A Game of Shadows. Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page kick ass in Super. Ryan Kwanten sounds better in Griff the Invisible than most of his performances on True Blood put together. And David Hyde Pierce + Joseph Gordon-Levitt provide a very nice voice cast for a movie.

Up next: what will you be doing on New Year's Eve?

Which One is More Human

The last few months have been filled with rehearsal, rehearsal and a side of rehearsal, leading me to neglect every other social aboligation during week nights. The band has some tricks up their sleeve for this year, with lots of brass and reed mucking up the nice electronic noise we usually throw out there.
Luckily it still ends up as the normal hodge podge we produce.

On to more interesting matters.
The new throng of prometheans have moved on to Russia, Saint Petersburg to be exact. Here they met with the last of the new arrivals, Private, a WW II soldier and the 'other' promethean to grace the streets of the good city of Leningrad: Grigori. Luckily they adapted quite easily to the luxurious style he lives by. But how long until they see him for what he really is?

On the other hand, my session for the Winterweekend is coming along nicely.
The location is set, Morning Dew Summer Camp, a place where 8-10 year old kids can come the have te thime of their life. Unfortunately, a small mishap 10 years ago made sure it had to be closed down, but this summer it reopens and you are going to be a counselor there. You know the grounds, because you were there 10 years ago. And the last session of group therapy was the only thing left before you could confront your memories in person. Now if only I could find a couple of hours to actually draw the park. Then again, I assume that some of these summer camps will have an online map available.

Good Friends We've Lost Along the Way

Letting go of players is never easy, but sometimes the world does not cooperate.
Three of my Truck Stop players have left the campaign due to a vocational paradigm shift; simply put, they moved to the other side of the country to start their new courses, which left them unable to travel back and forth in a timely fashion.

So this is a salute to three fine players and their efforts to stay ahead of the curve.

Mozatan, the short-fused mechanic

Mose was a quiet man, unless there was a profit to be had on the hapless customers of the Truck Stop. A small dent here, some missing fuel lines there. Nothing was too difficult to fix for him. Mostly because he had the ripped out those fuel lines only minutes before, but who would argue about that with this 6'5" mountain of muscles.
After the truck stop exploded he went on his roundabout and has since gone to the Wastes.

Hae-Yoo, the gun-toting store clerk

Why waste time helping people when you could just as easily show them the badly drawn floor plan so they can get lost in your shop for even longer and buy more stuff? Hae-Yoo snuck around, had his Shabti do everything he did not have to do and simply misinterpreting every single thing the humans did.
When you assume that you should throw hamburgers in peoples' faces to get free food, you know you must be a promethean.

Bollo, the card-sharking encyclopedia

Bollo never intended to end up in this mess. He just got dragged along with everything the others seemed to do. Eurydice had him stab someone. David sent him on errands and every customer treated him like thrash.
Once the group split up for three months he actually enjoyed himself as a waiter.
But after that, the group got together again and the madness ensued once more.
He saw everything, remembers even more, but why would you interfere in the affairs of others?

I have had the time of my life playing with them and I hope to see them again sometime in the near future.